Oh great, now I have even less time for watching other dramas 😆 (really good discussion there)

Rolling eyes, her strength.

I do think TRS staff didn't expect this much fervor for this show. Hmm, but then again, the writer said she wrote this a few yrs ago. I guess they added a bit more to Yi San, Junho said compared to the novel. Here he's depicted more and given more backstory.

Did you see the article where this show rose him to the A List/100K per episode? Damn! Imagine if Kim Kyung Nam acted as he was first announced. Whoa! Interestingly on the Data Weekly Drama Charts, Lee Se Young was #1 consecutively. Perhaps b/c Junho was super hot in 2021 that some of that fever fell in this show? I hope he chooses a good followup, b/c my god the pressure is ON!

@soulsearch12 I saw that article. I'm happy for Junho, and he deserves it, but all I could think was what about Lee Se Young? She was just as pivotal to the drama's success, but when it comes to her? Crickets.

@missh I am also sad Seyoung was so underused, so I was really glad to see her shine on episodes 16 and 17. The best scene of the drama for me (along withe the one were SAn and Yeongjo are inside the dragon folding screen) is Deok Im saying goodbye to her old self on that bridge, it was beautifully filmed and acted.
This is one of the reasons I am a bit and also annoyed with the drama, because I was expecting much more from Deok Im and I was robbed that from the awful way she was written, specially during the second half. We should have had Deok Im's inner voice much more, because she, as a Court Lady couldn't express in words and with gestures how she felt as she was just a mere servant (privileged as she was in Palace, but servant after all).
Seyoung is an amazing actress that was reduced to a pot plant to make Junho shine. And as much as I love Junho (you can't easily find anyone on DB that loves him as much) I was disappointed with the drama in this aspect.
Lee Seyoung would have made the drama even better.

@missh I also wanted to say LSY should also get the big boost. But I didn't want to get trampled on, jk but no seriously though. But to be honest, the ML typically gets the most love. In this case, Junho had a solid 2021, and it manifested onto him as he's more in the press than her. But I did notice these two leads aren't actors that the industry pushed to be these big stars (Hallyu), but the surprise hit of TRS has def. surprised insiders.

The industry also tends to push more male actors to be A listers than females. As K-dramas has a sizable female audience, the ML's tend to rise faster than the FL's. I did read online that Lee Se Young tends to be more private, and she's not the person that wants to be a big star. There are K-actresses who are low key like her that still work in good projects, I see that for her. I'll say she better get a pay upgrade!! TRS heavily relied on their chemistry/story, and her part equally played a big role in that.

@eazal: You said it sister. I agree with every point you made. The way Deokim’s story was marginalised in favour of nonsensical sub-plots and magnifying San’s entitled role was such a let down. Junho is exceptional but Lee (I) Seyoung was robbed. Pure and simple.

To me, at the end, the drama was never about court ladies. Never. And female characters were poorly written: they were just plot devices to show how make characters change. The fact that you have female characters doesn’t make the drama a female centered if you just don’t give them the center, and the center was given to San. And even more, to Junho. I can’t complain because I am a 2PM fan and I am proud of all the love Junho is getting as he has always worked this hard and he was brilliant in his acting (although as I said before I found his acting more irregular in the second part). I was disappointed by the drama who chose self promotion over the real history.
Junho is now the hot topic (he even got number 1 in boyband reputation rank after BTS Jimin was there for 35 months), but even so, it only means they changed it all for Junho, and it makes me sad.
Regarding the secret society and as far as I know, it never existed and it’s not in the novel.
In case you haven’t watched, I leave here this video:
https://youtu.be/tc8y8-quJ58

*landing

Interesting. The novel I hear was focused more on Deok Im's journey. That's a good point you bring up on females being plot devices. Lest we forget, just having X something doesn't mean much if they don't have identities outside the plot. I think for me, it was more of the scene where she departs from her life, and she cries at the life she has to give up. Ironically, Junho even said that he felt he was the villain for Ep 15-17 lol and the cause of her death. Junho's acting is a "10 out of 10"!! Mind expanding on his acting being more irregular? I do know he put in a lot of work with TRS, as it was his comeback. I think the added pressures from rising ratings/awards buzz gave him pressure. He said while filming as ratings were going up, that the staff/crew all wanted him to get the Grand Prize.

Oh no :( Hmm, I think having someone like Junho play the ML was going to elicit some of the viewers to sympathize with him b/c he said some swoony lines. Thanks for the video! That is odd ngl, I guess they wanted to add some action to spice things up. It was really their 'love' story, but I guess Yi San might have taken over in the end? And maybe if they stuck with the original novel, me thinks this show would've not been as swooned by.

The irony being that this is the show that made Junho's acting career go up higher. Sometimes the shows that should've been the breakout hit for their stars, don't occur and its typically the dramas that fans are kinda neutral on that hit it big for them. All this talk just makes me really curious to see what he chooses next! Also Lee Se Young should also get her due!

@eazal Oops. Forgot to @ you. My comment is down below! Thanks!

As I said before,I liked episodes 16 and 17 because they were more DI centered, and we could hear her voice (having said this most of the scenes from the last episodes with DI were filmed in the summer before the rest of the drama, and that would explain why she was more important and we listened to her inner voice).
As regarding Junho's acting it is just this feeling, but mainly it was related to, imo, bad writing and what he did with that. Yi San/Jeongjo was portrayed as cruel and violent and that was never the how one of the most beloved kings in Joseon is remembered. He was strict, but never violent. And the worst thing was that it was shown as romantic. Junho fans talked about the character as it was Junho and not San, and it was all about him. If you were a 2PM stan as I am you would understand how wild the TL on twitter was and how people confused everything and found violent things romantic because "poor San is confused and he deserves that DI gives him an answer". Totally nuts.
The acting was irregular, not as consistent as in the first part because, agin imo, the writing was weak and so was the character. In fact there is very little development in San's character. He just keeps saying: why don't you love me, love me, give me an answer, stay by my side. Just my impression. Also I think his acting is top notch, but I have always thought so, ever since I first watched him in JBL.
I am a 2PM because of him. I'm a hard Junhoe.

@eazal, you are a gem for posting the link to the interview. Thank you. I wish there was a feminist historian’s analysis of this era. What this historian said regarding the paucity of info about Deokim makes the plotting missteps all the more glaring. San’s upbringing which was abusive and traumatic was complemented in the show with his entitlement to rule and dominate leading to jarring moments of absolute brutality like the murder of his own brother offscreen and Deokim’s friend. These were so dissonant because San was romanticised in the story and yet instead of a multidimensional character, there were these horrifying and one note attempts to present him as a political survivor and unbending monarch. The effect was to impoverish the character in my view instead of enhancing it. And, I have vented before about the ‘I can rape you anytime I want” ugliness.

@eazal Ep 16/17 really showed Deok Im's struggle/inner thoughts. I do think there was a bit more emphasis on the King getting his new heir, and how he struggled with that decision. Its written as a love story, but ngl there were times when I wondered is this swoon worthy b/c its him thats saying it? I liked the push/pull, but I'm one of those people were it took a few episodes for me to be engrossed.

Ooh, TRS team filmed before Junho came on due to 2pm comeback. I think they didn't expect the attention the ML would get, and perhaps the writer took full advantage of that. I read that the director was the one who added DI saying goodbye to her past self, and the writer didn't add that. Like I think the writer must had a bias...

For me, Junho's acting really stood out to me at the End of Ep 5, End of Ep 12 (the one where he says to his grandfather he's not Sado), the scene where he confronts his right hand man. His diction is precise, and he has good control on his mannerisms. I find it a bit odd that they added some violence to his behavior. Like the choking scene...

I know what you mean, some of his fans were going a bit overboard with it. I mean, the bath tub scene yeah I get it. But I think again, if a diff. actor w/o that interest, I don't know if it would've perceived in that light. Like if they casted Lee Soo Jin (OG Yi San actor) lol.

One quibble, I cringe when some go a bit overboard w/ him and Lee Se Young. The Yoona debacle was so silly lol. Its just actors who played their part!

There was a good Twitter thread that said Yi San in TRS wasn't the right love interest for Deok Im. He kept saying, "She's mine," he did love her but he was also possessive. Of course this is Joseon period where women's roles were confided. Still, I think the production value was there. I think I need a bit of time to process my feelings on this as a whole. Its like w/ Goblin, looking back the main pair's relationship starts off on an imbalanced note and its depicted as an epic romance.

Junhoe, lol!! I really want to see him do something contemporary next. I'm going to get lambasted on here, but get this man his version of Athena Goddess of War!!

I do wonder if he and Lee Se Young re-united for a rom-com, would you be here for the pairing instead?

@soulsearch12, @eazal, had no idea! But then, I never paid much attention to popularity rankings (like, Kang Daniel was 1 for a year, wow, no idea), I just read the sompi articles casually and figured it was a strategy more made up by companies to promote idols. But if there's a fandom able to game whatever algorithm, that's Army. I started following some bts fan accounts on Tumblr, and for a while that was the ONLY content that showed up in my dash... Not complaining because I asked for it, but it was still a bit overwhelming 😂

There's a pretty ridiculous fan war about this. Army saying "who is this guy" or "Jimin is richer than Junho" and Hottest laughing out loud, like reputation brand is just something artificial and that I don't care about.
Also, Army mad because Soompy called Junho highness and never referred to Jimin as that.
I just eat popcorn while I travel the TL on my twitter.
https://www.soompi.com/article/1508454wpp/january-boy-group-member-brand-reputation-rankings-announced-2

Yes, it looks like the bigger the fandom, the crazier it gets. And taking into account what I see at work, BTS attracts some really young fans, so there's that too. No point in arguing with a 13 year old who's sitting across the globe. We've all been there, but didn't have the technology to embarrass ourselves so publicly 😂
Anyway, good for Junho. And for Kang Daniel! Noticed him ranking 3rd, before all the other BTS members. Solely on his Wanna One's performance on Mnet Asian Awards it is a feat (btw, I watched it, and they were awesome)!

@flyingcolours Seems like TRS has mixed response here? If there was a weekly thread, it would certainly been something.

Even w/o the star factor, I think the drama would've succeeded but I def. don't think it would get this much fervor. I think Junho had a great 2021, his fancam blew up, his 2pm comeback, and then boom this. If Kim Kyung Nam was in it, I think it would've gotten double digits like 10% but 17% prob. not. Plus, the social media craze/shipping stuff as well. Altho it seems judging by the response general (insiders in the industry), this show showcased a new actor for the A List. Its really one of those cases where right timing/opportunity came, had it stuck with the Summer 2020 shooting date and came out in Fall 2020 where KKN was free, and Junho wasn't in the military. We would be looking at a very diff. scenario.

IA. The idol system seems so oppressive. I do hope b/c he's from 2nd gen where idols were a bit more freer, that he's not as confided. I mean, god forbid he settles down, I fear for him :3. But yes his ranking is quite impressive and well earned imo.

@eazal The guy who made the Idol ranking list is suspect, like he's allegedly anti feminist/alt-right. People with controversies also rank on the list, so the way they choose/rank is odd. I wouldn't take it too seriously, I think its more about stan wars. As you said, the ridiculous stans are making this out to be a bigger deal than it is. Like this guy is in his 30s/part of 2nd generation, I mean he & his fanbase don't got time for that bs lol!!

@soulsearch12 I never care about rankings but if you want to know how this nonsense works take a look to this old article: https://www.allkpop.com/article/2020/06/how-accurate-idol-group-and-individual-brand-reputation-rankings-are
Basically brand reputation is an invented thing about that only certain fans care about. Not me.

@eazal I found something really sweet! Back in 2018, Junho briefly mentioned BTS and said they were kind people b/c he would see how they would greet people. And that he always cheered for them, hoping they would become big, and how happy he was for their success.

P.S: Thanks for the link! I wonder if that also applies to actor/drama rankings too. I also read that agencies who put out a lot of press/articles for their talents also help contribute to their actor's ranking. But is it really a big measure of success, hmm possibly not?!

Great comment btw! I think I had to stop myself a few times, b/c what he was saying was swoon worthy. I also had to be reminded that Deok Im was at times distant, we weren't as let in her inner feelings. I think that could be another reason why the ML got more attention/notice.

I think the show could've been longer like 20 episodes like traditional saeguks have been. Didn't see Six Flying Dragons, but I feel like if it was given that episode count, would we have benefitted or not? Seems like the cult lady gang is everyone's least fav subplot. The drama did embellish some qualities for drama's sake.

Yi San loved Deok Im, but not as much as she loved herself. When she met her fate, I felt so gutted for her. She really finessed her skill as the show progressed. I do believe had a lesser actress took the FL, it would've faltered imo. He has good control over his body/facial mannerisms. There were times when he could've over acted, but when he let it out (anger/crying), I thought it felt natural/raw. Who would've thought he's an idol with his acting talent? I also think Junho has the IT factor, as in charisma in spades. But its also partially due to the role that was written too.

LSY is also charming as well, but she tends to be a good partner to her acting counterparts. However, she doesn't necessarily steal the spotlight. She's a bit more low key, and disappears into her roles so its hard to pinpoint the real LSY in it? MBC is clearly happy b/c they're kinda milking it lol, like what's this spinoff variety show there doing? That's not going to help shippers calm down :D.

@ndlessjoie: You make a very good point that given the dearth of historical detail about the RL Uibin Seong, this makes an arguably better political show rather than a shoehorned romance which relied on romanticising a ruthless but fairer monarch than his abusive and unstable grandfather. Juhno is exceptionally chatismatic and has become a strong actor. As @soulsearch12 correctly said imo, LSY is much more low key as an actor. As of yet, I am not familiar enough with her work to conclude whether it is
her style or lack of technical skills and instinctive reactions. As a result of this dynamic, she was overshadowed where the story should have been about her in much more depth: Her limited choices or lack thereof, her sense of kinship with her friends; her love for her brother (as opposed to treating him as a deus ex machina) and her anger and sorrow for being treated like shit by the person who she was attracted to and perhaps even loved.
Eazal posted this link to an interview with a Korean historian of the period. Well worth watching for anyone who is interested. I would also love to read. Korean feminist historian’s analysis. Hopefully, one day.

Sorry for the link not appearing in my first comment. Here it is: https://youtu.be/tc8y8-quJ58

@dncingemma I'm loving TRS discussion going on rn!

LSY is someone who compliments her actors well. She's not someone who steals the spotlight from what I can tell. She doesn't play flashy roles. She's very much an actor, and not a star. That's fine, much I do hope she can also venture into other projects that give her that full recognition as a solo FL. Something like I Can Hear Your Voice did for Lee Bo Young. She's a good actress, but she tends to take on characters that are more human, thus she doesn't get the credit she deserves sometimes.I thought she was solid in TRS, in a role that was sometimes hard to grasp in the beginning.

Ironically, TRS is based on The Red Sleeve Cuff which is Deok Im/Court Maid's uniform. So in a way the story is mostly on her, but b/c this was adapted into a drama, they changed some parts by expanding more on Yi San.

https://twitter.com/shakethatshack/status/1477381247743971328 I think there are a lot of discussions out there about TRS on youtube. A Korean historian said that in rl, Deok Im/San's relationship was built on brawn b/c both were smarties, and their intellect was well matched.

@soulsearch12: I love your comments. Thanks for making me think and learn new things. I am deliberately not on Twitter so I miss a lot of things. If you cone across any really worthwhile threads, and have the time to post them in a comment, I would be grateful. I engaged both emotionally and intellectually with TRS and felt pretty bruised at the end despite my love for the many wonderful actors including LSY and (our) Junho!😂😉

@soulsearch12: It would be hard not to laugh so why oh why they went ahead with it? Grrrrr.
Btw, do you read and understand Korean? Just wondering!

@dncingemma That is so kind of you to say! Thank you, and likewise!

Twitter is annoying sometimes, but sometimes there are some good threads/tidbits. I'll share them that I think are cute: https://twitter.com/maysdramas/status/1477326249370714118
https://twitter.com/blvnmyhertz/status/1481267010734796802
https://twitter.com/aesoonaesoo/status/1477972539947188230
https://twitter.com/maysdramas/status/1477424952890388480

Np! If I do, I'll def. @ you.he end despite my love for the many wonderful actors including LSY and (our) Junho!😂😉

Bruised b/c of the sad ending? The feels were quite strong. My heart ached for Deok Im's demise. Yes, if anything LSY+LJH were fabulous and it made me more excited to see what they choose next. They talked about re-uniting for a romance, so hope we can expect that in the near future. And the pay rate can be managed as well.

I'll say Yi San in history vs drama with the mustache looked the same, so that worked. But it did make me chuckle a bit aha. It was new seeing him with that look, so I was taken a back. I can understand it, reading is a diff story lol. I do notice that on Youtube if you put the Korean word for their title, you'll find a slew of videos (this is for any drama/film). Some of them even have English subtitles!

@soulsearch12 - You are a gem. Thank you so much,
Bruised because of the sad ending that I knew was coming but also the ugliness of the threats of sexual violence. Women continue to live with these kinds of threats levelled at them by the men in their lives who have been the beneficiaries of love, sex, support, tenderness and forgiveness. It was just corrosively sad in that context. I am an emotional person who feels things deeply and cries a lot when watching these shows but like many of us, I don’t disengage my brain and just swoon because just not possible to ignore this aspect of many women’s lives past and present.
I am really grateful that we can discuss these issues here among ourselves in an intelligent and interesting way.

@dncingemma Well said! Gah, if only TRS had a weekly post! The discussions would've been epic.

Well said! I felt emotions throughout towards the 2nd half of the show where things got more dramatic. I was sad for the women who were oppressed, and the amount of pain that those two harbored during an era where choices weren't given. One thing, my heart ached for Deok Im when her calves got whipped, and she had to do laundry in the cold. When he told the Princess off, I was like "Yes, you tell her!" The last memory he has before he died was of her, and the way he wished things went then. I do find it interesting that Deok Im never said "I Love You"but the letters she kept along with her red sleeve cuff signified to me that while she kept a piece of her heart to Yi San, her journey w/ her friends/mentors made her who she was. And for her to leave that was a tough decision. It's sad that despite her intelligence, that female roles back then were scarce.

Likewise! Really enjoying the discussion up here, didn't expect to see such great discussions stem from it! Its fun every now and then to enjoy the silliness, but its great to have meaningful and polite discussions too! P.S: On a fun note, I would like to see LSY+LJH re-unite someday. She brings out more of his fun side, and his calmness balances her out. There doing some variety show (dunno how long?), I'm going to either cringe at the response or just have fun w/ it.

@soulsearch12: Completely agree. I wish we had had weekly discussions too for TRS. That was a missed opportunity.
And, I second your wish. It would be so lovely to see them be co-actors (as opposed to costars!) again soon. This time, LSY to be as feisty as possible in a coherent and empowering storyline and to have agency to spare! And, for her to be remunerated equally and fairly.

@dncingemma Have you seen the Love and Leashes trailer? Umm, imagine that for our pair haha :D

It was a missed opportunity! I bet Ep 6 would've been so fun to talk about for ahem reasons. I hope he can eat properly now!!

LSY said she wants to do a sismance with IU!! And she wants to do action, as she's practicing boxing/doing sports. She's cool! I want to see some fun/sexy banter/romance!! Something like Hyena with the fun banter/sexual tension aha. I also liked Her Private Life/Oh My Venus for fun/mature rom-coms.

For anyone interested in LSY:

https://zapzee.net/2022/01/12/lee-se-young-says-she-couldnt-stop-crying-while-reading-the-script-for-the-red-sleeve/

"Q1. You’ve been dubbed “the queen of period drama” following the success of ‘The Crowned Clown’ and ‘The Red Sleeve.’
I didn’t expect The Red Sleeve to achieve such a mark (the rating of 17.4 percent) on its final episode, and I am very flattered by my new nickname. I’ll do my best to live up to it if I ever get the chance to work on more historical dramas in the future."

"Q2. How did you feel when you first read the script?
I loved how it approached the relationship between the king and the court lady from a different angle. The king loved her, but whether she loved him back was open to speculation. Unlike the other characters I’ve played before, I tried to portray Deok Im as an insignificant, trivial woman with no power. I also tried to show that she has a lot of limitations and that there isn’t much she can do, although there are times when Deok Im shines on her own. I wanted her to be that way so that the viewers could pay more attention to the other characters. As to the original work and the script, I instantly fell in love with them when I first read them."

"Q3. Did you know that Deok Im was going to die in the end?
The production told me that the script would have a similar ending to the original book. I kind of saw it coming when I first saw the posters. It said, “The moment soon became eternal.” I couldn’t stop crying while reading the script."

"Q4. How did Junho feel about his bath scene?
Junho went through a lot while preparing for that scene. I felt bad and grateful for him at the same time because I knew that he was on a strict diet for that particular scene. I just tried not to stare at him and thought to myself, “Wow, it must be so hard for him.”

"Q5. You made your debut back in 1997 and now you’re a veteran actor with 25 years of experience. With what mindset do you approach acting?
I could see myself still acting fifty years from now. I’m thrilled right now and sometimes I get very excited, but I try not to get too excited. People around me tell me to enjoy the moment, but I think the road ahead is long and rocky. Like Deok Im wishes her life to be, I want to have a steady and consistent career, and within the range, I wish to be a unique actor.
Q6. I’m sure there are many types of roles you would see yourself playing in the future."

I want to have a variety of experiences. I know I will have fewer regrets in the future if I experience things more now. I’m doing my best to survive in the industry as long as possible."

She sounds like a thoughtful actress, and very much committed to her work/career. She doesn't want to be a star, but she wants to keep growing and not get stuck in a rut. Very much looking forward to see her lead a drama as a kick ass heroine. She's doing boxing rn, so I hope she can surprise us like Han So Hee/My Name.

I also thought that this show was about choices, either lack of choice, or born into it. For Deok Im, she had lack of choice and the only way for a woman to go up was through being a court maid. Whereas for Yi San, he was born into this position whether he wanted it or not. I think what they could've done a bit better w/ giving Deok Im more moments of her inner thoughts instead of the last 2 episodes. However, I think Junho's star power overshadowed LSY at times either writer bias/what not. I've to give this show some more thoughts, and see if I still feel the same about it in the future.

I agree on this, I feel like this drama really portrayed the power dynamics between he two, and between all characters.

There is an abyss of power between the king and other subjects we could even see that in the difference between the CP and his grandfather (the acting of LDH as King was magistral, it really was the highlight of the show for me).

I personally never found their relationship romantic after the CP reveal, it was cute sometimes, poignant and scary at times. The threats of Lee San on Deok-Im were not romanticized to me but shown as a love of a man who had everything, and who had every right on her. Not to say that is ok, but I just felt it was more real than to expect him to be perfect on this regard. He has a big power over her and because he has power over everyone, he doesn't even realized the extend of it.

I think the drama in these moments has shown how Lee San, as much as he thought he would be different from his grandfather, was very much like him.

The end was quite tragic, we could see that Deokim was not happy and her plea in death was like a punch to the gut, I was not expecting the drama to go this far and I loved it for that.

I agree that DeokIm inner thoughts are missing around the end. Maybe they wanted to keep the mystery to deliver this "punch" in the end.

I feel like Deok-Im and all the other women, were really a result of their status. Like the Queen said, all prisoners in the palace. They showed how, for women and men sometimes, straying out of the path meant death. Deok-Im friend is very much an example of that : how they silently long for freedom but can never have it.

ALso LSY was really really really great as DeokIm

The director of the show said she laughed so hard when she was first saw him with the mustache. LOL. Yi San by the end was in his 40s I believe. It was a bit jarring b/c the transformation only occurred in Ep 17. I think Goblin w/ the Red Suit lady did a good job w/ the aging look giving her wrinkles/moles/posture.

The worst aging look was Seo Ji Hye in Black Knight. Her hair was grey, but she had no wrinkles nor changes in her face it looked so funny.

But he looks ridiculously similar to one of Jeongjo's portraits.

It is very selective, he is not numb when he is using one of his One Emotion Expressions, when he plays with HIS dog or when he falls instantly in love with the girl whose face he never forgot. Instead of numb I was expecting repressed feelings but it's not there.

It started because of Park Hye-soo's bullying scandal. But why him? I think it was his choice. I would have loved to see him in this role.

@Kurama That's what I figured as well. Interesting that they also swapped him out. I actually commented on Kim's casting too lol, and how I wondered if this would help MBC, and well it did lol. I also think he got cold feet b/c the role has been played before and saeguks are hard to play/get love for esp. from netizens. He got announced back in July 2020, then in May 2021, Junho/Lee Se Young got cast.

I assume he took on the Weekend drama b/c it felt like a better ratings/popularity win as MBC didn't have a solid hit in a while. Interestingly enough, the writer of TRS said she wanted Junho as the ML for a while, and when she heard he left the military immediately sent him the script and that was back in March 2021.

So in that time frame of July 2020-March 2021, Kim Kyung Nam/Park Hae Soo were the original pair (maybe not their first choice but the one's available). Had the bullying scandal not arose, the show would've moved forward with filming in Summer 2020. This is a lot sorry! I just can't help but feel sorry for Kim Kyung Nam, if it was even his choice or if it was how he must be feeling rn. That said, Junho more than smashed his role, and destiny works in strange ways.

@kurama ooh! https://twitter.com/suhodorable/status/1465919198949875715 This explains it :O.

So he suffered because of both actresses... 😅

On paper, it was a good move to take the male lead role in Revolutionary Sisters, but the drama was not good, and he really didn't have much to do in it. It didn't really help his career like some KBS weekend dramas have done for other actors. He really hasn't had much luck. Getting a role in a KES drama should have been huge for him, but The King: Eternal Monarch didn't exactly help anyone's careers either.

But I think that KKN was pretty good in TKEM like Woo Do-Hwan. They were the reason I watched it with KGE.

Personally, the only one I can't imagine being "replaceable" was Lee Deok-Hwa. He was the best part of the drama.

@kurama I think the Netflix worldwide ability is something to take into account.

Lee Deok Hwa was riveting. The best scenes were of him and LJH together. I felt the show was heightened when those two were on screen together. After his exit, LJH had to pull the weight by doing justice to the space that Lee Deok Hwa left.

You should finish it! The tables are turned so I find the last episodes exciting. I’m finishing ep 15 now.

It is a shame that it is not yet available elsewhere. We are in the US and so are watching it on Viki here. I hope that it does become available to you soon. It sometimes seems like KOCOWA exists for the sole purpose of making things more complicated but there it is: The entertainment industry lives and dies by its licensing arrangement.

Ok, so at least it will be available in a while. That's good news, I couldn't even find it as "not available for your region" on Viki. Thanks for the tip!

I love the Jang-Jang pairing and agree with you that they were a bit too old for the story. Some of their actions/reactions would make more sense coming from younger characters.

To enjoy the taiwanese version, I think the viewer has to recognize the age of the characters. They feel young, naive, and out of their depth while dealing with this sudden and huge life change.

The Chinese version change of how the one-night-stand+pregnancy happened made it hard to take. In the Chinese version, they had the OTP get drunk and then sleep together...which feels more like cheating to me. While for the original and the other versions, it was more like a freak accident - a twist of fate. She was drowsy from cold medicine and he was roofied and there was an issue with the room door (either the room number or the door didn't shut properly so both thought it was their room in their dizzy state). Of all the changes to make, it made one that made the OTP appear terrible.

The Chinese version does have the nicer male lead.

Good advice, thanks!