Forbidden Marriage Korean Web Series Season 1 Episode 8 Recap And Review
Episode Recap
Finally, we got a glimpse of his meeting with the Great Queen Mother. The elderly matriarch sees her as an obstacle to his choice of bride, but gives her a chance to become an ally. So-rang returns to the meeting and wonders about her place. Shin-won sees her and indirectly confesses that she likes him.
In Aedaldang, Hae-young dreams about the King because she falls in love at first sight when the king saves her. Artist Jeong and Chun-seok look furious as they guess his thoughts. Gwang Yi approaches her and secretly tells her to be nice to Chun-seok.
Elsewhere, in the name of finding his doppelganger's missing earring, Shin-won tries to buy a precious stone, and the seller forces him to buy a wedding ring that would make any woman's heart melt. He sees Lady Seo taking the earrings and has his men search her house. Chun-seok finds it odd that the women don't have any jewelry on, and watches for a drawer hidden with jewelry. Seo corners him and bribes him with a jade pendant for Hae-yong.
The king is busy investigating, but he can't get So-rang's words about sincerity out of his mind. At dinner, she asks So-rang to be her food tester so she'll agree to eat with him. When she puts him to bed, he continues to talk to her, but she shuts him up. He keeps looking at her and smiles when he sees her falling asleep while sitting. She collapses into his arms, and as she continues to ponder his words, she realizes that he had genuine feelings for her all along.
In the morning, the King wakes up to find So-rang still asleep next to him. He can't help but smile. He goes outside and tells his staff to be quiet. Eunuch Se-jang sees the King glowing and thinks he's sleeping with So-rang. Everyone is in awe of the King's beauty as we get a literal CGI glow around him. Minister Sul-rok asks why he's so happy, and the King sheepishly says he's in love. But he admits that he does not know how to admit it. Sul-rok, the best strategist in the country, declares that he will help him come up with a plan.
So-rang wakes up and is shocked that the king let her sleep in his bed. When he leaves her quarters, he finds Shin-won waiting for him. He gives him snacks and asks if he wants to leave the palace now that his goal is complete. He also offers to protect her from murderers. She thinks about it and tells the Great Queen Mother her decision.
On the mountain, Chun-seok and his men find and free the other kidnapped girls. Queen-assassin Sang-joo runs to Minister Jo and asks for his help, but he says he doesn't have the strength right now.
During the walk, Court Lady Won points out how happy the King is with So-rang, and wonders why he was gloomy before. She approaches So-rang and tells him to accompany her to Onyang Palace since she plans to confess to him there. He tries to say no, but she makes excuses until he gives up and agrees. The king sees that he is forced to be with her and is worried.
Meanwhile, Lady Seo is furious with Shin-won and tells Minister Jo to kill her first. When he refuses, she taunts him, explaining that his failure was due to Shin-won's interference. Jo tells him that Shin-won has also accompanied the King to the temporary palace, and Seo suggests taking the opportunity to kill him.
At the palace, Sul-rok suggests the traditional methods of flowers and poetry to confess, but the King is unconvinced. Just then, Eunuch Se-jang brings a list of ladies from the palace and tells him that So-rang is there too.
As the king is packing, he walks into his room and confronts her. When she asks him why he wants to leave, he doesn't answer and gets upset that she asked him to stay a little longer.
As he travels to Onyang, he can't relax as he thinks about So-rang leaving. He reveals that the flower field where he played as a child is where he wants to confess. He starts picking weeds like a petulant child. Sul-rok brings more flowers and doesn’t hold back, telling her to tell So-rang her true feelings. He is also positive that this is not the reason why the King wants to leave, and he becomes optimistic.
Shin-won and So-rang go for a walk, and he tells her that he wants to leave the palace because he doesn’t fit in. He even says that he has resigned and will go after Onyang. He hugs her and apologizes, and Shin-won just smiles. The king appears, and Shin-won leaves, looking longingly.
The king asks if he left because of her or because of Shin-won. She cries and says that it's hard for her because her feelings aren't sincere. She also sheds tears and chooses that moment to confess. They kiss and So-rang is happy. He takes her to a flower field and tells her his first confession plan. They hug as the fireworks go off.
They are still awkward in the bedroom and King tells her to just sleep with him. He asks when she fell on him and she tells him when she slept so he can see her clearly. He also admits that he fell in love with her while she was sleeping.
Outside, Shin-won says goodbye to Chun-seok, and when he asks about the investigation and Lady Seo, Chun-seok lies. Shin-won pulls out the ring he wants to give to So-rang, and Chun-seok becomes extremely pessimistic. At this time, someone is injected with a poisonous needle. Chun-seok looks on as Shin-won is shocked. In a flashback, Chun-seok initially rejects Lady Seo's bribe. He then threatens her with Hae-yong.
However, it turns out that Chun-seok went in and took the needle. As she dies, she thanks Shin-won for treating her like a brother. He regrets not giving the pendant to Hae-young and asks Shin-won to leave him and go after the killers. Her cry brings the king out to investigate. He finds Shin-won, who apologizes for betraying him as a friend and subject.
But he lives because the wound is not fatal. He visits Aedaldang and gives Chun-seok's pendant to a crying Hae-yong. He then leaves So-rang and the ring he bought for the palace. He confronts her and when she cries, he asks her to stop being friends because it's dangerous for her. He tries to stop him and sees that his injured arm is black. The king also shows up, but Shin-won is unable to stop him as soon as he leaves.
Episode Review
Shin-won is truly about to break his heart, and all of ours, as his “I don't love you at all” confession and resignation leave So-rang and the audience in tears. He only wants what's best for her, even if it means staying by his side as a friend. We see that So-rang is the only thing on his mind when he's stabbed and thinks he's about to die.
Along with the doom and gloom, we also had fun moments in Episode 8 of Forbidden Marriage. After So-rang and Shin-won express their feelings, this episode shows the King laughing and acting like a schoolboy every time he sees So-rang. He even goes so far as to give him his pillow and blanket as soon as he falls asleep looking at her. Even her teary-eyed confession is cringe-worthy, but she's cute when she says, "I played you," because her name is similar to "love" in Korean.
Lady Seo and Minister Jo's dynamic is similar to Macbeth on the other hand. Like Lady Macbeth, it seems that Seo is actually the one pulling the reins. This is seen in the previous episode when Jo expedites the order to kill So-rang and agrees, demonstrating that she can be a real threat when he plans to kill Shin-won.
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