Omg. So conflicted about what to write. The thing that I like about this show, I REALLY LIKE. Everything else can just go to the wayside--but I'd still recommend people watch it if they're interested in the thing that stood out to me.

Pros:
-Yoo Ah In as King Sook Jong
-THAT OTP CHEMISTRY YO
-Jang ok jungs character---for like 65% of the show ????

Cons:
-didn't care that much for the political stuff except for when it directly affected the fate of our couple
-the shift in the characterization Jang Ok Jung in the last leg of the drama


I've never seen Yoo Ah In act before and you know, I probably would have loved him in any role I see him because he seems to be one of those special few actors that can embody their characters. He made me FEEL. And it should be said that I did not know him from a hole in the wall prior to this drama. As a matter of fact, I had started watching it and didn't even bother finishing the first episode cuz when he came on the scene I was just like "ugh, who is this random guy I don't know? he aint even that cute. bye" Ha. Little did I know he'd have me totally and completely smitten before long. I give him a straight up 10 in this drama. Kim Tae Hee was good. Not the emotional feels level of Yoo Ah In, but she was good enough that I cared about her character and loved that she was a woman with dreams and ambitions that had nothing to do with a man. And HERE IN LIES THE CRUX OF MY PROBLEM WITH THE DRAMA. The characterization of Jang Ok Jung shifted (and I do know that historically the later half was probably more accurate--my problem is just in the sudden shift that was supposed to have made sense after a certain incident and totally didn't to me. If I had seen her slowly building this desire for revenge then I'd understand, but she had pretty much been getting the same messaging from people her whole life and then for some reason randomly we're supposed to understand that she just couldn't take it anymore when she was actually handling it with dignity and grace before? ????).

I do think the directors showed that side of her character at the beginning to enamor the viewers to her and it worked---but when you take away the things we like about our heroine (how focused and driven she was about being a fashion designer, how independent minded and entrepreneurial minded she was, her ability to stay grounded in her belief in herself when people tried to stomp down on her) and replace her with a woman focused solely on Her Man, seeking revenge, and someone that's just a little bit vindictive and manipulative---welllllll. You kind of leave the viewers thinking WTF. And look, I GET IT. Again we're dealing with a character that in real life was all of those things, but by the end of the show i didn't know what I was watching. The premise of the show was to show a different perspective. I felt like there was a lack of continuity in regards to her character development (or devolvement tbh) and that really killed what would have been on of the most epic OTPs for me.

BUT. like. I still want people to see this OTP in action cuz GAHHHH. So give it a try. I rated it 7 which might seem bad but by my standards it's not. And I'd probably go and rewatch a few episodes.