Firefly88

I have to say, after the first couple of episodes I had high expectations for this drama. I'd still say it's good and worth watching, but I thought it was going to be excellent, instead it's just good.

I think he has a harem in the book, from what I've heard. But C dramas usually edit those details out and make the main leads monogamous.

Apples and oranges. Can't be compared.

Maybe that's why he's so keen to get his son ready to take over. He's knackered from all the scheming lol.

I have to say I don't hate her, I just find her so boring as a character, she blends into the background somehow. For me she could not be there at all and I wouldn't miss her or feel that the drama had lost anything. I don't see any chemistry between her and XFN other than a bit of bickering. Ah well, fortunately romance isn't that important in this drama anyway.

I was completely obsessed and in love with the first few episodes when they first aired...

Actually, I meant using those good bits as inspiration for a new drama, not only using those bits! 😆

Honestly, I have to say I still like it. I just rewatched it. It's not unwatchable in my opinion. Just in the last few episodes, it's frustrating because it doesn't fulfil its potential and drags a bit. I would say try the first 3 episodes to see if you like it, and just have lower expectations. I had very high expectations for this drama and watched it while it was airing.

You're really spot on about the "beautiful box, empty inside" metaphor. This drama had some really strong building blocks of a potentially great drama, but totally failed to put them together in a captivating way. The fantasy elements, the gods and spirits. I loved the focus on a skilled trade, there was lots of interesting details about traditional painting, there was a fated romance and some real chemistry between the leads in the beginning. It starts with promise... But after a few episodes, it stops developing and and just drags... It's predictable and so you feel like you're just waiting for the inevitable. The characters are superficial. The villain is predictable and 2 dimensional. After a few episodes, very little happens all the way to the end, which we already know from the start. I would love for a drama producer to dissect this drama, taking out the good bits and leaving all the crap behind and using it to make a drama that fulfills the potential this one had.

You're really spot on about the "beautiful box, empty inside" metaphor. This drama had some really strong building blocks of a potentially great drama, but totally failed to put them together in a captivating way. The fantasy elements, the gods and spirits. I loved the focus on a skilled trade, there was lots of interesting details about traditional painting, there was a fated romance and some real chemistry between the leads in the beginning. It starts with promise... But after a few episodes, it stops developing and and just drags... It's predictable and so you feel like you're just waiting for the inevitable. The characters are superficial. The villain is predictable and 2 dimensional. After a few episodes, very little happens all the way to the end, which we already know from the start. I would love for a drama producer to dissect this drama, taking out the good bits and leaving all the crap behind and using it to make a drama that fulfills the potential this one had.

Frankly, now that I think of it, how they wrote her in the beginning and in the end is a bit unfair to her. She kind of became a shadow of her former self somehow. I think in part this is a flaw in the writing. It's like they switched the limelight and put it more on the King. Her voice got quieter. But maybe this is symbolic of her submission.

Agreed. He'll have his pick of scripts from now on, hope he chooses well!

Oh yeah, that court lady conspiracy seems a bit much now that I think about it. Fortunately the drama moved on from that questionable plot...

He will be in high demand from now on... That's for sure.

But I suspect there will be other dramas that try and fail to copy this drama... But I definitely hope 2022 has more masterpieces to offer. The Red Sleeve has just raised the bar, and I am grateful.

In a way, the fact that their marriage was so short on screen reflects how short it was in his lifetime... My only criticism of this drama is that I felt Deok Im became too passive. I also think they could have spent a bit more time portraying her loneliness (explaining to the viewers the justification of her hesitancy to become a concubine), days of waiting for him, and also a bit more on their family. She went from pregnant to dying son, I think they should have given us a bit more of a transition there... But 99% of this drama is flawless. What a masterpiece. So soulful.

Deep, soulful, complex, conflicted... Definitely a triumph.

Same... I'm going to eat some mochi ice cream and try to recover... 😭 A sign of a truly great drama, where you share the ups and downs of the main characters and feel their grief as your own. Sigh....

I like that this was such a sincere drama though, a lot of K dramas are very cheesy and this one felt so sincere. I just wish they had given us 10 more minutes of happy family before stabbing my heart to death.

It was but at the same time I feel glad that they honoured the historical events... My heart aches, but it was such a journey through all of that...

This was Lee Jun Ho's first drama after completing his military service. What a comeback.