Ice Fantasy 幻城 - Episode 9 (Recap)

kakashi: Oh Kasuo, sweet Kasuo... such a soft-hearted dreamer, I wish you all the happiness in the world. Only a heartless person's heart would not break a little in this episode! There's also a twist of sorts and lots of excitement. And so much beauty. CGI Shaofeng is to die for.
Jaehyus: So, the usual sort of fascinating, edge-on-seat episode then.
JoAnne: I actually did like this episode. Such a sad happy dream.

Episode 9

Li Luo has woken up and finds the Chief Dreamer awake! She shouldn't have woken up by herself, says the man with the strand of hair, but apparently, you do wake up if you die in a dream. Chief Dreamer put Kasuo into "a beautiful dream", he proclaims He himself? Was never trapped! So this is... a trap! A trappedy trap! Crap, a trap! 
Crap Trap.
Crap, a trap! I can't stop laughing.

When Li Luo wants to run to Kasuo, the Lord of Dreams knocks her out... but instantly, we are back in a dream; this is Kasuo's dream. Xing Jiu's is there and his little sister Xing Gui. She has been searching the four-leaf clover for three days, and finally, she finds it! Yes, it's plastic again, but she doesn't seem to mind. It's her birthday today and she wants to give the four-leaf clover to her brother, so that he has good fortune for the rest of his life.
Cute, I guess.
Can only plastic four leaf clover do this in Dream Land, though? What if she had found something real? Or would realness end the dream, hmmm?

Kasuo tells the stricken Xing Jiu that he met his sister in his dream. He knows she's always been frail and sickly. The healers say she will not live one day beyond 100 years. Her loving brother has done everything for her and now she wants to hand him some happiness back.
Okay, nice of her.
That was sort of sweet. But I mean, come on, when is a doctor's prediction ever EXACT? Isn't he taking an awful lot on faith?

Seeing his sister say all this makes Xing Jiu sob ... and they're back in the Winter Forest. Kasuo continues his dream-lecture. He has come to the conclusion that Xing Jiu has trapped himself in a nightmare to torment himself, but that is against Xing Gui's one true wish: her brother's happiness. Bad Lord of Dreams! Kasuo tries his utmost to convince the Dreamer to come back to the real world, to honor her wish, but the dream shatters.
Because the Dreamer Lord isn't really trapped anywhere.
Shhh.

Fire Brat and Shi wander some underground cave, when Dream soldiers appear and take them prisoner. They're suspected of being the assassins? What bullshit. She manages to free herself, they fight, then run away ... and in the process, Shi is pierced by an arrow, falls down a chasm and dies. Luckily for all of us, it was just a dream! He's awake now, but Yan Da isn't. She's so peaceful when she's asleep... awwww. Shi goes in search of Kasuo and Li Luo, the smart cookie.
Shi is easily the cleverest person in this entire show. He knows that he was forced awake, and guesses the others might be too. 
His 'oops I'm shot' face, though.

In the real world, the Lord of Dreamers apologizes to the sleeping Kasuo ... and then decides to go peek inside his current dream. How rude! Also, the rules of the Dreamworld elude me. The Chief Dreamer puts people inside of dreams but then they dream what they want? How does this work? Too many questions? The subsconscious mind dictates what you dream, right?  So, the Chief can't stop people from taking the dream where they want to deep down.  This is what Kasuo dreams... He is waking up because Shi is calling his name. Shi assures him that this is the real world... does he not remember how he brought back the Lord of Dreams?
No. When did that happen? 
This is a dream, remember?

Li Luo also appears, happy and radiant. He is so relieved to see her. The Lord of Dreams comes in next and hands him the ice crystal, beaming. Yan Da is a bit unhappy about this, but when she fights them, there's a flash of white light all of a sudden and ... outside, there are Ice Daddy, Ice Mommy and Ice Granny. Everyone is here! Here to take Kasuo home (freed by Ice Granny by the way). Awwwwww.
If only. And I notice Lian Ji is not there.
Who's that?
The Mermaid Traitor. 

And thus, Kasuo returns to Snow City, the war is over, and hearts are overflowing. Actually, you guys should watch this when you're in a bad mood. It's quite contagious!
Nice tiara he's wearing.
I'm just excited to see what grown up Snow Shi looks like. Plus I want to check out the icicles that Swiss Miss hates so much.

Kasuo goes and looks for Li Luo... she's there on the ice, dressed like a lady, flying the kite. Haha, she even asks him whether she looks weird in this outfit. Of course, she doesn't! She's gorgeous, whatever she wears and Kasuo clearly thinks so too. Maybe he's also thinking "if she doesn't wear anything", but he's so chaste. She is flying the kite to keep disaster away from the Ice Tribe.
Her jewelry is new desire of mine.
Do you go places where you could wear jewelry like that?

She says he should go because: party is coming up, held in his honor. He says: that's all about dancing and I need a partner. That partner is you. And they dance... I think I might cry a little, they look so goddamn happy. And then, they kiss... (uhm, I'm not sure, but is she wearing hot pants in the snow? When I wrote "whatever she wears", I did not mean hotpants in the snow)
Yes, I wondered why you were so happy about what she was wearing.  What I don't understand is why no one wears hats in this ice world.
Or mittens.

Chief Dreamer has seen enough. It seems he is feeling a tad less guilty after partaking in this bliss. Even if Kasuo never wakes up, he says, it might not be all that bad. Yes, you stalker, but it's NOT REAL! *sobs*
Real enough for Kasuo.
I was kind of stuck on that point. Would it be so bad, really? I guess it would suck not to be Kasuo, though.

And now, the Dream Lord goes to Ice Castle and meets the friggin Fire King. He reports that Kasuo is deep inside a dream, which means he is completely useless right now. He demands that the Fire King keeps his promise, since he has kept his. And that promise is: the Veiled Lotus and ... his sister!!! Wooooot? The Fire King has his little sister! And there are only three days left until she turns 100 years old in truth, and that, the Dream Lord believes, is the final deadline unless he heals her with the Veiled Lotus, which is a super powerful ancient relic. But Fire King insists on Kasuo being handed over to him first. Chief Dreamer looks chagrined. You're pretty but you're also an idiot for trusting this man in the Wonder Woman costume.
You're right when you're right, kakashi. No one trust the Fire King, ever. That's the rule.
I feel like the Veiled Lotus is a euphemism for a female body part.

Unknown by Brother Love, the Dream Princess manages to escape with Ice Granny's help and some enchantments (it was her that had a servant go zombie and call for help). Yay! She's sick though and cannot really use her powers (which seem to be considerable).
In the book, I recall her being more powerful than the Dreamer Lord.
I noticed she was much prettier in this world than in the dream world. The other dream world.

In the Dream City, Shi finds Li Luo, who has been locked up in some storage room. He unties her (with  magic, cool) and they quickly bring each other up to date. They don't fully understand what's going on, but they know one thing: Kasuo must die in his dream to wake up. Force-waking up is extremely dangerous, memory loss is the least that will happen, but insanity is more likely.
Oh come on. I died in a dream, and I'm sane.
umm...

 

 Li Luo overpowers the not-old Elder when he brings her food (that was easy) (she's the toughest one there) and has him take her to Kasuo. Shi is to stand back. The not-older Elder is actually quite eager to spill all the beans. The truth is out! Little sister still lives, but not beyond 100 years ... the Chief Dreamer has tried everything to cure her and will try everything to save her. A "dark shadow" (sperm shaped??)  told him about the Veiled Lotus and that the Fire Tribe has one. 
What is a Veiled Lotus?
I'm guessing this guy below wouldn't know one if it bit him.

And here is the man in question! The Lord of Dreams is back and he is determined to save his sister... at all cost. He tries to kick Li Luo out, but she won't budge. She demands to be let into Kasuo dream - to wake him up! That is very dangerous, the Lord of Dreams warns her. She does not know how to make herself invisible in a dream and he will see her as a threat. She will most likely be killed by Kasuo. The problem is ... the more you die in a dream, the more likely it becomes that you never wake up again.
Oh. Then I'm glad I only died that one time in a dream. This show is so educational! Also, I really like the not-old Elder's stage makeup. Very striking. (probably said that before.)
Yes, you did.
And then, JoAnne said he has ffward and rewind buttons on this face... 

Like she cares. And since the not-old Elder also insists, Xing Jiu finally decides to help Li Luo. She enters Kasuo's dream... and sees herself dancing with him on the ice. That must be weird. She sees that Kasuo is wearing a crown. He is the King! And Li Luo is his Queen. The Li Luo who is just visiting the dream wishes this were true. We all do, Li Luo, believe me!
On this point, at least, we are one.

But sadly, she needs to wake him up! She runs towards him, calling his name ... but he sends a burst of energy against her and she falls. Only... he sees her as Fire King, not as Li Luo! Uh-oh, problem! Li Luo shouts at him to snap out of it, this is a dream! It's a trap! But Kasuo won't listen, especially because the Dream Li Luo urges him on to kill that intruder. You little bitch!
This was so funny, though.  The actor playing the Fire King must've enjoyed the reprieve from being Wonder Woman.
But he still looks like Wonder Woman.
He doesn't though. But he has Li Luo put into an ice prison.
Oh! I guess I didn't finish this episode? I really thought I did. I must have dreamed it.

At dinner that night with Dream Li Luo and Dream Shi, they discuss the Fire King's weird behavior. All of a sudden, Kasuo hears the leaf-flute playing! Dream Shi claims he hasn't given it to anyone, no no. Kasuo is super confused. And Sleeping Kasuo is twitching... Shi is truly playing the flute outside, wishing for his brother to wake up.
See? Clever Shi.
Shi's it.

The ugly Fire Prince has gone to the mermaids territory. He has a gift for the Mermaid Saint (and his temperature rises when he sees Princess Lan Shang). It is something that the Lord of Dreams prepared, so it is part of the evil plan! That evil plan involves some powerful forbidden magic that our Lord Xing Jiu is about to perform.
Oh, no...I did see this part. I guess I looked away before or something.

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha I can't I can't hahahahahahahahahahaha

Comments

Well, well, well. Our Lord of Dreams would do anything for his sister, even give his own life for hers. Very dramatic. Using all means really means all means in his case. And yet, he has a sense of honor left and a conscience... he seems positively relieved that Kasuo is spending the rest of his life in a beautiful dream.
Quite different from the Fire Prince who tried to kill Yan Da in the first episode.
He should at least have been attractive, that irritating prince.

Ah, that dream... In Kasuo's own little paradise, Li Luo is his wife and he spends leisurely days at the Ice Palace with his brother. It made me really sad to see this. Unlike the Lord of Dreams, I find it very cruel to have Kasuo dream something like this. Something we know he can never have. Sure, if he never woke up again, he might be alright, but nobody could have truly thought he wouldn't wake up again?  Li Luo will of course save him... but I hope the price won't be too high! 
If Kasuo can be king, then he can marry whoever he wants.
So you haven't watched many sageuk then, have you.