purtysunshine

seriously, soooo disappointed TT_TT

OH and I forgot to add and just need to rant - the leaking of the contract. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND why, when that happened, they didn’t focus AT ALL on how that happened. In fact the drama never revealed to us how I Rang even got it, when clearly it was in Yi An’s safe. And if she happened to break in to that she would have seen her husband’s partially burned decree that Yi An had saved there, which clearly she did not. So did she get it from Hui Ju then? We will never know. But if I were them I would have been waaaaay more interested at the time in who had betrayed them and how, especially since only the people closest to them knew about it. So frustrating.

yeah I thought this was a really old-school second lead k-drama trope. very disappointing

I think it’s safe to say the last episode just kind of slowly petered out. And that’s so sad because I loved it so much for the first three-quarters and especially IU’s character—Seong Hui Ju. She stole the show. She WAS the show. Then it was just like she became a supporting character. She wasn’t really…unique anymore, I guess. It’s like this drama tried to be “different” and did stand out in special ways but then it just kinda treaded back to safe water. And I get it there was a lot to tie up in the end there and the whole ending-the-monarchy was a big deal. The concept is like, epic? Yet somehow it didn’t feel that way. I get that I’m rambling I just don’t knew exactly how to put it all in to words. But the opportunity I mentioned before happened when Hui Ju asked Yi An when it was first “real” for him, and he answered “from the beginning” and omg the music is swelling, it felt so epic…we flash back to him meeting her for the first time and here. THIS is where the magic COULD have happened. Yi A briefly explains that he kept hearing about her and thought they would run into each other again, but they never did…until the banquet. And Hui Ju asked him if he ran to her and he says that he did, then he kisses her and the moment is over. But OMG I was expecting them to reveal something here. I thought they would show him ACTUALLY running to find her during the banquet. Looking for her, trying to meet her because he recognized her and absolutely had to. Maybe even a flash back to other times he might have run to find her but missed her before that. OMGgggggg it would have been so perfect. How did they miss that opportunity? Oh well, the moment will live on in my head.

I think there were just some weak parts to the story as well and had some relationships been carved out a little more it might have had more depth. Min Jeong U’s decent into a villain wasn’t really believable to me. He might have been crazy for Hui Ju but he knew she didn’t have feelings at all for him so it felt kinda old-school that he thought killing his friend, whom she did love, would make her go to him. I’m not buying it. I needed there to be more to that. And I think it would have been more dramatic if I Rang’s feelings for Yi An were given more space. Like if maybe he had been aware of them. Or maybe he had liked her too and/or they had dated. Something a little more scandalous and dramatic. Also we were never really privy to Yi An’s brother’s issues. I guess it’s just assumed that the weight of the crown was too much for him. But I think the story could have given us more. Especially since it’s clear he must have technically let himself die…I’m pretty sure he could have left the room before it all caught on fire. What’s up with that?! The potential of this to just have been a little *more* is just crushing.

BUT I loved the us-against-the-odds companionship between Hui Ju and Yi An. I loved the focus on the romance. I loved the side characters. I loved the way things worked out with Hui Ju and her family. There was still a lot to love. It’s most definitely worth a watch and honestly it probably maintains momentum better if you can binge it all of the way through instead of having to wait for new episodes.

Ok. Ok. So. Diving right on in…I LOVED IT…and then I didn’t. As much, anyway. The cast is amazing. I mean it’s IU so that’s a given, even if this wasn’t her strongest role, she was flawless. And Byeon Woo Seok was great too, though he’s not quite on her level. The chemistry was there. The supporting cast was amazing. The visuals and music were stunning…alllllmost too much so. Sometimes it felt like we were watching a music video. And sometimes it was like one dramatic musical transition to the next. But it was just so pretty overall. Recipe for success. Yet, somehow, it didn’t go out with the same gusto it began with. And there was ONE HUGE GOLDEN opportunity that I think could have REALLY made the ending a true grand finale but the opportunity is missed. I’ll elaborate in the spoiler below.

ah thank you! yes! I must have mistook the hallway for his room and I was like, I know she can get away with a lot but how TF did she get in there lolol

Ah I see, thank you, I must have missed them bumping into eachother in the elevator. For some reason I thought she just walked into his room hahaha

Ok seriously I think I missed something but I don’t have time to rewatch. How did Hui-ju end up in I-an’s hotel room when he was sick? I can’t figure out how she found him there and how she even got into his hotel room. And also was it ever revealed what they were talking about when Yi-rang discovered them?

ok gotta ask this question here because I can’t find the answer so hopefully y’all know since it’s bugging me. Question in comment because it’s a spoiler

that was before she died and became a genie though

First of all— the ending wasn’t my favorite. I feel like Kim Eun Sook likes to do this thing where she teases a tragic ending (ie one or both leads die) and then presents us with a “happy” reunion that kinda defies logic (think Descendants of the Sun…Goblin…). She can write a fully happy ending and a tragic one as well. But for some reason we see this more bittersweet compromise of an ending in her stories and I’m not really a fan. In Genie, we get a full fledged happy ending (I mean, for the most part…poor Min Ji aside) but it was so far fetched and forced it really left a stain on this whole show for me. Ga Yeong wandering off into the desert and dying was disappointing. Returning as a genie was just bizarre. Not once in all of the lore here was it mentioned that someone could *become* a genie. So her being able to come back, fully as herself, as one felt like a betrayal to the story. I did like that FOR her, but for the story…just disappointing. It felt like an easy out.

Next, let’s talk about the abusive behavior we witnessed. I’m not one to whine about everything being a trigger. Usually I just roll my eyes, honestly. But…damn. I can see how Ga Yeong’s violence towards Iblis can be triggering, especially to someone who’s suffered DV. I get that we’re trying to portray her as a cold psychopath, and he’s villainous in his own right (plus immortal) but I don’t think that makes it right for her to just start hitting him and beating him up. I couldn’t help thinking that if the roles were reversed, people would be outraged. But since she’s a woman it’s okay? Nah! That was a little too much for me. Plus Ejlael’s treatment of Irem was just cruel. I know that was to make a show of how he’s actually a “bad” guy despite being an angel but…it just felt like it was too much.

That kind of leads in to how I felt like Ga Yeong being a “psychopath” wasn’t actually written all that well. She was cold and unfeeling (mostly) but even after spending her whole life studying emotions and being an expert at reading them, she still had a hard time fitting in…which was odd considering how smart she was as well. I think it would have been even more compelling if she seemed perfectly normal outwardly and then we’d get glimpses of her darkness. If you think in terms of actual psychopaths, they generally fit in really well (remember Ted Bundy) because they have to “learn” how to blend in. It felt confusing because in some aspects she was written as a character who cannot feel emotions but then other times it was like she was just Dexter-y (has killing urges but manages to be “good”). She clearly did have some emotions since she cared for her grandmother, her friend, and eventually even fell in love in her own way. It was just a bit inconsistent. Rather than a psychopath, it would have been better to just say she’s a person who lacks empathy.

The mythology used was also a bit awkward I felt like as well. A drama about a genie is definitely new and full of potential so I’ll give it that, but to tie it in to biblical stuff was just uncomfortable for me (and I’m not that religious or anything). Why did they have to make Iblis be “the devil” (like he could have just been an evil genie…?) I thought it was just kind of corny and immature. Just a lot of ways I felt this story could have been stronger I guess.

Anyway, I did enjoy watching this otherwise but I think in the end it will be rather forgettable.

Wow this drama. Okay, so…Kim Eun Sook (screen writer) is my fav and she’s definitely a Queen in the industry for a reason. I was really looking forward to this show, and in a lot of ways it did not disappoint. Paired with Kim Eun Sook’s entertaining story we’re absolutely stunning visuals, a beautiful and talented cast, hilarious A-list cameos, and just a debt of warmth I feel like is hard to find in many dramas.

But I will get in to some of the aspects I found disappointing in the spoiler-y comment bellow.

Overall it was worth a watch and the chemistry was good (I wouldn’t say it was *fire* but there was some heat).

Now, let’s get in to it!

I’m just saying the drama lead me to believe, in multiple different ways, that he had a good relationship with her and he very suddenly, seemingly without reason—other than his interest in Ji Young (as he did not know of her intentions or her relationship with his uncle)—cut her out and it came across as icky to me. If you didn’t think so then that is okay.

my AI comment was just meant to mean that I felt like the quality of the writing was as I’d expect for AI 😅it felt very hallow and cliche to me, just not my cup of tea but good to hear they at least stuck close to the webtoon, since drama productions rarely do 😊

*did not

oh I did think AI was used for the production, I meant for the writing haha

When he returns to the palace with Ji Yong for the first time he runs to Mok-ju and gives her a hug. They affectionately share smiles and words. Also it is mentioned a few times by others that Mok-Ju is his favorite consort and that he only listens to her so I have to disagree.

I don’t exactly get the hype. It wasn’t the worst drama ever by any means but I didn’t think there was anything special here. Mediocre storytelling (that honestly made me question the possible use of AI?), lack of chemistry, ridiculousness that didn’t come across as funny or however it was intended…just no. Although they lacked any sort of chemistry the leads were at least sweet I suppose but I did not find Yi Heon charming at all and questioned his ability to so easily discard one love interest for another (at least the drama made it seem like he was smitten with—or at the very least LIKED—Mok Ju and then just tossed her aside as he became interested in Ji Yeon. Yes, she’s conniving and evil but he didn’t know that yet…? Just felt icky). I honesty regret sticking it out for that ending too. Like why. So many eye rolls. Dusting my hands of this one.

It’s cute and has some really sweet, touching, and funny moments. But there is a lot of filler and some plot holes that kinda diminished its potential. My husband was watching this with me and he dropped it because he got bored. I wanted to finish it but also had a hard time, especially with the last episode. I wasn’t really a fan of the way the ending played out either. All in all it was just okay.

Interesting twists. I’m not a horror fan at all but my husband was watching this and I was intrigued haha. It’s not as scary as you think! Worth a watch.