How to turn your government internship into a main character moment and achieve justice

Have you ever asked yourself, what would it be like to be a scribe interning in the royal palace of 1700s Korea? Most certainly, I had not. But I’m so glad I randomly came across this drama, because it’s probably my favorite that I’ve ever watched so far.

First of all, to be clear, Rookie Historian is an elaborate and dynamic political drama far before it is a romance. Rather, it is an intricate exploration of duty, integrity, and ethics that continues to escalate in a narrative filled with twists and turns. There are indeed some pleasant comedic hijinks (just skirting the lines of ridiculousness in a way that works), and a delectable but absurdly petite romance plot between the female and male lead (don’t be mislead by the romance novelist antics of the pilot); as well as often feeling slightly like an office dramedy, but the at the end of the day, you’re in for a ride of court politics that will keep you binging until the intense finale. Just remember to savor the happy and silly times, because they will be over by the third act!

Setting: I found this drama to be a deeply interesting cultural exploration as an American who knows very little of Korean history, let alone palace culture. If you like western governmental political dramas like me, this will hit the spot in a way you would never see coming.

Theme: I was not expecting this drama to be so rich thematically! Clashing of ideals, tradition versus change, power versus equity, loyalty and ambition, justice and truth, and the importance of history, literacy, and free expression. A great recipe with a surprisingly satisfying result.

Characters: The protagonist Hae-Ryung is likable and fierce, and among many characters that you will find yourself rooting for, even as you witness them make humanizing mistakes. Yi Rim is totally adorable, that’s about all I have to say on that.

Romance: I am the tiniest bit irked that we got edged on the romance, of course–the kisses were barely more than chaste! At the same time, I would have been completely happy for GHR and YR to just be platonic partners in crime, but since they decided to include catching feelings, I wanted that to actually go somewhere..oh well. They got an ending that suited their desires.

I’m already concerned that I may not be able to find other dramas that engage me like this one.

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A well made, feast-for-the-eyes scenes here & there, deserves a big TV-viewing.

What I didn’t realize is that a large chunk of the movie was going to be in an Agatha Christie-style whodunnit. Which I don’t mind at all, but the fact that they were all stuck in the palace setting for all that time was a little underwhelming. It just did not feel very expansive—and unbalanced. I wanted it to be less insular, and I think that still would have been possible without it being too long and complicated. It's like, they did not give me a reason to care that the Imperial City was being attacked. The writers just relied on viewers to come into it with "big monster attacking city bad" and not have to do any establishing work there.

I watched it in two sittings. It took me a long time to care about the characters, but I wasn't ever disinterested in figuring out what was happening. It's definitely not a favorite, and I would only rewatch it if a friend wanted to, but I don't regret watching it...The two lead actors were good and and seeing their characters’ dynamic progress an hour into the movie was finally what engaged me. They definitely set it up for a potential sequel at the end--but based on the narrative of this film, I would want to watch it for the two main characters rather than a rematch with the giant monster snake or whatever. I would definitely love to see more of them working together and learning more about the lore of this world in a more engaging way that leaves me rooting for them and knowing exactly why and what I'm rooting for.

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