Guardian: The Lonely and Great God

 

Guardian: The Lonely and Great God is a South Korean television series starring Gong Yoo in the title role with Kim Go-eun, Lee Dong-wook, Yoo In-na, and Yook Sung-jae. It was shown on the cable network tvN from December 2, 2016 to January 21, 2017. It was written by popular drama writer Kim Eun-sook.^] As of February 2020, it is the fifth-highest rated Korean drama in cable television history.

Guardian's final episode recorded an 18.68% nationwide audience share, making it the fifth highest rated drama in Korean cable television history. It received critical acclaim and became a cultural phenomenon in South Korea. The show won numerous awards, including the Grand Prize (Daesang) for writer Kim Eun-sook and Best Actor for Gong Yoo at the 54th Baeksang Arts Awards

 

Kim Shin (Gong Yoo), a decorated military general from the Goryeo Dynasty, is framed as a traitor and killed by the young king. Years after his death, he is cursed by the Almighty to stay immortal forever, enduring the pain of seeing his loved ones die as punishment for the soldiers he killed to protect his country. He becomes an immortal goblin, helping people with his powers and being a kind man in spite of his grieving past. The only way to put an end to his immortality is the Goblin's bride, whose aid in pulling out the sword will end his painful immortality.

Ji Eun-Tak (Kim Go-eun) is a bubbly high school student who remains cheerful and hopeful despite her tragic life. She summons the Goblin by chance and their fates begin to entwine. The Goblin's nephew, Yoo Deok-Hwa (Yook Sung-jae), leases the Goblin's house to a Grim Reaper (Lee Dong-wook) and the two end up living under the same roof. Ji Eun-tak starts working a part-time job at a chicken store run by a charismatic young woman, Sunny (Yoo In-na).

As the lives of Kim Shin, Grim Reaper, Ji Eun-Tak and Sunny interweave, a deeper story unfolds, as they are not just strangers who met by chance but people with deep-rooted relations.

 

Main Cast

Gong Yoo as Goblin / Kim Shin / Yoo Shin-jae 

 

A 939-year-old immortal goblin and protector of souls who is in search for his bride, the only one who can remove the sword piercing through his chest. Once the sword is removed, he may finally move to the afterlife and rest in peace. He possesses supernatural powers that come with his immortality, but he has to pay a huge price for this. He feels lonely as he has to watch his loved ones leaving him behind when their lifespan ends. He served as a General during the Goryeo era, where he was appointed as the regent with his sister being betrothed to the young King Wang Yeo. However due to corruption by a eunuch, the King's guards killed Kim Shin's sister, soldiers, and household. When his sword is finally removed and his body dissolves into ashes, he chooses not go onto the afterlife and instead decides to stay trapped in limbo for 9 years until he is summoned by Eun-tak and returns to Earth with his powers intact.

Kim Go-eun as Ji Eun-tak

Han Seo-jin as young Ji Eun-tak

An optimistic and bubbly 19-year old high school student and the legendary Goblin's bride. A "Missing Soul", she can see ghosts and summon the Goblin due to her way of birth; her pregnant mom was in a hit and run at the time to which the Goblin intervened to save them both, before Grim Reaper Wang Yeo could take them. Orphaned at age 9 and pursued by the Grim Reaper, she was forced to live with her abusive aunt who was seeking her mother's insurance policy. She immediately falls in love with the Goblin, who takes her in his home so she can pass her exams and enroll in university, while he rediscovers the joy of living. She eventually helps him to remove his sword, although her memories are wiped as a result of his apparent death. Nine years later as a radio producer, she reunites with the Goblin when she inadvertently summons him, and he helps her to regain her lost memories and they marry. However, she is killed by a truck when sacrificing herself to save a bus of schoolchildren. She is reincarnated with her memories intact and reunited with the Goblin.

Lee Dong-wook as Grim Reaper / Wang Yeo / Kim Woo Bin / Lee Hyuk

 

A good-looking, cynical yet humorous grim reaper (Angel of Death) (grim reapers receive their jobs as a punishment for committing the greatest of sins in their past lives) who guides souls to their reincarnations or afterlives. Along with many other grim reapers, he has no memory of his past lives. He was a young king named Wang Yeo in his past life. Under the influence of a power-hungry eunuch, he betrayed General Kim Shin and killed his wife, which he regretted for the rest of his life, and eventually committed suicide, which was his ultimate sin. He falls in love with Sunny, who is his reincarnated wife, but she decides to part ways as she finds it too painful, and he accepts that they will not be together in this lifetime. He is reunited with Sunny when she dies and becomes the final ghost he has to guide to the afterlife. Later, reincarnated once again as Detective Lee Hyuk; the "Grim Reaper" of the Violent Crimes Unit.

Yoo In-na as Sunny / Kim Sun

The attractive owner of a chicken restaurant who hires Ji Eun-tak. The Grim Reaper Wang Yeo falls for her, and she soon returns his affection, although she is constantly confused by the Grim Reaper's constant social awkwardness. In her past life she was the younger sister of General Kim Shin and she became Queen upon marrying King Wang Yeo (now the Grim Reaper). However, when the eunuch urged the King to exile her brother, she sided with her brother upon his return and was killed. When everyone else forget their memories, she is the only one who remembers. Later, reincarnated once again as an actress.

Yook Sung-jae as Yoo Deok-hwa

Jung Ji-hoon as young Yoo Deok-hwa

A rebellious yet kind-hearted chaebol heir and the only grandson of the Yoo family, a household that has the responsibility of taking care of the Goblin. Living with the Goblin and the Grim Reaper, Deok-hwa learns of their true identities, and the trio grew to be strong friends. It is later revealed that the Almighty God had taken over his body for a period of time.

 

The series was written by Kim Eun-sook, who also wrote the popular series Secret Garden (2010), The Heirs (2013), and Descendants of the Sun (2016). The drama marked her second collaboration with director Lee Eun-bok after both worked on Descendants.

The first script-reading was held at Nuri Dream Square in Sangam-dong, Seoul, South Korea, on 30 August 2016 The Goryeo-era flashback scenes were filmed on Gimje, North Jeolla Province on September 22^[ for the battlefield scenes, while the palace scenes were shot at Naju Image Theme Park Goblin and Grim Reaper's house (external shots) was filmed at (formerly) Unhyeongung's Western House,presently inside Duksung Women's University (utilized for administration offices).

Overseas filming mainly took place in Quebec City, Canada in October,using locations such as the Château Frontenac, Parc du Bastion-de-la-Reine (the Yoo family cemetery), Petit Champlain (Goblin's door to Canada), and the Fontaine de Tourny. The red door, which in reality is the emergency exit of the Théâtre Petit Champlain fr, and other sites in Quebec City associated with the show have begun to attract numerous fans of the series.

The crew was awarded a special vacation to Phuket, Thailand after the end of the drama

The series was popular among the international audience, which led to parodies of the drama on various social media sites, notably by both celebrities and political figures.

The drama has also sparked various fashion trends Items and accessories worn by the cast members, such as the Lanvin coat worn by Gong Yoo, Lancôme lipstick used by Kim Go-eun and Fedora worn by Lee Dong-wook^] saw an increase in sales. Kim In-yook's poetry book, The Physics of Love, gained renewed attention after one of its verses was featured in the drama. There was also an increase in visitors at the various filming sites of Guardian, which contributed to a positive economic effect on the country. Additionally, original soundtracks featured in the series also topped local digital music charts. Since 2017, it has surpassed Descendants of the Sun (2016) in video-on-demand sales.

The Korea Times stated, "Its success was attributed to the creative plot" and "...the depth of perspective looking at life of the goblin that bears a bloody sword in his chest and has been given eternal life as punishment, immerses the audience into the fantasy story. The twist and complexity of life and death make the story more interesting."

Despite its success, Guardian was criticized for its several consumer product placements which drew an estimated 2-4 billion KRW from revenue. TV and cultural critics also criticized some aspects of the drama; such as the Cinderella complex feature in the series, where female lead is able to summon the male lead, who has supernatural powers. Furthermore, the female lead portrayed a poor high school student attracted to the male lead's rich 30-something man, which the show poked fun of when a classmate described him as a "sugar daddy". The drama was also criticized for its over-dramatic plot.

Viewership

The series airs on tvN, a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC and EBS). The drama consistently topped cable television viewership ratings in its time slot. Its final episode recorded an 18.680% nationwide audience share according to Nielsen paid platform, making the episode the second highest rated in Korean cable television history. It became the first cable drama to surpass 20% ratings