Janggeum’s Dream: Episode 50 Commentary

Last Chance

Things certainly have taken a turn for the worst for the Choe family. I know Jeong-ho headed Choe Pansul’s capture, but who was behind having Lady Choe and Geum-yeong imprisoned? They must have been taken in just in case they were working with Pansul.

I still don’t know what happened or when with the young queen’s father prior, but his health looks to have improved much by now. And poor King Jungjong, he just can’t have an easy day. I imagine Jeong-ho related how the journey was one threat on their life after another.

Like any good villain, Pansul plays innocent as long as possible. When he finds his ninja’s been captured, I get the impression Pansul tries to say he had no part in this person’s doings, making the ninja try and retaliate. Pansul had his chance before what I assume to be ancient Korea’s version of a court, but Lady Choe and Geum-yeong get a trial like Janggeum’s back when the storage house burned down. Ah, what a trial that one was. Nothing says “innocent until proven guilty” like having an interrogator unrelentlessly proclaim your undoubtful guilt. Geum-yeong and Lady Choe look to have it a little easier than Janggeum did, though. Personally, when Pansul was before the court and Jeong-ho held up the book, I was hoping to see Jeong-ho throw the book at him (literally). It wouldn’t have made sense, but it would have been fun to watch.

While the scene with Geum-yeong’s capture plays out nicely (with a good use of her careful craftsmanship, only to have the next piece she makes interrupted, causing her to poke herself), I can’t help but wonder what the experience would be like for her if Jeong-ho were standing there heading the capture. With the viewer knowing how Geum-yeong feels about Jeong-ho, only to have had him leave to assist Janggeum and Lady Han, it would be a powerful statement for Jeong-ho’s first act toward Geum-yeong upon his return to be her arrest.

Most of Pansul’s actions had to be without Lady Choe knowing, and especially without Geum-yeong’s knowledge. For all the things Lady Choe would do, given the chance, she would never consent to the murders of Lady Han and Janggeum. Her goal was clearly to get them out of the way, not to remove them completely. Without English subtitles, I don’t know for certain what she knew, though, but I can at least imagine. Because of this, seeing Geum-yeong tied up and being taken away by guards had to be a huge shock, and then for her to be tried up and taken away herself…

The note Lady Choe reads after it being thrown in through her window sounds to have Pansul’s voice as the voice-over. If Pansul wrote the note, then either he wrote it to be delivered to her if anything happened to him, or he wrote it in his cell and had it delivered. Either way, it seems he has someone on the outside still. This goes in line with the impression I got from Pansul’s dialogue which gets a startled reaction from Jeong-ho, as if he says Lady Han and Janggeum are still in danger.

Whatever reason the young queen may have had for disliking Janggeum appears to be gone. Perhaps she’s been briefed on the details of what’s happened, and anything Pansul told her about Janggeum she now knows was a plot against Janggeum and Lady Han.

The food item taken to Janggeum, with the seeds to remove, is an obvious allusion to her memory of her mother removing the seeds from the same kind of food. I didn’t see any significance to this within this episode, so maybe it will have something related to it in the next episode?

I’m left in the dark as to what the envelope was that Yeong-ro took with her when she and Court Granny went to Lady Choe and Geum-yeong’s cell. Whatever it was, it’s putting Yeong-ro and Geum-yeong on a trip of their own. I take it the guard serving Pansul a meal mentions this, leading to Pansul’s frightened look. Could Geum-yeong’s life now be in danger due to his plot against Lady Han and Janggeum?