This is probably one of the most conflicting kdramas I've ever seen. On the one hand, we've got an all star cast and an especially stellar performance from Lee Joon Gi as Wang So/4th Prince (aka THE main ML among all the others), all despite quite a terrible combination of pacing/script/lack of natural character development and directing/editing. On the other hand, we've got a historical era full of Problems TM, mostly revealed through Toxic Familial Relations and power/throne takeovers. While not an expert regarding this particular era, I know enough Asian history to understand what they're trying to present, and those aspects are historically accurate (to a degree).

However, it's hard for me to sit through what with the characters feeling like they're pulled straight out of the type of shojo that I especially dislike: the dialogue and character direction and pacing do not feel organic or natural: you've got strong and abused male lead but you've also got choking and plenty of mistreatment of the FL going on (guy has Zero sense of Boundaries), and there's some attempt at display of vulnerability but also at the same time that doesn't really shine through in a relatable way. All of this equals me unable to ship the main ship of the story (or even the first ship that much, for that matter), as there are not enough proper connection presented. Generally, too much antiship energy going on for the first two ships in the plot. Once I got to the third "ship" (not quite a ship), it was FINALLY a breath of fresh air.

I tried very hard to connect with Hae So. She is extremely sympathetic due to her admirably caring and selfless character. She did her very best to keep everything peaceful, yet at the same time she has zero agency or power to actually do anything. I also love her daughter-mother relationship with Damiwon's Court Lady Oh: their relationship is one of the few places where I really connected to the story and I cried.

(I DO ship her and Jung very much at the end, and felt for them both deeply. I also think they should have kept the ending as originally scripted rather than the final edit.)

Conclusion: I'm certain that there are better historical kdramas out there (full of Greek/Shakespeare level tragedy, bloodbaths, backstabbing, villains-galore ensembles, villains romance, corruption arcs, FL with almost no power/agency, doomed lovers - ugh doomed characters in general/Wuthering Heights vibes - although I will admit I have not yet seen one in the kdrama realm, more in the cdrama realm). I can see where this drama TRIED, and I can understand some of the ideas being conveyed here, but the execution on screen is, frankly, terrible (no fault of the actors). Not sure why this one is so popular among the English speaking kdrama watchers expect for perhaps the shojo manga wave has brushed off on them in a particularly heavy manner.

This has, sadly, turned out to be a tragedy in my kdrama watch history, as I'd wanted to like this so much! If you have a rec that has better execution of similar theme/plot, feel free to comment!