Truth or Lie ~ sometimes it was hard to tell

Oct 2023
I find Hwang Min-hyun a joy to watch, so I'll be honest, I've a feeling I might have got a bit frustrated with parts of this, if the lead hadn't held my attention quite as much! (and no, I don't follow him as an Idol).

Nice cast; loved both Seo Ji-hoon and Yun Ji-on's portrayals of their characters too; the latter especially. Both tugged at my heart strings.

The ladies held their own as well and whilst I am not a big fan of Kim So-hyun (I can't quite explain why there are aspects of her acting, that just don't click with me), I quite liked her in this. A favourite character was Cassandra / Yoon Ye Seul (a Tarot reader and friend/colleague of Sol-hee in their coffee shop). Character Hwang Cho-rok was definitely my least favourite. I just found her irritating and the drama wouldn't have suffered without her ? The mothers of both lead characters were awful, too. Do-ha's should have been locked up! :~D Sol-hee's was yet another leeching parent who blames all her woes on her daughter. I am honestly so tired of K-drama parents that use their kids (and kids being targeted for things their parents did, like owing money, or going to prison). The originality is gone, it's old and writers need to up their game.

However, the story is both fun at times and touching, with a murder mystery, pinch of corruption and some threat thrown in for good measure. Several episodes into the drama, I had an inkling who the culprit might be, but I was never 100% sure about it, which is good.

I wasn't convinced by the leads' chemistry, but they were not a dreadful match either. I have to say, HMH's somehow vulnerable and withdrawn character in this, captivated me and sometimes he reminded me a teeny bit of Cha Eun-woo.

I did find the sound effects for when Sol-hee heard the truth or a lie, to be very confusing; maybe that's just me though. Also, there were times when Do-ha's anxiety around wearing a mask got forgotten completely and it got a bit silly; I was glad when he got rid of it altogether.

The OST fit nicely and HMH also sings a track in it (it's called Alarm).

At the end of the day this is a light drama that makes an enjoyable enough watch, with a neatly wrapped up ending.

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Warm and feel good over realistic

Sep 2023
I thought this was a touching, often amusing, positive and unusual drama.

Dementia is not often featured, to any extent, in S.Korean dramas, in the same way 'natural' gay, disabled or ASD characters are not either. Their industry, seemingly like many within their population, still appear to be more uncomfortable with such things, than not.

Anyone who cares for, or is close to, someone that suffers from dementia or Alzheimers in a far more negative and aggressive way, may find the representation in this a little too saccharin.

However, it is still quite a moving story. How the family of the elderly central character, who is determined to realise a dream he wasn't allowed to in his youth, learn from him, overcome their prejudices and grow, has a very feel good factor.

Deok-chul's family's characters are all quite different from one another and well portrayed by a cast I liked, but I honestly didn't get the father of Chae-rok (Song Kang's character) at all. I found that aspect of the story quite weak; as was the story around Ho-beom (Chae-rok's ex-friend). I didn't really feel like either lent anything extra to the story at all. That's certainly no reflection on the actors though, who were not the issue.

I read that Song Kang took ballet lessons for 6 months prior to filming and it shows. Apart from the very complex moves (where the camera focuses on purely legs, feet etc), which used a professional stand-in, he danced himself. I thought he looked beautiful, strong, graceful and convincing.

If you can put aside the fact that several aspects of the story are terribly unlikely and just watch it for the satisfaction of characters overcoming adversity, pushing their limits, taking responsibility, realising dreams and many becoming better people for it, then you will surely enjoy this, as I did.

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Too many trigger warnings to mention!

Sep 2023
I had read various reviews, but a friend with similar viewing tastes to me, said it was actually a really good story... warped and shocking, but excellently done. So, in I stepped.
Along with the captive, Makoto, the viewer is assaulted pretty quickly.
Chained to a gurney and bound, so begins a relentless regime of horrendous sexual abuse, using a variety of sex aids and the captor's own fingers.
Makoto is kept clean, spends a lot of time alone and is quickly allowed to move around enough (though chained by one ankle), to reach a toilet and table containing water and nutrient / vitamin tabs; no food is given.
Beyond the scenes of assault, we learn what lead Katsuragi Makoto to attempting a drunken suicide, from which he is saved by his captor, Yoda Ryoji.
We also learn why Ryoji appears to be numb to the suffering his intolerable levels of abuse cause, for what he sees as a therapy to awaken Makoto's senses and make him want to live.
It surfaces that both are suffering crushing levels of guilt for similar reasons.
Over time, Makoto begins to form a weird but inescapable bond with Ryoji; it's almost like he has become addicted to the intense pleasure he ultimately experiences, even though at the same time, he is visibly disgusted, shamed and hurt physically by it (for obvious reasons ~ he's a straight guy, so it's going to hurt).
As time goes on, however, and the pain diminishes, he seems to lose the shame and humiliation he felt, too. Ryoji tells him that his desire to live is there (basically, suicide should never have been an option ~ he didn't really want to die).
How this ended, I kind of saw coming and wasn't surprised.
Whilst Ryoji sexually assaulted Makoto multiple times, he actually raped him once and that was the culmination of his 'therapy'. He was then left alone and realises it appears he is able to leave.
The ending is poignant and I find that utterly bizarre; yet it is.
I mean, this should be an impossible piece of work to watch. I actually hate scenes of intense bullying and/or where a character is walked all over and too weak to do anything about it. I've dropped dramas like that, which are actually like a kid's programme compared to this.
So I cannot explain why I felt I just had to finish this and, more to the point, could!
Perhaps it's because there isn't any actual cruelty from Ryoji. He is calm throughout, and explains his actions, even though what he's doing is appalling. He never verbally humiliates Makoto and is totally clinical in his attitude. There is no violence with the sexual acts at all; he does not go out of his way to hurt Makoto (in fact there's an instance where he himself was totally vulnerable).
It really is the most visceral, disturbing and yet compelling thing I've ever watched.
It is not simply BDSM porn, that's for sure.
Totally and utterly warped, but it gets away with it. Just.
I could never watch it again though.

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You don't need to like baseball to enjoy this drama

Although I'd read the synopsis, I wasn't sure exactly what to expect and not being a fan of any sport (except figure skating on occasion), I wondered if I'd get into it. However, being a Namgoong Min fan, I decided to give it a try.
Much of the story centred around the statistics, strategies and personalities within the game, so I was surprised when it nevertheless kept both my attention and interest.
That was due entirely to the excellent cast who all portrayed the many characters in this drama, so well.
Namgoong Min as the hyper intelligent, unflappable, no nonsense new Manager, whose appointment shocked everyone at team Dreams.
Never having been a player, many looked down on him and thought he'd be a pushover ~ he was anything but. I loved his lazy way of talking and poker face.
Park Eun-bin as the only female to be appointed as any team's Operations Manager, was perfect. She balanced being feisty and just the right level of tough (as a female in a male dominated environment), whilst retaining an even temperament. Too often women in important positions are portrayed as hard, cold, bitchy and lacking emotion. She was none of those things and that was honestly a breath of fresh of air.
So many other actors' portrayals of their characters made an impression on me as well. Too many to list!
There are so many stories intertwined into the main one, which is the club striving to turn their dismal record of losses around, and giving them a fighting chance of actually winning the league.
We also get corporate politics, with the conglomerate that owns the club (helmed by an old and manipulative Chairman), having a hidden agenda. There's in-fighting within both the club's staff and players. Jealousies, arrogance, misunderstandings and struggles with both fitness and confidence.
Then there are the personal problems many characters contend with, which are revealed as the drama plays out. Some are quite tragic and shed a new light on what drives some of them.
All in all, there is a lot of story that is so well wrapped up in 16 episodes.
Whilst I will admit that some of the scenes involving the strategies and stats of the game and its players, went over my head, that didn't spoil my overall enjoyment and surprise at how good this drama was. Even the ending was well thought out and realistic.
An intelligent and fulfilling watch for sure!

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Light and enjoyable

Overall I enjoyed this drama. The synopsis on here is a little 'off' because a big factor in the story is Rembrary wanting to return to his realm and needing to figure out what caused his expulsion in the first place and why. Also some characters are incorrectly named, like The Evil One.
The genre is definitely teen, supernatural, comedy, romance, with some emotional and action content; in that order.
The acting was fine, with a watchable cast and story that kept me engaged.
Loved Park Sang-nam as Sa Gam-jae.
Kim Min-Gue (Kue/Gyu/Kyu!) carried the ML role well, making some scenes I would usually find too cringeworthy, bearable.
I would love to see him head up a more substantial drama/role one day... soon I hope.
I am not that familiar with FL, Go Bo-gyeol (playing Kim Dal), but she fit the character well and their chemistry suited their roles, as both were inexperienced and innocent in terms of romance, so it was never going to be 'sizzling'.
The only actors I felt seemed a little uncomfortable in their characters, were Lee Jang-woo (The Evil One) and Cha Joo-young (as the deity, Redrin).
I didn't find it a struggle to finish this at all, so for my personal benchmark, that means it wasn't bad. It's light and easy to watch.
As mentioned before, it does have a 'young' feel, so if you're looking for something a bit deeper, with a more substantial plot, it might miss the mark.

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Jealousy and greed attract very unwanted attention.

I thoroughly enjoyed this twisty-turny story, with not a few butt clenching moments ;D
Oh Jung-se really suited the role of Yeom Hae-sang and the more I see of him in such diverse roles, the more I love him (his autistic character in It's OK to Not Be OK is still a favourite).
Kim Tae-ri is always good and I loved Hong-kyung as the young Detective.
The entire cast were actually very good and there are several well known supporting actors I always enjoy watching, which helps!
The characters' journeys to discovering the mysteries surrounding an academic's investigation into crimes with a supernatural base and spanning many decades, are gripping.
There are shocks, tragedies and a very dark and brutal catalyst to everything that happens subsequent.
There are, unfortunately, also the usual issues of characters not listening, acting alone, making decisions for others and just not communicating in instances when 99.999999% recurring, of people would.
It's a drama and the story needs that to move forward I suppose, but the writer could have thought of more engaging alternatives in those instances.
I also found Kim Tae-ri's character's attitude towards Oh Jung-se's, later in the drama, to be utterly ridiculous, given everything they'd gone through upto that point and given her own predicament.
I wasn't scared by this drama (although it takes a lot to frighten me), but, as said, it did have its moments.
Cases of people that are already wicked or bad in some way, attracting angry/hungry spirits to them, seems to be becoming a trope (that's not a complaint).
There are instances of child abuse, however, so anyone for whom that's a trigger, needs to be forewarned.
I probably wouldn't watch it again, but am by no means sorry I picked it.
It is worth watching.

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Different; engaging; surprising

Not at all what I was expecting. I thought it might be some kind of supernatural, light, action/mild horror, comedy. Apart from supernatural, it's none of those.
From the moment Shiro/Makoto wakes up from death, on a slab, in hospital, with no memory of any past events, the story is abruptly explained.
We are introduced to a Guardian, who tells Shiro he has died, now inhabits this body and to stay in it and get a second chance at life, he must find out why that person died too. He's given 100 days and 3 chances at answering the question.
The film then follows Shiro's journey as he gets to know the person behind the body he is inhabiting, and struggles to find out why he passed away.
He meets Makoto's disconnected family, a close friend and a crush.
School life is nondescript and it becomes apparent that Makoto was pretty much invisible, with a quiet, socially awkward and weak spirited personality.
Shiro is nothing like that and this is where the story faulters. Apart from 1 character (who still treats it like no big deal), no one seems the slightest bit surprised by the difference.
He's meant to have total memory loss, of which his family and close friend are aware, yet everyone still expects him to know stuff and the interactions don't fit at all.
Due to what Shiro was told about himself, by the Guardian, I also expected his character to be very different and that puzzled me for the whole film, until it was addressed towards the end. In that respect, the story's direction was not at all obvious and pretty engaging.
The outcome was quite a surprise. I think it's intended to make people think, take stock of themselves and their reality, especially when life gets dark.
I actually felt it was quite harsh and yet it offers another perspective that I've never seen before and perhaps when one's mind is not in a place of reason, a person could miss this themselves.
It isn't a film I'd watch again, but the charm and gentleness that Nagao Kento brought to the main character, and the nicely acted supporting roles, lead me to not regetting having watched it one bit.

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Went on too long

I thought the cast was great and the leads fit well together. Rowoon is an actor who's really growing on me. He is very good at playing gentle, thoughtful, yet no characters, but they aren't pushovers.
The friends, family and colleagues surrounding the MC were a diverse bunch with only a few stereotypes.
I loved Kwon Sung-yeon (played by Ahn Se-ha), a member of the Klar cosmetics team. I also liked Chae Ji-sung, 1 of 2 sisters of the ML, who was intelligent, considerate and pretty independent ~ also very classy.
I did feel for the FL, Song-ah. A strong and capable character who was deceived and messed about, but, after taking ages to make a decision, she then backtracked... she didn't seem to think anything through, or know what she wanted. My sympathy evaporated.
Characters I honestly had a major problem with, but were so well portrayed...
• The company director's sister, Lee Hyo-joo ~ utterly delusional. What she puts another character through and then complains to about their attitude, is eye rolling, to say the least. She totally needs professional help!
• Whilst I felt a little sorry for her partner, it was hard because although he is used and abused, he did also deceive others.
• FL's mother ~ The way this character was developed and handled, I found really weak and annoying too; it so played down the affects of her condition and personalities like that, on those closest to them and almost made it seem like that's just how it is, so put up with it.
• ML's other sister, Chae Yun-seung ~ married with a precocious daughter (fabulously played by a great child actress, Park So-yi), who spends all her time making snide, hurtful remarks and berating her siblings, telling them they need to marry EVERY TIME she's with them. She gets loud and petulant or plays hurt and childish, if she finds out they meet without her. She has a blunt, thoughtlessly nasty mouth with everyone, but is annoyingly enabled by those around her, as they just take it. How her character is developed, is just weird. It was like by making her acceptance of a situation, as though she was some open-minded saint, would make all the other stuff ok... nope. It did feel like divine retribution to be honest. I really like the actress who played her so convincingly, however (she's just been in See You In My 19th Life).
It was an OK watch. I wasn't blown away by it. Sometimes I just got so bored though and it took me ages to get through it.
The later story arc around the FL, felt a lot like it was just to pad out the drama.
I guess it's mostly about relationships (not just romantic ones, but familial, work and personal as well), following instinct, not being dictated to by society's 'norms'.
I didn't hate it and was happy to dip in and out as the mood took, but was so glad to finish it.

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Such a good cast ~ you really can't go wrong watching Woo Do-hwan; plus the FL and everyone else included, really made for enjoyable viewing.
I so liked Song Geon-hee in this, playing the King/Princess's brother; I'd not watched him in anything since Missing: The Other Side (S1 ~ I've yet to watch S2) ~ he's Thomas.
The plot is quite fresh ~ a common man who's an attorney, motivated by money, also seeking vengeance, who 'finds himself', a conscience and love ~ though the latter creeps up on him and comes complete with several surprises and a fair bit of angst.
As with many historical dramas, there is, of course, plenty of corruption, power crazy officials, a puppet king struggling to regain the monarchy's power and intrigue by the bucket full.
Being something of a rom-com with a modern feel, kept it light, although there were more than a few scenes that were sad, tragic and with a touch of action thrown in.
The pace was pretty good overall and I was kept engaged. Occasionally, the story did ramble a little, with overly long pauses and the usual irritation of characters acting on their own, not divulging crucial info and thinking they know what's best for everyone. It's forgivable and doesn't spoil things too much. It gets a little cheesy at times though.
I found the ending one that succeeds in leaving the drama's audience satisfied, but after the build-up to it in the penultimate episode, it also felt like a means to that end.
One character's reasons for staying hidden, were never even remotely discussed with the main person affected by their decision ~ if that's not being included as part of the story, leave that kind of reasoning out, rather than have the issue ignored, because there isn't room to address it.
Honestly though, it's not a huge deal, but is something that poked at me!
The music was varied with some quite rocky pieces, but they fit OK for the most part. Even if I didn't think the choices were always appropriate, the music in itself was very good, with some nice ballads too.
A little bit of reality is also included, with the rewritten laws, protecting all, that's focussed on at the end.
Nice drama to welcome Woo Do-hwan back after his military service.

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Sweet but a little too soft

aka: Candy Colour Paradox
Sweet story and I liked the casting. I don't know the Manga, so can't say how it measures up.
I found the repetitive intro of each ML at the start of all episodes a bit redundant.
Their scoop projects were varied and pretty relevant, but with short and few eps, there could never be any depth to them. Also, considering the fact Yakuza and crime syndicates were mentioned more than once, it feels a little unreal that there were no thugs or threats of the consequences for their scoops.
The naive half of the duo, Onowe, might be just that, but he's far from stupid. I actually see it more as an innocence ~ he's well aware of the dark side of life, but chooses to believe in people until he's proven wrong, at which point he has no qualms about facing up to reality.
Our more jaded other half, Kaburagi, who must have had some really bad experiences of being let down to be so cynical at a relatively young age, appears to need Onowe... like a light in the dark.
They are both dreadful at communicating their feelings, so at times their interactions are frustrating, but they would be irl with 2 such emotionally introverted people getting together. They both start opening up in the latter part of the drama and we get an insight into Onoe. It is a real shame we didn't get to see more of that and background on Kaburagi.
However, if you are looking for a short, sweet romance with opposite characters that is all about the couple, which isn't deep or have a strong back-storyline , this is perfect.

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aka: The End of the World With You ~ A surprising and very good watch

Done in typically Japanese fashion; a little quirky, gently paced, complex characters and mature content that never felt gratuitous, as can sometimes be the case in both gay and straight dramas/film.
There's nothing like the end of days to make one evaluate the past and face up to stuff. If not for that, I doubt Masumi's previous deception, youthful arrogance and cruelty would have been forgiven at all. I choose to think he changed and learnt from his past, and lonely present. I was rooting for them to have a happily ever after.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought Yuma was a delight... the bit where he blows at something, was genius. Very amusing, yet it fit right in.
I thought the Kagami brother/sister characters were excellently played by Idegami Baku and quite moving.
It might not be award winning, but it suited me and my mood perfectly!

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Refreshing, touching and funny!

From the cast, to the humour, to the odd cringey bit, to the empathy, to the sadness... I loved this drama.
There were times I pre-empted what would happen, but just didn't care... the delivery was spot on.
It was darkly funny at times and a bit eye brow raising at others.
Our FL has seen most of the women in her life trodden down. She doesn't hate men, but hates marriage, love and relationships, the things she sees as their downfall.
Instead she hooks up with men solely for one-night stands; or friends with benefits, nothing more permitted. She is hugely independent, stands up for women that are bullied by men and can take care of herself via sreet fighting style martial arts.
Our ML is a squeaky clean, handsome, polite, top romance actor, loved by everyone. Everyone except our FL, who hates him after overhearing him having a rant, when his views almost melted her ears.
Humorous events lead to them having to interact more and more, with comical and sometimes touching consequences.
The supporting characters are diverse, from the FL's parents (of a generation where women are subservient, not meant to have any, let alone strong, views), to her best friend who has a knack for falling for the wrong men; to the ML's bestie and manager (wonderfully played by scrummy Kim Ji-hoon), who is so free and easy with both men and women (he behaves in a way rarely seen in K-dramas), that I honestly think the writers wanted people to question... is he gay?.... Is he?... I'm not saying!
The actresses surrounding our ML and colleagues surrounding our FL, are sometimes stereotypical, but never dull (I loved the older actress embroiled in a bitter divorce).
We get action too, with some great (if not always very believable), fight scenes.
I really liked how this drama doesn't get too heavy, kept things mostly light-hearted, yet still manages to convey the imbalance in both the attitudes and consequences to, men v. women 'behaving badly' in the eyes of society; and that 'fans' of celebrities have far too high an opinion of themselves and their 'rights' in the lives of their celebrity crushes, which needs addressing, but never really is.
Also, that taking words and actions out of context, can cause unnecessary conflict and hurt.
With a great cast to boot, it ticked all my boxes and was far more enjoyable and funny than I ever expected.

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A truly vile conglomerate family!

Loved the acting, actors and characters. Really a great cast. I also thought this an original take on the usual underhanded, vulgar and megalomaniacal super rich corporate dramas that get churned out. The switch in time, very intelligent protagonist and the clever, manipulative ways in which he exacted revenge were all very watchable.
I couldn't give a 10 because, for me, it was just too much high-powered, super rich wheeling and dealing. There was no let up at all, which I found a struggle at times.
I got that Do-Joon/Hyun-woo's primary goal was obtaining Soonyang, but some kind of breather from the constant business, corporate scheming and jargon, would have made it more enjoyable for me.
Definitely worth watching though and besides my few gripes, the pace suited the story and I thought the ending was excellent.
Shout out for the great young actor, Kim Kang-hoon, who I think we'll be watching for a long time. He's played many diverse kid characters in some great dramas.

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Stereotypes

Overall I enjoyed this drama, which had several plots intertwined and made for an interesting watch.
With the cast involved, the level of acting was never going to be in question and none let the drama down.
I liked the threat element of the shady character who targeted people around Choi Chi-yeol (Jung Kyung-ho), which balanced the fluffy romance side quite nicely.
Whilst it made a change for the attractive, well off, successful lead male character, to end up attracted to and falling for, the older, quite dowdy, financially struggling (even though her traditional food business seemed to be thriving) lead female character (LFC), I found it a little uncomfortable to begin with ~ like neither were completely relaxed inthat element of their roles. However it did settle down and they ended up a believable couple.
What really stood in the way for me, was how they styled a beautiful actress, to look SO frumpy... why? She didn't have to be glamorous with a ton of makeup, too short/inappropriate clothes and ridiculous heels, but also not dressed like a granny.
Just because she'd been sporty, worked, brought up a child and looked after her brother, shouldn't mean she has no sense of style, especially when going out on a date. It really aged her too. That is stereotyping.
Same with the autistic brother... fine acting, which said it all and did not need trousers that were way too short and a look that could have been stolen from 1980s Rain Man! Just because a person is autistic, does not mean they have to dress like an overgrown child!
Lazy, lazy styling and woefully prejudiced to my mind.
Yet, on the other hand, what they did with that character's storyline, was a breath of fresh air! Infuriating!
I really liked the interactions and relationships between all the characters, although I do roll my eyes up when the nasty, rich, influential mothers abuse their positions to push their kids and usurp the out-of-place nobody.
1 in particular was not fit to be a mother at all, and how her story ended was not what she deserved... saccharin instead of poison.
A lot was forgiven of low-life characters in the skins of privileged, but not refined by any means, disguises. As usual, no consequences fitting their actions.
One part of the storyline that was completely superfluous to requirements, was the appearance of the LFC's sister. What was the point in that? It added nothing to the story, she was rude, selfish and looked down on everyone, including the daughter she'd abandoned and left to her sister to raise. She came, went and made no difference to the story at all.
I wasn't surpised at all by who the murderer was, but still enjoyed the twists and turns.
An enjoyable watch and whilst I personally wouldn't watch it again, I would still recommend it.
As a footnote, I wonder what all the nUtizens who always make rude and offensive comments about older male leads starring with younger female leads, feel about this main couple, with her being 11 years older than him! No doubt they'll still complain.

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Great FL / Character

I did feel that aspects of this drama were too drawn out (for example, the prescription, death of the previous Crown Prince, some of the lessons), which took away from the feelings of anxiety and threat a little. Old ground was covered once too often, instead of enlarging on other parts of the story, like the shocking (for the time) revelation about one of the princes.
At odd times, I also felt the Queen's decisions were out of character and naive, when she wasn't at all (like being too trusting and leaving things too open to opportunity for their enemies).
If not for that, I'd have given a 10/10.
Everything else I loved. Kim Hye-soo as Queen Im Hwa-ryung was brilliant. Certainly not a typical Queen, she was very intelligent, opinionated, witty, feisty and compassionate. Even if she felt it, she never showed jealousy or was unnecessarily bitchy to the King's concubines, but did exert her authority when needed.
The concubines were a proper mixed bunch too.
I loved that whilst tough, the Queen was warm as a mother and didn't push her sons for her own benefit, but for their survival.
The other characters were really mixed and some of the ministers, whilst involved with plots and schemes, were taking sides to protect more than themselves and were not all power crazy; that gave this sageuk a different edge.
Kim Hae-sook (a favourite actress) as the Queen Dowager, with her poker face and fake laughs, was brilliant... the first time I've absolutely loathed her! ?
One character I felt so sorry for, but they ultimately became their own worst enemy, so full of hate and revenge.
The plot twists, humour, shocks, moving scenes and ending, all combined to make this a really good watch. One I'd happily see again.

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