Still shaken from last week’s shock, our heroine has barely any time to process her new identity before the evil minister attacks her again. However, our crown prince isn’t about to lose her again, going all out to protect his lady love.
In addition, the drama finally discloses our antagonist’s backstory and the reason he wreaks havoc on the royal family.
Bunny S. watches Moon River on Viki
Episode Recaps: 01 & 02 | 03 & 04 | 05 & 06 | 07 & 08 | 09 & 10 | 11 & 12|
Moon River Episodes 11 and 12 Highlights
“I know that these are my real memories, and I am Kang Yeon-wol.”
We open the week with more flashbacks. After Yeon-wol was deposed, Kang came to see her, yet she treated him coldly and turned him away. But Kang refused to give up on her, resolving to throw away his title and elope with her. However, as we already know, the king told Yeon-wol to fake her death and flee. Yet she knew Kang would search everywhere until he found her. And it would implicate his position and put him in danger, so she chose death and jumped into the lake.
In the present, Dal-yi is rightfully perplexed and feels betrayed by her aunt. The memories flooding back to her feel real, and in her head, Dal-yi knows she is Yeon-wol. But about the life she led for the last 5 years? (Side note: Dal-yi’s aunt is originally a courtesan who was in love with Yeon-wol’s elder brother, and took care of Yeon-wol/Dal-yi to honor her lover’s last wish.)
Before Dal-yi can process her returning memories, her aunt reveals the king’s plan to fake Dal-yi’s death again, asserting they should escape quickly. But having seen for herself how lonely and heartbroken Kang was over her death, Dal-yi can’t make him go through that nightmare once again. So, she returns to the palace and brings the king’s plan to a halt.
“Why did she have to die?”
Feeling lost, Yeon-wol chose to sacrifice herself. However, Dal-yi will stay by Kang’s side and won’t go down without a fight. Visiting the king, he is stunned to see Dal-yi in the palace even after her memories returned, arguing that Han-cheol will soon realize who she is and will stop at nothing to kill her. If Dal-yi falls into danger, Kang will risk his life for her, and the king will remain powerless and unable to protect either of them, as was the case 5 years ago.
Yet Dal-yi retorts that she isn’t the same Yeon-wol who vanished quietly, but Dal-yi. And she won’t leave Kang this time, urging the king not to think only about Kang’s physical safety but to consider how he feels. Without Dal-yi by his side, Kang won’t be able to go on after losing the woman he loves for the second time. Resolving to make up for the lost time, Dal-yi sticks to Kang like glue. Of course, it makes him happy, but he is also a little taken aback by the sudden change in Dal-yi’s attitude since he is in the dark about her being Yeon-wol.
“If that is the price, I would rather have no revenge at all.”
Since that day at the port, Woon has been drowning his sorrows in alcohol. Kang brings up the abdication, arguing it is the only way to stop Han-cheol. But Woon would rather die than sit on the bloody throne that caused his mother’s death and got him exiled. Also, if he becomes the king, Kang and the king will be cast out, and Woo-hee will be branded as a traitor’s daughter. Then, who would Woon have left? The only way to stop Han-cheol is to assassinate him. But if it were easy, Kang would have done it long ago.
Desperate, Woon heads to the place where Woo-hee is confined and makes a scene, shouting her name and declaring his love for her. Anyone who hears that story thinks that Woon either went crazy or has a death wish. And rightly so, he isn’t in his right mind as he attacks Han-cheol at his private residence, wishing to kill him and put an end to all that torment. Woon knows he will get executed for it, but he no longer values his life after losing Woo-hee.
With such formidable skills, Han-cheol blocks the attack easily. But he surprisingly goes easy on Woon and has a moment of hesitation just as he is about to take him down, which Woon seizes and cuts Han-cheol. He almost finished the job, were it not for Kang showing up to save the night. After Woon gets dragged away, Kang and Han-cheol agree to pretend this incident never happened. But the latter asserts that even if he dies, someone else will release the secret pact.
Taking off, Kang slaps Woon so he will get a grip. If Woon dies, then what about Kang and Woo-hee? If the path is blocked, they can force it open or forge a new path. But it will all be meaningless if Woon dies.
“What do you mean the Royal Concubine is the Crown Princess?”
Summoning Woon to the palace, Kang holds a meeting to discuss their new plan. Dal-yi attends too, and she scolds Woon for walking into the lion’s den and throwing his life away. Having been there, Dal-yi can empathize with Woon’s pain. But instead of sacrificing himself, Dal-yi urges Woon not to give up and continue living.
Deducing that Bird Keeper might know something about the secret pact, Kang plans to catch her. But to track her down, they need Woo-hee’s help. Humoring the dowager, Dal-yi secretly meets Woo-hee and gets some clues on where Bird Keeper might be hiding. But before they can carry out their plan, Kang spots the king walking in disguise and follows him secretly. And it is here that Kang finally learns Dal-yi and Yeon-wol are the same person.
Returning to the palace, Kang searches for Dal-yi, but he keeps missing her until they finally meet. Kang breaks into sobs, but Dal-yi comforts him, and they share a tight hug. Kang feels sorry that Dal-yi had to suffer so much, but she assures him she had happy moments too. Actually, Dal-yi’s memory hasn’t returned in full. And compared to those hazy memories, her life as Dal-yi is more vivid. So, she wants Kang to treat her as Dal-yi, not Yeon-wol. But then, Dal-yi funnily asks Kang which one of her alter egos he loves more, pushing him into a corner.
” By what authority did you sentence these people to death?”
Among Dal-yi’s fresh memories, one memory stands out. Six years ago, while visiting her mother’s grave, Yeon-wol came across a mysterious noblewoman dressed in white. It seemed the woman wanted to relay a letter to someone in the palace, but a gruff man intercepted her before she could hand over the message to Yeon-wol.
Shortly after this incident, Yeon-wol was framed and deposed, and her family was annihilated, so what if Han-cheol went after her because of that encounter and not just to make Woo-hee the crown princess?
Before Dal-yi can look into that incident, though, Han-cheol blindsides her by arresting her family and sentencing them to death. Hearing that, Dal-yi rushes to the execution ground and tries to stop Han-cheol. But he pushes her to reveal her real identity. He already knows she is Yeon-wol, yet he wants Dal-yi to admit it herself.
The aunt and the adoptive parents urge Dal-yi not to succumb to those threats and live happily with Kang. But she can’t stand by and watch as they get executed before her eyes. So, Dal-yi admits to being Yeon-wol. When Kang arrives, it is already too late, and the ministers led by Han-cheol call for Dal-yi’s execution for defying the royal order and remaining alive. Kang pleads with the king to save Dal-yi, but just like the case 5 years ago, the king prioritizes Kang and sentences Dal-yi to death by strangulation.
“I will escape the detached palace. Please send help.”
Having made sure her family is safe, Kang sets out to save Dal-yi. 1# Woo-hee volunteers to create a distraction and flees the palace. 2# Woon ensures Woo-hee’s safety and buys her time. 3# Woo-hee heads to the prison cell where Dal-yi is locked and switches places with her. 4# Dal-yi and Kang escape the palace.
Rewinding to the scene between Kang and the king as the former pleads for Dal-yi’s life, Kang reveals Han-cheol has a private army, and the secret pact must be with the leader. So, he plans to leave the palace and investigate this matter with Woon. And seeing Kang’s resolve, the king musters up the courage too and supports Kang’s plan to escape with Dal-yi, handing over a military tally to mobilize the troops.
“Actually, on the day I was arrested, I exchanged a few words with the Left State Councillor.”
Though they make it out of the palace safely, Han-cheol quickly catches on and puts a bounty on our leads’ heads, making their mission more difficult. Dal-yi shares with Kang the noblewoman’s story and how her elder brother looked into that matter and left a notebook for him. They plan to lie low for a few days and then investigate this issue. But Kang suggests they leave everything behind and elope. What if even after going through all that, they can’t defeat Han-cheol and he loses her again?
Ironically, both Kang and Woon suggested running away together with the women they love, but it was the ladies who insisted on seeing this through to the end so that they could be truly happy.
The next day, Kang arranges for a boat to take them to Qing. And just as they are about to get on board, they are ambushed by Han-cheol’s men. Kang holds a blade to his throat, threatening to take his life if they don’t clear a path and let Dal-yi go. And it appears he has succeeded.
Except, our leads expected this turn of events and switched bodies. The one taken by Han-cheol’s men and confined at the palace is actually Dal-yi, while Kang remains outside to investigate the mysterious woman and the private army, having connected the dots and deduced their base might be near Yeon-wol’s mother’s grave. He also arranges for Woon to join him soon. Looking through the notebook Yeon-wol’s elder brother left, Woon figures out the private army’s exact location. Together with Kang and Shin-won, they ferret around the area.
“I have never once considered that boy my grandson.”
At long last, the drama finally reveals the motive behind Han-cheol’s quest for power. He was in love with Woon’s mother, and they planned to marry, but she was chosen as the queen. However, the dowager framed her for adultery and deposed her. Han-cheol pleaded with Woon’s mother to live, but she succumbed to her fate and drank the poison.
Somehow, Han-cheol saved Woon’s mother’s life and kept her hidden in the base near Yeon-wol’s mother’s grave. Needless to say, the woman in white was Woon’s mother, and Han-cheol went after Yeon-wol, worried she might uncover this secret.
As we end the penultimate week, Han-cheol is visiting Woon’s mother and lamenting how, despite amassing all this power, he can’t have her. Apparently, she has dementia and remembers nothing, holding a piece of cloth that she believes is her son. Witnessing this scene unfold from a distance, Woon is stunned to see his dead mother, who is very much alive.
Moon River Episodes 11 and 12 Musings
We suspected Dal-yi’s lost memories might hold the key to the reason Han-cheol vehemently went after her, going as far as to murder Kang’s mother. Surely, he wanted to put his bloodline on the throne, but it felt like he had a bigger motive. Yet the drama got us with the reveal that Woon’s mother is alive, something we didn’t see coming. And we guess she might play a significant role in Han-cheol’s downfall. Han-cheol started all this to avenge Woon’s mother, yet ironically, she might end up being the one unsheathing his sword forever.
The showdown next week is bound to be intense, but we hope it mostly gets wrapped up in episode 13, so there is enough time left to send off our main quartet and watch over their happy ending. It doesn’t feel right for the current king to continue reigning over the country, but Woon has made it clear that he despises the throne. So, we look forward to how the drama will handle that plotline.
Perhaps the king will abdicate to Kang. As someone who suffered firsthand from injustice, Kang might make for a wise ruler, especially with Dal-yi supporting him by his side. Having lived among the people for 5 years, she definitely understands their suffering better than anyone who has led a sheltered life. Either way, we are fine with whatever route the drama takes as long as it sticks the landing. So far, the writing has been tight, so we hope the drama goes out with a bang and solidifies its position as one of the best sageuks ever.
Photos and videos: MBC Drama
Leave a Reply