Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo #review

달의 연인-보보경심 려

Writer -  Tong Hua (novel), Jo Yoon young
Network -  SBS
Episodes -  20
Released -  Aug-Nov, 2016
Genre -  Historical period drama, Romance Film, Fantasy

Based on the Chinese novel Bu Bu Jing Xin by Tong Hua (originally published online in 2005 on Jinjiang Original Network). Chinese 2011 Hunan Broadcasting System (HBS) drama series Scarlet Heart.

PLOT

When a total eclipse of the sun takes place, Hae soo (IU) travels back to the Goryeo era (971). There, she falls in love with Wang So (Lee Joon gi) who makes other people tremble with fear. ~AsianWiki

CAST

REVIEW

Like it's reviews for all 20 episodes, my feelings were all over the place as well.

The reason I rated it higher than expected is because the actors (and probably director) worked extra hard to pull rabbits from hats in order to bump this thing up.

Unfortunately, it was the writing that killed it and not the acting.

Stellar casting, obvious on-set camaraderie, and a strange tale were its highlights.

Now, back to the writing.

Yeah, well...

WTF?

Not even this disclaimer worked to convince me this was in any way plausible, and the background music only made things worse.

Especially that one instance where they tossed in a rap ballad.

That's right, I said RAP ballad -- which was about as cringe-worthy a decision as subbers who like to ad-lib or use Brit speak.

Yeesh, what a mess.

Add to that the brainless decision to allow ANY of the princes to behave 21st century femme nearly had me throw in the towel.

The disclaimer aside, I think what hurt this most was the fact that the director and writer(s) chose to mess with history as opposed to going the Fantasy route and THEN sticking to more fact than fantasy.

If that makes any sense.

Time travel is fantasy, we get that.

History is history, and sure, it's interesting to put a spin on it or twist facts to coincide with theory or conjecture -- NOT rewriting it to make it feel more modern.

Things We're Not Supposed to Notice

Like, she's looking up at the stars one minute, and in the next, it begins to snow (clouds?) but the trees in the background are in lush, summer fullness.

The seasons were way off a majority of the time, which is a continuity thing and something I'm slowly giving up on the way I'm slow to give up on abhorrent subs.

IU did a good job, but the guy who really held this mess together should be awarded a Glue trophy.

The incest thing made my skin crawl even knowing it was a fact of life for royals the world over at one point in everyone's history.

The writer thought to tamp this one down by briefly and convolutedly explaining she wasn't actually anyone's daughter, but like everything else in this far-fetched bit of nonsense, it quickly fell by the wayside and she was back to claiming to be the king's only daughter and wanting desperately to become queen.

By marrying one of her 14 half-brothers.

Then there was this guy, 8th Prince Wang wook, her actual brother.

At the beginning, he's married to Hae soo's cousin, which is why Hae soo is at the palace after the strange time travel incident.

The woman dies (of course) while 8th P Wang wook is falling in love with Hae soo and vice versa.

After things fall apart for them, years pass, and overthrow conspiracies start to crop up amongst the brothers, we are forced to have to figure out and understand how this particular monarchy works.

Families being cast aside, names being wiped off the registry, etc.

If Madam Hae's family got the boot, wouldn't that mean Hae soo is in jeopardy? Yet, she remained in the palace throughout.

The only time she received punishment was after being falsely accused of murdering the king, which by ANY authority in any time period in any given nation would equate to DEATH.

And, sorry, but back in the day, if you got run through by a sword, your chances for survival ran anywhere from slim to none.

Dramatic, yes.

Believable, no.

A huge aspect of the plot surrounded our charming 4th Prince and his facial scar, which his own mother induced when he was a child.

WHY?

Why did the queen mother not like this child?

Why had she scarred him and not her other son?

Why had none of the other princes rallied 'round him?

Why was he sent to China as an abandoned heir?

How was it possible for a KING to lose power/control over a 2nd wife?

Very confusing and needed some time to flesh itself out so that us outsiders had a better handle on the situation.

I'm pretty sure the reason why brothers resort to assassination attempts is because royalty follow a strict SUCCESSION principle.

1st born automatically succeeds his father to the throne, and if something happens, 2nd born ascends, and if something happens to him, 3rd in line ascends and so on and so forth.

Picking and choosing based on astrological or otherwise signs wasn't the norm anywhere in the world's history.

A king decrees and his word is golden.

Once he's dead, sure, then all hell can break loose, but the succession rule still stands.

HOWEVER

And as mentioned earlier, because I stuck this one out for the duration, the show managed to pick itself up and work itself out to captivate me (and 2 billion others worldwide).

If you are like me and gave up, do yourself a favor and go back and try again, because believe me, you'll find it is worth a second chance.

It is so easy to maintain a stance on guys with long hair when watching a period drama!

Hot as hell :)

Second Lead Syndrome

Nope.

But, judging from the below image, I'd say IU is better off with Ha neul in reality and 4th Prince Wang so in the fantasy realm.

Lee Joon ki looks ten times more manly as the long haired brute he portrayed in Scarlet Heart than he does in reality, which is funny because of his age.

He's still a hot guy, though, 21st Century and in any Century.

Yet, 8th Prince somehow managed to maintain a Ken doll look while portraying a Prince, and in real life he's hella hot and nothing Ken doll!

Kang Ha neul and IU

The HEA

As with most Korean dramas that end the way this one did, I won't hold my breath in anticipation of a Part 2.

YES, I would love to see the modern-day version of these two having to duke it out with the other Princes -- but I don't see it happening, sadly.

Heck, I'm still waiting for Gumiho's sequel!

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Dr. Crush #review

Doctors / 닥터스

Genre -  Romance, comedy, drama, medical
Writer -  Ha Myung hee
Network -  SBS
Episodes -  20
Released -  June - August, 2016

CAST

PLOT

Yoo Hye jung (Park Shin hye) was a wayward girl in high school with a prickly, gangster personality. Childhood scars kept her heart closed towards others. She changes after moving in with her grandmother and meeting Hong Ji hong (Kim Rae won). They part ways but meet again after 13 years, when Yoo Hye jung becomes a doctor. ~Wiki w/edits

REVIEW

I'm being generous with the star rating for this one, and probably because of the actors involved as opposed to the story itself, which is what I'm most-often reviewing about -- but not this time.

And, it wasn't a horrible story, just not much in the way of a plot or purpose.

Well, okay, how about I admit to thinking that this is a worn out plot devise (revenge) taken to an extreme level.

Hye jung grew up hating her father, who wasn't there for her, and even less so after her mother died, so she becomes rebellious and vindictive to the point of being a bad-ass without the motorcycle and tattoos.

Then her father, who has remarried and is raising another daughter, kicks Hye jung out and sends her off to his mother.

Halmeoni owns a little boarding house/cafe, and she's a patient woman with a big heart who loves her granddaughter and wants what's best for her.

Hong Ji hong resides at this boarding house and also teaches science at the local high school for girls, where Hye jung stubbornly refuses to get along with anyone including him.

Eventually, she makes friends with two other girls, and one of them -- Jin Seo woo -- is your typical, stereotypical rich snob born into the lap of luxury because her father is a surgeon turned hospital CEO.

And, of course, her mother is a typical/stereotypical bitch housewife who doesn't receive an ounce of attention or affection from her husband, so she pours herself into her only child and lives her life vicariously through the stuck-up daughter.

Things go horribly wrong one night and Hye jung is about to take the fall after Seo woo blames her for the incident, but the other friend steps in and lands in jail.

Then halmeoni becomes ill and needs surgery.

The doctor turned CEO performs the operation and, again, things go terribly wrong and we lose the dear, sweet old lady through malpractice.

Thirteen years lapse and we see Hye jung, Seo woo, and Ji hong working at the same hospital in the same neurosurgery department.

Ji hong is there because his father is presently a co-founder.

Seo woo is there because of her father, of course.

And Hye jung is there to exact her revenge on Seo woo's appah.

She still hates everyone and is ruled entirely by vendetta, so it was difficult to see or understand, much less want her to become emotionally involved with anyone -- including Dr. Hong.

And that is where things get interesting, because as I mentioned, this isn't so much about the story as it is the two leads and their eventual romance.

The handsome Kim Rae won and the beautiful Park Shin hye had an on-screen chemistry that can't be beat.

Their sexual tension and physical contact can't be denied, either, and seemed as real on camera as it may or may not become off.

I loved seeing these two together and enjoyed every moment of their dual relationship in and out of the operating room.

Unfortunately, these two both failed to convince me that they were in character.

She dressed too fancy and acted too smug for her position while he seemed slightly off-kilter as a brain surgeon and the adopted son of a hospital head.

It was more like watching two Hallyu stars grace the set of a studio hospital and go through the motions w/out really getting into character.

I read the gossip about her nail art being criticized and laughed because it seemed more absurd to me that she walked around the hospital in a lab coat, Coco Chanel, and stilettos as well.

Over here, it isn't unheard of for a practicing physician to wear what she wore in the office, but I've yet to see the same thing occur in a hospital setting, so I get the huff even if I think it is wrong and ridiculous for those in the know to point out such things in a DRAMA.

Are we not all aware of the simple fact that this is television and therefore unrealistic?

Unfortunately for her and the show, it is what kind of ruined it for me with regard to her story.

And I know that sounds weird and even contradictory, but the incongruity of her appearance made it difficult to get into her vindictive head when staring at her conjured up all things Korean Hollywood and not angry former gangpae!

Is it possible to be too beautiful for certain parts in a K-do?

She is beautiful, no doubts there, and a really good actress -- just not in Dr. Crush -- and only because of her inability to transform.

Park Shin hye and Kim Rae won

Adorable HEA.

It was a tremendous relief to watch these two actually GO somewhere in the romance department.

For a very welcome change, the writer / director didn't lead us on through 19 of 20 episodes only to have them either part ways or for one of them to die.

Guess I can't stress enough how much I loved these two as a couple.

However, there were a few aside characters who worked their magic as well.

Baek Sung hyun

Baek Sung hyun's Pi Young kook almost stole this one.

A nerdish bespectacled intern with his mild-mannered ways and a serious crush on the stuck-up daddy's girl.

The glue that held his department together and paved the way for a lot of unresolved issues to iron themselves out on his behalf.

His relationship deserved a bit more air time and for us to see it work out at the end.

I'd like to know, anyway.

He's good and I'll be interested to see him in whatever else he's starred in.

No second lead syndrome here, either.

At one point in the show, one of the characters referred to Ji hong's rival (Yoon Gyun sang's Jung Yoon do) as 'the guy who resembles a Husky.'

At that point I began to study his face and noticed a slight resemblance, except that the actress got her breeds wrong.

Gyun sang looks more like a Malamute (to me).

And both are adorable!

He also did a better job of portraying his hard-nosed yet idealistic doctor who falls easily in love, and always with the wrong woman.

It was cute the way he behaved inside and outside the hospital, but especially at his swank pad when his uncle and his uncle's friend kept crashing there w/out notice.

And speaking of the 'other woman', she fell off after those house-crasher incidents, never to return to the set.

I always wonder why.

lol

Little boy Kim Min suk (Choi Kang soo) started out with pink hair that turned orange before yellow and then he had to shave it off for surgery.

A majority of his time was spent doing intern things, but his moment in the spotlight turned out to be one of a few tearjerker episodes.

Namgung Min

Namgung Min appeared in episodes 13-15 as the father of two sick sons and man, was that gut-wrenching and difficult to sit through.

He knocked that one out of the park, and I'm so glad because I was getting worried about him as an actor.

Cried buckets for his story.



Finally, there was Lee Sang yeob who appeared from episode 15 onward as the husband of a pregnant wife who ends up in a coma.

Lee Sang yeob

I really, really adore this guy and want to watch more of him on screen.

Something about his eyes says 'care for me, I'm lovable'  -- and I do!

His story dragged on til the very end, and it, too, brought tears to my eyes.

Great acting and a really handsome young man portraying a poor, young soul with a life-altering decision to make.

Last, we have the subs.

Now, I know I said I wouldn't say anymore about awful translation, but this and a few other shows have offered me a new reason to complain.

About the appearance of British slang.

Beyond annoying having to read Mum, ON the car, cheeky, and the unbelievable two that appeared here:

Stop it.

Just please . . . please stop it.

I'll leave you with three more yeppeun bg's for your laptop.

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