‘Goblin’ K-Drama Ep 3 Review, Ep 4 Preview: Another Time Skip Upcoming As Series Picks Up Pace

Goblin, which stars Gong Yoo of Train to Busan fame, just aired its third episode, and it has managed to get even more fans invested in the story of the lonely, immortal being and his search for a human bride. While Goblin Ep 3 still had a pretty long runtime, it was nonetheless lauded for significantly progressing its plot forward while maintaining the great chemistry that its main characters exhibited during the first two episodes.

The new series is written by Kim Eun-Soo, whose fame in the South Korean drama industry was cemented by his previous works such as The Heirs and Descendants of the Sun, both of which became critical and commercial successes. Goblin tells the story of an ancient general, Kim Shin (Gong Yoo), who was cursed with immortality after he was killed by the king during the Goryeo Era. His curse could only be lifted if he could fall in love with a human bride, whom he is destined to find far into the future.

Eventually, Kim Shin ends up living for hundreds of years, with only the Grim Reaper, Wang Yeo (Lee Dong-Wook), as his companion. Together, they take souls and carry them over to the afterlife. After intervening with the supposed death of a woman, however, Kim Shin’s involvement ends up resulting in the birth of a girl, Ji Eun-Tak (who is played as an adult by actress Kim Go-Eun), who, as it turns out, seems to be the bride destined to lift the curse on the immortal, yet inherently lonely goblin.

The first couple of episodes started strong, though numerous K-drama fans noted that Episode 1 and 2’s 90-minute runtime was rather long. While Goblin Episode 1 and 2 largely focused on exposition and world building, many viewers have noted in fan forums that the episodes could have been more concise. Nevertheless, its interesting premise, beautiful cinematography, and masterful direction were able to maintain the interest of the show’s viewers.

Goblin Ep 3, which aired on Friday, maintained the pace set by the last two episodes. While shorter at just about 60 minutes, it was still filled with more exposition and a good deal of chemistry between the male leads Gong Yoo and Lee Dong-Wook. One thing that stood out in the third episode, however, is the developing relationship between the immortal Kim Shin and his supposed bride, the sharp-tongued Ji Eun-Tak.

The first couple of episodes largely served as the platform for the relationship between the series’ main couple. On Goblin Ep 3, their dynamic gets explored even more, with the episode even dropping a very notable revelation at some point. Inasmuch as the series is progressing quite well, however, numerous K-drama fans are clamoring for the inevitable time skip between the timeline in Episode 3 to the present.

The third episode of Goblin is still set in 2008, with Ji Eun-Tak still being a smart-mouthed teenager. While the dynamic between Kim Shin and his supposed bride is unquestionable, numerous viewers felt the main couple would be a far better match if her character was portrayed as more mature. After all, while the goblin is around 900-years-old by Episode 3, his appearance is that of a 30-something man, and a budding romance with a girl in her teens just feels a bit taboo for many.

Ep. 4 preview… Aacccckkkkk.. #Goblin #GongYoo #KimGoEun #LeeDongWook #YooInNa #YookSungJae pic.twitter.com/QodobkJyLt

— r a n (@pigletcloud) December 9, 2016

Despite this, however, another time skip seems to be just around the corner, with the rest of the series seemingly being set in the present day. The preview for Goblin Episode 4 seems to confirm this, with Ji Eun-Tak seemingly being shown in a more mature light than in the previous episodes. Apart from the main couple, however, numerous fans are also hyped for more development in the characters of the Grim Reaper and Kim Sun (Yoo In-Na), whose upcoming romance is also one of the key parts of the new K-drama.

From what could be determined so far with the last three episodes and with the Episode 4 preview, it appears that Goblin would be progressing at a very steady pace. If any, the new K-drama appears to be getting most of the main characters’ basic conflicts out of the way early on in the story. Thus, with the series being set for 16 episodes, the rest of the season would most likely feature a lot of twists and developments that viewers are not expecting. It might be too early to tell, but considering Episode 3 and the preview for Episode 4, Goblin might very well be 2016’s final gift to K-drama fans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDDcGWzgERM

[Featured Image by Total Variety Network]