Revenant 악귀 [2023]

[liddi]

Another soundtrack dropped today!

 

Part 4: Sunwoo Jung-a - Breath

 

 

[Chocolate]

@liddi Wow, you got a lot of the points right!

 

Re my earlier post of a tweet showing the dressing of the possible ghost as a clue, well, this ep shows almost everyone dresses the same in that village 😂

 

Ep11 shows us who the evil spirit is and how she became one. After knowing Lee Mok Dan's story, one would think that Lee Hyangi's story would be similarly sympathetic, but surprisingly not. She was a greedy and selfish girl from the start, even if she did regret later.

 

 

Spoiler

 

The scenes after Sanyeong left Grandma's house were very exciting. All that door knocking! 😬 

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

2 things learnt:

- The prohibition line not only keeps the spirit from coming in, it keeps it from going out as well!

- The spirit can come out when it rains, doesn't need to wait for night. So is she worried about pigmentation? 😆

 

Now that all the 5 items are found, the spirit seems to have become one with Sanyeong, since the shadow's hair is no longer frizzy lol.

 

 

A few questions:

 

The spirit knows what Sanyeong knows right? So why did it not know they were planning to trick grandma?

 

On 7/27/2023 at 11:49 PM, ktcjdrama said:

My question is more on how evil grandma is still hoping for benefits from the spirit when it is not within the family anymore, but with an outsider. 

 

I also wander about this. If I were the spirit, I would have killed grandma once I no longer needed their family's bodies because she knows her secrets. There's one more secret that grandma says she hasn't told - what do you think this is?

 

All gifs from @silvertrhee.

 

Edited July 29, 2023 by Chocolate

[Chocolate]

Ep12 Preview

 

It seems they are still searching for something?

 

[mademoiselle]

I think the actress playing Lee Hyang Gi is the one who played the younger version of Jung Eun Hui in Our Blues. Side topic, I thought it's interesting that Korea is still so under-developed in the rural areas in the late 50s. The villagers and Shaman were still pretty much living like they were in Joseon period.

6 hours ago, Chocolate said:

The scenes after Sanyeong left Grandma's house were very exciting. All that door knocking!

Yeah. That was indeed very thrilling. And I'm glad Omma is safe.

6 hours ago, Chocolate said:

2 things learnt:

- The prohibition line not only keeps the spirit from coming in, it keeps it from going out as well!

- The spirit can come out when it rains, doesn't need to wait for night. So is she worried about pigmentation?

It's the sun that keeps the spirit inactive. When it rains, there's rain clouds covering the sun, so she is able to come out.

6 hours ago, Chocolate said:

Now that all the 5 items are found, the spirit seems to have become one with Sanyeong, since the shadow's hair is no longer frizzy lol.

Yeah, that was my fear earlier on. Though I don't understand "how" it works. I hope the drama explains it well.

6 hours ago, Chocolate said:

The spirit knows what Sanyeong knows right? So why did it not know they were planning to trick grandma?

This part I didn't pay enough attention, hahaha! Did they perhaps only told San Yeong about the 28 Feb special day on the day?

6 hours ago, Chocolate said:

There's one more secret that grandma says she hasn't told - what do you think this is?

Probably on how to get rid of the evil spirit...?

Edited July 29, 2023 by mademoiselle

[liddi]

What a gripping episode with so many twists and turns! My heart was in my mouth throughout... from the incessant banging that dogged Haesang and Hongsae, to the near death of Sanyeong's mother, leading up to the discovery of the final item and what it entailed. That last scene with Sanyeong's mocking smirk as her shadow is no longer that of the spirit is chilling, indicating that she has fully taken over and assimilated herself into Sanyeong's physical self. Does that mean that the shadow is now Sanyeong, with Hyangyi having taken over her physical body?

 

So many unanswered questions. The names on the household register are clearly different from what we see in the school records, so which is which? I am still inclined to trust the household register since the spirit went to great lengths to ensure it was destroyed. We also see the name and department of the man Hongsae was talking to when the spirit appeared outside his car, as well as hearing someone screaming through the phone for them to open the door. If she truly wanted to keep her name a secret, why would she not stop the records from being released to Hongsae, seeing she could tell where he was going from the phone contact details? Yet, her classmate clearly referred to her as Hyangyi when recounting what happened in the past. So which is it?

 

It is also interesting to see that Hyangyi's assessment paints her as bright, cheerful, high self-esteem, responsible and competitive, which I can't seem to equate to the self-serving girl, yearning for a better life, wanting the drudgery of her current existence to be gone. It is chilling to see how easily she moved on after tricking her younger sister to take her place, only recanting when she lost her entire family. 

 

One more thing. The shaman actually singled her out from the start, marking her as the chosen candidate for the juvenile ghost. How is it then that she never sought her out when Mokdan showed up with the hair accessory instead? She would surely have known that was not the girl she handpicked. If so, why continue on the preparations with Mokdan? If Hyangyi had not shown up at the doorstep with the money, would she have attempted to use Mokdan instead? Knowing the requirement she herself spelt out for secondborns, I can't imagine she would have settled for the younger child. Or was she laying everything in place to fuel the desperation, fury and grasping survival instincts so needed to successfully create a vengeful juvenile spirit by stripping away everything, every sliver of hope Hyangyi had in her brief life?

 

Another thing I cannot understand is why Mokdan was present during the selection anyway? The shaman clearly asked for the gathering of the secondborns, so by right, she need not have been there. Why then was she? I understand the significance of the hair accessory that marked her fate, the black band which her mother killed herself with, the glass bottle which embodied her passion for art, and the broken jade hairpin which she used to try and survive before she died. However, I still cannot see how the broken blue pottery piece comes into play. Mokdan's body was returned on 24Jun1958 and presumably placed in a blue jar and hung from the Deokdali tree. By then, her entire family was dead and Hyangyi was already imprisoned. So who received the body and performed the rites? Also, who recovered all these items? Was it through her instructions?

 

Last but certainly not least. How did Chiwon know to contact and admit the possessed Sanyeong at the hospital to deliver the final punishment to Haesang's grandmother? Is he working in tandem with the spirit now, and has a new pact been made since the old one with Haesang's grandmother is now void?

 

I don't believe we have all the pieces yet. Knowing now that the spirit's grasping will to live, it appears she wants to resume her life which was cut short through Sanyeong's physical body. Was that why she bided her time, making the unholy pact with Haesang's grandmother, and waited until the perfect host was available? In the preview, Haesang was seen burning paper with the name Lee Hyangyi 李香伊. Did the ritual fail yet again because despite having all 5 correct items, the name is still wrong? If so, I wonder whether we would find that the scene of the two men tearing the Yeom residence apart looking for what they missed, would end up with clues that point to the spirit's real name after all? Or am I barking up the wrong tree (and name) yet again? We shall see.

 

Can't believe that 6 weeks have flown so quickly, and the drama finally ends tonight. Please continue to exceed expectations, and deliver all the way to the end, tying up every loose end. 

[Chocolate]

23 minutes ago, mademoiselle said:

I think the actress playing Lee Hyang Gi is the one who played the younger version of Jung Eun Hui in Our Blues.

 

She's not bad. In this one episode, she was totally convincing.

 

18 minutes ago, liddi said:

One more thing. The shaman actually singled her out from the start, marking her as the chosen candidate for the juvenile ghost. How is it then that she never sought her out when Mokdan showed up with the hair accessory instead? She would surely have known that was not the girl she handpicked. If so, why continue on the preparations with Mokdan? If Hyangyi had not shown up at the doorstep with the money, would she have attempted to use Mokdan instead? Knowing the requirement she herself spelt out for secondborns, I can't imagine she would have settled for the younger child. Or was she laying everything in place to fuel the desperation, fury and grasping survival instincts so needed to successfully create a vengeful juvenile spirit by stripping away everything, every sliver of hope Hyangyi had in her brief life?

 

I'm inclined to think it is part of the shaman's plan. She needed a starving and ANGRY child. Mokdan was not angry, and was a 3rd child, thus she was likely a tool to incite Hyangi.

 

18 minutes ago, liddi said:

I understand the significance of the hair accessory that marked her fate, the black band which her mother killed herself with, the glass bottle which embodied her passion for art, and the broken jade hairpin which she used to try and survive before she died. However, I still cannot see how the broken blue pottery piece comes into play.

 

I re-watched the scene. I think this pc is part of broken roof through which Hyangi saw the moon before she died.

 

18 minutes ago, liddi said:

Last but certainly not least. How did Chiwon know to contact and admit the possessed Sanyeong at the hospital to deliver the final punishment to Haesang's grandmother? Is he working in tandem with the spirit now, and has a new pact been made since the old one with Haesang's grandmother is now void?

 

Oh, this is worrying 😅

 

[ktcjdrama]

@liddi you spelled out a lot of my questions while watching ep.11. I saw some bugs, using too much logic in watching, despite the many twists and turns. Still looking forward to the finale though, because of the ending scene of ep.11.

 

Most nagging question will of course be why Shaman Choi lured away Mokdan when she herself knew which girl was chosen? Was it too dark that selection night that she couldn't recognise the face? lol.... In fact, the whole village knew that it was Hyang-i who was selected, why are the whole village watching her being lured away and said nothing? Are they not worried the deal will be off if they did not "present" the correct sacrifice? And yes, why was Mokdan even present there?

 

My next question will be why the need to torture and starve the child? Waiting for auspicious time to kill and offer sacrifice? Why not just do it right away? Was it explained, did I miss it? 

 

I don't have time to rewatch for details, but it seems like the initial plan was only to sacrifice a child for wealth, and that the curse for Hyang-i to become an evil spirit wasn't planned? Which is why when HS's grandfather picked up the hair ornament, he became possessed? Also, what is so special about Hyang-i that she was able to give guarantee wealth for the family? By off-ing their business rivals or whoever is in the way of the family? Why did they need to create an evil spirit? Wouldn't it be easier to control a desperate spirit instead of always being afraid the spirit might turn against you? As in the case of HS's grandmother? Btw, what benefit the spirit has gotten for bringing the wealth to the family all these years? We are not informed of that, are we? 

 

5 hours ago, Chocolate said:

There's one more secret that grandma says she hasn't told - what do you think this is?

Could it be the correct way to get rid of the spirit? Where is that paper exactly?

 

5 hours ago, Chocolate said:

The scenes after Sanyeong left Grandma's house were very exciting. All that door knocking!

Right?!! I was so worried for Prof.because there were doors all around him. The train is absolutely not the best way to be at when door-knocking evil spirit is chasing you. And I also take back about Det. Seo for just leaving the door to his office open, because apparently the spirit will just go through the opened door as in the case of SY's omma cafe.

 

1 hour ago, liddi said:

It is also interesting to see that Hyangyi's assessment paints her as bright, cheerful, high self-esteem, responsible and competitive, which I can't seem to equate to the self-serving girl, yearning for a better life, wanting the drudgery of her current existence to be gone.

Maybe she's changed due to an unrequited crush on the art teacher? 

 

 

Also, am I the only one bothered by the fact they have 24 hours (fine, 12 hours of daylight) to get the real name out of Grandma, but they chose to do so in the evening, that by the time the real name reached Prof and Det.Lee, they have only 5 minutes left, thus not being able to go into action asap but have to wait for morning/daylight?

 

 

[ktcjdrama]

1 hour ago, liddi said:

The names on the household register are clearly different from what we see in the school records, so which is which? I am still inclined to trust the household register since the spirit went to great lengths to ensure it was destroyed.

I just saw your post on this. The picture it self, the top name, I think it's the name of the father. They're the same for both columns. The full name of the family member is near the thumb near the bottom right. And we're only shown the surname - Lee. The far right column has information that it is name of eldest daughter. 

[liddi]

2 hours ago, ktcjdrama said:

I just saw your post on this. The picture it self, the top name, I think it's the name of the father. They're the same for both columns. The full name of the family member is near the thumb near the bottom right. And we're only shown the surname - Lee. The far right column has information that it is name of eldest daughter. 

@ktcjdrama You are absolutely right - thank you for finally setting my head and eyes straight! The names are at the bottom of the column, but not visible. Hence the names Hyangi and Mokdan are valid after all. Gosh... all that painstaking effort barking up the wrong names  My only consolation is that I figured out their birthdates 

 

Glad I wasn't the only one who was questioning the stretches in logic. Fingers crossed it is all explained well in the finale. Have not watched yet but will be back after I do so.

 

@Chocolate I agree about her crush on the art teacher. Wonder whether he is the same one she later killed in 1973 for publishing the artbook "Understanding Art"?  

 

Have anyone watched the last episode? Am holding it off till tomorrow. 

[peperomia]

I watched the final episode. I will wait until everyone here has a chance to watch before spilling any of the supernatural details of how we got to the end. I am curious if you all thought most things got explained and tied up.

 

All in all though, I thought the writer delivered a positive message at the end of a dark and gripping story.

Spoilers ahead...

Spoiler

At the close, Hae Sang shares a special place with San Yeong – the annual grand purification ceremony by the beach, where of many things, it escorts lost and wandering ghosts to a good place brought on by everyone’s wishes. He would come here when it was too painful to see the ghosts because on this rare occasion, he can see them happy.

 

 

SY who can still see ghosts can see that they do look happy here in this moment.

 

For HS' wish, he prays everyone’s wishes comes true. He hopes everyone here finds happiness (which I am certain includes the spirits and the writer means to extend this wish to us viewers as well).

 

 

After witnessing this moment, SY goes blind at the ceremony. The fireworks turn into darkness. However, she is not afraid, but accepts it and says to herself that she will strive to survive.
 

 

Although unfortunate, I think SY eventually going blind was appropriate for the ending. Unlike her father and others who gave into their weaknesses and made deals with the ghost, she courageously fought it. Shortcuts and the easy-way ins/outs in life always comes with costs. She was not willing to sacrifice any for the sake of keeping her vision intact. I like that in the end, she is at peace with everything - the good and bad - she will accept them.

 

[40somethingahjumma]

7 hours ago, ktcjdrama said:

 

 

Most nagging question will of course be why Shaman Choi lured away Mokdan when she herself knew which girl was chosen? Was it too dark that selection night that she couldn't recognise the face? lol.... In fact, the whole village knew that it was Hyang-i who was selected, why are the whole village watching her being lured away and said nothing? Are they not worried the deal will be off if they did not "present" the correct sacrifice? And yes, why was Mokdan even present there?

 

My next question will be why the need to torture and starve the child? Waiting for auspicious time to kill and offer sacrifice? Why not just do it right away? Was it explained, did I miss it? 

 

 

Hyangi was always the target. She's the second child not Mokdan. Mokdan was used to bait Hyangi and then heighten her anger and fear in order to turn her into a particularly evil spirit.

 

It was explained in one of the earlier episodes that in order to create a juvenile ghost, the "chosen" subject would have to be starved to death for a certain period. And it had to be the second child.

 

It is a very cruel practice.

 

The purpose of the evil spirit is used to kill the people that got in the way of Junghyeon Capital and give the family member an alibi. To ensure that they would have not obstacles reaching their goals I imagine.

 

 

Edited July 29, 2023 by 40somethingahjumma

[peperomia]

Coming back to revisit some of the previous comments...

 

20 hours ago, Chocolate said:

Ep11 shows us who the evil spirit is and how she became one. After knowing Lee Mok Dan's story, one would think that Lee Hyangi's story would be similarly sympathetic, but surprisingly not. She was a greedy and selfish girl from the start, even if she did regret later.

 

Agree and I thought these characteristics of her when she was human tied into her evil spirit perfectly. It was consistent. After the ritual, the shaman immediately sensed she was different from the other ghosts which is why she left the instructions on how to dispel the evil spirit with the evil grandmother. (This was explained in the last episode.)

 

15 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

I think the actress playing Lee Hyang Gi is the one who played the younger version of Jung Eun Hui in Our Blues.

 

Yes, she (Shim Dal Gi) played the younger version of Jung Eun Hui in Our Blues. She was great there too. For those who watched Hospital Playlist, she also had a small part there as well. She played a teen mom of Dr. Jun Wan's baby patient. I think she has a lot potential. Very talented. Here, she only appeared in the last 2 episodes and made such an impact to the overall story. 

 

11 hours ago, liddi said:

I agree about her crush on the art teacher. Wonder whether he is the same one she later killed in 1973 for publishing the artbook "Understanding Art"?  

 

Yes, I looked up the guest actor in episode 11 and he is the school art teacher, Shin Seung Joo. I believe his nephew provided the 1959 yearbook which still puzzles me. I do not understand why the emphasis on the year 1959 when Hyangi died he same year as Mokdan,1958. 

 

Spoiler

 

Off topic, but I started Longing for You. Title is a bit misleading, but it is a mystery, prosecution/detective storyline with some humor and I think...hints of romance. LOL. I noticed there is no thread for it here, but based on the first episode, it has potential. I like the female lead. She is a spunky prosecutor.

Edited July 30, 2023 by peperomia

[mademoiselle]

That fireworks scene is beautiful. Now I know what it is when I saw it from 19th Life drama!

 

I don't think the finale episode answers everyone's questions raised here. What happened to Mokdan then? It seems all just a redherring in the end to deter the viewers but no real use for her sacrifice. She could have become another akgwi, if not a juvenile ghost. After her death, her finger was cut as well.

 

Were the five objects ever the required objects to get rid of Hyang Gi or it's used to seal her only? Or the five objects were meant to help her possess the host body? The note given to Halmoni by the Shaman was not translated so was it just capturing information about her name and the five objects? What's so special about the finger if they have her whole body anyway, which was taken away by NFS! I'd think under the circumstances that her body had been disposed of in 1958, then it'd mean be more logical the remaining finger of hers is the only way to get rid of her completely.

 

[40somethingahjumma]

1 hour ago, mademoiselle said:

That fireworks scene is beautiful. Now I know what it is when I saw it from 19th Life drama!

 

I don't think the finale episode answers everyone's questions raised here. What happened to Mokdan then? It seems all just a redherring in the end to deter the viewers but no real use for her sacrifice. She could have become another akgwi, if not a juvenile ghost. After her death, her finger was cut as well.

 

Were the five objects ever the required objects to get rid of Hyang Gi or it's used to seal her only? Or the five objects were meant to help her possess the host body? The note given to Halmoni by the Shaman was not translated so was it just capturing information about her name and the five objects? What's so special about the finger if they have her whole body anyway, which was taken away by NFS! I'd think under the circumstances that her body had been disposed of in 1958, then it'd mean be more logical the remaining finger of hers is the only way to get rid of her completely.

 

 

Mokdan wasn't the second child so she didn't become a juvenile ghost when she was killed. I think she was a red-herring because she also disappeared around that time and was officially reported as such. However she was not entirely a red-herring because Hyangi did try to escape her fate by sending her sister to the shaman instead. I suppose one could raise the question of how the shaman would know that Hyangi would eventually come looking for Mokdan. I wonder too if the fishing boat which their father and brother were on was deliberately sunk to create that feeling of isolation so that she would seek out her sister.

 

But there are scenes which we see from the POV of the vengeful spirit in earlier episodes that clues us in that Mokdan is possibly not the spirit. For example the scene where someone ties the hair ornament on Mokdan's head.

 

Ordinarily five objects and a name would be enough (I think) to exorcise the spirit but according to the shaman Hyangi was a particularly "tenacious" juvenile ghost so her finger was also needed on top of everything else as a precautionary measure. It was that extra thing that was needed to get rid of her if things got out of hand. I imagine the show is reinforcing Hyangi's inhuman will to live in this case and her resentment at being born poor and being used as a sacrifice to prosper the village. I don't think normal logic applies here because these are rules of the "magic" of this universe. It has to be the finger. Recovery of the remains apparently leads to a different result ie. the ghost being able to take full control of the host.

 

It was stated over and over that San-yeong's dad, had all the objects sealed (as according to the ritual) but there was something missing.

[Chocolate]

10 hours ago, peperomia said:

I am curious if you all thought most things got explained and tied up.

 

As I watched, I had some questions. But forgotten now haha. All in all, I think the drama had a good flow and most things were logical. Definitely one of my favourites this year.

 

It was nice that this part was included. Sanyeong's life was miserable at the start of the drama, even without an evil spirit, those circumstances could have led her to depression and suicide. Aside from finances, part of it I feel is caused by her mother, who was a burden to her. I've never felt a caregiver has to take care of a mentally ill person at her own expense, so I am glad to see that San Yeong recognised that she had to take care of herself too. (I wanted to clap when Hyangi called her mother "whiny"! 😂 From the start to the end, I find her the most unlikeable character.)

 

 

2 hours ago, peperomia said:

Off topic, but I started Longing for You. Title is a bit misleading, but it is a mystery, prosecution/detective storyline with some humor and I think...hints of romance. LOL. I noticed there is no thread for it here, but based on the first episode, it has potential. I like the female lead. She is a spunky prosecutor.

 

Thanks for the tip. I'll try this.

 

15 hours ago, liddi said:

@Chocolate I agree about her crush on the art teacher. Wonder whether he is the same one she later killed in 1973 for publishing the artbook "Understanding Art"?  

 

This was not me. Was it @peperomia?

 

[liddi]

It is finally ended. And what a ride it has been, gripping all the way to the end, delivering in every way.

 

Through it all, how gratifying it is to watch our trio exhibit tenacity, vigilance and sharp instincts honed by past experiences as they go head to head against the sly, malicious spirit who had been stringing them like a puppet all this while, and this even extends to Sanyeong's mother, who instinctively realises the seemingly bright, filial girl in front of her is not her daughter. I love that no one person is irrelevant, and each one of them provides an integral piece to the puzzle that would finally stop Hyangi - Haesang's realisation that the sealing ritual Hyangi was so eager for him to complete would destroy the shadow that Sanyeong had become; Hongsae figuring out that Hyangi's powers are limited by her physical form; Sanyeong finally understanding the power she now wields as the shadow.  While it appeared Hyangi had the upper hand, having manipulated everything and everyone to finally achieve her goal of living once more, how the tables are turned, with the unexpected limitations she now face in the physical body she has stolen. This extends to the ingenuity with which she is finally taken down - when she realises too late that her very act of stealing Sanyeong's life and consigning the latter to the mirror world, would prove to be her downfall. She underestimated the mettle of the girl she tried to steal from, her courage and strength that allowed her to break free even when all seems lost, and it is ironic that because Sanyeong was trapped as Hyangi's shadow, she in turn gained the power that forced Hyangi to put an end to her own existence, just as she had done to so many other victims in the past, be it of her own volition or otherwise. Brilliant.

 

Knowing the location of the 5th item, we now understand the reason Haesang was earmarked from the start. He was the only one with free access to the Yeom residence. Without him, the jade hairpin would never have been recovered, and Hyangi would still be forced to live as a malevolent shadow.

 

The epilogue as the dust finally settles is beautiful and poignant. The bonds that were formed between them remain strong and have grown even more precious. Still, I began to tear up as I watch Sanyeong feeling her way about the café, preparing herself for the inevitable day when she will lose her sight, knowing that there is no miracle cure, last minute reprieve, and that she will have to face her looming fate which set her father and her at first, down the path of no return. And I teared up again in the end, when in the midst of her unadulterated joy at the fireworks festival, her sight begins to fail, perhaps permanently this time, and she remains bright and determined as she promises herself that she will strive to survive, no matter the setbacks that life sends her way. It's thus that in true Kim Eun Hee fashion, Revenant closes on a note that is positive, but never sugar-coated for all the characters we have come to care for over the brief 6 weeks, characters whom I miss already.

Much as I love the drama, there are loose ends which are not clearly resolved. There is no doubt Hyangi was the intended child all along, while Mokdan was to be the red herring for anyone who wish to destroy the juvenile spirit, hence her finger too being cut off. Still, I am not as certain that the happenings that surrounded her family was planned by the shaman from the start. There was no way they could have known she would sacrifice her sister in her stead, nor that she would lose first her mother, then her father and brother. Nor could they have anticipated that she would try to save her sister. It felt that too much was left to chance, when we know just how much was at stake. 

 

I still do not understand why she did not try to stop Hongsae from uncovering her name from the education authorities, when Det. Seo lost his life because of that knowledge. When we think about it, the ritual would never have worked even if they knew her name because the 5th item retrieved from the shaman during her arrest, and used by Prof Gu and Haesang's mother, was another red herring. As such, why the secrecy, seeing she was never in any real danger. The moment the real 5th item is recovered, she would have switched places with Sanyeong, so the knowledge of her name would not have made a difference either way.

 

Likewise, how did Prof. Gu end up being possessed, when Haesang's grandmother bribed him and sent him packing? We know that the spirit had the power to latch on to a human. Was it due to his exposure to the camera which Chiwon brought along with details of the shaman? Yet, the camera was never an item that was integrally linked to the spirit. If so, how did he manage to summon the spirit? Also, how did he get his hands on the 5 items if those had disappeared in 1995 after Haesang's mother died trying to seal them? 

 

Then there is the question of killing of the second child - both Haesang and Sanyeong's unborn siblings. Initially I thought Prof. Gu tried to sacrifice his second child in an effort to summon a juvenile spirit of his own. However, that was not the case since he was already possessed when the second child was killed. If so, does it then mean that this was all Hyangi's doing, her bitterness over her own fate as a secondborn causing her to kill other secondborn children like herself?

 

Last but not least, Haesang's grandmother's death being ruled a suicide also seems a little convenient after all the incriminating evidence pointing Sanyeong to being at the scene of the crime. 

 

Unanswered questions notwithstanding, Revenant is Kim Eun Hee back in excellent form, her breathtaking tapestry of characters, lore and mystery interwoven to create a story that is vividly brought to life by brilliant ensemble performances, particularly from Kim Taeri who embodies every aspect of Gu Sanyeong and Hyangi's duality. And now my weekend viewing feels that much emptier without another week of Revenant to look forward to.

Edited July 30, 2023 by liddi

[peperomia]

10 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

Were the five objects ever the required objects to get rid of Hyang Gi or it's used to seal her only? Or the five objects were meant to help her possess the host body? The note given to Halmoni by the Shaman was not translated so was it just capturing information about her name and the five objects? What's so special about the finger if they have her whole body anyway, which was taken away by NFS! I'd think under the circumstances that her body had been disposed of in 1958, then it'd mean be more logical the remaining finger of hers is the only way to get rid of her completely.

 

8 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

Ordinarily five objects and a name would be enough (I think) to exorcise the spirit but according to the shaman Hyangi was a particularly "tenacious" juvenile ghost so her finger was also needed on top of everything else as a precautionary measure. It was that extra thing that was needed to get rid of her if things got out of hand. I imagine the show is reinforcing Hyangi's inhuman will to live in this case and her resentment at being born poor and being used as a sacrifice to prosper the village. I don't think normal logic applies here because these are rules of the "magic" of this universe. It has to be the finger. Recovery of the remains apparently leads to a different result ie. the ghost being able to take full control of the host.

 

It was stated over and over that San-yeong's dad, had all the objects sealed (as according to the ritual) but there was something missing.

 

This is the way I understood it... Yes. Normally, the 5 objects and name would have been enough the dispel the spirit, but because of Hyangi's unique tenacity, she had the ability to latch onto the host which was a different trait from the other spirits. So, to get rid of Hyangi specifically, one had to also get rid of the host. As such, the severed finger was the anomaly to the normal instructions of the 5 objects and name. I believe technically, someone other the host burning the severed finger would have killed both SY and Hyangi together, but because SY (as the host) found the will to fight back and courageously burn it herself, she found the loophole in dispelling Hyangi and saving herself.

 

SY's father had all 5 objects, but I do not believe he had the correct name. He thought the evil spirit was Mokdan. Also, he did not know about severed finger as the 6th item.

 

8 hours ago, Chocolate said:

It was nice that this part was included. Sanyeong's life was miserable at the start of the drama, even without an evil spirit, those circumstances could have led her to depression and suicide. Aside from finances, part of it I feel is caused by her mother, who was a burden to her. I've never felt a caregiver has to take care of a mentally ill person at her own expense, so I am glad to see that San Yeong recognised that she had to take care of herself too. (I wanted to clap when Hyangi called her mother "whiny"! 😂 From the start to the end, I find her the most unlikeable character.)

 

I thought this part had a powerful and meaningful message. A lot of times, we are our own worst enemies, even demons. So, I think the final showdown between SY and Hyangi also represents our fight against the worst side of our self. For SY, she finally confronted all the dislikes she has had about herself and shedding them off in order to live her best life instead. I loved that it was not Hae Sang or Hong Sae who saved her, but that she fought and saved her own self.

 

8 hours ago, Chocolate said:

23 hours ago, liddi said:

@Chocolate I agree about her crush on the art teacher. Wonder whether he is the same one she later killed in 1973 for publishing the artbook "Understanding Art"?  

 

This was not me. Was it @peperomia?

 

It was not originally me. Just thought I would try to answer the question whether the young art teacher was the same one killed later, Shin Seung Joo. I believe he was. His nephew was not able to locate the artbook, but he provided the yearbook instead.

 

- - - - - -

 

Overall, I thought there were some inconsistencies and questions left unanswered as well, but I am not troubled by them in the end. Loved the story from start to finish. I am going to miss it and our leads. I hope Oh Jung Se and Kim Tae Ri pair up in another project together. Both were excellent here!  

Edited July 30, 2023 by peperomia

[ktcjdrama]

23 hours ago, liddi said:

I agree about her crush on the art teacher. Wonder whether he is the same one she later killed in 1973 for publishing the artbook "Understanding Art"?  

I am not too sure about the person she killed in 1973, but I think the art teacher appeared in ep.11, married to her classmate? 

 

I watched the finale already. Love the wrap-up. Will come back to post more much later as I really need to go sleep now and wake up super early to catch my flight. 

 

[peperomia]

It's Sunday where I am and happen to have some time to go back through episodes.

 

Here is the flashback of the part where the shaman explained to the evil grandmother that if the spirit (Hyangi) was to latch onto a human, she must get rid of the host. The additional item was the finger.

 

Spoiler

 

Re: the school art teacher from episode 11, he should be the author of the artbook who died in 1973.

 

Spoiler

[liddi]

5 hours ago, peperomia said:

I thought this part had a powerful and meaningful message. A lot of times, we are our own worst enemies, even demons. So, I think the final showdown between SY and Hyangi also represents our fight against the worst side of our self. For SY, she finally confronted all the dislikes she has had about herself and shedding them off in order to live her best life instead. I loved that it was not Hae Sang or Hong Sae who saved her, but that she fought and saved her own self.

This. Exactly. Ultimately, while Haesang and Hongsae's efforts led to the discovery of the 神体 (item where the spirit truly resides), it was Sanyeong and her will that saved her. At the end of the day, they were all cogs in a wheel working in tandem, without whom Hyangi would not have been stopped.

 

5 hours ago, peperomia said:

SY's father had all 5 objects, but I do not believe he had the correct name. He thought the evil spirit was Mokdan. Also, he did not know about severed finger as the 6th item.

Everyone, including Prof. Gu and Haesang's mother only ever had 4 correct objects. The diabolical twist is that there were two red herrings - the name, and the hairpin part. The one they sealed was the part lodged in Choi Manwol's chest during Hyangi's final struggle to stay alive, while the real part was the one buried with Hyangi in the underground basement in the Yeom residence, which was never revealed nor sealed. As such, even if anyone found out the spirit's real name, they would never have had access to the real hairpin that was required to banish her. As for the 6th item, it would only have been required if Hyangi latched on to a human, which she ultimately did with Sanyeong.

 

Edited July 30, 2023 by liddi

[peperomia]

5 hours ago, liddi said:

As for the 6th item, it would only have been required if Hyangi latched on to a human, which she ultimately did with Sanyeong.

 

Gosh, maybe I had it wrong all this time, but I thought Hyangi’s spirit started latching onto humans starting with Hae Sang’s grandfather and so on. This was why when the spirit got to SY’s father, he would’ve needed the 6th item by then as well.

 

With SY, when Hae Sang first met her, he saw and told her that the spirit had latched onto her. What happened when Hae Sang and Hong Sae found Hyangi’s remains and missing hairpin was a full take over of SY (beyond latching at this point).

[liddi]

@peperomia Oh, looks like we have different interpretations. From my understanding, a spirit latching on to a human meant that it took over the physical body of the person, and Sanyeong was the first person Hyangi latched on to. The list the shaman gave Haesang's grandmother was as follows:

붉은 댕기         Red hair accessory
푸른 옹기         Blue pottery
흑 고무줄         Black rubber band
초자병             Glass bottle
옥비녀             Jade hairpin

李香伊             Lee Hyangi

 

From what the shaman told Haesang's grandmother, they only needed the correct 5 items and the name to banish the spirit. However, if the spirit ever latched on to a human, they would need to burn the finger to get rid of it. In other words, Hyangi had not latched on to a human yet, but in the eventuality that she did, that was the method that was required. As such, Haesang's grandfather was merely possessed by the spirit. The same went for his father, and Prof. Gu after that. Still, even with just mere possession, the fact remained that they all only had 4 out of the 5 items, so the sealing ritual they did would have failed anyway even if they knew the correct name. The real jade hairpin had been buried with Hyangi's remains, undisturbed all this time. Was that a deliberate act on Haesang's grandmother's part, to doubly ensure the spirit she went so such great lengths to obtain, would not be banished? Perhaps.

 

Anyway, just my two cents 

[liddi]

Watching this really drives home that the drama has ended. Thank you so much to Kim Eun Hee and the amazing cast for an incredible 6 weeks...

 

[Chocolate]

Off-topic

 

On 7/30/2023 at 12:05 PM, peperomia said:

Off topic, but I started Longing for You. Title is a bit misleading, but it is a mystery, prosecution/detective storyline with some humor and I think...hints of romance. LOL. I noticed there is no thread for it here, but based on the first episode, it has potential. I like the female lead. She is a spunky prosecutor.

 

@peperomia I've started this. Then I read this. So many things I've missed! Do you think Young Woon has Jin Woo's heart? 😨

 

[liddi]

Congratulations to Kim Tae Ri for winning Daesang at 2023 SBS Drama Awards for her role in Revenant! An accolade that is very well deserved!

 

Winners Of The 2023 SBS Drama Awards

TV/FILM

Dec 30, 2023

by S. Nam

 

SBS has celebrated the top dramas and actors of 2023!

On December 29, the 2023 SBS Drama Awards took place to honor the network’s dramas from the past year.

This year’s Daesang (Grand Prize) went to two winners—Lee Je Hoon for his performance in “Taxi Driver 2” and Kim Tae Ri for her performance in “Revenant.”

Check out the full list of winners:

Daesang (Grand Prize): Lee Je Hoon (“Taxi Driver 2”), Kim Tae Ri (“Revenant”)

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cr. Soompi