The Red Sleeve

The king loved the court lady, but did the court lady love the king?

This is gonna be a lengthy review because it will also summarize what other viewers disliked and liked, and i'll express my opinion about those. Don't worry because ill put a ( SPOILER ) and ( END OF SPOILER ) notice at every part that contains one.

The Red Sleeve is a sageuk that will remain in your heart for an eternity, truly an unforgettable one. The fact that it's based on a true romance in history makes it a lot more impactful. If you're a sucker for true to life stories, then this is the one for you.

This is not the typical and most ideal romance, especially considering their differences in character such as their social class, beliefs and priorities. No matter how much we want everything to go smoothly, that will never happen especially in that era. This is not the lovey dovey story you might have in prospect for- and it was never supposed to be. From the start- the director and cast emphasized it as a "mournful court romance", and it stayed true to its elucidation.

The story and characters are a immeasurably more complex than it seems. It was challenging to analyze the scenarios because it does not portray and give details in a straightforward way. You need a vast effort to consider the context of the story and put yourself in their shoes to fully understand the character, in which a lot of people seemed to have conflicted in.

Now I'm gonna talk about the elements I saw some people didn't like to state my counterarguments because a lot watched this impetously without rumination over what kind of narrative it intended to be. But I'm also gonna address those I didn't like as well.

1. Palace politics
A lot claimed the palace politics to be boring and unnecessary. I beg to differ. It wouldn't be plausible if Yi San had it easy taking the throne because he's the son of one of the most controversial crown princes. The palace politics also effectuated us to go in depth to Yisan and King Yeongjo's character and relationship. More importantly, it showed how Deokim was solely the one who cared for yi san without pretense during those times (maybe alongside taeho), thus contributing immensely to how she earned a special place in his heart.

( SPOILER ) What I found unnecessary though was that it had to be a cult of court ladies. the details of any scene related to it that would happen later on could be replaced with ease. The court ladies being the assassins was essential, but having a whole hideout underneath Court Lady Cho's room was just ridiculous. ( END OF SPOILER )

The politics could've been better, but it wasn't necessarily something I disliked.

2. Pacing
Not that it's something i hated, but I do agree that the pacing was undoubtedly the one that is responsible for most of the drama's shortcomings, fortunately everything else managed to compensate for it. The mid part should've been a bit faster, while the last 6 episodes should've been slower. It's as if they were taking their time then they suddenly realize there are only a few episodes left. The drama should've had no less than 20 episodes. They should've wisely pondered how many and which subplots of the novel would fit in those 16 episodes. It would've been hard to immerse in the scenes if the acting wasn't out of this world. If it had a few more episodes, the latter part would've been perfect. This also would've gave way to more scenes that would complete the drama and make it more impactful.

( SPOILER ) I particularly wanted a happy scene of Yisan, Deokim and Crown Prince Munhyo. Yisan has always wanted to create a family with Deokim, but only their son's death was shown. This would've also made his death more griefful. Second is I also wanted Deokim's funeral to be shown, that way it will contrast how Deokim, like Yeongbin in the first episode and unlike Court Lady Cho, died in the palace in an honored way. I also wish that when King Jeongjo was grieving for Deokim, the very famous epitaph he wrote about her was narrated. ( END OF SPOILER ) Due to the limited number of episodes, these scenes couldn't fit in the story but I feel like they were really necessary. An extension to 20 episodes would've done the trick and MBC really should've extended it, considering it's their most successful drama after years.

4. Yisan and Deokim's character
I have a lot to say about this because it appears to me that some people didn't fully go tactfully understand their temperament.
Yisan - was disliked due to a few of his actions towards deokim. On the drama's defense, Yisan in the novel was portrayed as an arrogant asshole. Drama Yisan was actually a very polished form of novel yisan. I don't blame them for disfavoring him, he did a few actions that would turn you off especially if you're envisioning him to fit the 21st century standards, but his character was never supposed to be ideal. I also think that those actions were able to emphasize the power disparity between the two and Yisan's burning desire for Deokim. Even Junho himself highlighted Yisan's "dangerous love". I still appreciate Yisan for never coercing deokim to be his concubine even if it wouldn't be a problem for him to do so, and that the grounds of his anger was never because of her rejection. In fact, it's a very rare case for a court lady to be able to reject a crown prince or a king (and multiple times at that) because it would mean death for them. This just proves he isn't really the red flag some label him to be, particularly in the era they were in. Because i thoroughly understood the circumstances, he didn't trouble me much (I don't blame those who were though). I guess Yisan's romantic side overpowered his flaws for me, and he's such a simp for deokim lmao. Nonetheless, this does not mean he is worship worthy (assuredly the drama did not portray him as such).

Deokim - was disliked for her constant rejections. They could've reduced the rejections a bit, but it didn't matter to me much because her reasoning was understandable. If you ask me, her constant rejection is the core of the story. It gave weightage to her character being firm to her beliefs and priorities. It is true that the real life Deokim rejected Yisan multiple times and yisan actually had to wait for 15 years for her (which was already condensed in the drama). At any rate, there is no doubt that those who hated on Deokim for this reason straightway regretted it after finishing the drama. The last 2 episodes were definitely a slap to their face.


Now onto the things that we all liked <3
// Acting
Every single one of the actors should be considered top tier, even those whose names you've never heard of. Despite the drama's flaws, the acting managed to make up for it. It's been a while since I've seen a sageuk with such praiseworthy actors- even the supporting cast will astonish you. The drama really made a lot of actors' acting skills shine in the dark. Lee Junho utterly embodied Yisan, his character was complex and difficult to portray without looking awkward, but he did it perfectly. While of course our Lee Seyoung, deserves to be applaud for her subtle yet deep facial expressions converying the fathomless emotions of Sung Deokim.

// Cinematography
Second to Mr Sunshine, this undoubtedly has the best cinematography of all time for me. The hues and shots are beyond words. I think it's because the director is a woman, she managed to get us exactly what we wanted in the most beautiful way possible specially because the drama extensively portrays women's struggles.

// Complex characters
I absolutely adore how none of the characters are plain, their personalities are well made and very inticrate. Everyone shows a new side after some time, even the villains will prompt you to sympathize with them (that hwabitch is an exception tho). This makes it challenging to observe each of the characters and how they develop overtime. Additionally, I'm a sucker for characters whose personalities aren't typical.

// Amazing chemistry
As we all say, the drama is a heavy melodrama, whilst the behind the scenes is a whole romcom. THEIR CHEMISTRY IS DREAMY. the combinations were something we didn't expect, but it was absolutely perfect. It fascinates me they thought of putting together such a cast and especially the two leads.

It is crystal clear how the drama won 8 awards out of 13 nominations while it was still ongoing. The quality is out of this world. The writing is not perfect, but to be honest I don't remember what the flaws exactly were because the rest was too magnificent and impactful! It's hard to describe the writing, but let's just say it was imperfect, yet perfectly beautiful. It's impossible to think rationally after ending the drama, there were a lot lines that will forever be engraved in my heart, as well as lines that stabbed a knife in it perennially. Even if the writing had flaws, I couldn't be more gratified with the script.

The beauty of this drama is that everything is very complex. It allows the viewers to have varying opinions and interpretations about the characters and scenes. The drama also doesn't gloss over the obvious power gap between the two main leads, it displays the reality of a king and a "lowly" court lady's story in that era. I liked that the story didn't limit itself to what the viewers will fancy, it's really only for those who want emotional tension. The drama is distant from a tender romance, nothing will ever go as you want here. The two main leads really went through a lot, as much as it was draining, it made their sunny moments a whole lot special. This is the first time I've come across a kdrama wherein 3 still cuts of them smiling at each other made me cry a lot. The joy and relief you'll feel because they're finally happy together (at least in that scene) is out of this world. The Red Sleeve made me experience a lot of emotions I've never went through even if I've watched over a hundred kdramas, especially the angst.

If there was a quote in the drama that would summarize the whole story, it would be queen dowager's line- "The palace is such a dazzling prison". The Red Sleeve beautifully portrayed the reality of Joseon era. The harsh reality and struggles of the people who lived in the palace, particularly women. I don't think i've ever seen a kdrama portray the agony of various types of people living in joseon as exquisitely as the red sleeve does- from the lowest to the highest class, you'll see everyone's story. Of course, the narrative itself centers around our dearest Deokim. The angst of this drama is just different from all other kdramas with tragedies, mayhap it's because there are not a lot of happy elements.

If you read my whole review, you should've perceived whether or not what you're looking for is in the drama. If your conclusion is to watch it, I'm gonna relay to you this exact question that was rendered to us before the drama aired. It's your turn to find out the answer whilst you watch the drama.

"The king loved the court lady, but did the court lady love the king?"

Your answer may change multiple times just like mine did. But as you reach the end, you'll eventually find the answer. Good luck to you and have fun watching !! Oh and prepare a box of tissues because this is emotionally draining. Make sure to read about the real story of King Jeongjo and Uibin Seong after watching or maybe while watching, it hits different when you know which parts are true to life.

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the drama that made my new year a cry fest...

i started watching this drama just like that and without knowing that this is based on a real story. the initial episodes were fun and i thought its a simple rom-com. oh by! was i wrong. this one made me cry a river.
this one is undoubtedly among one of my all-time favourite dramas.
lee junho and lee seyoung have done an amazing job at both acting and having great chemistry. they both were flawless and so was the rest of the cast. a special shout out for lee deaok hwa. he had such a complex character to play. lee junho's stares deserves a special mention. they are hot as hell.

the only drawback in the story according to me was in the middle when they gave too much importance to the court ladies cult. it kind of looked out of place and the entire ton of the drama changed a bit.

i guess this is the only kdrama sageuk that i have watched which isn't a fusion sageuk or fantasy sageuk. the feel was much more real and intense with this one. this is totally a much watch drama.

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Big Sad

I really did love this show. I think it was better at the start than towards the end, I know it was meant to be sad but it did get a little slow. Additionally, some of the plot points felt a bit rushed. I’m conflicted about the king because he was attractive and well written but at the same time he was inconsiderate and most of the time only thought of himself. Plus the parts where he almost forced himself on Deok Im really put me off. I get that it’s probably historically accurate for him to be this way but in a fictional drama that focuses more on the romance, it wasn’t really necessary. The acting and visuals however were incredible! I also enjoyed the balance between the romance and political side, neither felt like too much.

I’m sad now, in two ways. One is that of course the ending in general is sad for explicit reasons. The other is due to how the drama portrayed the misogyny of the past, and how all women no matter their standing or class never got to have the life they truly wanted. My heart pained so much for Deok Im and the other women in the palace. Even the Dowager Queen who was trapped forever and not able to leave for her brother’s funeral. It makes me understand more perhaps why they decided to make the king forceful towards Deok Im, emphasising how little power women had to make their own decisions (still didn’t like it though bc we were then meant to love this guy). Anyway I definitely think I will find myself rewatching this.

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The oppressive cost of power and order

I’ve just binge-watched this show. I hadn’t intended to but I was caught up with it because I was fascinated by the focus on the limitations and demands of order. If you’ve come in hopes of a standard romance, then you may well be disappointed, because love is shown to be just another victim of the rapaciousness of order, flapping pathetically like a bird in a gilded cage. But hopefully the deeper and more thoughtful themes in this show will captivate your interest.

The drama explores the necessities required by order to maintain itself. To sustain a cohesive society with all its factions it is necessary for the powerful to be bound. The necessity to prevent rebellion/chaos and maintain order is alive in every rule. Loyalty is the only currency. Loyalty is to the one you serve and once that person is dead, you are unceremoniously ejected from the seat of power as your loyalties are no longer fixed and therefore questionable. Everyone, including the king is bound by those rules and must follow them or pay a heavy, and often fatal, price. Within the confines of the palace freedom is the illusion that everyone craves.

The oppressive cost of power is explored through a number of characters, who deal with the shackles in different ways. Some scheme to undermine it, some scheme to try to create safety for their own group, some feign ignorance and keep their heads down, some scheme to gain unassailable power. The FL resists it, fighting to keep a tenuous hold on the fragment of autonomy that she has carved out for herself. Universally, everyone is forced to hide their true feelings and conform to what is required of their role. The suffocation of those endless formal bows and the life spent simply third in line, half bent over, in the small procession that follows the king everywhere he goes. But in the end there is only one way to survive, as one of the characters says, (paraphrased) “if you can’t beat them, join them and go with the flow”.

The role of women is particularly explored here and it is no surprise that the uniqueness of this drama is the result of a female perspective, both in terms of the writer and the director. If you liked the film “The Piano” (Jane Campion) then you will see echoes here of how sex and genuine love are used to “buy” relief from loneliness and the burden of responsibility, and the options available to women in response to those demands.

In terms of the acting, both leads were very convincing in their parts and were surrounded by a good supporting cast. The script was not outstanding in my opinion, but more than adequate to the task. It occasionally slipped into mawkishness, but also surprised in other places. In a drama that relied on the believability of the relationships, the plot lost me sometimes, particularly with regard to the letter and the kidnappings scenarios. However, I can credit that they were used to illustrate broader themes.

Overall this was a surprisingly good drama that far exceeded my expectations and gave me a lot to think about. Recommended!

What my rating means: 8+ A great drama with interesting content and good writing, direction, acting, OST, cinematography. But didn’t quite have the requisite sparkle to bump it into my all-time fave list. Worth watching.

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Does he love her more than she loves him?

It was a good thing I reduced my expectations for this drama despite all the hype and positive reviews otherwise I would have been more disappointed with this drama.

Being a romantic at heart, the dramas that move me are the ones where the both the ML and FL show their love for each other after overcoming numerous pitfalls. In this drama, just when I thought the leads reached this point, the story tried to be different by continuing to portray the FL hiding her true feelings from the ML right up to the point of her demise.

Major spoiler - I had my own interpretation of why she did that at her deathbed. Perhaps she loved him so much she wanted to do the classic “hurt him so he forgets her” move which was also hinted at when one of her best friends tries to tell the ML about the FL’s love for him when she gives him the FL’s momentos.

The beginning was good particularly seeing how the ML come to terms with his growing love for the FL. I enjoyed seeing him portray a range of emotions from joy (when he overheard her telling her friends she liked him), yearning (the last time he asked her to be with him) to pain (when he was looking through her momentos).

On the other had, I didn’t connect much with the FL expressions especially her wide eyed surprised / shocked looks which started to annoy me whenever I saw it. The storyline didn’t help win any points with me either as it got tiring to see her continuously be vague about her feelings for the ML. Even the flashback scene of them with their newborn was lacking in love on her part. And the ending scene which was supposed to be sweet and romantic didn’t deliver as her expressions looked so controlled as she smiled at him. (Reminds me of how an empress needed to smile - a fake one just to show a pleasant face)

The pacing for this drama was a bit slow at times so I ended up multitasking with my iPad while watching it - not a good sign which is why this drama didn’t end up as one of my favourites.

What saved the day was the gorgeous costumes and beautiful cinematography. I loved the lighting, sets and props which gave it a very authentic feel and transported me back in time.

So, does he love her more than she loves him?

The answer for me is that they both love each other but he was more open in showing his love to her throughout. And while I understand why she hid her feelings in the beginning, the romance died down when she went back to hiding her feelings after the brief loving moment of their first night together. If only there were some scenes to show mutual genuine love after she became his consort...

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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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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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A Heart has a soul

i liked the all setting of the drama the story line the characters most especially the female leading who is my best actress
the drama was very cool though the ending is not nice
i liked the music it was mactching the historical setting of the drama
the acting of both the male lead and the female lead was perfect
the pairing was on point.
Lee Jun Ho was a huge stand out with his nuanced and emotional acting. He thoroughly immersed himself as Yi San - a character filled with raw loneliness after decades of emotional manipulation. Someone who bears an immeasurable burden left by the ghost of his mentally unstable father, all while struggling to hold on to his birthright against scheming enemies. Jun Ho completely smashed the stereotypes of "weak idol acting" as he convincingly balances the expected gravitas of a duty bound royal, with the sensitivity of a man who is devoted in love after finding the one person who becomes his “light in the darkness”.

Lee Se Young was also just as impeccable as the intelligent and strong willed court lady Deok Im, who strives desperately to retain her identity and the little sense of autonomy that a woman might ever deign to desire in an ancient patriarchal society. Her constant craving for freedom struggles fiercely against her blooming feelings for someone who is entirely entrenched in everything she is trying to stay away from. Se Young's delicate micro-expressions and befitting body language documenting the push and pull she felt in every episode, is product of her long experience in acting and she was just completely masterful.

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Best Historical Drama ive seen in a while. Absolutley Wholesome.

I have loved every minute of this drama. Finally crown Prince in a drama who is not weak, studip or easy to target of course with the help of Deok-im. Many historical kdramas have almost the same scenes but every episode in this drama can stand on it own right with every one of the 17eps having a different twist and charm but yet all connect together.
Lee Jun Ho was just perfect for his role as a king I could feel his love for Deok-im and his ambition and duty to be a good king for his nation right from the start of him being a crown prince to being a king. By far the most loved character for me was Seong Deok-im and her unwavering and loyal with a big generous heart of Course Lee See Young did a fantastic job with her character making us feel every emotions she was going through.
One of the most memorable period dramas about love I've ever seen so far. Althought this love story was sad ending for San Yi and Doek-Im you could tell they did love eachother. i like that this drama stuck to the history of which the drama is adapted from by getting us to wonder if there was any foul play regarding to the death of Doek-Im and her son but i also love that they also gave us a drama ending see them both reunited in the after life.
Everything about this drama was just perfect from the ML & FL's chemistry, to everyonce of the cast who performed their characters perfectly I could not have asked for a better drama .
Highly recommended for people who are looking for a Historical drama to watch. This drama reminds me of why i started to watch kdrama in the first place . Love Love Love

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A fatally beautiful saeguk.

I'm not a fan of Saeguks. Or extremely political dramas which involve power play and betrayals. My first Saeguk was 'Moon Embracing the Sun', which I sat through solely due to my sudden interest in watching Kim So Hyun's works. Though it was a unique experience, I would not say that it was excellent. Same goes for 'The Tale of Nokdu', where all the interwoven politics went over my head.

I started The Red Sleeve purely after being impelled to do so by reading the exalted emotions on the kisskh comment section. (The first GIF I saw in Tumblr was the one where Deok Im says that she has a cold.)
Never did I expect to flash through all the twelve episodes released at that time within two days. Based on real historical figures and incidents, the drama follows the life of Sung Deok Im, a happy-go-lucky young court lady who is destined to serve the Crown Prince for the rest of her life. Content with her future, she finds joy among her friends and doing the things that she loves the most, enjoying the freedom that she got.
Until a chance event leads her right to the Crown Prince, Yi San, who although initially annoyed by her antics, slowly warms up to her.
Struggling to untangle herself from schemes of Yi San's rivals and attempting to navigate through her duties and protecting the Crown Prince, Deok Im soon starts to realize that life within a palace is not as she thought it was going to be.

What made this drama win me over was the solid script which equally divided the screen time between palace politics, the court ladies and the angst-inducing romance of the leads. Although the initial episodes leaned more towards the style of a comedic romance, the ominous foreshadowings of what lay ahead are already planted right on the first episode. Thanks to this being based on real individuals, I was prepared for what lay ahead.

I've never seen the lead actors before, so I am unable to evaluate them based on their previous works. But, every single characters' performance was captivating.

Deok Im is hands down one of my all time favorite characters. Aside from the romantic aspect, she is a strong lady who is unafraid to say no when required. Considering that this drama is set during the early 1700s when common women had little to no power, I loved how she went against the social norms of those times.
"The Crown Prince is dear, but myself is dearer."
As a result, her relationship with Yi San is of the excessively slow burn type, but it never once hindered my enjoyment as the subplots had almost equal importance as their personal tale. I had seen several comments about how her character went overboard multiple times, but I vehemently support her very tame outbursts as Yi San himself refused to often understand his boundaries. Lee Se Young almost perfectly portrayed Deok Im's slow decline into despondence. Her bright smile and sunny attitude was nowhere to be found after the initial episodes. Sometimes, I would rewatch an episode and then wonder how things went downhill for her so suddenly.

Yi San is the one character who had the most pivotal role. We see him slowly take on his responsibilities and start to grow from a slightly carefree prince to a ruthless King. This tone shift is starkly represented, particularly after EP11. I admit, he scared me often with his actions. He would be empathetic during one time, then pretty much ruin that by unfurling his deepest emotions and having sudden bursts of anger. But, I can understand why he reacted the way he did. According to fans/viewers who know history, their love story was not an easy one.

Lee Jun Ho and Lee Se Young delivered stunning performances. I will be keeping an eye out for both the actors' future works from now on.

I loved the friendship between Deok Im and her friends; also her relationship with Wol Hye (a senior court lady) and Lady Seo (her mentor). The final episodes in particular made me realize why they were an integral art of her life and how they helped shape her choices.
Lady Seo knew Deok Im the most. It pained me to see her cry.

Special mention to Yi San's personal guard and the eunuch, who were a regular presence straight from the start. The duo and Lady Seo provided the bit of comedic relief that I wanted.

(One unexpectedly touching moment was a brief conversation between Princess Hwahan and her adopted son. It made me tear up surprisingly. Hong Deok Ro was another muddled character whom I couldn't hate.)

The Red Sleeve relied on visual portrayal rather than verbosity. Deok Im and Yi San's real romance barely lasted for four episodes before Deok Im starts to realize that giving up her confined freedom for life as a consort was not worth it.
The drama has politics, but I wasn't disinterested or muddled about what was going on. Though there were episodes where I failed to trace out who was whose sibling/aunty/uncle/brother, it was understandable and engaging. The main King, who has a very strange man, made me feel like either something was wrong with him or with me. Breathe on him the wrong way and there is a high chance we will be leaving the palace without our heads. I could feel the urgency and tension of the characters whenever something happened. The scenes between him and his Grandson were highly emotional.

And the million rules…. I'm suddenly happy that such a Monarchical system has ceased to exist or else I would've self exiled myself. The stiffling life of the Concubines was hard to watch. The Queen Dowager was a regular character who was the most insightful and enigmatic person to me. I realized by the end that she was a wise woman who was worthy of her title.

Yi San and Deok Im's love story is what someone on tumblr mentioned, almost Austen-like. (I'd say Bronte type too.) I understood why it was drawn out. The original story had the king wait for Deok Im for 15 years. This drama somehow managed to stuff that into 17 episodes. Though, I personally feel that it should've been drawn out to some 18 or 20 episodes for a smoother transition.

Scratch that. After finishing EP16, I wanted the drama to end as quickly as possible. It left me with a tumult of mixed emotions. I didn't know if there was anyone to be blamed or hated. I wished that fate itself could get undone. Watching the final episodes was like watching a train wreck.

The background music was enchanting and haunting. Though I was not a huge fan of the songs, I did notice that they progressively went from light hearted to plain heart breaking as the intensity of emotions attained a peak.

The scriptwriter did not resort to any forced scenarios and tried to stick to the book as much as possible. While half of the Red Sleeve is a nerve-wracking mess, I do not regret spending my time for it. It also solidified my opinion on why I hate palace dramas so much.

Definitely an outstanding production that deserves every bit of love.

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is it possible to love while retaining one's independence and freedom?

One of the absolute best historical dramas came in The Red Sleeve- a gut wrenching, tightly woven, and intricately created drama that told the story between a Crown Prince-turned King and a "lowly court lady." Usually many historicals fall flat for me as the story line drags on, but I'm happy to announce that The Red Sleeve had none of that.

Right from the start, we are thrown into the life of Sung Deok Im, a court lady who has served the Crown Prince her whole life. She's content with her position- serving the Prince while being accompanied by her three friends. I loved every moment of their bickering, yet the drama highlighted how tightly knit these court ladies were together. Like many historical dramas, Red Sleeve transitions from light comical moments to deeper scenes as the episodes progresses- this is noticeable when the Yi San (Crown Prince) falls in love with Deok Im. Deok Im's strong desire to maintain her independence and free will as a court lady contradicts her feelings for Yi San, and the drama pushes and pulls at these feelings.

One of the central themes of the drama is power imbalance. It may be uncomfortable for viewers to experience, but it accurately portrayed the power of the royalty vs. the common folk. Deok Im herself has called herself a "lowly maid", and at times, Yi San can be seen doing the same. Yet, as he realizes how much of a role Deok Im has played in his life, his attitudes towards court maids began to change.

Without spoilers, the drama ultimately made me feel absolutely raw towards the end, but the relationship dynamic between the two main leads were absolutely captivating and beautiful. Lee SeYoung and Junho brought their characters to life and breathed fresh air into the historical genre. While the OSTs (imho) weren't quite memorable, they did serve to accompany more dramatic and intense scenes when called for.

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More than a simple love story

I came into this expecting the typical romance with some palace intruigue, but what I got was so much more. The way the story progressed through the lifetime of Deok Im and San was beautifully done, to me. I found myself completely immersed in the story and always wanting more. Even at the end, I wanted more, not because I felt they did a poor job of using the time, but because I just wanted to spend a little more time with these characters.

Although the tone shifted to a slower, more mature tale in the second half, it fit with the narrative and I never felt lost or unhappy. The acting was perfect as every actor delivered on their characters from start to finish; the music fit every scene to a tee and enhanced the storytelling perfectly; the directing was expertly done along with the cinematography; and the writing was *chef's kiss*, beautiful and meaningful.

I will be thinking of this drama for a very long time and missing my favourite court ladies for all eternity.

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