This review may contain spoilers
Tried and true trope gone bad
The First Night with the Duke is exactly the kind of story I like – a modern-day gal suddenly finds herself as a character in her favorite romance novel. This vehicle can lead to all sorts of interesting situations as the proverbial fish out of water tries to find her feet. I’ve watched a lot of good dramas with a similar trope: Mr. Queen, Love Game in Eastern Fantasy, Moon Lovers Scarlet Heart Ryeo, The Romance of Tiger and Rose, even the recent A Dream Within a Dream. Which may be the reason The First Night with the Duke fell flat.
I wanted modern girl K, now Cha Seon-chaek (Seohyun), to be more than someone who makes cocktails and instigates bedroom hijinks. In this “story” world – she has a chance to reinvent herself and show off the traits of an intelligent, contemporary woman. Instead, she spends whole portions of the drama wringing her hands and waiting to be saved. Most of the other characters in the series carry out their cookie cutter parts, with Prince Gyeongseong (OK Taec-yeon) hitting the expected chord between ruthless killer and eager lover. But why is it that enterprising Do Hwa-seon (Ji Hye-won), who starts out as the villainess, is so much more interesting than heroin Seon-chaek? Or that the prince’s friend, Jung Soo-gyeom (Seo Beum-june), feels so much more layered than his meager screen time suggests?
With an unmemorable soundtrack and a final episode that is mostly filler, unless you are a big fan of the leads, this is a drama that can easily be skipped.
I wanted modern girl K, now Cha Seon-chaek (Seohyun), to be more than someone who makes cocktails and instigates bedroom hijinks. In this “story” world – she has a chance to reinvent herself and show off the traits of an intelligent, contemporary woman. Instead, she spends whole portions of the drama wringing her hands and waiting to be saved. Most of the other characters in the series carry out their cookie cutter parts, with Prince Gyeongseong (OK Taec-yeon) hitting the expected chord between ruthless killer and eager lover. But why is it that enterprising Do Hwa-seon (Ji Hye-won), who starts out as the villainess, is so much more interesting than heroin Seon-chaek? Or that the prince’s friend, Jung Soo-gyeom (Seo Beum-june), feels so much more layered than his meager screen time suggests?
With an unmemorable soundtrack and a final episode that is mostly filler, unless you are a big fan of the leads, this is a drama that can easily be skipped.
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