Now I understand why Goblin was a highly-rated KDrama during its time and until now. One would consider it a classic. In fact, one would say that you’re not a true KDrama fan if you haven’t watched Goblin.
Personally, I love other-worldly, fantasy, folklore stories so Goblin was a no-brainer. The first episode was interesting ’cause you are given a bit of the Goblin’s (Gong Yoo) history, plus you’re introduced to the Grim Reaper (Lee Dong-wook) and the girl who can see ghosts, Ji Eun-tak (Kim Go-eun). But as you progress through the first few episodes of the show, you are made aware of the fundamental flaw of this amazing show — the chemistry between the leads Gong Yoo and Kim Go-eun. My first thoughts actually were, are we forgetting that this girl is still in high school? She’s practically a child next to Gong Yoo.
Gong Yoo was amazing of course. Very dashing with the comedic chops to match. That’s what carried the show’s lack of lead chemistry, other than of course, the couple with actual chemistry — second leads Lee Dong-wook and Yoon In-na. The Grim Reaper (or Wang Yeo) and Sunny, who we later find out is actually Kim Shin’s sister, is the couple to watch in this series. They have fewer scenes compared to the leads but their scenes were hella powerful. Granted, their epic love story spans centuries, but the actors’ actual chemistry was just so good. In fact, it was so good they ended up having their own show three years later as the leads (Touch Your Heart). Their story is one of tragedy. You’re in agony the entire time like can’t second lead couples ever be happy? Yup, still not over Seo Dan and Gu Seung-jun in Crash Landing on You.
But with that agony comes a reward. Sunny ascends to the afterlife with Wang Yeo after his punishment of being a Grim Reaper ends. They are then both reborn as normal people. And as fate dictates, they find their way to each other and end up together. Finally, a sense of normalcy for these two who have suffered so much in their previous lives.
Sunny is presented to us as a strong character. She’s quick-witted and tough from the beginning. The thing I didn’t like about this strong female character at the start though is her unease with being single. Sure she’s independent and holds her own but she’s still waiting for a “king” to arrive. In one scene she tells Eun-tak to go out and meet men so she won’t end up like her who’s still single at a later age. Which is why her decision to let go of Wang Yeo in her current life was a really strong and shocking one. She knew in her heart she did not want to love him in this life. Kudos to her for finding her power.
This is an important lesson of the series. Life is filled with so much suffering because of human folly, our choices, our circumstances, our fate, but there is paradise waiting for us in the end (which you can liken to the Judeo-Christian tradition). Ultimately, there is a reward for pressing on and pulling through despite these obstacles. At first, I found the jumps in time shocking, 9 years, 30 years, and the next one maybe a hundred to a thousand? ’Cause that’s just too long for us normal humans. But the show is playing on the long game. We are just but specks in the grander scheme of things, but with our own stories.
The show actually reminds me of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind because of their similar themes. We are more than our memories. We have our impulses, our emotions, our inclinations, our dispositions. There is a danger though to the epic love presented in the series. That there will always be that one person you will go back to who loves you equally, that no matter the circumstances you will always find your way back to each other. This is wishful-thinking for most. We all know that’s not reality but then again, this show isn’t grounded on reality. I guess that’s the appeal. We know of these realities which is why we find ourselves escaping to this world offered by Goblin.
To be fair, I finally found that spark between Kim Shin and Eun-tak when they said their goodbyes at the Grim Reaper’s tea shop after Eun-tak’s unfortunate passing. At first I thought it was because Eun-tak was already an adult by that time but when they met again in the ending, with her being that schoolgirl again when they first started, my heart “leapt”. I know I had reservations at the start with her being in high school but it’s different this time around after seeing what they both went through in the entire series. Now I can say their love was powerful. To be fair to the Goblin though, he never looked or acted like a pervert towards Eun-tak.
One unanswered thing for me though, which is a flaw of most KDramas with a doomed romance (as mentioned in my Hotel Del Luna review), is the immortality question. It says in the show people have only four lives and that was Eun-tak’s first. What’s going to happen to the Goblin when she’s used up all her lives? Obviously he can’t die ’cause the sword isn’t wedged in him anymore and when he did die before he asked the Almighty to keep him in the realm between life and death instead so he can find his way back to Eun-tak (which is also another absurd story point now that I think about it). He was able to return just because Eun-tak summoned him via candle light. I felt that was too simplistic for such a complex plot. Despite these lingering thoughts, it was a good enough ending. I guess the creators would rather spare us from the sad realities of the world they created.
One last thing, the OST was just amazing. I swear it takes you on a whole new level. It just makes you feel transcendent.
Bravo, Goblin. May you live on as a classic KDrama till the end of time.
