Rating: 2.999 out of 5 stars
Re-watch value: 2 out of 5 stars
Synopsis
*partially taken from Dramafever*
Also known as Moon Lovers – Scarlet Heart: Ryeo, the drama is based on the Chinese novel Bu Bu Jing Xin by Tong Hua, which also inspired the 2011 Chinese hit Scarlet Heart starring Cecilia Liu and Nicky Wu. The drama is directed by Kim Kyu Tae, whose previous work includes It’s Okay, That’s Love, and was adapted for the screen by Jo Yoon Young, also known for Cinderella Man. Lee Joon Ki (Arang and the Magistrate) and Lee “IU” Ji Eun (Dream High) star in a dangerous romance across time.
Hae Soo (IU) is a 21st century woman who gets caught in a solar eclipse and is transported to the Goryeo Dynasty, which ruled Korea from the 10th century for nearly 500 years. Suddenly, Hae Soo finds herself in the royal palace, where she comes across Fourth Prince Wang So (Lee Joon Ki). A man as feared as he is handsome, Wang So is based on the real-life fourth king of the Goryeo Dynasty and makes others tremble but wins over Hae Soo’s heart. However, he is not the only one in the palace with eyes on the throne, and a political battle of deception, secrecy, and lies ensues between Wang So and all the other princes. Adding to the drama are Eighth Prince Wang Wook (Heirs star Kang Ha Neul), who is less than willing to wait in line behind seven other members of the royal family, and Third Prince Wang Yo (Beloved alum Hong Jong Hyun), whose right to the crown actually precedes Wang So’s.
Rambling
*beware of spoilers*
I started this having no knowledge of the original Scarlet Heart C-drama. All I knew was that IU was time-traveling, and with dreamy costars left and right, she was going to be the envy of all. It’s already been a year since Ryeo aired, and I thought I’d flesh out my ~feelings~ on the thing.
Does no one know how to swim?
IU’s Hae Soo begins the show as a pitiful character, unhappy with her status in life. She promptly drowns inexplicably (I’m from Florida and it’s unfathomable to me when people don’t know how to swim), and then gets mysteriously and unceremoniously dumped into the body of a Goryeo dynasty maiden, who also happened to be drowning in a princes-only hot spring. I remember resisting the urge to roll my eyes at the absurdity and instead let the drama unfold.
Why is she so comfortable?
From the get-go, it seemed like Hae Soo was just too good at being stuck in the past. There seemed to be very little struggle adjusting to the old world customs, language, and everything else; she easily fit right in. In a comical convenience, Hae Soo just so happens to be skilled in making soaps and cosmetics from scratch, even recognizing all manner of herbs and flowers as well as their applications. ::record scratch:: Um, I know she was a depressed cosmetic counter girl, but BULL SHIT.
The scar that looked like nothing from a certain angle
Joon-ki’s Wang-so was the outcast in society, made a pariah by his own mother who injured him as a child thus leaving him with a horrible scar…except the scar wasn’t that gruesome? For all the harping our characters did on the scar, it was a massive letdown to finally see it. It only made me question Korean beauty standards and royally upset that this was seemingly the crux of Wang-so’s dismissal. I was expecting Phantom of the Opera! The scar was so slight that Hae Soo simply covered it with make-up and it looked like nothing happened.
IU singing
Don’t get me wrong, IU has the voice of an angel, but did she have to sing and make every prince effectively fall for her? It, again, seemed too unbelievable.
Romance?
On that note, it was really irksome that almost every prince did fall in love with her.
We get two major players romancing the same girl. Hae Soo first loves Wook, but after he gets into muddy water trying to acquire more power so he can marry whom he wants (i.e., Hae Soo), she jumps ship to her second suitor, Wang-so. It seemed like the Wang-so romance was rushed? Or that the Wook chapter was too long? In any case, I couldn’t get behind either coupling.
What becomes the main romance between Hae Soo and Wang-so was at times sweet and other times seriously abusive. They had enough fodder for bittersweet flashbacks (of which there were plenty), but when all was said and done, they never got to reconcile or have a proper goodbye. She went from favorite concubine to hated ex-lover, yet nothing was ever resolved before she tragically died after giving birth to their daughter. There was legit no reason for Wang-so to ignore her letters, and there was legit no reason for his brother Jung to put his handwriting on them thus making Wang-so ignore her letters out of spite. Lazy, shoddy writing.
Once Hae Soo dies, she gets plopped right back into present-day, in her own body, with her life in Goryeo reduced to just a haunting dream. WHAT. A. COP-OUT. It was maddening to get an oblivious character after all that melodrama. I won’t even touch the Astronomer Choi conundrum (why he is a fellow time-traveler and ends up back in the future and not as a homeless man like we saw in episode 1, the world may never know).
Anyway, Hae Soo ends up realizing that her visions are really flashbacks of a life she lived before and a love she forgot. Through the Goryeo paintings that come alive when she looks at them (more unexplained phenomena, of course), we see Wang-so left alone as what’s left of his family leaves the palace. “If you and I are not of the same world,” he thinks, “then I will find you, my Su-ya.”
EXCEPT HE NEVER DOES. We get gypped again because this shit storm ends with a flashback to better times and Hae Soo never finds the present-day Wang-so (whose existence is strongly implied).
More unanswered questions and deaths
What happened to the girl who used to inhabit Hae Soo’s body?
Why does Hae Soo have premonitions about Wang-so becoming a tyrant king?
Why was this show all about the romance and then suddenly princes started dying left and right? Honestly, I was blindsided by all the bloodshed, and I am still dumbfounded by the stark difference between the first 14 episodes and the last 6 episodes. I mean, brother-against-brother is the way of succession in these sageuk dramas, but damn, they were stunningly happy at the beginning, enough to make the betrayals and deaths seem too nightmarish to be taken as the same show.
OST
Despite all the issues, this OST is strong as hell. “For You” by CHEN, BAEKHYUN, XIUMIN, and “Say Yes” by Loco, Punch are still feels-inducing faves.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvjWy4saR08&w=854&h=480
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GC8JF2FOgA&w=854&h=480
All in all, I wouldn’t go near this drama again. If I wanted to see any of our handsome princes, I’d rather just see them in one of their other better dramas than try my chances with this nonsensical mess.
Did you see Scarlet Heart: Ryeo? Tell me your thoughts in the comments below!
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