TAMAREXXE

You can say that again. Heirs made me cry it was so dumb.

This drama restored my faith in K-dramas. It's been more than a few years since I have actually enjoyed a K-drama. Goblin, etc have all been so dumb I couldn't bring myself to finish a single one. I had almost given up and cancelled my subscription Dramafever when I chanced on MIGB. I hesitantly tried it, expecting that at best I would be able to get through an episode and more likely 15 minutes. But I was hooked from the first scene to the last. Great drama and props to the writers and cast.

Agree. I am really enjoying this.
And I also dropped Goblin. Grateful this is nothing like that snorefest.

I found this a magnificent ride. Infinitely superior in every way to the utterly soporific and boring Iljimae.

This is one of my fave dramas ever. I particularly loved the bond between Kim Ja Ok as Ojakgyo mother Park Bok Ja and Uee as Baek Ja Eun. Kim Ja Ok shines in this and I only recently learned that she passed away in 2014, just a year after this memorable performance. I will never forget her.

Uncontrollably bored.

I know, right? I would love to see 50 episodes with the two main characters. I thought Yeo Wool was perfect. I still cry when I think about their reunion.

FINALLY finished this drama. I've had it for a very long time but just like "My Girlfriend is a Gumiho" I didn't think I would like it and took forever to really stay through an episode. Lee Seung Gi is one of the most charming, talented actors ever. Unlike MGIAG, which I loved after the first ten minutes, I never got into this one as much, and needed about 15 episode to get into it. But let me tell you, it gets better and better. The finale may be the best finale I have ever seen. I just fnished and it was one of few, like say MGIAG, and especially The Princess' Man, where I literally cried til my eyes were red. I just cant imagine a more beautiful ending. Especially with the crescent moon and orange tree appearing once again. Overall I give it a 9 and the final episode is worth the whole series.

The problems though, are with the beginning. First, we are presented with such a smashing couple with Yoon Seo Hwa and Gu Wol Ryung. It seems almost a mistake to move the storyline from them. When we do switch to the Lee Seung Gi storyline, his love for his almost sister Park Chung Jo is kind of creepy. But where the series gets screwed up is when all this devotion to Chung Jo is replaced by his newfound devotion to Yeo Wool, PRECISELY at the time Chung Jo really needs him. Frankly, I found her story the most compelling part of the series. This highborn Noble lady, dearly loved by the male lead, becomes a slave and is sold into a Gisaeng house. This is when the male lead should have been crazy to find a way to help her, and he was for 15 minutes then his interest petered out. Her struggle is so amazing, and her nobility in the face of a living hell so touching. When she is finally raped, our hero, Choi Kang Chi, shows very little interest and only a perfunctory attempt to help. That's why it took me a long time to get interested in the Choi Kang Chi, Dam Yeo Wool storyline. I would have liked to see the writers pay more credit to Chung Jo and her amazing story. And at least show her and her brother back in the 100 year inn at the ending. Lee Yu Bi was a standout in her role, but most other supporting actors were skimpily written. The universe created in this drama served little purpose other than to highlight the main storyline. I give it a 9. 10 for the last few episodes, and 8 or even 7 for the rest. Still, it's a keeper. That final episode was worth every minute of the 24 hours I spent watching Gu Family Book.

Right. That person is confused. Shin min ah is one of the top models in the world. That person is probably jealous.

I actually have trouble rewatching also. The ending is shattering.

As usual we have a lot of pissed of 12 year olds who were fixated on the "hot" second lead throwing a hissy fit because of Siwon presumably. You girls should be watching concert vids and leave the dramas to people who have enough maturity to follow them.

So far I'm loving this! Which means a lot because I hated Kill Me Heal Me so much I had to fight every minute to make myself finish it.

So far I'm loving this. I have to say I get a laugh when I see the South Korean version of fat. But really how gorgeous is Shin Min Ah! That girl is the cutest thing I've ever seen in her fat suit.

One of the finest Sageuk ever made. I've watched this many times, and only The Princess Man is rated higher in my book. I loved the story and the characters! I loved Jang Geum and her friends, especially Lady Han. But oddly, I was even more touched by the antagonists in this series; Kyun Mi Ri who is astonishing as Lady Choi, and even more so by the touching and amazingly talented Hong Ri Na as the heartbreaking Choi Geum Young, Jang Geum's childhood friend and greatest rival who is forced to forego her strong sense of right and wrong and become a henchman for her family. Her unrequited love for Royal Guard Min, and her admiration/hate for Jang Geum are sensitively and meticulously portrated. One scene in particular brings me to tears every time. Near the end of the series when her family and her aunt Lady Choi are vanquished and she is sent from the palace, she meets Lord Min who is waiting for her on the road. He simply says "I'm sorry" to Choi Geum Young. He is sorry that it is he who helped send her from the palace, and mostly he is sorry that he cannot love her as she loves him. She looks at him with those sad, glorious eyes brimming with supressed tears and says "If we meet in our next lives, speak anything but those words". This is just one example of the brilliance and quality of writing throughout Dae Jang Geum. My vote is 10 out of 10.

My copy seems to be dubbed, possibly from mandarin to cantonese, and I sincerely considered quitting the first couple of episodes because of that. But after that it quickly becomes addicting, and I think someone like you, who appreciates intelligent, thoughtful to the point of obscure, dialogue would adore it. It's 76 episodes but each episode is short and frankly by the middle I was wishing it would 176 episodes because it's that good.

It is, but that's because the point of the story is exquisite. And frankly, it's all about the women, and their plights, as they strive to create a space at court and attract the eye of the king. The king is written so realistically that you'll understand why the romance is weak. She does get the king's heart, but then again.. He is not a modern man, but a man of his times. But frankly, the story is so compelling that you don't miss it. Fantastic drama.

Can I get an AMEN here! I, to this very day, judge all dramas, not just K-Drama, by TPM. Sadly, none seem to compare. The closest thing so far for me is Empresses of the Palace, which is goddam amazing. It's a Chinese drama but the writing is stupendous and the twists and turns mindblowing. Plus it's got a huge cast and their stories are very well told. If you haven't seen it, watch it now. Absolutely the best drama since TPM for me.

Sorry for taking so long to reply, but better late than never! I continue to adore this drama. Of course nothing can bring back the utter surprise moments that shocked us all the first time we were smitten by this drama.

Even though the series basically STARTS with the most shocking sequence; the murder of Kim Seung Yoo's entire clan. Even then I sat slackjawed at the amazing way this was carried out. The beheading of Kim Soon Jae, and the subsequent placement of his head on a pike. The calling of the ministers and their ritual murders; the betrayal by Shin Myun (the guys were like BROTHERS!) And that is just one sequence of events.

The moment when the amazing Lee Se Ryung cuts her hair in front of her father! And then later when her father makes her a SLAVE! I mean Game of Thrones has NOTHING on TPM.

The moment when Princess Kyung Hee gets on her knees and BEGS the man who stole the crown. And then she calls him "Your Majesty".

I could go on for absolutely days. But the main point is that NONE of these events appears out of nowhere. The writers skillfully created understandable characters and weaved them into this universe and everything that happened had a cause and effect. This kind of writing is rare, and elevates a Sageuk into the realm of art.

He absolutely stole MAIDS in my opinion. His performance was astonishing and wonderful. I cried and cried every time I looked at that man's red-rimmed eyes. Each time he did something to hurt In Yub he seemed to die a little himself. One of the best performances ever.

Very good drama. Jung Yoo Mi shines as Kook In Yoeb. Oh Ji Ho is good, if a tad wooden as Moo Myeong. For me the true killer performance was by Kim Dong Wook as Kim Eun Ki, the man who never stops loving In Yub. He should get an award for that performance it was the very essence of what love is about, good and bad. I cried my head off, which for me is a sign that I truly loved a drama.