lime_pickle

Is this an entirely fictional king, queen dowager etc? They’ve confused me a bit by calling granny Grand Dowager Min!

He says himself, in episode 19 I think, that Taek simply wanted her more than he did: “In the end, fate and timing do not happen, out of coincidence. They are products of earnest, simple choices, that make up miraculous moments. Being resolute, making decisions without hesitation… that is what makes timing. He wanted her more than I did. And I should have been more courageous. It was not the traffic light’s fault. It was not timing. It was my hesitations.” – Jung Hwan

Yes, I didn't find him 'toxic' in any deepset sense. He just behaved like many very attractive (and, frankly, some not so attractive) people, who are playing the field, behave at that age. Hell, I know some 40 somethings still behaving that way. But I thought it could have had a cooler, more realistic ending - not that there's anything wrong with following your groin when you're young and single.

Grand Prince Joohyang eventually becomes King Sejo, deposing and then killing his nephew (the then king), so I guess they did that to make it clear that he didn't rot in gaol as the drama was suggesting up until that point.

Confused, lazy writing, relentless repetition, poor dialogue, and lack of chemistry between the leads sunk an initially interesting premise. I enjoyed bits of it, but it wasn't a satisfying whole.

In LOTRS Gong Myung is Grand Prince Anpyeong and Kwak Si-yang is Grand Prince Juhyang/King Sejo.

Did you watch Move to Heaven?

I am watching this back to back with Lovers of the Red Sky as both are about the same two brothers, the grand prince that eventually becomes King Sejo and Grand Prince Anpyeong. Though the latter has fantasy elements and is even more fictionalized than this, both introduce Prince Yangnyeong as a bitter, manipulative uncle who winds Sejo up to throne grab. I think, overall, I prefer this story, though it's less 'romantic'. So far, at least.

The writers didn't waste much time or effort on dialogue for Kim Yoo Jung's character, did they? Still, saying 'Mr Scholar' 200 times an episode is still better than 'Wha?' which was 80% of the FL's dialogue in Gangnam Beauty.

The writers didn't waste much time or effort on dialogue for Kim Yoo Jung's character, did they? Still, saying 'Mr Scholar' 200 times an episode is still better than 'Wha?' which was 80% of the FL's dialogue in Gangam Beauty.

That made me laugh like a drain.

They should be judged equally harshly in both sexes, but they're not. Women are 'cute' or 'funny' if they do some of these things. See also violent screaming/screeching. If a man did that you'd think he was a psycho.

Domestic violence, aggressive drunkneness, borderline or full-on stalking, infidelity, forced sexual contact, even inappropriate age gaps - female characters are judged far LESS harshly than male ones in dramaland. Also, 'punishing' your current partner for the bad things a previous one did is generally excused in female characters as 'understandable'. Female characters are also allowed more privacy and to choose, say, career over love.

Except that - in Joseon era Kdramas at least - blood tanism is the norm. So a plot which says that eldest brother gives up the throne to party and 2nd eldest to become a monk, leaving the throne to Sejong the Great would be pretty dramatic.

I am watching episodes of this sandwiched with episodes of Grand Prince and have a question . . . in both shows Jin Yang/Sejo's uncle, Prince Yangnyeong, is portrayed as bitter over losing out on the kingship to Sejong and winding up Sejo to take the throne from his (Sejo's) brother(s). But the historic sources don't portray him like this at all - he was a bisexual hedonist who voluntarily gave up the throne - despite being the eldest - to go off and have fun. So, why do you think two quite different dramas inserted him into the story with exactly the same arc?

The Kings Affection is fabulous. And I've only watched 3 episodes. Now that's what I call chemistry.

Stuttering seems to be kdrama code for cute/young/virginal but finish a fecking sentence already . . .

But he isn't. His big brother becomes the next king - if the drama follows what actually happened in history.

Does anyone else find it hard to take Kim Won-Hae seriously, as a villain?

I don't find her massively relatable, to be honest, though I like her (I find Ruby super cringey in contrast). Her interactions with Sae Yi ring of truth but not so much her interactions with Woong. We all have different experiences, no?