The performances are great! The mad glint in the eye the fiery priest gets feels real and absolutely entertaining. The actors are doing great with their respective roles. My personal favourites are Priest Han, the nun, the big guy, and the dude from thailand - their scenes are hilarious. Of course, I can't forget Priest Michael! However, the actress who is playing the prosecutor seems a little... stiff. The expressions don't map out clearly on her face, which makes her dialogues a little unnatural. Or is it just me?
I LOVED that Ha Seon showed the Queen Dowager her place, which is to spit out empty threats and brag about majesty that limits itself to her title only. Her speechlessness was so satisfying. The woman thought threatening him using Haksan's name would cause him to back down, only to see growing resilience in response. One would think she would be smart enough not to use the Queen as a threat, but she was too desperate. Boy, the woman underestimated his devotion to her.
The final conversation between Ha Seon and Haksan was incredibly bittersweet. They were communicating in their own way, and others could only guess. Their regard for each other is a sight to behold. I love their bond. It almost caused the King to risk his position, but Haksan thankfully stabbed the Prince for distraction. Bless that man. He gave his own life and conscience for the nation he dreamed of. Being a hero is not all it's made out to be. He had his hands dirtied, all right.
Nam Gil is playing a priest with anger management problems naturally. The plot is humourous with a level of depth and social commentary. This aspect is refreshing to see in a k-drama. The police is not as holy as it's usually portrayed and people who want to do right are actually easily intimidated and end up following the crowd. Very real but funny in its realism.
ok so you know how i was pissed about the na wangshik thing at the end? the epilogue makes me even angrier. why…
If I look at the little play thing separately, even I have to admit Shin Sung Rok and Jang Na Ra are amazing together, so I can see why they did it - the viewers, of course - but my heart aches for Wang Shik. This is frustrating, lol. hey could have done better by him. Such a waste of a great character.
The sides we are seeing of the characters, like the Chief Secretary and the Queen Dowager, makes you really question what side you should stand on. The line of good and bad is pretty blurred with these two characters. For Chief Secretary, you can argue he would have been executed in name of treason had he not killed the little brother of the King, so it was really an act of self-defense, and, to a greater extent, for the preservation of the reign of the King. As for The Queen Dowager, you can empathize with her pain - she was definitely cruelly stripped of her family due to pure paranoia and manipulation that the actual King was dealing with. I can see why she is like this, and I can see the Chief Secretary in a different light if I choose to. By no means I think that the Queen was correct in her revenge, but it makes you ponder over how people can react after you test them to the extremes.
The King sounded a lot like his true clown self here too - I mean, Ha Seon self. I was worried Shin Chi Soo's words would sway him, and he could have been successful had he not implored Ha Seon to be his own puppet, promising wealth and power. Shows that he has failed too realize where he stands - and his misunderstanding is understandable: why would anyone play the King unless they desired something? Shame he did not realize it was justice for his sister that fueled him to preserve his position.
Anyway, the burden of the sins that the King did not commit awakens sympathy. Nt Now that the Queen Dowager has guessed that he really is the clown (as implied by her dismissal of the Queen), I wonder what will happen. The rebellion is already underway, of course, but the Queen has more in mind.
I can't get over this drama, lol. Someone please suggest something that is equal in feeling to this one in its relationships, both platonic and romantic? Because the romance was firmly rooted in mutual support and pain, and the brotherhood was beautifully portrayed in its poignancy due to diverging circumstances.
The music they use is always amazing - great timing and tone to what they choose for a particular scene. Maybe this is my first historical drama so I don't realize that they are using commonly used instrumentals, but these are still well-placed and complement the pacing of the plot.
On episode 3, and Loco is hilarious without trying. He is so relatable in little ways - and his funny methods to prevent hair loss are gold. I particularly enjoy his and MinSeok's interactions so far. Both were entertaining when they went to their little trip to the Jade Mine.
So will Dog, Witch and Me air or not? Because it's been more than a year since the script was talked about. I am guessing it was cancelled. I just want to see her in another drama. You don't find great actresses like her every day. Ugh. I'm already suffering from the Last Empress withdrawal symptoms.
In some ways I liked the finale episode but overall I was very disappointed. I think if I didn't start this drama…
I'm willing to excuse Sunny not stopping the Empress Dowager and figure she was too stunned to speak. I'm even willing to overlook Lee Hyuk's death - but how can one explain Na Wang Shik being thrown away like nothing, as if he didn't start this revolution (of sorts) in the first place? I would have gladly traded Kang Hee's apparent regret and the insanity the Empress Dowager had fallen in with a few minutes of remembrance for Wang Shik. I'm beyond pissed.
I just wanted Sunny to sit down and actually cry for Wang Shik. Or at least clear his name of the blame the Empress Dowager put on him. It's so dirty how they treated him. Buried next to his mother? That's it? In my opinion, Lee Hyuk remembered him better, by giving his life in a cause Wang Shik started and having his body buried where his mother was. I just wanted to see someone recount his life for once, you know?
The final conversation between Ha Seon and Haksan was incredibly bittersweet. They were communicating in their own way, and others could only guess. Their regard for each other is a sight to behold. I love their bond. It almost caused the King to risk his position, but Haksan thankfully stabbed the Prince for distraction. Bless that man. He gave his own life and conscience for the nation he dreamed of. Being a hero is not all it's made out to be. He had his hands dirtied, all right.
The King sounded a lot like his true clown self here too - I mean, Ha Seon self. I was worried Shin Chi Soo's words would sway him, and he could have been successful had he not implored Ha Seon to be his own puppet, promising wealth and power. Shows that he has failed too realize where he stands - and his misunderstanding is understandable: why would anyone play the King unless they desired something? Shame he did not realize it was justice for his sister that fueled him to preserve his position.
Anyway, the burden of the sins that the King did not commit awakens sympathy. Nt Now that the Queen Dowager has guessed that he really is the clown (as implied by her dismissal of the Queen), I wonder what will happen. The rebellion is already underway, of course, but the Queen has more in mind.
and figure she was too stunned to speak. I'm even willing to overlook Lee Hyuk's death - but how can one explain Na Wang Shik being thrown away like nothing, as if he didn't start this revolution (of sorts) in the first place? I would have gladly traded Kang Hee's apparent regret and the insanity the Empress Dowager had fallen in with a few minutes of remembrance for Wang Shik. I'm beyond pissed.