Goblin: The Lonely and Great God (2016–17) #427

I stumbled upon Goblin: The Lonely and Great God (2016–17) almost randomly. I had just finished my semester break binge—every show I had hand-picked was ticked off the list, and Goblin was sitting there like, “Pick me, I’m your rebound drama.” I didn’t know the premise, I didn’t know the actors, I honestly didn’t expect much. Little did I know, I was about to dive into one of the most beloved, beautifully tragic K-dramas ever made.

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The Cast of Goblin

1. Gong Yoo as Kim Shin – The immortal goblin, cursed with eternal life and a sword in his chest. Stoic, brooding, but also hilariously petty when needed.
2. Kim Go-eun as Ji Eun-tak – The so-called “Goblin’s bride,” a cheerful yet lonely girl who can see ghosts.
3. Lee Dong-wook as Grim Reaper/Wang Yeo – Our beautifully tragic reaper who doesn’t remember his past… until he does, and then we’re all crying with him.
4. Yoo In-na as Sunny/Kim Sun – The chic chicken restaurant owner, reincarnation of the goblin’s sister, and love interest of the Grim Reaper.
5. Yook Sung-jae as Yoo Deok-hwa – The chaebol heir and comic relief, secretly way more important than he looks.

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The Plot of Goblin

Kim Shin’s Backstory

The story begins in the Goryeo Dynasty with General Kim Shin, a fierce warrior protecting his country in the name of King Wang Yeo. The problem? The young king is insecure, manipulated by the evil eunuch Park Kyung-shik. This eunuch poisoned all rightful heirs to the throne, raising Wang Yeo as his puppet while he pulled the strings in the shadows.

Kim Shin, ever loyal, wins battle after battle. The people call him the “God of War,” and they adore him. But the more the people cheer for Kim Shin, the more jealous and paranoid Wang Yeo becomes. To complicate matters further, the late king had requested Kim Shin to marry off his sister, Kim Sun, to Wang Yeo. The young couple falls in love instantly, but fate isn’t kind to them.

Blinded by jealousy and the eunuch’s lies, one day, the king gifts Kim Shin a majestic sword and orders him to leave for the battlefield, fake his death, and never return. Kim Shin wins yet another impossible battle and returns to the palace, hoping to confront the king about the real enemy of the nation… But before Kim Shin can say anything, the king gives the order to openly attack all the warriors, along with Kim Shin’s entire family and his sister, Kim Sun, who is also the queen. Kim Shin is sentenced to death—stabbed by the very sword that had been gifted to him by the king.

But the villagers pray for him, and heaven answers. Kim Shin rises again—not as a man, but as a goblin. His curse: to live forever, carrying the invisible sword in his chest, until the Goblin’s bride appears to pull it out and end his immortality.

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Ji Eun-tak’s Backstory

One winter night, Goblin saves a pregnant woman in a car crash. Her prayer to save her unborn child is granted—and that child is Ji Eun-tak. But heaven doesn’t forget. Eun-tak is born with the ability to see ghosts, and she grows up marked by fate. After 9 years, the grim reapers try to reclaim her mother’s borrowed life, leaving Eun-tak motherless at nine.

She ends up in her aunt’s household, treated more like a servant than family. Lonely, bullied, and desperate for affection, she still tries to stay cheerful. The ghosts around her whisper tales of the Goblin, and she clings to the idea of meeting him one day, not realizing she’s destined to be his end.

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Goblin Meets His Bride

On Eun-tak’s 19th birthday, she blows out a candle… and poof, Kim Shin appears. Neither of them expects it, but she quickly recognizes him as the Goblin. He, however, resists the idea that this cheeky high schooler is the key to ending his centuries of suffering.

That is, until she casually points out the invisible sword lodged in his chest. Suddenly, denial isn’t an option. Eun-tak is ecstatic to meet her fated husband, while Kim Shin is torn—he’s waited nearly a thousand years for this moment, but now that he’s found the one who can end him, he’s not so sure he wants to die.

Their relationship evolves—hesitant, playful, and bittersweet. He lies at first, telling her removing the sword will just “make him prettier.” But the truth surfaces, and Eun-tak vows not to take his life away. The angels warn Kim Shin that if the bride delays her duty, she will face constant near-death experiences until fate claims her anyway. Naturally, this only ties their lives closer together.

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The Return of Old Enemies

Meanwhile, the evil eunuch Park Kyung-shik’s spirit lingers, plotting revenge. He manipulates events to use Eun-tak against Kim Shin. In the climactic confrontation, Kim Shin sacrifices himself—removing the sword with Eun-tak’s unconscious hand to finally destroy his nemesis. But with the sword gone, Goblin, too, vanishes.

Heartbroken, Eun-tak clings to the fading memories, scribbling notes to herself to never forget the man who disappeared from her world.

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The Grim Reaper’s Backstory

Our Grim Reaper is more than he seems. Reapers are said to be souls who committed grave sins, serving penance by guiding others to the afterlife. They have no memories of their past lives—until fragments begin surfacing.

One such grim reaper ends up living in Kim Shin’s apartment. Despite the rocky start, the two become close friends… Grim reapers are believed to commit grave sins for which they end up living like this; however, they have no memory of their past lives or the horrible things they do that result in their current situation. The Goblin feels like he knows him for a long time and is unable to connect the dots, as the reaper only has memory of 300 years—the time he exists as a grim reaper.

This particular Reaper encounters Sunny, the chic chicken shop owner where Ji Eun-tak works, and falls hopelessly in love. Every time he sees her, he cries without knowing why. Their romance is awkward, tender, and doomed. Eventually, the truth surfaces: the Grim Reaper is King Wang Yeo himself—the same king who killed Kim Shin and his queen, Kim Sun. And Sunny is none other than Kim Sun reborn.

The revelation devastates them both. Their love is poisoned by guilt and resentment. Sunny chooses to break up with him, despite loving him, as punishment for his past sins.

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The End Game

When Kim Shin dies, he enters a desolate void where God tells him his punishment is complete. But Shin, ever stubborn, begs to return to Eun-tak—just once more, to keep his promise of appearing with the first snow. After ten lonely years, his prayer is answered, and he is granted another chance at life.

Eun-tak, now 29 and a successful radio PD. But every night she cries herself to sleep, feeling a pain deep inside her heart that kills her inside out… When the Goblin appears in front of her, she does not recognize him right away… But fateful coincidences bring her memory back—the lovers reconcile and marry on a whim, and for a brief time, happiness blooms.

But fate isn’t done. To save some children from an accident, Eun-tak sacrifices herself. Before going to the after life, she promises to find Kim Shin in her next life. And true to her word, in the final scene, Eun-tak reappears in a new body, walking toward him once again—still 19, still ready to love a thousand-year-old Goblin.

As for Sunny and the Grim Reaper—they, too, are granted a second chance. After Sunny dies and Grim Reaper completes his penance in state of a non-living entity, the two reunite in their next life as humans, free of past sins, finally able to love without the weight of history.

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My Fangirl Commentary

1. The OST – The soundtrack was perfection. Stay With Me by Chanyeol and Punch, and I Miss You by Soyou are my personal favorites. Every time those songs play, I feel like I’m right back in Goblin’s world, heart in pieces.
2. The Chemistry – Gong Yoo and Kim Go-eun were phenomenal together. Their emotional connection was palpable… but let’s talk about the elephant in the room. A 19-year-old high school girl paired with someone who looks mid-30s (and is literally almost a thousand years old)? Yeah, that was unsettling. Even if Eun-tak was the one chasing him, Kim Shin could have—should have—waited until she was older. Heaven wouldn’t have minded that clause, I’m sure.
   Ji Eun-tak calls Kim Shin ahjussi and Kim Shin refers to her as a child—which feels age-appropriate—and the next moment they get entangled in a romantic relationship. Conscience surely leaves the writer’s room to make something like this.
3. The Grim Reaper’s Storyline – I loved his arc. The tea of oblivion, the paperwork of the afterlife, the absurdity of reapers having corporate jobs—it was both ridiculous and fascinating. His tragic romance with Sunny broke me. Twice they were separated by fate, and only after centuries of punishment were they able to find peace together.
4. The Villain Stretch – Park Kyung-shik’s evil ghost felt like one plot twist too many. Sure, it gave Kim Shin closure, but his reappearance sometimes felt like filler.
5. Visuals – The cinematography was breathtaking. The snowy landscapes, golden autumn leaves, and even the interiors of Goblin’s luxurious house—it was some seriously classy stuff.
6. The Banter – Kim Shin, Eun-tak, and the Grim Reaper bickering like roommates? Absolutely hilarious. The iconic slow-motion walks, the flying forks fights, the random domestic comedy in between all the tragic destiny—it was gold. I can recall one particular sequence when goblin and grim reaper rescue Kim Shin from some kidnappers. While walking home on the dark and lonely country side road with the non-human entities, Kim Shin asks goblin, ” Am I dead? Is this the path to after life?!” At the back, goblin and grim reapers argue in their inner voices about why Kim Eun-tak is not saying “Thank you for saving my life” yet!! The whole scene was quite hilarious.

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Final Verdict

Goblin is one of those dramas that stays with you long after the credits roll. It’s romantic, tragic, funny, and philosophical all at once. Yes, it has flaws—the age gap issue, some pacing hiccups, a slightly overdone villain—but its emotional impact, stellar cast, iconic OST, and sheer beauty make it unforgettable.

For me, it’s an 8.5/10. Not perfect, but hauntingly memorable—a story of love, regret, and the hope of finding each other, again and again, no matter how many lifetimes it takes.

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