Bridal Mask E28: Finale

Gaksital was never meant to have a happy ending. Too many lives were lost – too much of the real history was mirrored in its stories. It ended the way it was always meant to – with a beginning. The Koreans in this story were fueled by their grief to take action, forsaking everything else like just quietly surviving day to day.   After the rebellion dies down, they will look around and see who is left alive to start planning all over again for the next one. That was their reality and this drama honored it.

Bridal Mask E27

OMG I did not sign up for this. This is like the most painful penultimate episode of a drama ever. You get the best mixed in with the worst. There is no way anyone is going to miss the finale tomorrow if they watched that last scene tonight. I am hyperventilating over what’s about to happen next.  *Breathe in breathe out*

Thanks to Semi-fly for her super fast torrents, Yanna for video links, and Sparkskey for written preview if one comes out for the finale.

Bridal Mask E26

How many times have we seen this guy put a smile on his face that he never means?  K doesn’t do it cuz he actually feels real happiness. It’s become second nature to him to just be the one people can count on and his smile reassures them. Just like that mask he puts on, he plasters on a smile to comfort those around him or to distract his enemies. I can’t remember the last time he laughed cuz he actually meant it. More than likely we will never get a genuine laugh out of him so I guess we have to settle for these half hearted ones. That made me wonder what kind of emotional toll this has on an actor to feel so much for his character then have to let him go. With the finale coming up next week, when the director yells “cut” for that last scene, I think JW will break down in tears of relief. It must have been quite a burden for him to carry a whole drama on his own. 28 episodes of angst is a lot to hold in and the pressure he must have felt to do well must have been overwhelming at times. I just hope he knows that he did something worthy as an actor for his age. Years from now when his kid sits down and watches Gaksital, I hope JW swells with pride hearing his child compliment his dad. Maybe JW’s laughter then will echo in his character’s ears and somewhere out there Lee Kangto will finally have something to smile about.

Thanks to Semi-fly for torrents, Sparkskey for preview translations, and SS for video link. 🙂

Bridal Mask E25

Typing tonight was so hard cuz my hands were shaking. I was so scared for K. I knew I would end up crying tonight, but I thought it was going to be cuz of S. Turns out I was wrong. K’s words to his friend made me bawl.  I don’t blame S for crying and being speechless. K got to him and made him human for a minute. Maybe it will be enough later on when it counts, but right now we still don’t know for sure how S will react when he is faced with the decision to kill his friend. With three episodes left, I dread the inevitable showdown between these two. One or both will have to die so the question is by whose hands.

Thanks to Semi-fly for torrents, Sparkskey for written translations, and SS for stepping in for Yanna and leaving video link for this episode and preview. 🙂

Bridal Mask E24

I take it back. I thought I would be sad if anything happened to Abe, but I was surprised to lose someone else. I actually cried a little. In the end, he made such a huge contribution and didnt get to stick around to see how it all turned out. I just knew he would come through one day and be more than just the guy trying to find a little joy in life. He didnt make much of a difference in the story up to now except for passing on info he didnt even know would be helpful to the cause, but now I think he will. I am hoping what he did is going to affect his father, just like losing his hyung and mother changed K, but maybe his father has already lost too much to see anything except pain.

Thanks to Semi-fly for torrents, Sparkskey for written preview, and Yanna for video.

Bridal Mask E23

In that last scene from E22, S didn’t start crying yet, but tonight it showed that he did. I just knew S would cry cuz you can’t have that kind of friendship and be okay finding out your only friend is your enemy. Even though the plot calls for K to stay alive at this point, I think S stopped K’s death for reasons other than what he stated. Aside from wanting to catch Yang and Dong Jin, I think S wants answers from K. S needs to find out at what point K stopped seeing S as a friend and someone to exploit for his own cause. I am also really curious if S hates K so much for being Gaksital or for being the man that D loves. Last week I was only concerned about what S was going through discovering K’s real identity, but now I am curious about K. How will K grapple with the news that S knows the truth about him. It was one thing to keep up pretenses of their friendship, but once they both know the other is aware, how are these two going to handle it. I was pretty sure last week that S would never kill K himself, but now I’m not sure I can say the same about K. K has more to lose than S at this point so I wouldn’t put it past K to push aside personal feelings and go through with his duty. If S gets in the way, I really think K would find it in him to take down his friend. His heart would break in the process, but K would still go through with it I bet.

Thanks to Semi-fly, Sparkskey, and Yanna.

Bridal Mask E22

Am I the only one who stopped breathing in the last few seconds? At first glance, someone might say the look on S’s face was anger, but I interpreted it as full on betrayal. Those weren’t tears of anger, but suppressed disbelief. It was the look you make when you hope and pray you are wrong – knowing all along that you are just deceiving yourself. You have to do what comes next, but every part of you wants to resist.Till that last second, I bet he was saying in his head repeatedly “please let me be wrong.” I can’t help it, but I felt sorry for him. I should be pitying the other guy, but the conflicted expression on S’s face just killed me. It’s the look I would make if I was faced with the worst decision of my life.

*Thanks to Semi-fly for torrents, Sparkskey for written translations, and Yanna for video links.

Ep23 preview When Gaksital who was supposed to help Dongjin’s advisor Reporter Song escape is late in contacting them, Mokdan worries that Gaksital is in danger and starts feeling uneasy

She is startled when Hongjoo comes to find her but hears something unexpected from her…