This review may contain spoilers
A shallow drama that wasted a story - but left me fascinated by the real people
✅ The One Good Thing That Came from This Drama
🔥 The real historical story is absolutely fascinating.
• It doesn’t fit neatly into any box—it’s layered, complex, and deeply human.
• King Jeongjo and Deok-im’s real story kept me thinking for weeks, making me dig deeper and deeper into history.
• If nothing else, the drama led me to discover one of the most intricate, bittersweet, and fascinating relationships in Korean history.
🚨 But the drama itself? An absolute insult.
❌ Where The Red Sleeve Completely Fails
1️⃣ It Reduces Real Feminist Power into Shallow Modern Feminism
• Instead of showing the real strength of historical women, it turns Deok-im into a modern feminist caricature.
• Her entire personality becomes about some generic “independent woman” narrative that doesn’t fit the historical context.
• The real Deok-im had actual power and agency in a way that fit her time—this version just feels forced, modern, and shallow.
2️⃣ The Lead Actress Was Awful (And I Mean That in Capital Letters)
• She single-handedly ruined the show.
• Her performance was completely flat, lifeless, and unnatural.
• She didn’t belong in the time period—she looked like she was playing dress-up in a costume drama.
• She had zero emotional depth, making every scene feel fake and detached.
3️⃣ The Only Thing That Made This Drama Watchable Was the Male Lead
• Lee Jun-ho carried the entire show on his back.
• His performance was incredible, deeply emotional, and layered—the only thing that gave the drama any weight.
• If it weren’t for him, this drama would have been completely unwatchable.
👑 The Real Jeongjo & Deok-im: One of the Most Incredible Love Stories in History
💡 King Jeongjo was one of the most extraordinary rulers in world history.
• He was deeply Confucian, a workaholic, and completely devoted to the structure of Joseon.
• Yet, despite all that, he put love first—which even defies expectations today.
• Most workaholics and corporate-minded people prioritize ambition over love, but he did the opposite.
• He spent his life working tirelessly to make Joseon stronger while still being consumed by love for Deok-im.
💡 But what makes him even more remarkable?
• He endured one of the most traumatic lives imaginable.
• His father was executed in the most brutal way possible, locked in a rice chest and left to die—while Jeongjo, as a child, could do nothing but witness it.
• He grew up surrounded by political enemies, power struggles, and betrayal.
• Yet, despite all of that, he was still able to love deeply and unconditionally.
• How many people could go through that level of trauma and still love like that?
💡 Deok-im wasn’t just any court lady—she represented the future of Joseon.
• She embodied exactly what Jeongjo wanted for his kingdom—a society that was Confucian yet still allowed for independent thinking.
• Her refusal of his advances was a completely non-Confucian thing to do, yet he loved her all the more for it.
• At the same time, she was incredibly frugal and modest—traits highly valued in Confucianism—to the point that she didn’t even have a dress for her funeral and declined every material privilege offered to her.
• She also completely went against Confucian ideals in the sense that she didn’t do anything for her own family.
• Yet, paradoxically, she was deeply Confucian in her devotion, frugality, and values.
• That contradiction is fascinating.
💡 Their story doesn’t fit into any box—it was complex, intellectual, tragic, and utterly unique.
• Their dynamic was not just about love, but about ideology, governance, and the future of a nation.
• I highly recommend reading the letter that Jeongjo wrote about Deok-im after her death—it is an incredibly moving testament to their relationship and shows how deeply she shaped his life.
🚨 This is why the drama’s shallow, modernized version of their relationship is so insulting.
• The real story was already so rich, so layered, and so fascinating—it didn’t need modern feminist clichés.
• The drama reduced their relationship to something simplistic and failed to honor the true depth of their connection.
🚨 Final Verdict: A Shallow, Misguided Drama That Wasted an Amazing Story
⭐ Rating: 2.5/10⭐⭐☆☆☆
✅ One star for the real historical story being so fascinating.
✅ One star for the male lead’s exceptional performance.
✅ Half a star for production value and visuals.
❌ Minus 7.5 stars for the terrible lead actress, the forced modern feminism, and the complete failure to honor the real story.
🔥 The real historical story is absolutely fascinating.
• It doesn’t fit neatly into any box—it’s layered, complex, and deeply human.
• King Jeongjo and Deok-im’s real story kept me thinking for weeks, making me dig deeper and deeper into history.
• If nothing else, the drama led me to discover one of the most intricate, bittersweet, and fascinating relationships in Korean history.
🚨 But the drama itself? An absolute insult.
❌ Where The Red Sleeve Completely Fails
1️⃣ It Reduces Real Feminist Power into Shallow Modern Feminism
• Instead of showing the real strength of historical women, it turns Deok-im into a modern feminist caricature.
• Her entire personality becomes about some generic “independent woman” narrative that doesn’t fit the historical context.
• The real Deok-im had actual power and agency in a way that fit her time—this version just feels forced, modern, and shallow.
2️⃣ The Lead Actress Was Awful (And I Mean That in Capital Letters)
• She single-handedly ruined the show.
• Her performance was completely flat, lifeless, and unnatural.
• She didn’t belong in the time period—she looked like she was playing dress-up in a costume drama.
• She had zero emotional depth, making every scene feel fake and detached.
3️⃣ The Only Thing That Made This Drama Watchable Was the Male Lead
• Lee Jun-ho carried the entire show on his back.
• His performance was incredible, deeply emotional, and layered—the only thing that gave the drama any weight.
• If it weren’t for him, this drama would have been completely unwatchable.
👑 The Real Jeongjo & Deok-im: One of the Most Incredible Love Stories in History
💡 King Jeongjo was one of the most extraordinary rulers in world history.
• He was deeply Confucian, a workaholic, and completely devoted to the structure of Joseon.
• Yet, despite all that, he put love first—which even defies expectations today.
• Most workaholics and corporate-minded people prioritize ambition over love, but he did the opposite.
• He spent his life working tirelessly to make Joseon stronger while still being consumed by love for Deok-im.
💡 But what makes him even more remarkable?
• He endured one of the most traumatic lives imaginable.
• His father was executed in the most brutal way possible, locked in a rice chest and left to die—while Jeongjo, as a child, could do nothing but witness it.
• He grew up surrounded by political enemies, power struggles, and betrayal.
• Yet, despite all of that, he was still able to love deeply and unconditionally.
• How many people could go through that level of trauma and still love like that?
💡 Deok-im wasn’t just any court lady—she represented the future of Joseon.
• She embodied exactly what Jeongjo wanted for his kingdom—a society that was Confucian yet still allowed for independent thinking.
• Her refusal of his advances was a completely non-Confucian thing to do, yet he loved her all the more for it.
• At the same time, she was incredibly frugal and modest—traits highly valued in Confucianism—to the point that she didn’t even have a dress for her funeral and declined every material privilege offered to her.
• She also completely went against Confucian ideals in the sense that she didn’t do anything for her own family.
• Yet, paradoxically, she was deeply Confucian in her devotion, frugality, and values.
• That contradiction is fascinating.
💡 Their story doesn’t fit into any box—it was complex, intellectual, tragic, and utterly unique.
• Their dynamic was not just about love, but about ideology, governance, and the future of a nation.
• I highly recommend reading the letter that Jeongjo wrote about Deok-im after her death—it is an incredibly moving testament to their relationship and shows how deeply she shaped his life.
🚨 This is why the drama’s shallow, modernized version of their relationship is so insulting.
• The real story was already so rich, so layered, and so fascinating—it didn’t need modern feminist clichés.
• The drama reduced their relationship to something simplistic and failed to honor the true depth of their connection.
🚨 Final Verdict: A Shallow, Misguided Drama That Wasted an Amazing Story
⭐ Rating: 2.5/10⭐⭐☆☆☆
✅ One star for the real historical story being so fascinating.
✅ One star for the male lead’s exceptional performance.
✅ Half a star for production value and visuals.
❌ Minus 7.5 stars for the terrible lead actress, the forced modern feminism, and the complete failure to honor the real story.
Was this review helpful to you?
