I almost abandoned this series based on a fight scene in the first episode. The King is rescued by a female warrior with fighting skills so removed from anything possible by a human being, that it was almost farcical. I had been hoping for a drama, not a farce. However, as a month had passed, recommendations to watch it kept popping up, I read that it was one of the most watched KDramas in history and had won the Seoul International Award for Best Series Drama, as well as other acting awards, so I revisited it, and I’m so glad I did. I don’t know if the production had done a course correction or that the stunt people found their footing, but I felt the series became more grounded (pun intended).

From January 31st to February 6th, I think I must have done little else than binge this 62 episode series (with the occasional trot off to the bathroom).

For me, there are three acts in this series:
Act One - establishing the kingdom and the characters, [Action Thriller]
Act 2 - the rivalry between Deokman (Princess/Queen Seondeok) and Lady Mihil [Intrigue]
Act 3 - the final betrayal [Epic Empire Building and Battles]

It was the second act had me mesmerized by the performances. Watching Misil (Go Hyun-jung) face off against Deokman (Lee Yo-won) was a masterclass in acting and writing. It was like watching chess masters with every strategic shift telegraphed on the face of each actress. I was fascinated by the skill of the performers and the trust the director gave to them to hold the drama in close ups of their faces and hands.

I give the series an 8 (don’t miss) out of 10. [Epic Drama, Adventure, Comedy, Romance, Court intrigue, Battles, Empire building]