They say the best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury, but that is much easier said than done. In a way, I understand the Shaman. He probably believed he would never get justice for his family, especially not in that era. Still, revenge and retaliation always perpetuate the cycle of anger, fear, and violence. I thoroughly enjoyed On Dal and the Princess's fight sequence to save the King and Crown Prince. And call me cruel, but the only way to ensure a threat like the scheming Shaman is taken care of for good is to eliminate it, or it will come back to bite you someday. Punishment of death for someone like him is not revenge but justice.
I love On Dal's free spirit that the palace uptight politics does not bind him; I hope it doesn't change who he is even if others rebuke him for it. I can only imagine how lonely it must be for him. I hope he never changes. At first, I thought I didn't trust General Go; but it's Mo Yong that the General shouldn't trust once a spy, always a spy. I believe he cares for her, but at the same time, I am not sure what he's planning. It's like he's biding his time to make a move, but is it against the Princess or for his father; that's the question. I knew he took the Shaman to stop his father from using him against the Princess.
If it weren't disgusting, Go Won Pyo's wickedness would be admirable, while the Consort Queen is just sickening. He is good at is turning the tables on his enemies. I will give it to him, he's one formidable nemesis to have, but he's been his biggest enemy. He thinks he is the smartest at everything and always underestimates how witty and smart the Princess is at every turn. The worst part of his deception is manipulating the King to order the Queen's assassination for adultery moment when he is adulterous. I knew the Princess was setting a trap the minute I saw the nanny; I wonder if she knew that Go Won Pyo's threatened the nanny with the Crown Prince's life if she didn't serve him. Either way, I loved the ending, and I cannot wait to see how things go from here.