Post by ajk on Jun 18, 2023 1:30:58 GMT -5
Heck of an opening. And the music, wow terrific stuff! Maybe a little too Western but it worked perfectly. I could have done without the choreographed jumping off the roof, but apparently that was a thing even in 1998, who’d have thunk it. Don’t really expect this series to have a lot of combat or physical stuff but I hope it’s not prone to silliness either way.
OK so that opening was a flashback. And now we’re in 1748, the 24th year of the now-King Yeongjo’s reign.
Besides all of the other crap women were put through back then, it must have really sucked to have to wear all of those heavy clothes and headgear and the cumbersome footwear and have to walk around every morning bowing to all those elders.
“Do you wish for father’s love?” The wife does seem to have a way with him, doesn’t she. He does let her in. That was a revealing question.
“Just talking about it is treason!” OK but you should have answered your son’s question calmly and fully. Put it to rest.
The next bit, I didn’t understand. The creepy water seller raped the servant girl (who apparently was just a peripheral character)...and then used his mom’s money in that poker game...but he was winning! Why didn’t he just give his mom her money back? Seems like we lost something there. And why is he even in the story? Apparently he’s the older brother of the young woman whose adulthood ceremony we saw. Is he just there to give a flavor for the low status that the young woman comes from? Apparently the larger idea here is that these people are Youngjo's mother’s family, and the young woman who had her ceremony is the person who got the position that Lady Hyegyeong and her attendant were talking about--the first position that Youngjo ever gave to his mother’s side. (Please say something if I’m wrong about that.)
Did that really happen back then? Very young girls taken away from their families to become court ladies? That is so very sad.
“Help yourselves to the food. Make sure to keep it down.” Wow, I wonder how many Michelin stars that place got. Yikes.
Very touching ending. Have to say I’m really eager to see more after watching this first episode. It definitely is a previous generation of historical, more conservatively written and presented than what we’re used to, but that’s not such a bad thing. And they say that they’re not just going to show the events, they’re going to dive into the whys—which is really promising as far as getting interesting characters with a lot of depth. Excellent start!
■ My name is Yi-geum. I am King Youngjo, one of the most prominent kings of the Chosun dynasty. The path to becoming king wasn’t easy for me. Among many secret feuds over political power, I’ve undergone many assassination attempts. Kim Il-gyum also tried to kill me but failed. And after I have taken the throne after overcoming co many trials, I’m still accused of having poisoned my brother, Gyeongjong. The guilt from that event makes me into a father [who] kills his own son.
OK so that opening was a flashback. And now we’re in 1748, the 24th year of the now-King Yeongjo’s reign.
■ Queen In-won is the third wife of King Sukjong, Young-jo’s father. She is Queen Mother, the eldest of the palace. After Jang Hee-bin, the adored lady of King Sukjong and the rival with Queen In-hyun, is executed for cursing In-hyun, In-won takes over the throne of the queen at the age of 16.
■ Queen Jung-sung. She is the Queen of the Palace. She got married at the age of 13. She became the wife of the crown prince at 30, and appointed as the Queen at 33. She was rejected by Youngjo on the first night of their marriage and had to endure the fate of not being able to bear a child.
■ Lady Young-bin. She is the crown prince’s mother. Of the two boys and twelve girls of Youngjo, as one boy and six girls were born by her. Youngjo enjoyed her very much. She lost three daughters, and she now has Hwa-pyung, Hwa-yup, and Hwa-wan left.
Besides all of the other crap women were put through back then, it must have really sucked to have to wear all of those heavy clothes and headgear and the cumbersome footwear and have to walk around every morning bowing to all those elders.
“Do you wish for father’s love?” The wife does seem to have a way with him, doesn’t she. He does let her in. That was a revealing question.
“Just talking about it is treason!” OK but you should have answered your son’s question calmly and fully. Put it to rest.
■ 280 years [ago], the Noron Party strongly pushed for the selection of a crown prince, insisting that Gyeongjong suffered from many ailments. Despite the opposition of the Soron Party, Prince Yeon-ing, to be King Youngjo, was appointed crown prince. The Soron Party deemed it premature. But their views were not accepted, and the assassination attempt by Kim Il-gyum led to the execution of 4 Noron members. But Gyeongjong died early and Prince Yeon-ing took over the throne. The Soron Party was massacred, which is known as the Shinim Massacre. Youngjo’s fair appointment policy is actually from his first-hand experience of the atrocity in the massacre between the two parties. The controversies over the legitimacy of Youngjo’s rule become a lifelong burden and arouse conflicts between father and son.
The next bit, I didn’t understand. The creepy water seller raped the servant girl (who apparently was just a peripheral character)...and then used his mom’s money in that poker game...but he was winning! Why didn’t he just give his mom her money back? Seems like we lost something there. And why is he even in the story? Apparently he’s the older brother of the young woman whose adulthood ceremony we saw. Is he just there to give a flavor for the low status that the young woman comes from? Apparently the larger idea here is that these people are Youngjo's mother’s family, and the young woman who had her ceremony is the person who got the position that Lady Hyegyeong and her attendant were talking about--the first position that Youngjo ever gave to his mother’s side. (Please say something if I’m wrong about that.)
■ After the ceremony, you will become a proper court lady of the palace. The ceremony goes with a wedding. A court lady must serve one person for the rest of her life. The ceremony is carried out one-sidedly with four bows.
■ A court lady. Her fate is to bloom and wither in the absence of a butterfly. Another flower of the fate blooms today. She is a court lady in the mansion of the widow of Youngjo’s first son, Prince Hyojang, with the family name Moon.
Did that really happen back then? Very young girls taken away from their families to become court ladies? That is so very sad.
“Help yourselves to the food. Make sure to keep it down.” Wow, I wonder how many Michelin stars that place got. Yikes.
■ King Youngjo was the 21st king of Chosun. His name was Geum, the son of Sukjong, who poisoned Jang Hee-bin. Gyeongjong is the son of Jang Hee-bin and the half-brother of Youngjo. Youngjo is recorded in history as a wise and generous king but also a heartless father [who] locked up his own son and killed him. The inferiority that he feels from being the son of a low-ranked mother, and accusations of poisoning his brother burdens him for life. Discrimination against social ranks was rigid. Having officials from the finest families, the king was always conscious of his birth. Let’s take a look at how feelings of inferiority and guilt take over one’s life and what tragedies follow, and how they affected Jung-jo, Youngjo’s grandson who succeeded [to] the throne and showed great will for reform.
Very touching ending. Have to say I’m really eager to see more after watching this first episode. It definitely is a previous generation of historical, more conservatively written and presented than what we’re used to, but that’s not such a bad thing. And they say that they’re not just going to show the events, they’re going to dive into the whys—which is really promising as far as getting interesting characters with a lot of depth. Excellent start!