#hwal

The Bow (2005)

I honestly would rewatch the mess that Bulgasal is just for those last few minutes in the 14th episode. That's a part of Immortality that I often feel is brushed by when these storylines are written. The mortal one begs the immortal one to build connections, but then, those connections will die. It's not the agony of the curse, like a sword being stabbed and not being able to take it out. Or helping souls heal their grudges.

Most shows won't go into the truly raw and gritty side of Immortality. Bulgasal is just that, a being doesn't become more cunning for having lived so long, but resentful and pained, tormented. That's Hwal. That's Hwal in the last few minutes of episode 14. That's Hwal repeating cycles over and over again just because he's resentful. Hurting others, but most importantly hurting himself.

Make no mistake, Hwal is a bad person. This is the best example of a morally gray character, so complex. Hwal is always thinking about himself, and yes, his family too, but it's always about keeping them at arms length to avoid getting hurt. Yes, he doesn't want them to die, or suffer harm. But that's because he doesn't want to suffer an eternity more with the grief, not because he wants to see them grow.

Hwal is so blinded by pain, that you can truly tell that he hasn't become wiser, he has become a prickly porcupine that hurts others to protect himself. Immortality is a curse because you realize how short the moments in your life where you're truly happy are.