Light and enjoyable series
'The First Night with the Duke' hits all the right notes, and I loved this K-drama historical romance series. Whilst I was a little worried at the start as the setup isn't particularly new or innovative, the girl wakes up in a storybook world, the writers take the story in a different direction than usual.You see, our central FL ends up in the body of Cha Seon Chaek (Seo Hyun), who is barely a side character in her favourite series 'The Obsessive Tyrant'. Initially excited to see the love story of her two favourite characters unfold, a drunken mistake sees her entangled with our male lead, Prince Gyeong Seong (Ok Taec Yeon). The Prince appears cold and ruthless, serving as the King's hunting dog and eliminating his political enemies. However, after spending the night with Cha Seon Chaek, he declares that he will marry her, much to her dismay.
Trying to get the story back to its original plot, where the Prince falls for a different girl, Cho Eun Ae, Cha Seon Chaek's antics have the opposite effect, making the Prince fall deeply in love with her. As the story progresses, Cha Seon Chaek also realises that she has fallen for the stoic Prince and decides to change the story and be with him.
Set in a background of court intrigue, the twelve (12) episode season never felt like it lagged or got bogged down in unnecessary subplots. Instead, there was a consistent momentum as the story built up to its conclusion, with the risks to our main leads increasing and the machinations of the villains ever-increasing.
The acting of both Seo Hyun and Taec Yeon was terrific, and I loved watching the growth of both their characters and their love story. It felt realistic, and you could see how much they cared for each other in the little things they did.
The other actors also did a great job. In particular, Lee Tae Sun, who played the main antagonist, Prince Yi Gyu, was so delightfully unhinged and yet vulnerable at the same time. The backstories of both princes were almost identical, but while one became the sword of the King to ensure his survival, the other was banished. Whilst I could understand the resentment and hatred that Prince Yi Gyu carried, his actions as an adult led him down the same dark path as those who had banished him as a child.
I do wish some of the other relationships were tied up; I would have liked to see a couple of the other characters get their HEA, especially Cha Seon Chaek's three (3) brothers, who mainly played for comedic relief. Also, if I am honest, I wish one couple were not implied to be together in the end as I petty like that.
Overall, I highly recommend the series and will likely rewatch it in the future.
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