Celebrity 
This review may contain spoilers
Not Nearly as Scandalous as Expected
I came for the same reason as a lot of people — the lead cast. Son Ye-jin is finally back, paired with Ji Chang-wook, and Nana is in it too. That alone was enough to sell me on it. I was also curious how scandalous it would actually be… but honestly, it’s nowhere near as scandalous as I expected. It’s much safer than I thought. For me, this is easily one of the worst Korean dramas of the year.
The story is incredibly boring from start to finish. The pacing is painfully slow, the plot is stretched thin, and it feels like there’s barely any real story at all. Eight episodes is way too many for this material. It’s promoted as explicit, but it’s only sensual, not truly erotic. The sex scenes between Ji Chang-wook and Nana are the most bland and possibly the most unnecessary scenes in the entire series. The directing tries really hard to hide the fact that they used body doubles — long shots and certain angles just don’t look natural at all. The seductive scene of So Ok teasing Cho Won is done much better. And overall, there aren’t even that many of these scenes.
Son Ye-jin as Lady Cho… I don’t have much to say. She has strong presence, but at times she feels a bit stiff. Ji Chang-wook as Cho Won is excellent. The gradual mental breakdown and collapse of his character is portrayed with great detail and nuance. His persistent pursuit of Hui Yeon is also quite funny. Nana as Hui Yeon is a miscast for me. She looks very beautiful in this role, but her face just doesn’t fit the Joseon era at all. And while I know it’s her personal choice, I really don’t like her lip fillers. Her performance also feels stiff and quite flat. For me, there’s zero chemistry between Ji Chang-wook and Son Ye-jin. The chemistry between Ji Chang-wook and Nana is better, but still nothing special. The music doesn’t really fit the period either. The cinematography, lighting, and visuals are gorgeous.
Overall, The only reason I would recommend this drama is if you’re a fan of Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook, or Nana. If you’re not, you can safely skip it.
The story is incredibly boring from start to finish. The pacing is painfully slow, the plot is stretched thin, and it feels like there’s barely any real story at all. Eight episodes is way too many for this material. It’s promoted as explicit, but it’s only sensual, not truly erotic. The sex scenes between Ji Chang-wook and Nana are the most bland and possibly the most unnecessary scenes in the entire series. The directing tries really hard to hide the fact that they used body doubles — long shots and certain angles just don’t look natural at all. The seductive scene of So Ok teasing Cho Won is done much better. And overall, there aren’t even that many of these scenes.
Son Ye-jin as Lady Cho… I don’t have much to say. She has strong presence, but at times she feels a bit stiff. Ji Chang-wook as Cho Won is excellent. The gradual mental breakdown and collapse of his character is portrayed with great detail and nuance. His persistent pursuit of Hui Yeon is also quite funny. Nana as Hui Yeon is a miscast for me. She looks very beautiful in this role, but her face just doesn’t fit the Joseon era at all. And while I know it’s her personal choice, I really don’t like her lip fillers. Her performance also feels stiff and quite flat. For me, there’s zero chemistry between Ji Chang-wook and Son Ye-jin. The chemistry between Ji Chang-wook and Nana is better, but still nothing special. The music doesn’t really fit the period either. The cinematography, lighting, and visuals are gorgeous.
Overall, The only reason I would recommend this drama is if you’re a fan of Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook, or Nana. If you’re not, you can safely skip it.
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