This is one of those rare gems with the great combo of high entertainment value and high quality good drama, easy to binge, easy to scream, infuriating and heart fluttering all at once.

Honestly I kept jumping between the emotions: "ooohhh they are soooo cute" and "KILL THEM ALL" and experienced everything in-between...

A while back I wrote an article called: Crossdressing in K-dramas: Revealing Inequality or Just Another Punchline
(link in the comments). And people kept mentioning this in the comment section making me very cureus.

This drama is THE clearest case of revealing in-equality and definitely not just another punchline and it does not even cross the line to homophobia, than many of these dramas otherwise balance.

this shows clearly how little women and well anything outside the norm were (are) valued in the past, as well as clearly show the real villain and complexity to the hunger for power... What people would wan tthat power for is a different question....

It has several great portrayals of friendship, a cute cat (but barely noticeable), butterflies (both in and outside ones stomach) flowers, scenery... found family... and a lot of blood and excitement, and a pretty ost. So really what is not to love? If you are not faint hearted and actually do appreciate historicals, that is... If you do not like historicals with all their regular power stuff then you will not like this either.

Oh and it has very few scenes with overly annoying characters at all! hateable, despicable, evil jerks yes!!! plenty but not those oh this is just stupid types that often come in to ruin stuff!

To be perfectly honest I was pondering whether to give this a 9,5 or 10 but landed on a 10... it is in no way perfect but tics enough boxes to earn that rating...