The Red Sleeve (2021)

Watch it only for good acting and beautiful screenplay

This may be a non-conventional review , but I dint like this series at all , even though I am a hard core Junho fan !

I am not going to comment on the acting , as its the only thing that kept me going ! Not only the leads the supporting cast was beautiful and competent too ! Also the background score and screenplay is beautiful ! -- Thats the only good !

People are talking about the story being good and real ! Yes it is , but that story is worth only 4-5 episodes ! The rest of the series is draggy and full of longing ! Agree that the real story was sad , and the writers stick to it , but that doesn't means that their entire life was filled with sadness ! There are very less romance or happy moments for that matter ! The FL is highly annoying and confused and filled with self pity , which makes her own as well as the kings life miserable ! Now this isn't mentioned anywhere is history , is it ? Her characterisation is very poor , she is spoken to be humble and free-spirited , but shown to be selfish and impudent and manipulative ! She is comparing herself with the king at all times ! I know patriarchy exists but so does roles and responsibilities ! U cant compare people having diff roles ! Dialogues are intense but too draggy and repetitive ! The leads are only fighting and hurting each other ! one cant really feel their love accept in the beginning when they are saving each other ! Also they havent shown his first queen at all , more than that his accomplishments as a benevolent king are only talked about ! Not shown at all !

If the writers ought to make the love story this sad , they could have made the palace drama more interesting !

I love emotional dramas , but this was a tough watch for me , took me forever to complete !

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I regret it

I binge-watched it and I regret it. The creators did manage to keep me on the edge of my seat until almost the end (episode 16), but they gave nothing in return for all the waiting! A lot of the characters were not thoroughly developed, a lot of storylines were started and finished in a few episodes with only a thin thread to keep all the episodes latched together. Plus, I did not like the FL way of acting, especially in the second half, she almost did not have any facial expressions at all. There was no chemistry between the actors... The ML actor, however, was very good, he had to carry the all show on his shoulders.

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The oppressive cost of power and order

I’ve just binge-watched this show. I hadn’t intended to but I was caught up with it because I was fascinated by the focus on the limitations and demands of order. If you’ve come in hopes of a standard romance, then you may well be disappointed, because love is shown to be just another victim of the rapaciousness of order, flapping pathetically like a bird in a gilded cage. But hopefully the deeper and more thoughtful themes in this show will captivate your interest.

The drama explores the necessities required by order to maintain itself. To sustain a cohesive society with all its factions it is necessary for the powerful to be bound. The necessity to prevent rebellion/chaos and maintain order is alive in every rule. Loyalty is the only currency. Loyalty is to the one you serve and once that person is dead, you are unceremoniously ejected from the seat of power as your loyalties are no longer fixed and therefore questionable. Everyone, including the king is bound by those rules and must follow them or pay a heavy, and often fatal, price. Within the confines of the palace freedom is the illusion that everyone craves.

The oppressive cost of power is explored through a number of characters, who deal with the shackles in different ways. Some scheme to undermine it, some scheme to try to create safety for their own group, some feign ignorance and keep their heads down, some scheme to gain unassailable power. The FL resists it, fighting to keep a tenuous hold on the fragment of autonomy that she has carved out for herself. Universally, everyone is forced to hide their true feelings and conform to what is required of their role. The suffocation of those endless formal bows and the life spent simply third in line, half bent over, in the small procession that follows the king everywhere he goes. But in the end there is only one way to survive, as one of the characters says, (paraphrased) “if you can’t beat them, join them and go with the flow”.

The role of women is particularly explored here and it is no surprise that the uniqueness of this drama is the result of a female perspective, both in terms of the writer and the director. If you liked the film “The Piano” (Jane Campion) then you will see echoes here of how sex and genuine love are used to “buy” relief from loneliness and the burden of responsibility, and the options available to women in response to those demands.

In terms of the acting, both leads were very convincing in their parts and were surrounded by a good supporting cast. The script was not outstanding in my opinion, but more than adequate to the task. It occasionally slipped into mawkishness, but also surprised in other places. In a drama that relied on the believability of the relationships, the plot lost me sometimes, particularly with regard to the letter and the kidnappings scenarios. However, I can credit that they were used to illustrate broader themes.

Overall this was a surprisingly good drama that far exceeded my expectations and gave me a lot to think about. Recommended!

What my rating means: 8+ A great drama with interesting content and good writing, direction, acting, OST, cinematography. But didn’t quite have the requisite sparkle to bump it into my all-time fave list. Worth watching.

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TRS walks too far down the path of a fantasy rom-com before deciding it does not want to be one

First, some friendly words:
The music was on point (much better than say in The Crowned Clown).
The few fight scenes were fine.
The emotional scenes were well made (except for any deaths). In general, the production staff did a fine job.
Most of the actors were decently chosen for their roles (but all politicians were weak/unremarkable).


The first maybe 40% of the show are a generic Cinderella fantasy rom-com. The little attempted comedy isn't funny too often, but the leads and their chemistry are alright. After that though, there is so much dragging and nonsense, before it eventually culminates in something like a Wikipedia article. In hindsight, I just want my lifetime and sanity back.


== FULL-ON SPOILERS & COMPLAINTS FROM HERE ==

The core issue of the show is that it wants to both be a Love In The Moonlight- or Tale Of Nokdu-esque pure fantasy show, but then at the same time match the tragic real story to get those tear glands going. While it's still a romcom, you not only have the very silly secret Maidumminati organization of moon-sourced court lady villains complete with death temple and ninja girl assassination squads — but most importantly, only while it is a romcom, the FL has agency. The FL does things. The FL makes things happen and is pretty much the center of the story. The FL (of course) is a sassy FL that talks back to her king-to-be, yet at the same time they save each other's lives numerous times (through competence & effort!).
Admittedly there is a bit of puffing about the initial villain having set up the FL with the ML from her childhood on with the hopes of spying on him, as well as using their affection to prove he desires the king's "property", but that goes nowhere.
These characters they show us could just dandily shack up together in some royal arrangement, make babies, and live happily ever after. We don't even have an angry grandmother-dowager opposing this union! There is literally no obstacle to this union besides them opening their mouths to converse about it and ... the plot, its writer, and actual history.

Alas, the historical background to force into this is "this court lady rejected the king twice, and then at some point 15 years down the road she gets pregnant a bunch of times, and even tragically dies while pregnant; the king loved her a lot though".

Supposedly the real historical maid/consort (FL) had reasons like "I can't become your concubine if your actual wife hasn't born any children", but since Junho must stay pure and virginal for his one true love, no actress is even cast as his life-long historical wife. She is mentioned in passing like once or twice, and that's it.

So what do you do as a writer? Obviously, the FL does not want to be his wifey because.. well, dunno? Because she doesn't love him? Unfortunately they already showed that she did, so let's go for the next best thing: pretending not to love him. Even better, make it some grand parable about womens' rights. A poorly-treated palace maid has the freedom to go out to the market once per month, she can leave the palace for a short bit, wow, such independence in-between being forced to do menial jobs and being mistreated by those higher up! Meanwhile, a concubine/consort with maids of her own can't leave the palace at all! The horror! She only has one freedom left:
¯\(°_o)/¯ Loving the king sincerely, but not admitting to it. (⊙_⊙;)
It's one of the dumbestestest things I've ever seen in television.

As the FL refuses a reasonable happily-ever-after for very poorly defined, poorly expressed, and barely if at all comprehensible reasons, the ML is forced to wed the SML's 12 year old sister, but because Junho (ahistorically) does not want to be a pedophile, she (historically) dies of overwhelming sadness, and that makes SML turn into an insane traitor with a private army of ninja man assassination guards. For that stuff he (historically) is not beheaded, even though he really should have been, and not even exiled into far-away thorny shrubs – only so that he can later be an allegedly-not-scheming emo kid lurking around the palace to either get some power back, or have the FL for himself as a form of consolation prize because the ML can't (yet) have her. Ultimately he stays alive for a bit merely to send a truthful letter to the ML about how the FL and not him dutifully saved him a very long time ago. This whole arc is a waste of screen time.

In summary, TRS' FL repeatedly refuses the ML's declaration of love with the following consequences:
– A child she befriended has to marry him and dies unhappy. (Sparking the abuse/torture of other court maids as well.)
– Some mean lady is hired as the next consort, abuses the FL, and tries to get her beheaded.
– She herself presumably dies of pregnancy complications that would have been less likely at a younger age.

Needless to say, I vastly preferred watching the generic romcom Cinderella in the first episodes to the annoying troll that came after.

--

Stuff that just never got cleared up:
– ML/FL never talk about the tattoo FL has.
– ML/FL never have an earnest talk about how the evil head court lady set them up to be together.
– What is the book of Yeong, ML's grandmother, even about?
– In the show, Head Court Lady Jo herself "caused" Sado to become unstable (as explained by the oppressed nearly-dead Court Lady Park), of course intentionally, merely out of jealousy for another woman. So she herself is the architect of the calamity that she claims to warn about. Why does the Maidumminati ninja clan follow her blindly when at least some of them know this? Why do they try to assassinate ML even after her death?
– Early on the show makes a huge deal about the funeral convoy for a royal consort versus the way a maid is evicted from the palace to avoid her even dying there. Given this, we should be shown FL's funeral procession, and the ridiculously long Wikipedia-style episode #17 has more than enough time for this.

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A novel-based romance Kdrama inspired by actual historical accounts

I rarely rate a drama a 10, but after watching, I honestly think this drama deserves it. The story is deeper and can be interpreted in so many ways than I thought!

I've been reading some comments and reviews saying that the ending is bad or Deok Im's character became irrational and she made the King look pitiful in the end. I felt the need to say some things to spare this drama from their disappointments (although we are still inclined to choose what we believe in).

• This drama was inspired by actual historical accounts.
It's not like we can change what already happened in history. As we know, historical distortion is causing quite a stir nowadays. I, too, am not a fan of tragic endings. But knowing that this drama was based on real events, I became quite accepting/prepared on how it will wrap up. Good thing, the production team gave us a fairly sweet ending instead. I think if a viewer will bear this in mind, they'll be able to watch this from a different perspective. Also, if you're quite the history buff, might as well check out some historical records about King Jeongjo and Royal Noble Consort Seong Uibin. They're super interesting! I did this while watching the drama, and it added fun to the ride. :)

• People who didn't understand why Deok Im doesn't want to be a concubine really cracks me up.
I am surprised by this, especially knowing that majority of Kdrama viewers are women haha! I'm quite dismayed whenever I see a viewer saying that Deok Im's being illogical for constantly rejecting the King when she eventually ​gave in in the end. Like... What? I happen to read Lee Seyoung's post-drama interview a few days ago and couldn't help myself from clapping because that's what I was actually thinking too, and I was thinking about that from a woman's perspective. She's clearly immersed with Deok Im's character to fathom her sentiments and the rationale behind her decisions. Seyoung indeed understood her assignment.

• King loved Deok Im, but did he love her right? I'm not sure about that.
Well, the King isn't in the position to adore her like a normal man would. We know this. We are with him on this. Deok Im knows this too, but by human instinct (I'm sure everyone feels this), like most of us, she wants to keep her pride. Her pride is the only thing she has left for herself, and so she decided to seal her heart until the end by not telling the King her true feelings. Cruel? Yes, but saying I'm it again, her pride is the only thing she has left. She already gave her everything to the King. Pondering about this makes me pity her so much. As I was rewatching the drama, I saw again those scenes wherein people were encouraging the King to take on the path to happiness (i.e., be with Deok Im). But have they asked if Deok Im will be likewise happy? Do they even care? Hmmm...? The King's happiness is the top priority, isn't it? I won't choose to be a concubine either if I were in Deok Im's position (luckily I'm not haha!)

• Deok Im was already happy merely seeing him. But what was that last-minute change of mind to be a concubine?
Well, personally I think, she was cornered upon hearing she won't see him ever again should she push him away that night. I think Lee Seyoung mentioned this as well in an interview. That very statement pulled the trigger. It's not like she was asking more from him; being by his side as a court lady is already enough. Yes, she loves him, but the cons of taking the path to be a concubine outweigh the pros. Those cons were already explained well by her in the course of the drama. It's the King who wants more from her, and I mean, you know haha! Don't you feel bad for Deok Im? I do. :(

Although I rated this drama 10 stars, there are still some things I wished the production team could've shown us:

* They should've proceeded with making this drama 20 eps. PD said they were initially planning this, but after further discussions, they decided to make the eps into 16 only (then 17). Perhaps, they were not expecting this to become so popular.

* We were robbed of San and Deok Im's family moments, especially with Crown Prince Munhyo! I read these moments were covered in the novel and showed how affectionate of a mother Deok Im is. What a pity we never got to see this!

* The last 2 episodes feel quite rushed. Based on the actual history, King Jeongjo and Uibin were together for 5 years before she died. So those 5 years of togetherness were compressed in just 2 episodes (1.5 actually, because Deok Im died mid-ep 17 and we were just presented with several flashbacks of their happy moments after that).

I've said a lot of things already. I don't know what I'm fighting for in this review haha! But one thing's for sure - this drama is insane and I love it! :)

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So painfully beautiful...

I'm gonna begin this review with what I told to my partner while watching the show: This story is a cruel mix of bitter and sweet, sadness and joy. Which actually was something that Deok Im affirms during one of her soliloquies. And I would add of laughs and tears, and of hilarity and heartbreaking pain. That's the story as it is: it is fictionalized for sure, but it is also well outlined by what actually happened more than 220 years ago in the real life of the Joseon Kingdom. The leads of the story actually existed, actually did share an intense love story, which is still witnessed by the words written down by King Jeongjo to honor her beloved, and the more than 26,000 trees planted to surround her grave and the one of the unlucky little crown prince Yi Sun, which today are the Hyochang Park in Seoul. All this premise to say that who criticized the plot, maybe should first learn facts and then deliberately speak...
After having removed this pebble from my shoe, let me say what I think about this show. Definitely a very well done show, beginning from the story which is coherent and maintaining its genuineness even with the parts which were added as fictionalization. This is a story, as said above, which is tremendously cruel, but definitely beautiful. The relationship between the two leads, the way they shared feelings and they tried hardly to find a way for them within the obnoxious court of Joseon world, made of conventionalities, conformism, bigotry, is amazingly nice but hard to see and to accept. Some of the hugest critics I read about this story were about her (Deok Im) not expressing clearly her feelings. Welcome to Joseon! She simply was a court lady, thus a servant, considered as a sort of inferior being in the court life, who could not freely express anything of her feelings. Imagine then if the subject of her feelings was the king himself (a sort of omnipotent semi-god). I liked a lot their path toward their union made of a lot of reconsiderations and second thoughts, doubts and hard and cruel decisions. I cried a lot while empathizing with this very strong female figure of Deok Im when she painfully had to decide what to do of her life, choosing between the freedom and the chance to live a life without huge restrictions because she was born as a free soul, on a side, and the love for his beloved man, well knowing that the rest of her life would have been inside a golden jail, having to give up to any kind of freedom, on the other side. I found this part the most heartbreaking, together with the loss of the little crown prince. Till the very last second I felt completely immersed in the tragic beauty of the story, and the emotions were sometimes strong to deal with. Even more thinking about the fact that it really happened.
The leads are performed by the two outstanding Lee Jun Ho and Lee Se Young: their acting is superb. Kang Hoon on his side exceptionally renders the enigmatic and tormented character of Deok Ro. And I wish mentioning also Lee Deok Hwa: his performance as king Yeongjo is perfect. All of them are supported by a well selected and well performing cast.
The OST music is very nice and well paired with the story. Special mention to I'll leave you by Lee Sun Hee, which still moves me to tears thinking about the scenes it was associated with.
The direction was very nice too, together with the photography and the costumes.
This show can be defined a masterpiece to be honest: I could not believe that a story like this could actually having been happened in real life. Simply epic.
It undoubtfully deserves being watched, but be prepared to very emotionally painful scenes.

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I genuinely want to like this series. I found myself forcing myself to keep watching, hoping it would improve and hopefully explain some of the questions that still lingered. However, the ending left many of those questions unresolved, and I'm still trying to understand my feelings.

First, I believe this series is more symbolic than it initially appears. For someone who hasn’t read the book, this could lead to confusion and even frustration, making it hard to enjoy the series as much as I had hoped. The storyline is captivating, but I struggled to understand why the FL was holding back in her relationship with the ML.

What I Liked:

• The Cast: I adore the cast! I was pleasantly surprised by the FL’s performance, as I haven’t seen much of her work before. And who doesn’t love Junho?

• Symbolic Scenes: One scene that stood out was when the FL said goodbye to her free spirit upon becoming a concubine. Given her nature, losing that freedom was deeply emotional for me and made me teared up a bit.

What I Found Uncertain:

I was told their chemistry was off the charts, but I felt more like he was chasing her while she was a tease and “played hard to get,” despite clearly adoring him. Did I miss something about her personality in the early episodes? It wasn’t until the end that her friend mentioned she likes to bluff, which helped me understand her behavior better. I appreciate the sexual tension Junho brought, but the FL seemed to keep everything in check.

The Open Ending:

The open ending. Was it a dream? A nightmare he woke up from? Did he pass away? Was this him and her in their afterlife? The ending really upset me because of the buildup I felt along the way. I felt there was not enough information as time passed or the transition of how things went. For example, when three years passed after the death of the former king, we are suddenly switching to the marketplace. Why did their friend leave the court maid life? Was there really a marriage alliance with ML right man’s younger sister? Again, I think there were some symbolic things that happened that probably weren’t properly explained in the series or the director just couldn’t transition those scenes as smoothly for viewers like me to understand.

The ending felt rushed. I didn’t like how FL and ML suddenly came together after such a rapid sequence of happy moments in the last few episodes, especially given the weird transition surrounding the crown prince’s death. I longed for a smoother transition and a deeper emotional connection between the ML and FL.

As I’m writing this, one thing I do appreciate about the symbolic ending is all the hints and everything that happened in the “nightmare”. FL knew that ML loves his people as a king, he would be a great king just not a great husband because of the duties he has to shoulder. She even hinted that she wishes they were commoner and she often imagined it. He didn’t get the hint and just stated you’re a good court maid and he can’t imagine not being where he is at. This doubt weighed on her, yet she accepted that this was the path she chose. This is why when she visits her friend in prison, you can see the connection and the understanding she feels when her friend states she doesn’t regret making the decision for the man she loves.

The direction and potential of this film were strong, but I wish the execution had been smoother. Certain scenes and transitions created confusion, leading to my lower rating. I reiterate my initial sentiment: I truly want to like or even love this series, but the unanswered questions and editing left me feeling dissatisfied.

Rating: 4/10

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Does he love her more than she loves him?

It was a good thing I reduced my expectations for this drama despite all the hype and positive reviews otherwise I would have been more disappointed with this drama.

Being a romantic at heart, the dramas that move me are the ones where the both the ML and FL show their love for each other after overcoming numerous pitfalls. In this drama, just when I thought the leads reached this point, the story tried to be different by continuing to portray the FL hiding her true feelings from the ML right up to the point of her demise.

Major spoiler - I had my own interpretation of why she did that at her deathbed. Perhaps she loved him so much she wanted to do the classic “hurt him so he forgets her” move which was also hinted at when one of her best friends tries to tell the ML about the FL’s love for him when she gives him the FL’s momentos.

The beginning was good particularly seeing how the ML come to terms with his growing love for the FL. I enjoyed seeing him portray a range of emotions from joy (when he overheard her telling her friends she liked him), yearning (the last time he asked her to be with him) to pain (when he was looking through her momentos).

On the other had, I didn’t connect much with the FL expressions especially her wide eyed surprised / shocked looks which started to annoy me whenever I saw it. The storyline didn’t help win any points with me either as it got tiring to see her continuously be vague about her feelings for the ML. Even the flashback scene of them with their newborn was lacking in love on her part. And the ending scene which was supposed to be sweet and romantic didn’t deliver as her expressions looked so controlled as she smiled at him. (Reminds me of how an empress needed to smile - a fake one just to show a pleasant face)

The pacing for this drama was a bit slow at times so I ended up multitasking with my iPad while watching it - not a good sign which is why this drama didn’t end up as one of my favourites.

What saved the day was the gorgeous costumes and beautiful cinematography. I loved the lighting, sets and props which gave it a very authentic feel and transported me back in time.

So, does he love her more than she loves him?

The answer for me is that they both love each other but he was more open in showing his love to her throughout. And while I understand why she hid her feelings in the beginning, the romance died down when she went back to hiding her feelings after the brief loving moment of their first night together. If only there were some scenes to show mutual genuine love after she became his consort...

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one of best sageuk

Episode 1 made me fall in love with this drama. the story was one that could hook me in and made me want more. I didn't want this story to finish. The scenery and locations were good for the story.

The actor playing jeongjo of joseon was really good and was able to draw my emotions out. I loved the love story between yi san and sung deok im and feel all the actors had chemistry and bought the story to life. Lee Se-young was perfect for the role of sung deok im and same for lee jun ho as yi san.

The OST made me feel like I couldn't wait for the next episode, I feel that the music was a fantastic addition to the drama. i loved how they added 1 ep for the fans.

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The Fate of a Court Lady tied to A King

The drama includes the Romance tag, but I think The Romance Tag alone isn't enough to describe this drama.

I say it because where the first half of the drama is indeed filled with cuteness , fluffiness and swoony romance , the latter half is all about the bitter realism of women's lives in a 18th century Palace Building.
And the viewers who come to see the fluffy romance in usual fusion sageuks may be disappointed by this.

It's more like a tragic union of two people from different social classes, who need to fullfill their respective roles,and chained to their respective roles in a patriarchal based society, so that their destined romance becomes a tragedy in spite of their love.



-----*------Spoilers Ahead

YiSan's life was tragic from the start.
He was born into the Royal Family in the Royal successor line as a Royal Grandson.
His life might be the one everyone wanted to live in, but actually not an easy one for himself.

His father( Crown Prince Sado ) accused him of robbing fatherly love from Yeongjo before his death.
His Grandfather ( King Yeongjo ) saw his unobedient son ,Sado in his grandson ( San ).
Noron Faction was afraid of him and against his rise to power, so they attacked him every chance they got.

He needed to look out for enemies and be mindful of his grandfather 24/7 for his whole life.

But San was still the dutiful and loyal Grandson of the Royal Family , strict on himself and groomed to become a capable ruler of his nation.

On his road to become a King, he unexpectedly met a court lady who was intelligent enough to help him .
She was loyal to him and cared him as a human being .
San 's hard shell around court ladies and determination to create a perfect family with a wife from a noble family : all of his beliefs were shaken by this woman.San had fallen in love with the woman who was devoted to him and used her life to protect him.

.......

As for Deok Im , I will describe her as a woman who was too intelligent for an 18th Century one.

As she read a lot of books since her childhood, she was knowledgeable even as a young court maid.

While other court's maids were dreaming of receiving the King's Grace(slept with the King & living the luxurious life as one of the king's wives ), she was the one who understood the burden of being a King's concubine since her young age.
( Fragile life depending on the King's favor, constant power struggles , her title and status wouldn't belong to her anymore, but to the Royal family ,etc )

She was a free spirited woman who wanted to enjoy her life despite her limited freedom as a court maid.

But the Fate didn't allow her even to be a simple court maid and tied hers to that of Tiger Prince, Yi San.

When she met him for the first time, I think she had a crush on him as the Crown Prince 's lecturer ,as most girls of her age would, though she knew she couldn't marry him because of her status as a court maid.

After his hints of confession in the market, she was swayed .
But her feelings were immediately contained after Hong Deok Ro's speech about how unimportant a court's maid feelings were ,apart from herself and after hearing San's determination not to fall for a mere court maid and to take a woman of noble status as his wife during her Coming of Age ceremony.

****Here we need to note is
unlike San, Deok Im was constantly reminded of their Social Status here and there.******

But San was still her master , she needed to help him when he was in trouble cause San's demise would mean her expulsion from the Palace,her Home at least( if unfortunate, death ).

While helping him, their feelings were interwined and she had fallen in love with her master as a man.

------*------

After San got on the throne, everything became complicated.
Their power differences became more apparent cause he was not a powerless heir who needed her help anymore.
The only thing he wanted from her was the comfort and family given by her as his woman.

He was the man with the highest authority in Joseon , everything was entitled to him.

As the word ' lonely at the top ' ,San became more lonely as the King because he couldn't believe his own mother anymore. ( His mom 'Hong' clan is from Noron faction ).

As he felt lonelier, San's desire to take Deok Im as his partner became stronger.
So when she refused his confessions and his marriage proposal, he became disappointed and angry.

****While everyone's having problems with San's behaviors in later episodes, I have no problems with these.

San was groomed to behave like a king since he was young and taught that the court maids were the King's Women and entitled to him.
This was part of his nature and this was the realistic portrayal of what an 18th Century King would be.
( As much as Real life Jeongjo was a benevolent patriarch, he did punish Uibin's maid after her 2nd rejection )

I don't consider his behaviors as romantic either . Only as his nature and not disturbing enough to ruin my viewing of this drama.

*****

On Deok Im's side, as the woman who got the King's affections, she was not only pressured to become his woman but also in danger of being used as a leverage in court politics.

The harder thing for her was her own dilemma.
She was not the young court maid in the library who didn't have much desires anymore.
She loved San and wanted to have him as a man.

Her own dilemma of what to choose ;
Her own precious freedom or the man she dearly held in her heart .

At last, she accepted San's will because she loved him more than her freedom and partly because her freedom was not like it was before and limited by those in the court.
She became a concubine mainly because of her love for San ,but partly it was also because of court politics.

....

Despite becoming partners in marriage ,San was not the ideal partner or hers alone like she always wanted him to be, while she gave up everything just to be with him.

As the one with higher authority in relationship, San failed to see Deok Im 's sacrificial love as a whole picture.
(She might not say 'I love You ' out loud, but she showed it with her choices and behaviours ,but San failed to recognize it because his attention was not on Deok Im alone, but the whole nation .)

On the other hand, he prioritized his role as a King over the role as a husband and
made some choices as a King though he clearly knew these would hurt Deok Im.

Deok Im's Sadness and Resentment slowly built up in this unbalanced relationship ,but moment of happiness with San comforted her.
Her life as a concubine was a mixed bag of disappointment and happiness.

But after the death of her son and her best friend , her husband was busy playing the King for his nation . Her already fragile body was burdened with much emotional baggage and she needed to face that alone.
And well , the tragedy striked at the last moment.


.....
San and Deok Im were clearly in love with each other.

But in the era they lived in, they could never fully embrace each other .

Deok Im wanted San as hers , but he was a king so it would never be a thing.

San was the King ,yet he couldn't give his woman the thing she wanted most , namely 'Her freedom' because the system didn't allow that for the women of the Harem and he needed to live as an example since he was a ruler of the nation .

Unlike Romeo and Juliet, San and DI might not have two families who were enemies with each other.
But the system itself and the Palace became huge obstacles in their love story.

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An Ambivalent Sageuk Carousel

I went into this with high expectations with other reviews toting this as the Sageuk of 2021 and even all time. Some seem to absolutely love it while others completely hate it. I fall somewhere along the middle. I think this drama evokes such strong reactions because this drama itself is unsure of what it wants to be. Usually, that means it's trying to do too much, oddly it actually does too little.

So let's begin with the beginning - I almost quit on the first episode. The entire episode is a prologue of the main characters played by children. The children are... well, children. Their acting abilities are limited because they are so young. So maybe giving them tons of heavy dialogue that must fill an entire episode and set up the entire plot of the drama, might not be setting up these young actors, or your drama to succeed. This should have been used as short clips and flashbacks. A strange choice, one of many questionable decisions this drama makes. Yet the greatest flaw in this drama is its inability to make decisive decisions.

But before I get into it, let me just gush about some of the things I really liked. The overall production value is of high caliber. From the set design, the locations, the clothing, and even the small details are highly immersive. The premise of exploring the underbelly of the royal court and its maids is intriguing and novel. The cast is exemplary in pulling us in and making us love and hate them. But the true standout of this drama is the cinematography. It's maybe the best I've ever seen in a drama. The camera work is stunning. Without spoiling, there is a scene where a character stands in front of a window and the sunlight shines through to highlight the window's design to resemble prison bars, with the next shot a closeup of that same design reflected in the eyes of the character. Simply stunning and communicates what a mile of dialogue could not. There are times, particularly towards the end, when the cinematography is like poetry. SO breathtaking!

With all that said, let's get into some of the major issues I had with this drama. I could tell from the onset that this drama wanted to predominately be 1) a forbidden romance sageuk and 2) a more serious sageuk exploring the realities of royal court life. These are reasonable goals, as I've seen many sageuks juggle more and succeed. The problem lies in its inability to yield in either direction at any injunction, ultimately tying the hands of the plot. The romance constantly undercuts any credibility to any attempt at real court struggles, and the realities tie down the romance from soaring. So instead of making decisions, the plot just circles itself like a carousel. Characters just keep having the same conversations because no decisions are being made on which way they want this drama to go. Any conflicts are quickly resolved with little complexity and even less consequence. Characters come and go with the ease of getting on and off a carousel. Not to mention character development or lack thereof. No one changes. No one learns anything. They even explicitly and intentionally say that they do not change.

Ultimately I think this drama had some interesting things to say but didn't bother to explore the very questions it raises. It refuses to risk taking any chances, thereby rendering its potential impotent. It's as if the writer themself couldn't decide the fate of its protagonist so they decided not to decide. So in the end you have a beautiful and intricate carousel that lacks any real thrill or destination, questioning itself with every rotation.

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WHAT A MASTERPIECE!! HISTORICALLY ACCURATE AND PERFECTION INCARNATE

Full Review To Come Soon.

This Saeguk was incredibly fascinating, the dialogues were intricate and intense but very well constructed and actually they weren’t the typical dumb dialogues you find in most romance dramas.
The story develops in steady pace throughout all the drama except the last two episodes were there are a few timeslips. The story follows to the T the historical facts and real story between Yi San and his Concubine, without sugar-coating anything. Straight up twisted and painful story but beautiful and heart warming.
The actors Junho and Lee Seyoung did an excellent job, their interpretation of theirs characters is top notch and one of their best works. They easily transmitted the audience the feelings and thoughts they were interpreting... or trying to relay to us. They really have worked hard for this and it shows in how well it has ended, they both deserve an ovation for their portrayals of Yi San and Duk Im, their chemistry on screen and off screen really benefitted the show and made they story look more real and intense.
Congratulations for their respective wins in the MBC 2021 Drama Awards To All the crew, this drama does really deserve it.
You all did an amazing job with this one.

Highly recommended!!

10/10

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