3
17
3
virgievirgie
Lost in Dramaland
A drama full of complicated relationships
Completed - 2/24/2022
I can't help but compare this drama to "Six Flying Dragons" which I have watched 29 of 50 episodes and then put on hold. There are a few common historical figures but with very different personalities. The production value and acting of both dramas are of high caliber. With my experience with “Six Flying Dragons”, I also realized that I cannot binge-watch this drama. This drama is intense with too much going on. The episodes are quite long as well (about 1 hr and 15 mins) and I lose focus and get bored when I binge-watched almost half of the show. I had to slow down and watch 1-2 episodes a day.
There are many different complicated relationships in this drama: Bromance, friendships, camaraderie, romance, father-son, and siblings.
Seo Hwi + Seon Ho (Bromance) - The friendship/bromance between our two male leads is different from other bromances I've seen. We actually don't see many scenes with Seo Hwi and Seon Ho together - mainly the first and last few episodes. They have been friends since childhood and through thick and thin. Their friendship is deep, even though they are from very different backgrounds and have very different life experiences. Throughout the drama, you can say they both have a common goal, but they go about achieving that through very different (bloody) means. They harbor sadness, anger and seek revenge, while pushing away the other's support and care. It's quite a push-and-pull relationship. They seem to hate each other at times, but in the end, they never kill each other when given the opportunity. The love has always been there, buried under their hardened hearts.
Seo Hwi + War Comrades - Seo Hwi and his friends provide some comic relief and lightheartedness in this drama. They bicker and beat up each other all in the name of fun and friendship. Without them, this drama would be too dark and too heavy.
Romance - Do not come into this drama because you want a lot of romance. Romance is only a very small part of this drama. Because this drama covers such a long period of time (many years), it cannot devote too many episodes on Seo Hwi and Hee Jae’s initial attraction to create a strong foundation of the romance. Therefore, it seems like they fall in love too quickly. We do see a few romantic and heartfelt scenes, but those are far and few between. On the other hand, the other pair, Moon Bok and Hwa Wol, provide comic relief. They seem like an unlikely pair but they are so funny and cute together.
Father and Son: Seon Ho and his father (Nam Jeong) have a love-hate relationship. Seon Ho found his father’s actions despicable and wanted to take him down. On the other hand, Nam Jeon seems to despise his son and only wanted him as a replacement for his dead older son. But in the end, do they truly hate each other? When there’s a chance to kill each other, can they really do it? Similarly the King and his princes also have some complicated relationships. The princes seek the throne, yet could they really kill their father for it? Will the king kill his sons to keep his throne? Without giving away spoilers, there’s a lot of internal struggles and is also a big part of the political drama.
Siblings: The princes might not want to kill each other for the throne. But circumstances might push them to do so. There are complicated feelings and internal struggles. On the other hand, we also see the tight bond between Seo Hwi and his little sister, Yeon. They have relied on each other since their father’s death, and the love they have for each other is deep. It’s no wonder Seo Hwi will go through hell, pushing his dear friend away, in order to seek revenge.
Other Observations:
1. Seon Ho is the saddest character. He goes through his journey of revenge and bloodshed mainly alone. At least Seo Hwi has his war friends by his side. Seon Ho has none. I think I enjoy Seon Ho’s journey and character development more than Seo Hwi’s.
2. All the characters must have 9 lives. They got slashed and stabbed by swords and arrows so many times, and they still recovered at lightning speed to be stabbed again.
3. Seo Hwi cries a lot.
4. But then, this whole drama is full of non-stop suffering and bloodshed.
5. I never saw Sambong’s face. I was hoping Kim Myung Min, who plays Sambong in “Six Flying Dragons” might show up as a cameo.
6. I like the OST. It’s quite unique for historical drama with what seems like a mix of different genres.
I can't help but compare this drama to "Six Flying Dragons" which I have watched 29 of 50 episodes and then put on hold. There are a few common historical figures but with very different personalities. The production value and acting of both dramas are of high caliber. With my experience with “Six Flying Dragons”, I also realized that I cannot binge-watch this drama. This drama is intense with too much going on. The episodes are quite long as well (about 1 hr and 15 mins) and I lose focus and get bored when I binge-watched almost half of the show. I had to slow down and watch 1-2 episodes a day.
There are many different complicated relationships in this drama: Bromance, friendships, camaraderie, romance, father-son, and siblings.
Seo Hwi + Seon Ho (Bromance) - The friendship/bromance between our two male leads is different from other bromances I've seen. We actually don't see many scenes with Seo Hwi and Seon Ho together - mainly the first and last few episodes. They have been friends since childhood and through thick and thin. Their friendship is deep, even though they are from very different backgrounds and have very different life experiences. Throughout the drama, you can say they both have a common goal, but they go about achieving that through very different (bloody) means. They harbor sadness, anger and seek revenge, while pushing away the other's support and care. It's quite a push-and-pull relationship. They seem to hate each other at times, but in the end, they never kill each other when given the opportunity. The love has always been there, buried under their hardened hearts.
Seo Hwi + War Comrades - Seo Hwi and his friends provide some comic relief and lightheartedness in this drama. They bicker and beat up each other all in the name of fun and friendship. Without them, this drama would be too dark and too heavy.
Romance - Do not come into this drama because you want a lot of romance. Romance is only a very small part of this drama. Because this drama covers such a long period of time (many years), it cannot devote too many episodes on Seo Hwi and Hee Jae’s initial attraction to create a strong foundation of the romance. Therefore, it seems like they fall in love too quickly. We do see a few romantic and heartfelt scenes, but those are far and few between. On the other hand, the other pair, Moon Bok and Hwa Wol, provide comic relief. They seem like an unlikely pair but they are so funny and cute together.
Father and Son: Seon Ho and his father (Nam Jeong) have a love-hate relationship. Seon Ho found his father’s actions despicable and wanted to take him down. On the other hand, Nam Jeon seems to despise his son and only wanted him as a replacement for his dead older son. But in the end, do they truly hate each other? When there’s a chance to kill each other, can they really do it? Similarly the King and his princes also have some complicated relationships. The princes seek the throne, yet could they really kill their father for it? Will the king kill his sons to keep his throne? Without giving away spoilers, there’s a lot of internal struggles and is also a big part of the political drama.
Siblings: The princes might not want to kill each other for the throne. But circumstances might push them to do so. There are complicated feelings and internal struggles. On the other hand, we also see the tight bond between Seo Hwi and his little sister, Yeon. They have relied on each other since their father’s death, and the love they have for each other is deep. It’s no wonder Seo Hwi will go through hell, pushing his dear friend away, in order to seek revenge.
Other Observations:
1. Seon Ho is the saddest character. He goes through his journey of revenge and bloodshed mainly alone. At least Seo Hwi has his war friends by his side. Seon Ho has none. I think I enjoy Seon Ho’s journey and character development more than Seo Hwi’s.
2. All the characters must have 9 lives. They got slashed and stabbed by swords and arrows so many times, and they still recovered at lightning speed to be stabbed again.
3. Seo Hwi cries a lot.
4. But then, this whole drama is full of non-stop suffering and bloodshed.
5. I never saw Sambong’s face. I was hoping Kim Myung Min, who plays Sambong in “Six Flying Dragons” might show up as a cameo.
6. I like the OST. It’s quite unique for historical drama with what seems like a mix of different genres.
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