I know there are a lot of people who hate the conflict phase of a romcom, but I am not one of them. As long as it's real conflict that makes sense for the plot and the characters, which this episode finally introduces. I love that this entire episode was devoted to Seori/Danshim's conflict that they also addressed in earlier episodes, in that she's determined not to fall in love because she's afraid that her vulnerability will turn her into a victim. We have other dramas where our protagonists often say "I don't want to fall in love because I'm afraid of getting hurt", but I love that Seori/Danshim goes deeper: not only is she afraid of pain, but she's already well-aware of how it feels to have absolutely no agency in her life and from those around her. Every time she thinks she can love, she is painfully reminded that her circumstances won't allow it. And so, when Mo Tae Hui tells her that she has nothing to give to Segye, those words prick both her heart and her dignity, which we know is very important to Seori/Danshim.This was her episode and her moment to explore. Previously, we've seen her embrace her new chance at life and all the opportunities the world can give her, but now she's realized that the drawback of having a "new chance at life" is that this new chance was given to her, and not earned. She has a loving grandma who isn't really her grandma. She has a name that's not hers, and a celebrated birthday on a day she doesn't recognize. She doesn't have anyone who she can really confide in besides Segye, and only when she's slightly tipsy enough to let her guard down. She does have feelings for Segye, but his aunt and Mo Tae Hui was a bitter reminder that even in this life, she's seen as someone as "low class".And that's why I think her realization and the final scene works so well. Only at her lowest point, can she finally grasp at something she desires. I love how she embraced those feelings not from Segye constantly chasing after her, but because of his kind words. That even if she caused him pain, she still deserves happiness. And also, her being the only one who knows the truth of his scandal empowered her to make a choice no one else could (or would!!!) make. Because the fact of the matter is that Segye really has all the resources to make a story like that go away, but no one in his family would ever make that move in order to save him. Which makes it especially poignant that Seori/Danshim is the one who tries, despite having nothing to ensure their victory together. Because in her words, she'll be happy even if they fall to ruin, as long as they're together.
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Whew, okay, we have finally reached the point where Danshim's past and her present in the future have finally collided. Personally, does it feel a little unnatural for it to be revealed via Segye's dreams? Kind of, but not really? They established his dreams from the first two episodes and then used his medication to put it to the wayside. Honestly, the reveal had to have come from him, because there was absolutely no way Danshim would have admitted that part of her past to him. And instead of wasting more episodes on Danshim never telling him that she's really time slipped from the past, the narrative instead forces her to confront it via Segye. Which works for the plot! Because at the end of the day, this is a fantasy romcom. You can't build stakes in the past and not have it acknowledged in the present.Our villain side characters are doing well in providing conflict. They do just enough to hinder and annoy, but it never feels like either Segye or Danshim loses out to them. Throughout it all, our protagonists maintain their dignity in every interaction, which is what i like most about them. Is it annoying as hell? Yeah!!! But would the story be as interesting without them? Absolutely not.Seeing as we only have six (!!) more episodes to go, I am genuinely curious to see how the villains will step up their villainy, and how long it will take for Segye to believe Danshim wholeheartedly about her past. He's only ever seen her as a modern woman who's into method acting, so I'm looking forward to see how he deals with her complete and total truth.
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For both his past and present versions! I liked how we got a little more backstory on Se-gye, and once again his chemistry with Seo-ri is excellent. They are so funny together. It's the classic asshole trying to come to terms with feeling real human emotions for someone he should dislike on principle, except he can't for some reason, which is a trope that I'll always enjoy when it's done well and My Royal Nemesis is doing just that. I do enjoy sageuk very much, so I'm into the brief snippets of Consort Kang's past as well. I'm also enjoying Jang Seung Jo in this role. I was wondering if he'd just play a sort of two-faced hypocrite to our two main leads the whole drama through, so I was pleasantly surprised when he dropped his facade with Se-gye and spoke to him so aggressively. It's a pretty good way of portraying their dynamic: that not only does Mun-do try and manipulate everyone around him, he also doesn't see the need to put up that false front with Se-gye, which means he is someone he thinks very little of. (And yet, is clearly still threatened by, which I think Se-gye knows too.) They have excellent chemistry together as well, so I'm looking forward to more of their scenes together.I'm intrigued by the pivot into entertainment/Consort Kang deciding to become an actress to respect the prior owner of her current body, aka Seo-ri. I suppose it's a good way for the story to try and address the age old "what happens to the previous soul when the transmigrator takes over", by having the original owner hover over the narrative. It also gives more meaning to Consort Kang's motivations, besides just trying to find a new life to live. Our Consort Kang / Shin Seo-ri's enemy is in the past, while Se-gye's is very much in the present. So far, Seo-ri is trying to overcome just about everything: her new circumstances means that the world itself is her opponent to be conquered. She has people she's wary of, but no real enemies as of now. I'm very excited to see how that changes in the future and how her and Se-gye ally (or not!) with one another to fight back.
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I think this drama is more of a call back to the classic 2000s/2010s era of romcom kdramas, so if you enjoyed those shows back then, then you'd probably enjoy this one. I like how the story and characters stand strong despite the lack of the glossy budget and high-profile names. It may not be as beautifully shot as the currently airing Perfect Crown, but it's entertaining and straightforward. The stakes are established from the start and the characters are interesting by themselves and when they're put together.I'm curious as to how far they'll lean into the fantasy element of the show, like the whole past lives bit for Se-gye and possibly Mun-do? But it is refreshing to have a time-displaced character who isn't trying to return to her original timeline, unlike the other more recent time travel shows like Yoona's Bon Appetit. Seo-ri/Dan-shim takes her circumstances head-on in her new life, and I feel like the audience can relate to her struggles in a capitalist society and also feel charmed by her awe at how easy modern life can be. It doesn't feel like the show is pushing an agenda down your throat about the ~charms of the modern age~ and instead lets us look at the world through Seo-ri's eyes.
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Fast-paced, entertaining, and a solid set-up for both of our lead characters: Shin Seo-ri and Cha Se-gye (whose names put together mean A New World aka Shin Se Gye, which I think is cute). Se-gye reminds me of the classic kdrama chaebol trope. He's violent, ill-tempered, and spoiled, but he's also capable at his job, and his stunned reaction to Consort Kang humanized him just enough to make him fairly entertaining to watch. We know just enough of Consort Kang to really feel for her throughout the episode, but there's a lot to her past that I'm still interested in seeing. Clearly, the show is trying to portray her as a misunderstood villain rather than an all out villainess, and while that may be disappointing to some people, I think she still has all the likable qualities of a villainess: unafraid to speak her mind, stubborn in getting what she wants, and uncaring of anyone else's opinion of her.I laughed at the reference to the "how to date a chaebol" trend that went viral on Korean SNS a while ago. I think the humor thus far is landing pretty well, thanks to both Lim Ji-yeon and Heo Nam Jun, and I'm looking forward to how their chemistry and scenes go from here.
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imagine letting scenes just breathe? and without cramming in random dubstep cgi anime fights??? also genuinely they need to give more to jjy because this constant back and forth with chi wen being ji ling or not is not it. give our fox girl something to actually chew on. why is it episode 17 and this couple is still stuck on whether or not he's ji ling???it's the way they got way more screen time during the illusion arc but wu wang yan and wu shi guang's story line still hits harder because they had more to work with despite not having as much time.
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imagine if they hinted at or referred to time travel even once in the earlier episodes. or at least have some kind of heavy emphasis on time. maybe then this random time travel plot point wouldn't feel so shoehorned in. im sorry chang hua sen you're great at your job but this han ba story line was by far the weakest (prob bc u only lived for like 2?? 3 episodes compared to the other two demons in the earlier arcs).
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i am laughing at how segye got his permanent hair upgrade for this last episode. also why did netlfix translate this last episode title as my royal nemesis... it doesn't make sense.... yes it's how they translated the title of the show but i wish they gave a literal translation for the last episode title.this series really shines due to the strength of im ji yeon and heo nam jun as our main couple. they truly make the show. overall, the last episode was quite satisfactory. i mean if you think about the whole past part too hard then there will DEFINITELY be bumps, but it served its purpose for the story, which is to wrap up the joseon era completely. also gurl it's like 3 am and i'm simply floating on the sweetness of this finale. our side characters got a few nods. our villain got his comeuppance. if the end felt too sweet then that's chiefly because this is a romcom. it would be a whole different story if the genre was melo or tragedy. luckily for us, the romcom pulled through in the end.
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gurl what!!! the way i was wondering during the beginning of the episode where exactly this one and the next one will take us!!! i'm glad for the joseon era callback. i was afraid that it would be tied up once seori realized who she really was because why else would she have any reason to go back or think of the joseon era and then the writer hits us with this!! diabolical but i obviously don't hate it.this episode was a lot better than ep 12 in terms of pacing and things happening and our couple getting both sweet and somber moments. i am a little confused at how easily they wrapped up mo tae-hee's purpose. i mean it's not like she ever had real feelings for him which was obvious from how she saw him as a status symbol/means to an end, so getting even more profit from a simple partnership with him vs having to marry a guy who doesn't even like you... it makes sense but i think we could have done a little more there.the aunts getting dust made me laugh like. i am glad that segye didn't give them the time of the day because in terms of usefulness they have absolutely zero to offer him. which goes back to segye's mindset that he only thinks of people in terms of allies or enemies. mo tae hee might have pissed him off earlier but she's useful and resourceful. his aunts just have shoddy business ability AND scandals.i liked the juxtaposition between segye's grandfather and seori's grandmother. they both care for their grandchildren, and they both went in such different ways to express that affection. segye's grandfather being pissed off that segye refuses to come to heel and then takes out his anger in ways that even he and mun-do acknowledge were messed up vs seori's grandmother who took seori in and raised her with all the love and care in the world. AND did the same to danshim presumably while danshim was in seori's body. speaking of danshim, i wonder if the hint of the past that hte shaman saw means that danshim will go back and live a life she likes aka being a peddler? that is i'm sure danshim will come up at some point, though hopefully not a major part of the finale. anyway im seated and excited to see how this ends. my god.
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If anything I think this drama is very good at endings. The cliffhangers never feel too much or confusingly head-scratchy. I think the ending with Seori realizing who she is made up for what could have been a lackluster episode. The thing is, this episode is still pretty well-paced and written, but since we've had such good episodes prior, it falls flat in comparison. Like in any other drama it would be one of the best, but in this one it feels a lot like an interlude meant to stretch out the plot. Which is a shame, considering the drama itself only has 14 episodes. Still, the highlights of this episode definitely were Seori and her grandmother. It's a good way to tie in their emotional relationship after the many scenes we've had with her grandmother gently encouraging her and caring for her. It may feel out of place for those primarily invested in our main couple. Still, if the prior episode was them stepping away from the mains to give a bit more time to our side characters, then this one focused mainly on her and her grandmother.There were hints throughout the series that Seori and Danshim were not a traditional body-swap. They did a pretty good job seeding in those hints, which is why I don't feel like this revelation came out of left field. I do wish now that I've finished episode 12 that we did stick with Seori being stuck in Joseon era for episode 11 instead. But I see why they chose not to do that if our Consort Kang has apparently always been Seori all along.We have so much to wrap up in these last two episodes. The whole Joseon era thing, Seori's two-faced actress friend, Choi Mundo, Mun Taehee as well to an extent, and also the grandfather who's also putting in a little acting time himself. It does feel a little contrived to have the grandfather step in from the shadows to help with the Mun-do situation when it should be Se-gye dealing with it himself but WHO KNOWS. I don't particularly enjoy the office politics part at this part because Seori is so removed from the situation. I mean she always has been and that's one of the reasons why she feels insecure when Mo Tae-hee pointed that out, so it makes SENSE but do I like it? No. Overall, this episode was a bit of a bump in the road but not one I actually dislike.
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I really did think that we would spend a whole episode with Dan-shim in Joseon before we got her to wake up again in the modern world, but I don't hate that she woke up early. Instead of the main conflict being her stuck in Joseon, she instead has to deal with returning at any second. I like that plot point a lot in terms of angst potential.This episode was spent more on our side characters, though at no point did I feel like our main couple was getting jilted from screen time. When your main pairing is so strong in terms of chemistry and relevance to the story... I think a lot of dramas should take note of this, especially those with side characters that eventually distract or even dominate the plot. Here, everyone serves a purpose, and I actually liked seeing our sides get a little more time. The beauty of a romcom is that it hinges on the chemistry of the entire cast, especially for a drama that's prioritized comedy so heavily throughout the show. You can't just have two people being funny. You need strong chemistry with everyone in order to make the jokes land, and that's accomplished with the writing and directing choices made when it comes to our side characters.It is very funny that Seori/Danshim and the grandfather have recovered already from the truck of doom but then again the truck of doom is a plot device solely meant to throw Seori/Danshim back into the Joseon era. We don't need anymore big contrived scares now that we've established that she can go back at any time. It's scary enough just knowing she can disappear! We've got confirmation too that Seori and Danshim are actually one person, what with Danshim suddenly remembering Seori's past -- something she did not have knowledge of in all the episodes prior. I do like that twist more than two souls in one body, because the show has not spent enough time to make the latter meaningful, so it's better that we find out that Seori and Danshim have always been one.
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wow it's been a while since i've seen the white truck of doomi will have to say that props to this episode for making me want to keep watching just to find out what the hell is going to happen next!!!! nothing about this episode really comes as a surprise because we as the audience KNOW that mun-do was going to do something to keep his position at the company. but there was a half-second where i wondered if he would after we had that moment with him and his son. but of course he can have that soft moment and then turn around and attempt to kill his uncle. i figured that he would attack the grandmother first but then again he really doesn't have to because shin seori and her grandma pose absolutely no threat to him whatsoever.i felt that the scene with the grandfather and dan-shim was very poignant. him saying that he doesn't want two lonely people together because he thinks segye deserves more hurt, especially for danshim to hear. once again she was confronted with the reality of her situation. and not only that but who she is as a person. her fight with segye was so good in that it showed that both of them have problems! segye for blowing his top and danshim for her pride! the way she can't bend to him and apologize to him because her first reaction is to always defend herself is very realistic and shows how flawed she is a person! love may have softened her and segye, but it did not change them as people, which i like about their romance.of course i was frustrated at some parts of this episode. like wdym segye doesn't think mundo would kill him for real after the two attempts on his life? listen you can be grateful that your cousin saved your grandfather and also believe that he would still absolutely shank you in a back alley somewhere. and this may be the crux of why mundo has such a big problem with segye: in that he thinks he's immature and incapable of handling the business the way mundo can. obvs segye CAN handle it WITHOUT resorting to killing people but to mundo that's just weakness.we had a lot of callbacks to the comet hanging in the air as a reminder that this entire scenario IS a fantasy. segye mentioning how ridiculous it feels to him is the narrative yet again reminding us that our sweet romcom moments of the past 9 episodes were based on a miracle. and now it's time for both our protagonists and us as the audience to wake up. i do prefer this over a neatly bow-wrapped ending of segye and danshim triumphing off to their happy ending. i mean i do want them to get their happy ending but i don't mind if they have to work a little bit more at it tbh
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alright WHEW we are finally heading into our emotional stakes hours and i for one am so glad that we're doing this in ep 9/10 instead of leaving it to the last minute. not crazy about how our villains are being fleshed out, which might be a strange thing to say. idk i was perfectly fine with them just being very ambitious. they had motivations and that was enough for me but i guess since the whole premise of this drama involves "villains" with quotation marks i don't exactly HATE that we see mun-do anxious about his son or tae-hui having to deal with a critical parent. but also moving on --this is a conflict that we as the audience saw coming several episodes ago. it's not the same for our characters. how could have danshim predicted that her meetings with mundo would blow up in her face when just a few episodes ago she wasn't wholly committed to having a relationship with segye? she was still in the mindset of dealing with her own problems by herself. only now has she finally decided to let loose with her feelings, which i thought was a very sweet moment for her. that instead of mourning her past love with the prince, she instead resolves never to keep those feelings to herself again. as for segye, i felt that he absolutely deserved to blow up at danshim. he's been all-in for days now. he's demonstrated his affection time and time again. danshim doesn't owe him anything obviously but it must feel like a kick in the teeth to think that you've finally earned a part of her heart only to find out that she's still keeping something vital from you.usually a drama would spend an episode after dwelling on these hurt feelings. what i like about danshim and segye is that despite all that hurt, they are still drawn to each other. segye putting his head on her shoulder instead of walking away after his outburst shows the depth of his feelings. danshim finally deciding to open her heart to him also shows hers. mundo is also finally stepping up in his villain capacity to do some real damage, which we need in a story like this. all of these plot beats have been done before. they are predictable!!! that's what romcoms are! they take these tropes and package them all over again for our entertainment. i'm not looking for fresh and new in this genre known for its traditions. i'm just looking for a story with a romance i can root for and this what my royal nemesis is giving me.
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the way we're moving out of the capital just as the political stuff gets interesting... i think the drama is on more solid footing after these seven episodes, especially with the onslaught of information and events they bombard you with in the beginning. better to find their footing later rather than never tbh. but i am looking forward to chu zhao when she's away from the court. i think her clever mind shines most when she's not restricted by court machinations, so i'd like to see how she does when she's out on her own in yunzhong and with xie yanlai. i think chu zhao's strongest trait is her desire to survive at all costs, so I'm curious to see how it will be tested in a different setting/environment.her father is clearly her most important emotional anchor so it'd be good to have her see him again too. we've seen chu zhao desperate, afraid, ambitious, motherly, and cunning. she's been vulnerable with xie yanlai for a few brief moments, but i'd like to see her let her guard down completely around her father.
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Less frenetic pace-wise compared the last five eps, which is fine. I liked that we got to sit in Jeju Island with our two leads, and as always, their chemistry is very good. We're also getting more movement from our villain(s), who seem to also include Mo Tae-Hui aka Se-gye's blind date. I do like how he's already figured her out. I also like how he already knows that Mun-do is the one behind all these schemes. Usually, the villains are just annoying caricatures or extremely incompetent at their villainy, so Mun-do actually being very efficient at his evil-doing AND also known to the main leads is what makes the conflict actually work in terms of the drama. As for our leads themselves, I think this small interlude before that final kiss scene at the end works for their relationship. I was afraid that they'd get together very fast and then have their relationship contested, so I like how it's more of a slow pace (at least towards Seori's end).
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