ORANGE MARMALADE - EPISODE 8

Shi Hoo stands alone, until Jae Min appears at his side. They kill off his attackers, but Lady Won escapes. Shi Hoo, mortally wounded, lies feverish in Jae Min's quarters. After reading about the cure in a book, Jae Min offers to join the Warriors of the Silver Blood in order to get some vampire blood to heal his friend and breaks it off with Ma Ri. Lady Won gives orders to Jae Min's intended, Ah Ra, in order to frame the other vampire clan and gain more power. 

Shi Hoo, hanging on to his last threads of life, visits Ma Ri, saying he needed to see her one last time before his death. He crumples in a heap, and Ma Ri gives him some of her blood. When he wakens, he is changed. He reacts with shock and horror -- he's become a vampire! Ah Ra tries to hang herself, but Jae Min happens upon the scene and stops her. Later that night, Ma Ri is lured to a cave where the Warriors of the Silver Blood await, having been fed false info that the ringleader of the vampires would be there. Before Jae Min can stop them, an arrow is loosed at the woman he loves...


"Now we adjust this camera for the perfect selfie!"

It appears that this drama is firmly rooted in the Joseon era, and I'll be perfectly happy if they finish it there, though I have the feeling that they'll bring it back to the modern day at least for the finale. We've seen more episodes set in the past than the present, and I'm loving it. One of the conceits that historicals have over modern day is the use of ancient weapons -- swords and bows and the like, which I love, and this drama has some excellent fight scenes. Kudos to the fight arranger for the perfectly awesome combat sequences.

Lady Won has her claws deeper into human society than I had first suspected. Not only does she own a gisaeng establishment but she also has guards bribed and officials fooled. I'm impressed. If you have to hide, do it in plain sight. This also further impresses me as vampires shouldn't be hiding in ancient castles and such, they should be integrated into society, preferably through a brotherhood that manipulates things behind the scenes.


"I love you too, Auntie, but try using less perfume..."

The conflict between Jae Min and Shi Hoo has also been thrown into stark contrast, too. Their storyline makes sense when you follow it back to the modern era. Modern Shi Hoo seemed to resent the fact that he was a vampire and if he was turned against his will, this would make sense, rather than simply being born that way. Modern Jae Min, of course, hates vampires for a specific reason. His mom runs off with one, so he blames the entire race rather than the individuals themselves. What I don't quite get are these characters' connections. Are Shi Hoo and Ma Ri here the same ones that we see in the modern day, given their extended lifespan as vampires? Certainly Jae Min and the other human characters are not.


"If I close my eyes and look in a mirror, then I can see what I look like when I'm sleeping."

If I were Ma Ri, I would send Jae Min packing. It seems like his role with Ma Ri is "Hey, I want to be with you" and then a minute later "I can't be with you." Hot and cold running men is not something she needs, especially with everything that's going on in the vampire world. And now that she's turned Shi Hoo, is that likely to deepen their connection? Maybe they were lovers in the Joseon era, which would definitely drive a wedge between Shi Hoo and Jae Min.  

This drama seems to get better and better. I almost gave up on it when it morphed into a period drama, but now that I'm used to it, 'Orange Marmalade' has become quite a tasty drama. Before it was a bit bland, playing it safe, and the vampires themselves were nerfed. But this era really allows the conflicts to heat up and we see better versions of these characters in the Joseon era. Let me know what you think and drop a comment below.

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