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JLR's avatar

loved this drama. every moment of it. that walk in the rain with her second son after his portrait was made of his true self was achingly beautiful.

Jae-Ha Kim's avatar

There were so many beautiful moments in this series, but that was one of the most poignant.

andrea hak-kovacs's avatar

I haven't finished this drama yet (watching) but based on this review (which I enjoyed) wouldn't Prince Gyeosong be queer rather than gay? Or trans? Or non-binary?

Jae-Ha Kim's avatar

I added transgender and queer to reflect more accuracy in the review [and included a footnote about it]. Thanks, Andrea.

I understood why he left the palace, but he and the Queen must've known that his life was endangered even outside the palace walls if anyone found out he wasn't living a heteronormative life.

Marjolein Towler's avatar

This is a most amazing story of motherhood with all its heart, head, and gut. My favourite part is also the walk in the rain with Grand Prince Gyusung and the portrait of his true self. Her gift of her hairpin - reserved for a daughter she never had - was so tender.

Jae-Ha Kim's avatar

That scene was so beautiful the way it depicted the sweet tenderness of mother and son.

LouAnn Kirk's avatar

I absolutely loved this series. I gave it 10⭐️/10 on My Drama List. It shared my top drama of 2022 with Alchemy of Souls. Kim Hye Soo was the very embodiment of a Mama Bear fiercely protecting all her cubs. Kim Hae Sook was pure evil as the Dowager Queen. She made me think of a spider spinning her webs. She was fantastic. I will always recommend it.

Jae-Ha Kim's avatar

Everything about this show — the acting, the casting, cinematography, direction, story arcs, pace — was on point!

Marc the King's avatar

I really liked the "Under the Umbrella" drama. But I started "Our Blues" and maybe it's because I'm no Korean but after 2 episodes, I simply quit. I thought that there were great actors but no real plot to follow. Maybe too many inside jokes - but for a foreigner, I didn't get why everyone was so hooked - I simply didn't want to waste my time. Why did you like it so much????

Jae-Ha Kim's avatar

The link to my review of OUR BLUES is in this post. But to boil it down: I can think of quite a few Korean dramas that have meted out storylines dealing with child abuse, debts, teen pregnancy, savage bullying, prejudice against the disabled, and death by suicide. But I don’t recall any other show that introduced all of those topics and resolved them in any meaningful way. OUR BLUES does that. While it starts off slowly, the pacing is part of the point: resolutions don’t occur immediately, but there is a sense of cathartic release when they do.

Marjolein Towler's avatar

I completely agree, it is worth hanging in there, slow but certain it unfolds in the most amazing way. A stellar cast and great writing.

Jae-Ha Kim's avatar

Yes! It's one of my all-time favorite shows. So many layers to it.

Alyssa Chua's avatar

This is one of my most favourite dramas! Super, super love how Kim Hye Soo plays the Queen. One of my favourite scenes is when she promises to take care of Gyesong and then the scene shows a shadow of them both, with him walking under her umbrella.

Jae-Ha Kim's avatar

The imagery was gorgeous. The entire series was so well done.

Michael Lamotte's avatar

My favorite sageuk of all time! Shocking to see Kim Hae Sook so evil but delighted to be introduced to Kim Hye-Soo. The Queen was so caring to all the princes - my hearted melted and tears were shed.

Jae-Ha Kim's avatar

This series was so well done, with each episode topping the previous one. Honestly? The first episode didn't do justice to the rest of the series, and I know several friends who were going to drop it, but by they time they finished the second episode, they were glued to their screens.

Michael Lamotte's avatar

Yes, I had started it but thought - oh, so many characters! For me, I was currently watching 3 shows when they dropped during the week, but starved on Wed, Thurs, Fri so I started and couldn't stop. My friend, Wendy, is binging it now - Gail