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A tale of wasted potential
In a nutshell: If you love a dreamy romance, love IU as an actress, and/or have a soft spot for BWS (that man is genuinely unbearably attractive in this show, like actually forget to breath for a second attractive) then this show is def worth a watch. If fleshed out character arcs and a well-executed plot are really important to you, this show will frustrate and disappoint you and may be better skipped.
What the show did right:
- The romance characters, story, and plot. Longing glances, heart fluttering moments, quiet expressions of connection and support, the kind of kisses that make you blush. This show knows how to make you root for two people to be together.The romance is slow burn and the couple genuinely grow and connect in a way that feels like it will last a long time. One of the healthiest, most mature pairings I've seen in a while.
- Both the main characters and the actors have bangers chemistry, and BWS especially sells it. He made me actually cry at one point from how much he loved her. He is a true romcom prince.
- IU really shined here. Her character was fierce yet charming, she brought a lot of vibrance to the show especially early on.
- There were a couple of standout performances other than the leads. Steve Noh as the PM was compelling even when I didn't want him to be, and Chae Seo An and Lee Jae Won as the FLs brother and SIL were delightful in every single scene they were in and I wanted to see them so much more than we did.
What it missed (spoiler: pretty much everything else)
- Other than the main leads, the entire rest of the cast was underdeveloped. Most characters had zero backstory so they were little more than cardboard cutouts, the rest had just enough to service the plot but not create fully vibrant characters. No characters had any sort of goal or trait other than what related to the leads or the main plot.
- All of the side character arcs were either rushed an unrealistic, or puttered out and didn't go anywhere, or never started to begin with. So many great actors were given repetitive, bland scenes where they couldn't show their true potential, or forced to have a identity transplant over the course of a half episode.
- The 2ML has no personality other than liking the FL a lot. Literally every scene he's in, from start to finish, multiple scenes every ep, everything he does or says is motivated by him liking the FL. Despite being the prime minister of a country. It was a tragic waste of Steve Noh, who somehow managed to steal many scenes regardless.
- The plot was paper thin. They set up a huge mystery, and with it being a modern palace drama you'd think there'd be intricate layers of story full of twists and turns . But there wasn't. While there were a couple revelations, everything was so boringly straightforward and unimaginative and uninspired. The fan theories people came up with were a thousand times better than what turned out to be a very predictable plot. There wasn't enough plot for the amount of episodes, and so the second half meandered and circleed the same drain, recycling the same cliche plot points and getting so lost in them that the ending felt somehow rushed, too.
With the setting, premise, and cast of capable actors, there was a really cool, well crafted story full of compelling characters to be had here but the show focused so hard on getting the romance right that it seemed to not have the energy for everything else.
What the show did right:
- The romance characters, story, and plot. Longing glances, heart fluttering moments, quiet expressions of connection and support, the kind of kisses that make you blush. This show knows how to make you root for two people to be together.The romance is slow burn and the couple genuinely grow and connect in a way that feels like it will last a long time. One of the healthiest, most mature pairings I've seen in a while.
- Both the main characters and the actors have bangers chemistry, and BWS especially sells it. He made me actually cry at one point from how much he loved her. He is a true romcom prince.
- IU really shined here. Her character was fierce yet charming, she brought a lot of vibrance to the show especially early on.
- There were a couple of standout performances other than the leads. Steve Noh as the PM was compelling even when I didn't want him to be, and Chae Seo An and Lee Jae Won as the FLs brother and SIL were delightful in every single scene they were in and I wanted to see them so much more than we did.
What it missed (spoiler: pretty much everything else)
- Other than the main leads, the entire rest of the cast was underdeveloped. Most characters had zero backstory so they were little more than cardboard cutouts, the rest had just enough to service the plot but not create fully vibrant characters. No characters had any sort of goal or trait other than what related to the leads or the main plot.
- All of the side character arcs were either rushed an unrealistic, or puttered out and didn't go anywhere, or never started to begin with. So many great actors were given repetitive, bland scenes where they couldn't show their true potential, or forced to have a identity transplant over the course of a half episode.
- The 2ML has no personality other than liking the FL a lot. Literally every scene he's in, from start to finish, multiple scenes every ep, everything he does or says is motivated by him liking the FL. Despite being the prime minister of a country. It was a tragic waste of Steve Noh, who somehow managed to steal many scenes regardless.
- The plot was paper thin. They set up a huge mystery, and with it being a modern palace drama you'd think there'd be intricate layers of story full of twists and turns . But there wasn't. While there were a couple revelations, everything was so boringly straightforward and unimaginative and uninspired. The fan theories people came up with were a thousand times better than what turned out to be a very predictable plot. There wasn't enough plot for the amount of episodes, and so the second half meandered and circleed the same drain, recycling the same cliche plot points and getting so lost in them that the ending felt somehow rushed, too.
With the setting, premise, and cast of capable actors, there was a really cool, well crafted story full of compelling characters to be had here but the show focused so hard on getting the romance right that it seemed to not have the energy for everything else.
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