Riveting, Cinematically Beautiful, Marred by Weak Ending
This was supposed to be a romance drama but instead of focusing more on the couple and the people and circumstances surrounding them, so much graphic violence was depicted that it took away the essence of the drama as a romance so that I could not enjoy the beautiful love story of Jang Hyeon and Gil Chae. Yes, it was a turbulent time for the Joseon people and they suffered greatly and I get that they were subjected to horrific ordeals but repetitive scenes of violence were not necessary. The viewers get it after one or two of them.
Sadly, in my own personal opinion (please don't go after me on this), there was no chemistry between Namkong Min and Ahn Eun Jin. AEJ is a beautiful actress and did a good job in portraying GC but she's far too young looking for this role. I get it she's 34 years old but she looked like a 15 year old teen-ager still with traces of baby fat on her cheeks. When NM embraced her, it was like he's embracing his baby sister and I cringed on the kissing scenes. They felt to me, more like well executed choreography and did not stir my emotions. It was critical that production chose the leads with explosive chemistry since this was a romance story. For example, the likes of the recent drama Tempest where the chemistry between Jun Ji Hyun and Kang Dong Won was over the top hot that made viewers swoon including me who watched the episodes repeatedly. That kind of chemistry is the most important ingredient in order for this drama to be one of the best historical dramas of all time.
There were pieces of the story that was lacking like why the King hated the Prince. Was it really the concubine who influenced and poisoned the king's mind against his son or the king was actually crazy with paranoid delusions of his son taking over the throne? The amnesia angle was acceptable at first, the the second was just ridiculous. I would have appreciated an ending of a JH and GC after she finds him, critically injured, being cared for by the old man who hid him to protect JH from being killed, their life together as husband and wife to give the viewers a really satisfying ending and also details of what happened to the people around them, their lives in the aftermath of all the turmoil that surrounded and affected them. Instead, we got the bland embrace on the beach scene that had been done over a million times in other dramas. And finally, I also wanted to see the corrupt officials, the concubine and all the evil characters involved in committing crimes against the people given their just desserts.
Namkong Min's acting was like watching a beautiful painting. He's one of those rare actors whose facial expressions convey what his character was feeling at that particular moment. I love his smirk when he is confronted by characters like the idealistic, clueless and cowardly Nam Yeon Jun . His movements were minimalist and yet they were very impactful in portraying the man as a silent hero who protects the weak without so much as a fanfare. It's no surprise that he took home the Daesang Grand Prize at the 60th Baeksang Arts Awards 2024.
Sadly, in my own personal opinion (please don't go after me on this), there was no chemistry between Namkong Min and Ahn Eun Jin. AEJ is a beautiful actress and did a good job in portraying GC but she's far too young looking for this role. I get it she's 34 years old but she looked like a 15 year old teen-ager still with traces of baby fat on her cheeks. When NM embraced her, it was like he's embracing his baby sister and I cringed on the kissing scenes. They felt to me, more like well executed choreography and did not stir my emotions. It was critical that production chose the leads with explosive chemistry since this was a romance story. For example, the likes of the recent drama Tempest where the chemistry between Jun Ji Hyun and Kang Dong Won was over the top hot that made viewers swoon including me who watched the episodes repeatedly. That kind of chemistry is the most important ingredient in order for this drama to be one of the best historical dramas of all time.
There were pieces of the story that was lacking like why the King hated the Prince. Was it really the concubine who influenced and poisoned the king's mind against his son or the king was actually crazy with paranoid delusions of his son taking over the throne? The amnesia angle was acceptable at first, the the second was just ridiculous. I would have appreciated an ending of a JH and GC after she finds him, critically injured, being cared for by the old man who hid him to protect JH from being killed, their life together as husband and wife to give the viewers a really satisfying ending and also details of what happened to the people around them, their lives in the aftermath of all the turmoil that surrounded and affected them. Instead, we got the bland embrace on the beach scene that had been done over a million times in other dramas. And finally, I also wanted to see the corrupt officials, the concubine and all the evil characters involved in committing crimes against the people given their just desserts.
Namkong Min's acting was like watching a beautiful painting. He's one of those rare actors whose facial expressions convey what his character was feeling at that particular moment. I love his smirk when he is confronted by characters like the idealistic, clueless and cowardly Nam Yeon Jun . His movements were minimalist and yet they were very impactful in portraying the man as a silent hero who protects the weak without so much as a fanfare. It's no surprise that he took home the Daesang Grand Prize at the 60th Baeksang Arts Awards 2024.
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