The "All My Tears" Goblin Review

I am writing this as my nose is still stuffy from all the crying I have done over the past 2.5 hours of finishing up Goblin.

Goblin made such an impression on me. It was probably the fastest I've ever watched a show. I cried, I laughed and I kept pressing next video.

As I watched I couldn't help but compare two other KES projects to this, Descendants of the Sun and The King Eternal Monarch. I really enjoyed DOTS. I thought the story was good and the second lead couple story even better than the first. It was also one of those dramas I watched pretty fast but it wasn't perfect and it had some glaring issues. TKEM- my issues with this drama are well documented and it kind of makes me a bit mad that TKEM was such an awful script now. I know that KES can write a fantastic well rounded script with second couples and side characters that enhance and blend with the main story line without sacrificing the main story because I just watched over 16 hours of it.

One thing I will always remember probably the most is the bromance. From the beginning, Goblin and Grim Reaper didn't like each other but they had this bond and funny way of expressing that even though it looked like they hated each other, there was some underlying respect. The amount of comedy surprised me. At times, they were like two little boys even though combined they were over 1000 years of age. Suspicions arose for me early about who the Reaper really was and the reveal made for some terrific albeit torturous scenes of betrayal and guilt. The main theme of forgiveness certainly played out with them and in the end when Reaper finished his last task and Goblin watched him depart, I felt that loss deeply.

Sunny and Reaper. I didn't go into Goblin spoiler free. I knew bits and pieces. Seen screen caps. I did not know about the queen/king angle. Talk about tragic. For a king at 17 to be that influenced by such an evil person, you hated his actions but hated the evil man who raised him more. The king truly loved the queen but in that time and place love wasn't enough and he paid the ultimate price as did she and all the other innocents. In present day, when the truth was revealed, the guilt and shame was so palpable. I am still pondering a little why Sunny went away. The translation was she just couldn't forgive but I have to think about that more. Maybe it was because God kept her memories it was just too much to bear? I was sad Sunny wasn't there when Eun Tak died, she could have helped her brother a lot. When Reaper led her away, I was hopeful that he hadn't used his lives up and finding each other again as an actress and detective and falling in love made for a satisfying conclusion of their story. Goblin seeing them happy made it even better.

Goblin and his bride. This was the plot I had probably been spoiled on the most. I had heard the most critical comments regarding age and such. Usually I am on the first train to board the "it's creepy" express but it just didn't factor into it here for me. Maybe when you are 939 years old age kinda becomes irrelevant? The stylists did a great job of making her look 19/20 and I did appreciate them aging her look when she went to college. Kim Go Eun also played the ages appropriately. There also weren't big displays of affection. I think Goblin tried to respect her age until that moment he knew he was about to die and the desperate kiss was appropriate. The way they depicted choices and happiness hit hard with me and is still sticking with me. I was okay with Eun Tak showing up at the end as a 19 year old versus a 29 year old. Her memories were intact and to her that's where the memories started with Kim Shin. At 19...why would she want to skip that age? She had already skipped 9 years before with him. Now that she found him again she wasn't wasting time.

Deuk Hwa- Having just watched Mystic Pop Up bar I was pleasantly surprised to see Yook Sung Jae in this. He was delightful and maybe showed the most character growth. Although, I felt something was off with him but never did I imagine that God had taken over his body for a bit. Now every time I see a white butterfly, I will remember this show.

One of my favorite aspects though were the tea room scenes, with Reaper giving them the tea to erase their memories and sending them on their way to wherever. Some were harsh like the mean man who wouldn't drink the tea side by side with his driver. Some were really poignant. The old lady who waited for 73 years for her love who fell on the North Korean side of the DMZ. Or the blind man who's guide dog "Happy" was waiting there for him. (That one really got me.) No matter what you believe or don't believe about the afterlife, these type scenes made me really think about my own life and expectations.

I wish in the end we had gotten a little more glimpse into Deuk Hwa's life. He was serving Goblin still but did he marry? Did he have kids to pass on the service to? I would have liked a bit more of the class president friend. Her inclusion felt a bit underwhelming. As did the ghost Aunt at the end but I knew Eun Tak needed that closure. All minor things.

This was my first experience with Gong Yoo but not my last! He had this ability to be sad while smiling that made you feel all 939 years of pain he's endured. His comedic timing was also a surprise. I did it backwards. I watched Touch Your Heart with Lee Dong Wook and Yoo In Na first and I enjoyed them in that but their performances here blew me away. I probably cried more over their story line than Goblin's. This was my third Kim Go Eun project, TKEM and Tune in for Love being the first two. Goblin was definitely her best work out of the three I've seen.

The sets. Beautiful and ethereal. The music was really good although at times the same song played a bit too much.

As I am a fairly new to kdrama person, I am thinking about if this had been my first one I had ever watched. What my expectations would be for all the rest? Would every thing be compared? Be let downs?

As it wasn't my gateway, I am thinking back to the ones I've seen before and will I view them differently? How will I view ones to come? It set the bar pretty high. Especially for any future KES projects. I've yet to watch Mr. Sunshine mainly because it's a little more violent than I like but it's still on my list.

I'm sad this experience is over. I miss them already.

Rating 5/5 "Absorbed by it. Can't find major flaws. Made me really feel the story."