Argh this drama is such a mess that I don't even know where to begin. First of all, the story is incredibly disappointing: predictable, filled with plot holes, conveniently lucky at times to save the protagonist, and overall filled with frustrating pacing. The characters that began with promise quickly lost their luster, with probably only Hwa Gun becoming an actually well-written character by the end. Yoo Seung Ho is an outstanding actor with both talent and heart-melting looks, but his character is inconsistent, annoying, and stuck in a plot that doesn't seem to go anywhere until the end. Same with Kim So Hyun- I absolutely adore her in her previous works, but Ga Eun is written so blandly that I really could retain interest in her. As for L (Myung Soo), he actually exceeded all expectations in his performance, but again- his character had many inconsistencies in writing to be of interest. THE SOLE REASON FOR WATCHING THIS would have to be Hwa Gun. Now, Yoon So Hee isn't the greatest actress out there- she does need some work on her annunciation and just more experience in general. However, she did a great job as Hwa Gun and certainly improved from her past roles. It seems that all of the character development that was supposed to happen to everyone else just poured into her instead. Solidly written and developed, Hwa Gun is a character balanced in virtues and flaws who becomes vital to both the story and the audiences attention. One of my all-time favorite characters. Dae Mok began as an interesting villain, but quickly fell into the category of antagonists that I like to call "Fire Lord Ozais". [Note: If you've seen Avatar: The Last Airbender, you'd know that the overarching villain is Fire Lord Ozai. However, throughout most of the story, Princess Azula is the truer and much better antagonist with clear complexities and motivations, reducing Ozai to more of a figurehead.] Dae Mok does get some backstory, but it's vague and undeveloped, making him a simplified figure of evil that our boringly righteous protagonists may fight with. There may be solid actors in this drama, but not even they can save poor writing. The music was amazing, but it's not particularly memorable nor surprising for a high budget sageuk. If you enjoy overly dramatic sageuks with actors that are easy on the eyes, go for it if you have 20 hours to spare.