To give context, as of today (Sept 26) I have finished through episode 26. I'm watching on Viki. Don't worry about spoilers. I don't mind them.

I pretty much like this drama. Before it started I was primed for it because of ML, but the first couple episodes kind of put me off. I thought I might skip through a bit, but I kept on and I'm finding I like a lot of it. It's extremely well made. The sets, the costumes, the actors are all top notch. I don't think anyone could find fault with that (but if you can don't hesitate to say what you think). But that doesn't mean there aren't things that bother me.

The issue I have with the first episode in particular is the mass suicide of the all the women being started by the little girl. First of all seeing a little girl in this situation was heartbreaking and almost unbearable to watch. I dislike children and animals dying in dramas/books and sometimes that's a deal breaker for me. Beyond that it was a bit difficult to hear her speaking with the maturity of a grown woman. That did not seem realistic to me. I'm conflicted on the grandfather standing up for his principles at the expense of the lives of his entire family. I don't even know how to put myself in these people's position to try to understand. It's just too far removed from anything I can imagine.

One other thing I find problematic is the way the FL carries on with no real sign of PTSD. And again this is so far out of my depth that I can't really understand her reaction. It seems like she should be at least somewhat angry, but she has the most positive response to everything that she doesn't even seem human at times.

And the ML? Oh boy is his character difficult to deal with! The most glaring is his obtaining a royal decree to marry FL without even talking to her. I know that women had no rights, but it's not at all romantic and then there's the drugging issue. Again how do I even put myself in either of these character's positions when in our world forced marriage/drugging would cause a huge outcry and would be a cause for lawsuits.

So what do y'all think? Do these or other issues bother you? Are you able to get past them or are there other problems you take issue with? Another question I ask myself frequently when watching a drama: How does the fact that I like a particular actor/actress factor into how much I'll let their character get away with? Maybe I should start a discussion on that topic.