This review may contain spoilers
A Good K-drama That Flipped the Narratives(fell flat at times)
I was extremely excited for the show ever since it was announced. The moment the first episode dropped, I just knew that I had to continue watching this. The cast is perfect but I was let down by how slow the story moved at times. I knew that there would be court politics and all that but honestly, I wasn't engaged with it. So the middle part of it was boring. It could have been more entertaining if there was more comedy because it's where the show shines the most.
One thing that I really liked about the story is how the second leads flipped the narrative. The Queen Mother was supposed to be a villain but she ended up a morally grey character which adds complexity but Jeongwoo was grating on my nerves the moment he appeared to show interest in Huiju and I was worried that they'd make him the good guy. Jeongwoo 's sole reason to destroy I-an was because he got Huiju. But he had every chance to make a move on her all these years. That just gave me the ick. But it is something that I really appreciate because the show was going in a very stereotypical direction until they flipped the narratives. I was glad to see a second female lead be complex and a second male lead be the bad guy because I never liked the stereotype of second female leads being villains and second male leads getting love for doing the bare minimum. Anyway, so I was really glad that Huiju exposed that sneaky prime minister.
However, I was not feeling the chemistry between Byun Woo-seok and IU tbh. I dont know if it was the actors or the character writing. The romance just fell flat at times. I was looking forward to the interactions with the palace staff, the aides, and Huiju's family more at certain points. MAN THE COURT LADY IS SO FUNNY! I was cackling when she brought Wan and Huiju a bed and kept calling Wan "Your Majesty." Guess some habits never change.
Although I complained a lot about the story moving slow, episodes 10=12 were actually really good. Byun Woo seok and IU are both excellent at playing powerful people (watch Byun Woo-seok in strong girl Namsoon and IU in Hotel Del Luna) so them being strong at a time where stakes felt especially high was AMAZING!!! Gong Seong-yeon deserves her flowers for her performance and captivating me in episodes 11 and 12. I loved the way everything came together although there were loopholes. Moreover, I dont know I feel about the abolishment because it makes sense but they could have left it at Wan gaining the throne because it is an alternate reality anyway. But not abolishing would mean that the same hierarchies would continue so it makes sense why they chose it. It just felt political but again I was skipping through court politics scenes unless Wan, Huiju, or the Queen Mother appeared.
Overall, it's a good show that flipped the narratives boldly but kind of fell flat on some of the execution.
One thing that I really liked about the story is how the second leads flipped the narrative. The Queen Mother was supposed to be a villain but she ended up a morally grey character which adds complexity but Jeongwoo was grating on my nerves the moment he appeared to show interest in Huiju and I was worried that they'd make him the good guy. Jeongwoo 's sole reason to destroy I-an was because he got Huiju. But he had every chance to make a move on her all these years. That just gave me the ick. But it is something that I really appreciate because the show was going in a very stereotypical direction until they flipped the narratives. I was glad to see a second female lead be complex and a second male lead be the bad guy because I never liked the stereotype of second female leads being villains and second male leads getting love for doing the bare minimum. Anyway, so I was really glad that Huiju exposed that sneaky prime minister.
However, I was not feeling the chemistry between Byun Woo-seok and IU tbh. I dont know if it was the actors or the character writing. The romance just fell flat at times. I was looking forward to the interactions with the palace staff, the aides, and Huiju's family more at certain points. MAN THE COURT LADY IS SO FUNNY! I was cackling when she brought Wan and Huiju a bed and kept calling Wan "Your Majesty." Guess some habits never change.
Although I complained a lot about the story moving slow, episodes 10=12 were actually really good. Byun Woo seok and IU are both excellent at playing powerful people (watch Byun Woo-seok in strong girl Namsoon and IU in Hotel Del Luna) so them being strong at a time where stakes felt especially high was AMAZING!!! Gong Seong-yeon deserves her flowers for her performance and captivating me in episodes 11 and 12. I loved the way everything came together although there were loopholes. Moreover, I dont know I feel about the abolishment because it makes sense but they could have left it at Wan gaining the throne because it is an alternate reality anyway. But not abolishing would mean that the same hierarchies would continue so it makes sense why they chose it. It just felt political but again I was skipping through court politics scenes unless Wan, Huiju, or the Queen Mother appeared.
Overall, it's a good show that flipped the narratives boldly but kind of fell flat on some of the execution.
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