Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016)

I found my favourite drama ever... and it hurts.

{I'LL WARN YOU ONCE I GO INTO SPOILERS}

Hello. This year, for some reason, I haven't been writing reviews for every drama I watched. I think I got a bit lazy after watching so many dramas that didn't make me want to write a review for them. I watched many 8-star-worthy dramas in 2020, which was bittersweet. I felt like I was somewhat losing my deep interest in dramas because I had already watched the ones that would always stay in my top 10 list (is this sentence confusing? It is to me... I'm sorry hahaha). And then Moon Lovers came into my life. I don't know how I'm going to write a review for my favourite drama of all time but I knew I had to write one. So that I could later remember these feelings of when I first watched it when I rewatch it over and over again. Yes, this drama is flawed and I'll point that out later in this review. But no other drama could make me feel like this. This exact feeling I'm feeling right now after having binge-watched the show for three days. This feeling that I can't name but that I'll try to describe throughout this review.

Okay. Let me get into the review.
Background:
I never had any interest in watching this show. I thought period dramas weren't for me and I had a huge prejudice against this drama because of that- which is very ironic, considering many of my favourite dramas, such as Goblin and The Untamed, have the same elements of a period drama. I love history but I was scared I wouldn't understand the story or wouldn't be able to connect with the characters because of the setting. Therefore, I had been ignoring Moon Lovers since 2016, even though I've heard many amazing things about it. I only decided to watch it because, on Sunday (September 27 2020), my boyfriend made me watch The King and The Clown, a great movie that shoot Lee Joongi to fame overnight. I tried to resist it because it's also set in the ancient times but thankfully, my boyfriend insisted and I watched it. Lee Joongi's performance was... very touching? He left a great impression on me, that's for sure. And, suddenly, literally out of nowhere, I thought "He's in Moon Lovers, right? Why don't I watch that after I finish the dramas I'm currently watching?". I ended up watching it before finishing anything else. The power Lee Joongi holds!!!

Acting:
I was interested in the story from the very first minute. That scene with IU complaining about her life to the homeless man. I later found out that many people didn't like IU's acting and for that gave up on the drama. Wow, never have i disagreed with anyone more! I honestly think her performance was stunning. It didn't feel like acting so I was completely immersed in the drama from the very first scene. In fact, I loved every actor's performance in this show. Even the actors who were fairly new to the scene (like Baekhyun and JiSoo). I think everyone fit their roles very well and even though I hated some characters, I was very glad they were portrayed by those actors and actresses.
Lee Joongi took the best actor award for me, however that is only because he is absolutely insane. His facial expressions could rip my heart apart. How could is smile hurt more than when he cried??? Insane, that's what that man is. I'll now have to watch every single project he's in! Yay! Kang Haneul, Hong Jonghyun, the senior actors. Literally everyone. They made these characters come to life and I couldn't say enough good things about this cast. It was on point.

Characters:
Let me start off by saying that I love that every character had grey areas. No one only had white sides to them and no one had only black ones. Each character had flaws, ambitions, made mistakes and had a reasoning behind their actions. There were characters that I loved more than others but I know I couldn't just take one character out of the story because they all added something to it and I couldn't completely hate anyone because I could understand what motivated them to do what they did. That's one of the big reasons why this drama impacted me so much. How cruel, pure, passionate, ambitious and desperately human these characters were. I also love the fact that we got to watch them change throughout the show, even though it stings and we want to go back to how everyone was in the first few episodes. It hurt but it made sense. That's all I ask from a drama. On top of all that, the fact that women weren't portrayed negatively in this drama made me so happy! There were female characters that I "despised" but I can't deny they were powerful! There were many female characters I loved, such as Court Lady Oh and Lady Hae. Amazing. And the complexity of these characters... 4th prince So is one of those characters you never forget after you get to know them. But if I start ranting about him I'll never finish this review.

Plot:
The plot was huge. Very well written but sometimes they had to rush some things so that they could fit everything in 20 episodes. I wish they had taken their time to include the things I'll mention in the "Things I would change if I could" section. Overall, the plot was very smart and it made sense for the era that the story was set in and the characters' personalities and situations. It makes the viewers think about what they would do if they were in the characters' shoes. And call me crazy but if I could live in any drama and interact with any characters, I would choose this drama.
OH AND BY THE WAY!! The scenery was beautiful! The props too. Great production.

Soundtrack:
Never has a soundtrack fit a drama so well. There were some modern songs thrown in there, which, in my opinion, fit those scenes so well because Hae Soo had just arrived from the modern times and was filled with happiness and innocence. So the music was kind of funny and cute, in a way? And by the middle/end they weren't played anymore.
And the sad scenes hit differently because of the soundtrack. The songs were absolutely perfect to emphasize the emotions of each scene. Lovely.

Things I would change if I could: [THIS SECTION MAY INCLUDE SPOILERS]
-The fact that Hae Soo seemed to have forgotten her life in the modern times too swiftly. Like, she didn't even try to go back more than once. Also, she didn't seem to miss her family or friends and the only time she mentions anyone is when she mentions her brother when she has that conversation by the lake with So. I wish we had got to know her life before she went to Goryeo and that she had expressed more pain or fear for being there? At least in the beginning!
-Also, Hae Soo's personality changed quite drastically throughout the drama, which I understand since she went through a lot and grew up. But I wish she showed more of her former self. I'm not sure what I mean by this but yeah, she seemed a lot more like Court Lady Oh as time went by (which is probably what the writer wanted to show- the parallel between the two lovers of the Kings).
-I don't know if I would change this because that's what makes the 4th prince that mesmerising but the cruelty he showed when he became a king was scary. But he also had his reasoning behind his decisions... but... I guess I'm just used to the plain good male leads so So's decisions are a bit hard to take in but all of them make sense and they may seem cruel but what choice did he have?? Okay, I'm ranting now.
-A lot of shots were straight up ridiculous. When the 3rd prince "died" and fell off the cliff it wasn't shown! I was so frustrated haha. Also, when Hae Soo was writing the shots never seemed appropriate? Or when some characters came into some scenes. A bit awkward.

My favourite scenes: [THIS SECTION DEFINITELY INCLUDES SPOILERS]
- The deaths. I know it sounds a bit morbid but oh God, did I cry... They were really well done. Even those of the characters I didn't like were good. I have to say that the one I cried the most was Eun's death, along with his wife's. That was probably the moment I cried the most in the whole drama. What a tragic ending!"I'm all she has... I won't leave her alone." And then So (finishing) killing him... UGH!!!! So much pain. Just thinking about it breaks my heart. The song that was playing... AHHHHH it hurts.
-8th Prince Wook crying after his wife's death and realising he did love her but never got to tell her that.
-The snow scene with Hae Soo and Wook.
-The scene where Hae Soo and So met.
-The scene where Hae Soo and So reconcile and act all cute ):
-When the princes were playing together in the first few episodes.
-When 4th prince was doing the rain ritual and it started raining.
-Their daughter... and So asking Jung to come to the castle often with her... his smile... why must it hurt like this?
-The last scenes of the last episode. THEY. HURT. SO. MUCH. I. COULDN'T. BREATHE. Loved them and I will always remember them.
-To be honest, every scene. That's it. That's the section.

Random thoughts/observations: [SPOILERS]
-Ok but... did Ji Mong like Prince Moo??????? Guys... I squealed!!!
-Was that little girl Woo Hee's reincarnation? Heartbreaking.
-It hurt when So made love to the Queen. But it hurt more that he couldn't care less about his son. Poor boy. I wish he wasn't so cold to him but once again, So is a flawed character. After Hae Soo's death he must have lost the will to live and to love anyone else. It's just sad that his son will probably suffer as much as he did because he will feel rejected by his own father.
-The fact that he ended up alone in the end... all his brothers died or left him. The love of his life died too (or was unreachable). The astronomer and the general left too. My heart physically hurts just thinking about how lonely he was, from the very first episode. "The Lonely Wolf"...

There are so many things I want to talk about but my computer is already lagging because of how long this is hahaha help. I'll just say one more thing:

The ending:
[SPOILERS] I liked it. It hurt, for sure. But it hurt so good? OMG HOW CAN I EXPLAIN THIS? It's memorable. I'll never forget how it made me feel. This type of hurting... as if I was the one living this story. Of course I wish there was a second season (as long as it didn't ruin what this show did for me, of course). But I like how it's kind of open and lets the viewers imagine what could have happened. I like the fact that a second season is not necessary but that there's room for it to happen. Also, no one can convince me that there is anything more painfully beautiful as that last scene. Stunning. I can accept a sad ending when it's well done. It fit the story perfectly and that's all I can ask for. That said, I'll now go read the novel and hope for a more cheerful ending hahahaha it hurts. It hurts so much. I just wish it didn't end. Or that I could forget everything and watch it like it was the first time. It hurts. It physically hurts.



Remember the feeling I mentioned in the first paragraph of the review? There is a Portuguese word that is unique to the Portuguese language: "Saudade". That word describes the feeling of missing someone, something or a moment so deeply that you're filled with nostalgia and your heart aches. And usually that feeling stays with you and you have to carry it with you for the rest your life. I think that's the best way I can describe how this drama made me feel, and it can describe just as well the feelings the characters have for one another.
I just feel like this drama was tailored to fit the number one spot in my heart. I was certainly not expecting it but I'll forever be grateful that it exists and that I found my way to it.

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