The Red Sleeve

Overrated. Not a relaxing watch

It started with a bang. Pace was also good, story and plot was good, acting was good all in the beginning And then towards the end it started dragging and that's when everything went down. It became confusing at some point trying to understand if the FL really loves our ML or not. Stone face is not acting. It's a torture of 1st grade. Heavy story . Jun ho definitely good acting. Beautiful costumes, i binged watched this and regretted it. If you are like me who loves to relax this is not for you. But if you are in to something serious watch it. I felt i wasted my time. I think the rating is too overrated or may be people like the feeling to feel traumatized.

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The best Joseon romance of recent years

Among the current sageuk offerings, dominated by the fluffy romantic comedy fusion sageuk trend, The Red Sleeve is a drama that shares certain elements found in such sageuks, but is truly a melodrama rather than a comedy, and thus, despite some light-heartedness in the early episodes, has a predominantly serious tone. To those tiring of the fluffy trend, The Red Sleeve may prove a welcome respite that offers some of the gravitas of a more classic sageuk, yet it is also enough in the realm of the romance-focused, youth-oriented sageuk that it will likely appeal to those who are fans of the rom com in period dress genre. It is not likely, however, to satisfy fans of political sageuks, as this is a drama primarily concerned with its romance.

Lee Jun Ho’s portrayal of Yi San was truly excellent. This was quite a nuanced and multifaceted character, and I found him compelling in all aspects. Though this character is certainly an idealistic, intelligent, and benevolent man, who has a strong sense of duty regarding his role as a ruler, he is not the sort of adorable, fluffy Joseon royal I have seen in many sageuks of late. There is a real edge to this character that at times borders on genuinely scary. Lee Jun Ho succeeds in both bringing some sweetness and charm to his character as a besotted lover as well as imbuing his portrayal with enough power, command, and charisma to be a convincing ruler. He made me feel this character’s pain acutely, whether that was heartbreak or the suffering of a traumatic family situation. And he had a superb intensity in some of the romantic scenes, conveying to the viewer a very palpable sense of his attraction.

I liked Lee Se Young as Seong Deok Im. I think her mannerisms and bearing are well-suited to this sort of period piece in a court setting. However, compared to the male lead, both she and her character left somewhat less of an impression. This is not to say she was bad in anyway. I definitely thought she was good, just less of a stand out. I did have some trouble getting a sense of this character at first, in part due to not immediately realizing that when Lee Se Young was initially introduced, she was playing a 15-year-old. (The male lead was also only 16, but his character was significantly more mature, thus his behavior felt less mismatched to the actor’s age.) The character does mature, though her core traits remain the same. (I think both actors did a good job and subtly aging up their characters over the course of the drama.) She is bold, principled, and strong-willed. At times her behavior is not really congruent with what I would expect from a Joseon court lady. The drama finds a balance between making these aspects completely anachronistic and unbelievable and making it seem somewhat plausible in her specific circumstances (e.g. her young age at the beginning, leeway afforded her due to Yi San’s favor).

The second male lead is an interesting character, though perhaps not a very likable one. However, I felt he was somewhat underutilized. I think they could have done more to show the viewer the bond between him and the male lead, and it seems we may have lost some of his character development in a time-skip. Although Kang Hoon’s performance did not particularly stand out to me, I have no complaints regarding his portrayal.

Along with Lee Jun Ho’s Yi San, the Lee Deok Hwa’s Yeongjo was the performance that had the most impact on me. This character had a duality, sometimes a kind, grandfatherly old man, sometimes a dangerous ruler prone to bouts of rage and suspicion. The gravitas Lee Deok Hwa brought to certain scenes and the relationship between grandfather and grandson was one of the most engaging aspects of this drama’s early episodes.

Regarding the story, it has earned a place on my list of favorite historical romances. The romance does start off with some rather standard tropes, but it’s a well-executed version with a lot of charm. As the relationship developed, I felt that it began to differentiate itself from the tropes and offered up incredible chemistry as well as some truly memorable scenes. My emotions definitely became caught up in this relationship, as it succeeded being both heart-fluttering and heart-wenching. This drama really put me through a lot, but I take that to mean that it was very successful in drawing me into the story.

That being said, this romance might not be to everyone’s taste. Firstly, despite the more light-hearted tone at the start, overall, I would describe the drama as “nearly continuously angsty.” I’m a sucker for the emotional torture, but for those looking for smooth-sailing, happy romances with minimal pain or conflict, this is not the place to look. Even the happy moments sometimes have a bittersweet tinge. A second point of potential discomfort for certain viewers is that there is a very large difference in status between the leads. Although the male lead often treats the female lead as more of an equal than their respective statuses would dictate, he does not necessarily view her as one and is not entirely above using his power over her. This is a dynamic many period romances tend to ignore, as it isn’t congruent with contemporary relationship ideals. Personally, I think the way this drama walked the line of not being too offensive for a contemporary viewer while also not entirely disregarding the power imbalance between a ruler and a court lady is one of this drama’s selling points and something fundamental to the themes it examines. Perhaps for some, though, it would cross the line. The third and final point is potentially a bit spoilerly, depending on what you consider a spoiler, so skip to the next paragraph if you’d like to avoid. Although it is up to interpretation, I think this is, to a certain extent, a story of a one-sided love, which is not to say it’s entirely unrequited, but I’m not sure the degree of feeling was equal on both ends. I think this is something interesting to explore, but it makes this relationship less idealized than the standard romance offering. If you're looking for a "perfect" couple, this isn't really it, but I think the story is better for that.

Now for the aspects of the drama that I felt were weaker … At the beginning, I thought the politics had some potential. They were not the main focus, but things were gradually developing in the background, and doing so in a way that seemed well-paced and well-conceived, if pretty standard. But at some point the plot just became something of a mess. It spices things up with intrigue that, to me, felt unnecessarily over-the-top, and yet it pretty much skips over major events that I kinda felt like we should have seen. There definitely were moments of true suspense and excitement, but also parts that completely lacked any impact, because we weren’t given proper development (or shown them at all). These aspects surely would have been better had they just followed the history. Truthfully, I think this drama was essentially using the politics to create situations of character conflict, with little regard for the merits of the plot points themselves or the overall trajectory of that story aspect. It also seemed averse to introducing any plot line where the female lead could not somehow be inserted into the political maneuverings, despite her lack of status and power (a choice which seems somewhat contradictory to the drama's larger theme of how little agency Joseon palace women were afforded). I can accept this, as I knew from the beginning that this was primarily a romance, not a political epic, but it does somewhat lessen my regard for the quality of the drama’s overall execution. I would have preferred it to simply avoid dealing with politics, rather than give them some focus, but not enough to do it right. Still, it certainly didn’t stop me from obsessing over the main couple and anxiously waiting for the next episodes. If you’re looking for a romantic drama, rest assured, this one will not bore you with lots of scenes of old men discussing tax policies. I also think there was some lack of clarity regarding the timeline. It is not always easy to tell how quickly time is going by and at one point I realized that many more years must have passed than it had felt like when watching the drama. Since this drama covered such a long period of time (pretty much the entirety of the lead characters’ lives), I think it probably could have been longer.

It was definitely a visually appealing drama with beautiful costumes and lovely cinematography. The composition of certain shots was quite striking. Although the soundtrack did not leave a profound impression on me, there were scenes I felt were very much enhanced by the music choices, and I don’t remember any point at which I felt the soundtrack didn’t fit.

This is a drama that had some outstanding moments where all the elements came together to create a breathtaking tension that kept me completely captivated. What happened between those scenes is starting to blur together a bit for me, perhaps because some of the conflicts could be repetitive. Still overall, this is not a drama I will forget anytime soon. Despite its flaws, it was entirely successful in bringing across the emotions and making me invested in the romance. Moreover, Lee Jun Ho’s Yi San is now my standard for idealistic Joseon royal males that all future depictions of this character type will have to live up to or be somewhat of a disappointment. I definitely recommend to fans of historical melodramas.

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An unexpected take on a hauntingly beautiful historical romance

Although there are many tragic Sageuks that I have loved watching over the years, "The Red Sleeve" stands out for so many reasons. The chemistry between the leads, the fact that it's a non-idealistic look at love, and a female lead who does not fit into the expected tropes. I think this drama is extremely addictive initially as we watch the two leads fall in love, but we soon see a tragic clash of two world perspectives that is both intriguing and frustrating to watch. As frustrated as I was during a lot of this drama what I appreciated was seeing the reality that love isn't always enough. I know this was based on true events, but I had no clue before watching where the story would go since I don't really know much about Korean history. I did know enough to not expect a "cheerful" ending. I admit that the beginning of this drama was much more appealing and addictive than the later episodes, especially watching the banter between
Lee Jun Ho and Lee Se Young, but it's the overall story arc that makes the lasting power of this drama so strong.

Lee Jun Ho is amazing as Yi San. I loved feeling like I could see his evolution to becoming a great king. He also pulled off a longing and obsession for Sung Deok Im that could have easily come across as majorly creepy in a #metoo way and not romantic at all if played wrong. Yi San was strong yet vulnerable and inspired laughter, tears, or butterflies with a single look. I think this really is a breakthrough performance for him. I've seen him be great before in "Just Between Lovers" and even "Wok of Love", but this role required so much range and he knocked it out of the park. He is matched with Lee Se Young Court Lady Deok Im and as much as there were times when I couldn't stand her character I loved her performance. Some may feel like she didn't show enough emotion but what impressed me was Deok Im's commitment to wearing a poker face and having the upper hand. Usually, arrogant male characters are accepted and condoned but here we have a truly unapologetically headstrong and arrogant female lead. She's clever and stubborn. She doesn't do what viewers may want her to do. Sometimes I cheered her on and sometimes I cursed at her through the screen but it was nice to see a female character in a historical drama with this kind of nerve. I won't give all the credit to the adult actors. There are some pretty brilliant child actors that help tell this story well too but the best parts of this drama are definitely when the main leads are together. I didn't expect to get so addicted to their banter but I quickly did.

There are a lot of Allstars in this cast that makes the typical corrupt Joseon court storyline feel not so cliché. Jang Hye Jin as Court Lady Seo and Oh Dae Hwan as the bodyguard are the real MVPs of this drama, and I also really liked the bond between the Court Lady Bffs. I did eventually grow tired of one storyline in particular with Park Ji Young as Head Court Lady Jo. I felt it didn't go far enough so it just seem like filler after a while. In contrast, I loved watching Lee Deok Hwa as King Yeongjo who's unpredictably manic responses made some of the conflicts much more exciting to watch than they normally would be for me. I'm not the biggest fan of 'fight for the crown' storylines, but the characters were well done which made me care more. This is still primarily a love story, and I'm grateful for that, even if it's a messy one.

Would I watch this again? I think so. I can see myself reading up more on the actual history then revisiting this drama again. I am fascinated by reinterpretations of history but I liked the idea that they tried to give a voice to Sung Deok Im as to what was behind the choices she made in real life, making her an independent court lady struggling to establish her own life by her own rules. I also felt deeply for the story of King Jeongjo and his profound loneliness in contrast to his legacy. I'm sure a lot went over my head during the first viewing so it may even be better the second time around.

I do appreciate that this drama has 17 episodes, so they didn't have to rush through the ending at all, but there were parts that started to drag and get too repetitive for me towards the end. The mixed signals and constant rejection plot really did affect the pace and my interest, but one thing that kept me from ever being too bored is the absolutely breathtaking cinematography. They really went above and beyond with how some of the scenes were shot. I would often rewind just to have a second glance at an image on the screen. You can see the care in the direction.

Overall, "The Red Sleeve" may not be for the "does this have a happy ending?" crowd but it is a beautiful take on this historical love story that doesn't shy away from the true events or the harsh dynamics of life in the palace. The excitement and longing in this drama is palpable and I think that is its main appeal. I also never read the Novel but I get a sense of what it was adapted from through the characters' internal thoughts, without them ever abusing narration in the script too much. Dramas often explore what we would sacrifice for love but rarely what we won't. I had strong opinions about Deok Im's reasoning and Yi San's persistence but in the end, I was fully invested in their love story. The only thing stopping this from being a new favorite of mine is some repetitiveness and my lack of interest in the political plots. Jun Ho's performance alone is enough to make this a much watch Sagaek and drama overall. Seeing a female character deviate from the 'Cinderalla as goals' narrative is also refreshing in a lot of ways, even when she annoyed me. It may not be the type of escapism that many romance fans look for in a drama, and yes many tears will likely be shed, but believe the rating hype on this one. A romance without romanticizing too much. A love story that challenges whether together is the best choice. An attempt at giving a voice to a voiceless royal concubine. If you know the story and wonder "What kind of woman back then would have the nerve to reject a king?!!" this drama answers that question very well... in an intriguing, hilarious, exciting, heartbreaking, and poetic way.

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Romance Based in Historical Realism or Road to Nowhere?

I went into The Red Sleeve fully expecting to love it. I'd been waiting for Lee Jun Ho to be widely recognized as a phenomenal actor since Just Between Lovers, so I was happy to see the praise he received for his performance here. I'm a fan of sagueks too, whether they're the traditional kind or not, and I'm always down to watch an angsty romance between tragic-faced lovers. In a fit of drama-watching naivete, I thought, what could possibly go wrong?

And, in the beginning, nothing did!

Lee Jun Ho brought his usual intensity and attention to detail, to say nothing of his aesthetics. Lee Se Young is convincing in any historical role, since she genuinely looks as if she's stepped out of a portrait from the past, while her poise and graceful bearing reinforce the ladylike impression. The supporting cast is similarly strong, the production quality was high, and the introductory episodes felt refreshingly grounded and realistic.

As the story progresses, real cracks emerged. The first issue is how self-aware this show is of itself as a "feminist" narrative, which would've been fine, if that theme had been handled with care and nuance. But it isn't. To boost its girl power credentials, it introduces a secret organization of female palace insiders, but almost immediately undoes its empowered message, by depicting the network as poorly led and one-dimensional in its villainy. Rather than showing women band together for a just cause, it pits the women against the (morally pure, more sympathetic) female lead. To add insult to injury, this outlandish women-fighting-women chapter is distracting and jarring against the tone of the rest of the drama, which had been, up until this point, based in historical realism.

But the biggest problem? The Red Sleeve chases two rabbits, catching neither. All along, the narrative has brought out wonderful tension in the juxtaposition between Sung Deok Im's quest for self-determining independence and her love for Yi San/King Jeongji, which would lead to her dependence on him, as well as strict confinement to the inner palace. The show insists, she must make a choice! [Please don't get me started on how clearly this mirrors the redundant dialogue around women having to choose between career achievement or motherhood. It's so tired, ugh.] By forcing its female lead to choose freedom or love, it also forces itself into a corner: will the story's conclusion confirm Sung Deok Im's self-liberation or her devotion to her lover? In the end, the answer is neither. If the point of this drama was to illustrate how terrible women's lives were in the past, I supposed it achieved its goal, but that's a disappointingly simplistic take on the historic experiences of real women, as well as a frustrating and futile endpoint for a drama that promised to be so much more.

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TRS walks too far down the path of a fantasy rom-com before deciding it does not want to be one

First, some friendly words:
The music was on point (much better than say in The Crowned Clown).
The few fight scenes were fine.
The emotional scenes were well made (except for any deaths). In general, the production staff did a fine job.
Most of the actors were decently chosen for their roles (but all politicians were weak/unremarkable).


The first maybe 40% of the show are a generic Cinderella fantasy rom-com. The little attempted comedy isn't funny too often, but the leads and their chemistry are alright. After that though, there is so much dragging and nonsense, before it eventually culminates in something like a Wikipedia article. In hindsight, I just want my lifetime and sanity back.


== FULL-ON SPOILERS & COMPLAINTS FROM HERE ==

The core issue of the show is that it wants to both be a Love In The Moonlight- or Tale Of Nokdu-esque pure fantasy show, but then at the same time match the tragic real story to get those tear glands going. While it's still a romcom, you not only have the very silly secret Maidumminati organization of moon-sourced court lady villains complete with death temple and ninja girl assassination squads — but most importantly, only while it is a romcom, the FL has agency. The FL does things. The FL makes things happen and is pretty much the center of the story. The FL (of course) is a sassy FL that talks back to her king-to-be, yet at the same time they save each other's lives numerous times (through competence & effort!).
Admittedly there is a bit of puffing about the initial villain having set up the FL with the ML from her childhood on with the hopes of spying on him, as well as using their affection to prove he desires the king's "property", but that goes nowhere.
These characters they show us could just dandily shack up together in some royal arrangement, make babies, and live happily ever after. We don't even have an angry grandmother-dowager opposing this union! There is literally no obstacle to this union besides them opening their mouths to converse about it and ... the plot, its writer, and actual history.

Alas, the historical background to force into this is "this court lady rejected the king twice, and then at some point 15 years down the road she gets pregnant a bunch of times, and even tragically dies while pregnant; the king loved her a lot though".

Supposedly the real historical maid/consort (FL) had reasons like "I can't become your concubine if your actual wife hasn't born any children", but since Junho must stay pure and virginal for his one true love, no actress is even cast as his life-long historical wife. She is mentioned in passing like once or twice, and that's it.

So what do you do as a writer? Obviously, the FL does not want to be his wifey because.. well, dunno? Because she doesn't love him? Unfortunately they already showed that she did, so let's go for the next best thing: pretending not to love him. Even better, make it some grand parable about womens' rights. A poorly-treated palace maid has the freedom to go out to the market once per month, she can leave the palace for a short bit, wow, such independence in-between being forced to do menial jobs and being mistreated by those higher up! Meanwhile, a concubine/consort with maids of her own can't leave the palace at all! The horror! She only has one freedom left:
¯\(°_o)/¯ Loving the king sincerely, but not admitting to it. (⊙_⊙;)
It's one of the dumbestestest things I've ever seen in television.

As the FL refuses a reasonable happily-ever-after for very poorly defined, poorly expressed, and barely if at all comprehensible reasons, the ML is forced to wed the SML's 12 year old sister, but because Junho (ahistorically) does not want to be a pedophile, she (historically) dies of overwhelming sadness, and that makes SML turn into an insane traitor with a private army of ninja man assassination guards. For that stuff he (historically) is not beheaded, even though he really should have been, and not even exiled into far-away thorny shrubs – only so that he can later be an allegedly-not-scheming emo kid lurking around the palace to either get some power back, or have the FL for himself as a form of consolation prize because the ML can't (yet) have her. Ultimately he stays alive for a bit merely to send a truthful letter to the ML about how the FL and not him dutifully saved him a very long time ago. This whole arc is a waste of screen time.

In summary, TRS' FL repeatedly refuses the ML's declaration of love with the following consequences:
– A child she befriended has to marry him and dies unhappy. (Sparking the abuse/torture of other court maids as well.)
– Some mean lady is hired as the next consort, abuses the FL, and tries to get her beheaded.
– She herself presumably dies of pregnancy complications that would have been less likely at a younger age.

Needless to say, I vastly preferred watching the generic romcom Cinderella in the first episodes to the annoying troll that came after.

--

Stuff that just never got cleared up:
– ML/FL never talk about the tattoo FL has.
– ML/FL never have an earnest talk about how the evil head court lady set them up to be together.
– What is the book of Yeong, ML's grandmother, even about?
– In the show, Head Court Lady Jo herself "caused" Sado to become unstable (as explained by the oppressed nearly-dead Court Lady Park), of course intentionally, merely out of jealousy for another woman. So she herself is the architect of the calamity that she claims to warn about. Why does the Maidumminati ninja clan follow her blindly when at least some of them know this? Why do they try to assassinate ML even after her death?
– Early on the show makes a huge deal about the funeral convoy for a royal consort versus the way a maid is evicted from the palace to avoid her even dying there. Given this, we should be shown FL's funeral procession, and the ridiculously long Wikipedia-style episode #17 has more than enough time for this.

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Didn’t Love It

Spoilers

Perhaps I am an anomaly, but I’m not in love with this.

Like Lee Joon Gi’s masterful acting job in Moon Lovers, this is certainly a tour de force performance by Lee Junho, who is incredibly impressive in this role. However, like ML, I don’t like this show.

(Side note: It’s rather mind boggling that Korea continues to turn out fabulous actors who were K-poppers! 🤯)

With all that said, I wasn’t in love with the actress. She was good but not on par with Junho and the script made me want to spit nails, at times.

Yes, it did have some pretty humorous, laugh out loud moments and had a well paced beginning, but in the middle it began to get bogged down. Around Episodes 9-14, I fast forwarded a lot of running around, fighting etc. with no dialogue, just to get through it.

Disclosure: I hate stories with multiple wives.

That the ML would go to another woman BEFORE going to the woman he has just discovered is carrying his child, the very woman he so desperately loves and has pursued for YEARS, whom he has FINALLY won was unfathomable and quite frankly disgusting to me.

Knowing of her reservations to marry him and WHY, which she had clearly stated several times including right before she agreed to become his wife, that was simply irreconcilable in my mind.

I started watching this because so many people were chattering about it online and talking about what “a great show” it was, “wonderful, wonderful, wonderful” - and not one single person mentioned that it did not have a HEA.

I realize it’s a true story. However, I choose not to watch stories with sad endings, ie the death of one of the main characters, so I was very unhappy when I put in 16+ hours only to discover not too far into episode 17 that she dies. Yes, it did end on a somewhat more positive note than Moon Lovers in that it implies an eternity together, but that didn’t minimize the sourness of it including the FL’s death.

I am just not a person who wants a “good cry“ or wants to watch something tragic. There’s enough tragedy in the world that I want to put my watching time in watching something that gives your heart and mind a boost and leaves the end of the show feeling uplifted, not depressed.

This wasn’t it.

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'The palace is such a dazzling prison' - Queen Dowager in Episode 17 played by Jang Hee Jin.

The story:

Set in the 18th century, the story revolves around the journey of Crown Prince Yi San (future King Jeongjo) and his beloved court maid Sung Deok Im (Royal Noble Consort Uibin). The drama is of course mostly about their love story but also include politics, palace maids lives and struggles , Jeongjo’s achievements, the harsh reality of living in the Palace etc....

Deok Im is a free-spirited woman who despite being loyal and harboring feelings for the King stand by
her belief that giving her 'everything' to him would mean losing herself and the last bit of freedom she
kind of enjoy as a court maid (being with her friends, going out of the Palace...) That's why we
witnessed her countlessly rejecting his advances. She loved him but as the King of the nation, she knew
he would never be hers alone and the fact he could abandon her at any moment made her wary in
expressing her true feelings.

Yi San is the Crown Prince and future King of Joseon (Jeongjo-22nd King of Joseon). Marred by his family's
tragedy (his father, Prince Sado had been put to death by his own grandfather King Yeongjo) that greatly
affected his life and put a dent on his legitimacy as the future monarch. He dedicated his whole life in trying to clear his father’s name and to prove he’s the rightful heir of the Jeonju Yi Clan.

Being a King is a lonely position as well...he has no choice but to follow the strict rules/decorum of the palace,
listen to his ministers who most of the time were complotting to remove him from his position, most of
the decisions weren't his, discarding people (even relatives) that may threaten his throne, cannot show
his emotions/weaknesses etc...meeting Deok Im was really his salvation and for the first time in his life, he was able to make a choice by himself, he chose her as his person. After losing her (she was literally his light), he became the shadow of himself, throwing himself into work to forget her (or more like pretending to do so) and compelled himself to go on with his life and duty as Joseon's king.

Their love story is portrayed so beautifully, poetically aesthetic and in an enthralling way.
Showdowns between King Yeongjo and Yi San were also a highlight of this drama. Outstanding performance.

Acting:

Standing ovation for the whole cast. Everyone, from the main leads to the supporting cast is amazing and
fit their characters to a T. Chemistry is off the charts rewarding us with an enticing and intense production.

Junho is regal as the 22nd ruler of Joseon. His commanding voice, expressive eyes, body language,
vulnerability, intense gaze ... he exudes so much charisma. Mesmerizing.
I’m so proud of him, he’s grown to be such a talented performer. Action, romantic, comedic, emotional
scenes... this man can do everything, he's terrific. Best role and performance to date.

Seyoung offer us a moving and relatable performance. Bold and brazen as a young court maid, loyal and
resolute as the Crown Prince Court maid and full of restraint and modesty as his concubine. Her chemistry with Junho is sizzling. The best I've seen in ages.

Lee Deok Hwa as King Yeongjo was just brilliant, I’m glad that such a revered and respectable actor was part of this wonderful production.

Kang Hoon as Hong Deok Ro is a complex character, full of layers (very compelling nonetheless)..he seems loyal and genuine when it comes to Yi San but he's also a too-faced person, he has his own agenda. His greedy and condescending nature led him to his downfall. Still, I don't doubt there were some genuineness in his actions(he did care about Yi San imo)

Jang Hee Jin was perfectly cast as the poised and perceptive Queen Dowager.

As I stated above, rest of the cast is fabulous as well (special mention to Jang Hye Jin as Court Lady Seo, loved her)

Cinematography is stunning and like taken straight out of a painting.

Music: Beautiful and very poetic OST. Background music being the best.

Rewatch Value: I would love to rewatch it tbh but probably later...I need to mend my heart first (and watch everything with Junho too lol)

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This drama is so full of raw emotions that I don't know what to do with my life anymore

*SPOILERS ALERT - DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU DIDN'T WATCH THE ENDING*

I tend to avoid sad/bittersweet endings but I succumbed to the tentation of both actors. The story seemed also original (with so much focus on the court maids) and oh boy do I have mixed feelings now! It was certainly a roller coaster of emotions.

Even not knowing the history or novel behind the drama, I thought the "meet-cute" from the beginning of the drama was inevitably meant to falter and be replaced by the cruel reality of a doomed love between a king and a court maid. The director really didn't shy away from showing the viewers the very different personnalities of our 2 main characters. For exemple, the king's possevive behavior first shown in the library scene when he nearly chokes her was the start of a relationship based on a power imbalance that's not often represented in other historical kdramas (well at least it wasn't the case for the few i have seen).

The actors were all amazing, I think it's the first time I even cried for the more "villainous" characters (the king/San's grandfather, his aunt and her stepson, the head court lady who only wanted to protect the court ladies...). Moreover I wasn't bored at all and it's quite exceptionnal for me, I even wished the drama was longer (20 episodes).

I saw a few comments saying that Sung Deok Im didn't love the king and I dare to disagree. Her actions showed well enough that she had very strong feelings for him but she knew very well that the price of her love would cost her everything (her freedom, friends, daily activities...). Even if San didn't hesitate to show his affection toward her, she knew that his nation would always come first (he even refused to save her a few times because that would be against the rules). So can we really blame her knowing that ? It's not a fairytale story, their love can be considered beautiful but is mainly sad and cruel. Like she said in the drama: she would lose "everything" if she agreed to become his concubine and in a way she really did (it depends on how the viewer interprets the ending but even so, it's the truth that her freedom is entirely taken away from her = "gilded prison").

Saying that, it doesn't mean I didn't cry my heart out during ep 17. I was a literal mess when I finished the drama at 3 in the morning. I think the characters and their stories will haunt me for many days to come… Concerning the final minutes, I will say that all of it was a bad dream (no need to prove me wrong, I know that the final dialogue tend to prove the contrary but I will die on this hill. My mental health definitely needs it lol) The thing that « comforts » me in this regard is the fact that Deok Im doesn’t say « I love you » back to the king : if it was all in his head as a last dream before death, I think San (well his subconscious) would have « forced » her to say it because this is the thing he wanted to hear the most. So the fact that she didn’t say it makes me think that it was really her and not a mere figment of his imagination. I also found it weird that when we encountered the « first » dream scene, the director didn’t show us what made San seemed so lost and afraid. He doesn’t even explain his reaction to Deok Im. So (and excuse me for the maybe cheesy comparison) I will say that it was like the scene in the last Twilight movie when the whole final battle is in fact just a vision of a possible future. San chose to stay with Deok Im because he remembered the pain he endured in this dream. Maybe he will succeed in changing the future, or at least some events, or maybe not. But he will clearly try to « protect the woman he loves until the end », unlike his grandfather.

The only think that I regret was the quick succession of events in the last ep, I wish we could have more scenes of them « happy » or at least officially together between all the heaviness and sadness. The death of the crown prince was so cruel, even more so because the flashback of his birth was shown after the scene in which he passed away… Well I suppose that if we assume all of this was mainly a dream, then the desire to see them happy isn’t really needed, because the viewer can imagine the rest as they wish starting from San waking up from his dream/nightmare.

To conclude, I really hope our 2 actors can work again together in the future. A drama with the reincarnation trope based on Deok Im’s line « If you see me in the next like, I hope you will pass me by/pretend not to know me » would be perfect (with a clear happy ending this time pretty please).

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I regret it

I binge-watched it and I regret it. The creators did manage to keep me on the edge of my seat until almost the end (episode 16), but they gave nothing in return for all the waiting! A lot of the characters were not thoroughly developed, a lot of storylines were started and finished in a few episodes with only a thin thread to keep all the episodes latched together. Plus, I did not like the FL way of acting, especially in the second half, she almost did not have any facial expressions at all. There was no chemistry between the actors... The ML actor, however, was very good, he had to carry the all show on his shoulders.

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Good acting gone waste!

Had picked this one up to cure the heart ache Mr queen had given, owing to such high rating on MDL. Now revisiting the reviews, iam worried, Did we see the same drama?
This was one was a 'meh' for me.
The leads were good, jun ho was commendable.
But the story, was a total waste of time. 20hrs spent in hope of finding a glimpse of what was promised.
Yes it was poetic, some dialogues were worthy but the entire plot was like a pot which was simmering for nothing.
Charachters were not curated well enough, the king who was portrayed as one of the best of Joseon, didnt come through as some one with sympathy or empathy. He repeatedly tells the FL that she is his property!!!! But not vice versa
The FL was more confusing. Even though shown as an epitome of feminism, never had goals. She had to reject the king because she knew she will lose her identity if she becomes a concubine. But after a while she agrees to become one! Never understood why was she having the "eccentric korean ML syndrome!
The supporting charachters had no story, the light comedy scenes felt forced.
Yes I did shed tears but when it was all done I was left with the question, what was the point of it all...
Was he a good king? No achievements were shown! Was there a decent villian to bring it all together? No!
So overall it was a waste of my time! Give me back my 20 hrs... Even few glimpses of the swooning jun ho couldnt pacify my utter disappointment with the show!

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Extremely overated

This is a hard No for me..
The storyline was very weak.
I was extremely bored by 6th episode.
Goodness the pace was sooooooo sloww!! They took forever to finish a sentence. I watched it at 2x speed most of the time.
The Male lead Prince then king is the only saving grace in this drama in my opinion he sort of carried the show.
The FL (face palm) so cringey . From the synopsis o expected a tough admirable girl yet the gave this sheepish girlish sulky character.
Why are there so many good reviews. What did people watch, I doubt it's the same thing I watched.
The only okayish parts were some parts between ep13-16.
Then behold we have the Trainwreck that was episode 17. They should have left this out. It was pointlessly sad. Like did everyone have to die. The deaths don't even look like part of the story.
Oh well.

Yours faithfully,
Disappointed fan

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Highly recommended historical drama! MUST WATCHED!!

Highly recommended historical drama! MUST watched! The plot is very interesting and unique from the past historical dramas I've watched, overflowing chemistry of junho and Lee se young getting stronger in each episode.I enjoy watching and waiting for more romantic moments of the two. Hoping they will have a happy ending. ❤️


Highly recommended historical drama! MUST watched! The plot is very interesting and unique from the past historical dramas I've watched, overflowing chemistry of junho and Lee se young getting stronger in each episode.I enjoy watching and waiting for more romantic moments of the two. Hoping they will have a happy ending. ❤️

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