Between The Lines

Its fast becoming one of may favourites. Only problem is I've got to wait a week until the next episode!😭😭

I really liked how Gil Chae character was consistent to everything I've seen so far. Forget the silliness, the woman is smart. She has her objective and makes a plan accordingly.

Ep 1 - She wanted to ensnare Yeon Jun she came up with a plan and put into action, admittedly she wasn't successful this time but it hinted at her intelligence.

Ep 6 - The baby, the boat, she had an objective and she acted. Smart!

Maybe she should replace the King? At least she is actually capable of making a plan!

Again its the contrast of what these people consider a sacrifice. The King giving up his chicken, as opposed those giving up their life. I feel weird just typing that it is so ridiculous!

The Khan and his soldiers maybe brutal, terrible people, but at least they appear smart and decisive. The King not so much, maybe he's just tired from all that talking and sitting he's been doing???

This drama continues to apply contrast extremely well, even the invaders got their turn. Ryang Eum song was eerily hypnotic, and watching the invaders reaction I felt a brief sensation of their loss. Miles from home, separated from their families, friends and comrades killed, I felt a moment of sympathy. Then the other shoe dropped...... we saw their brutality, the lengths they will go too. The contrast was excellent if brutal at times.

The King, Crown Prince, Ministers and Scholars, guy's I hate to break it to you but chanting "We must defeat them" is not a plan. Your people are suffering, so far there's been lots of patriotism from the safety of your castle but not much else.

Episode 6 at times was uncomfortable to watch, we got the harsh brutality of warfare, that was barbaric in certain moments, yet there was still enough time to show the contrast, the sacrifice for love and friendship.

Just checking, your liking this right???😁😁😁
Every episode has had something to offer. I've loved how they have manged the transitions between the different storylines.

Make some sense. Right now, I'm not sure I can see JH working with the CP as you say he doesn't look very trust worthy. I could see the CP making a deal with the invaders to become the king though. Which JH discovers and stops and is labelled a traitor. Does JH kill the CP and that's why he's chased by his own people? This could also could cause YJ to lose his mind perhaps? Whatever happens I'm sure it will be a thrilling ride!

It's impossible to please everyone right? Generally if you try, you end up in a hot mess, but this drama really is ticking so many boxes, it really has a little of something for everyone. At least I thinks so....

You have your developing romance✅
You have your mysterious male lead ✅
You have have a cute, silly, yet endearing female lead (also she is not helpless) ✅
ML and FL have their own strengths ✅
Chemistry between the leads (My Dear..... yes, she really did say it) ✅
SML and SFL are not terrible, no love triangle (yet......gulp)✅
Action - the battle sequences are swift but intense✅
Intrigue- who is the ML? Who is he connected too. Where is this story headed✅
Believable Bad Guys ✅
Great direction, just watch ep 4! The use of the the different settings and weather as a backdrop to the events on screen is fantastic✅
Great Acting Namkoong Min and Ahn Eun Jin are killing it✅
A myriad of emotions in just the first 5 episodes ✅

I'm sure there are many more, but these are just a few that came to mind!!

Some of the comments on this page are hilarious😁😁😁, I hadn't really paid much attention to other posts between episodes 2-3 but WOW! There's some angry people out there!

To quote the great philosopher: - The Joker "Why so serious?" (Yes that was a Batman reference 🦇🦇) This is supposed to be a "slapstick" comedy right??

Suggestion, if you don't like this drama stop watching! Rate however you wish, as that is you right, but seriously attacking every aspect of the drama? Why? I'm exhausted just reading some of the comments.

You maybe right, he has got that sense of a true believer. The reason I mentioned this was based on his reaction to the battle he was involved in. He seemed shaken to his core by what he was witnessing. What he has read did not prepare him for this and even if he believes his cause is just, this doesn't guarantee victory. He seems to be clinging to the idea that this is a righteous cause. If he witnessed a similar event involving the King would his belief collapse? I wonder if this something the drama will explore.

Sometimes, I just need to watch something, where I can disengage my brain and just be entertained. At this moment in time, I don't care about them catching any criminals it might be even funnier if they don't! Just watching the process is fun.

The Truth...

By Lee Jang Hyun.

"There are two things in this world that should not be left to last a long time, the time spent on the toilet and war"

Enough said.

The drama continues to weave the individual characters emotions and actions into the wider storyline extremely well. Everything seems natural. What they do and how they behave makes sense in the context of what we know about them. This more unusual than you might think!

Considering that we had a good portion of the episode spent on the developing relationship between our main leads the words that spring to mind after watching episode 5 are -

Sadness, Despair, Arrogance, Folly, Pain, Naivety and Blind Faith. Importantly from the drama perspective these are all a good thing.

Watching the King, Crown Prince, Ministers, Generals and our 4 main leads, they all portrayed some of these emotions either in words or actions.

Whether in real life or in a drama, there’s many examples of the foolishness of those in charge. The belief that they stand above the common people. This is nothing new to a drama, but the way this message was delivered was impactful. It is the responsibility of the people to serve the King, rather than the King’s responsibility to protect his people.

Yeon Jun continues to place his trust in the King, seemingly for no other reason than he is the King. This would be more admirable in someone better equipped to deal with the harsh realities of war. I wonder if this belief will ever be shaken, and what would be left if his blind faith was removed.

In terms of our four leads, I like that after the events of ep 4, they remain consistent to their characters during ep 5. They have not simply turned into new people, Gil Chae is still spoilt and silly but what they are doing really well is adding layers to her character. She is slowly becoming a better version of herself before our eyes.

Jang Hyun and Gil Chae are circling each, much like they have done throughout this drama so far. Neither of them seem to have been prepared to take that next step, however with Jang Hyun promise maybe that is about to change.

I really hope that this standard of storytelling can continue, its fascinating to watch.

They had worried!!! For 48 minutes I'm thinking they've turned a great ep 1 into a straight up procedural in ep 2. I was not happy 😠😠 Then BANG the next 20 minutes were bats**t crazy!!! It was almost like I was watching a different drama!

That was an epic ending to an episode. It was shocking😮😮😮 and also an awesome way to get me hooked for the next episode. I'm now officially happy!😁😁😁

My expectations for this drama were clearly wrong. I was expecting flawed characters, outlandish situations and whilst there was plenty of that, I also expected some signs of growth between Eun Mi and Jin Hee. From what I've seen they just appear stuck. Nothing seems to have changed in the last 29 years of their relationship.
Objectively the performances of the 2 FL has been excellent, but is their characters a story I wanted to see? Probably not. I'm left with a feeling of frustration towards Eun Mi and I just feel bad for Jin Hee.

Jin Hong appears to be a little lost, right now. He is trying to navigate his new reality of having a grown up daughter appear out of no where, whilst clinging to a relationship from his youth. I also get a sense that he hasn't lived the life he wanted either.

Jin Hee seems stuck between taking care of her mother and living her own life. She seems more independent than Eun mi simply because if they were to live apart she would be just fine. She also seems to be struggling with the dynamics of her new family. She has only ever had her mother.

Eun Mi seems to be the least complex of the main characters. Perhaps one of her biggest strengths is she is so straightforward. She speaks her mind. She takes action when her emotions tell her too. This seems to stem from her own experiences as a child/teenager. The suggestion that she is complicated is wrong, whether you like her or not, she knows who she is and embraces it.

Jae Won....................... I got nothing, guys still a mystery

I’ve enjoyed this show so far, but if there is one criticism I would make, they haven’t done enough to make me care or be invested in any of the main characters. The only character I really was invested in was Jin Woo and he left us after 4 episodes

Does Park Ki Young want to possess everything Cha Young Woon has, or does he want to destroy it? From todays episode it felt like a little of both. I still think his ultimate objective is to expose everything Yoo Jung Sook has been doing because if he can't have a life like Cha Young Woon then nobody can.
Park Ki Young and Bae Min Gyu seemed to have been working together but they appear to have different agenda's with Park Ki Young now very much in control. What brought these two together?
Chu Young Choon, is he involved in Jin Woo death? As he is a doctor does he have a connection Yoo Jung Sook as they are both in the medical field? I wonder if he provided information to her about Jin Woo being a genetic match for Cha Young Woon heart transplant? He just seems off to me.

It seems there a few pieces of the puzzle missing but we seem to be getting closer to the truth. Good episode.

Hey you! Nice to see you here too!!

I liked the first few episodes they were funny, but it seemed as every episode went by the humour was directed more at Jin Hee expense.

You said it right "Jin Hee was sidelined a lot, and her struggles were not treated like actual struggles"
Eun Mi seems to live in her emotions, she is sad, she reacts, she is happy, she reacts. she is mad, she reacts. Very rarely does she she consider the consequences to her actions.
Maybe Jin Hong is fearful that he will be rejected by both EunMi and Jin Hee? But at a certain point he really needs to be a little more decisive, at the moment he just looks weak.

From my own experiences, with someone who is at the centre of everything, both good and bad this becomes exhausting very quickly. It made me often ask, who is the adult here and who is the child?

As someone who's own mother shares a lot of the same characteristics as Eun Mi maybe I do have a bias. I'm Jin Hee, I've seen first hand the consequences of this behaviour. I've heard the excuses and the justifications, so I certainly do understand the family dynamics and the human behaviour in this instance.

Having lived it, trust me it's difficult to see the funny side in a lot of Eun Mi actions.

I never expected or wanted this to be a romantic comedy but this drama could have retained the humour, family dysfunction, romance and just by softening Eun Mi a little, it would have made this a more enjoyable watch for me.

I'm glad that other viewers have enjoyed this drama more than I have, they are entitled to their opinion as is everyone on this forum.