This review may contain spoilers
fun, but with a realistic undercurrent of fear
Possibly the best, certainly the most interesting forced-cohabitation-sageuk you will ever see. Definitely the most affectionate and discreet 'first night' of married love ever. 2024-5, 16eps at 1hr10mins ea. Absolutely amazing, brilliant acting by both leads.
Ever-evolving chapters of fiction and disguise. Im Ji Yeon's character, a runaway slave named Goodecki, lives in fear of what her discovery would mean -- the deaths of her entire household for harboring her. Choo Young Woo successfully carries off the role of an actor's lifetime -- he plays two separate characters, one the doppelganger of the other, both her husband, in sequence.
Epic cinematography, original and intensely theatrical plot. Experienced direc tor,irector Jun Hyuk, composer Chung Yea Kyung, writer park Ji Sook
The true lovers meet at a street fair in disguise. They comically destroy, by accident, a proposed marriage of the ML to Goodecki's obsessively cruel mistress . We follow Goodecki: brutal punishment, escape and mistaken recognition as the long-absent daughter of a noble family, the Oks, from a neighboring provincial county. The ML disappears for 2-plus episodes. He is a novelist/performer and a disgraced illegitimate son, Song Seo In (stage name Seung Hwi), It is a relief when he reappears. You will have longed for his merry presence to relieve the tensions of Lady Ok's new life.
The magistrate's son, Seong Yun Gyeom, whom the FL is forced to marry (because of one of those interfering royal edicts), looks exactly like the ML. Yun Gyeom is a closeted gay activist, needing disguise as much as she does. His projects result in danger for the FL, so Seung Hwi gives up his identity to become her husband in his place. True love indeed.
Over and over again Lady Ok faces disaster and survives. Im Ji Yeon deserves more credit than she gets. Her steady powerful performance is not as glitzy as playing doppelgangers but it is outstanding. An excellent supporting cast includes two second couples, one noble and one humble, who provide the comic relief and tears necessary for a satisfying romedy.
The suspension of disbelief is almost complete. You will ask yourself, how does Choo Young Woo make his two roles still feel like distinct characters? The moment where the doppelganger appears is so subtle-- Lady Ok cannot reveal her surprise, so you too hold judgement until you can figure out what is happening, thus neatly participating in the life that the main characters must lead in the dangerous circumstances of Joseon.
Ever-evolving chapters of fiction and disguise. Im Ji Yeon's character, a runaway slave named Goodecki, lives in fear of what her discovery would mean -- the deaths of her entire household for harboring her. Choo Young Woo successfully carries off the role of an actor's lifetime -- he plays two separate characters, one the doppelganger of the other, both her husband, in sequence.
Epic cinematography, original and intensely theatrical plot. Experienced direc tor,irector Jun Hyuk, composer Chung Yea Kyung, writer park Ji Sook
The true lovers meet at a street fair in disguise. They comically destroy, by accident, a proposed marriage of the ML to Goodecki's obsessively cruel mistress . We follow Goodecki: brutal punishment, escape and mistaken recognition as the long-absent daughter of a noble family, the Oks, from a neighboring provincial county. The ML disappears for 2-plus episodes. He is a novelist/performer and a disgraced illegitimate son, Song Seo In (stage name Seung Hwi), It is a relief when he reappears. You will have longed for his merry presence to relieve the tensions of Lady Ok's new life.
The magistrate's son, Seong Yun Gyeom, whom the FL is forced to marry (because of one of those interfering royal edicts), looks exactly like the ML. Yun Gyeom is a closeted gay activist, needing disguise as much as she does. His projects result in danger for the FL, so Seung Hwi gives up his identity to become her husband in his place. True love indeed.
Over and over again Lady Ok faces disaster and survives. Im Ji Yeon deserves more credit than she gets. Her steady powerful performance is not as glitzy as playing doppelgangers but it is outstanding. An excellent supporting cast includes two second couples, one noble and one humble, who provide the comic relief and tears necessary for a satisfying romedy.
The suspension of disbelief is almost complete. You will ask yourself, how does Choo Young Woo make his two roles still feel like distinct characters? The moment where the doppelganger appears is so subtle-- Lady Ok cannot reveal her surprise, so you too hold judgement until you can figure out what is happening, thus neatly participating in the life that the main characters must lead in the dangerous circumstances of Joseon.
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