This review may contain spoilers
Watch for the characters, not the plot!
First, I will not talk about the recent controversy happening around this drama, since I am not Korean nor do I know about the intricacies of their history.
Secondly, I think the best thing about this drama are the characters, especially the main leads, and their relationship with each other. If you don’t like rom coms, or don’t like “cheesy and tropey” romance in general, then I fear this story isn’t for you.
Overall, I think the actors did a phenomenal job in portraying their characters. Of course, IU and Byeon Woo Seok are the stars of the show, but the secondary cast shouldn’t be ashamed about their performances either! I didn’t expect to like the duo of secretaries as much as I did honestly, and I even wish they had more screen time in the end. Furthermore, the humor was very spotted on and relied more on comedic timing than in cringe scenes, for my immense pleasure!
Like I said before, the characters are shining in this drama, the development of the romance is delightful (in my humble opinion) and the OST is very fitting too. On the other hand, it’s true that the plot is quite weak, even if I feel like they did the best they could. Because honestly, this is a romcom, and it doesn't pretend to be anything else: it isn’t anything revolutionary, and it contains quite a few tropes that we have already seen in other kdramas. But it still works! Especially because Hui Ju and Yi An felt like they were “real” (as real as they could get considering this is a kdrama about a fake marriage between an heiress and a regent in the 21st century). Each grew within a hostile environment, and they had to adapt in response to that: she’s arrogant and a little bitchy, he’s handsome and composed. But very soon, we realize that they have layers that need peeling so we can reach their inner parts. I feel like they both had in equal measures their moments of weaknesses in front of the other, and so they had to learn and to adapt, and they really became the other comfort in the end. I feel like the development of their relationship was quite natural and organic in this way and I really loved it. Of course, there are moments of cheesiness, of longing stares and shy kisses, but the actors did their best to make it all seem less fabricated and more spontaneous.
I also really loved the fact that they were equally in love with each other, I didn't feel like one was putting so much more effort into their relationship than the other. It felt quite mature in this aspect, and I think Hui Ju did a great job protecting and defending Yi An as best as she could. More importantly, I absolutely adored the "quiet" moments between them, when one was comforting the other and vice versa, away from prying eyes and beyond the riches and glamour. To me it seemed like they truly found solace in each other and it was a joy to witness, even more so than all the "grand" gestures they had to show the world to justify their union .
By contrast, I think the secondary characters could have been better developed. In this regard, the Queen mother, and the prime minister, were a little too “cartoonery” for my taste as they were obviously the main antagonists of this drama. But still the actors were great and again I feel like the script is the only one at fault here: taking the time to properly explore their respective motivations and desires would have been great, even if the viewer can still understand the general plot as it is. I don’t want to spoil too much but they really had the materials to become great and unique characters, for very different reasons. Truthfully, I hope the web novel will explore their characters a little bit more to add some needed lore behind their actions.
The overall plot wasn’t extraordinarily thrilling either, even if some scenes were quite tense and charged emotionally: obviously the viewer knows that our main characters aren’t seriously in danger and yet I was still very entertained until the very end, further proof of the actors’ amazing chemistry. I also agree with some people saying that the whole monarchy thing could have been developed a little further, but still I liked the main leads’ choices in the end, it made sense for me and I’m quite happy with the last episode (even though I feel like there are still some loose ends that weren’t explained, or maybe I missed some details). Again, it was maybe a little rushed concerning the main plot line, but it was nonetheless very satisfying regarding the characters and their relationships. So massive bonus point for that!
With that being said, I am very happy to have watched this kdrama despite its flaws. Give it a chance, you could fall in love with it too!
Secondly, I think the best thing about this drama are the characters, especially the main leads, and their relationship with each other. If you don’t like rom coms, or don’t like “cheesy and tropey” romance in general, then I fear this story isn’t for you.
Overall, I think the actors did a phenomenal job in portraying their characters. Of course, IU and Byeon Woo Seok are the stars of the show, but the secondary cast shouldn’t be ashamed about their performances either! I didn’t expect to like the duo of secretaries as much as I did honestly, and I even wish they had more screen time in the end. Furthermore, the humor was very spotted on and relied more on comedic timing than in cringe scenes, for my immense pleasure!
Like I said before, the characters are shining in this drama, the development of the romance is delightful (in my humble opinion) and the OST is very fitting too. On the other hand, it’s true that the plot is quite weak, even if I feel like they did the best they could. Because honestly, this is a romcom, and it doesn't pretend to be anything else: it isn’t anything revolutionary, and it contains quite a few tropes that we have already seen in other kdramas. But it still works! Especially because Hui Ju and Yi An felt like they were “real” (as real as they could get considering this is a kdrama about a fake marriage between an heiress and a regent in the 21st century). Each grew within a hostile environment, and they had to adapt in response to that: she’s arrogant and a little bitchy, he’s handsome and composed. But very soon, we realize that they have layers that need peeling so we can reach their inner parts. I feel like they both had in equal measures their moments of weaknesses in front of the other, and so they had to learn and to adapt, and they really became the other comfort in the end. I feel like the development of their relationship was quite natural and organic in this way and I really loved it. Of course, there are moments of cheesiness, of longing stares and shy kisses, but the actors did their best to make it all seem less fabricated and more spontaneous.
I also really loved the fact that they were equally in love with each other, I didn't feel like one was putting so much more effort into their relationship than the other. It felt quite mature in this aspect, and I think Hui Ju did a great job protecting and defending Yi An as best as she could. More importantly, I absolutely adored the "quiet" moments between them, when one was comforting the other and vice versa, away from prying eyes and beyond the riches and glamour. To me it seemed like they truly found solace in each other and it was a joy to witness, even more so than all the "grand" gestures they had to show the world to justify their union .
By contrast, I think the secondary characters could have been better developed. In this regard, the Queen mother, and the prime minister, were a little too “cartoonery” for my taste as they were obviously the main antagonists of this drama. But still the actors were great and again I feel like the script is the only one at fault here: taking the time to properly explore their respective motivations and desires would have been great, even if the viewer can still understand the general plot as it is. I don’t want to spoil too much but they really had the materials to become great and unique characters, for very different reasons. Truthfully, I hope the web novel will explore their characters a little bit more to add some needed lore behind their actions.
The overall plot wasn’t extraordinarily thrilling either, even if some scenes were quite tense and charged emotionally: obviously the viewer knows that our main characters aren’t seriously in danger and yet I was still very entertained until the very end, further proof of the actors’ amazing chemistry. I also agree with some people saying that the whole monarchy thing could have been developed a little further, but still I liked the main leads’ choices in the end, it made sense for me and I’m quite happy with the last episode (even though I feel like there are still some loose ends that weren’t explained, or maybe I missed some details). Again, it was maybe a little rushed concerning the main plot line, but it was nonetheless very satisfying regarding the characters and their relationships. So massive bonus point for that!
With that being said, I am very happy to have watched this kdrama despite its flaws. Give it a chance, you could fall in love with it too!
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