Shi-yeol frees the younger Watchmen, urging them simply to live

How?

I doubt any they have families/homes to return to, considering that they had been roped into a kind of slave contract that could almost have been worthy of the future kpoop industry.

Their only job skills seem to be martial arts, but they don't seem to be very expert yet. So do they try to join the army? Hire out as bodyguards/thugs? Form a bandit gang? File some sort of child labor or unfair termination complaints with some labor relations agencies that doesn't exist yet? Appeal to that enlightened new king who wants to build a better world?

It was a pretty good drama. The issue it's I cared more about Shi-Yeol's arc than Dan-O or San.

Dan-O and San were cute but neither of them were interesting enough to get me invested in their story. San didn't bring any Prince's vibe/charisma he had when he was younger. Dan-O became pretty fast the love interest without any real evolution or own strength.

Yoo-Ha's arc was interesting and I was really happy he became the King. He was perfect for this role. The King's position is a lonely one and his friend are leaving him. He needs a Queen! Jung Gun-Joo did pretty well.

My biggest complaint in the second half, it's the way they adressed the watchman's theme like he was a bloody murderer and should be punished for it. He was just another soldier like the others but way more stronger. Tae-Hwa supported a tyrant, sent his son killing a unarmed kid, he tortured Shi-Yeol to get informations without any real elements, he kidnapped kids but nobody called him for that. But Shi-Yeol killed Jang Hyun but it was like the biggest crime in the world. I didn't understand why Dan-O looked at Shi-Yeol like she did when they met in the Palace. She just shot an arrow in somebody, San killed soldiers who technically were his colleagues during months, but Shi-Yeol is the monster? San was bad at conforting Shi-Yeol. He didn't deserve to wander during 2 years because Hoo-Joo was completely blinded by grief.

I really liked the watchman's fights. Kang Hoon is lefty but they made Shi-Yeol a right handed. So he had to learn to use the sword with his right hand but he still could use the left one as a ambidextrous fighter. I liked the instrumental song they chose for his fights and Sonnet's song for his romance.

I ended liking this drama way more than I thought I would, which is always a wonderful thing. The pacing and writing were tight, the romances were solid to very good, and the writers managed to avoid certain cliches in favor of more interesting story choices.

The finale episodes were well done and satisfying--things ended up as I hoped they would. I really thought Shi-yeol was going to end up sacrificing himself in that final fight (which was very well choreographed and exciting) with Tae-hwa. So it was a great relief that not only did he decide to continue living, but also that he and Hong-joo reunited.

I do wish the two had had a real conversation about his past, though, so they could both verbalize and accept the fact that he had no real agency in his life as a Watchman, and therefore, although he did take the lives of people loved by others, his life was also figuratively sacrificed in service of the monarchy. There also should have been a kiss--two years is a long time!

One other thing I liked is that Dan-oh was an active participant in the final action. It's true that as the drama went on, much of her identity was subsumed by her love for San. But keeping in mind how much sageuks traditionally struggle to feature strong female characters when depicting a time that didn't really allow for them, I appreciate that she wasn't relegated to simply waiting for San's return.

A very loud 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 to TSRG for doing three things I so much appreciated. 1.) Shi-yeol didn't die by the sword at either Tae-hwa's hands or his mentor's, 2.) Shi-yeol and Hong-joo remained endgame even though it took a lot of time(2 years down the line is too long though but...it was a few minutes for me so...🤭), 3.) Yoo-ha became King, and 4.) Tae-hwa died in Shi-yeol's hands. I wasn't exactly expecting this one at all. It wasn't even in my checklist, but it felt very satisfying nonetheless.

I must say I enjoyed this one very well. I know I'll be back for some snippets of the Shi-Hong couple.

It was also nice that Yoo-ha gave closure to his feelings for Dan-oh 5 episodes ago. That was one trope subversion I really liked.

One remark though. The Watchman is a protector of the King or Prince. And it's a given that blood will be shed in the process. I do not exactly understand why they kept equating their mode operandi to murder. Should he have allowed them to do what they wanted? Isn't it his job as Watchman to protect the life of his master? Well, as Sagueks in the early 2000s, they say that the warrior's sword becomes heavier for him/her as more blood is shed on it. I wished they had built his guilt on this explicitly and then correlated it to his role as Watchman instead of pinning it all on his role as Watchman.

Mistyisles, thanks for the recap.

And they all lived happily ever after.

This drama needed to tie up at least 30 character/plot threads and your recap did a great job of identifying them all.

I have been heavily invested in both Shi-yeol and Hong-joo''s stories and romance - and one small complaint is that The Watchman in this drama NEVER killed innocents (as far as I recall) - he was defending at all times and in fact spared the lives of many when he could. And yet, the script seem to forget that - San says "you were just doing your job". Hong-joo apparently believed he killed innocents and no one disabused her of that notion. In the original web novel, I understand that Shi-yeol's story as a child was far more chilling and cruel, so perhaps the scriptwriters didn't feel the need to debunk the "murderer/assassin" label, even if unjustified.

The ending was rushed as the drama attempted to close out everyone's story, but I believe Shi-yeol and Hong-joo deserved a longer and more meaningful reconciliation.

Meanwhile, I'm in awe of the production values - beautiful location filming and cinematography, the ep. 18 palace scenes (day and night) involving a cast of hundreds, horses, multiple cameras. All of those sword fights (throughout the series) involved many stunt doubles and creative chorography - and loved seeing Kang Hoon doing some of the actual stunt work in ep. 18.

Finally, the story - with all of it's various characters, back stories, plots/counterplots - all of the puzzle pieces fit together in the end. I originally thought that the drama - as a "fusion" sageuk - would have a vibe similar to Alchemy of Souls (w/out the "magic") but TSRG was far more cohesive in terms of plot and character consistency and relied on very little CGI.

Definitely one of my top k-dramas and will stay on my Viki Watchlist so I can easily re-watch when the mood strikes.

Such a beautiful show. 💚
I loved it so much, I don't care about flaws or wtv. It was a really fun and cute ride, I enjoyed the story and characters.

Some personal thoughts:

1. Around episode 5 or 6 I said something like "the real lead of this show is the watchman", and I think I was right.

His story, his pain, really got me in the last two weeks. And I really hate every single character that had the audacity of judging him for doing his job.
No one cared about counting how many people the chief killed on a whim just to avenge his son that also killed people for a living.

Shi Yeol was raised to be a watchman, just like the chief's son was trained to be part of the Six swords, but everyone treats him like some psycho killer. That's so unfair. And all this hate coming from the woman he loves hurt him even more.

So I'm just glad that he was able to smile again.

2. They really made Yoo Ha the king! I'm glad they did, he seemed like the most appropriate person for the job. In my imagination, somehow, him and Ban Yi (Seon Yeong) will fall in love and get married. I want her to be his queen. They're perfect for each other.

3. Our main couple is so damn cute. I'm gonna miss him.
Dan Oh protecting her man with her archer skills was the highlight of the whole revolution.

Anyway, I'm really going to miss this show. I enjoyed it a lot.

Beautiful reap @mistyisles, you captured everything so eloquently! Especially that last line about how the ending was what we all expected more or less, but that didn't make it disappointing because it was what we were all hoping for.

The second half definitely was a little lacking compared to the first half, but it still made for a very deeply satisfying watch I agree. I, like almost everyone else I think?, also found that the second couple eclipsed the first BUT honestly thank god that San and Dan-oh stayed pretty lowkey but consistent & strong. Not only did it let the Shi-yeol and Hong-joo arc shine more but also it be testing the audience if we were given TWO angsty romance stories.

San also never really gave off King vibes, which is logical given he lived in hiding for most of his life so wasn't exactly brushing up on his 'King skills', and so it made sense for him to pass on the crown to Yoo-ha. Plus I don't think palace life would've suited San or Dan-oh tbh so glad they weren't forced into that box. It was also very cute how both San and Dan-oh had each other's backs and were on the same page after getting together - no noble idiocy or other similar and commonly used tropes for them, which was a rare and wholesome blessing!

I'm also very glad all our protagonists made it out in one piece at the end. I was so sure they were going to kill off either Shi-yeol or Yoo-ha and I'm VERY glad they didn't! Whilst I also do agree with other beanies who've pointed out how unfair it was for Shi-yeol to be painted as a serial killer, I think poor boy needed that time to be on his own and sort himself out because he was clearly going through a LOT internally. And Hong-joo - I've made peace with the fact that although her reaction was harsh, it's understandable given her complicated past with the Watchmen. No matter how much your objective self rationalises these things, it definitely takes a while to process not only the information but also process your own reaction to it. I do think though that it would've been better had Shi-yeol been given a chance to really address his own experience and communicate his feelings about it all properly.

Overall, I'm glad I watched this show live with all of you!! Thank you for a great time ❤️

Thanks for this recap. I love it that noticed, as I did, the symmetry of the ending. For me, the most exciting symmetry was between the guesses that I made during the first third of the series about which of the guests was Lee Seol, and the ending. I think I commented here that Yoo-ha seemed the most like a prince, being the tallest and most noble and mature. Kang San seemed like the Watchman, being the single-minded soldier--and also because he rescued Shi Yeol. Shi Yeol seemed like he hated fighting even at the start. The episodes at the start created a shifting reality of their roles, but the ending cemented the roles that I saw them in the first place.

The sisters also switched places--the responsible one got away from the house and the grief stricken one was free to take her place as the elder sister.

This was one of the first time jump endings when I thought we needed the time jump! I couldn't imagine Hong-joo or Shi Yeol being ready for any kind of resolution, much less winding up together, with less time than a year or two. Structurally, this is a well-thought out script!

Anyway it was a fun drama. It is interesting to me that the idea of the children trained to be assassins or elite soldiers seems to resurface so much in Korean media. I don't think I've seen it as much in US media, the story of people forced to be violent by early training.

I liked the show in the first half better. Still, it did a good job, definitely better than most saeguks of this year did (looking at the story of some attorney). Shi-yeol's character and Kang Hoon stole the show. I can't care less about the romance. Yoo-ha's story was touching too. I don't know about you but something kept me wanting they swap names with San living as the other prince's name, Gyeom. I wanted them to wander around for a while but not leave for good.

I simply, completely loved this drama! It was well written and well done. Loved the characters, the costumes, the relationships between the different people, and did I mention the sword fighting? And a shout out to Oh Man Seok for being one of my first loves. Did I say how much I love saeguks?

I liked this drama. Not perfect but I was wholly invested in the characters. Pacing was great except for the last 2 episodes. I think maybe the show was asked to extend? Because the first half of Episode 17 could have been deleted honestly (a quick montage to reach the banquet plot would have done), and everything would still stand. My only beef with the ending:

1) Shi-Yeol releasing the young watchmen without making arrangements for their future? Maybe show thought it was enough for us to think that he did as absent scene. But it was too glaring and concerning to be omitted. They had a chance to clarify in San and Shi-Yeol's scene 2 years later when Shi-Yeol returned to the inn and they talked about San having requested the abolishment of the royals' watchman system. It would have been better if a dialogue about how they had also made sure that the kids from the temple were taken care of was thrown in.

2) San finding out who he is and what he really wants after stepping away from the throne. He grew up as the deposed heir in hiding, being chased by enemies. Without the constant danger, it would have been great to see him figuring out his real dream. It could have been as simple as him figuring out that he wanted to be a craftsman or something. But show just made him a husband who wanted to make Dan-Oh's dream come true (I mean I keep asking the real-world question of what does he do for a living haha unless the queen dowager is financially supporting him but that would make me totally lose respect for his character).

There were a number of holes and "huh" moments in the show but overall, I was satisfied. I really liked Jung Gun-Joo here. He fit his role well and I hope I see him in more dramas in lead roles.

It's become increasingly hard for me to find K-drama romances that are just romances (though this isn't really pure romance and not exactly high on it too) because I feel like K-dramas are going the way of edgy Hollywood shows more and more so I appreciate shows like this when they come.

What a delightful surprise! I hadn't been too interested in watching this one but I'm so glad I did.

I loved that Dan Oh was portrayed as a confident, intelligent, determined woman. Shooting that attacker with an arrow was a great moment.

I was very impressed with Kang Hoon! He showed terrific range here from easygoing goofball to skilled swordsman, romantic lover to heartbroken wanderer. His sorrowful eyes made me want to climb through my TV screen and give him a hug. He needs a lead role please.

I was also really impressed with the sword fights! Wow so many, all that choreography and camera work, the actors and doubles learning the movements, those scenes came out so well!

This show was smartly written; no annoying tropes, character arcs made sense and concluded satisfactorily, characters were well cast, humorous one liners and funny moments added a balance to heavier themes. I had only a few minor complaints. I wished that Dan-San were returning from their adventures rather than leaving for them when Shi Yeol returned. This group should have enjoyed some time together without threats hanging over them. I wanted more time with our second couple, and another kiss please! I did not understand why San would be considered a threat to the king - wouldn't Yoo Ha want people he trusted around him? Shi Yeol should not have been vilified.

Overall, I really enjoyed this show, a super fun watch.

I am giffing this while watching belatedly
Just so that you know
https://www.dramabeans.com/members/CecilieDK/activity/1520318/
and
https://www.dramabeans.com/members/CecilieDK/activity/1521241/
You are welcome
Hold spoilers for ep. 12-18 til after January 20th 2024 - I will have finished it by then.