Plot goes downhill after the first few episodes

Honestly, I loved the first couple of episodes, and drama showed so much potential in terms of character development. The chemistry between the leads was promising too. However, after the first few episodes, the plot became extremely lackluster. The same problems were rehashed again and again, and resolved with no character development from our leads. Perhaps the only character who seemed to have developed is Hye Jun, while Jung Ha and the rest were relegated to the sidelines.

I did find the resolution between father and son at the end to be sweet though. But it was too little too late; they could have done away with 90% of the father's shouting and it would have made no difference to the plot. And Hye Hyo's pining for Jung Ha just really didn't sit right with me, not only because she's attached but she's your best friend's girl??? Come on, man. That plot line was dragged out with no resolution too.

Park Bo Gum honestly carried the whole show for me. He's the only reason I continued watching the damn thing TILL THE END even after such poor writing omg. The varied roles really showcased just how good of an actor he is. And Park So Dam's talents were so underutilized!! JUSTICE FOR HER PLEASE. And may they pick better scripts next time. :')

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Great acting

This is the first kdrama I’ve binged in awhile. I felt like there was a good balance between comedic fillers, fluffy moments between the leads, and politics. Most sageuks tend to lean more heavily towards political stuff during the second half (which I find kinda tedious to watch), but this show didn’t go too far down that route, which I appreciate.

What I loved most about the show was the sense of community amongst the villagers. They ate together, laughed together, shared their heartaches with one another; most of all, they tried to make the most out of their hardships despite being oppressed and mistreated by those in the upper echelons of society. Although they initially made fun of Won Deuk for his pompous attitude and his lack of knowledge about the tasks villagers were expected to do, seeing them gradually warm up to him (and him to them) was very very endearing.

I also like that the romance progression felt really natural. I’m glad that they were given a chance to get to know each other as adults and fall for each other again (without knowing about the childhood connection)!!! I did find the lingering feelings over childhood love a little too far-fetched, but then again that’s practically a kdrama staple lol. Everybody’s pining over their childhood crush from 20 years ago and no one bats an eye lmao.

ALSO, everyone’s acting was so good! D.O.’s acting really exceeded my expectations, even after reading many rave reviews about it. I loved that he managed to portray a very imposing sense of authority, through his constant poker face and the iconic line ‘this makes me feel uncomfortable’. Nam Ji Hyun’s comedic timing was great too, and her chemistry with D.O. was very cute!! Special shoutout to Jo Sung Ha for making Lord Kim such a hateable character. Every time he appeared on screen I wanted to punch him in the neck. Hated his character in Save Me as well. Tis the mark of a true actor.

Lastly, the background instrumentals were super lovely too. They complemented all the scenes really well.

Although there were definitely some slow moments and the amnesia plot line dragged on for a little too long, I think the chemistry between characters and the acting really made up for that. I did feel like the ending was a little rushed tho! Would’ve loved to see more cute moments between the leads and more severe punishment for Lord Kim but oh well :’)

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Kim Seon Ho hard carry

I can’t tell if it’s because I took a 2 week break from this show to study for finals, or because the writing quality dipped in the second half, but I lost interest around episode 10 (when the truth was revealed).

I was hooked on this show in the beginning. The writing felt fresh and nuanced, the characters were three-dimensional and character development seemed promising, the relationships were genuine; I felt less certain about these aspects of the show towards the end.

Han Ji Pyeong was introduced as a rather tragic character, isolated and orphaned, with Dal Mi’s grandma as his only source of support. Although I loved Kim Seon Ho’s acting, I can’t help but feel that his character was shortchanged in terms of development. All HJP did was pine over DM, even after 3 years??? Like tbh what was that time skip even for lmao.... what did it accomplish other than the characters hairstyles changing like??? What a waste of time. I feel like it would’ve been better writing had HJP and DM been given a chance to date and realise that they didn’t match each other well or something. At least then it would’ve made sense for the Dal Mi-Do San relationship.

And don’t even get me started on Do San and Dal Mi.... I feel like they were way too optimistic about everything, and everything seemed to go their way to the point that it seemed absurd and unrealistic.

Ok rant over. I don’t dislike the show, I just feel like they could have done sooo much more with the characters, but they didn’t.

I do feel like the acting was great though, and I’m glad Kim Seon Ho is getting the recognition he deserves!! (My mans got a male lead offer?? No choice but to stan). The relationship between HJP and grandma was also incredibly sweet and touching, shoutout to Kim Hae Sook for her acting as well! And I loved the bromance between our samsan bros too :)

All in all, I don’t regret watching this, just maybe the last 5 eps lol

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