I’ve tasted perfection, it flowed into my heart like a song and changed my perspectives on what it means to love entirely (I highly suggest you to listen to “Miss You in My Heart” by Junggigo while you read this review).

The music that echoed through my room in the last 40 seconds of the trailer is what sold this drama to me (later revealed to be sung by the one and only Junggigo). Mesmerized by the bittersweet tune and drunk from the cinematography, I immediately tuned in (BEST DECISION EVER). 20 minutes into the show, and all the cells in my body knew that we were in for a masterpiece.
I don't think I've ever understood what motivated my characters to be who they are till this show. In my decade of drama-watching, I encountered many shows where I found compelling characters that moved the plot along, sure, but the selling point of “Queen for Seven days” is that all characters have motivations. All of them, I mean it, even a measly eunuch or a character often branded to be tertiary. All of them have a “purpose for which they were born into this world” (Shin Chae Gyung, E01). All characters introduced were fleshed out to be three-dimensional, with a school of thought that belonged to them only and faults that were irreversible but made them who they were instead. I’ve seen my characters speaking out their worries, thinking together and attempting to create the best future that they can possibly produce within their powers. They cried, we cried. They revelled and so did we. This is perhaps why “Queen for Seven Days” is almost faultless.

Continuing on with the talk about characters, let me begin my introduction of Shin Chae Gyung (future Queen Dangyeong, whose life this story was inspired by). Such an astounding, dignified, elegant and exuberant woman this version of Shin Chae Gyung we’ve received was! I’ll never possess even a grain of endurance she had, nor will I ever be able to forgive all the rough waves that came ashore in her time as a monarch’s family. All of the choices she made in her lifetime was noble, but none of them was idiotic. I wish to live as honourable as her. A round of applause to writer Choi Jin Young for her characterization! Child actress Park Shi Eun lit the torch first by making us viewers simply love the innocence and brightness of Chae Gyung, almost enough to give us anxiety on whether the loveliness will pull through. Why did I even worry, as Park Min Young has received her torch well, sprinkled some of her own magic, and made me fall deeply in love with Chae Gyung. Playing a titular character comes with so much responsibility but I am happy to tell you that she delivers, oh man, she delivers waaaay better than you’re ready to receive! Her smile was comforting, yet bittersweet; her tears were lovely, and had the ability to break us. Park Min Young has lived as Shin Chae Gyung the last 10 weeks and I want nothing but the best for her!

Ah Lee Yeok, the man who now owns both my ovaries. This man stole my heart and soul and I don’t think I want it back. Obviously, he was written masterfully by our intelligent writer-nim, but I believe it’s the actors’ that breathed life in this version of Lee Yeok. Baek Seung Hwan tugged my heart often in the beginning with his longing gazes and wide-eyed fascination towards others. We, the viewers, were there to witness his his transition from a clear-hearted boy to a young man ready for a change. However, it is Yeon Woo Jin, my husband, who sealed the deal. I actually understood why Chae Gyung loved him. Yes, that’s important, because how can I root for a couple when I don’t know why they even like each other? Yeok did change from his younger years to his older years, but fundamentally he stayed the same. A man who only wanted to love the ones he loved whole-heartedly without getting caught in its implications and simply live with a peace of mind. He was idealistic, yet vulnerable. He was weak, yet arduous and clever. He was a puppy in love, a loyal friend, a respectable son, and a loving man. He only wanted to make one woman happy, but he had to face so many challenges and bear the weight for a responsibility he didn’t want in his heart. I’ve always known that he was a brilliant actor, on par with Park Min Young actually, so I didn’t ever doubt his abilities. But I guess he only showed us a tenth of his ability his entire career because THIS drama is where he unleashed his whole acting prowess! I really never needed him to touch Chae Gyung or speak to her for I saw adoration in his eyes. His whispers and voice quivers were enough for me to know of his remorse, so I really didn’t need him to apologize. His gaze just had so much love in it, I was almost ready to help him propose to Park Min Young the actress because I believed that he loved her. Historically speaking, Lee Yeok/ Jungjong of Joseon was a weak King, but this show made me understand why that may have been so.

How can I write a review without mentioning the mind-blowing portrayal of King Yeongsan/ Lee Yung by Lee Dong Gun! For a while now, I have been allergic to Lee Dong Gun because his overall handsomeness wasn’t enough to cover the fact that he picked awful shows (ahem, talking about you Marry Him If You Dare). He was actually one of the reasons I was afraid of this show when it was being promoted. I mean, it’s his first sageuk… I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. But now I realize why he seemed so lacklustre in the past. HE WAS BORN TO PLAY IN A SAGEUK. Yeongsan of Joseon is one of the most hated Kings in Korea. He was a man with a see-saw level of emotional stability (as in, none) and relished in bloodshed. I am awed at how writer Choi Jin Young managed to flesh out so much humane-ness in his character (which unfortunately, is the cause of the poor viewership ratings in Korea. I get it you know, if someone tells me Ashikaga Yoshinori will star in a show, I will be reluctant to tune in myself). Throughout the series, even when he was acting manically, I just wanted to pop right into my screen and give him a big warm hug. Lee Dong Gun is a magician. How else can I explain his Oscar-worthy (not kidding) portrayal of Lee Yung? His eyes shone with evilness, yet in the span of a few seconds, with one word from those he cared, he would soften those globes into melancholic colours. How? God knows! Those big round eyes of Lee Dong Gun have been criminally underutilized in the past. He was fantastically horrifying. His voice had the power of a monarch, his expression convinced me of his madness, yet his yearning for love made me pity him one too many times! I started becoming afraid of Lee Dong Gun so I would watch his interviews from time to time just to remind myself of his gentlemanly nature. I’m so blessed to have witnessed such phenomenal acting. THANK YOU.

Now I will be committing a horrible sin if I don’t mention the characters I enjoyed to hate the last ten weeks. I understood why they were behaving the way they were but that doesn’t mean I have to love them right? *winks* Myung Hye, played by Go Bo Gyeol my new it girl, was a corrupt human due to her upbringing and position in society but she was surrounded by really ambitious good people. It was such a feat to see her sway in between good and bad. I couldn’t personally understand her choices often but I often saw how hard her life was and how criminally oblivious she was at times. Veteran actress Do Ji Won really played the Queen Dowager role beautifully. Her devotion to her biological son (Lee Yeok) and her idea on how he’s supposed happiness will come about was so flawed but we couldn’t blame her. She too was human. Lastly, Minister Park (Park Won Sang), I just loved to hate you. I probably barbequed you ten gazillion times over the course of the show. Thanks, you caused me stress and relieved it the same time.

To finish my point about the characters, I would like to comment on how grand a sageuk debut it was for Chansung (Seo Noh, our babe). He did SO WELL. Now if I wasn’t such already his fan, I would definitely think he was a seasoned actor. REALLY REALLY WELL DONE MY MAN~!

I believe I’ve spoken about the characterization, plot (loosely), music, and acting enough. Let me conclude my long, messy review (forgive me, it’s my first one) by saying that I will definitely re-watch this show. Not just once, I mean often. Whenever I miss any of the characters here that I have come to love so dearly. One thing I will mention is that you will need a few tissues while watching this show. Most of the time though, you will feel too sad to even cry.

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