8.0/10 - Some serious setup.

Normally episodes all about setting up the story and characters get low ratings. There's a lot to slug through and I know we need them, but they're usually boring.

I was riveted. Yes, it's stunning to look at and that didn't hurt, but I was captivated by each setup. There's a lot of moving parts here and I commend the writer and director for keeping things clear. Bravo.

I'm beyond intrigued by all of the characters and how they will interact. I loved seeing the politics building. What makes a man of Joseon become a rebel. A slave of Joseon become an American soldier. The daughter of a rebel a Lady. So on.

The politics are amazing. Not to mention that America, Japan, and Korea do not come out looking okay. The writing is bold in showing the hypocrisies of the officials and governments. Bravo. I was impressed. The whole famous quote from Roosevelt at the beginning had me laughing and I honestly thought things were gonna get cheesy. I was worried. However, both America and Korea have dirt of their face here and I appreciated it.

So enough about that. The setup is just amazing!!!! I want to see what these characters have become. What they're current goals are. How they've changed or grown. Rebel, soldier, the son of an aristocratic in an abolished government, and the daughter of a patriot. The villains are clearly setup. This episode was freaking brutal!!! What interesting takes. What an interesting time. I feel like this drama is gonna be the one by this writer that I can get behind. Finally. Cheers!

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Decent opening episode but not quite as gripping if you don't know what's to come

Style over substance comes to mind when I think of this episode. The director plays around with the substantial reach that has at his disposal - which made for some stunning imagery when it came to the battle scenes. However this lacked a real impactful element to hook me as a viewer. The writing was lacklustre and the acting was too on the nose. This will be ironed out from here on out but it's a criticisim that I have. There are plenty of characters but they packed every backstory into this episode when it would'e benefited rom eing spread out etween Ep.1 and Ep.2. Nevertheless, this showed some potential and I was not bored.

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