Guardian: The Lonely & Great God: Goblin Stands the Test of Time

K-Drama

Nov 30

Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (Viki)

I just finished watching Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (aka Goblin) for the fourth time. I was happy to find myself just as enthralled with this K-drama classic as when I watched it the first time.

I loved Goblin when I watched it by myself sometime within my first three months of watching K-dramas in 2020. I loved Goblin when I rewatched it several months later with my daughter Taylor (it became her new favorite for a time). Then about a month ago I was looking for a go-to-sleep drama. That’s a K-drama I’ve seen previously that helps me clear my brain when I go to bed. I can set my TV timer and allow myself to fall asleep because I already know what happens. It had been three years since I’d seen Goblin but it was so good I found myself watching during the day too and I could not help but notice how well it holds up even three years later. Unfortunately, I can’t say that about every K-drama I’ve rewatched.

One thing I notice when I rewatch a K-drama is the fact I always see things I missed before. It’s understandable given I’m reading subtitles but these discoveries I missed previously are great little nuggets that make the drama even more enjoyable. Because I’m now more familiar with the storyline I’m also able to listen more closely to what’s being said in Korean and I get so excited when I understand something without the translation. Having been in Korea for nearly two months last year I also recognize areas and locations because I’ve seen them IRL. Even something as simple as someone riding a bus or the subway in a K-drama makes me smile because it brings back fond memories. So many things went over my head in my early K-drama-watching days because I had little to no knowledge about Korea or Korean culture—but now I even get most of the jokes!

When my 13 & 14 year old nephews were visiting for Thanksgiving last week they wanted us to watch a K-drama together. Both of them love Legend of the Blue Sea and said they wouldn’t mind rewatching it. That would’ve been an easy choice for me since I also love LOTBS (we watched it together when I was visiting them a couple of years back). But between school, taekwondo, piano, and homework they don’t have a lot of time to watch K-dramas. I wanted them to see something they’d never seen. Having just finished Squid Game they didn’t want anything heavy. They were looking for something with humor and romance. Even though I had just finished rewatching Goblin I suggested it because it was that good. Yes, it has its heavy moments but the lighthearted moments balance everything out. From episode one they were hooked. They were only going to be with me for five full days but multiple times they said they wanted to make sure we finished it together before they left. We finished episode 16 late their last night (by their time zone or early morning by mine) to many sniffles and tears. I didn’t say anything but inside I was going awwww seeing how deeply they were impacted. This fourth viewing will be even more memorable because of who I was watching with. Nothing got by them. They understood all the little nuances and jokes which made it so fun to watch with them. Their Korean is way better than mine so it was nice to have their input when I had a question about something I heard compared to the subtitles I was reading.

Goblin could almost qualify as a historical drama because it spans from the Goryeo period to now. It’s primarily current day but we see flashbacks that give us a lot of perspective on what we’re seeing. I love that Korea does so many historical dramas because it allows viewers to understand the history of the country and where they’ve come from. Historical K-dramas also made seeing the palaces and temples in Korea more special because I had an emotional connection to what I was seeing.

Like all my favorite K-dramas Goblin has a fantastic ensemble cast and the character development is stellar. Gong Yoo will have you laughing and crying. His facial expressions and little nuances add so much to who the Goblin is. It’s remarkable how believable Kim Go-Eun is as a high school student even though I knew her first as a feisty police lieutenant in The King: Eternal Monarch (also written by Goblin screenwriter Kim Eun-Sook). We see Lee Dong-Wook in a mostly somber state with bursts of understated humor. This man can also bring you to tears with his emotional scenes. Honestly, I want the way life ends to be how it’s portrayed in Goblin. I want the whole tea ceremony in that beautiful tearoom with Lee Dong-Wook’s Grim Reaper serving. But I might not drink the tea. ;)

I also enjoyed seeing a more mature Yoo In-Na as Sunny who won Best New TV Actress for her role in Secret Garden (also written by the Goblin’s screenwriter Kim Eun-Sook) at the Baeksang Awards in 2010. BtoB member Yook Sung-Jae was perfect as third-generation chaebol, Deok-Hwa. Kim Min-Jae who portrayed Wang Yeo has gone on to many other roles (including the Dr. Romantic series and Dali & the Cocky Prince). The first two times I wasn’t familiar with Kim Byung-Chul (Sky Castle and Doctor Cha) who was whispering in the young king’s ear and was surprised to see him be so good at playing such an evil character. I swear kid actors in Korea are on another level so try not to get misty-eyed when Kim Shin’s young servant mourns the loss of his grandfather. Jung Ji-Hoon was only nine years old when he played that role. Jo Woo-Jin as Secretary Kim had some of the funniest scenes. I could mention several others but just watch and check it out for yourself!

SPOILER ALERT

If you haven’t seen Goblin you may want to stop here because going forward there are spoilers. I prefer watching K-dramas with as little information as possible so I can be surprised. Just ask my nephews, I would only look at them and grin each time they tested a theory out on me.

Location, Location, Location

These days the only traveling I want to do is to Korea. But if I could walk through a door in Korea and magically come out the red door (we first see in ep. 2) in Canada, I wouldn’t hesitate. Many Goblin fans like to rewatch this K-drama each fall because of the beautiful fall colors we see when the Goblin and Eun-Tak are in Canada. If I were going to visit my neighbors to the north I would also choose to go in the fall. There are several locations I’d visit where we see Eun-Tak and the Goblin. The Chateua Frontenac Hotel (I want that steak meal in ep. 2), the Rue Saint -Ursule (where the Goblin gives the young boy a sandwich in ep. 1), Parc Samuel-Hollande (the park with the falling leaves in ep. 2), Fontane De Tourny (the fountain where the Goblin is reading in ep.4), and the cute Christmas shop La Boutique De Noël (Eun-Tak visits in ep. 16). The nice thing would be when I walked back through that door I’d also get to see the beautiful fall colors in Korea. I was in Korea in November 2022 towards the end of fall and it was still gorgeous with so many red, orange, and yellow leaves!

Easter Eggs

Did you catch all the fun things while you were watching? I caught the Hyun Bin reference the first time (Crash Landing On You was my first K-drama) but since I was so early into my K-drama journey I didn’t know who Won Bin or Kim Woo Bin was. It’s so funny watching the Grim Reaper choose his name now that I’m in the know. I wonder how Kim Woo-Bin feels having his name be so prominent in such an iconic drama.

Another fun catch this time are the BTS and Stray Kids references. I wasn’t a fan of BTS the first two times I watched Goblin (I’ve been ARMY since 2021) and I just recently became more familiar with Stray Kids through the survival show Kingdom Legendary War (free on Viki).

The Train to Busan reference went over my head the first time because it was finding Gong Yoo in Goblin that led me to watch the classic zombie movie (also free on Viki). That theater clip will always make me laugh out loud now that I know what Kim Shin and Eun-Tak are watching when they go to the movies. Did you know Gong Yoo is afraid of zombies IRL? While filming Train to Busan one time they didn’t hear the director yell cut and even knowing the zombies weren’t real he was scared when they kept coming for him. And of course, my kids and I had to take the train to Busan (the city where I was born) when we were in Korea in July 2022.

Another thing I didn’t understand the first two times is the full impact of Jung Hae-In. I had yet to see Something in the Rain, One Spring Night, or Jung Hae-In’s Travel Log. But the third time I was howling when a jealous Goblin goes to confront Tae-Hee only to realize he is the most handsome young man in the locker room.

I also missed the scene where they’re describing the physical features of the Goblin to someone and asking if they know who he is based on a very complimentary description. The first time I watched I probably didn’t even know the name of the actor playing the Goblin. The third time when I saw the character answer Gong Yoo I about lost it. I don’t know if that was an adlib or in the script but it was hilarious!

Bromance of the Century

K-dramas are the best at bromances and the one between the Goblin and Grim Reaper is epic. I think Gong Yoo and Lee Dong-Wook set the bar when it comes to bromances and it’s not easy to measure up to the chemistry we see between these two. It’s no surprise that Gong Yoo and Lee Dong-Wook are besties in real life. Gong Yoo was Lee Dong-Wook’s first guest on the first two episodes of his talk show Because I Want to Talk. They recently teamed up for a commercial for SK Enmove and Goblin fans were ecstatic! The video is below.

Masters of Slo-Mo

K-dramas are also the best when it comes to using slow motion. Gong Yoo and Lee Dong-Wook have one—make that two—of the most memorable slo-mo scenes. If long coats are involved the scene is that much better. Just watching those two Even walking home with a bag of green onions became cool (and hilarious) because they were slo-mo while wearing long coats. Speaking of coats. There should be an award for Best Coats in a K-drama. I can’t tell you how many times Taylor asks, “Where do they get these coats?” while we’re watching K-dramas.

Killer Looks

Which leads me to fashion. Honestly, good fashion is one of the things I’ve come to appreciate—and expect—in a K-drama. Did Goblin win any awards for costumes? And I’m not talking about the Goryeo period outfits. Every time we see Deok-Hwa he may as well be walking down a runway. Sunny’s style is a large part of what makes her character. And I don’t know if anyone wears red as well as the young-looking version of the birth grandmother. The style in this K-drama was so on point it was part of the storyline for both the Goblin and the Grim Reaper. At times my kids, my nephews, and I were all gushing over the stunning outfits that kept coming across the screen.

OST

Original Sound Track. One more thing Korean dramas are masters at is music placement. I don’t recall any American dramas using music the way K-dramas do. The songs not only set the mood, but sometimes they can manipulate you into feeling a certain way. Beautiful by Crush is a song I’ll never get tired of hearing. I’ve embedded the full OST at the bottom of this post.

The Romance

Finally, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. The Goblin is 939 (or 938 as he likes to point out since he was born early in the year) and Ji Eun-Tak is 19 when they meet. She’s still a student—and a minor. He has the physical appearance of someone in his early to mid-30s. The age difference between Kim Shin and Eun-Tak is problematic for many viewers.

I get it. I do. When it comes to dating, I generally feel it’s best to let people live their 20s without the undue influence of dating someone significantly older because the younger person should have the opportunity to discover life on their own. I think we undergo the most changes during that decade than at any other time throughout our entire adulthood—largely informed by the experiences we’ve lived. Of course, the power dynamic is generally less in favor of the person in their 20s which can unduly influence their choices. Once you’re 30+ significant age gaps (with older people) aren’t the same because you’ve had enough time to experience life on your own. This is just my opinion and there are always exceptions to the rule.

One of those exceptions is the relationship between Kim Shin (Goblin) and Ji Eun-Tak (Goblin’s bride). First of all, it’s pure fantasy. Nothing about this story is real. The guy is not 30-something—he’s nearly 1,000 years old. Secondly, Eun-Tak has been seeing and talking to ghosts her entire life (including her dead mom when Eun-Tak was only nine). She also had to care for herself when her mom died because she moved in with an abusive aunt and cousins. Unfortunately, numerous circumstances in Eun-Tak’s life forced her to grow up quickly and put her at a maturity level much higher than someone her age even when she was young. Thirdly, both Eun-Tak and the Goblin were initially uncomfortable with the fact she was fated to be the Goblin’s bride. He seems more uncomfortable with it than she is. I saw nothing predatory about his behavior. If anything I saw them both going out of their way to protect each other.

As the Goblin’s bride, all Eun-Tak needed to do was pull out the sword—they didn’t even have to be married. But since she was unable to grab the sword the first time she tried, it does seem like there needed to be genuine feelings between them for her to break the curse of his immortality. We see their feelings for each other gradually building and true to what many already love about K-dramas, it was pretty wholesome. I felt it was tastefully done and they waited until she turned 20 before they had a real kiss.

This age gap storyline being an issue for many made me think of the Virgin Mary. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard anyone question Mary’s age—yet the virgin birth is supposed to be real and at the foundation of the largest religion in the world. At most Mary is 15 years old when the angel visits her. Even if she “gave permission” to be impregnated (I don’t recall her being asked)—the power dynamic is totally off balance. Who’s going to be strong enough to turn down God, let alone a 15-year-old virgin girl? In comparison, I’m fine with the fate of Ji Eun-Tak and Kim Shin and how it’s portrayed in Goblin. Even at the very end when Eun-Tak dies and is reborn. She’s once again a student as she’s walking toward Kim Shin in her school uniform but there’s a sense of relief knowing she found him. With all her memories intact of how it was in her previous life I was just hoping fate would be kinder to both of them this time.

Goblin is hard-matched when it comes to the love story. I haven’t even mentioned the Grim Reaper and Sunny. Even though these are fated relationships it doesn’t feel forced. They develop the characters and build their relationships slowly so we’re able to see why they fall in love. So much time is taken showing us how they come to love each other it makes the viewers root for them because we feel like we know their hearts. As romantic as Goblin is, I also like that romance doesn’t dominate the storyline. I would argue that the romance storylines had strong competition from the bromance. At the end of the day, Goblin is about humans, relationships, and how many lives are intertwined.

Lastly, when I asked my nephews if either would like to write about their thoughts on the Goblin for this post I was pleased when the 14-year-old immediately said yes. Less than 24 hours later he sent me his review and it warmed my heart. I’ll let him wrap up this post for a perfect ending.

Nephew’s Review

During Thanksgiving break, my brother and I went to visit my aunt in Atlanta. She is one of the very few people that we can talk to about anything Korean, whether it be K-pop, K-dramas...anything of the sort. She introduced us to the K-drama "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God" most popularly known as "Goblin".

Within the first episode, I had strong feelings for the characters and loved where the story was going. I loved the Gong-Yoo x Kim Go-eun duo as the lead roles and the bromance between Gong-Yoo x Lee Dong-wook was impeccable.

Throughout the week, we would always end our day with an episode or two (or 3 or 4) of "Goblin". The show has the perfect balance between comedic lightheartedness, romance, and more moody parts. It checked all my boxes for a "good K-drama", and I loved the experience through and through.

On our last night in Atlanta, I made myself a bowl of instant jjajangmyeon and sat down to watch the final episode of "Goblin". To say the least, I was an emotional wreck by the end of it; eating my bowl of jjajangmyeon through the continuous stream of tears that fell from my face. I think that "Goblin" had the perfect ending, resolving all (mostly) past problems and leaving the viewer thinking about what could happen next. All in all, I really loved "Goblin" and I'm certain that I'll rewatch it again, mainly because of the perfect balance of moods all K-dramas shoot for, and the epic, tragic, hopeful journey it takes the characters and the viewer through.

Comments

I’d be curious to know what you thought about the Goblin. Is it one of your favorites too? Let me know in the comment section below!

Released: December 2, 2016 Episodes: 16 (+ bonus episodes)

Cast: Gong Yoo (Kim Shin), Kim Go-Eun (Ji Eun-Tak), Lee Dong-Wook (Grim Reaper), Yoo In-Na (Sunny), Yook Sung-Jae (Deok-Hwa), FULL CAST

Guardian: The Lonely & Great God Trailer

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