The acting was great. I enjoyed the plot. They covered a lot of different stories over a long time without making it feel like it was dragging on or gimicky. Scenes were complex and characters had time to fully blossom. I really enjoyed the main lead's acting. He played stern, silly and vulnerable masterfully. I really liked Deok Im's personality and the life she created for herself. The crux of the show revolved around why she didn't want to be the king's concubine. When she eventually agreed I felt it needed some context. Her original reasons for saying no didn't disappear and were seemingly confounded upon by a lot of inexcusable things he said and did over the years that he never apologized for. I couldn't understand how or why her character wanted to be with him after all that. Her acquiescence was also abruptly followed by a significant change in her personality. She became a clipped version of herself. She had all these thoughts and feelings she kept to herself and never shared with the king. I understood it to mean her decision to take this role was essentially her giving up on her life. It was heart-breaking to watch that what she always feared if she said yes, had indeed come to pass. She gave up her life to be with him... for as her character seemed to see it as- nothing. I have to say I was happy she died early so she could be released from this horrible prison sentence. I couldn't stand anymore of it.
The king loved her, as deeply and truly as may be possible, but he had no idea *how* to love her. He let her suffer again and again in the name of the kingdom. When he could have and should have put her first he took her for granted. I'm talking about the pregnancy announcement and Yeoung Hui sitch. He knew she had no more choices after he slept with her. I wished she could run away or end things on her own terms. In the end, years after she died he still didn't understand her or what their relationship meant for her. He didn't acknowledge that he'd sequestered her from so many people who loved her or how he never thought to look after the ones she loved or even how he never tried to make her happy if it wasn't at his convenience. She was happy to spend time with him but he only spent time with her because it made *him* happy. She had all these talents and intellect and he never tried to open up an avenue for her to use them. Despite what Geung Hui said, I think when Deok Im asked the king to ignore her in their next life she meant it. He destroyed her life for his own desire and never acknowledged it. It's hard to believe he was such a good king to essentially strangers when he had terrible relationships with all those close to him. I think the saddest part of this whole story wasn't any of the deaths, rather the king's belief that he could love or did love differently from his grandfather.

Anyway, long story short, the drama clearly captivated me. If you like longer historical dramas this might be for you. If you're looking for romance or happy endings I'd swipe left.