I Refuse to Believe Beak Mi Kyung Wrote This

I can not stress this enough, quit while you're ahead. The story at first seems promising, but the added side quests, stupid character choices, and lack of having the ML & FL in the same room for more than 5 minutes doomed this to be the worst show I completed in 2023.
There is entire side quest with a homeless couple that goes nowhere. They dont stay close with any other member of the cast & break up after both receiving money from FL's mother for helping her.
The fake daughter had so much potential for storyline, but they fridged her in the end.
The FL had more screen time with the villain of the show as he was her boss and in closer proximity to the FL. Having her stay in the ML's apartment could have been a way to have them interact more, but he's almost never there when she is. They never take the time to flesh out the FL's feeling when it comes to her relationship to ANYONE. She has a long lost TWIN brother...has dinner with him 2 or 3 times.
I figured out who the "big bad" was during the first episode they appear.
If they wanted a story for 16 episodes instead of 20 like the previous series, they should have cut the fat. The uncle storyline wasnt necessary in the least. Why are we having multiple scenes with a doctor we never see again, and why do we need him to learn more about the secretary/anchor woman? Answer...we dont.
As a final note to end on...what senior detective, not just a cop but SENIOR DRUG DETECTIVE, touches an unknown substance that is known to KILL people with their bare hands and then proceed to stick the drug covered finger IN THEIR MOUTH! When the supposed smartest person in the room is too stupid to live I should have known to cut bait.

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Sisterhood and Brotherhood above all else

This show is very much a life drama about a family of young lords and the woman that go on to shape who they are as men. Every single female character is a whole human, with her own feelings, emotions, ambitions, thoughts, and plans. They aren't all the same nor do they want to be. They all help and uplift each other throughout the story. There are both male and female villains, some that get redemption and some that don't. There are gray characters that float between. Each personal feels like an actual person. The responses to conflict and misunderstandings feel real and earned. The love stories sprinkled in are strong and healthy depictions of what a balanced and mutually respectful relationship should look like. They also show you the bad side of toxic and one-sided relationships, and how just because you got yourself into a bad place doesn't mean you can't also get yourself out. Everyone deserves respect from their spouse.
Just the sisterhood alone with all of the young lords' wives and concubines is worth the watch. Very progressive in their storytelling in a fictionalized country. When 7th's wife feels nervous and unsure about herself because she is slower to do things, every single one of the women around her validates her and complements her on her care and attention. When the 2nd Crown Lord shows his true colors the women band together to help their friend Hao Jia. His wife even plays one of the largest roles in getting Hao Jia and herself out of a horrible situation. And with that storyline Yin Zheng(6th) gets closer to his own mother after realizing she was struggling with a similar situation as Hao Jia was.
But the best relationship is that of the 6th Lord's wife(Yuan Ying-Jin State's Princess) and side wife(Li Wei- FL). There are like true sisters. The Jin Princess immediately takes Li Wei under her wing and trains her to become the lady of a royal household and partner to Yin Zheng(6th lord). Yuan Ying becomes like a sister to both Yin Zheng and Li Wei, and they all share a bond that could never be broken. She becomes one of their fiercest allies.
The understanding and refusal of Yuan Ying to cause any misunderstandings between Li Wei and Yin Zheng is peak supporting female character energy.
We have a simple girl who has the protentional and drive to make great change.
A warrior princesses trying to find her happiness.
A woman who doesn't want to follow in her mother's footsteps. And though she miscalculates finds her feet again.
A princesses who is smarter than all the men and knows it.
A group of women who band together against their trying husband, and protect and care for each other as they fight for there individual wants and needs.
A kind and quiet girl, who just would rather be left alone, if that's okay, who finds her other half.

I could go on and on, because the characters are all great fully fleshed out. But just know that it's worth the watch. Even though it's 40episodes there are enough smaller story arcs that start and end every few episodes that keeps the momentum of the story going. You will laugh, cry. and kick your feet from this slow-burn romantic life drama.

PS: We don't see him much, but I have a soft spot for the 9th little lord as his is just like his sisters-in-law...and that punch in ep40....bravo.

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Flash Over Substance

I was originally just going to write a comment but it got out of hand so...full review it is.

The show started off somewhat interesting, but they didn't really bring anything new to the table. We've seen this done multiple times already in Korea, as well as in other international Netflix properties...and better.

Having multiple actors who were in SKYCastle made it all the more obvious how bad the pacing and writing was in this show. I can see what they wanted to do, and I'm okay with watching shows with similar plots and tropes, but not when the writing is lackluster and the acting is...missing something.

Lee Chae Min(Kang Ha) and Lee Won Jung(Lee Woo Jin) were the only actors amongst the younger cast that I believed and saw the subtle emotions they tried to get across. Chae Min studied acting and it shows. Even though he's only been active since 2020 he has a confidence in front of the camera that is important for a lead actor. The was an insecurity showing from Kim Jae Won that I didn't really understand.

TBH the reason I wanted to see this show in the first place was because of the lead actress Roh Jeong Eui and after watching her performance...I have some questions. Where the hell did her extremely prominent dimples go? Why do actresses keep get tweakments RIGHT BEFORE shooting a drama where they need to be able to emote? Her smiles seemed forced and unnatural for most of her scenes with Kim Ra In. There was no connection between their characters. And I don't know what it is about Kim Jae Won's eyes, but it's giving 'no thoughts, head empty'. She's been acting for over a decade, and I really want to know what happened here...was it her...was it the director? Other than what I've already said I'm not sure what went wrong with this performance. It feels like they said "your character has no personality so just stand there and don't smile, don't show any emotion"

Okay, let me put this in a way that you can understand why I'm a bit harsh with the emoting and chemistry. If you've seen the show Maxton Hall recently you might have seen the lead actor talking about how he'll go over a script and see what lines could be omitted and just be expressed through a look instead. The LOOKS that the entire cast give in that show...you can practically hear their internal thoughts/struggles.

There is a way to express cold and standoffish without giving statue and dead eyes. The reason I was drawn more to Kang Ha as a character was because he had those looks down. He had his mask side, and his true self. He had emotions that spanned more than just happy and disinterested. There were thoughts in his head that the audience could interpret. Same with Woo Jin, best example, when he realizes what he's done in bringing about the unhappiness of the girl he likes and his best friend.

I'll give it to the make-up/wardrobe department for doing the work towards the end to soften the characters. The different make-up techniques on the girls were noticed.
Using Prada for the FL is smart in that it is extremely structured and angled, but simple, classic and understated. *snaps*
I just wish we could have gotten a few more "relaxed" versions of the characters. There was a lot of what I like to call "over produced" scenes that should have been more intimate. We really didn't need the Michael Bay level break up scene...I swear I was waiting for an explosion to go off as she walked away. A lot of the cinematography was flash over substance imo. It's one of the things I notice the most in any production. A lot of the show felt more like an ott music video(which is how Michael Bay got his start as a director) than an actual human story.

We also never got to really see Kang Ha's personal space. Everyone else's rooms were over the top or cold and impersonal. It just all felt so...fake. I know that that was the intent for some of the set design, but there was little to no contrast and it all just felt the same person decorated multiple locations. The only space that sort of showed the personality of any of the characters was Woo Jin's studio.
We should have been shown a home at some point, what we got were show rooms.

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