I’m calling it quits on this show, my friends.

I’d really hoped to like it, and each week, I earnestly did my best to appreciate Show’s glimmers of promise.

But, 10 episodes in, out of this show’s 16, I think it’s time to admit the truth: I’m just never going to love this one the way I’d hoped to. 😅

WHY I WAS INTERESTED IN THIS ONE, IN THE FIRST PLACE

I thought I’d start by sharing with you guys, why this was a show that caught my attention, in the first place.

The answer to that question, is mainly that the trailer looked fun, and it very much gave me Sungkyunkwan Scandal-adjacent vibes.

And since I’d very much enjoyed Sungkyunkwan Scandal back in the day (review here!), I hoped that this show would bring back some of those feels, while being its own thing.

Here’s the trailer; see what I mean about it looking potentially fun?

MY TRAJECTORY WITH THIS ONE

Honestly, my relationship with this show, is like one of those doomed arranged marriages that you see in dramas; I tried and tried to make it work, but there was just never any spark. 😅

I basically kept waiting for Show to get into its groove and “get good,” and Show did offer some glimmers of promise from time to time, but alas, it never actually “got good” as far as I was concerned.

Now, I don’t hate this show; it didn’t go so spectacularly off the rails, that I decided to call it quits.

Rather, Show’s been falling into that dreaded no man’s land of being not actually terrible, but not actually truly good, either. 😅

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS / THE VIEWING LENS

It’s entirely possible that you might find this a worthwhile, enjoyable show even though it’s not working for me, so here are some things that I think would be helpful to keep in mind, to maximize your enjoyment of your watch:

1. Show is not romance-forward

You’d think that with a youthful cast like this, and a fusion premise like a first-class hotel in Joseon times, romance would be a central focus, yes?

But no, it is not.

The romance very much feels like a secondary arc, and it’s all very slow to develop as well.

2. There is a tragic backstory

Unlike the breezy tone that Show’s trailers suggest, the watch experience is not breezy at all.

In fact, much of our story’s focus is the tragic backstory of our female lead Deok Su (Kim Ji Eun), and how she was forced to live disguised as a boy.

I think knowing to expect this, probably helps.

STUFF THAT’S NOT WORKING FOR ME

The political tussle

There is political tussle at play in our story, and the man in charge of Yongcheonru, Lord Cheon (Kim Eui Sung), is all puffed up pretense around the King (Han Jae Suk), who’s functioning more as a puppet than anything.

According to the King, once the shadow ledger is back in his hands, he won’t have to be a puppet anymore, and that’s why he wants it so desperately.

The complication is that there are two halves to this brass key; one half is hidden in Yongcheonru, while the location of the other half is unknown.

But anyhow, that’s why Lee Eun (Bae In Hyuk), stuffy uppity prince that he is, would agree to enter Yongcheonru as a lowly apprentice.

I found all this to be reasonable context, when I began my watch, but I have to confess that 10 episodes in, I’ve grown tired of the political tussle, and I don’t actually care whether the King gets that shadow ledger, and what that might do to the dynamic between him and Lord Cheon. 🤷🏻‍♀️

The intended cuteness and hijinks 

I’d signed up mainly for cuteness and hijinks, but like I alluded to earlier, this isn’t Show’s main suit.

However, Show does attempt to serve up some cuteness and hijinks from time to time – key word here being “attempt.”

I’ve come to the sad conclusion that Show just isn’t very good at cuteness and hijinks, because the various attempts that it makes at this type of storytelling, lands as try-hard, stilted and awkward, to my eyes. 🙈

After 10 episodes of waiting and hoping that the cuteness would eventually find its groove, I realize that there’s really not much point in continuing to hope. 😅

The OTP chemistry

Another thing that I’d signed up for – well, had reasonable hopes for – was the OTP chemistry.

In a youth drama that promises romance as one of the storylines, this is a pretty important factor, yes?

Well, I’m sorry to say that 10 episodes in, I still don’t see strong chemistry between Bae In Hyuk and Kim Ji Eun, and the lack of narrative focus on teasing out the loveline, isn’t helping matters.

Coming into this watch, I’d imagined that it would be fun to watch this OTP get drawn to each other, despite the whole crossdressing situation, but unfortunately, that has not happened.

There are some mild attempts on Show’s part, to give us glimmers of hyper-awareness on both our leads’ parts, but that has been clunky at best, and I’m just not feeling this OTP, unfortunately.

SLIVERS OF PROMISE

Deok Su’s story

Originally, I’d had a fair amount of interest in Deok Su’s tragic backstory, and had felt sympathy for her quest to avenge her father’s death.

However, I have to confess that my interest has been waning, even on this point.

Deok Su’s whole revenge plan has felt very diluted and also, not very smart, up to episode 10, and unfortunately, that just makes me think that perhaps she shouldn’t be getting involved in all this revenge business. 🙈

I low-key am still curious to see how Deok Su gets her revenge – but not curious enough, to actually keep watching the show. 😅

The core four

In a youth drama like this with a core foursome of characters, one of the big things I looked forward to, was seeing a growing bond among them.

And Show does deliver some glimmers of our core four bonding, and I enjoyed those moments quite well.

I realize, though, that at the episode 10 mark, I feel like I haven’t seen the core four together very much at all, and even when they’re together, their togetherness is no longer a narrative focus, which is a pity, I think. 🥲

Jun Gun Joo as Jun Hwa

Out of our core four, I find myself have a bit of an extra soft spot for Jung Gun Joo’s character, Jun Hwa.

Jun Hwa mostly looks like he’s just there to have a good time, and the way his eyes light up every time it looks like there’s something new and interesting to get into, definitely adds a nice amount of sparkle to my watch.

I also really liked the moments when Jun Hwa’s shown to get attached to the other three in the group, like that moment when he gets all happy that Su Ra’s (Park Jae Chan) confessing his love for the group, and jumps forward for a hug. 🤭

I find it very endearing that Jun Hwa’s got so much heart, but at the same time, my drama instincts are pinging, that Jun Hwa will not be allowed to stay carefree and full of heart.

By this point in the story, we’ve already seen his father Lord Cheon, berate him several times about how he shouldn’t look upon the other apprentices as friends, and.. I don’t like the sound of where this might go.

To me, Jun Hwa’s most delightful when he’s open-hearted and free-spirited, with eyes of wonder, and a genuine desire to befriend.

I hope Jun Hwa doesn’t end up turning to the dark side, but.. it sure looks like he might, and I don’t like the idea of that, at all.

Kim Min Jung as Mae Hwa

Even though Show keeps Mae Hwa’s character ambiguous for a long stretch, I still got a kick watching Kim Min Jung as Mae Hwa, because she plays an innkeeper character in a way that’s reminiscent of her hotelier character in Mr. Sunshine; beautiful, elegant, unruffled, and with a touch of cheeky-sly that peeks out from time to time.

My curiosity around what she was all about, and where her loyalty truly lay, also helped nudge me along in my watch.

However, at this point in story, at episode 10, it’s become clearer what Mae Hwa’s about, to enough of an extent, that I’m less curious about her than before.

SAYING GOODBYE

On the one hand, Show markets itself as this fun, blithe, youthful, light fusion sageuk that’s all about the friendship among our core four – but there just isn’t enough of that.

On the other hand, it has this tragic backstory where Deok Su has her father’s wrongful death to avenge – and it doesn’t feel like Show’s managing to make that as impactful as it should be.

I end up feeling like everything’s just.. middling, and therefore, neither arc is as grabby or as immersive as I want it to be, and that’s not great.

Remember how I said earlier, that Show’s been falling into that dreaded no man’s land of being not actually terrible, but not actually truly good, either?

Well, that’s how I ended up watching 10 whole episodes of this, and I could have ended up watching all 16 episodes, honestly, if I’d put my mind to it (though I will say that I found myself having to put effort towards mustering up interest and goodwill to continue my watch, each week 🙈).

But! I decided that life’s too short to commit myself to a mediocre drama that I don’t truly enjoy, and that’s why I’m pulling the plug now, instead of trudging my way to the finish line.

If you’re still watching this show, though – maybe tell me how it ends? 😅

PATREON UPDATE!

The next drama I’m covering on Patreon, in place of  Check In Hanyang, is The Trauma Code: Heroes On Call [Korea].

You can check out my episode 1-2 notes on The Trauma Code: Heroes On Call on Patreon here.

Here’s an overview of what I’m covering on Patreon right now (Tier benefits are cumulative)!

Foundation Tier (US$1): Entertainment Drop (Sundays) + the first set notes of all shows covered on Patreon (that’s 2 episodes for kdramas and 4 episodes for cdramas)

Early Access (US$5): +Blossom [China]

Early Access Plus (US$10): +Motel California [Korea]

VIP (US$15): +Love Scout [Korea]