Eleison

These seem like some valid factors! Maybe his character will end up being a bit like Ok Taec Yeon's role in Vincenzo, who at first just appeared to be a derpy intern until more of the plot unfolded and, come to find out--he's the main villain!

I would recommend Alchemy of Souls (fantasy) or The Master's Sun (ghosts) by the Hong sisters over this drama.They are quite different genres from this drama, but both quite good. I liked Master's Sun less because I don't like the dramas with ghost stories/afterlife plots very much (e.g. Hotel Del Luna, Mystic Pop-Up Bar, Tomorrow, Bring It On Ghost, and Missing: The Other Side). Most of these are fabulous dramas, I just decided I don't enjoy this genre of Kdrama. But if you like the dramas from the list above, you'll like Master's Sun. And AOS is becoming a Kdrama classic already.

Is it possible we might find out the brother is delusional like his sister? She seemed pretty messed up, and that sort of toxic behavior rarely crops up in a family without other versions of toxic relationships and dysfunction existing already. (I mean, Brother is pretty off his rocker from what we've seen so far, too).

I wonder if the brother knows his sister killed herself and due to his guilt (in his attempt to deflect it and assuage it) he blames Do Ha, hoping to pass off responsibility to him instead. I wonder this because of the brother's very intense reaction when Do Ha says to him, "She had you, too! Why didn't you protect her?" He seemed stunned by those words... and then became completely belligerent and irrational.

🤷‍♀️ Idk, I'm just thinking out loud. 😅

But with the mom being so obsessed by her political image, I can't see her rationalizing how murdering her son's girlfriend could improve things for her, especially if it happens to come out? I guess if she wanted to immediately end the talk of her son's "crazy girlfriend" in the media, she might think rashly in the short term. Also, several scenes with her indicate that she, like everyone else in Do Ha's life, thinks he killed his ex. Why would she be so reluctant to see Do Ha and be around him if she knew for sure he wasn't the murderer?

I was definitely a bit confused by that scene with Deuk Chan finding out about his wife's affair. Why did we need to know all of that?

Also, Deuk Chan being super upset about his wife having an affair and doing something rash about it is one thing, but why would he do something to his friend's ex (and wasn't this before he was making money off Do Ha? It makes sense to me now why he wants to keep things hush hush, but going to such lengths back then still doesn't make sense to me). We clearly don't have the full story; definitely more development to come as far as the CEO is concerned, cause something's not right!

The 1st part is very well done, but ends on a dreadful cliffhanger. I think the reason many viewers diss the 2nd part is because the 1st part was so good. After it ended, viewers had staggeringly high expectations with very specific ideas of what they wanted from the 2nd part.

The only hope/expectation I had was a happy ending and some hopeful and happy development between the leads romantically (both Jae Wook and Youn Jung are just amazing actors; I thought Youn Jung was SO adorable and endearing in this) and because that was it as far as expectations went, I was able to enjoy the 2nd part. It was very different from the 1st part, but I still think it was just as strong but in different ways. Even in the 1st part the pacing was a bit poor at times, and there were similar moments in the 2nd part.

I think many people miss that the parts mirrored each other. Naksu was the one who freed and empowered Jang Uk to reach his potential in the 1st part; Uk played that role for Naksu in the 2nd part. Naksu is cold and calloused in the 1st part while Uk is a cheerful and endearing chatterbox, full of passion, conviction and optimism; their roles are reversed in the 2nd part. I could go on and on. Just because Naksu never went back to fighting like an assassin doesn't mean she's not a strong female character. It annoys me when people think a "strong" female is only one who can fight well or kick butt in an aggressive, physical sense. I appreciated the more nuanced writing of Naksu that didn't actually fall into gender stereotypes once you look beneath the surface and take BOTH parts into account.

I also think the world building for Dae Ho was incredible, and I think that's another reason a lot of people had unmet expectations, because your imagination can so easily run wild with all the possibilities for this story and these characters. Props to the Hong sisters for building such a fascinating place and for creatively mixing a lot of genres! I describe it to people as Harry Potter meets Lord of The Rings meets Avatar the Last Air Bender meets historical Korean sageuk.

If you liked the 1st part and leave an open mind for the 2nd part (where it will go and take the leads), and enjoy romantic development, you will probably enjoy this part just as much as the 1st part. Give it a try; it's worth the hype! The ending might be a bit underwhelming if you go into it with (again) specific expectations, but it's very sweet and (I think) satisfying.

I didn't think of that when I watched that scene but it totally checks out with the level of thoughtfulness he's shown up to this point. Pretty cute indeed!

I enjoyed this, for the most part! However, there was something about it that was off, and I can't put my finger on what. It was well-acted (Kan San was a little weak, though...), and a few parts of this were really well done, but I couldn't fully immerse myself into the story and world for some reason. What confused me was that the writing was pretty good, and the twists and reveals were carefully timed and thought-through, but it somehow still felt lacking. I can't describe what it is, but I will name a few dramas that had a similar quality to them (for me): Police University, School 2021, River Where The Moon Rises, Lovers of the Red Sky and even to some extent Forbidden Marriage. I hesitate to call the quality I can't name "bad writing" because I don't know enough about the process of making a film or TV show to know how to label it so maybe it has more to do with editing or directing, 🤷‍♀️. Maybe it's just a low budget? None of the dramas I just mentioned created a world that felt "complete" or "developed" enough to enter into it fully.

I agree with many on this thread that think Yi Sheol and the Watchman plot stole the show. I LOVED how you had no idea who everyone was for a good few episodes and the reveal about Shi Yeol's identity (for me) came out of nowhere. They did an excellent job dropping hints about him (that you only notice if you go back and look for them) while still keeping you guessing. Some seasoned Kdrama watchers were onto it much faster than me, but that part was really fun to watch unfold, and the reveal was pretty awesome; it rivaled scenes in some far more popular and established sageuks. So, again, not entirely bad writing, but something was still missing.

It's an enjoyable watch nonetheless!

Yes, the premise is creative and they're playing with the nuance in a satisfying way so far, I think! It's not deep enough to be super philosophical, but it's delving into the complicated nature of relationships. I'm a little worried about what they'll fill the second half with, but hopefully the writing continues to be consistent moving forward!

Haha, I think (I hope) the confusion is intentional and will be cleared up as we get more information about both Do Ha's past and Sol Hee's power. 🤷‍♀️ Or it could just be poor writing. Time will tell, I guess!

Yes, I already found the fact that Kdramas have OSTs with singing/lyrics distracting from the story, and would prefer to not read the subtitles for the lyrics on top of that, but I think some people like them because they can be related in theme to the story or scenarios? I don't know. I've never been a huge fan of music in flim/TV shows being anything by instrumental (except for like a time skip/time passing montage), but to each his own. I've reconciled myself to a pop singer crooning in the background when something romantic happens now. 😔 Sometimes I think it's nice but often I think it makes the scenes feel cheesy... All that to say, I agree with you. 😅

Yes, I agree! Just because it's set in a dark period in Korea's history doesn't mean they have to kill her off at the end, and in such a lame way. Her death was so unnecessary!

This is a gripping watch! I'm not usually into political dramas/tv shows (I haven't seen the original American show so I don't know how it compares), but I really liked this one.

I loved watching Moo Jin gain confidence as acting-President and see him solve controversial quandary after controversial quandary by thinking outside the box and never settling for the lesser of two evils. It's probably an extremely optimistic take on solving political issues, but still, I liked this story's optimism. It reminded me a little bit of the American TV show Madame Secretary, but this felt less episodic and a lot less soapy/dramatic.

My favorite character ended up being Young Jin, though (the actor did a fantastic job, too). I did not care for him at first but as he became inspired and impressed by Moo Jin' repeatedly wise and thoughtful solutions to seemingly unsolvable issues, he slowly became the most compelling character for me. Just as the Chief Secretary in some ways was the linchpin to the original President's cabinet and administration working properly, Young Jin (due to his adept and brilliant political insight) came to be the one who could choose to make or break Moo Jin as the new acting President. I loved watching him turn from his cynical, calculating self to someone re-awakened to goodness and justice by choosing to go all-in in his support of Moo Jin by the end of the drama. Moo Jin reminded me of the sort of person in power everyone says you want: a person in power who doesn't want that power. They are the only ones who won't maneuver for self-gain and who will not get corrupted by the immense possibilities of their influence. At one point they play with the possibility that Moo Jin might be falling into the perspective of a normal politician, but it's a red herring, don't worry!

The budget felt a bit limited at times for the scale and ambitious nature of this drama, but if you overlook that, the struggles of the characters to always do the right thing in the middle of crisis is really satisfying (though a bit stressful) to watch.

I unfortunately don't have a Disney+ or Hulu subscription, so I haven't watched this yet, but I'm curious if it feels like Western superhero movies/tv shows (like Marvel stuff), or does it have a different feel to it? Or is it a Kdrama/Marvel hybrid? 🤣 It seems like a mix of genres from the comments I've read.

If the response continues to hold strong, I'd like to watch this eventually. (I might just wait until it's over so I can binge it in the timeframe I would have a free trial for Hulu 😏). It seems most people on MDL are enjoying it, and I love Han Hyo Joo and Go Yoon Jung.

I'm still team Do Ha, but I did like the scene where we find out when Kang Min started liking Sol Hee. I enjoyed his reaction and seeing the growing smile on his face when Sol Hee apologized for her mom and told the police to go ahead and prosecute her if she did something wrong. 😅 That he fell for her because he admired how she handled a tough situation made me like him more.

Completed now, and still loved it. There was a bit of a weird twist at the end that doesn't get fully explained, but I didn't mind that it made no sense because it was kind of adorable.

Also, I enjoyed the little cameo at the end from Jin Young! He and Dong Wook were really cute together.

I thought Park Seo Joon was fantastic in this, and it was fun to see him in a role where he was serious rather than comedic; this showed he can do both genres very well.

I actually liked the romance in this, since the 2FL just didn't support the ML and was so wishy-washy and (sorry) weak; Yi Seo was far from perfect, and had a lot of immaturity and selfish quirks, and I can see why some people didn't like her character (she definitely crossed professional boundaries when they were working together near the end of the drama), but I thought their relationship made sense and ended sweetly. I think it made sense that Saeroyi was so oblivious about his feelings towards her for so long because he had tunnel vision for revenge, and along the way took her presence for granted since she was such a huge part of making his dream come true. I found the part where the pieces started to fall into place for him about Yi Seo very satisfying; it was a long road getting there, though, with so much time watching him be clueless.

My favorite moment was probably when Saeroyi was talking on the bridge with his father in the vision he had while in the hospital. It was just beautiful; I loved the stuff about being willing to give life another try, even though it was riddled with suffering and hardship. The idea that such difficulties get so much easier when you have people to do life with. He was finally able to face life because he had people who gave him hope for a better future, and allowed him to see life outside his desire for revenge. Love that!

I got kind of over the revenge plot by the end, but I still think this drama was enjoyable and well-written.

This drama also has my favorite score from any Kdrama. I have no idea who Studio Curiosity is, and I'm very sad they've never written music for another Kdrama. But I just love, love "I Don't Have To Convince Others About Who I Am" and "You Are Always Shining Too Bright To Me."

I'll admit, I skip all the villagers' scenes...

But this drama is just so cozy, like being wrapped in a soft blanket while drinking hot tea on a cold night. Love the friendships of all the young'uns, and the way they learn to support one another. Highly recommend!

While everyone is lovable I think Na Woo Chan was the show stealer in this. He was also fantastic in Weak Hero Class 1. Can't wait to see what he does in the future!

I agree with you about KYD's acting; an accurate assessment of his talents, I think!

I don't think there's anything to write home about regarding this story's plot, since I thought it was pretty messy, even sloppy, and not very "realistic" (I know, no Kdrama has a realistic plot, but this one felt even less realistic than the average Kdrama plot). I didn't care for the anachronisms in this, either. Not one of the better fusion sageuks, in my opinion (I even like Hwarang better in this respect). I wouldn't recommend this drama for a tight, well-written plot.

The leads had really excellent chemistry, though, and the only scenes I really liked in this were theirs. Young Dae was so cute as Lee Heon and while So Rang was a little less likeable (I don't like deception plots very much), I think she still did a good job. She kind of went Victorian lady on us near the end, which always frustrates me in Kdramas. It's one of my least favorite tropes.

The really memorable part of this drama for me was the BGM. I couldn't wait for the drama to finish airing so I could add some of the tracks to my Spotify playlist. My favorites: Night Walk, Sorang's Theme, and Shinwon's Theme. Going music nerd here: very lovely orchestral arrangements that showcased real string players rather than a synth, which is one of my struggles with Nam Hye Seung's scores (IOTNBO, CLOY, Mr. Sunshine, etc. she has nice melodies, but the synth just doesn't cut it for me). This is why I prefer music by Lee Nyeom/Kim Min Ji/Park Sejun (Extraordinary You, True Beauty, The Crowned Clown, Start Up, Racket Boys, etc.) and Fara Effect (Tales of the Nine-Tailed, Temptation, King's Affection, Rebel: Thief Who Stole The People, etc.). Sorry, music producers, but technology can't beat out real musicians. At least not yet.