I wasn’t impressed with the first episode at all. I already went in kind of biased because this trope is honestly one of my least favorites, actually, I just don’t like it, period. Still, I wanted to give it a shot because of the leads. But honestly? It just felt pretty meh. So far, the plot and writing seem average at best, there’s nothing original or mysterious about it since they already revealed pretty much everything in the first episode.
And of course, here we go again: a powerless king being controlled by some shady minister pulling the strings from the shadows, poison as the go-to murder weapon, amnesia for good measure, and a 50-meter fall straight into the ML’s arms. Like I said, nothing new. The only thing I actually liked was the soundtrack.
I’ll wait for a few more episodes to drop, but at this pace, I can already see myself dropping it pretty soon.
The costumes don't look good or expensive. It is very distracting. I have a lot to say but I fear the fans may…
Between this and a plot that doesn’t really make sense, it’s tough to stay interested. If the story isn’t clear, everything else just starts to fall apart.
After the first episode where the FL wore that Hannibal Lecter-style mask, I didn’t understand a thing. Now I’m 7 episodes in and still completely lost. The plot makes no sense, the costumes are too shiny and distracting, and honestly, I only remember the leads’ names. I’ll probably watch a couple more episodes out of curiosity, but this drama clearly doesn’t follow the laws of logic.
Sometimes his line delivery in some more emotional moments is a bit off. But most of the time its ok.
Yeah, after binge-watching 8 episodes I think you’re right. To my surprise, I’m actually enjoying the drama and I’ve gotten used to his voice. Maybe it just feels different because of the genre, but now it doesn’t really bother me anymore.
There's a lot of bot accounts giving low 1 start ratings for some reason/ Maybe they can't handle Suzy's beauty…
It feels like the kind of thing immature people do when they’ve got too much time on their hands. The drama only came out six hours ago and has 13 episodes, so writing fake reviews already just seems ridiculous to me.
What’s going on with this rating? Is the drama really that bad? It was just added to Netflix, so how on earth have people already watched 13 episodes? Honestly, I don’t get it.
The ML is using his own voice here.Episode 2 will definitely divide people on that segment. In reality, if she…
I haven’t reached the concubine plot yet...
I understand the strategic arguments, but none of that excuses what we saw. There’s something called a military code of honor, even in fiction, and subjecting an injured, amnesic person to whipping is not strategy, it’s cruelty. Torture in wartime is (supposedly) a brutal tool to extract actionable intelligence; torturing someone who literally cannot provide information is meaningless and cowardly. It’s not punishment, it’s spectacle, the worst kind of violence, done for satisfaction rather than necessity.
If this is meant to be gritty realism, it crosses into grotesque territory; if it’s meant as character development, it only makes the supposed “hero” look dishonorable. Call it what it is: dishonour cloaked in expediency. I watch war stories because they can show the complexity of duty and morality, but this scene undermines those themes and left me disgusted.
As I said before, I’ll keep watching because the first episode had potential. But I just can’t stand violence when it’s gratuitous and meaningless. It doesn’t add depth to the story, it only takes away from it.
That’s exactly what I’m wondering. The ML’s voice doesn’t sound natural.
Correct. I’ve watched Hidden Love many times since it’s one of my favorite dramas, and his voice there is absolutely charming. But here something feels off, it just doesn’t sound natural.
I'll put a spoiler below about what she does for revenge, you'll feel better. This kind of violence is hard to…
Maybe that scene just caught me at a bad moment, or maybe recent international events have made me a bit more sensitive. In any case, I’ll keep watching since I did enjoy the first episode. Let’s see how things develop…
Well she is his enemy so why would he leave her just bcs she is female? She is general commander so she has to…
I get what you’re saying, but there’s also such a thing as a military code of honor. And sure, people often say “all’s fair in love and war,” but honestly, whipping an injured female general who has lost her memory doesn’t show any honor, it feels dishonorable. It actually reminded me of war crimes, like when soldiers fire on pilots who are completely defenseless while parachuting.
I watch a lot of war films because I love the genre, so I do understand this is just fiction. But even so, the scene really didn’t sit well with me.
I just started watching this drama and the first episode seemed promising at first. However, the gratuitous violence against the FL (ep 2) completely ruined it for me. What really disgusted me was the fact that the ML just stood there, watching her get whipped while she was already injured, acting indifferent and spouting nonsense. It honestly left a pit in my stomach.
I’ll try to finish the episode, but this already feels like a huge disappointment. I can accept this kind of cruelty from a villain, but from the supposed ML? That just makes him look like a coward.
And what’s going on with his voice? Is it dubbed? It doesn’t sound natural at all. Maybe I’m already biased against him, but it just makes everything worse.
Nope did you see anything like that besides her said that he only takes the women from their families as an excuse…
I’m really glad that there are women asking these kinds of important questions. Romanticizing a historical figure who caused so much harm, especially to women, has been short-sighted and in very poor taste. Here’s an interesting debate on Reddit about the topic (see: https://shorturl.at/wKivZ )which also includes a link to a Time article on the subject written by Kayti Burt.
Totally agree! Enjoyed reading this! I skipped 90 % of the cooking competition episodes. After several attempts…
Thank you so much! Glad my rambling resonated with you 😊. Same here, after Episode 6 it just dragged. Something I didn’t even mention in my review is how the romance felt more maternal than romantic, almost like an older sister scolding a younger brother every time she said, “please don’t be a tyrant” or fed him with the whole “open wide, ahhh.” There were so many little things like that which just didn’t sit right. And knowing the king’s actual history, it was impossible for me to connect with the idea that a modern woman in 2025 could fall for someone like that.
I agree with your review! This show, even now when it's been a while since I've finished it, still irks me. I…
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment! I felt the same, the plot kept setting things up but never really followed through. It was frustrating that the FL was aware of how her actions could change the story, yet nothing meaningful came from that. And I completely agree about the missing emotional confession scene with Nan Heng; it really hurt the believability of the romance. I truly appreciate you sharing your perspective!
This review is one of the most dishonest and disingenuous takes I’ve seen. If you came expecting a tidy emotional…
How bold of you to call my review “dishonest” while piling up excuses dressed as analysis. From gowns to dialogue to invented endings, your response reads less like critique and more like fan devotion in overdrive.
In key episodes the FL did repeat her gowns, that was my observation, and I stand by it. You may not see it now, but once the glow of fandom fades and you rewatch with clearer eyes, you’ll notice it too. Costumes, no matter how lavish, do not mend weak writing.
As for those “four endings” you proudly imagine, that isn’t layered genius, it’s wishful thinking. There was one ending, and it was both predictable and nonsensical. This is not Scorsese; it’s a drama that collapsed under its own eyeliner.
You say I’m “confused.” No, my dear. I wrote a review; you wrote a sermon. One of us watched a drama, the other is still hallucinating depths that were never there.
And truly, all this passion could have been condensed into a single sentence: “I liked it, you didn’t.” That would have sufficed. The rest was embroidery without the cloth. I almost pity those who take a review so personally, it’s only entertainment, not a blood oath. You’ll live, as will I.
So please, don’t trouble yourself with another reply. The moment you called me “dishonest,” you made sure there was nothing left to say. I wouldn’t want to add to your suffering, though it is rather touching, in its way, how some fans seem to bleed whenever a drama is criticised. You’ll be fine. Close the tab, step outside, and remember: life is considerably larger than silk gowns and invented endings.
2
2
And of course, here we go again: a powerless king being controlled by some shady minister pulling the strings from the shadows, poison as the go-to murder weapon, amnesia for good measure, and a 50-meter fall straight into the ML’s arms. Like I said, nothing new. The only thing I actually liked was the soundtrack.
I’ll wait for a few more episodes to drop, but at this pace, I can already see myself dropping it pretty soon.
I understand the strategic arguments, but none of that excuses what we saw. There’s something called a military code of honor, even in fiction, and subjecting an injured, amnesic person to whipping is not strategy, it’s cruelty. Torture in wartime is (supposedly) a brutal tool to extract actionable intelligence; torturing someone who literally cannot provide information is meaningless and cowardly. It’s not punishment, it’s spectacle, the worst kind of violence, done for satisfaction rather than necessity.
If this is meant to be gritty realism, it crosses into grotesque territory; if it’s meant as character development, it only makes the supposed “hero” look dishonorable. Call it what it is: dishonour cloaked in expediency. I watch war stories because they can show the complexity of duty and morality, but this scene undermines those themes and left me disgusted.
As I said before, I’ll keep watching because the first episode had potential. But I just can’t stand violence when it’s gratuitous and meaningless. It doesn’t add depth to the story, it only takes away from it.
I watch a lot of war films because I love the genre, so I do understand this is just fiction. But even so, the scene really didn’t sit well with me.
I’ll try to finish the episode, but this already feels like a huge disappointment. I can accept this kind of cruelty from a villain, but from the supposed ML? That just makes him look like a coward.
And what’s going on with his voice? Is it dubbed? It doesn’t sound natural at all. Maybe I’m already biased against him, but it just makes everything worse.
In key episodes the FL did repeat her gowns, that was my observation, and I stand by it. You may not see it now, but once the glow of fandom fades and you rewatch with clearer eyes, you’ll notice it too. Costumes, no matter how lavish, do not mend weak writing.
As for those “four endings” you proudly imagine, that isn’t layered genius, it’s wishful thinking. There was one ending, and it was both predictable and nonsensical. This is not Scorsese; it’s a drama that collapsed under its own eyeliner.
You say I’m “confused.” No, my dear. I wrote a review; you wrote a sermon. One of us watched a drama, the other is still hallucinating depths that were never there.
And truly, all this passion could have been condensed into a single sentence: “I liked it, you didn’t.” That would have sufficed. The rest was embroidery without the cloth. I almost pity those who take a review so personally, it’s only entertainment, not a blood oath. You’ll live, as will I.
So please, don’t trouble yourself with another reply. The moment you called me “dishonest,” you made sure there was nothing left to say. I wouldn’t want to add to your suffering, though it is rather touching, in its way, how some fans seem to bleed whenever a drama is criticised. You’ll be fine. Close the tab, step outside, and remember: life is considerably larger than silk gowns and invented endings.