Maybe it will feel different watching while knowing how it will all play out, but I think my main frustrations would remain.
There were a lot of great moments, and like the characters reminiscing, I would probably enjoy revisiting those moments again. If I did I would probably be tempted to skip too many scenes. In those times it helped that the episodes were shorter than usual. I think that's because of curiosity, and probably because I became attached to the characters, even when the shows seemed to drag. Still, for some reason I just couldn't quit watching. I thought the show started strong, and ended strong, but somewhere in the middle I began to stop caring. To be clear, this show is 40 episodes, but the episodes are 30 minutes, so really it's like watching a standard 20 episode drama. If you're not a fan, you will probably get bored about halfway through. If you like ancient Joseon political drama, this story definitely has a lot of that to enjoy. There are a lot of duplicitous characters to keep the story interesting. A few characters made no sense to me, but that wasn't the actor's fault, just weird writing. I loved Jang Young Nam and Oh Min Suk the most out of the supporting cast (both so good at being bad), but there were a lot of great performances. I don't think she was bad, but I do think the role was a little out of her league in that respect. Cute moments with Won worked, because their banter was funny, but anything involving serious romance fell flat. I've seen better actresses, Ha Ji Won for example, pull complicated love stories off, but I think where Yoona shined in action, comedy, and even some emotional scenes, she left much to be desired in the romance department. I thought maybe it was the writing, but I honestly think it's that she had trouble pulling off the romantic parts of the story. I won't speak too much about specifics, because which guy you root for is mostly about preference, but it really bothers me that by the end all the romance was still questionable. However, when the obligatory love triangle comes into play, she spends far too much time looking like a deer in headlights. When she was being brave, impetuous, and independent, I loved her, and her camaraderie with the guys. I loved her character in some ways, but she was also the reason for most of my frustration. Then lastly there is Im Yoon Ah as Eun San. It gets very complex, but their love throughout it all is the strongest story in the drama. The show really explores the deepness of their friendship in a way that got me in the feels from the very beginning. I loved that we get to see the start of their friendship too. Rin is the straight man, to Won's uninhibited personality, and their dynamic is awesome. Hong Jong Hyun plays Wang Rin, his partner in bromance. and I enjoyed watching his character navigate all of the palace drama without being passive. He was funny, he was clever, he was stubborn, he was impulsive. I thought Shi Wan did a great job in all aspects. It's Won's story, so it makes sense that he was the character I liked the most. The story centers around Im Shi Wan as Wang Won. I'll give it credit for not being cliché, but it still didn't really work for me.
Still, from the very beginning the show is set up as a love triangle, and that's the part where I think this drama falls short. Those moments were my favorite in the show for sure, and their friendship was also the source of many of the emotions I felt while watching. My major frustration is with the three leads. Now that it's over, I think I appreciate the whole story more, but some frustration still lingers. This is a typical love story in some ways, and very unique in other ways. I was interested enough to watch, but I also felt like dropping it several times. Rewatch Value 7.0 My feelings about this drama are very complicated.
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