Lee Ji hoon was fantastic in these episodes. He was two completely different people in a matter of minutes on our scene and I just wanted to give him allllll the awards.

You saw his tears...in the rain. Wrecked me. WRECKED ME !!!!

"Read: still no on the royal babies."
Thank you, mary! For the laugh and for the clarification. 😉

I did initially think the crown princess was a spy for her father, so bravo show for making me feel bad for her situation. And how much more do I love the Crown prince for trying to get the record erased for her sake and telling her brother to be on her side no matter what? But sadly, this may mean our ship for the crown prince and Sa-hee is sunk.

I now understand why Woo-won hates his father and it's just cause. The guy is despicable. That backstory was heartbreaking.

Sambo's advice to Rim is hilarious. I love their scenes.

It was a really nice episode. I already liked Woo-Won but it was nice to know more about him. Being the son of a Minister, friend of the Crown Prince, brother of the Crown Princess he could have so much power, but he chose to be historian and he's very good at it.

Our 4 rookies are the best! I just love all of them! I need more moment like that!

For Prince Dowon, honestly the writer doesn't give him anything interesting to do and I found him completely boring. Yeah, the moments with his eunuch are cute but for a minor character not the ML. A character should be more than a secret birth that comes late in the story...

I was expecting a love triangle between Woo-won, Rim and Hye-ryung - thankfully it looks like the story isn't going there, because I quite dislike polygons of all shapes and sizes.

If Sa-hee is the Mom of the rookie historians, Historian Yang is the Dad of the whole Office of Royal Decrees. I really didn't like him in the beginning of the show but he is growing along with his kids. Also, what's not to like about a supportive Dad, right?

Thanks for the weecap Mary! Like you mentioned, I love love LOVE how Hae-ryung surprises Rim into being honest and what a badass she is despite not being a genius.
Woo-won's story and his guilt, still, was just </3

Lee Jihoon reminds me of Shin Hyesun because both started with sub characters and made a name for themselves. I think he's ready for more lead roles!

So happy to see more of Woowon (despite all the tears) because now, I understand his character more. Cha Eunwoo is definitely growing on me. I'm not as distracted by his acting and he's starting to look like Lee Rim as in he's becoming the character.

My baby Haeryung is awesome as always!

Historian Min's backstory was so heartbreaking, I really felt for him and hope he gets justice for his wife and rights his father's wrongs.
I also really loved the Crown Princess and was glad to hear her side of the story and see Jin admit he had wronged her. Even though I still ship him with Sahui, lol.
Haeryung and Rim were so freaking adorable this week. I love that she forces him to be honest, and that he's more comfortable with that than he is with playing games.
Finally, it seems the story of Ho Dam is finally coming back around with the arrest at the end of the episode. Definitely intrigued by the fact that the king seems to be protecting Rim from the Second State Councillor. And why would Mohwa have the Queen Dowager look into Haeryung's brother? Much to think about.

I have to agree with most of the beanies' comments. Lee Jihoon is amazing in this drama... I hope they don't kill him. 😭
But honestly I don't have much hope. This is a sageuk and what I know about this genre... They kind of enjoy killing characters 😒😐😕

I didn’t have space (and time) but shoutout to the Crown Princess! I know she’s a spy or at the very least, a tool for power planted by Daddy Min, but the gossip and jokes around her has got to smart a lot (remembering the Queen in Crowned Clown who’s the butt of every gibang joke).

Even if she used the historians (Our Team) to pressure Jin, you gotta admit that’s a power move right there. Even as she’s baring her humiliation, she’s weaponizing it. She’s no pushover. We stan a smart adversary!

Woo-won Bot’s

Now wouldn't he be a nice bot, @mary 😋😂

At the Dan-yeong-and-Woo-won-kneeling scene, my mom's immeadiete response was; "Why do these stuff always happen when it's raining?" 😂😂
.
I don't understand whether Hae-ryung is plain clueless or actually aware of what she's doing, tugging at the mens' hearts.
Her reply to "Pretty" showed she's aware, but then again I didn't exactly like her almost-too-soon playfulness with Woo-won immediately after finding out about Woo-won's ordeal. It was probably her way of cheering him up, but it looked too flirty to me. I just don't want him to suffer anymore unnecessary heartbreaks in the future!😭😭😭

As most have pointed out, Lee Ji-hoon’s performance this week was incredible! Indeed a very good actor! Which is a little bit of a contrast from the ML. I’m no expert in acting but whenever I look at his eyes, I see that awkwardness. Oh well, that means he’ll only get better in the future.

I must say i adore the comedy and the interactions that arise from the historians and The Prince and his Eunuch,it's just way tooo hilarious...I heart really break for Woo Won in the last episode,it was just pure tragic

Dear @bbiram or @alipin (Mary - whoever is doing this open thread), even if I am not following this particular Drama, I am thankful to you for giving a voice to a Drama that would not be covered otherwise.

For a person like me, if it is not in DramaBeans then it probably will not be worth my time so you kindly gave this show the opportunity to shine =) .

Kudos for the initiative, and thanks again!

Ugh, Woo-Won is steadily rising as my favourite character here!!

I also loved the 4 historians bonding scene, and I love that the senior historians have grown to accept the girls as their juniors - you can see Official Yang being much kinder to them (though still grumpy/gruff).

Oof, didn't expect Woo-won's backstory to be so heartbreaking.. Lee Ji Hoon is a really good actor. And with this backstory I guess they're not setting him up for a love triangle with Hae-ryung & Rim, especially since he has also realized that HR & Rim have feelings for each other. I'm happy with that, since I'd much rather see him fulfilling his personal mission as a historian than being another love interest. And it doesn't seem he's going to move on from his late wife anytime soon.

As for the main couple I agree with everything Mary said, I love how Hae-ryung's reactions forces Rim to be honest about his feelings and I really like how their relationship is progressing.
I particularly like the scene where the two of them are just spending the night reading books.. we kind of get a glimpse of how they might spend time together during one of their dates, just satisfying their mutual love for literature while being comfortable in each other's presence. And stealing glances at each other once in a while, of course :)

I thought the last scene was a bit awkward. It seemed like we were supposed to understand that Officer Min did find out about the secret meeting and that as a result, Hae-ryung was sent to cover it. She was standing there with her notebook and brush, mumbling something like, "He said to walk right in," but obviously not feeling courageous enough to barge in on the king. It seems like a kind of sloppy set-up so we can see her get in trouble, see Rim come to her rescue, and see her brother and Min decide whether to turn to people in power for help. I say sloppy because we have to guess all that, and because, let's face it, she probably would not have been the first choice for a historian to cover this conversation.

I really liked Rim when he was out saving the people from smallpox and defying his father. It seemed like he grew a lot. But now he's back to moping around. Ugh, not very hero-like. There must be something worthwhile he can do with his time.

Who is the actor who plays the hottie guard who winks at Apprentice Goo (in Rim's jealous imaginings) and then dunks himself in the water?

Anyone else wondering when GHR's handmaid's minions are going to swoop down for retribution on "Clerk Yi"?

Tsk. tsk. Empty promises.

In all seriousness though, this show just keeps getting better and better.

CEW finally showed his acting potential in the confrontation scene with the king. That was the first time I can feel his character lol, I hope they'll give him more chances like that. TBH I didn't care much about the romance between the main leads, they're cute but nothing special. I've been watching for the historians and their collegial interactions. I love how the show gives them decent spotlight time to share their dreams and background stories. From the teaser, next week will be interesting because our historian office will rock the palace like nobody's business ^0^

Thanks for this super recap Mary! Much as I enjoyed the journey outdoors, I can't help but feel like life in the palace and at the Office of Royal Decrees is the foremost battleground to watch, and I'm thrilled that we returned -- to Yi Rim and his granny, Yi Jin and the wronged wife (who's gorgeous!), and the historians becoming a real crew.

Everyone's said all the good things about Min U-Won and his character's development already -- thanks to all the commenters, I squee in your squee.

Both U-won and Yi Rim have powerful constraints against love, stemming from their past. But Yi Rim, who doesn't know (or only hazily guesses at?) his own story lives in an eternal present; and a grieving U-won is clearly still tied to the past. Excited to see the future, in the form of Hae-ryung, steal upon them both in episodes to come.

Just want to drop by and say that this drama has my complete love and devotion currently. I had almost no expectations and wasn't intending on watching it but now its the only thing I'm watching. Not one episode has disappointed till now. The comedy is well balanced with the idealism and our group of female historians are squad goals.

Thanks for the squeecap Mary.
It's been depressing on my Aroha world these past few days.. and anticipating for your post helps lighten my mood.

I really, really would like to applaud the writer for highlighting the historians these episodes. Not that I don't love the scenes of the leads. It's not that. I believe this drama is sharing with its viewers what these historians are during the Joseon era. And I like it a lot coz we don't get this story arc in a lot of sageuks. Although I wish for the writing to explore more of the cliffhanger from the last epi - - still I trust this drama to unfold with it's royal issues soon.

Patience... is a virtue.. they said.

Thank you drama for showcasing the sideleads. It gives this drama more heart... when us, viewers, understands where they are coming from. And for that, I really, really love you!

Keep on slaying Rookie Historian!

Thanks for the recap Mary!

I was hoping the dowager would let Rim live outside the palace and actually become aware of the wrong doings in the country. I'm just too impatient to find out Rim's birth secret and if it relates to hae- ryung's family.

Woo-won's backstory was heartbreaking, I started crying alongside him on screen. All this time, I've been waiting to see Woo-won to explode and break out of that stern expression. I didn't think it would happen like this, how could his father do that to his family!

Can anyone tell me just when do the annals these historians write finally get read or published? Is it after the king dies? Or is there a set time period, like 50 or 100 years? Are the historians sworn to secrecy until then?

Sooo, another question, (this time I don't think I missed it because of snoozing or my memory) : Why was Mohwa (Eunuch's wife who uses western medicine) using the virus from infected people to inoculate? Why wasn't she using cow pox in the first place? She had no permission to use the people pox but she was doing so, so why wasn't she using something she knew had less fatalities in the first place?

This entire show is just a giant love letter to female agency. While I wish I could have fit it in last year, it's actually better I watch it now when I don't have any dramas I'm enjoying and it's a breath of fresh air. At this halfway point, I enjoy also its measured tone of mild drama, comedy and romance. It seems less likely to fall into the giant sucky black hole of palace politics that most sageuks do. And so I commence The Back Half with some trepidation but also anticipation.