LEE JOON GI
THE GOD OF SAGUEKS
LEE JOON GI
IS
THE GOD OF SAGUEKS
Episode 11
The Poisoning of Prince Wang So
OST: Wind by Jung Seung Hwan
To understand why Lee Joon Gi is really the God of Sagueks, one
must watch his exceptionally memorable and charismatic performance in Moon Lovers – Scarlet Heart: Ryeo.
There are many exceptional scenes that evoke his complex
character and show that he is such an awesome actor. He demonstrates his acting
skills by showing that he has captured the subtleties and nuances in the
dramatic role of Wang So. His half mask does nothing to mask the acting
talent that he showcases in the drama. His heartfelt portrayal of the wolfdog
Fourth Prince, has, so far, earned him critical acclaim and praise.
‘The Poisoning of Prince Wang So’ opening scene in Episode 11 is
one of those scenes that prove that he is truly amazing.
This scene is a great test of Lee Joon Gi’s skills as an actor
as the scene explores the insidious impact of the poisoned tea on Wang So’s
consciousness as he struggles to overcome it. The scene calls forth Lee Joon
Gi’s acting mastery in the role of the poisoned prince.
The first assassination attempt on the Crown Prince’s life at
the Narye Cleansing Ritual has been foiled. The plot thickens. Empress
Dowager Yoo, Princess Hwangbo Yeon-hwa and the Tenth Prince, Wang Won plan with some palace officials to assassinate the Crown Prince Wang Mu once
again.
In their second attempt, they plan to poison the Crown Prince’s
tea. The formidable Empress Dowager has let Wang So in on the conspiracy and
dares him to disrupt their plans. Wang So’s lie of wanting to be the king has
not gone down well with her. She, the powerful and nefarious queen, has set
her sights on becoming the Queen Mother behind the throne of her favourite
son, Wang Yo, or with him in tow. She wants to remove Prince Wang Mu once and
for all.
On the other hand, Hwangbo Yeon-Hwa wants Hae Soo dead since
she is the obstacle to her brother, Wang Wook’s ambition for the throne. Wang
Wook, the Eighth Prince, wants to marry Hae Soo and bring her away from the palace. He has
refused to be involved in the politics of the Goryeo court. But Hwangbo
Yeon-Hwa wants her brother to be the next king so that their family and clan
could be protected.
Poison is used by the Empress Dowager to bump off all of Wang Yo’s
rivals.
What is unexpected in the chess game of politics is that the
love of Wang So’s life, Hae Soo, is the pawn who is unknowingly manipulated
to deliver and administer the deadly poisoned tea to the Crown Prince. It
dawns on Wang So the full significance of poisoned tea. Hae Soo would be
sacrificed if Prince Wang Mu dies. The conspirators are killing two birds
with one stone.
It is a critical moment, and Wang So does not want Hae Soo to
be caught up in the conflict of the princes. The Empress Dowager brims with confidence
and venom.
On the spur of the moment, to his credit, Wang So offers to
drink three cups of the poisoned tea to wish Prince Wang Mu well and to
cement the idea that he would always be loyal to the Crown Prince and that nothing
would put their brotherly ties asunder. The act is to deflect Wang Mu’s
attention and prevent him from drinking the tea and also prevent Hae Soo from
being the sacrificial lamb. He deeply loves her and wants to protect her.
Lee Joon Gi, in this memorable scene of Wang So being caught up
in the horrifying poison plot, proves that he is second to none in terms of acting.
What happens next shows the viewers the sterling actor that Lee Joon Gi is
and he executes the scene flawlessly.
After Wang So has ingested the poisoned tea, he could feel the
fast-acting poison which has almost taken immediate effect. He is resolute and
calm in face of adversity even as confusion sets in.
His agitation is seen in his hands which he has difficulty in
controlling. There are slight tremors in his hands which he tries to hide. As
he holds the cup for another round of tea to be poured by Hae Soo, his hands
tremble.
Staring at Hae Soo as he partakes of the poisoned tea, he
thinks in wounded agony, ‘You’re
poisoning me.’ One could feel his intense personal misery but he has to
stay mum about it. It is a testament to his great and enduring love for her
which, at this point in time, is unrequited.
His mental status is being altered. He slowly succumbs to the poison
running through his body. He tries to remain silent in face of his terrible
suffering which is only known to three other persons – the conspirators.
The Fourth Prince tries to control the drooling out of blood in
the presence of the royal family. He quickly requests for King Taejo’s permission
to leave.
After he turns away, Wang So shows his disorientation without a single line of dialogue. He starts haemorrhaging and blood drips
out of his mouth.
Wang So seems to experience difficulty in breathing and his
neck muscles cramp, resulting in the constriction of his neck veins. The prince’s
neck veins seem to pop out. They form horrible bulges.
His eyes and face seem to be swollen. He gasps for breath. His nauseating
pain causes the screwing up of his eyes. It seems he is taking his time to die
as the camera studies his facial expression in detail and the audience is in
awe.
He is increasingly dazed and confused. He walks off after Hae
Soo who is oblivious of his suffering. Tears of helplessness threaten to drip
from his eyes.
His neck muscles constrict further and his body is thrown into
convulsions.
And there is the creeping paralysis of his body. He staggers and slumps to the floor and loses
consciousness.
At first, when they reached him, Hae Soo and Baek-Ah, in their
panic, had thought that he had already died but they are able to detect his
slowed breathing rate.
The exciting scene has almost driven the audience off the
rails. If Wang So dies at this point, it would have changed history and
spawned a new story. But it is not what the audience wants.
The viewers are told later that he is able to survive because
of his strict martial arts training programme under Park Soo-kyung. After the
Royal Doctor has administered the antidote to halt the damage to his body, Wang
So recovers.
Happily, Wang So lives to tell the tale of the vicious plot. It
does not stop the evil plotters but instead, they accelerate their plans and
expedite the plot to gain the throne.
It is impossible to bring down the Empress Dowager or seek
justice as she is ‘untouchable’. At first, the king is not able to figure out
who the plotters are, and as usual, his hands are shackled by the powerful court
officials who pervert the course of justice. To the dismay of viewers, Hae Soo
is implicated and punished and later, Concubine Oh is hanged in Hae Soo’s
place.
This dramatic scene serves as a chilling encapsulation of what
evil and twisted ambition is and depicts the whitewashing of justice. It
makes for a rather disturbing poison drama scene.
The viewers must have felt disturbed by the realistic portrayal
of Lee Joon Gi as his body reacts to the poison. They are at the edge of
their seats and are troubled about the thought of Wang So being poisoned.
There is a feeling of terror that it would lead to Wang So’s demise.
With chilling accuracy, Wang So has walked the viewers on that fateful journey of the poisoned Fourth Prince. His glorious acting draws the
viewers into his feelings and lets them experience vicariously the
excruciatingly painful process that he undergoes. Viewers cannot but feel the
horrible pain that he endures. It is as if viewers are watching the real
thing happening. It is a stomach churning and startling scene. The haunting
scene is brimming with pathos as viewers watch him sacrificing his life for
his beloved Hae Soo, and his half-brother, Wang Mu.
Lee Joon Gi’s poignant performance in Episode 11, one of his
many incredible and memorable moments in the drama, provides the reason for the
allure of the drama and the drawing of the millions of passionate viewers to it.
Lee Joon Gi is no stranger to taking on challenging and unique
roles. He has slipped effortless and seamlessly into his princely role and his
performance draws global attention and admiration.
Many who have taken to the Internet to rave about him strongly believe
that it is Lee Joon Gi who has singlehandedly helmed and taken the drama to
the top and made it a hit in China, America, South-east Asia and
elsewhere. Biased or not, it does
serve as an important and clear reminder to those at the top of the industry about
the kind of actor that Lee Joon Gi is. The viewers, including his fans and
admirers, would rise to their feet in applause of his amazing feat.
As more exciting episodes roll out, viewers wait impatiently
for Lee Joon Gi to either make them swoon further or strike terror in their hearts as
Emperor Gwangjong emerges in the latter part of the drama.
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MOON LOVERS – SCARLET HEART: RYEO
INTERNATIONAL POPULARITY    
Recently, it was reported that the viewership
of Lee Joon Gi’s saguek drama, Moon Lovers – Scarlet Heart: Ryeo has
reached 1.2 billion on China’s streaming website Youku. The numbers are still
climbing inexorably.
Earlier, Arirang TV Showbiz KR had made a similar report on
30 September 2016 when it reached the one billion mark.
Lee Joon Gi posted his thanks on his
Instagram, ‘Thank you 1 billion angels! Love you all.’
Soon afterwards, Hello Kpop noted that in
Malaysia and Singapore, the SBS drama has been garnering 73 percent of
viewership compared to the other three Korean entertainment channels. It is
the top rated drama in both South-east Asian countries and also the second
most popular drama in North America and South America.
The popularity of the drama overseas is in
contrast with the lukewarm reception of the drama in South Korea. At first, Lee Joon Gi's global fans were alarmed but they have realised that the Korean Drama
Industry has to change directions. There is clearly an inherent bias in the
industry to award the lead actor in the drama which is the most popular in
South Korea with the top awards, even though his acting skills may be below
par. How would one define ‘Top Actor’ or whatever title they may call him? Nothing
in the industry ought to be static. It has to change with the times.
In fact, Seoul Star TV (SSTV) has developed a
global system of rating of Hallyu stars. According to K Star Global rating,
Lee Joon Gi wins first place as the most popular Korean actor. Finally,
justice is done to Lee Joon Gi. His name is the most searched Korean name on the
Internet in China. His fans have always known that he is Number One.
Viewers of the drama have heaped praises on
Lee Joon Gi’s awesome acting talent, charisma and dominating screen presence.
Viewers are now caught in the grip of Lee Joon Gi’s ‘syndrome’.
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A LIST OF
LEE JOON GI’S SAGUEKS
THE GOD OF SAGUEKS
Lee Joon Gi’s fans feel slighted that the
sterling actor is only called the ‘King of Sagueks’. They want it to be
corrected to fit his actual stature and image in the Korean drama and movie
world. Some have insisted that he should be referred to as the ‘God of
Sagueks’ as he has solidified his place as the one and only true Korean saguek legend.
It is a well-known fact that Lee Joon Gi is the ‘King of
Sagueks’, having starred in a volley of sagueks. But the media has to move
with the times.
He cannot be just King forever since his fame and acting prowess
have been elevated to an extremely high level. He is now a global sensation. He
has one blockbuster saguek movie and five wildly popular saguek dramas.
He should now be known as the ‘God of Sagueks’ since he has
received so many awards.
Lee Joon Gi’s fame started with his amazing saguek movie, The
King And The Clown in 2005 in which he acted as a lowly and humble clown. His
blockbuster saguek movie had earned him numerous awards.
The overnight sensation went on to make a few more sagueks in the
form of dramas and steal many hearts. Awards have also been presented to him
for those saguek dramas by the broadcasting stations.
The heartthrob actor looks good in everything. He is a robber in
ljimae and a magistrate in Arang And The Magistrate. He is an aristocratic
gunman in The Joseon Gunman. Lee had received the Best Actor Award twice at The Seoul International Drama Awards for his layered performance in two of his
saguek dramas, Arang And The Magistrate and The Joseon Gunman.
The role of a
scholar-vampire in The Scholar Who Walks The Night was his next project. And with Moon Lovers –
Scarlet Heart: Ryeo Lee's wish to be 'a king' has finally been fulfilled. He has stepped up the hierarchy to become the powerful Goryeo emperor, Gwangjong, a far cry from the lowly and humble clown, Gong-gil.
THE KING AND THE CLOWN
(MOVIE 2005)
  
ILJIMAE
(DRAMA 2008)
   
ARANG AND THE MAGISTRATE
(DRAMA 2012)
  
THE JOSEON GUNMAN
(DRAMA 2014)
  
THE SCHOLAR WHO WALKS THE NIGHT
(DRAMA 2015)
     
MOON LOVERS – SCARLET HEART: RYEO
(DRAMA 2016)
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