Hwa Jung, the Princess of Light

It took me over 6 months after this show was completed for me to finish watching it, and no that is not because it was 50 episodes, its because it became so monotonous.
So many of the things that I really enjoyed about the drama came to an end around episode 15 with still 35 more episodes of almost nothing really important.
There were so many scenes where the main character just stared "meaningfully" at the camera, or into space, or at each other.
The main character Princess started off as a strong willful and fun character, but then just fell into this "ugh" phase where all she did was act like every other woman in Joseon. I was so disappointed by her. Over all the acting was sub par and the story just got dragged out more and more. Then the "special armory" people who didn't even have a real role would just show up in a scene sitting and talking to each other like they had so much free time, it was so unrealistic. I really like King Gwanghye and the actor in that role but he is not in it long enough, it would have been really interesting if they had made it more about him than her, and King Injo.
It ends with them trying to pull at some heart strings but it just doesn't work, mostly because by that point I was just irritated with all of the characters I didn't see a reason to care. Over all I would not suggest this drama to anyone.

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I enjoyed their take on these historical figures - it was very interesting to watch!

********Skip 'Storyline' if you don't want to know the actual History of this drama before you start it *******But it would be better to read up on the history of each character as they appear - so you will be prepared for what is coming & so you can see how their take on the historical characters.*************

Storyline: We follow the drama as it takes us through the end of Seonjo's reign to when Gwanghae takes the throne, when Gwanhae get's usurped by Injo, the following rebellion, the 2nd Manchu war, Sohyun's demise & finally to Bongrim taking the throne. We also get a fictionalized version of Princess Jungmyung's disappearance & return after they had thought she had died.

I loved watching Cha Seung Won play/portray Gwanghae! <3 My favorite character by far in this drama!!! and he was GREATLY missed after episode 30 :'( I thought he was a really good ruler! Who ended up having a couple of bad subjects that lead to others misunderstanding him. His scenes were the best! I loved watching him give commands & do things in secret! When Kim Jae Won appeared and played Injo - I was pleased by his performance (his first time playing an actual bad guy lol) I pitied his character in this drama a lot - he was such a misguided/mislead king :( He wanted to be a good King but ended up being the opposite - an incompetent King who always listened to the wrong council. I also enjoyed Prince Sohyun's entrance into this drama ^^ He would have been a great ruler! He simply wanted to help his people & his country! I cried when he left us :'( I think he was on from ep.39-44 :) One thing: Seo Kang Joon & Lee Yeon Hee needed to improve their acting - I thought they did pretty much okay during the first 30-35 episodes - but after that they always had the same expressions, same reactions, and were rather poor actors (what happened?) *sigh* SKJ as Joo Won was really innocent and almost nerd-ish in his actions lol - It was cute ^^ I enjoyed his scenes with Gwanghae the most & there were a couple scenes of him with Jungmyung that I really liked as well ;) LYH played Jungmyung - (basically her character was the most fictitious one in the drama b/c the Princess according to Wikipedia stayed out of politics completely - whereas in this drama she is deeply involved in politics - enough to make several enemies - & there is this whole "prophecy" thing surrounding her - that I honestly found annoying in the earlier part of the drama (they had to have some basis for her "revenge" stuff) Her character when she grows up was good for the most part - I started to like her once she let go of her anger towards Gwanghae. She was strong & had a "stronger" part to play in the latter half).

Music: I liked the songs by Lena Park & Yesung the most - and I'd laugh whenever they played this instrumental ost that seriously sounded like they were saying "pyeha" lol - every time it came on - I said and again with the "pyeha" song lol

If I ever rewatched this it would probably only be Cha Seung Won's scenes as Gwanghae - they were the most impactful and meaningful parts to me :)

As someone else said on this page: "the first 30-35 episodes were addictive, after that it went up and down." I remained interested in the story line - up until King Injo dies - Injo lasted until episode 47? I think. After that I started to lose interest in the drama - and kind of pushed myself through the remaining few episodes lol... But, I don't regret watching - if you are interested in Korean History (even if you've read up on it on Wikipedia - like I did lol) and you'd like to see it "come alive" before your eyes (even if parts are fictionalized - like the Princess being involved in politics at all) then you should enjoy this drama overall - despite the poor acting of SKJ & LYH in the latter half...

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The story on what is desired by the royal family as individuals can always be frustrating and misunderstood by the people around them. Prince Gwang Hae and Princess Jeong Myeong wanted different things needed people around him they each could trust. So splendid politics was a round about way of changing the kind of kings that don't work for the people's benefits; instead, they try to make themselves higher in social status. Specifically, individuals they treat as allies or advisor that shared the same vision of the future of the nation, who use that connections of the royal family to get what they want without regards on the unfortunate parties involved in their pursuit. Now thaaat I've said this the story was a good representation of historical facts and the actors worked with the material as best as they could; all things considered. I can't really comment on the music except for a few of the climax moments.

Overall it was a historical drama that portrayed the issues of politics and every problems faced that comes with being royal holding power. I will definitely not re-watch at any point in time but it was a good lesson on the prince gwang hae.

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Few points about why I like and dislike this drama:

1. Too much conspiracy it's too painful to watch. My heart bleeds for Prince/King Gwanghae.

2. I despise Prince Neungyang; he's very greedy and crude that my blood hits the ceiling! I even swear that I won't watch a show with him in it ever again. That's how cross I am with him. Yes, this is getting personal. Gggrrrrr!!! Same goes for that bitch Jo Yeo Jung.

3. I'm so impressed by Gae Shi's devotion to King Gwanghae; it's heart-rending.

4. I believe Seo Kang Joon's (Hong Joo Won) acting is a bit lacking; even his speaking of the historic language is awkward. I still like him, though, especially those brown eyes. Meanwhile, Han Joo Wan's (Kang In Woo) sad emotion is superb that at first, I thought he was sad in his real life; or perhaps he really is. And I've always admired and respected Cha Seung Won's (Prince/King Gwanghae) acting skills.

5. I hate that they cut conversations (even trivial ones) too often as if trying to make everything a mystery—it's appears pretentious—and show them as flashbacks bit by bit. Why don't they leave those insignificant conversations alone and just focus on the significant ones?

6. Ever since King Gwanghae disappeared from the scene, finishing this drama has become a struggle. :-( Bogosipeoyo, Gwanghaegun!!!

7. This drama has so many time leaps it can beat all dramas in that area; well, it covers three kings. :-)

8. And have you ever wondered? Why do they shake the body of someone who's injured or dying? It must hurt a lot. I laugh every time.

Overall Impression: It is a good drama. I'll probably rewatch it 4 years from now but surely, it'll only be the first half of it where Gwanghae still exists. Then, I'll skip to the last episode... or not. Hee hee...

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

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Now finished this and enjoyed it very much watching an episode every day. I wondered if 50 episodes would make me give up but it had me hooked. I feel the production values were quite poor -〜you had to imagine 20 people ＝ a riot of 20,000 or an army of 50 people ＝ an army of 50,000 and the sets were all the same. However I found the twists and turns of the tale consistently gripping, they managed the development of the story over a long period from childhood friends to adults involved in the dangers and reversals of politics very well. Also the clashes of romance between a love triangle. The good characters were not boring or lacking in character. The villains were suave and convincing and it was always intriguing to see just how they would manage politics and conflict and come out on top. The show broke down into two main political periods and the characters of the kings and their political ministers, wives, mistresses did get me emotionally involved - loving or admiring some, loathing others - to see how they would develop and what would happen to them. It was interesting how my views of them changed as they changed. The idea of showing where Joseon stood in relation to the great power China and how their kings tried to challenge China was interesting and convincing. The story around developing gunpowder as part of the power game and the involvement of the main characters in this was also a compelling storyline. I especially liked the part of the story with the heroine cross-dressing and the brief parts in Japan. In conclusion , well recommended, do not be put off by the large number of episodes like I initially was. I liked the theme tune, though the other music became repetitive, this was not a major annoyance and no worse than most drama. I am not likely to re-watch it [or not soon anyway] but I am not letting this bring my score down. I cannot understand the low rating or some of the comments about this but as we say 十人十色 10 men 10 colors. If you like this kind of historical Korean drama, it is well worth staying the course…….I found almost no parts that were really boring enough to make me miss my daily viewing of this saga and that is highly unusual for this mentally hyperactive guy. 11/10

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An awful half drama ½

To say I'm frustrated with this drama is an understatement. From reading the synopsis and from watching the first batch of episodes, it became quite clear that the prominent characters are Prince Kwang Hae and his sister, but alas, this was barely the case. Cha Seung Won left the drama half way through making the plot irrelevant later on for everything that was established earlier. His departure didn't leave an impact either for what's to come. Subsequently, Princess Jeong Myeong became a side piece to roam around the plot with little to no meaningful contribution. The second half in general was a significant downgrade in all regards. It was almost incomparable to the first half. It became as dull as you can imagine without much "character" left in these characters. It reminded of The Great Seer (2012) how there was a massive shift in every regard with the second half.

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Where did it go wrong?
Well, I know nearly nothing about Korean history but I was expecting something like Queen Seon Duk, Empress Ki or the King's Daughter; an interesting and captivating drama loosely based on real fact.
The first few episodes of Hwajeong are okay despite the various sequences being cut halfway with a lots of repeats. The young princess actress is cute and fun to watch. The costumes are beautiful.
And then, it becomes slow, very predictable and ... boring to the point of skipping most of it. The fights scenes are poor too.
Watch episodes 1 to 5, then skip every 10 and you'll get the idea.

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I devided it into two part

the memorable episode of this saeguk till the death of gaeshi and dethronement of gwanghae.

FL is not suited to this role, and Seo Kang Joon is a bit stiff for his character. But Cha Seung Won, Kim Yeo Jin, and Jung Woong In portrayed their roles very captivatingly. Especially Mr. Cha, who I think successfully transformed Prince Gwanghae's image, and Ms. Kim, who truly became a friend, mentor, and loyal servant.

I recommend to watch this drama from episode 1 to 37 only, more than that, there is a concern that this drama will lose its essence.

Although the acting quality of some actors is regrettable, in terms of the storyline, the episodes that I recommend are considered worthy.

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Unnecessary lengthy

It is a lengthy drama that tells the story of a girl. A fortune teller once predicted that she would reign over the kingdom. From that moment, conspiracies began to unfold. Somehow, she managed to escape and left the kingdom.

For many years, she faced numerous tribulations and eventually returned to take revenge. But something changed—though she wanted revenge, she couldn't bring herself to do it. I didn’t see her reclaim the throne by the end, but she continued to guide and support the king and his sons in ruling the kingdom.

My favorite part of the drama was the love story. I always had a complaint with the director for not giving enough screen time to their children. At the very least, they could have shown them in the final episode.

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Anche gli imperatori piangono.

Il drama coreano che avrebbe voluto raccontare i sofisticati giochi di potere della corte imperiale, ma finisce per somigliare più a una riunione di condominio gestita da nobili smemorati. Tutti complottano, nessuno sa perché, e il verbale dell’ultima puntata è sparito insieme alla logica.
Si parte in grande stile: sguardi taglienti, tradimenti cesellati e cappelli così monumentali da meritare un titolo nobiliare. Poi, lentamente, tutto deraglia in un labirinto narrativo dove i personaggi svaniscono, le alleanze cambiano come il meteo e l’imperatore passa dalle lacrime disperate alle condanne capitali nel giro di un’inquadratura. Diagnosi: bipolarismo narrativo acuto.
Il primo imperatore ha una moglie, un figlio e, probabilmente, un harem: il classico ecosistema domestico/imperiale che sparisce all’improvviso, senza un addio né un comunicato ufficiale. Nessuno se ne accorge, nessuno chiede spiegazioni. Forse sono evaporati in un incidente di sceneggiatura.
Poi c’è la protagonista, data per morta, che ritorna come se niente fosse: nessuno le domanda “Scusa, ma dov’eri finita?”. Forse era in vacanza in un’altra dimensione narrativa, o intrappolata in una sottotrama scartata in post-produzione.
E naturalmente c’è l’innamorato devoto, l’uomo che la chiama “Vostra Grazia”, la osserva da lontano come una reliquia sacra e sviene se le sfiora il polso. Un amore così puro da sembrare un corso di galateo tenuto in un monastero zen.
Quando finalmente pensi di aver capito qualcosa… bam!: nuovo imperatore, nuovi intrighi e nuovi malintesi cosmici. La trama si piega su se stessa come un origami di seta impazzito, e la politica diventa un esperimento di fisica quantistica mascherato da melodramma storico.
Dopo cinquanta episodi, lo spettatore non sa più chi comanda, chi è morto, chi è risorto o chi semplicemente ha cambiato pettinatura. Una sola certezza: la “politica splendida” del titolo si è trasformata in un carnevale barocco, dove nessuno balla, ma tutti piangono con eleganza e citano Sun Tzu come se fosse un poeta romantico.
I bambini crescono, ma gli adulti restano identici, fatta eccezione per due baffi e una spolverata di barba, giusto per dire “è passato del tempo”.
In definitiva, Splendid Politics non è solo un drama: è un’esperienza mistica di smarrimento collettivo, un labirinto di sete, lacrime e logiche invisibili.
Non si guarda per capire, ma per perdersi con stile.
La splendida politica era solo un sogno… e noi, gli inconsapevoli consiglieri di corte.

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