Gave me the same disappointment as HOTD. This series is oozing with extreme feminist plot - where the girls are nothing but victims of their time. So they had to fight these men for their place.

My problem here lies with how they portrayed the female lead - the same way they portrayed Rhaenyra from HOTD. They are just victims. Flawless. Good women who can do no wrong, they are not bad except because their circumstances forced them to.
When in fact the real women they are based on to were strong women - who also had their own ambition, who can be selfish and will do everything to get what they want.

I think it would be better if they stayed true to the real Queen Woo's character. Woo is powerful because of her family and because she herself can be ruthless for her own desires.
She was basically a Villainess in other POV but hey, she won and kept her power until the end.

I think it would've been much interesting to see that kind of female lead instead of this one.

Casting is good but I do not think the female lead did as good as the rest of the cast? This actress has the same face in all of her dramas regardless of the personality of the character she is playing. She just has a blank expression.
It's a good thing she she is pretty and has a very pretty sharp eyes. But when you see her for long time, you'll realize the lacking in her expression.

I have seen many Korean Historical movies - even the old ones and most of them has sx scenes that felt unnecessary and awkward so I wasn't as shocked to explicit scenes in this drama.

It's not that bad but the plot isn't that interesting. The storytelling is also a bit trying hard and can be boring at times. I blame this to bad writing because the actors did well.