One of the two good things I can say about this drama is that it was so mediocre, I didn’t even have a hangover after I binged it. No emotional scarring? YASS! It gave me zero feels, made me incredibly mad and was stupid and predictable often times. The only saving grace was the ray of sunshine that is Kim Soo-hyun, who is the second good thing about this drama. Really, I can’t imagine how unbearable this show would have been if he wasn’t in it.
It’s about a Crown Prince that falls in love with a nobleman’s daughter when they are 15 and 13 respectively but she is killed by the machinations of the court ministers. Years later, the prince founds her alive but she’s posing as a shaman so they struggle to bring the truth out while trying to keep the people around them safe.
I’m surprised I didn’t use the word ‘shit’ 10 times in that summary because lemme tell you something: this drama is filled with some seriously, stupendously stupid shit.
It’s lame in its handling of big revelations and showdowns and the plot is filled with superstitious garbage that I couldn’t digest because it seemed to have no firmness to it. I’m referring to the presence of existence in the story line. They legit wove idiotic traditions and curses out of thin air and the royals lapped it up without a second thought. Some of the magic and spells we saw (cringe) and the rest was just a bunch of witless people inventing things that never came to pass. The ‘talisman to absorb bad fortune’ shit, for instance. GAH.
Also, the fact that they were 15 and THIRTEEN when they fell in true love disturbs me as much as kids that age being all wise and spouting philosophy. But that kinda thing was probably true in olden times so we’ll just look past this. Moreover, the dude refrained from touching another woman when he had so many at his disposal even though he thought her dead was super duper sweet.
Another thing I noticed was the way the drama was shot. Cinematography? I’m not an expert on this so just, er, be kind, in your thoughts or whatever. So what I noticed is that the shots were documentary-like? They were wide and there was no playfulness and theatrics or beauty to them. Like I could tell that this show was years old. This is a 2012 drama and I compared it to Love in the Moonlight another period piece that aired in 2016. The difference is remarkable and at first it was kiiiiinda off-putting.
The plot is un-special and I say that with extreme disapproval. Throw in a frown for good measure.
- a) it’s predictable to the beat
- b) there’s barely any levity
- c) it’s the story of yet another king being screwed over by his ministers while he struggles with his love life in the background.
It’s entirely due to Kim Soo-hyun’s strong performance and presence that the show is bearable. He literally carries the whole show on this shoulders and does a damn good job of it. His king is wise, decisive, strong and fierce and he pulls it all off with such finesse. Particularly the crying. Is it just me or that Korean actors are really good at crying? They cry at command and they also do it off-screen. It’s impressive and kinda adorable.
I genuinely wasn’t impressed by any character other than Lee Hwon, the king, played by Kim Soo-hyun. Some of them I liked, but in a passive, ‘I-don’t-really-care’ sort of way. I felt bad for the prince and the queen, both of whom had tragic arcs but that was it. The actress who plays the head shaman in beautiful and I liked her presence. The absolute worst character, ironically, was Yeon-woo, our heroine. Thanks to the actress who played her adult version.
Her bland acting and placid expressions were infuriating. Might have been a statue for all the emotion she showed. She isn’t a bad actor, I can tell, but her portrayal is awful. Her male co-star did all the heavy lifting when they were in scenes together, as the poor fellow did throughout the show. Their chemistry could have been so much more if yeon-woo wasn’t a total doormat. Not only did she not show any emotion, her lines were terrible too. ‘I only wish to see you healthy’, ‘if I’m close to his majesty I want nothing more’, lines like that… The woman had no personality, no spunk. The typical crying/sacrificing type who is HUGE eye-roll.
The second worst person with bland expressions was the king’s personal bodyguard, Woon. The first time I saw him I remembered Kim Byung-yeon from Love in the Mooonlight. Ain’t no one like you, Byung-yeona! He was stone faced too but his stoic-ness had nuance and character. Not the brick-faced rigidity of this guy.
There are shows that you like, there are those you do not and then there are some you can watch to keep yourself occupied without having to emotionally invest and just forget it afterwards. I guess this show is that one.
My Rating: 6/10
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