Conspiracy in the Court (2007)

What happens when four characters are all seeking the same positive goal and yet are coming at it from such different angles that they’re likely to end up destroying each other in their attempts to achieve it? This is the fascinating, risky premise of Conspiracy in the Court. In a mere eight episodes, it manages to deftly sketch out a complex political situation where would-be allies find themselves constantly opposing each other as the real forces of darkness use the disorder to consolidate their power. For the first seven episodes it makes for a sophisticated, compelling show. And then episode eight comes along. Without throwing in specific spoilers, I found it hard to take much away from a show that essentially ended with the message that if you try to fight the power, the power will win. It may be “realistic”, and given the historical context, it wasn’t entirely unexpected, but it felt like a cop-out for a show that had presented so many smart, idealistic characters trying so many different approaches to address the evils of the world.

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Bored? Disappointed? Infuriated? Though it's hard to explain how I'm feeling right now, one thing is sure: Conspiracy in the Court definitely didn't live up to my expectations.

In France, there is this expression "brasser du vent" and I think this idiom fits this drama like a glove. All the characters do is talk but all this talking is just fruitless words.
Also the "plot twists" are obvious to the point that it's annoying (and let me tell you I'm usually a very gullible viewer).
The main problem however isn't the story itself but the characters, especially the main ones. When I first read the summary of the drama and of its three main characters, I was thrilled but then I watched the first episode and I felt betrayed. Where the hell were the characters I was rooting for? You know something is wrong when the main couple is the thing you despise the most about the drama and something was clearly wrong because from the start I was just waiting for the two to die and to stop annoying me with their presence on screen, hoping they would die sooner than later was actually the only thing that excited me about this drama. A white blank page would be more layered than these characters. Let's not forget that the writers kept trying to shove the male lead's greatness down my throat but they didn't bother showing me why. The writing was clearly not strong enough to carry the show on its own so why didn't the people behind the casting make a better job?

Overall the acting was rather good but the main two actors didn't fit their characters nor did they manage to make me -the viewer- care about them. On the contrary, even if I wanted to love the characters, everytime I saw the actors on my screen, I was plainly annoyed. Also there was not even a spark of chemistry between them. The leads should be able to carry a show but these two just dragged it down.

The soundtrack however is a little gem. It is a candy for the ears as well as perfectly fitting the mood -overall sad- of this drama. Song of the Sun and the Moon is definitely one of my favourite things about this drama, if not the only thing I truly enjoyed.

I don't think I will ever rewatch this drama, it was already painful enough watching it once, why even bother watching it twice? The only reason I see would be for "historical" purpose. And even that....meh.

I don't know if Conspiracy in the Court is overrated or if the romance prevented me from truly enjoying it but one thing is clear if you don't think Romeo & Juliet and Hamlet would be a great crossover, just don't watch it (I have to admit that I just can't stand the R&J vibes).

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