A Spoonful of Romance in the Cauldron of Court Intrigues

I loved it, but I can definitely see how it’s not for everyone.

First: despite the fact that the romance between FL and ML is absolutely central to the story and the chemistry between the lead actors is fabulous, this might not be for people looking primarily for a historical romance. I’ve seen this drama described as Slow Burn, but I’d argue the more accurate description overal is Low Burn. The first 1/4th of the story is much more dynamic when it comes to the romance aspect, but then the next 3/4ths are much more steady and subtle. I loved it, because I found it much more realistic given the personalities of the main characters and the realities of the times, but if you look for a whirlwind romance that will keep you on the edge of the sit till the end, this drama ain’t it. That said—what romantic scenes are there, they absolutely deliver, even if it’s something as small as ML throwing murder looks at a guy making unsubtle advances toward the FL.

Second: even though there is no superfluous scene in RP, this is not for people who prefer rapidly moving plot. The pacing in this drama is very slow and deliberate. There’s a lot of scenes that are crucial to fleshing out personalities, emotions and motivations of the characters, or planting clues about future events that will pay off much later, but that don’t necessarily move current events forward that much. There’s also A TON of characters with their own subplots that intertwine and influence each other, which means that at times the pacing can be downright glacial and the plotpoints that in other dramas would be solved within 1-2 episodes take 3-5 episodes in RP.

The flip side of that, is that there’s time to develop the characters into truly multidimentional personalities and serve the viewer an absolute masterpiece of planting and pay-off when it comes to character development. And not just when it comes to the main characters. It’s the secondary characters who benefit the most from the slower pacing, because they get an ample time to develop from the stock tropes of power-hungry Prime Minister, incompetent Crown Prince, schemming Empress, sisterly maid, etc. into people with complex and believeable motivation who you almost can’t help but pity when they ineviteably stumble due to their very human flaws and wants.

All in all, if you like dramas heavy on court intrigue and the romance that’s quality over quantity, this is drama for you. If you’re looking for a story that is first and foremost a romance and external plot second, this may feel like a drag.

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