Episode 16 & 1: The End of the Beginning
“The sky bestows the heart upon us, and the ground helps the spirit. The sun and the moon are formed. As the mountains and streams form, lightning strikes. A sage is moved to defeat the evil of the mountains and streams. Wield it with deep thoughts and make things right. That is the calling of the Four Tiger Sword.”
Lee Gon fulfills his destiny as the King of Corea in episode 16, a fate thrust upon him at the age of eight. He has since grown into a man who chooses to return to that traumatic night, ready to give up everything, to protect the universes from Lee Lim and his followers. The Night of Treason has shaped his whole life and he, quite poetically, returns to it to face Lee Lim (the cause of it all) and to fulfill his duty as the Sage of the Four Tiger Sword’s inscription. He even recites the inscription and his father’s voice is heard doing so as well, which being the former King further emphasizes how it is Lee Gon’s duty as the King to stop Lee Lim and prevent the breakdown of the worlds. To be the person standing between the Kingdom and whatever evil threatens it (the duty of his Royal Family as mentioned in episode two). Remember Lee Gon’s father in the flashback in episode four asking Lee Gon if he thought he could fulfill the Four Tiger Sword’s calling? It is worth to notice that Lee Gon is again covered in blood, as he was when he first confronted Lee Lim as an eight-year-old while protecting the Manpasikjeok (which called out to him). It is a destiny and identity which has resulted in him becoming an orphan, suffering from survivor’s guilt and growing up alienated from his extended family (the right call in hindsight by those protecting him since Prince Buyeong’s son was revealed to be a traitor as well). So he has had to grow up under the shadow of that night with a legitimate reason to not trust too easily. The Night of Treason also left the Kingdom of Corea deeply shaken, understandably so since the coup was an attempt by Lee Lim to forcibly rule over them. The consequences of all this are shown by the strict rules and secrecy of the palace and the distrust first displayed by Jo Yeong and Lady Noh towards Jeong Tae-eul. It is also shown by the basically open war which breaks against Lee Lim and his followers when the national traitor finally comes out of hiding (while trying to inspire fear by revealing himself to the Kingdom as back from the dead).
Thankfully Lee Gon, in episode 16, is not alone. Having earned the trust and respect from from the people he has met on his way, resulting in that he can save the worlds without having to give up his life (saving us all from an unfathomable tragic ending). Jo Yeong and Jeong Tae-eul in particular will make an effort to make sure that he survives and that the evil is defeated. The drama starts with the attempted theft of the Manpasikjeok for the sake of Lee Lim’s greed and ends with it being returned under the protection of the Royal Family of Corea. Lee Gon has, as indicated above, proven himself worthy of protecting and wielding it. In contrast to Lee Lim he is never shown tempted to use it to trespass on Fate’s domain. He doesn’t use it to change his own fate (and identity) as an orphan nor does he try to bring the people he loves back from the dead (a common no-no in fairytales and in stories with time travel and/or magical objects). Simply put, he doesn’t let himself be ruled by greed, which is the true master of Lee Lim and arguably PM Koo. Fate is not merely something to be obeyed blindly either, as Lee Gon’s conversations with Prince Buyeong and Jeong Tae-eul reveal. Their words give him the strength to create his own fate, which means to again find Jeong Tae-eul. Her bravery makes her capable of retaining her memories, not falling for Lee Lim’s attempt to break her and of waiting for him, holding steadfast in her choice to view him as her fate. Resulting in their tear-filled reunion and their very earned happy ending in episode 16. Even Jo Yeong gets to fulfill his choice of fate. To save the young eight-year-old monarch whom he saw crying as a child, the sight causing him to decide to dedicate his life to making sure that that the orphaned young King with the fate of the world on his shoulders will eventually be happy and safe. In the end the parallel worlds are saved and the evil is defeated by the courage, love and integrity of the main characters and their allies.
I’ve written another post of TKEM meta recently around the scene in front of the Church where I also reflect on Lee Gon and his fate (amongst other things). I have an old request to analyze the scene between Lee Lim and Jeong Tae-eul which I plan to do soon. On another note I really want to find some more ‘modern fairytales’ or modern fantasy shows to watch (I’m very grateful for suggestions), as a literature and philosophy graduate I simply find them incredibly compelling (when done well). I’m not planning to stop writing about TKEM anytime soon though.
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