Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016)

Honestly this series is not my cup of tea at all, but that cup of tea was so bloody tempting with amazing actors, costumes, set and cinematorgraphy that I had to take a sip even if it was bitter. And Then since I took a sip, I decided to finish my cup regardless of the taste. It's definitely an experince. I wouldn't forget the characters easily, but it's definitely not going to be in my favorites because I was consitently borderline annoyed with every character except Princes 10, 14 and 13 and the first crown prince.

Sigh, now I hope they make a special or a second season atleast. I'd love to see these amazing group in a modern setting! Their BTSes and photoshoot are everything that made me smile.

I wont really re watch it per say but I know I have a few scenes in my mind that make me smile but then what follows is disastorous so dunno if I'll be able to watch them freely lol. But one thing is sure, the beggining of the series, is worth it. It's everything!

I'd make the review short and just say, watch it if you like serious melodrama, with lots of good acting, twisted plots, borderline stupidity, a number of romances that make your heart ache (often with the same lead lol) and if you like historical setting.

I'll say one last thing. Moon lovers is one of those shows that makes you want to give it a 10 but then when you think back to all the heart aches it gave you, you reduce it to 8 lol. It's like an exboyfriend that you loved so much but he gave you a big ass heartache in the end! Sigh

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Even though I know my review will get lost in the pile, I wanted to share my 2 cents anyway.

To those who want it short and sweet, I think the most important thing I have to convey about SHR is that it captured the "magic" of a Kdrama. To those that say that the plot/characters/music/logic was bad, they are probably right. But despite all of that (and it's weird, because things like that usually bother me too), I just fell in love. I guess you could say it was the Hae Soo to my Wang So (sorry, I had to...).

~

More thoughts:
It was hard to rate this drama objectively. If I really think about it, there were times when the plot was off or the characters behaved a certain way to move the plot. That's why my overall rating is a subjective one (how much I enjoyed the drama) rather than an objective one (how good it actually was). Like I said, this was the type of drama where the parts didn't equal the sum of the whole.

I thought the acting was really good. I know IU's acting of Hae Soo and Hae Soo herself got some crititism. As far as IU goes, I thought she was able to show Soo's emotions well, along with her growth and life experiences. It was good enough for me.
And as for Hae Soo, she was good enough for me too. Sure, the actions she made could be called stupid or selfish. But when I look at her reasoning, her intentions or her emotions at the time, I can understand and relate to her, and even cheer her on. If I put myself in her shoes, I would probably behave much worse.

As a side note, I feel like there are a lot of light romcom-esque sagueks these days, but a true saguek tells the story of people trying to survive in a dangerous and volatile time period. Even though, yes, there were a lot of shallow elements, I felt that SHR fell in the latter category, and that's why I was able to accept Soo as a character. Because along with the people of the time, she was trying to survive. It was also why I was able to accept the total shift in tone of the drama and the ending.

Music: as some have stated, all that pop and rapping was probably out of place for a historical drama, but I loved the songs themselves and they added to the magic. It was one of those dramas where I had to get the OSTs. And the instrumental/other music was really good to.

As a side, the setting/scenary were just pure awesome. SHR definetely reaffirmed my love for Goryeo hair and clothes.

Rewatch: I usually never re-watch dramas. This one? I woudl start watch/skimming it again while waiting for it to update.

In summary, I think this is a drama where YMMV. Some loved it, others hated it, and in a few years, newcomers may wonder what all the hype was about.
As for me, I was having a phase where I was losing interest in a show halfway through. This was the drama that brought me out of it. You could say it felt like watching my first K-drama all over again.

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You know, I love Moon Lovers from the very first episode I've seen BUT the confusion and the heartaches I had with what came after is not enough for me to give it a high rating than this.

Moon Lovers is a remake of a Chinese drama with its story modified to fit the Goryeo setting. This one is a challenging story to execute with a lot of Goryeo princes to build up (and destroy too) and a modern girl transported to live in their period. I love how refreshing the first few episodes were. A female-centric story just lost its way along the way. I'd like to think that these amazing actors are shooting a different drama at some point because sometimes I don't even understand why a certain character acted that way. At some point some of the characters just went incoherent and crazy.

It's very rare to assemble such amazing cast and they really did a good job. I love Lee Jun-ki even before and I rarely watch sageuk, but if it's him, I'll surely try it out. Kang Haneul is the best! I've seen him in his other dramas but he just made me amazed in him. I'm totally sold with Wook's love story with Soo. I like Nam Joo-hyuk here as the only brother who's close with So and the bromance he briefly shared with Jung. There's a lot of amazing cast that I will no longer mention all of them. Even the portrayal of Yeon Hwa and the Queen Mother is an act to behold.

I love the story, the cast and acting, the music, the cinematography (I'm talking about shots of landscapes here), all of which are almost perfect for me.

What I really don't like about this is how the direction of the drama went. I don't think that this is a matter of messy writing cause I believe there's a limit on how a good drama can be ruined. The drama's greatest flaw will definitely be its editing which is a big part of its directing. I think SBS learned their lesson on having a fully pre-produced drama that came out half-baked. The confusion it cause when we had two different versions for a single version will never be justified. It may be unfair to the drama to be evaluated because of these things but since watching Korean drama should be a wholistic experience, I can't just ignore it.

I finished this drama definitely because of the great actors in it. Such an amazing display of talent there is in Korea. I will forever treasure it's characters and remember them on those bright moments at the beginning of the drama.

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Ok, this is the first drama that i watch when it was still airing..

STORY
It is based on Bu Bu Jing Xin novel from China, so i cannot criticize it for it's weakness.
However, I still think that this show should have more episodes coz the few last episodes seem to be fast forwarded, everything happened so fast and somehow i don't understand why certain people did certain things? There are too many characters that have not been developed well enough, so I don't really have attachment with the characters here except maybe 4th Prince character lol.

As for Hae Soo character, I really dislike her character so much. I know the author of that novel created her that way, ok, ok, but i really don't like her. She is weak and too naive. Somehow her sense of justice is twisted too, i don't understand her action.. Or maybe since this show does not have many episodes, i still don't understand hae soo's character.. I don't know. I don't see what's the reason many princes fall for her. She is quite pitiful though, to be trapped between palace politics.

I like the politic but the politic is not deep enough, too focus on romance and romance as the reason for them to act. Certain part/scene seem to be forced just like that without any reasons to back up. Certain action is also questionable and without explanation why they do it. I still left with questions even though the drama has ended..

ACTING
Acting is good, especially for Lee Joon Gi and Kang Ha Neul. IU is also not bad, could be better.
Lee Jon Gi can act perfectly, he can show 4th prince character so well without being disrespectful.

MUSIC
Music is good from the beginning although some musics are too modern for this era.. So it's a bit out of place while listening it during the scene...hahahaha so weird, but if the songs are listened by itself, without the movie, they are catchy..

Re-watch
I don't really re-watch anything

OVERALL
My feeling while watching it just like a roller-coaster, sometimes annoyed, sad, angry, happy, disgusted etc.The ending is satisfying for me, coz i believe hae soo need to get a lesson for her poor actions, but i think she does not even realize what her mistakes. I don't really like the Chinese novel original story, But this show really bring Lee Joon Gi for more fame and I don't mind since he is such a talented actor..

I admit that this drama is great, they put everything in details, like the scenery, the costums, make up, the palace, really beautiful, but i really disike lead female character so it may harm my review..
I still recommend u to watch this drama, if u want something unpredictable u should watch this.




****SPOILERSSSSS!!!**************************************************************************************

When I said certain things seem to be forced without any reason, that Eun's death, oh come on, it's Yo who Killed him and why Eun asked So to finish him instead, it does not make sense.

I also don't understand why woo hee needs to sacrifice her life, yes she is baekje princess but there is other way to stop the war.

Don't understand why Queen Yoo hates her child 4th prince so much but love her other kids so much????! There is no reason at all, Why is she so cold blooded with her own blood? If he is not related to her, i would understand, but he is her own flesh and blood. Also don't understand Kang family, i thought they hate 4th prince but then why they are helping 4th prince to take the throne? I NEED TO SEE MORE WARS!! HAHAHA, i really hope to see how well they fight when 4th prince take the throne, but there is no scene like that hix!

Don't understand why finally Won drink poison when he read ChaeRyung's letter, i mean he is clearly a cruel person whose hobby is to kill his own brothers but why only now he is sad and regret of his action only because of 1 slave that he used before? No idea. And so many more that i could not explain one by one here. The writer nim is weird.

Jung is being a good husband, perhaps if Soo did not die, she will be happy with Jung... Too bad Soo does not have enough time to turn her affection to Jung hahaha

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This story has some flaws, but overall it's a great romantic historical drama. I thoroughly enjoyed the first 16 out of 20 episodes. Lee Joon Gi as Wang So was wonderful to watch. This drama will make you a fan if you aren't already. I looked forward to him coming on screen. Wang So is at times dark, dangerous and damaged and at other times sweet, romantic, heroic and loyal. I enjoyed the love triangles, family drama, camaraderie and spirited, pretty heroine. Costumes and actors and cinematography were beautiful to look at. Fun exciting action and martial arts. Good fast pacing. The story moves along nicely. Several scenes - like the scene in the rain or the riding on horseback scene - are really memorable, stirring and dramatically presented. The emotional impact of the 2 main love stories build up really well in the first 3/4 of the drama really make the whole series worth watching for me.

I forgave plot holes or inconsistencies much of the time because it was so enjoyable to watch, but towards the end it fell apart and the actions of the characters didn't make sense to me. As a whole the events at the end didn't hold together to tell a cohesive or rewarding story. If only it could have finished as strongly as it started, I would've given it a 9 or 10. But still I'm glad I spent the time to watch it. It was worth it and it had me hooked to the last episode which not every drama can do.

Now that some time has past and I've watched many more dramas since, it still holds up for me as a great romance despite it's flaws.

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This drama really got me. I love historical dramas in general, but this one is a masterpiece!

The first thing that I felt in love with was the music. I am no person that is much interested about a OST but I seriously loved this one! It is a perfect mix between modern and historical sounding songs. It was amazing!

The cast was amazing too. The acting seemed really natural, nothing was out of place and I feeled the emotions they tried to show with their acting. Every scene felt real and not like acting and I was astonished about how good it was.

The story was absolutely fascinating and thrilling, I was not one second bored while watching this drama. I had a few unanswered questions at the end tho, and that is the teeny tiny aspect that bothered me, but aside that it was really, really good.
Maybe rewatching this drama will answer my questions, so that is worth a try.

So you can say that this drama is definitely worth a watch! If you like this kind of genre, it is almost a must-watch in my eyes!

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Ugh, this is really difficult for me to review. It was actually the drama that got me into kdramas, that is, the first one I binge watched and got super-into. On the one hand, I loved it to bits, on the other it left a very bitter-sweet taste in my mouth.

For the good parts - I totally fell in love with Wang So and his character (and Lee Joon-gi in the role, he was so on point, anymore and it'd become a black hole and swallowed the universe). He was just the type of anti-hero I love in my romance - misunderstood, issues abound, yet mindful of others, caring, with a soft spot for our heroine. Seeing him get out of himself and his character ark was one of my favorite parts of the drama, though I could've done without the last couple of episodes which rocked my love of him somewhat. He did make up for it in the end, but then the end had so many other issues that.. meh. I REALLY want a second season of this because I feel like we still haven't seen the best of Wang So, and what he could be. I'd also LOVE to see him in the modern age. Basically, I rooted for him from the beginning and though the love story was a sloooow burn (understatement), I just really want to see him be happy and have a worthy romance with Hae Soo.

On that note, I found Hae Soo lovely. She was spunky when she needed to be, but she was also a deeply compassionate person and her relationship with the brothers was one of the highlights of the drama for me. Seeing them through her eyes I really got to care for all of them, even those I didn't really like at first. The problem I had was that because her ark with Wook was so long (and done really well), I started resenting her at a point because Wang So was my main man and it felt like she didn't really reciprocate his feelings until very late in the drama. And then... yeah.

Wasn't really expecting that ending (I guess I should've read up on the storyline first before I committed to watching), but I'll take it and hold my breath for more someday.

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A hot mess of a tragedy

This drama was kind of a hot mess. I watched it till the end just coz I wanted to know what kind of ending they were going with, and when it ended, I literally said out loud, "Wait, what?"

What I liked:
- I love IU, and the actor playing the 4th prince was pretty good too... for about the first 4-5 episodes lol

All other thoughts:
- This show is adapted from a Chinese court intrigue romance novel and it shows: internalized misogyny where the women are either Mary Sues who die or very unlikeable assholes, court politics, power and hierarchy... Leading to my next point:
- Although this was in a Korean setting, the show felt like a Chinese story - the themes about power and the throne/succession, the storylines of each of the characters... it was pretty interesting. I've read quite a few CN court politics novels and a lot of the tropes, plot, and storylines in this drama were very familiar
- Pacing was bad. First ten episodes felt pretty slow although there were some really funny and cute moments. Last ten episodes was faster, but somewhat predictable
- I seriously did not like how the female protagonist was written. Reminded me a lot of The Rise of Phoenixes: the female protagonist starts out pretty decent, but then ends up tragic, losing the will to live, damsel in distress. By the end, the female lead exists just as a tragic female figure for manpain and angst. She even died of childbirth, lol
- Can't believe I'm meant to ship the 4th prince with the female lead? He's possessive and has serious control and power issues because of abandonment issues. I was creeped out by him. Which leads to my next point
- Characterization was poor. I didn't really find a lot of the characters' change in motivations and behavior convincing, and it felt like they were forced into being a certain way because the plot/tragedy demanded it
- Also lol what was up with that ending
- Side note that the 4th prince/Emperor alone in the snow, abandoned, totally reminded me of Ning Yi from The Rise of Phoenixes. I'm sure there's something to be said about internalized misogyny and manpain in CN novels

Overall, I've watched better shows regardless of whether it's about court politics or doomed romance

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SPOILER FREE : Tragedy is beautiful.....but only upto a limit........

Hi Guyssss, How to END a show ??????? Kill everyone.......no human being, no show.... : )
No Hurry cuties, everyone will get a chance to die....come one by one.....

Jokes apart.....What this show lacks has been replinished in "Mr Queen". Don't waste your time, go watch that. I will never ever suggest this drama to anyone in my entire life, coz thats TREASON. My regret is immeasurable, my day is ruined.
This series is very realistic in potraying the hardship of life of people in early medieval age in China, specially misogyny. Its good in a way but its so much FREAKING realistic that it crossed the fine line between drama and the real world(Worse than "Heirs"). Here I thought dramas are meant to make us forget reality for sometime.
Such beautiful characters wasted.
Spolier Alert.....

EP 1-11 : (Rating : 9/10)
The first part of the show was more than fantastic.It gave me butterflies, made me cry, made me rewind so many scenes.
1) The walking in the snow scene was one of the best.
2) The scene where Wang Wook(8th Prince) was forced to betray Hae soo(his lover) is one of the most beautiful tragedy scenes ever written and acted upon. It broke my heart.
3) Wang So's makeup.
4) Wang So drinking poison.
5) Next was the scene where Wang So(4th Prince) covers Hae Soo from Rain.
6) The hanging of the head court lady.

EP 11-20 : (Rating : 0/100000)
Just half way in the series, right after the death of the first king, the moment I thought the series has started going downhill, it really did without an exception.
1) That scene was, when I saw that Hae soo is back in the place shamelessly and has completely resigned from her cheerful and quirky self, and acts like a well behaved, fully controlled, dignified, gentle GRANDMOTHER, always bowing down her head, also to the person she loves. A person from the mordern world would rather die than act this way. I FREAKING HATE these kind of romances. I can understand, huge suffering can make anyone like that. But does it need to be so real even in a TV show....like....SERIOUSLYY!!!
2) Every king(even Wang So) is a blood thirsty, power thirtly, unreasonable moron. Thus they go crazy after sitting on the throne and die. No tears, you deserved that morons. Lol.
3) Everyone kills everyone and then blames it on Hae Soo and Hae Soo be like "Oh yeah......I'm so sorry." There is no saving of a stupid girl who takes every blame on herself.
4) Everyone opposes Hae Soo's marraige but no one opposes Eun's marraige. Idk why Baek Kyung even signed for such a pathetic role.

The writer in the heat of writing forgot that she has to keep at least some people alive in the series for it to run . Still good for her, looks like the show ran just fine.
I'm not saying this show is funny........Medieval ages really had crazy men with no moral compass, women who didn't dare show any self respect, nonsense and horrifying torture methods and literally everything is treason. I'm just saying that its so realistic that I didn't enjoy it . Such beautiful characters wasted. Like what the hell did I just watch. I have been putting off this show for 2 years, guess I did right until yesterday.
Good night. --____--

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Exquisitely painful, wonderfully mature

Look idk what I expected from a story about a modern girl going back in time to charm 8 cute princes but it sure wasn't a brutal Shakespearean tragedy about power corrupting even the truest love.

THE PREMISE
A near-death experience during a solar eclipse transports our girl back in time to 10th century Goryeo, where she awakes in the body of Hae Soo, a noblewoman at the royal court. She arrives in the royal bathhouse, which contains seven cute princes and their perfect abs. An eighth, played by Lee Joon Gi, gallops moodily in on his horse. He has swooping emo bangs and a little face mask that makes him look like a cross between Zuko and the Phantom of the Opera. For now this tells you everything you need to know.

These two are about to fall in love across a sweeping backdrop of deadly political intrigue, family trauma and royal corruption - all complicated by Hae Soo's knowledge that although the eight princes of Goryeo may live charmed lives, one of them is destined to slaughter his brothers and seize the throne...

THE PLOT
I often find kdramas a little soft on plot, but this one was a twisty, eventful tale which ultimately acquires a sense of steadily-ratcheting suspense and dread. I was impressed not just by how the emotional spotlight always remained on the main couple, but also by how every character in the large supporting cast had a meaningful part to play before the end. This is a complex story, spanning the better part of a decade, and it's beautifully constructed.

THE CHARACTERS
HAE SOO is our female lead, and while I could wish for a little more context about her 21st century life, to tell us what sort of family she came from and what kind of peace she'll find after her sojourn in Goryeo, her role is one of my favourites in all of kdrama. If Wang So reminds one of AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER'S Zuko, Hae Soo began by reminding me of TILL THE END OF THE MOON's Li Susu. Both transmigrate into the body of a noblewoman centuries in the past and must adapt to a new life; both attempt to stop the bloody rise of a future tyrant by restoring a sense of love and humanity to a traumatised youth; both find themselves falling in love with him. But there the similarities end. Hae Soo isn't a fearless, empowered martial artist; life in Goryeo quickly weakens and threatens to destroy her. In a world of ruthless politics, Hae Soo holds no power at all; she mediates between people who do, and speaks prophetic truth to them, usually to her own cost. While TTEOTM ultimately could find little use for Li Susu in the final act, throughout SCARLET HEART RYEO Hae Soo remains a ray of light illuminating the dark world into which she has been plunged. In the end, despite her different predicament, the character Hae Soo most resembles is Daisy Ridley's Ophelia in the film of the same name. Like Ophelia, Hae Soo is an outsider to politics, partly because her sex and rank disqualify her but mostly because she comes from the future and believes that all people are equal. This sets her at variance with the world of Goryeo. Accustomed to western media, I'm used to seeing a facile take on this sort of story, where the modern heroine is rude to everyone and saves the day. Accustomed to kdrama, a friend of mine predicted the opposite - that the modern woman would be demeaned in the name of historical accuracy. Neither of those things happened in this story. Hae Soo is a tragic Cassandra figure, whose egalitarian values, historical insights and skills as a beauty therapist quickly gain her a reputation for wisdom beyond her years but are not enough to destroy the corrupt systemic injustices of medieval Goryeo. Her arc is a deeply painful one: she starts out full of life, standing up to the royals for their ruthless disdain for those below them and their desire to climb the greasy pole of power at court, but years of trauma take their toll and she becomes quiet, grave, and frail; IU's tiny frame is constantly bowed beneath the terror and grief that beset her character. Where OPHELIA gives its heroine a bittersweet ending, losing the man she loves but managing to find peace and happiness raising their daughter, Hae Soo wakes in the real world to no lover, no daughter, and only painful memories and regrets. My headcanon is that our girl now has a chance to move on and find happiness, knowing that although she was unable to redeem ancient Goryeo she did, after all, influence its king to do a limited amount of good. But I'm not sorry that they chose to end Hae Soo's arc in this way. She's one of my favourite character types, the one who has almost no agency but continually has the courage to wield what she has in the few ways she can. Throughout the series, she continues to do just this, and it's beautiful.

WANG SO is our male lead. Don't let the bangs and the Zuko mask fool you - he's so much more than a tormented bad-boy love interest trope. I got to know this actor through his role in FLOWER OF EVIL, and I'm delighted to note that SHR allows him to display all his considerable acting chops. In SHR Lee Joon Gi doesn't just get to flex his action skills - he also imparts a real desperation, gentleness and vulnerability to So that helps to sell the romance. Then he brings the crazy, the paranoia, and the unhinged grief to the final act. It's the perfect match of actor and role.

One complaint is that So’s facial scarring is a huge issue for him in the first half of the story, but after our girl uses her cosmetics skills to cover them up they disappear almost entirely from the story. For instance, the scars are completely missing in the scene where the two of them become lovers, even though Wang So has been knocked out with a fever and probably hasn't had the chance to apply perfect makeup. It felt as though the show wasn't bold enough to mess up its hero's pretty, pretty face at the romantic climax, and therefore undermined its own point about beauty standards.

Although I often feared the show was going to let Wang So get away with bad behaviour, I was thoroughly impressed that they didn't. Wang So gets a sort of arc that I think is incredibly rare - a disillusionment arc. So is someone who's been treated as lesser all his life: his scars and his mother's resentment make him less politically valuable than his brothers, so he's raised as, fundamentally, the Crown Prince's Evil Henchman. He and Hae Soo connect because she is one of the few people who actually values him as a person, and it's thanks to her giving him the means to conceal his scars that he's able to gain any power at all. He knows, far better than any of the other princes, what it's like to be an underdog in this world and how power corrupts, and he wants nothing to do with it. But then he begins to see power as a way to protect the people he loves. So falls for the lie that he can play the same game as his father and all his brothers, without going down the same path of tyranny, insanity, and blood. The final act is his disillusionment: he learns that he was wrong, and even does some good for Goryeo under the influence of Hae Soo's ideas, but he's lost her forever, together with everything that might once have made him a good person.

WANG WOOK is the second male lead, a gentle and scholarly prince who is the biggest flaming egotist in the whole story, which is saying a lot. I hated him with the fire of a thousand suns, but all the horrible decisions he makes through the middle of the story are actually just foreshadowing for the path Wang So goes down later. Where So is a kicked puppy, Wook has only ever been loved and supported by everyone around him. Yet, when faced with the decision to make a bid for the throne or lose the people he loves, Wook turns coat without blinking. Cunning, cowardly, and selfish, Wook unhesitatingly sacrifices the woman he loves for the throne, all while complaining about what a toll it takes on HIM. This makes it really hard to watch when So ultimately makes all the same decisions, and then begins to speak with the same egotism. In the end, Wook is able to give up his ambitions, stop talking about himself, and actually manipulate So into letting Hae Soo leave the palace to die in peace. This is painfully maddening. Congratulations, So: you outdid the worst man in the entire show.

THE ROMANCE
There was so much about the romance that stole my heart. The way So silently, happily waits for Soo to return his love and initiate their second kiss; the way he chooses to trust her, with the words "I am yours", when she first offers to cover up his scars; their standoff outside her bedroom door when he knows she's hiding his brother Jung inside, and she threatens to kill herself if he intrudes; the way the two of them talk through their misunderstandings afterward and he actually APOLOGISES; the way Soo tries to give him unconditional trust, even as he tears it down…it was SO GOOD.

Which isn’t to say that there weren’t elements that made me groan – a forced kiss, declarations of ownership, that moment where he Breaks Her Heart To Save Her. That said, in hindsight I can see how all these things fit very well into So’s character arc and the larger thematic picture. Take the moment where he Breaks Her Heart To Save her, for instance. Much as I dislike this trope, it was extremely well played. For one thing, it wasn't overplayed the way it usually is, and for another, this is the very first decision Wang So makes after deciding to take the throne. From the moment it happens, this is clearly the first step down the long path in which So will lose more and more of what makes him a decent person and allow the throne to come between himself and Soo.

Ultimately, Soo only wants to escape the tyrant So has become, and she is only able to do so when Wook reveals that Soo had once promised to marry him. This enrages So, who never quite stopped claiming Soo as belonging to him and has only done so more insistently since claiming the throne. It’s this that finally makes him cast her aside in rage. It was never romantic: it was only ever the seed of the relationship’s destruction.

THE THEMES
The show's thesis statement is delivered by Wook and Yeon Hwa's mother, the not-so-evil-(but-still-moderately-rubbish)-queen: to gain the throne, one must throw away love.

A monarchy, see, is fundamentally an unequal system. Even the most liberal, constitutional monarchy today is still fundamentally corrupt. In medieval Goryeo, or in the version of it depicted in the show, things are even worse. The king has conquered multiple kingdoms and enslaved the inhabitants. He strives to keep power by marrying dozens of women from noble families. He fathers large numbers of sons, wielding absolute power over their lives. They murder each other for the chance to succeed him, terrified that if they refuse to play the game they will in turn be murdered by their brothers. Women can gain power only through proximity to the throne and to powerful families. The whole system preys upon those enmeshed within it, and it's almost impossible to leave, because everyone else you know and love is trapped inside it.

There was a point, I think in episodes 12-13, when I got quite angry at the show because I didn't realise how nuanced it was being. I thought the horrible King Taejo was being let off the hook for presiding over this corrupt system while the show blamed all the problems on scheming women. When Taejo dies I was ready to gut the showrunners for giving him a misty-eyed recap of his love for Lady Oh, the court lady he treated like dirt and finally executed as a scapegoat for a crime she didn't commit. I still feel that Taejo was treated more gently than he really deserved. In hindsight, though, maybe that wasn't so much pulling punches as recognising that the system makes victims of everyone, even the ones at the top, even those who genuinely want to change it (which is something I’ve also seen in history). In short, the antagonist of this show isn't so much the kings who benefit from the system as it is the system itself, which is upheld by the entirety of society.

The drama pulls no punches when showing how the systemic injustice of this society poisons absolutely everything. It isn't just the bad female characters: they are sidelined for long periods while the men go on playing the game and upholding the system. This is driven home mercilessly when So decides to play the game, expecting a different result because of his pure motivations. But the game is the game, and if you play it, you have to follow the rules.

The whole show, I was on tenterhooks to see how things would go down. Hae Soo is clearly an Ophelia-esque figure, who consistently desires to opt out of the game altogether and find happiness in a humble life outside it. I've seen murmurs online that some people think she should have showed more ambition, had more agency, and become a queen who could support So, but this overlooks everything the show is telling us thematically about what the game does. Power is a devil's bargain that you take in order to protect what you love, but which takes your love anyway in the end. The only way to win is not to play at all. Soo does not have the power to play the game, but neither does she leave when she gets the opportunity, because she wants to save the people she loves. As a mediator, she refuses to inflict violence on others, instead following in Lady Oh's footsteps and absorbing the violence into herself: she cuts herself to make herself unfit as a wife for the king, she threatens herself to protect Jung from So; she refuses to marry So when he asks her, throwing herself aside so that he doesn't have to. This has no salvific power: ultimately, it kills her.

The princes, meanwhile, especially Yo, So, and Wook, fall one by one to the temptation to play the game because they are fitted by birth and disposition to play it and do it well. When So does decide to play the game, I hoped he would find a way to do it without being corrupted. Having been used ruthlessly himself, he identifies with the underprivileged. (Just as he did with his child niece, and let me say right away that I never dreamed this show would actually make me OK with a grown man marrying his underage niece, but it is very careful to establish that So actually follows through on giving her as much freedom as he can in this context - he immediately sends her off to live without him and she becomes a Buddhist nun). So justifies his ambitions by telling Hae Soo that he believes he can make things better, not just for himself and the people he loves, but for all of Goryeo. Unlike Yo or Wook, he actually has an unselfish motivation: but can he redeem the game?

THE ENDING
The answer is that no, you can't play the game of power and remain a good person. The final quarter is what makes this show so horribly painful. So can take the throne quite easily, but in order to hold onto it he is forced to give up one piece of his humanity after another. Soo loves the person he used to be, which is what keeps her in the palace, a pawn in the game, absorbing its violence and dying by inches, until it's too late for her. Unlike Daisy Ridley's OPHELIA, she doesn't flee soon enough to save her life; perhaps she never could. Perhaps her choice to act as a mediator, to absorb the game's violence, was the dramatic choice that doomed her all the way back in the first act. Certainly, just like in any tragedy, So's dramatic choice occurs at the end of the second act, when he decides to take the throne. That's the thing that seals HIS fate, and the rest of the story is simply the unspooling consequences.

There are many who wished the ending to be different - who hold out for a second season or want to see the deleted scene in which So makes his way from Goryeo to the modern world and finds Soo there. I would actually have been horribly disappointed if that scene had made it in. Once So kills Chae Ryung he and Soo were over for me - I would have been wildly upset if the show had tried to put them together again or soften the consequences in any way. Chae Ryung is the embodiment of Soo's ethics - that even a slave girl is as important as a prince - and by killing her, So ceases to be someone whom Soo can have a relationship with at all.

I was SO IMPRESSED that they didn't try to soften this, that they let it be the tragedy the whole show was set up to be. Of course they do this in a distinctively kdrama way. Soo leaves partly because she wants to be alone with the So she remembers, the So she loves, rather than staying until her love turns entirely into disgust and hatred. She softens enough to call him to her bedside as she is dying, and when she awakes in the modern world, she's left sobbing that she's sorry. I didn't mind this too much, however, because it didn't come across as the show trying to tell me that Soo was wrong to leave. I could imagine someone like Soo feeling regret that she couldn't save the people she loved. What counts for me is that the show itself justifies Soo's actions: So is now so proud and angry that he misses her letters simply because they have Jung’s handwriting on them.

I would call the ending bittersweet rather than a tragedy. So becomes a slightly better king and a better person, not just because Soo loved him, but because she had the moral courage to leave him. I could have done with more hope for Soo, too, but obviously the only way they could think of to make the ending better would actually have made it worse, and so I am content with the way it stands.

MOON LOVERS: SCARLET HEART RYEO is one of the most mature dramas I've ever seen and one I'll be thinking over for a very long time. 10/10, practically perfect.

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This drama had one of the most atrocious costume and set designs I've ever seen in my life. It's as if I've been teleported back to 2010s Chinese period drama era where everything is in contrasted and clashing colors. If I see one more BRIGHT pink curtain overhanging a BRIGHT green door, or a dress of BRIGHT purple and BRIGHT yellow, I will toss myself off a cliff. Everything looks garish and cheap and utterly distracting. I can't even focus on the bland and utterly predictable Mary Sue romance because the Loud everything keeps on distracting me. Also, the king can't afford more than three spots of embroidery on his goddamn wedding attaire, and honestly that's just an insult to Korean culture.

Besides that. Plot was very romance heavy. They took out all the despair and angst over the inherent unfairness of the imperial system our female lead suffers through and replaced it with romance angst. Which made the court intrigue bits extremely juvenile and hard to take seriously. The cheap costumes certainly didn't help with its seriousness.

The one shining spot in this effortful trashfire was the acting. Everyone brought their A game. Especially Lee Joon-Gi. He honestly should've won something. All the idol actors performed way above my expectations, and I was surprised how solid they all were. Which, inevitably, lent the whole production a quality of "they put a lot of effort into it, they tried really hard, but they veered off onto the wrong road in the first place and now there's no way to get them back." Also, all the male actors need to have better posture. You can't have any princely royal gravita if you're slouching all the time.

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