Zogitt

Edit: EP 10 is the turning point. There is finally a purpose and a focus. The acting is sharper, the characters are better defined. There is even a hint of bromance. I have lifted its score according. Let's see if this momentum can be sustained.
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I originally started this review writing about the soul swapping trope being used again so soon after Moon River. By the time I finished EP.8, my perspective changed.

Let's start with some fundamentals. Our writer-nim has a bone to pick about treatment of eolnyeos. To be fair, I have not seen many shows based on that. New material is good. ;) The prejudice against them is a hidden malady of the Joseon era.

My issue is not with the social justice angle, but rather the ham-fisted way the story and characters are constructed.

Let's be clear about one thing. The Joseon era is all about classes, orders and rules. Very Confucius. Everyone has a place in the hierarchy, from the King down to the lowest slave. There are rules and etiquette about everything. A lowly peasant knows nothing about courtly etiquettes, but they certainly know they are in for a beating if they looked at a nobleman the wrong way. This is where this drama is doing my head in. I have watched dramas where the rules are relaxed, but usually in isolation. This is literally the palace and the capital.

OBTW, I have no problem with the romance of our leads and their chemistry. They certainly delivered on that front. I have been a low-key fan of theirs for ages. This is not a bad show per se. It really pains me to have to pen this just to get this off my chest.

My problem is the setting of this series seems to be a Joseon-lite alternate universe. There are elements that are instantly recognisable, yet some aspects are oddly disassociated. The show appears to cherry pick bits that is useful to the plot and leave out the "boring" bits.

The biggest impact is on how characters behaves and their bearings. The ML doesn't behave like a typical Grand Prince. Sure, there is a certain gravity to his character, but most of the time, he just do whatever he likes. There are few consequences to his actions. He plays merry hell with the establishment and faces scant consequences. You can pass it off as being the "playboy" prince, but it goes deeper. It is hard to work out if a plotline is important or will get sweep underneath the straw mat.

It is even more pronounced when it comes to the FL. She is the titular eolnyeo. Her social status is about equivalent to a servant, yet she is a court physician. She roams around freely at all hours of the day. Nobody pays any attention to her status except when the script wants to make a point. When you consider the rules governing female around that time, it is very unusual. Of course, this means she can be at the right place, at the right time so the plot can move along. Same goes for the ML. Very convenient.

BTW, she is also the Robin Hood-esque thief in the title. She appears to be a good martial artist in the opening episode. After the ML arrives on the screen, he took over the manly duties.

To further complicate things, she ends up marrying into the antagonist's household as a concubine. It is a sore point as the show made it abundantly clear that this is her best option due to her lowly status. Yet she enters and leaves that house without a care. When you consider a noble house can be hellish for a low status woman, it is mind boggling. She dresses like a lady, but she is almost invisible unless she steps forward. What is her status? Why is the antagonist so kind to her?

This type of confusing characterisation is everywhere in this drama. Our antagonist is painted as the usual scheming Minister of the State, but other than some token scheming, he doesn't come across as evil at all. His youngest son has a dark secret, and he is out to get the FL . . for reasons. He is also some kind of attack dog for the family. He can be cruel at times, but he also has his innocent side. I assume there will be a redemption arc for him.

This is the same for several other key characters. They are wishy-washy by design. An odd and unsettling choice when you consider most sageuk dramas are heavily scripted. This feels very loose. It makes more sense if we frame their behaviour in a modern context. It feels weird when you try to shoehorn them into their proper historical setting.

I'll update this "review" as I go. I had high hopes for this drama. It seems to have taken the scenic route thus far. Maybe it will work out in the end. I'm sure we'll get the HEA ending . . right?

I almost forgot . . "Another day, another prince soul swap with a female commoner. It must be Joseon Tuesday!" (This is all I salvaged from my original review) Peace.