'Goblin' spoilers: Episode 14 pushed back; special episode to reveal intertwined fates

Episodes 15 and 16 will air back to back on January 21.

Gong Yoo Goblin
Actor Gong Yoo in episode 12 of 'Goblin.' youtube.com/tvN DRAMA

Fans eagerly waiting for the revelations expected in the next episode of Gong Yoo starrer 'Goblin' may be disappointed to learn that episode 14 of the tvN drama has been pushed back. However, a new special episode will air in its place.

Website Soompi reported that episode 14 of 'Goblin: The Lonely and Great God,' originally scheduled to air on January 14 will air next week, on January 20. In its place, tvN has decided to show a special interim episode that will deal with the relationships between the lead and other characters and explore the complexities in the bonds between the characters.

As quoted by Allkpop, tvN stated on January 11, "Episode 13 marks the beginning of the climax in the story. Because the drama has taken on new challenges like adding in fantasy, romance, themes about life and death, and more, there have been several predictions about the story's ending. As a result, in order for viewers to be able to enjoy the rest of the story as easily and as comfortably as possible, we've decided to air a special episode on January 14 which will provide insight into the characters' intertwined fates, as well as the direction of the remaining episodes."

The foreshadowed events on the special episode will no doubt be of darkly serious nature. In fact, the way the revelations keep coming and things keep adding up, some tragic outcome is to be expected, even if most or all loose ends may be tied together by the time the series ends.

However, with many fans complaining of a less-than-satisfactory romance between the lead pairs of Kim Shin and Eun-tak in the K-drama, the production team behind 'Goblin' has taken the right decision to spend some time addressing the pairing issues and other problems pointed out by fans. Another thing the special episode will do is put some much needed brakes on the show that has been revealing secrets in a rapid manner. The special episode will increase the appetite for the viewers for episode 14 by making them wait and teasing them more.

"Because this drama is of a genre that's different from anything we've ever done before, we were very pressed for time with all the high-difficulty filming, CG, and post-production. In order to deliver the highest quality product to viewers, we will do our best for the remaining episodes," the production staff of 'Goblin' revealed, as mentioned by Soompi.

It is good that the team behind the most popular South Korean drama is sparing no expense to create the best and most memorable final episodes for its legion of fans in Asia and in the world. Episode 11 already introduced a new but ancient threat in the form of the ghost of evil eunuch Park Joong-won. In episode 12, the Goblin tried but failed to kill him, despite using his sword. Perhaps the Grim Reaper will be the one to send him to hell, once and for all. The eunuch is responsible for all the misfortunes that befell Kim Shin, his sister and the Grim Reaper/Wang Yeo.

In episode 12 there was more heartbreak when the Grim Reaper and Sunny both learned of their ancient lives and Kim Shin learned that his best buddy is none other than the boy king who killed his sister with an arrow and had him and his soldiers murdered. It will be interesting to see how the special episode handles these new complexities.

Apart from the special episode, episode 13 will air on January 13, followed by the special. Then episode 14 will air on January 20. Episodes 15 and 16 will air back to back on January 21, for a full 3-hour explosive finale to the series.

'Goblin' recently achieved top position on the weekly Content Power Index rankings, as noted by Yibada. The drama beat KBS2 TVs 'Hwarang' and SBS's 'The Legend of the Blue Sea' to be crowned the most influential television show.

This article was first published on January 11, 2017