Jewel in the Palace

Lengthy Sageuk With Inspiring Character Growth

54 Episodes. This sort of thing likely works best watching weekly as watching the episodes in a short time frame all together highlights some definite flaws. There are plenty of filler episodes that could have easily been cut down or replaced with something different. For example, Jang Geum being sent off to a banishment section of the palace could've been stretched out longer as it seemed too easy to escape when no one else was able to. Have that replace some of the rather empty episodes and you have a more complete drama. The obstacles were a little one note. Jang Geum gets framed for something, she gets out of it with talent. It was basically like that. Some work really well such as Jang Geum, as a child, becoming a Court Lady through her wit and intellect despite not being allowed in the lessons was something that showed how great and worthy she is of her legacy bestowed upon her. However this was an excellent drama overall despite some of the flaws. This drama is split into a few sections, the introduction with Jang Geum’s parents, how they came to meet and her upbringing. Jang Geum’s first days as a court lady, her transition into a Doctor and then her junior into the King's personal physician. The best section of the story was the introduction, as it gives a unique and well written background for the world we are in and an inspiring story regarding Jang Geum’s parents and their sad demise. Jang Geum herself was a wonderful character. Pure at heart, modest, talented and earnest in her actions. Even her relationship with the antagonists is nothing short of respectful on her side. Her and Lady Han’s relationship was a true kinship that won't be replicated anytime soon. They truly felt together and made each other better. Lady Han tested Jang Geum’s skills and got the best out of her, while acting as her Mother would. Jang Geum was able to fill the gaping hole and guilt that Lady Han felt from the death of Jang Geum’s mum, Myung Yi (who is a dead ringer for Lee Young AE at times). The romance between Jang Geum and Min Jung Ho is a slow burn. Very natural and not forced at all - started off with a few Kind words and grew as they met more and more . That's where the long episode number benefits. The antagonists were somewhat understandable over their circumstances. Choi Geum Yeong and Head Lady Choi were forced into being Court Ladies and forced to act against the King by their families, so they are sympathetic initially, but there are vindictive actions in there which make them more hateable.

Overall this is well worth watching. It had some interesting stories based on factual history and folklore around Jang Geum. But ultimately this is a story about overcoming backgrounds, gender and other obstacles. This drama expertly delved into the system of the Court Ladies, their roles and expectations. If you want historical accuracy, this is for you.

Read More

You live your second life with the protagonist

This was the first (and possibly only) saeguk I finished watching over 10 years ago and honestly, its music, characters, and themes still stick with me. Looking back at it now is almost nostalgic—and hey, I just realized actress Zhao Qing kinda resembles the FL actress from some angles, haha.

Moving on, this drama is well-paced, epic, and emotionally moving. We essentially live 3 lives with Jang Geum as she goes from cook to physician to living her best life. I think it beautifully encapsulates all the tragedies and joys of real life—you will meet people who love you, who hate you, who hurt you and who care for you. The villains all started out as essentially good people who turned bad when they compromised their morals to get things done. You get the feel that they might have turned out differently or had happier endings if they stuck to their principles, even if that mean their road was more difficult and painful. Jang Geum did, and I think that's ultimately why she got her happy ending in the end—kindness through suffering begets its own reward.

I had a serious crush on Park Eun Hye (Yeon Saeong, Jang Geum's bestie) during this series too and was thrilled to follow her storyline to its happy ending too. The food shots were apparently researched and consulted with experts on actual historical royal feasts for accuracy and they all look super yummy. What this series needs now is a Jang Geum cookbook, because dang it it made me hungry watching it!!

The episodes might be daunting (and they do a heck of a good job putting in cliffhangers so you want to binge-watch), but you can realistically separate the series into different story arcs based on Jang Geum's life: her early stint as a cook, growing into her role and gaining popularity until she's framed and kicked out, her struggles on Jeju Island and learning to be a physician, coming back to the palace to do her duties, getting her revenge, and living happily ever after with her husband away from the palace.

It took me months of paced watching and sporadic binging to finish this. The sad parts are really sad, thanks to its excellent soundtrack and vocals. Worth a watch!!

Read More

A true masterpiece

Man where do I start?? I really regret watching this, because now nothing will live up to it ever again its this kind of drama that is made once every decade and nothing can top it, a true gem. Jang geum is such a strong, smart and refined woman seeing her grow up (ps kudos to the little girl playing child jang geum absolutely nailed it) and a shout out to ml for being the most supportive and loving lover in kdrama history, he believed in her and staked everything for her. The villains where also so well acted i felt bad for keum she actually isn't a bad person but jealousy from love lead her to do many wrong doings. The story is divided in two for not giving spoilers to people she first does something and excels at it then finds her true calling by doing that other thing. While I was watching the last eps especially I kept thinking this has probably been hundreds year ago since it's based off a true story yet to this day women have to fight for their rights because of jealous men and taboo and because of women with internalized misogyny. Uh aside for her journey to become greatest figure in chosun the friendships and the relationship with her and lady Han was so wholesome and the ending of them just heart breaking i bowled my eyes watching it. The queen is also a very important figure, I ended up loving her a lot tho she did make a mistake with the prince. Some dramas have inflated rating esp now most of these are pure trash. This one of the few dramas that really deserved 10. Great Great one

Read More

Dae Jang Geum/Jewel in the Palace (2003) - this is by far the earliest released drama that I watched on my list. Released date of this was last 2003, so that would be 20 years from now. Wow. This drama for me has all the elements of a historical drama that I would likely want to watch.

Focuses on the cooking aspect, but at the same time gives highlight to the medicinal aspect of food which is really great to see in a korean drama.

I also like the decision of Jang Geum in the end. One of the dramas that I felt happy to see who the lead end up with. Classic drama, worth the 54 episodes of my time. Recommended drama still.

Read More

Jewel in the Palace is an Underrated Statement

MyDramalist has been around since 2011, but a classic Sageuk drama has less than 10,000 watchers on the website. Something is wrong. Other K-C-J-dramas reach 30,000 watchers, but those dramas cannot compare to the quality Jewel in the Palace brings. Do not be scared to watch this ageless drama because it is 54 episodes. No review can put into words the central lead actress character perseverance.

When you behold the majestic cinematography, the mountains provided the perfect backdrop showing Korea in all its beauty. The director, Lee Byung Hoon, and screenwriter Kim Young Hyun did an incredible job of fashioning a realistic portrait of cuisines and medicines used for that particular time. The viewer struck by the heavy use of pathos, which some people might find off-putting yet handled pretty well, though.

The story unfolds like a novel-like narrative in a documentary format. It takes you on a journey of a woman's experiences that led her to be a successful woman—loosely based on a woman, Jang Geum, during the Chosun dynasty who became Royal Physician. It is a cultural treat as the acting is first-rate. Lee Young Ae's versatile acting skills won her numerous awards. An actress who is adept at taking on numerous characters in a different light. It was a different role from Lady Vengeance (2005), One Fine Spring (2001), Joint Security Area (2000), etc. I fell in love with the main Korean Traditional Song played throughout the drama emphasizing the period. I have said it before, but I was fascinated by the story, I am a guy, but women should see this beautiful work of art because of the strong female lead actress. What a True Heroine should be?

My Final Rating: 8.99
Rewatch value is low because I have seen this three times and every time I enjoy the beautiful images.

Read More

it's time for mukbang! don't forget about thee health

the royal got a big appetite, This is what drives the plot. The audience will be treated to a variety of dishes. It's like watching a cooking show every Saturday morning.

My suggestion is that when they eat, the audience should also eat, considering that this drama talks more about food. The role of the king is truly enjoyable, not thinking about managing the country, just eating, getting sick, dying

As a first-time career woman, Ms. Lee portrayed the role quite well considering the acting quality of that time. I don't understand why the sageuk dramas of the last few years haven't depicted the daily life of a palace maid in as much detail as this drama.

Read More

Rise above the Challenge

This must be one of the first Korean drama I have watched 2 decades ago when it was aired in my country. My friends and I had been waiting for each episode and even had exchanged notes.

What draws me to this drama are the cooking elements. Jang Geum has an exceptional talent in cooking, even when at the time she lost her sense of taste. She proved herself to be the best in that field even though someone wants to sabotage her. We may think everyone is against her, but having someone supporting her gave her the hope to rise above the challenge.

It is amazing how she transitioned from being a cook to a doctor. In Korean dramas of this period, we do not see women as the lead physician. However, we see her wisdom and talent in cooking came handy.

As this is a period drama, the production had prepared well from the costumes, the sites, the cooking methods and utensils. It is amazing, how Korea had tried to preserve their history with this kind of drama. This is something they should be proud of and hoping the next generations to come will cherish and embrace their history as well.

As this reached more than 50 episodes, I do not think of rewatching it. Though I have watched this 2 decades ago, I remember the faces, specially of Jang Geum who did not seem to age, now that she has a 2025 drama with a younger actor.

Read More

What Doesnt Kill You Makes You Stronger

I was suddenly feeling nostalgic and felt like watching my first and biggest kdrama when i was in my teens. I remembered how obsessed I was with Jang Geum that I even bought the cd boxset a few years later when I finally earned my own money during my college days, as it was aired on tv the first time and there were days that I missed one or two episodes. Fastforward 20+ years later, I realized had I first watched it now at my current age, I wouldve dropped it so fast due to how timid and reserved the FL’s character was written throughout the show. She literally had no rebuking bone in her. She was always bowing her head and hunched over so submissively, talking so very slowly and the episodes almost always end with her facial reactions of either - shocked, bewildered, sad, or happy - and all of these expressions usually came wide eyed and gaping mouth. I am glad I came across this show when I was in my teens where I havent experienced much life yet and expectations rather low. I guess FL’s perseverence and brilliance was what hooked my attention the most back then.

Anyway, now that I am rewatching for the third time, I fastforwarded so many scenes where they replayed past dialogues of characters in the background for flashback scenes and there were a whole dang lot. It also irks me that FL would always gets sabotaged all in similar ways and her decade-long court lady experience offered little help in outsmarting the bad guys, even though the sole motivation of her entering the palace (BOTH TIMES!) was for revenge, knowing full well that she is surrounded by crafty enemies. Her confused or shocked expressions as she gets framed by her old enemies one after another just make my eyes roll, as if that’s her first time! What makes it much worse is the tricks were so repetitive that I can literally guess what the next trick would be while Jang Geum acts like a clueless rabbit all over each time. And her quivering and stammering like a new girl instead of a seasoned palace veteren every time she gets questioned after each set up made me wonder, why the heck was I so obsessed with this character? 😒 she gets nervous and flustered so easily, and panic when carrying out covert excursions. i also cant stand her spacing out lamenting her sad life either, it made her look weak instead of pitiful. How I wished she had 10% of Jang Duk’s defiance so her character didnt look too feeble and weak, so that this whole thing would be more fun to watch. It’s also a shame they couldnt come up with better framing scheme that doesnt make the FL look helpless and naiive, while always calling out either “ye” or “mamanim”, there were probably more than a thousand of that same word in the FL’s script. And I especially despised how FL would swallow insults and unreasonable scoldings lying down, even as she held the highest title for female officials. Like I said, she had no rebuking bone in her.

Watching this old series also made me realized how pure the romance was in shows like this back in those days. Couples in love did not have to hold hands, cuddle or french-kiss every time they meet. Although the romance was not intense and physical-oriented, it was still conveyed successfully to the audience as I can really feel how deeply Min Jungho’s cared for Jang Geum, and how she felt for Min Jungho even they did not express their love verbally. Back then it was all in the poetic script, how beautifully they string the words to convey the characters’ feelings for each other. I liked it when Min Jungho first realized he was smitten with Jang Geum, and asked her earnestly,”Would you share your pain with me now?” Oh god I just melted. And this was waaaayyy before Jang Geum and Min Jungho was a thing, mind you! Before he realized she was the girl he was looking for all this while. Oohh so sweet. The chemistry between Lee Young Ae and Ji Jinhee was explosive! Oh one of the other dialogue of Min Jungho’s that melted me was during the plague arc, when he saved Jang Geum from the fire and told her,”How could I not come back for you when I realized I finally hold value in your heart?”

They did not have to say i love you or i cant live without you, instead they spoke with their eyes and gestures. Even the way Min Jungho and Jang Geum’s eyes light up everytime they see each other was enough to spell love all over the their faces. Compared to nowadays, even period dramas where the girls were supposed to be reserved and maintain proximity gaps with the opposite gender, their characters would instead brazenly hug or kiss the love interest. Or the least they would show is the couple prancing around the market or festivals while holding hands or each other’s waist. 🙄 so modern-like, huh, hence unrealistic. At least in this show the couple only started to hug during perillous situations that they almost lost each other, and most importantly they never did it in the presence of others. Though i felt that Min Jungho love for Jang Geum was more than her for him. He literally left his post without notice for her and yet she couldnt be bothered to do the same. I also could not figure put where was her dedication for the emperor coming from. It just doesnt add up.

Although I had an utmost admiration for the soundtrack, it held the no 1 spot in my heart for so long before i managed to move on. The main themesong Oh Na Ra! was so good i even memorized it as a kid despite not understanding a single word. The piano soundtrack was also one that managed to make my heart flutter, i cant help myself from humming the tune whenever it came on. The instrumental pieces were all phenomenal, successfully giving off the classic period vibe.

Read More

This historical drama is one of the pioneering works that initiated the "Korean Wave." While other dramas, such as Winter Sonata and Boys Over Flowers, are no longer featured on the MDL Top 100 Korean Dramas list, Jewel in the Palace (JITP) still holds the No. 86 spot; however, it is gradually falling off the list.

Twenty years ago, YouTube was just beginning to gain popularity, and our internet speeds were too slow, suitable only for reading articles. As a result, we relied on terrestrial television to watch Korean dramas. We were captivated by the JITP theme song, "Onara," to the extent that we even purchased a VCD of it at the night market, albeit a pirated copy.

To this day, I still remember the child actress who portrayed the younger FL; she was incredibly adorable and made us cry when her character was bullied. Her role in JITP left the most significant impression on me, which is why I recently rewatched the first few episodes for the sake of nostalgia. Each episode concluded with a cliffhanger, and before I knew it, I had binge-watched the entire series.

The JITP storyline progressed from (1) Little Bride Lady to (2) Kitchen Court Lady, and finally to (3) Physician Lady.

**Warning: Spoilers Ahead**

As is common in historical dramas, the palace is rife with betrayals. When FL was a kitchen court lady, she and her superior were framed and sentenced to exile on Jeju Island as maids. Unfortunately, her superior died during the journey. While on the island, she studied under the guidance of a doctor. However, when she was forced to treat an enemy leader, she was accused of collusion and sent back to the palace for trial. Fortunately, ML testified that it was she who ensnared the enemy, enabling the government soldiers to achieve victory. Upon learning that a new group of physician ladies was being selected, she attended the interview and successfully passed.

In the Chosun Dynasty, female physicians held a very low social status. Her medical instructor noted that when a male physician achieves commendable results, he is rewarded with gifts and promotions. In contrast, a female physician who attains the same level of success is often rewarded with a night spent with a senior officer.

When all the senior doctors failed to treat the king's illness, officials, scholars, and even the female physicians objected when the king wanted her to try. They protested, claiming that a female physician could not treat the king because it was against tradition. It is inspiring to see how she treated diseases while the senior male physicians were only concerned with concealing their misdiagnoses. As expected, she emerges stronger each time she faces a setback.

Besides time travel, the supernatural, and kissing, it encompasses most other genres. Credit must also go to her adoptive parents, who lighten the mood with humorous scenes.

JITP is a classic; don't miss it.

Read More

Still Watching, But I Couldn't Wait

I'm still watching this show, but I couldn't wait to write a review.

I had never watched a traditional sageuk before this one, and by that I mean ones from before the 2010's with the amount of episodes this one has. I was always so intimidated by the episode count, and even though I love modern sageuks, I was worried that I would find the older ones boring.

Gosh, was I stupid! LOL.

I only started watching this one because it was during quarantine and my semester had ended, so I thought it was the perfect time to start one of the many famous sageuks with the amount of free time I had. I had many options to choose from, but I randomly chose this one. The synopsis didn't strike me as something I'd necessarily like, but I went with it anyway. I'm so glad I did. The first episode had me hooked instantly, even though the first episode is basically a prologue to the rest of the show. I was blown away by the music score, the nuanced beauty of the story telling, and the instant sensation of feeling like I've genuinely been transported to the time and setting being shown. One thing I've felt most strongly while watching this drama is that it's so well acted that I truly feel as though I'm watching a recording of true events—that I'm actually there and that this world exists beyond cameras and scripts and actors.

This show is not for those who get bored easily; who need constant action. This is a character based story—a dialogue based story. So much of it depends on the character relationships and interactions, of our lead Jang Geum just existing and living. There are definitely twists and turns, for I feel like something is always going wrong and our lead is barely escaping things, but it's at a slow pace. Because there are so many episodes, each minor aspect of Jang Geum's experience can be fleshed out to its full potential. It's really fascinating.

I think the best example of this is her interactions with Min Jong Ho, her love interest. It is the most natural and beautiful growth of two people I think I've seen in a drama. There is no confession needed. No physicality needed. There really are even not many moments where romance is even hinted, but rather just them being friends more than anything, and I LOVE that. I just think their dynamic is so beautifully done because of how simple yet not simple it is. This is NOT a romance drama. Their relationship is just another of the many she has with her friends, family, superiors, etc. Still, I just think their interactions are so beautiful and pure.

Though, I have to point out that Jang Geum and Yeon Saeng's friendship is equally as beautiful, and I don't think I realized that until the latter half of the show.

This drama really includes every possible theme, but I think compassion and selflessness is the biggest one. Jang Geum's entire being is compassion embodied. She sacrifices herself over and over for others, and because of her boldness in her compassion, it's what gets her through her life from position to position. She values goodness and honestly and care.

I voted ten for everything except rewatch value, and that's only because I think it would take a LOT for me to be able to sit through this show a second time alone. I could definitely watch it with someone, but not alone again. It takes so much from me emotionally (also, it's just LONG, LOL).

Yeah, this instantly is a top drama of mine. Absolutely phenomenal. ]

Read More