Amhaengeosa

I would love to know how two different period pieces with the same over-arching premise could be coincidentally (or not) made in the same period. On Netflix, you will find Secret Royal Inspector and Joy, also with the inspector's retinue and eventual love interest, corrupt government officials and even an illegal mining operation (silver, not gold). Other similarities abound. Lead actors and actresses both excellent, and similar IMDB ratings. I liked this one a little better, but the other one had a grander vision and some slower moving parts. Both very very good. Was there a split up in the writing team? Did someone copy a draft?

A fun Joseon era show. Great characters, evil villains, plucky women, sincere and good hearted heroes, corrupt officials, a little comedy and the typical Korean push-pull romance. Perils of Pauline, "How will they get out of this trap?" Really enjoyable. Look forward to another season, I hope.

I despise, with every atom in my being, the loathsome trope of interrupted intimacy upon any physical approximation in a semi-romantic setting-of which this drama kept repeating endlessly and shamelessly for 14+ episodes before committing to what it was trying to do. Cringey levels of cringe! Despite attempting to address important themes of justice and societal issues, the drama struggled to properly address these subjects and instead turned them into a background noise to service their jokes. Why bother then? While the cast may have been fine but their characters remained uninteresting throughout the drama. Basic characterization, none of them stood out.

Despite being an under-the-radar drama with a relatively simple premise, the plot is surprisingly rich and eventful. The story is covered very decently considering the it's length and depth. Good balance of comedy, action, and emotion. Characters are great too, I really enjoyed watching them. Even shed a tear at the end. 10/10!

Korean Drama 'Secret Royal Inspector' had an interesting plot prompt, but ended up following the old well traveled path.

The drama starts pretty strong, with the introduction of the characters, the main story, and the main mystery. The first case the Royal Inspector and his team take sets the foundation of their friendship and their dynamics as a team while presenting to the viewer what is yet to come. And yet, the story is pretty generic after that, with a bad guy who was neither intriguing nor original.

The romance was also a bit of a let down, as it had a messy pace, but, at least, it didn't overtake the story and played the role of filling the gaps. Unfortunately, the side romance and the trop of past love interest coming back to create drama was well used, probably a bit too much at times. At least the bromance was quite strong and refreshing.

The performances, finally, were pretty great for everyone, especially the leads, though the leading lady needs more screen time to improve her skills.

So, overall, 5.5 out of 10.