m5m

This show was almost perfect. The two leads especially were absolutely hands-down wonderful. Especially Shin Hae-Sun. What a performance of a complex character she pulled off! And Kim Jung Hyun was also wonderful. The cast around them was also stellar. I especially loved Bae Jong Ok as the Grand Queen Dowager Sunwon. She was simultaneously horrible and also endearingly funny. One of my favorite villains in recent times. And the overall plot was great and the production values (cinematography, music, costumes, sets, etc.) were all top-notch.

My only quibble with this show is I really despised the way the show decided to whitewash SML Kim Byeong In's character at the end. Trying to make the audience somehow feel sorry for him. The jerk was objectively evil and psychotic. He brazenly framed, tortured and murdered multiple innocents all in pursuit of his own lustful obsession for the Queen. This was NOT out of love. He even was eager to put the child Damhyang to death!!! And despite getting clearly rejected by the Queen multiple times (including BEFORE her body was inhabited by Bonghwan) he forced a kiss on her when she was most despairing and fragile, came within a split second of molesting her while she was unconscious, refused to ever respect her autonomy and choices and constantly tried to murder her true love. None of that is the behavior of a good man who truly loves someone. He was a psychopathic, evil piece of crap. So for the 19th episode to try to make us all feel sad and sorry for him just because he did defend her from an assassin at the end was just absurd and an example of the writers thinking we are stupid.

Conversely, the SFL , Jo Hwa Jin, had a much more credible 'redemption arc'. She very clearly acknowledged her mistakes and made real changes in herself to be a good person.

Still, outside of parts of episode 19 & a bit of 20, when they did this absurd whitewashing, the rest of this show was fantastic.