All_In

Okay, I did what any drama watcher should learn to do...just checked out the writers. One is a newbie but the other has written A LOT of dramas including a fav of mine from back in the day, Dalja's Spring. (She wrote a previous PMY drama which perhaps explains why she signed on to the show.) Anyway her CV is hit and miss (I am one of those people who didn't like Dr. Romantic) but at least she is experienced and hopefully has a cohesive story going on.

I read that they are both at Namoo so maybe his agency did a deal....PMY is leaving/has left so maybe stuff went on behind the scenes. I was fine with the actor in Navillera but don't know if he can sizzle in a romance centric show.

I wonder if the co-writers were doing some of the heavy lifting on Misty because I don't get it.

Okay, you make me want to try A Gentleman's Dignity again because I only gave it like 2 episodes and there were aspects I liked. I've seen the rest on your list and there is nice variety here. Mars is something that still holds up. Watched it just a few years ago. I will throw out The Master's Sun and Faith as personal favs.

This is how I saw it as well. He gave her a chance to leave and he would never see her again and she chose to stay and gave up her smidgen of freedom. He had the chance to go back and decided to stay instead of doing his duty. He was always compensating because of Sado. They are together in the afterlife. I'll take it.

It's true what you say about not knowing the historical reality. I think it is interesting that k-dramas often show a child connection and here you have a couple that actually were childhood friends and the book/drama totally ignored it.

Don't know of every single one but generally natural causes. People didn't live as long generally back in the day.

It is a gilded cage but the dowager queen basically ruled as Regent for years since the CP was a child and was a force to be reckoned with. She was no joke. (I think if I lived back in that time, it would be better to be a lesser noble out in the country.)

Yeah, he died and I took her saying, you can leave...you'll be late...you should go... as in you can live. She chose to stay with him and now he chose to not be a perfect king and stayed with her. That's how I see it.

I am starting this show so can't speak to it yet, but if you like to binge, Red Sleeves is finishing up this weekend so you wouldn't have to wait for weekly episodes. It is quite good so far with first half being a good blend of romance, action, comedy and drama but second half being more the drama.

I appreciate Viki in many ways but they do a crap job promoting their new dramas especially smaller ones that fly under the radar. The perk to this is I'm just figuring out they have this drama and there are already multiple episodes out. It sounds like this has a bit of A Scent of a Woman vibe to it, and I see someone has already put that on the list above. I am finishing up Red Sleeve and watching Moonshine and have no contemporary dramas so I'm going to give this a shot.

I think what you say is true if the side characters are younger than the lead actors, but I think the hierarchy culture in Korea would not go for kicking a senior actor to the curb. The age seniority thing is no joke. It would take Won Bin level lead to make it happen. Hollywood isn't better. They'll cancel people for all sorts of stuff but 5 minutes ago they were standing up for Roman Polanski who drugged and raped a 13ish year old because he's considered an amazing director. It wasn't until post-Weinstein that people started jumping ship.

I'm late to the party here, but - no - I don't think even A list actors get a say. Lee Joon Gi even mentioned during Moon Lovers he was honestly worried after IU got the lead female role. No one asked his permission. Now Uee dropped out of a family drama to avoid working with Park Shi Hoo but I don't think she had signed a contract so she could do that. That is also the drama that catapulted the lead actress who accepted the role to fame. When the Korean audience has moved on, they have moved on and when they haven't (see Snowdrop right now) they are unforgiving. I think maybe only people like Gong Yoo or the A+++ list have any sway. (dude is a scumbag though. Odd he was only banned from the one station it looks like because he has quite the CV.)

I also want him in a rom/com, but honestly most of them are not good. I've seen just one this year that I thought was solid. I actually am surprised he hasn't done a historical because he is known in that genre.

They are not allowing her to emote. So he's all burning passion and she instead of having her say is "deer in the headlights". I think this is bad writing, not bad acting and is a writing flaw. She spent a chunk of the drama showing her sass both before and after she knew who he was so where did it go? I have seen this so often in dramas, I almost expect it. This is a wonderful drama in many ways but it very much could have been better in the last 4 or so episodes

I have a historical I like from years ago - 24 episodes - one kiss. Heard a rumor the actress was married and the husband didn't want her doing more than she had to but probably just media play.

This is such a solid drama in so many ways that it is odd to me that they haven't fleshed that out enough because I totally get what you are saying and it is a bit of a frustration for me as well. Her personality in the beginning was so open about wanting money and freedom that not wanting to be a concubine made sense. However, as time has gone on I think that thread has been lost. It could be this is such a known story in Korea, it wasn't felt necessary but I've really been feeling the lack as well, and I do think the writers are cheating because the minute he said he wanted a family, she should have answered. What is there to think about? The answer has been no and has always been no so put him out of his misery. (That's lazy writing) Then the story arc would be why she changed her mind, which everyone knows she does.

Could be a victim of the drama agreeing to a 17th episode... who knows. I do know that we see the King emoting a lot and DI just looking stoic and a bit aggrieved. This is a really good actress so no diss to her. There's so much sizzle between them and she has never been a proper miss so I would love to see more reaction from her for a change.

Ok, my venting over. Loving the show. (Oh, and I never got the impression she had a choice about the court lady gig but I could be wrong.)

It is what it is. In Europe, the kings might have one wife at a time but lots of mistresses. I think of it this way, instead of divorcing or chopping off the queen's head if there was no heir provided, the king could get a child with a concubine so it was at least efficient in theory. It makes a sad kind of sense since the marriage was for a son or for political/strategic reasons so at least a concubine could be someone he liked. I think if I was from back in the day, I would want to run an inn...no court politics for me.

I enjoyed it and it moved the story along but it did seem like the flow didn't work as well. Regardless, it is one of the better dramas from 2021 for me. I keep dropping them around episode 8 or 9 so I'm at least glad I'll be watching this to the end.

I have always assumed the drama was going to be more how he got DI to be his concubine and not much further but I haven't read the book. And yeah, whenever episodes are added, there are often continuity problems.