This review may contain spoilers
They Had the Romance, the Looks, the Embroidery… But Not the Writing
I wanted to love this. Truly. I’m a sucker for a good love story, and I’ve enjoyed these actors in other projects — but unfortunately, this was a full-on cringe fest.
Let’s start with my biggest ick: the time travel. It was absurd. The female lead, Park Yun-woo, doesn’t even wake up somewhere mysterious — she just turns up in a pool in the modern day. Cringe. I get that there used to be a well in that location 200 years ago (where she was thrown in), but… what if there wasn’t a pool now? Would she have just landed on concrete and died? The whole setup feels lazy and barely thought through.
And it gets worse. The second time she time-travels? She arrives in a different outfit. Why? The first time she wore the same one she was thrown in with. No explanation, no consistency — just chaos.
Yun-woo herself adjusted shockingly well for someone who jumped two centuries ahead. But naturally, she just had to befriend a cleaning robot (why do K-dramas keep doing this?). I’m not going to break down every issue I had with her behavior, but honestly, she was far more compelling in the Joseon era. Once she adapted to modern life, she became flat and boring.
The pacing was all over the place — fast at the beginning, slow in the middle, then it rushed again at the end. I don’t mind slow parts; what bothers me is when big developments get crammed in without buildup.
Now Kang Tae-ha. Here’s the thing — he did have depth. His heart condition, his trauma, his strained family dynamics — it was all there. But none of it stuck. I literally watched the finale yesterday, and the only thing I remember is his face and the way he talks. That’s the kind of boring I mean: not empty, but emotionally forgettable. A character that leaves no lasting impact.
The rest of the characters didn’t help either. The family drama, the “mystery” of who’s good or bad — it was all predictable. Which is fine in theory, but I didn’t feel anything for any of them. No attachment, no investment. That’s a problem.
What kept me watching was the romance. I can’t lie — I enjoyed their cute moments. The chemistry was there. But everything around that relationship was a mess.
That said, one thing I absolutely adored? The costumes. The embroidery, the designs, the colors — every time Yun-woo walked into a scene, I was excited to see what she was wearing. It was hands down the highlight of the show for me.
Let’s start with my biggest ick: the time travel. It was absurd. The female lead, Park Yun-woo, doesn’t even wake up somewhere mysterious — she just turns up in a pool in the modern day. Cringe. I get that there used to be a well in that location 200 years ago (where she was thrown in), but… what if there wasn’t a pool now? Would she have just landed on concrete and died? The whole setup feels lazy and barely thought through.
And it gets worse. The second time she time-travels? She arrives in a different outfit. Why? The first time she wore the same one she was thrown in with. No explanation, no consistency — just chaos.
Yun-woo herself adjusted shockingly well for someone who jumped two centuries ahead. But naturally, she just had to befriend a cleaning robot (why do K-dramas keep doing this?). I’m not going to break down every issue I had with her behavior, but honestly, she was far more compelling in the Joseon era. Once she adapted to modern life, she became flat and boring.
The pacing was all over the place — fast at the beginning, slow in the middle, then it rushed again at the end. I don’t mind slow parts; what bothers me is when big developments get crammed in without buildup.
Now Kang Tae-ha. Here’s the thing — he did have depth. His heart condition, his trauma, his strained family dynamics — it was all there. But none of it stuck. I literally watched the finale yesterday, and the only thing I remember is his face and the way he talks. That’s the kind of boring I mean: not empty, but emotionally forgettable. A character that leaves no lasting impact.
The rest of the characters didn’t help either. The family drama, the “mystery” of who’s good or bad — it was all predictable. Which is fine in theory, but I didn’t feel anything for any of them. No attachment, no investment. That’s a problem.
What kept me watching was the romance. I can’t lie — I enjoyed their cute moments. The chemistry was there. But everything around that relationship was a mess.
That said, one thing I absolutely adored? The costumes. The embroidery, the designs, the colors — every time Yun-woo walked into a scene, I was excited to see what she was wearing. It was hands down the highlight of the show for me.
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