Faith episode 14 - in which there is more skinship than in the rest of the episodes combined

(I tried to use as unspoilery a cap as I could).

Yeah, yeah, plots and poisonings (who knew King's annoying uncle read Queen Margot) but whatever! Shippy heaven!

What struck me in this episode is how compatible but also comfortable Eun Soo and CY are with each other. Witness him here, at yet another one of his nadirs - accused of corruption, doing the usual CY thing and hiding in sleep. And ES intruding his space matter-of-factly, ordering him to show his wrist (for healing) and have you noticed he doesn't even fight it any more - he just complies with her caring and all that touching! Good boy, you know when things are good for you! And what kills me is how intensely he listens to her talk of deciphering the journal because it is so crucial to him - her happiness in going back yet his loss in her doing so - every little thing she says is so intensely received (and he sneaks looks and looks away when she notices). And they both learn and share - now, as per partnership, she tells him about King's Uncle (whose name I refuse to learn as a form of protest) and his visit (and he visited because of CY and you see CY's look). And then the thing with the bottle of aspirin and her flower and her finding it and his appalled look and biting his lip and trying to extricate himself through manfulness when she teases. I love them! Have you noticed how it took his mind off his troubles? But what caps it all off is when she tells him how he is perceived in 'heaven' - as a righteous person who people would laugh if someone suggested he took a bribe, that there is even a song about him and his father's righteous last words. And you see CY's whole being shift at that - through that, ES manages to restore to him his honor and his faith. It's amazing.

Gi Chul trying to get new ministers (who all annoy the hell out of me - pretty much everyone in this drama that isn't CY, ES, Gongmin, Nogook, the aunt, the suribang, Jang Bin, and some of the woodalchi should perish in a giant fire) to switch out kings. The thing I find interesting is that Evil Uncle, who he brought as a pawn, might actually outsmart him. I hope they kill each other and spare anyone else the trouble.

I love that ES tells the ministers to jump off a cliff when they want to know the future but even more I love that CY picks her over Gongmin! (Well, his going away helps Gongmin too, but it's clear ES is his priority) - they are running away! Together! To protect her! OMFG ILY drama!

ES bidding farewell to Nogook. Nogook's little pleased face when ES tells her that no royal couple yearned for and loved each other as much as Gongmin and her. And that hug! But of course ES can't tell Nogook the tragic end to the great love story, can she? Nogook's "but that is why I will never leave him" breaks my heart.

Gongmin going to bat for Choi Young with that annoying slimy minister. Now sock him! In the jaw! With your royal fist!

CY confesses to malfeasance (despite Gongmin's willingness to fight for him). It's a lie, of course, but it protects Gongmin from the charge that he is controlled by CY and it frees him to protect ES. Oh, CY. That little smile guts me.

I love that Jang Bin is all "he's been sentenced and put in jail, he won't be able to get you" and Eun Soo insists that she believes - if CY said he will be there, he will. Oh, my darlings!

Ummm, they clearly did it, PJs and all. ILY, secondary OTP!

askskdsfjdkgdkhdh!!! Because she hears someone and goes for her dagger and he is there and is all 'you are too slow with the dagger' and tells he he was going to look for her in the infirmary but he doesn't get anything else out because she, with her shining face, utterly heedless, just runs into his arms and holds on for dear life. And his faaaaace! His faaace! And then very slowly, very tentatively (I was screaming 'hug her! So help me, if you don't, I'll crawl into the screen and strangle you!') his arms go around her and he holds her hair and strokes it and ---- dying here. Guys. Dying.

They are on the run and are still bickering and teasing and my favorite part is when she is all 'maybe I should go back to Gi Chul, he fed me well and gave me clothes' and he gives her this look I can't even describe and she laughs and tells him 'here is where you are supposed to laugh' and he is all 'it's not funny' and I don't know why it cracks me up, but it does to bits - our deadpan general and funny doctor.

Can we declare them officially married? Because I bet even Suribang thinks they are! Our formal stand-offish general just grabs her soup and finishes it (and she keeps eying him for it and makes snarky comments about his eating all her food and his face, he is so embarassed and didn't even notice and the fact that he didn't until she snarked, is huge). And they are going to share a room! And there is grinning! And she says she'll stay if there is food and he promises her a ton. LOLOLOLOL so married!

Dammit, don't withdraw, touch her hair! Methinks our general has a hair fetish! :)

Is it hot here, or is it just me? They are so aware of each other. I mean, she's just out of the bath and we know people bathe naked and you can save water if you bathe together and grrrrrrr, mind, out of the gutter! But seriously, their chemistry is off the wall.

My favorite scene! First of all, he freaking traces the outline of her face on the window! I mean!!!!!! No words askskfdlgjfkjggkj I have no idea how to describe when I saw that and his yearning and just - OK, imagine I am a screaming monkey. That might approximate about half my reaction. And also, why are they so goddamn beautiful together and separate - separate by that nebulous, literally paper barrier, but more so but perceived lack of future. Which is ironic, because this scene actually gave me a glimmer of a hope for the two of them ending together, in Goryo. Because when she asked him if he'll be OK when she leaves and he admitted he won't be OK - omfg, she knows now, there is nowhere to hide behind. The truth is out. Her face - it's pensive and understanding the enormity of it but also pleased because she feels the same, despite the pain. And when she admitted that she will miss everyone (and than added, extra-softly "and you") - once again, if she will miss this and knows her leaving will destroy him, than even if she leaves, she will come back, I am sure of it (I need to be sure of it). And the fact that he admitted it, so simply, this immensely closed-off man. But not as huge as when she asks him if there is anything he wants to know about her and he just says that he already knows too much (i.e., too much to be able to want to let her go) - just! And the fact that during this conversation he is guarding her room - it's like every kink in the Universe I had collided. Did I mention that during this entire scene I kept chanting "go in and make time-paradox babies NOWWWW!" But sadly, they weren't listening to me.

One problem. Evil Uncle poisoned the pages ES was using so CY hears her moan and bursts in to see her deathly ill. The touching, the dropping of the sword, calling her, holding, the worry! I just hope Evil Uncle isn't too fond of his limbs, because I think he's about to be missing some.