I really liked the drama! It’s a pity that it ended so quickly, it would have been better if there were more episodes, I think the storyline could have been continued.. after Lee Hyun became a king.
About the actors! Great cast! I really liked the joint game of Park Eun and Rowoon, Nam Yoon, Choi Byung Chana and Yoon Je Moon as well as the courtiers Kim Sang Gung and Eunuch! They all played their roles very harmoniously! They ( directors ) , chose the actors very wisely, I would say it turned out as if it really happened! ( how they played ! So realistic ) Exciting !
Scenario .. it’s sad that they decided to kill a twin and considered it a bad sign, on the contrary, it would be beneficial for the royal court to have twins in case of illness, one of them (since it comes to usefulness to the state and the people)
There are a lot of cruel scenes against children (I didn’t expect this from the script from Jung Seok Jo (the children could have been spared, especially not to kill the twin without figuring out who it really is - king or his sister) and in front of his son.. not very a good example of “serving His Majesty” .. that was really sad .. and how could Jung Ji Woon forgiving his father lately ? (In lasts episodes) I think his father deserved punishment because many innocent children died because of him and people , “to please” Han Ki Jae the king’s grandfather ..
Here is the grandfather (Han Ki Jae), he really wanted to rule, so why didn’t he take the throne himself? Why was it necessary to intrigue and make puppets for yourself if you could already rule yourself and let the twin girl (Dami Yi) and her brother live in peace?!
So many people suffered for him!
And yes, why did his daughter (queen) and even King King Hyejon himself listen to him? In my opinion, a weak monarch who had absolutely no control over the court and was literally a puppet in the hands of his wife’s grandfather..
Throughout the drama, I wondered why Lee Hwi / Dam Yi didn't give up everything and run away? But she could! And she would have lived in peace, then she would have found Jung Ji Woon and they would have been happy.. she didn’t owe it to anyone to become queen, especially to people who wanted to get rid of her. But she coped very well with her role as a king; it must have been difficult to hide the fact that she was a woman for so many years! Even her fear of her grandfather passed over time.
It’s not clear why in most Korean historical scenarios, kings fulfill the wishes of their subjects more than the subjects listen to the king... this is probably another difference from chinese dramas where everyone obeys the king (rather than the king constantly focusing on the opinions of his subjects)
I was amazed by the devotion of Prince Lee Hyun, who knew from childhood that the king was a woman but hid this secret even though Dam Yi loved another (especially his friend)... you need to have strong restraint so as not to harm the person you love and your friend despite jealousy and love.. I admire him! It would be cool to have a “parallel scenario” in which such feelings would be mutual and in the end the queen would marry the prince (unless, of course, this does not contradict blood ties and this is not a brother), well, so that the hero of such a plan would win at least once scenarios))
What was also amazing was that they all - Queen Lee Hwi, Jung Ji Woon and Lee Hyun - remained friends in the end! This is the most wonderful ending!
I also liked the performance of Kim Ga On, a handsome actor and a wonderful performance, it’s good that he was left alive according to the script and he eventually took the side of King Lee Hwi despite the offense towards the late king (although in fact the king’s grandfather, whom everyone obeyed, was to blame).
I didn’t like the “gender intrigue” scene where rumors began to creep in that the king prefers men, it felt like the screenwriter was clearly trying to shoehorn a scene or a hint of bl where it had no place at all! I don’t really understand how there could be bl in korean dramas or a hint of it! Well, this doesn’t fit at all with korean conservatism! Especially in a historical drama where it was even stricter with this than now! There was an unpleasant aftertaste..
Yes, and Dami Yi could have long ago confessed to Queen Noh Ha Kyung that she was a woman and lured her to her side.. and everyone would have been happy and no one would have been offended.. but somehow it turned out strictly, Dami Yi was very careful..
Some things are not difficult to predict or how events will unfold. By the way, I knew that Dami Yi would poison her grandfather! And the pill that she took before drinking the poisoned tea was 100% an antidote that she didn’t know about but which saved her in the end! But her grandfather didn’t expect it, he thought that he would continue to carry out his intrigues on the sly! Well done she!
Of course, I thought that she would have her own army and she would be able to defend her rights without losing the youngest prince, but apparently not in this drama.. it’s a pity for the little one (prince Jehyeon), he was not guilty of anything at all and only wanted that if they left him alone.. the best solution would be not to leave the palace for him.. it would save him..