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This review may contain spoilers
The sound track is beautiful. That's about it.
I havent rage quit like this in a while.
This is one of those shows where the writing genuinely breaks my heart because it just ruins the whole damn show.
This had serious potential to be a great epic saga vigilante justice on a tyrannical king, and instead it dragged out a personal revenge quest, and when we finally get to the heart of the story at the half way mark, it turns out our hero, isn't really that special, because the plot calls for him to get beaten up and humiliated badly and they didnt know how to do that.
What was the actual point?
We spend the first 8 episodes, trudging through the father's story, which is a series all by it's self and I find it understandable as it does impact the characters later and sets a foundation of morals and beliefs. Gil-Dong suffers at the mercy of his masters and is traumatized into hiding his strength. That's very valid. Then when the big moment comes for the family to be separated, and walks their own arcs, Gil-Dong loses his memories so that he can waste time having an off screen romance. Hmmm. Meanwhile his father is tortured until he's crippled and believed dead. His sister is seen locked in a shack briefly, and his brother stumbles upon a dead scholar, so he takes his identity. Believing his family to be dead, he enters the palace.
Ok. Think I would have liked to have seen more of what was actually happening to the siblings and other characters rather than wasting time forcing a romance and giving us crumbs. We spend 8 episodes building up a relationship with these characters and when tragedy finally hits, we're left watching Gil-Dong randomly falling in love with 2nd FL. Where they lovers? Because they kissed once and that was all we saw. That's when the writers remembered the other characters. So back we go to find everyone. When everyone is reunited, the brother passing the scholar's exam, and the sister lost to the wind, we get back on track for a revenge arc. Now, this one I didn't mind so much, because the comeuppance for the Prince in charge is very satisfying and I did find the court hilarious to watch as Gil-Dong uses the old 'complete idiot' trick. I did rewatch that scene a few times. It was hilarious and the actor did a good job there.
But once that's said and done, we immediately go back to wading through transitions and trying to force another romance on the ML because he can't just be dedicated to his cause, which ironically, is getting the king on his side. He hates the injustice of the poor and vulnerable and the abuse of the nobles and he wants the King, of all people, to help him out? The King who is already beginning his mental downward spiral and was told that he's squandering money. That King?
Anyway, we have to watch some childish waif following him around and basically forcing herself into a relationship with him. She was nice to his father so I guess that's enough for him to fall in love. She adds very little to the plot other than to be another silly damsel to cause problems later.
By this point, I googled the spoilers because I couldn't take anymore, and discovered that a side character, called Mori also has the super human strength that Gil-Dong has. The special divine powers that was repeatedly chanted into us as the audience that he must hide to protect his family. The special powers I had been waiting to be unleashed like Hulk Smash because there was no reason to hide them anymore. The one born every thousand years. Nah. We're going to force some drama by giving those special abilities to a character we know little about, so that he can throw the hero around a bit. He's also a martial artist too so boom, the writers have got them someone to bring Gil-Dong to his knees and have as all feeling tense over a ML who has only gotten revenge on a prince so far. That's it. He has done nothing to make the people love him other than be his father's son. I was expecting him to be doing a lot more to 'steal the people'. Hell. His father has done more than him. And we are half way.
At this point, I can't finish it. I don't have the heart too. Pun intended.
This is one of those shows where the writing genuinely breaks my heart because it just ruins the whole damn show.
This had serious potential to be a great epic saga vigilante justice on a tyrannical king, and instead it dragged out a personal revenge quest, and when we finally get to the heart of the story at the half way mark, it turns out our hero, isn't really that special, because the plot calls for him to get beaten up and humiliated badly and they didnt know how to do that.
What was the actual point?
We spend the first 8 episodes, trudging through the father's story, which is a series all by it's self and I find it understandable as it does impact the characters later and sets a foundation of morals and beliefs. Gil-Dong suffers at the mercy of his masters and is traumatized into hiding his strength. That's very valid. Then when the big moment comes for the family to be separated, and walks their own arcs, Gil-Dong loses his memories so that he can waste time having an off screen romance. Hmmm. Meanwhile his father is tortured until he's crippled and believed dead. His sister is seen locked in a shack briefly, and his brother stumbles upon a dead scholar, so he takes his identity. Believing his family to be dead, he enters the palace.
Ok. Think I would have liked to have seen more of what was actually happening to the siblings and other characters rather than wasting time forcing a romance and giving us crumbs. We spend 8 episodes building up a relationship with these characters and when tragedy finally hits, we're left watching Gil-Dong randomly falling in love with 2nd FL. Where they lovers? Because they kissed once and that was all we saw. That's when the writers remembered the other characters. So back we go to find everyone. When everyone is reunited, the brother passing the scholar's exam, and the sister lost to the wind, we get back on track for a revenge arc. Now, this one I didn't mind so much, because the comeuppance for the Prince in charge is very satisfying and I did find the court hilarious to watch as Gil-Dong uses the old 'complete idiot' trick. I did rewatch that scene a few times. It was hilarious and the actor did a good job there.
But once that's said and done, we immediately go back to wading through transitions and trying to force another romance on the ML because he can't just be dedicated to his cause, which ironically, is getting the king on his side. He hates the injustice of the poor and vulnerable and the abuse of the nobles and he wants the King, of all people, to help him out? The King who is already beginning his mental downward spiral and was told that he's squandering money. That King?
Anyway, we have to watch some childish waif following him around and basically forcing herself into a relationship with him. She was nice to his father so I guess that's enough for him to fall in love. She adds very little to the plot other than to be another silly damsel to cause problems later.
By this point, I googled the spoilers because I couldn't take anymore, and discovered that a side character, called Mori also has the super human strength that Gil-Dong has. The special divine powers that was repeatedly chanted into us as the audience that he must hide to protect his family. The special powers I had been waiting to be unleashed like Hulk Smash because there was no reason to hide them anymore. The one born every thousand years. Nah. We're going to force some drama by giving those special abilities to a character we know little about, so that he can throw the hero around a bit. He's also a martial artist too so boom, the writers have got them someone to bring Gil-Dong to his knees and have as all feeling tense over a ML who has only gotten revenge on a prince so far. That's it. He has done nothing to make the people love him other than be his father's son. I was expecting him to be doing a lot more to 'steal the people'. Hell. His father has done more than him. And we are half way.
At this point, I can't finish it. I don't have the heart too. Pun intended.
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