Taejong Yi Bang Won (2021)

A daeha that could be better

It's been 6 years since KBS delivered a proper sageuk (Jang Yeong Sil in 2016) about the life of a real person, and not yet another fictional or period nonsense based on novels or web comics. Gone are the days when KBS and MBC used to produce daeha (80 to 100 episode sageuks about kings) so this 32-episode series is all we're going to get for now, and each episode has to be savoured, digested, and ruminated in full.

The story about Prince Lee Bang Won isn't new and we've seen many versions over the years. Each drama has its own interpretation of King Taejong/Prince Lee Bang Won and his motivations or the circumstances which drove him to take the actions he took. Like a familiar opera, the story here isn't important; it's watching the acting of stellar and experienced actors performing at their best. In this regard, this drama does well. The actors are all skilled crafts people, even the younger actors who acted as the princes. The only trivia I'll offer is that Kim Yong Chul who plays Yi Seong Gye (King Taejo) in this as well as My Country: The New Age in 2019.

However, the drama got off to a rough start when the production was embroiled in a scandal over animal rights. The infamous scene had the production team effectively trip a horse to make it throw the rider. Social media harshly deride it as animal cruelty as the horse eventually died. The drama was pulled off the air for about 6 weeks and the remaining episodes were in jeopardy (hence the relatively low overall ratings?) but ultimately it prevailed.

After the drama resumed, it portrayed a seemingly vengeful and paranoid King Taejong as he killed his enemies or perceived enemies to cement his power. Watch this only if you're a consummate history buff. It is relatively fast moving for a sageuk as unlike other daehas which comes in 50 to 100+ episodes this ends at 32. It is a refreshing change from yet another love story of young love (yawn).

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"The King of Tears, Lee Bang Won" tells the story of Lee Bang Won's journey to become one of the most famous kings in South Korean history.

Seong Gye is a well-known and beloved general who eventually takes power from the tyrant king who was ruling Goryeo. However, he never had any interest in becoming king. He really just wanted to make the world a better place. However, the situation is different with his children, especially Lee Bang Won, who, after his father's victory, begins to have a great desire for power.

Lee Bang Won always used the excuse that they needed to change the world for the people, but at the same time, he didn't care about the sacrifices that were made or how many people might die in the process. The person who started this flame in him was his wife, Lady Min. She was always a person who yearned for more. She wasn't content with what she had and thought her husband deserved more. Technically, she was the one who started it all. After having a taste for power, Bang Won could not stop until he became the king and killed anyone who stood in his way.

The turning point of the couple is after they achieved the goal they wanted so much, putting Bang Won on the throne, their problems begin after that. Lady Min thought they would walk together, as they always did, but Bang Won had no desire to share power with her, in fact he liked to make it clear that she was just another subordinate.

Lady Min is a badass, what an incredible character, she is the example of a woman who does not submit to anyone, she knows what she wants and goes after it. She fought hard for her husband, so he could fulfill his dream of being king, but she did it thinking of herself too, of her children, she just could not imagine how Bang Won would change after becoming king.

Even though she was the incredibly strong woman that she was, there was no way she could handle all of this. How humiliated can a person be? Is there a limit? Her family was destroyed, her own son caused the death of her brothers, but the worst was how Bang Won treated her, he broke her, humiliating her with all the concubines, the false accusations... she got to the point of begging Bang Won to stop and still he didn't give in. Eventually Lady Min could no longer bear to stay in the palace and left, to try to be free from it all. She died surrounded by her children, but without the presence of Bang Won, as she did not forgive him until her last moments.

The production of the drama is exceptional. It's a story that has been developed before, but none of them managed to reach this level, it really keeps you hooked from start to finish. The acting is impeccable, especially Joo Sang Wook, who in my opinion, gave his best role so far.

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