It had been an unusual 4 episodes. Usually, I lose interest in a drama after reading a recap, if I don't first watch the episode. That's why I try to give a drama a fighting chance by watching the first 2 episodes before seeking any reviews. My ideal plan is to watch the English-subbed episode first, then read recaps next. But it is really hard to be patient for the subtitles, especially when I'm faced with the awesomeness of javabeans and girlfriday over at dramabeans.com. It's not their fault that my self-control would fail me. I would succumb and read the recaps and find myself losing the will to actually sit and watch the subbed videos later. By this time, the drama is already lost to me.
The Moon that Embraces the Sun (aka Moon-Sun in my brain) has been different. Now, who's to tell that I will be able to sustain this interest for the entire length of the drama well into March? But I'm willing to take on a new obsession, though. So, Moon-Sun it is.
Unlike other Moon-Sun watchers (and there's lots of them in Korea where the ratings are in the 20% range, which blew away its drama competitors in the same time slot), my interest in it does not relate to a Jung Il Woo obsession (although he's quite lovely and an empathetic actor), or to a Kim Soo Hyun admiration (he has gone and slain this noona, ensuring my membership in the ICOMYM club**) or even to a fusion-sageuk bias (this is the first time I watched more than 1 episode of a Korean period drama). I can't tell for sure why I'm this obsessed. Is it the gorgeous costuming? Like a scholar, I pored over the fashion and cultural posts over at thetalkingcupboard.wordpress.com. Is it due to the moon and sun metaphors and names? I admit, I do like them beautiful and evocative character names.
Is it the loving and almost too perfect portrayal of the Heo family? Could be since I also have a fondness for the actress playing Lady Shin. I've seen her in only 1 other drama (Dandelion Family), but I like her loving motherly vibe.
Was it the relationship forged by the secret love letters? I am partial to stories where people write passionate and witty love letters. Or does my interest lie in the intricate relationships among the characters? I count four connections possibly fraught with angst: the main Prince Hwon <3 Yeon Woo paring, the rival Prince Yang Myung <3 Yeon Woo pairing, the Princess Min Hwa <3 Literature Scholar Yeom <3 Servant Seol triangle, and the hinted-at Military Scholar Woon <3 Yeon Woo unrequited love. And I haven't even mentioned the bromances between the princely half brothers and among the scholars, or the daddy issues of the princes.
Perhaps that's it. I've found that I really do care about these relationships and about the characters' futures. I want to know if they will find their happiness, against the cruel backdrop of a brutal and cutthroat Joseon imperial palace. A lot of this emotional investment is due to the delicate balance that has been wrought in the directing, writing and acting, thus far. It's beautiful and precarious because in the coming days, the hand-off from the child actors to the adult cast is upon us. It can make or break my loyalty. (Sorry! But truthfully, in Kdrama watching, my loyalty is cheap.)
I adore the young actors. Almost all of them are experienced actors in sageukland, and they're gorgeous to boot. They really sold me on their performances, and I can actually see myself watching them continue to play the characters for an unforeseen amount of episodes. I mean, there's still a lot of drama to mine in young, thwarted love, and class divisions. But this is not the first sageuk nor the first drama to examine these issues. In fact, the story so far is so firmly in sageuk territory, that it could be any king's story.
The real drama and unique storytelling are promised in the coming episodes, when Yeon Woo gets ill and wrestled from Prince Hwon to survive as a shaman in the mountains. When we get them back together is the exciting unknown.
I am still apprehensive but hopeful though. As I've mentioned, I love the child actors to bits, and I have no small amount of confidence in Jung Il Woo's and Kim Soo Hyun's acting chops. To Han Ga In, I will give a lot of leeway because the poor noona already has been battling the prejudice against her being older than both leading men. So if the directing, acting and writing can smoothly transition to the adult years, I just might still be obsessed when the spring flowers bloom. My bittersweet anticipation of the coming episodes and my relentless scouring of the internet for BTS (behind-the-scenes videos) and the English translation of the novel (thank you Blue at belectricground.com) show my true colors as a Kdrama addict. And for that, I refuse to go to rehab.
Notes: **ICOMYM means Inappropriate Crushes on Much Younger Men
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