FDiyF

I was suddenly feeling nostalgic and felt like watching my first and biggest kdrama when i was in my teens. I remembered how obsessed I was with Jang Geum that I even bought the cd boxset a few years later when I finally earned my own money during my college days, as it was aired on tv the first time and there were days that I missed one or two episodes. Fastforward 20+ years later, I realized had I first watched it now at my current age, I wouldve dropped it so fast due to how timid and reserved the FL’s character was written throughout the show. She literally had no rebuking bone in her. She was always bowing her head and hunched over so submissively, talking so very slowly and the episodes almost always end with her facial reactions of either - shocked, bewildered, sad, or happy - and all of these expressions usually came wide eyed and gaping mouth. I am glad I came across this show when I was in my teens where I havent experienced much life yet and expectations rather low. I guess FL’s perseverence and brilliance was what hooked my attention the most back then.

Anyway, now that I am rewatching for the third time, I fastforwarded so many scenes where they replayed past dialogues of characters in the background for flashback scenes and there were a whole dang lot. It also irks me that FL would always gets sabotaged all in similar ways and her decade-long court lady experience offered little help in outsmarting the bad guys, even though the sole motivation of her entering the palace (BOTH TIMES!) was for revenge, knowing full well that she is surrounded by crafty enemies. Her confused or shocked expressions as she gets framed by her old enemies one after another just make my eyes roll, as if that’s her first time! What makes it much worse is the tricks were so repetitive that I can literally guess what the next trick would be while Jang Geum acts like a clueless rabbit all over each time. And her quivering and stammering like a new girl instead of a seasoned palace veteren every time she gets questioned after each set up made me wonder, why the heck was I so obsessed with this character? 😒 she gets nervous and flustered so easily, and panic when carrying out covert excursions. i also cant stand her spacing out lamenting her sad life either, it made her look weak instead of pitiful. How I wished she had 10% of Jang Duk’s defiance so her character didnt look too feeble and weak, so that this whole thing would be more fun to watch. It’s also a shame they couldnt come up with better framing scheme that doesnt make the FL look helpless and naiive, while always calling out either “ye” or “mamanim”, there were probably more than a thousand of that same word in the FL’s script. And I especially despised how FL would swallow insults and unreasonable scoldings lying down, even as she held the highest title for female officials. Like I said, she had no rebuking bone in her.

Watching this old series also made me realized how pure the romance was in shows like this back in those days. Couples in love did not have to hold hands, cuddle or french-kiss every time they meet. Although the romance was not intense and physical-oriented, it was still conveyed successfully to the audience as I can really feel how deeply Min Jungho’s cared for Jang Geum, and how she felt for Min Jungho even they did not express their love verbally. Back then it was all in the poetic script, how beautifully they string the words to convey the characters’ feelings for each other. I liked it when Min Jungho first realized he was smitten with Jang Geum, and asked her earnestly,”Would you share your pain with me now?” Oh god I just melted. And this was waaaayyy before Jang Geum and Min Jungho was a thing, mind you! Before he realized she was the girl he was looking for all this while. Oohh so sweet. The chemistry between Lee Young Ae and Ji Jinhee was explosive! Oh one of the other dialogue of Min Jungho’s that melted me was during the plague arc, when he saved Jang Geum from the fire and told her,”How could I not come back for you when I realized I finally hold value in your heart?”

They did not have to say i love you or i cant live without you, instead they spoke with their eyes and gestures. Even the way Min Jungho and Jang Geum’s eyes light up everytime they see each other was enough to spell love all over the their faces. Compared to nowadays, even period dramas where the girls were supposed to be reserved and maintain proximity gaps with the opposite gender, their characters would instead brazenly hug or kiss the love interest. Or the least they would show is the couple prancing around the market or festivals while holding hands or each other’s waist. 🙄 so modern-like, huh, hence unrealistic. At least in this show the couple only started to hug during perillous situations that they almost lost each other, and most importantly they never did it in the presence of others. Though i felt that Min Jungho love for Jang Geum was more than her for him. He literally left his post without notice for her and yet she couldnt be bothered to do the same. I also could not figure put where was her dedication for the emperor coming from. It just doesnt add up.

Although I had an utmost admiration for the soundtrack, it held the no 1 spot in my heart for so long before i managed to move on. The main themesong Oh Na Ra! was so good i even memorized it as a kid despite not understanding a single word. The piano soundtrack was also one that managed to make my heart flutter, i cant help myself from humming the tune whenever it came on. The instrumental pieces were all phenomenal, successfully giving off the classic period vibe.