Saimdang, Bitui Ilgi

Saimdang is a stunning piece of art imitating life.

Surprise! She's real. And the broad strokes regarding her family life are true. The show treats her w/ the utmost deference. While it has the present & the past mirroring e/o, they limited the dramatic liberties when it came to Saimdang's life. Don't touch that dial: That European medieval court IS the start of this feature. We're in italy. It's The Year of the Rabbit, 1519.

In a broadly sweeping statement, GRR Martin, GOT author, said: "There's only one thing worth writing about, & that's the human heart in conflict w/ itself." This is largely true. Each worthy story brings us new people & the Saim·D@Ⓜ nonsense!😉

Ok, that isn't what the title means. Saimdang is a talented, brave, determined, resourceful, & dignified woman who lives in the Joseon era, & DANG! They put her through it. The story opens up in current day & the show toggles backward & forward in time by way of ancient documents & paintings which aid in telling the story of what happened then. The main players from Joseon are reincarnated into current day🇰🇷, but they're dealing w/ issues that never die: Jealousy, revenge, fear, corruption, & most of all, pride.

In contemporary 🇰🇷, Seo Ji Yoon has been working towards her PhD in art history. Her advisor requests she authenticate a piece that he's already certified. He wants her to do the presentation. She is uncomfortable w/ this, though. She suspects the painting of the Kunlun Mountains could be a forgery. It's all true. Her professor has turned to the dark side & is using his position & power for money & more power. This starts an epic contest between them, & he plays dirty. Very dirty.

We'll follow the painting back in time to when Saimdang & Lee Gyeom, artists of extraordinary talent, are admiring it. They are teens & they've fallen in love. He's the king's favorite cousin. She's the granddaughter of a noble. Her grandfather has the painting kept in secret - just a byproduct of those times. The seeds of suspicion are sewn w/ the king, who moves to exert & maintain control over his cousin. He learns of their romance & opts to exercise his power to teach his cousin a lesson. He denies them marriage & marries Saimdang off to someone else - a lazy, fatuous idiot. She tries to make it work.

Counselor Min is the ancestor of Seo Ji Yoon's professor. They are both evil. Each is thoroughly enjoying (abusing) his power. Min is plotting against the country for more power, so we see where the professor gets it. Oh Yoon Ah is wonderful as Choi Whieum Dang (Mrs Min). Her performance is top level, but she doesn't appear in the present day story. The Mins make nothing but trouble in the past, & Professor Min is doing the same in current day. They're dangerous. People are dying.

The past & the present have many of the same characters, but not across the board. Seo Ji Yoon & Saimdang are married, but their husbands aren't the same. The same actor plays professor Min & weirdly plays the King, not Counselor Min, his ancestor. Our FL has the same friend in the past & the present. Song Seung Heon has a part in modern day but it's limited & he fades away - it's quite unexpected. This is something I've never said about a Kdrama before, as most of them should be shorter, but this one should have been an episode or two longer. The ending is not an ending, it just drifts off. Those are my main criticisms: There should have been more consistency of characters between the past & the present & the ending should have been more defined. Other than those issues, both the past & present involve complexity & intrigues & are quite exciting.

We spend more time in Joseon, & that's a good thing, b/cit is fabulous. Saimdang's husband never did provide, & he eventually stopped coming home. She needs to make a living. As an artist, she already has a love for paper. Emissaries from Qing (China) would travel all the way to Kcountry to buy it. When she learns that the 🇨🇳delegation complained about declining paper quality, she decides to make high quality paper herself. This puts her in direct competition w/ the Mins, as they are the main paper suppliers for the government. The process of making paper is not only fascinating, but also staggeringly difficult. Goryeo paper actually refers to Hanji paper & was manufactured in the Goryeo period from ingredients including mulberry & other trees native to 🇰🇷. A drop in quality becomes a huge issue in the show. As an aside, Goreyo is actually where the name Korea came from.

S gifts us w/ superb acting. Once again, the child actors are amazing. The two leads are magnificent. Their faces convey longing, love, discipline, & determination; they show us are so many subtle expressions! Song Seung Heon is our ML, Lee Gyeom. He's in the running for my favorite. In Black-9, it's just not possible for a man to look more delicious in a suit. He's got a winsome, have-I-been-a-good-boy look about him. It's too adorable. He's steaming hot no matter what he's doing even though I prefer him w/out a beard. Lee Young Ae is our FL. I had just seen her in Inspector Koo-8.4 (she plays a slob who has been wallowing in misery but at the same time, she's a highly logical detective). These are completely different roles. I'm in awe of how she handled this part b/c so much of it it was slight movements of the head displaying contemplation, control, & restraint. They are in love. After she was married off to someone else he left 🇰🇷 for yrs, but he came back to see that her husband doesn't deserve her. So they walk parallel paths while holding back longing & desire.

The characters are complex. It's all varied motivations & struggles. His majesty is particularly complex & fascinating. We learn what an awful life he's had. He's been very alone. He does things that don't make sense. He's got bad people in his ear & seems to be listening to only wrong voices.

Corruption is front & center. Government corruption is never NOT a thing, but we also see corrupted goods in the past & corrupted education in current day. It seems obvious that we live in a time when our products, food supplies, government agencies, & who knows what else, are corrupted. We see depression of the poor in S. Those in power put efforts into more money & more power, not looking out for their fellow man. Weak rulers, who care more about holding on to power than morality, allow this to happen.

Saimdang's hubby is weak, lazy & incompetent, but worst of all, he's completely selfish. All those traits go together, don't they? Once children were involved there was no question about her path. Yet, the longing for the better man is portrayed quite well. Her husband felt inadequate - he WAS inadequate. Instead of trying harder, he went to a mistress who 'made him feel like a man'. Lots of things happen & it's one scrape after another, but the most difficult scene might be when Saimdang apologizes to her worthless husband. She initially did not recognize how he might have felt, she admits. "Of course I am angry. However, I didn't allow for flaws, I also wasn't considerate, therefore you felt disrespected & became very lonely.' That is next level writing. The husband is a slug. So, she mostly treated him like a slug. He never lifted himself from his sluggishness but slithered down further. When it comes to apologies that are owed in the marriage the lion's share would be on him. 60%? 90%? Something in that zone. He never apologized, but that just proves what a waste of a human he's chosen to be. Her apology was about her dignity. It's the most problematic yet poignant point in the show & I'm still mulling it over.

The family scenes are CUTE. Her husband's a feckless oaf, but she manages a smile once in a while, especially for her kids who are darling. She cracked a smile that didn't involve the children in ep23. It didn't look like it was going to happen, so it was a bit shocking.

When Lee Gyeom returns to 🇰🇷 he sets up the Jian Art Ctr. The amusing artists are a bright spot (many are clearly g@y). The scenes from The Art Center are a much welcome relief from the heavier & more distressing things going on. The pepper. My biggest takeaway is the pepper. Gyeom is going on about how delicious it is & how expensive, too. It was worth more than gold, by weight, at that time. Of course, somebody sneezes.

There's a seamless flow to this, like brush strokes across a looking glass. There's plenty of drama & anxious moments, the overall feeling is one of serenity. Saimdang kept her composure & found serenity wherever she could. When she found it, she shared it. There's a a fair amount of action, including a fantastic sword fight in ep12. The art, sets, & wardrobe are wonderful. Ms Min's gowns are gorgeous. The colors are what really stand out. She grew up in rags, but made up for her lack later.

To say that the ending is bittersweet doesn't quite cover it. It leaves us wanting. The story is beautiful but the sadness, though lovely, is what lingers. Like an ice cold IPA on a hot day, the bitterness is still refreshing b/c the story is just that good.

As always, he breathes out love, protection, & longing; she fills herself w/ him, & their spirits fly united as wings on a Jian bird, part of a whole that one day may come together: "Even if you & I are parallel lines that will never meet for the rest of our lives, it is My Wish to walk alongside that path w/ you forever."

QUOTES🗣

Looking at a good painting can purify & cultivate the mind.

Appearance is just pretense.

Courage is fear that has said its prayers.

Our two Souls therefore, which are one, though I must go, endure not yet a breach, but an expansion like gold to airy thinness beat.

〰🖍 IMHO

🎬85 🖊〰85 🎭90 💓82 🦋67 🌞80 🎨84⚡80 😅50 (the Mr, fop-hubby, mostly. & the Jian crew) 🎵/🔊83 😅50 😭50 😱20 🤢3.4 🤔50 💤20 🔚67

Age 12+

This series was really a life changing experience to me. There is so many lessons you can grasp from this wonderful and overwhelming series. Lessons about true love, loyalty, cooperation, hard working and life in general. Soundtracks are out of this world, I really enjoyed them and they add a very powerful dramatic touch to the scenes. Lee young-ae...Oh God!! she's so beautiful and talented actress as well. I could just stare at her heavenly face for days. She looks amazing, especially when she dresses in those beautiful traditional costumes. She made me cry everytime I saw her into tears and I'm sure everyone did, I mean how can one resist? In general the series was so enjoyable and the scenario was so good and well developed. The only thing that I didn't like is some dialogues especially at the end of the series which did not rise to the occasion, I have to say this because sometimes you have some beautiful scenes and crucial events but the dialogue does not really suits those settings, or maybe it's just the way I see things, it's my opinion at the end of the day and it maybe be wrong and I hope it is just not to arise doubts among people who want to watch. I highly recommend this wonderful series, it's really a wonderful experience to have..

I agree with many that some side plots could have been cut, and for me the two villains became so over the top they were tedious. But the rest of the cast, writing, direction snd OST kept me interested and engaged. I learned a lot I didn't know before which is always a joy of watching Korean and other international films. Also, I cared about the main characters and their companions, and loved this series so much I added it to my list of favorite KDramas. Recommended.

Unlike many out there who are not into period dramas, I'm a quite a sucker for it and I purposely search for my next sageuk to fall in love with.

Gotta be honest, I was upset when it began seeing it in modern era and I had to check it out it YouTube to see if that was true and was happy to see it transcends later on. I thought it was quite refreshing to other sageuks I watched and I've always kinda fancied time travelling but this drama was kinda smart in the way they did it. The actors played in the present time and also the past time as different characters.

I instantly fell in love with the teenage couple. They had great chemistry and I felt their love immediately. Must admit, I was dissapointed that their time was short and I missed them dearly and was always happy whenever they flashed back to them. Yet, I was not dismayed by the adult versions. Gotta admit, I fell head over heels for Lee Gyeom. Damn he was FINE! I have a habit of falling in love with actors if they portray their character well and my phones wallpaper changes every time I fall in love with a new founded actor haha. Yes, today it has the Lord Viseong for sure heeee.

The chosen sceneries for this drama was really perfect. Props to the set director. The fact that this drama took a year to produce and they had the chance to shoot in all four seasons did great for them. I appreciate that they didn't rush for no reason and took time to make it as magical as they could. I must say I loved the snowy and the spring scenes the most. Just beautiful. The three days the two lovers spent up in Mount Geumgang was beyond imagination. It was so beautiful that anyone would instantly fall in love with the characters (if you hadn't yet) and the entire ambience. I really loved how they had the actors paint on the camera when they were painting together. The writers and directors really knew how to make it romantic without having to show skin. My heart was full of love watching these two. You just want more and more.

I'd like to talk about Saimdang, the character for a bit. We can all learn a lot from her. I loved all her teachings to each and every child of hers as she recognises individuality and no one person is the same as the other. I, myself as a mother treat my son differently than my daughter coz they have such contra personalities and one shoe doesn't fit all. I've read a few reviews from people upset with Saimdang for the choices she made and yes, I have to few myself. But what I have to say is.... She isn't you and you aren't her. Saimdang is an exceptional woman. I actually applaud her for being such a forgiving person. That cleanses her soul. And she isn't bitter in life. If we wanna take it one sided, we can call her husband a good for nothing sob but she also looks in the mirror and asks herself is she to blame too and she accepts what her husband asked her as the truth. She never did love him as a man, just respected him as her husband. How could she when her heart was filled with only one man, her Lee Gyeom. Her personality is admirable. She never sat and sighed or complained about life and worked hard to make it better. For 21 years, her husband was unemployed and she was the one wearing the pants in the family. But she never once screamed or shouted and accepted her fate, yet still encouraging her husband daily. Her making sure the kids didn't resent their father was something I can surely learn from. Love her! I don't think I'll ever forget her.

Lord Viseong's character was doomed from the start. Poor dear suffered till his last breath. It was very heartbreaking watching him throughout the drama. I could feel every pain of his through his eyes alone and I must commend Song Seung Heon on a job well done. Everytime he crumbled, I crumbled with him. He also smiled and laughed a lot whenever he got the chance to be with her. She was truly his soulmate. I loved that. Soul mates across time indeed.

If I were to choose one mistake Saimdang did (though I know many won't agree with me), I would say was her choice to save him from jail. Lemme tell you why I think this. The three days up in the mountains with no one but the two of them was like three years to Lee Gyeom. He waited for so many years to be with the woman he loves and finally he feels a touch of hope has arrived. That three days were like an ointment to his long and aching endless pain. But when his happiness is at it's peak (whenever Saimdang is with him is when he is happy), she decides it best to leave him to be with her kids. I believe she didn't make the right choice. It's as if she feels she isn't entitled to happiness and chooses to live the rest of her life with that emptiness not being filled. If she had thought it carefully, she could've easily had a meet and greet slow talk with all her kids together with the man to explain to them all about them and how they wanted to be together and get their blessings. The kids would surely and gladly welcome him as they have witnessed many times how he has always been there for their mother. Her choice however broke the man for good and he never recovered. His choice to surrender himself to the king is his way of saying he has had enough. Saimdang may not have seen this, that without her, he is nothing. He practically breaths for her and without her, he is a dead man walking. She had her kids to spend her life with but he had no one. Do you think he was living in Italy? No, he was just a walking corpse on the verge of insanity. It was very heartbreaking to see him in that way. Saimdang should've just let him die. Instead, he was paying a price and eternal suffering being punished for loving a woman he can never be with. Such a cruel, painful punishment.

I loved the script very much. And I think most of the best lines were also those in the three days up Mount Geumgang. What Lord Viseong said about them being parallel lines, never crossing, never meeting but always walking side by side is nice but I loved most what Saimdang said about the sun being envious of the moon for sleeping all day and only awake at night time, not realising what a lonely existence it was for the moon to be alone in the darkness shining brightly for others. Hence, 'Siesta de Luna'.

For those that feel like giving up halfway through the drama (for being a bit draggy), don't give up coz I could say the last five episodes were worth waiting for. I changed my mind on my ratings in just those last five episodes. They really made the drama a memorable one, never to be forgotten.

The costumes were very enjoyable. There was so many different outfits suitable for each scene. Gotta say I loved Lee Gyeom's hanbok the most. The layering really stood out whenever he was in a fighting scenes with it flowing around while he is in action. So beautiful. The OST is just as great. I am already learning a few songs. Great cinematography too.

Hope you guys enjoyed Saimdang, The Memoirs of Colours as much as I did. It will take me a day or two before I can rest my mind and begin my next sageuk hehe and I already have many on my watch list.

This series it's just so powerful on different ways, I learn so much from it, I now have a different perspective about life, love, family, dreams, art and even about Korea itself. This is an excellent storie with excellent characters, amazing actresses and actors, you got to empathize with almost all the characters on so many different ways like it's mind blowing and the end is just so heartbreaking and at the same time so suitable.