Taejong Yi Bang Won (2021)

A daeha that could be better

It's been 6 years since KBS delivered a proper sageuk (Jang Yeong Sil in 2016) about the life of a real person, and not yet another fictional or period nonsense based on novels or web comics. Gone are the days when KBS and MBC used to produce daeha (80 to 100 episode sageuks about kings) so this 32-episode series is all we're going to get for now, and each episode has to be savoured, digested, and ruminated in full.

The story about Prince Lee Bang Won isn't new and we've seen many versions over the years. Each drama has its own interpretation of King Taejong/Prince Lee Bang Won and his motivations or the circumstances which drove him to take the actions he took. Like a familiar opera, the story here isn't important; it's watching the acting of stellar and experienced actors performing at their best. In this regard, this drama does well. The actors are all skilled crafts people, even the younger actors who acted as the princes. The only trivia I'll offer is that Kim Yong Chul who plays Yi Seong Gye (King Taejo) in this as well as My Country: The New Age in 2019.

However, the drama got off to a rough start when the production was embroiled in a scandal over animal rights. The infamous scene had the production team effectively trip a horse to make it throw the rider. Social media harshly deride it as animal cruelty as the horse eventually died. The drama was pulled off the air for about 6 weeks and the remaining episodes were in jeopardy (hence the relatively low overall ratings?) but ultimately it prevailed.

After the drama resumed, it portrayed a seemingly vengeful and paranoid King Taejong as he killed his enemies or perceived enemies to cement his power. Watch this only if you're a consummate history buff. It is relatively fast moving for a sageuk as unlike other daehas which comes in 50 to 100+ episodes this ends at 32. It is a refreshing change from yet another love story of young love (yawn).

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The tyrannical nutcase we've come to know and love

Instead of the "different version of Bangwon" touted back in the hype leading up to the series (mentioned in the intro thread here, and teased in the opening scene), I saw the Bangwon I've come to know via KHDs. The cold-hearted ruthless killer and "tyrant" (IMO) that has ruled the KBS dramas I've seen. I was glad to see his Queen call out his hypocrisy for claiming that was how a King was supposed to rule. It was good to see that, because this Bangwon really seemed full of it to me. He spent a lot of time making sure that the tools he used to ascend to power (powerful clans & private armies) couldn't be used against him, all while claiming that it was for the good of the Country. Yeah, right. Paranoid much?

I got the impression that there was a change in the writing of the characters after the6 week series suspension. It seemed to create a colder Bangwon than we'd seen to date, and the pace of the scenes picked up. The last 2 episodes could have been 4 easily, and they wouldn't have been so rushed.

The lead actor got better as the series went on, and once crowned King, he seemed to be more comfortable in his role. As usual, KBS's has an excellent supporting cast. I've lost count how many times I've said that in the past to seemingly mediocre series' leads. Of note: the actor playing Sejong did bear a resemblance to Kim Sang-Kyung from Great King Sejong (GKS); the performances given by Kim Yung-Choul, Im Ho (what a treat to see him included), Kim Myung-Soo, and Sun Dong-Hyuk were very enjoyable and solid as ever.

KUDOS to the director of photography. And although I didn't mind the background music, it needed to be padded down...the levels were too high.

A demerit to the translation team: they forgot to include translations of captions, especially the names of characters introduced for the first time.

And I'm disappointed in the omission of Jo Mal-Seng from this series. He was the living embodiment of Bangwon's mistrust of Sejong: LBW's plant inside the ministerial cabinet who was both an informant to Bangwon who then became the Minister of Military after Bangwon released his own hold on the position. This character was so unforgettable in GKS that it's omission here is odd. If you're going to include Hwang Hee, then Mal-seng should have been written in too (again, they needed at least another episode).

And finally, if this isn't TLDR enough for you: The opening scene. After watching the last episode, I went back and saw Ep 1 again. I think the scene still deserved to be included at the end, as the show was actually still written in that direction. Omitting it was wrong, although the Bangwon as-written towards the end couldn't fully confront the guilt for his actions, I think it would have fit in as a warning to Sejong, maybe it could have been a nightmare sequence right after Bangwon announces his abdication - to let Sejong realize the horrors the throne is capable of. I think the writers should have at least tried. It seemed high-handed to simply dismiss it the way they did, leaving us with a truly unrepentant LBW, despite his few minor "I've sinned" scenes here and there.

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