Gongjooeui namja

I really enjoyed this raw, visceral story of love and power. The acting was absolutely amazing, and certainly kept me riveted. The historical aspects don't allow for a lot of wishful thinking, as the viewer is reminded often with regards to the realities of the times and since the characters were in alignment with how much power they held at the time it was more realistic than fantastical. There were many times where the plot was driven by silly behaviours of characters that didn't seem practical but overall the acting and story were fabulous. I would highly recommend as a through and through drama. This is not a light fluffy tale. We are truly shown the brutality of overtaking a throne and the emotional roller coasters the main characters experience. I really enjoyed the enduring love story despite the traumas faced and I am tempted to rate it a 10 but the immaculate pacing took a dive near the end, and that detracted enough from the overall experience that I brought it down to a 9. I binged this over a week and so I can't say it didn't have me hooked!

Love this series! The storyline is great, the actors are perfectly cast, scenery both beautiful and breathtaking, costumes well done. Some of the wigs, not so much. But there is one item that pops up every once in a while never spoken of, and that's the incredibly beautiful tree root art piece in the quarters of Prince Su-Yang! It gets way too few appearances in this series. Would love to see a write-up about this art piece, whose brilliant work it is, and if it's in an art gallery somewhere. It appears to be about 8-10 feet wide, maybe 5-6 feet tall. I have to pause and stare at it for a few minutes every time a scene is done in this room.