On the Eve of the “Faith” Finale

Jooni, I would like to express my appreciation for every bit of emotion and dedication that you have not only committed to the show itself but to the oblivion us as well. I’ve been wandering through many communities re this show and yet only here that I truly feel like home. It will be empty and lost once tomorrow comes, but regardless, thank you.

For me, the finale is going to be more about Young. It is time for his final battle with his own self to find his justification to be what he chooses to be: a warrior. Back in his old days with the Red Moon Army, I don’t believe that he yet to configured the meaning of being a warrior at heart, but rather, he only followed through and continued what had been set out by his teacher. When that Father figure vanished, so did he. The lost of Mae Hee added gravity to the situation but above all, it was him who lost his vindication. And I don’t believe that for once, Choi Young was whole before.

So, I very much appreciate the dynamics of the duo of Eun Soo and Gongmin, without whom, Young wouldn’t be able to concurrently go through such a multi-dimensional development in such a short period of time. The development was forced abruptly and fiercely that we sobbed with him along the way, but by every mean, a necessary process to depict what it takes to become a warrior: a human who fights for a cause. Young needed to be a human first before being a warrior so Eun Soo breathed soul into him, made him to start to acknowledge and concern for the lives of him and those around him, her first and everyone else. His hands flutter because he no longer just killed, he needed a justification from the other side as well. After all, who is he to judge whether someone is worthy to die or not. Same analogy goes for the character of Gong Min. The King himself has his own agenda, yet at the same time, fulfilled the other part of the “warrior Choi Young” equation: a cause to fight for. It is pretty much the same question that Young was asked before by those (dump!) ministers, “Why Gong Min?”.

Theoretically, it could take a lot more sacrifices to push Young to finalize his decision, including both Choong Suk and Deol Bae, but since we are only left with one episode, I think it is safe to assume that Young would come back as a warrior as whole as ever. Only then, will his sword serves its purposes again. Only then, will his hands are determined. Only then, will he makes history.

When I re-watched the scene in which he assured Eun Soo that he was going to be OK even after her departure, I really think that he didn’t just say it to reassure her. He meant it. Because you can’t just dehumanize someone. Eun Soo had brought up the man in him, and he would continue to grow only from there. It is her legacy and he would not just let it go. He could only protect it and live up to it with all his might.

I am obsessed with the warrior themes, and properly before anything else, that was the sole reason why I am so invested with this show, regardless of all of its flaws. I love that almost everyone is a fighter. Eun Soo has been fighting her own pride and death all along, and by no mean should Young not do the same thing. For the romance, much like the rest of us, I am dying for a happy ending. But as Jooni has pointed out, it is the journey that took us here that matter most.