Drama Analysis ***Spoilers***

A few articles in Chinese with interesting details: 

Metaphors: https://www.beauty321.com/post/45750

Scene composition / camera work: https://www.beauty321.com/post/45718

Scene symmetries: https://www.beauty321.com/post/45742

Ambiguous plot details: https://www.beauty321.com/post/45700

this detail about the final scene: https://twitter.com/kingsomae/status/1477315892627181573?s=20

"In the dream, deokim told san to return three times. It is a palace ritual for the king's eunuch to climb up on the roof of the palace and shout three times while waving the king's robe when the king dies. The director was trying to express that in the dream"

slow clap for this analysis: At its core, #TheRedSleeve isn't a love story — it's Deok-im's story, her tragedy, the loss of her agency, her freedom, her very self. Every second of this brilliantly acted episode highlighted that.  

https://twitter.com/shakethatshack/status/1477381247743971328?s=20 

 CKT_DramaFan:

Love this!  

What an incredibly well-layered story.

 CKT_DramaFan:

It truly was.  And that analysis went with Court Lady Seo’ s statement on how Uibin was the only concubine that chose Jeongjo, a twist on the norm that he chose her.  Really they chose each other because she held onto the power of choice for as long as she could.

Absolutely. She may have chosen because the alternative was less attractive (whatever the alternative would've been, she would've accepted it, imo) but truly  she really did want to be with him, as she reiterated in her death bed.

 CKT_DramaFan:

I agree that she wanted to be with him as she said, if she didn’t she would have done anything possible to get away.  It’s like how she said before, as Court Lady and King, she was close enough to the flame but not in the fire pit. She can see him but isn’t trapped and it was enough even if it meant she couldn’t have him at all.  However, she was forced to make her choice when that alternative was not seeing him at all like the year they spent apart because even though she can hide her heart away in his presence, San couldn’t do the same.

Bless their hearts :'(

 pinksprings01:

I feel like in another life, Deok Im would be chasing San instead. Kinda like how in the end, Deok Im was the one to initiate the kiss.

With the trappings of the palace removed, I agree. It was telling that she was the one wondering how their lives would've been like as commoners, yet he never had to even wonder that. Talk about power imbalance.

 pinksprings01:

With the palace being a prison reminds me of what Deok Im’s brother said in episode 7 about how the palace is basically a cage for everyone.

So right! This drama has so many bookends, I love it