Synopsis
This is a historical drama that takes place in Goguryeo which is known as North Korea, parts of China and parts of South Korea today during the reign of King Pyeongwon. During this time there was always a threat of invasion from what we know as China today and Shilla (another part of Korea).
The king (Kim Bup Rae) had two kids with his first queen, Princess Pyeongkang or Yeom Ga Jin (Kim So Hyun) and Crown Prince Go Won (Park Sang Hoon). The princess gets caught in the crossfire of her father and the other aristrocrats who are fighting for power and loses her mother and her memory in the process. She is separated from her family and the boy who rescued her, On Dal (Na In Woo).
The show is about how Princess Pyeongkang finds her way back to the palace. Her goal as a child was to become the first female Emperor but that changes and she wants to secure her father and younger brother’s positions as the rightful kings of Goguryeo.
Of course there is a love story. What historical Kdrama is complete without a love story? Funny enough, On Dal and Princess Pyeongkang are actual people in history. Based on my limited Google search, On Dal was known to be a commoner, dumb, unattractive, and may have had scoliosis. The Princess fell in love with his sense of justice and loving kind heart. Her father the king was known to be a forgiving and benevolent king. Anyways, don’t search this show or the actual historical figures because the ending of the show will be ruined for you (as it was for me).
The Controversy
As all of you kdrama fans are aware, Jisoo (from Bad Guys: Vile City, Strong Girl Bong Soon, Moon Lovers) was accused of some unsavoury things from his past. The details in the accusations were a little too detailed to be made up. He was accused of rape, distribution of child porn, sexual assault, bullying, etc all things that happened when he was also a minor. He also admitted to these things and wrote a public apology and shortly after enlisted in his mandatory military service. Was any of it true? In my opinion, I think it was. He is much larger than most Korean men and many other bullying accusations about celebrities that came out were not nearly as detailed as the accusations about him. Like most rape and domestic violence accusations, it will be impossible to prove in court. I was very disappointed because he seemed very likeable and a promising actor.
For obvious publicity reasons, the role of On Dal had to be replaced. All of On Dal’s parts had to be re-filmed and the production team lost a crap ton of money. Na In Woo did an excellent job as On Dal. I felt particularly bad for Kim So Hyun. I’m sure she had to go action school for the role and the historical roles are harder to play. The mannerisms and language is completely different. She is a pro since childhood but this controversy really took a hit on all of her hard work.
The ratings in Korea were okay and they did hit double digits at one point. Kim So Hyun and Na In Woo both won awards for their roles so not all was lost.
My Review
This show was absolutely beautifully made. There was a comment from a university professor who complimented the show on its historical accuracy. Most of the historical kdramas that are produced are during the Joseon period (right before the last Japanese occupation) and it’s always a treat to watch something from an older period.
I loved the princess turned assassin theme. Who would have thought of that? Kim So Hyun is an experienced actor and her skills and commitment really shined through. She was played a great heroine.
Na In Woo was absolutely adorable and loveable as described in the novel that this show is based off of. Well, On Dal is supposed to be unattractive but it’s TV. I mean, Arya Stark was nothing like her character in George R Martin’s book. Arya was supposed to have a long horse like face but Maisie Williams is adorable. It must have been hard for him to step in and replace a fellow actor and a bit awkward for everyone.
The political and actual war stories between the aristocrats were well thought out but at the same time, it’s typical of most historical kdramas and it’s really up to the actors to make us feel the pain and frustration and also the sense of relief or sadness (depending on the show) at the end. Usually when the actors can’t do it, the show is really boring. I was not bored at any point during this show. You felt all of the characters.
The scene when the king had decided to bury the traitor Go Won Pyo (Lee Hae Young) because they were long time friends before things got ugly and fought for Goguryeo together, made me feel for the king. He made that decision with his heart knowing that the rest of the kingdom would look down on him.
I need to mention the actor who played the third wheel in our love triangle, Go Geon (Lee Ji Hoon). He is a perfect villain/tortured good guy. This man’s acting is over the top and I hope he gets more and better roles in the future. You might know him from Legend of the Blue Sea, Heo Jun Jae’s step brother and from Sponsor. He was literally the only good actor in Sponsor. Well, Sponsor was a makjang and it felt low budget so I was surprised to see him in it. I only know about Sponsor because I worked on subtitles for some of the episodes. You can see Go Geon transition from a good man to a horrible one as he is manipulated by this father and rejected by the princess. His face started to look like a different person through out the show. At the end he redeems himself and you feel the long time friendship between him and the princess return. Hats off to you Lee Ji Hoon! I hope to see you in more shows!
The cameo’s from Kang Ha Neul who played On Dal’s father did not hurt anyone. I would have been happy to see more flashbacks with him even though I don’t care for flashbacks.
There is so much more to say about the show. I wish it got more love than it did. It was definitely one of the better historical kdramas out there. You have love, politics, war, action scenes, and beautiful scenery. This show has fantastic character development from everyone, great plot and story, and costumes were on point.
If you have not watch this yet, please watch it.
Things I Didn’t Like – Spoilers Contained Below
Okay, Kim So Hyun is an amazing actor but she has zero chemistry with her costars. It’s like she takes direction well from the director but can not fake liking someone. Her and Na In Woo had ZERO chemistry. I find her not likeable for some reason. I feel like I’m like her based on her accomplishments and the fact that she played this bad ass assassin princess but I could not get into her. It might be because she was child actor and she didn’t really have proper social interactions growing up but so Kim Yoo Jung and Yoo Seung Ho but those two have chemistry with everyone they work with. I’ve only ever seen her Moon Embracing the Sun and Bring It On Ghost and I felt the same about her in those as well. I want to like her and I will keep watching her.
What the hell with ending! On Dal comes back to life after being shot by 1000 arrows? How? The monk showed him some trick to fake his death. The real On Dal actually did die in that battle. I feel like the directors wanted to end it on a happy note because of all the negative publicity they got. Some endings for Kdramas can still be sad and the rest of the show will still be amazing. I think this show would have been better if it ended tragically and gave the viewer hope instead.
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