I started watching this drama knowing barely anything about Korean history, which usually makes me reluctant to watch any sageuk that isn't romance, fantasy, or is just too focused on fighting and politics. I was always afraid that too much of a story like this would go over my head. The only reason I decided to watch this drama is because of Jo Jung Suk. He's one of my favorites and hasn't disappointed me yet, but this was a tough guy type of role so I still had my reservations. The first episode was good, and introduced characters well, but I still wasn't convinced I could get into a story like this. If anyone else feels this way or similar trust me and give this drama a chance. What this drama does exceptionally well is make historical events feel personal and relatable, through unforgettable characters and an equally heartbreaking and inspiring story. This drama isn't just about recreating events, it's about how these events shape every single character and telling an epic story through their eyes.

The story centers around three main characters, brothers Baek Yi Kang and Baek Yi Hyun, and merchant Lady Song, and how their lives are all changed by the Donghak Peasant Revolution. Their relationship with each other isn't a traditional love triangle, but instead, it's more about how their roles directly or indirectly affect each other, rather than a traditional rivalry, which was a much more interesting dynamic to watch. I don't want to give anything away by saying too much, but they are each so good in their roles and how they relate to and interact with each other, that they didn't need a cliché romance plot to keep me engaged. Han Ye Ri as composed and calculating Song Ja In is formidable in her role, and I loved watching her hold her own in a mainly male dominant cast. I already mentioned that Jo Jung Suk is a favorite K-actor of mine, and he does display some of his usual charms as Baek Yi Kang, but it's nice to know that even with romance playing such a minor part in the story, he is still so good! However, surprisingly my favorite of the three characters is Yoon Shi Yoon as Baek Yi Hyun. His range in this drama is amazing and award-worthy (he's really come a long way from the king of baking lol), and his relationship with his brother is the true heart of this story. I can't imagine a better possible pairing, Junk Suk and Ye Ri had great chemistry, but it's Junk Suk and Shi Yoon that got me right in the feels.

I mentioned the three leads as the main branches of this plot but the reality is that every single character in this drama is important and well played. Choi Moo Sung may have the biggest shoes to fill as Jeon Bong Jun, but even the most minor characters end up being major parts of the story, and I loved watching how all the characters and their allegiances and relationships changed with each episode. The real history makes a lot of this story predetermined but it's the individual characters that keep the story unpredictable and exciting. I wish I could name every character I loved but there are just way too many. This really is a perfect cast all around, and I love that there's not always clear villains or heroes, which keeps things from getting too predictable.

That leads me to the writing, which is truly amazing. Yes, the beginning episodes take their time setting up who everyone is, the unfairness of ancient Joseon, and what's about to happen, but before I knew it I was totally addicted and wrapped up in the revolution. I also liked how historical moments were noted to make them clear but without distracting from the story. I appreciated the details in even the side plots that made me care more and made this turn of the century Joseon world feel more real. This is the kind of story that you can definitely watch again, and maybe catch things that you missed the first time. I can see myself watching this again, now knowing more about what really happened, although knowing how it ends may make some scenes a little less exciting.

It's hard to hate a soundtrack that takes a traditional song and plays off of it beautifully. I liked the rest of the soundtrack as well and thought the music was always well placed, but some of the songs were too forgettable for me to warrant a perfect score for music. The music definitely enhanced the mood, especially during battle scenes.

Overall, this drama is a practically perfect sageuk. It's much deeper than the usual fighting over status, family betrayals, corrupt politics, and ill-fated love story tropes that make up most dramas in this genre (although sometimes I love those too). In Nokdu Flower I loved the themes of fighting for equality, tradition vs change, struggling with identity/self-determination, figuring out what is really important in life and what it truly means to win or lose, loyalty and betrayal, and all the conflicting faces of "patriotism"... I have no idea how accurate it was overall but I did actually learn a lot while watching without it feeling too preachy or feeling like the history channel. It's also not so heavy that the story becomes too depressing, even if you already know the history. There's a little bit of romance, great action/war scenes, even many funny moments... and the characters may be mostly fictional, but the way they brought life to the story felt hauntingly real. I loved how many of my favorite characters got the spotlight they deserved in the story too, and that the ending didn't feel rushed and really honored the history it was celebrating. Sure, the bluebird song will probably get stuck in your head for a while from watching, but it's definitely worth it.