Do hee

Same, I always look up the rating the next day. But international viewers can't do anything about it, sadly 🤧
I think the ratings jump between Ep 4 and Ep 5 is very imp, I've seen it happen to many good dramas (e.g. EAW) starts out slow but from ep 5 it goes above 7%, I hope it happens with this one🤞

IKR!!! This is precisely why I love this, is there any other male lead like him in a sageuk? I don't think so! It's so hilarious and refreshing to see, at the same time. LOVE IT

But I think this time, even though this a romance, the character of Lee Jang Hyun has some of the traits from his previous characters that are so well-know, and can only be portrayed by an actor of his calibre. And Ahn Eun Jin is phenomenal as his romantic interest. Tbh I think he should stay away from conventional romcoms and romances overall, just my opinion. Like he has so much more to offer than those roles demand.

Yes, you're right and I have watched Mr. Sunshine, and I think this will be much more gory.

manifesting for double digit ratings 🙏

It honestly deserves to get higher ratings, like the kind of work they have put into this project and the production value is so incredible. Hope they achieve even better ratings soon!🤞

Yes, he is indeed a grey character. The narrative from the start has hinted at this. A pragmatist and a clever tradesman. Sometimes he wavers, like with gilchae and has shown great kindness to the village, but even then, he always gets something in return. I think he is a character who trusts no one except himself and his insticts.
He told gilchae that he doesn't care about others, when she mentioned that the entire village cannot evacuate through the route he pointed out. So, clearly he could have warned the others even if people might not listen or trust him, but he chose not to.

And that's what makes it so interesting, how does a man like him get involved in war and whose side will he pick because I don't think he is patriotic. lol

You must, there are so many visually stunning scenes, like the cinematography is brilliant!

If you check out any of the trailers for the show, you'll find plenty of snippets of war action.

The major plot is the Qing invasion (=war) and how that affects the leads, the ML and SML can be seen in battle/fight scenes in the trailers as well...how can you conclude from only first two episodes that there won't be any action?! Also, Nam Koong Min is known for doing action and the director himself has worked in action project before, so we'll definitely have well shot action scenes.

Yes, gil chae is so fun to watch, like I love her hilarious tactics. And you're so right, I cannot believe how attractive Nam koong min is looking in this drama, like all his face shots are so damn beautiful. I had watched Hot Stove League a long time ago and I'll be honest, I forgot what he looked like in that drama. Obviously due to the genre and tone of that show they weren't focused on aesthetics but here I can't help but pause to admire his perfect face, I've got it bad lol. I'm glad that because of the historical genre we get to see so many aesthetically pleasing shots, not just him but the FL and the second leads.

I don't know the name of the instrument, but just wanted to say, I'm so glad someone else is intrigued by the music used in this kdrama, the score is so unique and interesting, like it has so much character. It is different than usual historical drama scores, so sometimes I'm like taken aback but then it also suits the scenes so well overall. I'm really looking forward to the ost

your comment perfectly sums up my opinion on the first two episodes. I love how we know absolutely nothing about the male lead and yet he is so charming and I'm getting so invested in this ship. Also, damn the flirting got me screaming punching the air. They look beautiful together and their dynamic is brilliant, like their verbal exchanges so far are fun and engaging. It does not seem forced so the chemistry is effortless, I absolutely love that. honestly, I don't enjoy the political war bits, idk it is a bit draining for me, but because I'm loving the chemistry of our leads so much I'm gonna sit through the 23 year journey. Cannot wait for Ep 3!!!!!

yep I saw that too, I think Ryan eum could have one sided feelings for jang hyun...but let's see, for now it seems he is protective of him, like he seemed a little bit obsessive about jang hyun not getting hurt. We don't know their backstory and what kind of things they had to go through to survive, so it could be that, because their background is def shady

Till ep 2, he is the only side character whose backstory I'm REALLY interested in knowing, he definitely has a very mysterious vibe about him, including his profession, how did he get to know the ML and know about weird foreign(?) guys jang hyun met at the market, I honestly didn't get who they were, but anyway

woah this just got more interesting. I didn't know about the character chart thing, so thank you.
If they are like sworn brothers, I love that but I hope he remains loyal to Jang Hyun till the end and does not betray him which could happen in these types of dramas, due to jealousy or what not lol. But if we're given any hints that he is queer or of him having feelings for jang hyun, I'd LOVE to watch that too.

This! You're totally right. I have to disagree with what the OP said above about "asian dramas". We must consider the historical context before judging a female character. Her character and actions seem logical given her social status and the period of time. Tbh I think her frivolity and bold attitude towards romantic relationships seems a bit modern. Ofc a writer is free to create a fictional historical female character with more agency and personal ambition that aligns with the traits we assign to "strong" female characters, an example could be Go Aeshin from Mr. Sunshine. However, I think we will get to see Gilchae's strength too as she faces the turmoil of war. Her 'desperate' behaviour has more to do with the constraining social space she is put into where marriage is the only option to have an upwards mobility in life and in society for a woman at that time. I think she is very cunning and ambitious given her status. I'm sure once her rosy worldview is shattered because of the war, we will see character development in her.

Yes, I have hopes for this too. Altho I can endure a "good" sad ending like Mr. Sunshine, I want to see our leads in this show survive till the end. Since they are already hinting at tragedy it will be a nice surprise if we get a happy ending.

Yes, I love how both the lead characters are so layered. And we have two actors who have talent to portray those layers perfectly.
Also, like you said, they both have traits that one might find revolting for lead characters in a kdrama romance, they are both gray characters - with his shady background and all her snobbery, and yet we get to see glimpses of their raw feelings when they're both vulnerable. But I think that's what makes the story so interesting, usually we have patriotic/noble characters who are ambitious for grand reasons but here they both come off as very self-interested, materialistic and vain. Given the war background it will be interesting to see how they deal with the turmoil, try to survive and how this effects their character development. I'm especially interested in seeing the FL experience those things, as she has led a very privileged life in her safe little world.

Idk about other historical shows, but most historical shows I've watched that have to deal with a lot of politics/war and give that "historical epic" kinda vibe have had heartwrenching tragic endings. I'm REALLY hoping this one would have a satisfying happy ending. I've never watched anything related to Mr. Sunshine after that show ended, that one had like 16+ episodes, and after committing to stick till the last ep, I had to cry buckets, I hate that.
I hope this one surprises us with a happy ending.

Yes I definitely caught that, I thought he seemed protective of jang hyun, like a tiny bit possessive. I'm not sure if it's because he has a thing for him or just because he is like a precious friend to him.

I've never knowingly committed to watching a tragic show, that too with 20-long episodes before, why am I doing this? I hope it will be worth it.