At 24 episodes, most dramas would have felt dragging and unnecessarily stretched out, but this one never felt like that. The plot was involved and drawn out just enough to make the ending believable, but also had closure which was satisfying for the viewer who has been with the drama for so long. For someone who lives outside of Korea, it was educational to see how a multi party democracy functions.

Acting: All the actors were incredible, and completely believable. I love how all of them were so committed to their characters at all points of the story. The chemistry between the main leads has been questioned in some other reviews around the web, but I found them to be really well matched. The side characters were perfect as well, flawed even if well intentioned, and overflowing with an abundance depth. I’ll ascribe that to good script writing as well as good acting.

Plot: I’ve always been a fan of politics, and watch shows like Designated Survivor and Madam Secretary, so political dramas are very up my alley. I know this isn’t the case for everyone, so if you don’t enjoy politics, this may not be good choice since it is centered around that. The romance, family interactions and friendships are really pushed to the background. Be that as it may be, the main romances in this drama are really well fleshed out despite the short amount of screen time and the proper depth of emotion is conveyed. I appreciated that the drama was written to allow bittersweet endings and messy emotional situations that are present in real life. It made the story feel more real, even if it was sad and left you wishing things had worked out better.

This is an older drama, but it didn’t feel like it at all. It still feels incredibly relevant today. This drama really pulled at my heart in a lot of places. It is one of my favorite dramas, not just kdramas, of all time. I’ll defiantly rewatch and recommend this to others.