Category: Dramas & Films

Zombie: Ugh! Do we really even need to talk about these last three episodes? I spent so much time sobbing, I can barely contain my tears and it’s been how long since this last episode aired!?! I swear, this drama ruined me! RUINED ME, I TELL YOU! (In a good way, of course. hehe)

Raine: I’m still feeling the feels and it’s been a few weeks since it ended. Good thing dramas never break up with us so we can keep stepping back into their warm, loving embraces if we need the attention. Or listen to the OST. I’m singing along right now and feeling the feels all over again!

Zombie: Ugh! The OST! I’m getting chills just thinking about it! It seems so fitting that a drama that made you feel so much is accompanied by an OST that makes you feel just as much, if not more. The emotions the tracks of this OST invoke are so intense! Whomever was responsible for this compilation needs an award and a hug and possibly some cookies.

Raine: I seriously agree. All of the music was beautiful. It was a varied collection with great talent. I listen to it daily. Especially “Round and Round.” It brings back what is so magical about “Goblin.” I know a lot of people knocked it, but the whole drama really spoke to me, despite the fact that Writer Park was at the helm. I didn’t even have a problem with the ending!

Zombie: As shocked as I am to say it, I don’t have a problem with the ending either. Sure, it ripped my heart out, shredded it into a gazillion tiny pieces and ultimately left me with a Goblin-sized hole in my chest but I knew that was going to be the way this drama went from the very first episode. I wasn’t surprised by how painful this ending was, nor was I disappointed in it. In fact, I was rather satisfied with the way things ended. Sure, it took who knows how many years for everyone to find each other again but they did. Eventually. I guess when you’re immortal, it doesn’t really matter how long eventually is,so long as eventually becomes the present, eventually.

Raine: So here’s my take on the whole shebang. They have always tempted, tried, and surmounted fate. She wasn’t supposed to live. He made her live. Many times. He was supposed to die and stay dead. He chose to come back. They have always taken control of their destinies despite Samshin Granny or God/Sungjae/Duk Hwa. Even if Eun Tak dies and comes back four times and runs out of lives. Even if Goblin is fated to live forever, when her fourth life comes around, they’ll tackle that problem, too. It’s always been their fate to fight for love. It makes it poignant and powerful. I’m cool with that. Of course my take, but it’s real for me!

Zombie: Like I said, I never had a problem with this ending. Everyone found their own version of happily ever after and that’s all I needed. Like you said, this entire drama is about taking control of your life, rather than leaving everything up to fate. That alone is enough to make me happy because in my real life, that’s how I live. Or try to anyway. The truth is, in both dramas and life, you can take control of your destiny but even then, things might not work out the way you want them to. You have to be able to adapt, when life throws you its inevitable curveballs, and be willing to make the best of things, no matter what.

Raine: So true. Take Eun Tak, she gets married to the perfect Goblin and then chooses to sacrifice herself causes big ol’ crocodile Goblin tears, but it was shocking, poignant, and some great storytelling. Allows her character to step up. As a younger woman she wasn’t quite mature and seeing her take control, even in death, was very satisfying. (Although…I can’t take watching Gong Yoo cry and mourn….GAH!)

Zombie: She really did grow up well and I think her mom would have been very proud of her. I just wish we wouldn’t have had to endure those painful years in which she completely forgot Goblin ever existed. I know they were a crucial part of the story and all but OH MY GIDDY FLIPPING AUNT! My heart just couldn’t handle that! All of that time apart! All of those endless days wandering the wasteland between Heaven and Hell! Stuck in a meaningless existence for what had to have felt like ages, never knowing anything of Eun Tak or even of himself! Can you even imagine what that must have been like for the once mighty Goblin? I know he chose to be there, so that he could eventually get back to Eun Tak but GOOD GRIEF! I don’t think I stopped sobbing the entire time he wandered in that nightmare. It just made my heart hurt too much!

Raine: It was quite intense, and that is what this writer is good at. Her logic in writing isn’t always the most sound, but boy can she wrangle those emotions! And then put Gong Yoo in that role and watch me have red eyes for DAYS! But her bodily tethers to her memory triggers of him were brilliant: her tears when it rained; her unexpected sadness at seeing cherry blossoms. She suffered through indescribable sadness quite literally. She had no idea why she was hurting so a doc prescribed meds! Also, their second chance in her first life comes with a full return to the events of their first face-to-face meeting: when she blows out the candle on her birthday cake. A lot of the meetings in these last episodes were like that, repeats of the past, packed with so much more meaning. (Also, 9 years later, a significant number in Korean lore. Ages 9, 19, 29…all times of change and usually not good.)

Zombie: I think it’s the way all of these things were brought back together in the end that really made this whole drama so satisfying to watch. You weren’t left with any loose strings or odd rabbit trails that made no sense. Everything came full circle and because of that, you could walk away from this story feeling a peace. You knew that no matter what, Eun Tak and Goblin would always have each other, in one lifetime or another, and that was enough. Of course it was nice to know that Death and Sunny got one last chance to be happy (and more importantly, that they actually got to BE happy) but really, this story has always been about Goblin and his bride so their story is the one that brings the most satisfaction at the end.

Raine: Definitely. I love that coming together. It’s a bittersweet story and always has been. He chose his path. Is it sad? Sure? But it’s satisfying. I’m glad you mentioned Sunny and Death. I love that they got a life together untainted by the past. I’m sad Death doesn’t get his bromance with Goblin in his next life, but he gets to be happy with Sunny. It was so satisfying to see Death come back from purgatory and make up with Death. D’AW

A couple of nitpicky things though: what happened to Duk Hwa? Doesn’t Goblin keep having a butler? Was that who the old dude was at the end? Why didn’t Sunny keep in touch with Goblin even though she blocked out Death? Why did she do the same to Eun Tak?

Zombie: I know Sunny left because it was her way of punishing Death for what he’d done in his past life. Maybe she cut off all contact because she knew everyone would still be together and she didn’t want to risk the possibility of wanting to come back? Maybe if she knew how Death was doing, even if was via Goblin or Eun Tak, she’d be tempted to run back to him in this life and she didn’t want that to happen. It’s the only thing I can think of that might make a bit of sense. Why she chose to pretend she couldn’t remember anyone during those years when Goblin was gone, is beyond me. That’s the part that really confuses me.

As for Duk Hwa… I think he was kinda got forgotten in these last episodes. He’s going to eventually be the head of the company but he has to work his way up from the bottom. Literally. He’s well on his way when the story ends but does he ever make it? Does the secretary guy who was left in charge run the company until Duk Hwa finally gets to a place where he can shoulder the responsibility of running the company? I don’t know. I would assume Duk Hwa takes on the role of Goblin’s caretaker/manager/butler/whatever because that’s what role his family members have been holding since the creation of Goblin himself.

Raine: I assumed that as well, but Duk Hwa, while not a hugely prominent role, still managed to flesh out our adorable trio of awkward men and played host body for god and had some really great moments and comic relief or a vehicle for growth. He deserved better. Sungjae impressed me. He didn’t in Plus Nine Boys, but he sure did here.

Zombie: Yeah, I can’t say I was really happy with the way Duk Hwa was kinda pushed off to the side and forgotten. You’d think a guy who’d played host to God would have ended up with something better at the end but I guess not. It would have been nice to see him step into the role his grandfather once held but maybe that’s asking too much. I feel like we lucked out with the ending we got so maybe we should just be happy our OTP found a way to live happily ever after and let the rest go.

Raine: Yeah, kinda a failure there, but that won’t stop me from watching this drama 100000000000000x. It just had all the little things right. Eun Tak makes a friend and keeps her until adult hood. She achieves her childhood dream. Even how she dies is of her choice. Death and Sunny walk up the stairs to (heaven?) together at the end of Sunny’s life of ignoring him. All the souls that Death helps to guide provide expositional background for what is to come with our leads. All these really nice moments. I’m going to imagine my own ending for Duk Hwa. He grows up, finds a girl who he loves like Goblin loves Eun Tak and serves Goblin with a maturity found from his gramps and through living. And also leads his own fulfilling life.

Zombie: Sounds like a good ending to me! And you’re right, there were a lot of really nice moments in these final episodes, that really helped bring everything together well. I really couldn’t have asked for a much better ending. Yes, there were some minor issues and yes, it would have been nice for Duk Hwa to get a more satisfying ending, but all in all, so much was done well, I can easily overlook the rest.

Raine: I love that the “president” he imagined older Eun Tak greeting was him. Because he chose to keep his fine ass in purgatory until love magic brought them back together again. He made his own future and he was so cute and giddy when sitting in it. Gong Yoo really carried the show on his two very gorgeous shoulders. Lee Dong Wook was better than I’ve EVER seen him. His crowning achievement thus far. Kim Go Eun was adorable, but was able to show her chops really when Eun Tak was older. Yoo In nah was wonderful…as always.

Zombie: I can’t disagree with you. You’ve said everything I wanted to say so really, what’s left to say? I mean I suppose we could talk about Gong Yoo’s gorgeous shoulders some more but things might get a little… Uh… … Sorry, what was I saying again? My mind somehow started wandering elsewhere… Go figure!

Raine: Happens a lot. I’m used to it. Wait…probably ‘cause I’m doing it, too. In any case, despite flaws, the show rocked our socks. We loved talking about it and sharing those crazy talks with you all. Take the Goblin/Death bromance deep in your heart to get you through your rainy days and thank Gong Yoo for taking this awesome sauce role.

Zombie: *whispers, with tears in her eyes* thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you…

Raine: I think I need to put this drama on replay for Zombie. While I go do that, you all have an awesome time in Dramaland and re-living the joys and sorrows of Goblin. Let us know your favorite bits in the comments below. Thank you for joining us. Now I’m off to help Zombie with her Goblin addiction. (*cough*mine*cough*)

To hear more from Raine and myself, be sure to follow us on our blogs and/or social media:

Raine: Raine’s Dichotomy, Twitter, Instagram
Zombie Mamma: Zombie Mamma, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

or catch up on our previous Goblin chats here:

Episodes 1-2

Episodes 3-4

Episodes 5-6

Episodes 7-8

Episodes 9-10

Episodes 11-13

Raine: omigoshmyheart. The tears. And honestly, a little bit of incredulity.

Zombie: There was definitely a lot going on in these three episodes. Where do we even start??? Do we start at the heart-shattering end of the last episode and work our way back or work our way from the beginning and end with our hearts being torn out of our chests and our lives losing all meaning? Sorry, was that a bit too dramatic?

Raine: It wasn’t dramatic as those three episodes! You have a long way to go to beat Goblin in dramatics!

Zombie: Oh good grief! We’re like 2 seconds into this chat and already I’m fighting off tears! I just can’t deal with all that’s happened! In some ways it feels like it’s all passed too quickly and in other ways it feels like it dragged on forever. Episode 13 especially, felt like it was dragging but then WHAM! I wasn’t ready for that slap upside the head, even though I’ve known it was coming since the very first episode.

Raine: And it’s not just Gong Yoo and his stint as the most amazing fantastical being EVAR. Just look at Sunny’s arc over the past three episodes. She is this rather apathetic woman looking for love who learns about an entire lifetime and a family she never knew she had. She has her heart torn by a love that is just as tragic the second time around. I’ve always loved Yoo In Na, but holy moly she is stunning here.

Zombie: You know, I think if anyone other than Sunny were in this position, it wouldn’t work out nearly as well. Despite her apathetic appearance, she’s a very strong, intelligent woman and as such, she’s able to deal with having her whole other life laid out in front of her. There really aren’t many people in this world who could receive that sort of information, those memories, that heartbreak, and still be able to function as a normal human being. Of course she’s not the only one dealing with lost memories and broken hearts. Poor Death has had a lot happen to him over the course of these episodes. After 600 years or so of lost memories, he gets them all back in a single blow only to find that he’s not only the cause of Goblin’s pain but also responsible for the death of both his one true love and himself. That’s a lot to deal with!

Raine: I just love the dilemma that Death has morally. Lee Dong Wook manifests it so well and I’m shocked to see myself type that. I generally tend to be bored with LDW, but he has WON me here. He’s so convincing. He was a loving, but weak man who allowed evil and pain to crush and manipulate him into a shriveled, little human being. He is still loving and weak now as Death, but watching him strike out on his own path is magnificent. Pain never hurt so good.

Zombie: I have to say, my heart swelled with many, many emotions as Death decided to act on his own and show up on the rooftop, just when he was needed most. The fact that, after all these years, he’s finally found a way to break free from the grip of that awful Park Joong Heon, made me so happy. It certainly took him long enough to get there, but he did and ended up being a major player in the downfall of that terrible man. I really wish Fate would be nice enough to let Death be the one to drag that wretched being to hell but I guess that would be asking too much. Too bad Goblin isn’t around anymore to… Oh crap! *sobs*

Raine: WHY DID YOU MENTION THAT? But since you did…holy monkey balls that was such a powerful scene. It was a little long in run time (coulda cut down on the staring and crying), but it was so intense. I loved the CG work on the sword as it was pulled out. Loved Death intervening and the camera angles as Goblin struck down their mutual enemy and Eun Tak realizes she had an unwilling part in the death of her loved one. It was magical how Goblin decided to do it for her, Death, and to rid the world of gross, purple-lipped, cracking fingers Park Joong Heon the malicious ghost. Gosh, he’s hella gross.

Zombie: He was rather disgusting, wasn’t he? I actually really loved how creepy and nasty he was in death because it felt like a perfect representation of what he’d been like in life.

Raine: EXACTLY!

Zombie: It seemed fitting that such a black-hearted human should exist in death as a disgusting, rotting, horrendous soul. As great and terrible as he was in his ghostly form, I thought it was sad they didn’t use him as much as they could have. They did a fantastic job of making him look evil and vile but they kinda glossed over just how terrible of a ghost he was. There wasn’t really any sense of urgency built up around him, no clear reasons why he needed to be dealt with so quickly, other than he kept tormenting Eun Tak and threatening to murder people. I suppose he did have that one moment where he took out a group of random people but that felt so out of place and lame. I think if they’d used this horrible creature differently, it would have made Goblin’s death even more potent. Not that I actually needed any more incentive to bawl my eyes out… I just think if they’d made Joong Heon’s plan more clear, if they’d put some sort of effort into explaining Eun Tak’s magical Goblin mark, and delved into the connection between the two, we could have understood (and felt) Goblin’s desperation just a little bit more.

Raine: Yup. He was poorly introduced and utilized and even then he was a marvelous villain. I wanted him introduced earlier and his danger to feel real and present.

Zombie: That certainly would have added more punch to this final scene. Not that really want to feel like our hearts are being ripped apart, but in some cases, feelings as intense as that are fitting and maybe even necessary. I think that with a story as intensely emotional as this one, it would have been nice to feel the full weight of this last scene and not have such an emotional moment ruined by undeveloped characters and missed timing.

Raine: Yeah, I thought they took out Joong Heon the Ghost way to fast after his introduction. Like he was a flea. And he so wasn’t.

Zombie: No, he definitely had the potential to be way more than just another ugly face.

Raine: OMG was he UGLAY!

Zombie: I suppose in a cast this pretty, they needed to throw someone awful in there to balance things out.

Raine: So true. Oh, I just realized this after THIRTEEN episodes. The lady in red…is Samshin Halmoni. I should’ve known when different people saw her different ways and she was taking care of the kiddos. Did I learn nothing from My Girlfriend is a Gumiho?

Zombie: Hahaha! Don’t feel bad, I only just realized that myself. I guess I was too caught up in the pretty to pay much attention to anything else.

Raine: Cons to being a white chick watching Korean drama. I didn’t grow up with her as part of my history. But I really love how she’s included here. Two things to talk about. 1) How she SCHOOLED that horrible teacher who made school life horrible for Eun Tak. 2) her conversation with Duk Hwa when he was possessed by God. Did Sungjae NOT do such a fabulous job with that scene?

Zombie: He really did. I have to say, I really loved the way that little twist was worked into the plot. It was such a great way to tie all of these little bits and piece together while at the same time, giving us so much insight into what’s been going on this whole time. I thought it was absolutely brilliant. As for that awful teacher being put in her place by Samshin Halmoni… That was nothing short of perfect. That horrible woman deserved everything she got and then some!

Raine: Definitely. Take that horrible teacher lady! Speaking of horrible, the chairman’s death broke my heart for so many reasons. He was a great side character. He was important to Goblin and it showed how much Goblin has cared for all of the men like the chairman who have passed through his life. The chairman and Duk Hwa were just precious. And Duk Hwa’s reaction to that death…oh more tears…

Zombie: Oh my gosh! I actually bawled harder over the Chairman’s death than I did Goblin’s! Seriously, when Duk Hwa stepped out of the room and started polishing the silver, I straight up ugly sobbed. It was awful! I ended up buried under a pile of used tissues because I just couldn’t keep myself together.

Raine: When you cry over the rocked community over a SIDE character’s death…that’s good writing.

Zombie: Yes. It. Is. Again, I just wish I’d felt that level of heartbreak when Goblin died. I suppose there’s a good chance I just over-prepared myself for that moment and that’s why it didn’t hit me quite like I thought it would. After all, I’ve known that moment was coming from the very beginning of this story. I guess having 13 episodes to prepare could have caused me to callous my heart too much. Then again, I also didn’t shed that many tears over Death’s story and his big reveal so maybe my heart’s just broken or something. I mean if Death can cry for an episode and a half straight, shouldn’t I feel something as well? Or maybe I just let him do all the crying for me… Or perhaps I was just so mesmerized by how pretty Lee Dong Wook is when he cries, I forgot to cry myself… It’s hard to say.

Raine: Yeah, I was crushed by Goblin’s death, yet at the same time wanted more out of it? I’m left hanging as to what the last 3 episodes will hold now. He comes back to life and “kills” the anticipation of his death. We see how the three main leads remaining live? We see how his vision of older Eun Tak plays out?

Zombie: I actually have a theory about this… My guess is that since they made such a big deal about a human’s determination and their ability to change their fate simply by sheer will, (like the man who burst into Death’s tea house because he desperately needed a bathroom) this will somehow play into Goblin’s return as a human. Yes, he as a supernatural being, had to die. It was his destiny, but that doesn’t mean that he, as Kim Shin, the human, has to subject himself to that fate. His human ability to challenge and change fate could mean that he finds a way, within himself, to escape death. What this would actually entail is still kind of a mystery but I really feel like they wouldn’t have mentioned all of this about human will and changing fate, if it weren’t going to come into play in some major way before the story ends. After all, we still have 3 more episodes before this thing ends and there’s no way in heck they’re going to go that long without our beloved Goblin making some sort of a dramatic return.

Raine: I think we did chat about this before. That guy who had to pee really made an impression on me. K-drama and its bathroom humor…I do hope that the shattered romance does come back together. The way they look at each other like lost lovers is just…*sobs*

Zombie: I have a feeling we’re going to be sobbing a whole lot more before the end. I just hope that when this drama finally wraps up, we’ll be sobbing tears of joy rather than tears of heartache and/or regret.

Raine: I know I keep saying it, but it’s really the 11th hour when this writer craps out. Actually, not just her, but many, many writers who have run the gauntlet of doing any sort of live shooting. So far my biggest complaint is that the show is indulgent in the wide-eyes, tears, and holding focus on faces for far too long. The show could be an hour per episode and be just as impactful.

Zombie: I can’t argue with you there. However, even with all its faults, this drama is still one of the best I’ve watched in a long time. As long as it manages to keep itself together as it wraps up, I’ll be happy. Though a couple more, passionate Gong Yoo kisses would be nice. Oy! Can that man kiss! *swoon*

Raine: I’m glad you brought that up. He just…swooped in out of nowhere. That kiss was just so damn sexy my ovaries exploded. If she wasn’t an adult before, she sure is now. That was like XXX kissing. WOW. Which prompted me to do research on kisses which taught me that some cultures don’t kiss at all. HOW WEIRD!

Zombie: Not gonna lie, all my brain can process now is “research,” “kisses,” and “Gong Yoo.” For some reason, Coffee Prince, immediately comes to mind… And pretty much every other Gong Yoo drama in existence. Ugh! This man can kiss!

Raine: Yeah, he is kissing master. I guess we’ll have to get him to teach us…maybe when he comes back from the…wherever Goblins go…he’ll have lots of pent up kisses to get off his chest, er, lips.

Zombie: I’m not sure whether to fall over laughing or fall over from swooning… Maybe both?

Raine: Did you start singing “He’s gone where the goblins go, beloooooow!”

Zombie: *falls over dead*

Raine: Let’s watch that kiss again.

To hear more from Raine and myself, be sure to follow us on our blogs and/or social media:

Raine: Raine’s Dichotomy, Twitter, Instagram
Zombie Mamma: Zombie Mamma, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

or catch up on our previous Goblin chats here:

Episodes 1-2

Episodes 3-4

Episodes 5-6

Episodes 7-8

Episodes 9-10