I had really been anticipating this since its announcement and even tho it was pretty good it definitely does not make it to the top....
About the story line: the plot line is amazing, it's something different and plus the fact that it's a historical drama just adds to its charms. I really enjoyed the first couple episodes or maybe till like the 7th or 8th episode but then it just started lacking in places like don't get me wrong the story was still very much there and progressing but the pacing was just too slow....at the start i didn't expect the marriage of the 3 daughters to be stretched for all 16 episodes but it did....given that it's a romance drama i did expect the leads to work on their relationship and feelings but it was more like just a push and pull from both sides and then in the 15th episode we see some real progress with those two.....the other couples have great stories of their own and they are elaborated enough given their screen time but with the leads again something was just lacking.....also one thing i absolutely hated was the relationship shown/made between the 1st daughter and the crown prince....it was just absolutely baffling and borderline disgusting.....they could always have casted an older person to play the crown prince and i think this is a big mistake on their part. Also the episodes between 7th/8th episode and 14th/15th episode felt a lot like fillers and didn't really contribute much to the plot n stuff so it would've been much much better had they shortened this to 12 episodes (which is a really great step nowadays imo)
The characters and acting: All the actors are really good at their jobs, at portraying their characters .....i specially loved the character of sun deok's mother in law i really think she stole the show with her greed her madness her understanding her flaws and her intelligence...it is always an interesting scene with her and u really start anticipating her next moves and everything........
This show did have the potential.....i mean look at the cast, the storyline, everything....but it just lacked somewhere
Honestly I think I could only finish this because i was watching it while it was airing and had to watch just 2 episodes per week....it wasn't something i was really curious about after every episode.... tbh i don't think i could've binge watched it and most probably would have dropped it midway....the romance between the leads was just meh their was not much chemistry and honestly in the finale i expected much stronger emotions with the two of them but the reactions were lukewarm at best.....also the ending didn't really cut it for me even tho it was a happy ending....
All in all even tho it is pretty good it can feel a bit lengthy and stretched...but if ur thinking about watching it for ur fav actors or just to pass time....pls go ahead and enjoy yourself