You Who Forgot Poetry

You Who Forgot Poetry

7/10

You Who Forgot Poetry

Genre:                                                Episodes: 16                                    Year: 2018

Romance

Medical

Synopsis:

Woo Bo Young always had a love for literature and wanted to become a poet, but due to her poor family background she became a physical therapist.

Cast:

Lee Yoo Bi (Woo Bo Young)

Lee Joon Hyuk (Ye Jae Wook)

Jang Dong Yoon (Shin Min Ho)

Shin Jae Ha (Kim Nam Woo)

Park Sun Ho (Han Joo Yong)

Yoo Dae Joon (Kim Dae Bang)

Lee Chae Young (Kim Yoon Joo)

Kim Jae Bum (Park Shi Won)

Seo Hyun Chul (Yang Myung Cheol)

General Thoughts:

This show was on the right track, and certainly did a lot of things well, but I just feel that the end result is perhaps a little mediocre. There were aspects of the show that were done perfectly (such as the way poetry was incorporated into each episode), and there were aspects that could have used a bit more work (such as the characters).

I wish you guys were more fleshed out

Overall the drama was cheery and breezy and pretty stress-free, which is exactly what I was in the mood for- so potentially I enjoyed this drama more than I would have if I’d watched it during a time I was wanting more substance. The characters were all fairly likeable, but I do think that the writer hasn’t quite nailed the concept of humanly flawed.

The humour sometimes felt a bit forced

While Bo Young and Min Ho were both utterly delightful and fit that description to a tee, I did find the ‘flaws’ of the other characters to be a bit too cartoonish for the slice-of-life vibe the show was going for. Doctor Ye’s constant advice, Nam Woo’s sad fixation on how his life was before his family went bankrupt, and Dae Bang’s over the top indecisiveness came across as completely unnatural and just not something an actual person would do. The same could be said for Bo Young’s tear fanning and Min Ho’s ‘just kidding’, but thankfully those started to get phased out about a third of the way in. The characters didn’t particularly develop much either (except for Min Ho, but more on that later). All the side characters were basically exactly the same people they were at the start of the series as they were at the end. Thankfully this was mostly mitigated by the fact that it was just fun to watch the characters interact with each other. The biggest joy was definitely watching how Min Ho came to respect Bo Young both as a medical professional and as a person. Watching the two grow closer as they bickered was fun and satisfying, and as Min Ho grew to like Bo Young more and more, so did we.

I'm all for growth and maturing- particularly when it's so cute

I quite enjoyed Bo Young’s relationship with Yoon Joo also. While at times the relationship was a bit strained and they both got irritated with each other, the moments when they supported and cared for each other were very sweet and heartwarming. One of the show’s successes was definitely showing how the characters learned about each other through experiences, mistakes and fights.

They should have interacted outside their work circles more

Often a character would have one understanding of a situation (such as Yoon Joo seeming perfectly happy after encountering her ex-husband and his new wife), which would later be turned on its head when they grasped the reality of the situation (such as Bo Young realising Yoon Joo was having a hard time only after hearing her crying over it). These moments were scattered throughout the series and made the show feel much more meaningful than just the central plot-line. These moments may not have necessarily caused any of the characters to change their behaviours, but at the very least it gave us viewers an insight into their lives and struggles- which I think is ultimately what the show was trying to do. That being said, I still would have appreciated the characters all feeling a bit more authentic and real throughout the whole show rather than just in these quiet moments of discovery. Because after those quiet moments the characters were back to acting as usual, so it was sometimes a bit hard to connect them back to that emotion we’d seen previously. 

The brief flashes of bromance were brilliant

None of the acting really stood out to me, which I found a little disappointing. No one was bad, and everyone acted their characters very well, but none of the actors really grabbed their characters and made them feel real and lived in- I never thought that any of the actors were really suited for that role or that no one else could have done it better, which a feeling I like to get when watching a drama. Jang Dong Yoon has actually made me feel that way in both of the others dramas he’s been in (‘Solomon’s Perjury’ and ‘School 2017’), so I was surprised when I didn’t completely adore him here.

And he has such a baby face I kinda don't want him to start taking adult roles yet

Sure, by the end of the series I liked his character and thought he’d done an excellent job showing Min Ho’s development (because Min Ho actually got some), but he didn’t wow me the way he has previously. I almost wonder if it’s because this show and his character in it were a bit old for him. He gave a great performance, don’t get me wrong, but he’s still very young with a very few acting credits,

The chemistry...wasn't great

so I think it took him a while longer to settle into his character here. Lee Yoo Bi didn’t really stand out as the heroine either, and while she did well enough as Bo Young, she didn’t make the character pop. The side actors did really well in the moments that required emotion and some form of acting ability, but most of the time they didn’t have to do very much, and the cartoonish way they were written actually impacted how well the actors could portray them. I feel like I’m whining a lot about the characters, but honestly, once you got used to the way they were it was pretty easy to look past their simple character constructions and enjoy the show for what it did do well. Such as its cinematography, which was absolutely lovely. The drama went out of its way to produce wonderfully beautiful scenes that enhanced the quiet, emotional beats that the show did so well. The scenery, the camera frame and even where the actors stood in the frame felt artistic and well thought through in order to present the most visually appealing scene for each moment.

It was rather pretty when you consider that most of it was shot in a hospital

The camerawork and editing were all high class, with no awkward (or trying too hard to be artistic) camera shots and scenes that flowed nicely into each other without ever being jarring or taking you out of the moment that had just passed. The soundtrack was a beautiful accompaniment  to these lovely scenes and further enhanced the understated mood the drama aimed for. It was really how perfectly everything worked together in these brilliant artistic moments that made the drama such a pleasure to watch.

What Was Great:

Poetry:

What made this show stand out from others is definitely the poetry. That’s the drama’s whole draw. Adding written literature to visual media is a new idea in K-Dramaland (as far as I know), and is something that might not have worked all that well.

I just love it

The poems chosen always fit the scenes they were in perfectly, and were used as a way to explain character thought process and emotions. The poetry never overrode the emotion that was already existing in a scene- it highlighted it and provided more depth, but it never overshadowed the other aspects of the scene.

Passing the poetry on

I think that having the poetry as text as well as narration was a great choice, as having the words appear on the screen (even though I can’t read it because it’s in Hangul) made it feel that much more like it was a part of the scene. The poems became an extension of our characters as they moved around, with the words following them as they went. The poems were also an excellent way to show how Bo Young, the original lover of poetry, was impacting those around her. Originally the poems were all narrated by Bo Young, but as she grew closer to other characters, the narrators began to change. As Doctor Ye started falling for Bo Young, he had his turn narrating, as did Min Ho. When two characters shared a narration it was a hint that the same emotions were being felt by both. The poetry was used as a tool to draw the characters together, and show their relationships and emotions. Poetry isn’t really something that’s considered cool anymore, so I really liked that a show like this came along and highlighted how poetry is a special art form that has a unique magic to it.

What Wasn’t:

The Hero We Deserve:

It’s finally time for me to say it- Doctor Ye was a bland, boring hero. I’m sorry, he just was. If I think about his character and who this man is supposed to be as a person all I’d be able to tell you is that he’s professional and nice. That's it.

Not bad qualities, but they don't make for interesting viewing

Those aren’t bad qualities by a long stretch, in fact if I were to come across a guy like that in real life I’d be head over heels for him because that is exactly what you want in a man. But in a K-Drama hero? Not so much. Sure, Doctor Ye is kind and considerate and respectful, but on screen that’s all kinda boring. There’s no conflict there.

His sudden iciness could be pretty alarming

And the relationship between him and Bo Young wasn’t exactly loaded with cute either. As a hero Doctor Ye was just flat, unremarkable and forgettable. He’s made up of all the right things to make the perfect boyfriend, but in the drama he was just so bland. Min Ho on the other hand was headstrong, fiery, and stubborn. He was interesting. Would I want Min Ho as a boyfriend? Probably not. But as a character did I like him more than Doctor Ye? You bet I did. Min Ho had emotion. Whether he was heart-meltingly sweet, or arrogantly cold he wore his heart on his sleeve and we all knew, and mostly understood what he was feeling. Not like the closed book Doctor Ye. Min Ho starts the drama as a petty, selfish brat and is really quite unlikeable. But as the drama progresses we actually see him start to grow and mature. He learns what is so special about Bo Young, and does his best to make her happy, which is a long way from how self-centred he was when the series started. Min Ho often lapsed back into his arrogant, unforgiving self, but he was figuring out how wrong it was for him to lash out, and how important it was for him to apologise and move forwards. Min Ho’s growth and self-awareness made him the real hero of the story for me.

Making Doctor Ye a lacklustre alternative 

Unfortunately I think the show messed up the way it handled the love triangle. I mean, for at least the first half (if not more) of the show, Min Ho was being played as the typical hero- selfish rich boy who turns down the heroine only to have to eat his words and grovel later when he realises he loves her. Sure, it’s kinda cliche, but that’s the way the show was presenting Min Ho as a character, and his relationship with Bo Young.

It felt kinda like the show was trying to get me on the wrong ship

Doctor Ye is introduced and he’s typical second male lead stuff. Classic nice guy who doesn’t voice what he wants and gets overlooked. Even when Bo Young developed a crush on Doctor Ye the show was still playing Min Ho for the hero. His feelings for Bo Young were well on their way, and his crush on her was teaching him how to respect and treat others properly. All others, not just the girl he likes. While Doctor Ye is…still just a stoic doctor who’s good at his job. Min Ho is burning with jealousy and fear of losing Bo Young and does everything he can to try and win her over. He comforts her, he throws tantrums, he asks for forgiveness. While Doctor Ye is…still just a stoic doctor who’s good at his job. We’ve had a deep look into Min Ho’s home life, and we’ve come to understand his insecurities and his outbursts. We see exactly how and why he falls for Bo Young. While Doctor Ye gets a small backstory that we gloss over quickly. I have no problem with Doctor Ye being the hero and the man that Bo Young falls in love with (because Min Ho’s immaturity is not attractive in a man, even if it does make him an interesting character), I just feel like the show was trying to trick me by making out like Min Ho was hero, so I felt a tad disappointed when he wasn’t.

Though I guess it is a change to have a drama where the jerk doesn't get the girl

It wasn’t like Bo Young and Doctor Ye had this deep romantic relationship that no one else could possibly have competed with (à la ‘My Love from the Stars’). Or there was this big mysterious love-triangle where you didn’t know who would get the girl (à la ‘Reply 1997’ ’94’ or ’88’). It was more that the show set one guy up to be the hero and then changed its mind mid way through (à la ‘School 2015’). Yes show, I agree that Doctor Ye is the correct and sensible choice for Bo Young. So why didn’t you act like that from the start? Why did you play games with me and stop me from caring about your main romance?

Recommend?

Not really. It’s a nice enough show, but it isn't really a must-watch.

The characters just needed a bit more pizazz 

Ruler: Master of the Mask

Ruler: Master of the Mask

4.5/10

Ruler: Master of the Mask

Genre:                               Episodes: 20                         Year: 2017

Romance

Historical

Synopsis:

Pyunsoo is a group that control Joseon from the shadows. The organisation uses their power and wealth to privatise water, and the country’s people suffer greatly due to their actions. Crown Prince Lee Sun is an idealistic young Prince who wishes to free Joseon from Pyunsoo. 

Cast:

Yoo Seung Ho (Prince Lee Sun)

Kim So Hyun (Han Ga Eun)

L (Lee Sun)

Yoon So Hee (Kim Hwa Gun)

Heo Joon Ho (Dae Mok)

Park Chul Min (Woo Bo)

Shin Hyun Soo (Lee Chung Woon)

Bae Yoo Ram (Park Moo Ha)

Lee Chae Young (Mae Chang)

Kim Seo Kyung (Gon)

General Thoughts:

Whew- this one was a bit of a struggle to get through. Despite the great expectations that this drama raised, it crumbled underneath all its hype. The show aimed to be a sweepingly romantic, epic sageuk, but it didn’t come close.

It was just salt in the wound that this was stealing ratings away from '7 Day Queen'

The romance was weak, with the leads falling for each other in a split second with no build up and no reasoning, and all points of the show that should have been epic were either easily avoidable, confusing or concluded without much struggle. The writing is definitely to blame here, and the slow and befuddling plot makes the drama a real drag.

My feelings when I realised I had to sit through 20 hours of confused nonsense

For starters, the show didn’t really stick to its premise. Yes there’s a mask and a real King and a fake king, but water being privatised was brushed over in about 30 seconds in the first few episodes, and the heroine’s vendetta against the King/Crown Prince is short and bland- not to mention she doesn’t act on it. I was kinda expecting Ga Eun to be a secret, sly assassin waiting for her chance to strike the King (only to find out it was the man she loved all along)- I didn’t expect her to be a useless crybaby that didn’t do anything and only got about 5 minutes of airtime each episode. Hooooooo, okay, let’s go back to the beginning. Sun’s Dad sells himself to Pyunsoo to become King. And then he’s super agitated that he’s a puppet King and Pyunsoo Group has all the control (like, hello dude, what did you expect?). He then places a huge amount of pressure on Sun saying that he needs to be the king that saves the people (from the evil he invited in, I might add). Then everyone gets super angry when Sun tries to do something about it, saying that he can’t know how the world works because he’s sheltered (as if they weren’t the ones who sheltered him).

"Son, you were born to battle the evil I let in, and I sure as hell won't help you in any way."

Then for a very thinly veiled reason Ga Eun’s father is arrested and scheduled for execution. When Sun finds a way to sneak Ga Eun’s father out of prison he refuses (yeah what) saying that he won’t live his life as a criminal, so instead he gets executed as a criminal (double yeah what).

Why is everyone in this show so eager to die?

Dad dies, Ga Eun cries and Sun makes his (very) newly made friend, Lee Sun, stand in for him as Crown Prince. Pyunsoo kill Sun’s Dad (am I supposed to feel bad about this? He was a total ass, not to mention super unhelpful…), Lee Sun is crowned as a fake king and Sun lives outside the palace to ‘connect with’ and ‘understand’ the people. I say this sarcastically because this is glossed over in the time skip, and Sun is really no smarter about the people 5 years down the track. Anyway- so that was our opening, and the rest of the show makes about as much sense as that did, if not less. The characters get very little development, and the development they do get is often extreme and not at all realistic. Rather than showing a gradual buildup of emotions, our characters were suddenly 100% confident in their feelings. After several brief, and not very deep, encounters, Sun and Ga Eun are suddenly so very in love with each other that they would risk it all for the other.

And you like each other...why?

After more than 5 years waiting for Sun and being a quiet puppet king, Lee Sun suddenly hates Sun and wants to be king forever. I mean, these aren’t unbelievable ideas, it was just that there was no progression towards these outbursts- they just suddenly happened. The smaller stories (buying up the copper, rescuing the child workers, burning the poppies) were all interesting enough, but I just didn’t care enough about the characters to have these events hold any gravitas.

♫ I don't ca-a-a-a-a-are ♫

Except for Hwa Gun who was fab. Because the characters had such little development, it just felt like a bunch of blobs running around slowly (and I mean slowly) solving some problems. I’m sure that there were pieces of information that would have made the confusing aspects of the plot a lot less confusing, but I often found my mind wandering during episodes. Sure, it’s partly my fault for not paying attention, but it’s also kind of the writers' fault for not engaging me. When I’m engaged in a story I will remember every detail- I don’t even want to admit what sort of ridiculous details I remember about ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ (there’s a lot), but I can barely even remember the ridiculous reason behind why Ga Eun’s father was beheaded in this show. Of course, having characters that are poorly written gives the actors an extra hard job too. I’m slowly starting to realise that I’m not as much of a fan of Yoo Seung Ho as I thought I was (please don’t kill me). His characters often annoy me, and when he cries I tend to find him weak and useless rather than pitiful or loveable.

Whine on

I like him much better when he’s determined and strong, which thankfully he was for the most part in ‘Ruler’. But he just didn’t sell the love line that well. Understandably, because the love line is pretty darn awful. It was a difficult task for Yoo Seung Ho to convince me that Sun was a character that made sense, and he didn’t quite manage it.

Let's start picking better projects, okay?

I mean, when the character is written as a King who wants to rise up so he can save the common folk, but then constantly risks everything for one girl, the actor’s not really going to be able to make that go smoothly. I mean really, the whole ‘what sort of King would I be if I couldn’t even save the woman I love?’ thing was just stupid. You’d be an alive King who could actually do something about the people’s suffering. Stupid. What good are you to anyone if you’re dead? And boy did Ga Eun make me really angry at the casting director. If you’re going to give us an absolutely useless female lead, cast someone I don’t care about. Don’t cast Kim So Hyun and squander all her talent! It actually made me quite angry at how this amazing, powerful actress was given absolutely nothing to do. L was okay, but I really don’t think he was quite up to the task of making a bland character pop. Lee Sun was pretty annoying when he was a whimpering servant, but his transition into confident, mildly villainous king was just a tad too schizophrenic for my taste. Also his posture killed me. Yeah, I know he’s trying to be a cowering lower class man and all, but all that hunch did was make me want to put a knee in his spine and yank his shoulders back.

Like come one man, sit up straight

Yoon So Hee was a bit rocky to start, with her character's sudden and random love for Sun, but as the story progressed she settled in Hwa Gun’s character nicely. By the end of her story arc she felt comfortable in her role and gave a convincing, confident performance.

Quit playin' boy, we all know you ain't takin' it off

The side characters were all okay, barring Kim Young Woong who I find weirdly bad in everything. The plot itself felt super long, and dragged out points that should have been addressed much earlier. I mean, it took more than half the drama for Ga Eun to find out that Lee Sun was the King, and even longer than that to find out that Sun was the real King. There were so many moments where characters came close to finding out secrets about each other (that we the viewers already knew), that by the time these reveals came around I just didn’t care anymore. Ga Eun nearly discovered Lee Sun behind the mask so many times that it stopped being a cliffhanger moment- because we just knew something would happen that would prevent that mask from coming off. Long story short, this drama isn’t really what I was expecting it to be, and didn't really do a good job in telling its story.

A little less talking, a little more action please

Worse than being downright ridiculous-bad (giving ‘Scarlet Heart’ some serious side-eye here), ‘Ruler’ kind of just meandered on boring-bad, where it had all the right ingredients but just had no idea what to do with them, and so decided to do nothing. For 20 hours.

What Was Great:

Antagonists:

Thank goodness for our antagonists because really, they were the only ones that got anything done. Any time Dae Mok wasn’t actively involved in the story the pace of the show slowed right down and my interest started to drop.

He may be evil but Dae Mok knows how to get sh*t done

Once Dae Mok was back on board stirring things up and making trouble, the show became a lot more enjoyable. It almost got to the point where I was rooting for him and Pyunsoo just because he was interesting to watch on screen. While technically our second female lead is a hero, I’m still going to include Hwa Gun in this section,

The heroine of my heart

because as Dae Mok’s granddaughter and the new leader of Pyunsoo she was always aligned with the other antagonists. Boy, was Hwa Gun interesting. Once you accepted her rather abrupt love for Sun, her dilemma became quite fascinating. Her love for her family always collided with her love for Sun, and the tension just grew tighter and tighter as the time came for her to make a choice between the two. Hwa Gun was an upright and upstanding character who made many sacrifices for Sun, despite his indifference to her romantic feelings. She had a total Romeo and Juliet type of relationship with Sun, and I can’t help but wonder if this series would have been any better if Hwa Gun had been our leading lady. Hwa Gun was the interesting, active heroine I wanted for this show, often taking situations into her own hands and striving to always be on the front foot (unlike Ga Eun who knew nothing and did nothing). Hwa Gun’s defiant attitude and unwillingness to compromise Sun made for an interesting dynamic between the other Pyunsoo members. The love between Dae Mok and Hwa Gun was clear to see, which only made the friction caused by Sun more fascinating.

This is where the real tension's at

Hwa Gun’s Dad was a character I found surprisingly interesting. He lacked the smarts and cunning that Dae Mok and his daughter had, but his gentleness and love for his family was always nice to see. It was clear that Hwa Gun was going to be the dividing point between her father and grandfather, and it was bittersweet to see how her death at Dae Mok’s hand was what lost Dae Mok the respect of his son.

The only couple I really care about

And of course, without Hwa Gun we wouldn’t have had Gon. It took me a bit by surprise how alarmed I was when Gon was nearly killed, and I realised how much I didn’t want him to die. Even though he was a side character’s side kick, Gon still managed to get more character development than either of our leads. Despite not having many lines that went beyond accepting an order, Kim Seo Kyung was able to express Gon’s one sided love for his Lady, Hwa Gun, perfectly. As much as I adored Hwa Gun’s pure and unfaltering love for Sun, I liked Gon’s secret love just a little bit more. Gon was a character that gave Hwa Gun (and later Sun) power through his fighting skills, so it was nice to have a reason for him serving the two that went beyond just following orders. Lee Sun was a character that was either super interesting or super boring. For about 80% of this drama while he’s politely keeping the throne warm for Sun, Lee Sun was dead boring. Then towards the end he starts to have some autonomy (or so he thinks) and tries to shake things up a bit. Yay for shaking things up.

Really at this point I'll cheer for anyone who does anything that's not sitting around and talking

Sadly for Lee Sun, this didn’t exactly make his character any more likeable. It was less the fact the he was going against Sun and Ga Eun (because I didn’t really care about those guys at all), it was more the suddenly schizophrenic nature he possessed that made him a bit weird. Frankly speaking, I kind of wished that Lee Sun had successfully taken something away from Sun, cuz the real King seemed to have everything going for him and actually didn’t have to sacrifice much over the course of the drama.

Honestly speaking, I couldn't care less who ends up King

While a lot of people cursed him and called him greedy, I actually liked Lee Sun’s desire to keep the throne for himself. Because as things stand Sun really screwed his ‘friend’, over pretty royally. I mean, Sun (unintentionally) set up events for Lee Sun’s father to get murdered. He then starts wooing the girl Lee Sun likes.

You guys are terrible, terrible friends

He then asks Lee Sun to pretend to Prince just for a little while. Sh*t hits the fan, Lee Sun is forced to join Pyunsoo group, is continually poisoned and under threat of death every 15 days all while Sun runs off into hiding to protect himself. A whole FIVE YEARS pass in which Lee Sun is still being used, poisoned and threatened (all while separated from his family) and Sun makes no move to go and free his friend. While Lee Sun is suffering, Sun is off chasing a girl and making no effort to help anyone really- he’s even getting chummy with Lee Sun’s mother and sister. And still after all this Lee Sun intends to return the throne. Sun trying to marry Ga Eun was really the last straw for Lee Sun and he understandably snaps. Basically Sun and Ga Eun are officially the worst friends anyone could ever have. So I couldn’t help but cheer for Lee Sun a bit when he tried to keep the throne, if only because I wanted Sun to see how much of a wanker he’d been to this poor kid. Of course he doesn’t though and instead guilt trips Lee Sun for wanting the throne when he had nothing and Sun had everything. 

Costuming:

Everything was very pretty in this drama, particularly the costumes. Historical dramas always tend to have beautiful costumes and ‘Ruler’ is no exception. However, historical K-Dramas don’t always have the best wigs (I’ve seen some real shockers), but this drama thankfully gives us very nice and very natural looking hair- for both the males and females. 

Much pretty

What Wasn’t:

Non-Existant Heroine:

Ga Eun sucks. Sageuks are known for having pretty useless heroines (‘Moon that Embraces the Sun’, ‘Scarlet Heart Ryeo’), but ‘Ruler’ really takes the biscuit for the suckiest heroine.

Damsel in distress

Originally Ga Eun was quite cool. She hated injustice, was studying despite being a girl in a patriarchal society, and had no problem being friendly with people ranked lower than herself. She had to see her father executed and was then forced out of her home. Despite all the hardships,

Damsel still in distress

Ga Eun rallied the villagers around her who had also lost their homes and they built a market place in the middle of nowhere under Ga Eun’s instruction. And there ends our heroine’s usefulness. It also didn’t hurt that at the start while Ga Eun was quite likeable, Hwa Gun was acting kinda like a crazy person. But as soon as Sun comes on the scene, Ga Eun becomes completely and totally nothing-y. She literally does nothing of importance for the rest of the series. It kind of felt like the only reason she was in this show at all was because there needed to be some reason for Lee Sun to want to keep the throne. Ignoring that fact, without Ga Eun the rest of the drama probably would have progressed much the same, except that maybe Sun would have actually been a hero for the common people rather than just chasing after some girl and then becoming King so that he could marry her. I mean, I guess she did find the jar containing the document that proved Sun was King, but at the same time she was told to look for it in the first few episodes and didn’t actually find it until the second-to-last.

Congratulations, it only took you 15 episodes

During the period of time after the time skip and before Hwa Gun died, I actually think Hwa Gun got significantly more screen time than Ga Eun. Because she just mattered more, was more involved, and wasn’t annoying. I swear, Ga Eun never actually tried to solve any problems (and the times she did try she just made things worse- like becoming a court lady? Really?). Instead she just sat around and cried a lot. Frankly speaking I have no idea why Sun was so drawn to her, as in Joseon I’m sure it wouldn’t be hard to find a girl who whines and cries.

Recommend?

I strongly DO NOT recommend this drama. It’s long, exasperating, and left me feeling worn out rather than entertained.

Aaaaaaand it's over