Richard Baron

Perfectly adequate plot, moves nicely, a little silly to pretend there would be no TV when there were movies, the first commercial TV’s were made in 1938, and there was a touch-sensitive TV screen. Other anomalies undercut it. Still, a pleasant diversion.

Excellent. Moves quickly and fluidly. Action sequences are excellent, although the characters seem to recover pretty quickly from their injuries. No real dead spots as is typically the case with a lot of Korean shows.

I am not sure why this show has slipped under the radar, but I think it is excellent—so long as you realize it will change about 2/3rds of the way through from a frothy Joseon era romantic comedy involving a lawyer which has some serious dramatic undertones, to a serious romantic drama with a bit of comedy. For those with knowledge of the law or legal proceedings, some of the lawyer’s problems ring true today but in a very different cultural setting. Acting is excellent, overall, with the male lead and female lead showing real chemistry. The basic plot involves a lawyer who is trying to establish himself in a new town, and who arrives with his sidekick in a boat with a sail basically saying “lawyer for hire”. He goes to an inn which is secretly owned by the princess of Joseon where she pretends to work while helping people. Needless to say, they become the center of the romance. The show then proceeds to look at the way old Joseon dealt with issues like divorce, debt and land disputes with the lawyer demonstrating a flair that would never fly in our court system. There are, of course, the evil noblemen, as well as a good and honest mayor/magistrate, and a king with a good heart who wants to help the country prosper. When the show gets serious, it begins to drag, but then it picks up for a slam bang finish. I think I would have preferred it if the show stayed true to its comedic spirit, but the end was still quite good. Recommended.

A very comfortable light romantic drama based on a supernatural theme in which the audience gets what it wants from these Korean shows. If you have seen Goblin ( a/k/a Guardian), it has that same “vibe” even though the plots are not alike (and yes, Goblin is better). If you have watched “My Demon”, this is much better. The leads and secondary actors are, as is usually the case, quite good. I particularly liked the actress who played the FL’s roommate, the one whose eyes smile. She was also part of the one unresolved plot line, which deserved better, I think. The murder mystery was okay, but the bad guy should have had more development than at the end to better engross the viewer. Nonetheless, highly recommended.

Disappointing. The series starts with a lot of promise, particularly with the two leads who I have liked a lot elsewhere (American Typewriter, ML, and My Roommate is a Gumiho, for the FL). The concept quickly loses it, however with the inconsistent use of the premise, confusing truth telling with volunteering rude information. It picks up a little afterward, but then descends into mediocre drama later. Some of the side plots seem virtually gratuitous, designed to fill in the 12 hours or so of broadcast time. The best part was the omission: neither of the main supporting leads were villains-in-waiting which was threatened early on. There are much better ways to spend your time with Korean TV. So why 3 stars instead of 1? I could watch it to the end without abandoning it, and as I said, I really do like the leads.

As a movie, it is disappointing. As the first episode of a tv show, it would be very good. The whole plot should not have taken up more than half an hour, and serve as an introduction to the two immortals who were no longer in the group (I’m trying to avoid spoilers here, so this is deliberately vague). We could also get to see what they actually do with their immortality for which they deserve good conduct medals. Theron is an excellent actress, as are the others, and scenery is good (except for the props in the cave sequence).