Review: "Shine or Go Crazy" Eps 17 and 18 - Closing in for the Kill

“Someone’s right can be someone else’s wrong. People just have different perspectives from where they’re standing.”

Synopsis

Princess Yeo Won (Lee Ha Nui) completely loses her composure as she tells Wang So (Jang Hyuk) about the competitive style of living she, along with all of the other prince and princesses, had to endure as they grew up in the palace. She also admits that her attempt to kill Shin Yool (Oh Yeon Seo) stemmed from her desire to protect him by covering up his Gaebong marriage. In response, Wang So simply tells her to start over, that his knowledge of her poisoning the king and her knowledge of his marriage balances them out.

Meanwhile, at Chunghae Trading Company, Wang Wook (Lim Ju Hwan) testifies to the court officials that the fabricated ledgers are real. Shin Yool passes out from shock and Yang Gyu Dal (Heo Jung Min) is forced to sign the company’s assets and rights over to Pungwoo Trading Company. Baek Myo (Kim Sun Young), still in delusional disbelief, chases after Wang Wook, insisting he’s not that kind of a man, but he tells her not to trust him anymore.

Back at the palace, Wang So finds the king sleeping with a firm hold on his sword. Recalling Yeo Won’s words, he wonders out loud if his hyung-nim (older brother) had walked the same path and questions what he should protect and believe in now.

He visits the First King and tells him that he’s always followed the path he promised he would take, but now, he wants to pave his own path and see where he ends up. With that, Wang So meets with Yeo Won and offers his hand in partnership in taking Wang Sik Ryeom (Lee Deok Hwa) down. His use of the word “we” stirs something within Yeo Won as he leaves her with his sincerity.

An ill Shin Yool haunted by her recent troubles dreams of Wang So who consoles her. Barely recovered the next day, she’s forced to deal with the scene of Wang Wook ordering his men to take everything belonging to Chunghae Trading Company. She invites him for tea and snacks, stating that she thinks his reason for betraying her is to protect her, but she doesn’t need him to, especially at the expense of those she considers family. She tells him to stop, but he refuses.

The bond between siblings is further threatened as Wang Wook and Yeo Won clash in their views regarding his decision to act as Wang Sik Ryeom’s puppet. He tells his sister that Wang So will never be able to take down Wang Sik Ryeom, however, Yeo Won thinks otherwise and, ultimately, makes the decision to join hands with Wang So as she pulls out the two bronze mirror pieces in her possession.

Shin Yool tries to send her employees away due to the ruined state of her company, but they refuse to leave, citing confidence in her ability to resolve the issue. In despair, she admits to being at a loss, but Wang So comes to the rescue with his warm words and upbeat attitude as he feeds everyone Wang So Stew. He successfully brightens the atmosphere and replaces sadness with laughter all around.

Later, in Shin Yool’s room, Wang So informs her of the latest development and her observation leads to the thought that the antidote would be in Wang Wook’s possession. Wang So meets with him and finally tells him the First King’s real cause of death. He metaphorically extends his hand in partnership towards Wang Wook to take down Wang Sik Ryeom, but Wang Wook, foolish and stubborn, refuses.

As a result, Wang So does some investigating at Wang Sik Ryeom’s house and comes to the realization that there’s a secret room. Formulating a plan with his group of warriors, Wang So breaks into Wang Sik Ryeom’s house in search for the remaining bronze mirror pieces and encounters Wang Wook dressed as a red assassin. They battle it out and, all the while, Shin Yool is attempting to revive Chunghae Trading Company.

Wang Sik Ryeom rushes home to find that Wang So has taken the pieces, but still feels confident that he won’t be able to figure out the evidence so easily. With all five pieces finally in his possession,Wang So recalls Yeo Won’s show of sincerity, not only in surrendering the bronze mirror pieces in her possession, but also in the form of setting Cheong Ok (Na Hye Jin) and her sister free.

At Chunghae, Shin Yool comes to the conclusion that she may need to enlist the help of Yeo Won if she wants to restart her business.

In a surprising twist of events, General Gwak (Kim Bub Rae) makes his reappearance by riding in on a horse beside Wang Sik Ryeom’s son, Wang Poong (Kang Ki Young). He is now fluent in the language of Goryeo, having been motivated to learn due to his fury towards the man who wed Shin Yool in Gaebong.

He wants Wang Sik Ryeom, his old friend from the days where they took a part in defeating the Khitans together, to provide soldiers in order for him to attack his surrounding areas and establish a nation in the central districts. When Wang Wook also appears and conversations are a plenty, the Gaebong marriage is revealed.

Wang Wook subtly tries to confirm the information with Shin Yool, but ends up giving himself away while simultaneously realizing that it is, in fact, the truth. At the same time, Wang So is busy performing various experiments in order to uncover the evidence he needs to convict Wang Sik Ryeom of his crimes. With a sudden stroke of brilliance, Wang So submerges the mirror pieces in heat and the evidence fades into view.

Wang Wook foolishly confirms the identity of Shin Yool’s groom with General Gwak, offering him anything he wishes for in exchange for his silence. General Gwak tells him he’s a greedy man, but Wang Wook is naively certain that he can keep his mouth shut with bribery.

The Wang brothers meet again and So, once more, offers his hand towards Wook after revealing all of his new found information, but typical Wook turns him down.

At Wang Sik Ryeom’s house, General Gwak willingly offers up the information about Wang So and Shin Yool’s wedding in exchange for the soldiers he needs. At the same time, Wang Poong heads to Chunghae Trading Company to harass Shin Yool, but Wang So comes to the rescue just in time. He spends some valuable alone time with Shin Yool in which he tells her that all he needs is for her to stay by his side to give him strength.

Back at Yeo Won’s house, she hands Wang So a temporary antidote she personally concocted for the king to neutralize the poison. He rushes to his hyung-nim’s side, feeds him the antidote, and hopes the king can recover in time to attend the great meeting that Wang Sik Ryeom will attempt to control.

Wang So lets the king sleep on his shoulders only to wake up the next morning alone, with the king walking towards him strong and healthy. He immediately fills the king in on the recent developments and shows him the pieces of the bronze mirror. Yeo Won is wishing for Wang So’s success and the king’s health within her room while a swarm of guards surround Chunghae Trading Company and Shin Yool.

At the Great Hall, the great meeting begins with Wang Sik Ryeom taking the reins and even bringing the foreigner, General Gwak, into the meeting. As the two opposing sides battle it out on how to proceed, the king walks in, in all his glory, and surprises Wang Sik Ryeom speechless.

In front of the king, Wang Sik Ryeom tells General Gwak to reveal the Gaebong wedding story while Wang Wook visibly panics. A subtle jab is thrown at Wang So over the knowledge of his illegal first marriage, but Wang So charges forth and butts head with Wang Sik Ryeom in return by subtly threatening to reveal his participation in the poisoning of the First King.

Reaction

LavelyShai: What another amazing week this has been. Full of surprises and twists even I couldn’t come up with.

akinahana89: “Shine or Go Crazy” definitely knows how to keep their viewers on their toes with their consistent plot twist and developments. Who knew Yeo Won would so willingly team up with Wang So? But the question on my mind is… just how sincere is she? And how certain is Wang So in trusting that she won’t, ultimately, betray him somehow?

LavelyShai: Remember that Yeo Won wanted to join hands with Wang So first, but he declined it. Now that time has passed and he’s seeing things from a different perspective, he can easily join forces with her. They both have something on the other: King’s poisoning on her and the first marriage on him, so once they were able to get that out in the open it made things much easier for them to open their eyes more. She may betray him at some point, but I don’t see it happening now. As she told him, they have a similar goal, but are on different paths towards it. As long as they’re walking parallel to each other then they should be okay.

akinahana89: This is true, but I still find Yeo Won pretty psychotic, so I definitely don’t trust her as much as Wang So seems to now that they’ve joined hands. Still, having her on his side would be really beneficial, especially since their recent development is still unknown to everyone else but the two of them. Did you find Yeo Won’s statement about Cheong Ok odd? She made it seem like she knew Cheong Ok was playing double agent. Did you get that impression too?

LavelyShai: The great thing about this drama is how smart the leads are (for the most part) so it wouldn’t shock me if Yeo Won was aware of Cheong Ok playing double agent. It fits with her character to really know things before it’s said out loud. I am glad that Cheong Ok is safe for now, Wang So was correct to keep her there in order to better utilize her.

akinahana89: Yes, I, too, am glad that both Cheong Ok and her sister are safe. I’m also glad that the king has been temporarily healed from the poison – and just in time for the great meeting too! How wonderfully dramatic that entrance was. I couldn’t help but cheer for him when I saw that scene. The look of utter shock on Wang Sik Ryeom’s face was flat out awesome!

LavelyShai: Any time Wang Sik Ryeom is surprised at something then that makes me happy, he needs to be brought down a peg or two (or ten) although he won’t be defeated until the very end. What did surprise me was seeing General Gwak, I honestly did not think he was that significant until he popped up again. I also find it interesting that Wang So and Shin Yool’s Gaebong wedding is almost like a central thing within the drama that is like that straw that can break the camel’s back. Everyone is trying to use that information for their own advantage or to keep it a secret. Who knew a random wedding could cause so much commotion years later..

akinahana89: Oh my goodness, no kidding! I was so surprised by General Gwak’s reappearance! What you said is completely accurate and, to be honest, when I first dove, head first, into “Shine or Go Crazy,” I didn’t really expect the Gaebong wedding to bear any kind of significance except as an initial way to bring Wang So and Shin Yool together. I guess I must be too simplistic because it’s become such a solid foundation, but it’s definitely a great thing. It adds a lot of intensity to the plot because more and more people are finding out about it and we’re all anxious to see who will be the first to spill the secret and what the consequences will be. That subtle showdown between Wang Sik Ryeom and Wang So at the end of episode 18 was killer!

LavelyShai: I have this strange feeling that Wang So will spill the beans himself. I mean, that’s the only power Wang Sik Ryeom holds over him since the King already knows about him being the leader of the black assassins. If Wang So spills it himself then what will his enemies have? Nothing significant enough to bring him down so it’s vital that Wang Sik Ryeom say so himself. However, I was slightly bothered by how bad Wang Wook took the news. Like, he’s upset but knew she had no romantic feelings for him yet he’s walking around like someone spit in his coffee. Someone said Wang Wook has a one track mind and he really does, most things he does is motivated by one thing. He’s incapable of thinking of more than one thing at a time especially when it comes to Shin Yool. He’s driven by too much emotion and that will ultimately be his downfall.

akinahana89: Hm… That’s actually a really interesting thought and could provide another great twist. Actually, I kind of laughed just now as I imagined Wang So sauntering over to his hyung-nim and saying something along the lines of, “So, I secretly got married five years ago in Gaebong to the assistant head of Chunghae Trading Company. Can you, like, approve of that marriage so the two of us don’t get killed?” LOL. But, you know, nothing about Wang Wook surprises me much anymore. From the beginning, he’s been too emotional, too easy to manipulate, and… I’m starting to get repetitive here, but useless. I should just call him Mr. Useless. Honestly, was there anyone who thought General Gwak would keep his word about keeping the Gaebong wedding a secret because Wang Wook promised to give him “anything” after he became king? General Gwak even gave him a warning and Wang Wook still didn’t realize he was about to get deceived.

LavelyShai: Wookie never learns and his one sided obsession with Shin Yool will get him killed. Wang So and Yeo Won have wanted to protect him, but he’s easily manipulated and has this false idea that he’s actually in charge of something. He demands loyalty from Se Won because he doesn’t have any minions unlike his brother and sister, but Se Won is the wrong person to be demanding loyalty from. I think Wang Wook knows this, he’s the only one aware that Shin Yool is his sister and could possibly try to use that against him. Of course it’ll fail, but I can see it happening especially if he tries to be a jerk and tell Shin Yool about her brother before Se Won is ready for that to come out. Poor Wookie is very useless, but doesn’t want to acknowledge his faults.

akinahana89: Can I just say that… I really enjoyed watching Wang So semi-beating up Wang Wook in Wang Sik Ryeom’s secret room? LOL. I was hoping So could finally knock some sense into him, but in reality, I knew it would be no use. No matter how sincere So is towards Wook, he just can’t seem to break his weak habits. For some odd reason, he’d much rather be a puppet than a, potentially, strong opponent towards Wang Sik Ryeom. He wants, so desperately, to be better than So, but he definitely lacks the skills to be able to surpass him. Even when Wang So told him about the real cause of death of their father, the first king, Wook chose not to believe him until it came straight from Wang Sik Ryeom’s mouth. As if that wasn’t already bad enough, he was still able to feel upset about it with his watery eyes after showing such blatant disrespect in the late king’s room.

LavelyShai: Wookie is too worried about beating So So and protecting Shin Yool (not her family, just her) that he can’t see the bigger picture. Even with Yeo Won’s attempted murder, she saw a much bigger picture in what she was doing and had her own reasons, which included protecting her brother. He won’t see the light until it’s far too late for him then he’ll crawl back to his sister and seek revenge on his uncle. He thinks he’s protecting Shin Yool, but he really isn’t and she never asked him to do that. That’s the difference between him and So So: He has tunnel vision and is unable to see things around him, he’s only working with one thing in mind while So sees it all. He wants to not only protect Shin Yool+family, but to help them restore them to their former glory. Wook isn’t seeing just how important the company was to her, he only sees her which is a problem when you’re in a race that could end lives.

akinahana89: Yes! Exactly! Shin Yool even called him out on that and told him, very directly, that she doesn’t need him to protect her, especially when he forsakes her company and her family, but even then, he’s still too stubborn to realize that he’s only harming her. Not protecting her. She’s not helpless and is actually quite resourceful and I feel like the last person she would ever need help from is Wang Wook. Speaking of Chunghae, I’m actually quite worried about Chunghae Town. I hope Wang Sik Ryeom’s men don’t cause any disturbance there… I would be really upset to see that.

LavelyShai: Yeah he was a little too happy to see that her freed slaves lived in a town named after the company. I’m reeeeaalllly hoping Wang So is able to intervene before anything happens, a part of me wishes she’d taken them up on their offer to return to her as slaves. Then again, I know it’s in line with who she is. Her company needs to be revived, but she would never make them slaves again after she’s released them. Shin Yool wouldn’t want to bring them into something they had nothing to do with.

akinahana89: I actually felt really touched by that scene. The fact that her previous slaves don’t have much, but still managed to put a bit of material together to help Shin Yool was so precious. Their warm interactions and equal gratitude and love for each other was just beautiful. I already loved Shin Yool before, but after witnessing that scene, I fell in love with her even more and I didn’t even know that was possible! No wonder so many men are pining after her. Even Wang Sik Ryeom’s son wanted in on that. lol.

LavelyShai: I thought it was hilarious how Wang Sik Ryeom told his son to stay away from her, like falling for her is some infectious disease. Lol.

akinahana89: LOL. It’s an incurable “disease,” judging from how General Gwak is still totally smitten by her even after all these years. Actually, I wonder if the king would like Shin Yool more now that he’s back in his normal state of mind. That moment where Wang So fed the temporary antidote to his hyung-nim then woke up to see him healthy again was also really touching. They’ve done such a fantastic job this week (well, every week) with balancing the intense with the touching with the humor. We also got some nice OTP moments too! That was a really nice bonus.

LavelyShai: I agree, I believe the King will be more welcoming towards Shin Yool now that he’s in a right state of mind. Since Yeo Won’s antidote is temporary, I hope this at least lasts long enough for them to take Wang Sik Ryeom down. I have realized that this drama is about Wang So’s ascent to the throne, not him being king. We’re seeing all that he has to go through to figure life out and to protect himself and those he loves along the way. This is a learning drama and each episode teaches us something different, we’re not just watching these characters go through trials; we’re also taking in newer things.

akinahana89: Yes, I agree. I wouldn’t be surprised if So doesn’t ascend to the throne until the last episode. I won’t complain though because I’m certainly enjoying his journey. In any case, I can’t wait to see what happens at the great meeting next week! I also hope Shin Yool will be okay since they left us hanging with the guards showing up at Chunghae Trading Company. I usually don’t look forward to Mondays, but “Shine or Go Crazy” has definitely changed that! Haha.

LavelyShai: I think whatever the outcome from the meeting will determine what will happen to Chunghae Town and Trading Company. That cliffhanger was nice, but goodness I would have rather seen it on a Monday than a Tuesday episode. Lol

akinahana89: Well, that’s how they hook the viewers into watching next week’s episodes! I have to say… they are quite good at doing that!

LavelyShai: Yes, cliffhangers seem to be their thing. One thing I hope for is that Se Won finds the right time to tell Shin Yool he’s alive, I’d love to see a sibling relationship before the finale. He may be able to help them out.

akinahana89: Ah yes, that would be so wonderful, wouldn’t it? I do hope to see their relationship develop – even just a little – next week. I’m also curious to see just how well Yeo Won and Wang So’s partnership works out and if So will really be the first to reveal his Gaebong wedding. So many possibilities, so little time!

LavelyShai: Having Se Won prove he’s Shin Yool’s brother could make things more complicated (see: Wang Sik Reyom), but it can also be very beneficial to them both. I just realized how little time we have left until the finale. I’m even more nervous.

akinahana89: “Shine or Go Crazy” has actually done such a fabulous job so far that I feel pretty confident that we’ll get a good ending. Honestly, the weeks have flown by for this drama and it was such a sudden shock to me when I realized we only have six episodes left. Let’s just appreciate and embrace the rest of this journey with all of its remaining twists and turns! (And, hopefully, happy ending…)

LavelyShai: With 6 more episodes left, we’ll get even more twists and turns, but I trust the writers since they have done a wonderful job with the story thus far. More so than a happy ending, I want one that makes sense.

What kind of an ending are you hoping for, Soompiers? What did you think about this week’s development? Let us know in the comments below!

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