Knight Flower: Spoiler-Free Mini Review
- Jul 24
- 3 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Title: | Knight Flower (2024) |
Platform: | Viki, Kocowa |
MDL & IMBD Rating: | |
Genre: | Period (Joseon) Romance/ Comedy |
Episode Count: | 12 |
Parental Guidance Rating: | MA: Depictions of beatings, minor violence and blood, some swearing. The drama is PG-13 on Viki and TV-MA on Kocawa, but I think it falls in the middle around TV-16. For more info: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30012439/parentalguide/ |
Starring: | Lee Ha Nee (The Fiery Priest) Lee Jong Won (Brewing Love) Lee Ki Woo (Miraculous Brothers) Kim Sang Joong (The Rebel) |
RBTS Rating: | 3.7/5 Stars (A ninja filled historical parody that leaned too intense for my tastes at moments, and shined in it's comedy, but didn't leave a strong impression)  |
Cast From Left to Right: #LeeHaNee, #LeeJongWon, #LeeKiWoo, #KimSangJoong, #ParkSeHyun
Synopsis:
Cho Yeo Hwa has been a widow for 15 years. Her in-laws are the most prestigious noble family in the kingdom. During the day, she leads the life of a widow devoted entirely to her dead husband's memory and rarely ventures outside the gate of her home. At night, Yeo Hwa dons the mask of Hero, who secretly jumps over the surrounding wall to save the helpless. In the process, she crosses paths with Park Soo Ho, a handsome senior officer in the Capital Guard, who quickly realizes that Hero and Yeo Hwa are not who or what they appear to be. @MDL
Spoiler-Free Mini Review:
Knight Flower, helmed by the director of Bon Appetit, Your Majesty and Lovers of the Red Sky, follows a Joseon widow who sneaks out at night to Ninja, as one does, to aid the people. Zoro has competition.
The story was unexpectedly more of a historical parody that played up the gags and comedy, which is where it did its best work. However, it would randomly have more serious moments, like having elderly servants beaten, which felt tonally incongruent with what we were working with. There were also a surprising number of B words lol. And shirtless man zoom ins.
Knight Flower doesn't have the typical romantic Sageuk female lead: Cho Yeo Hwa is nearing middle age and a widow. I thought Lee Ha Nee did an amazing job with the role. Comedic vibes aside, it was interesting to see how someone in that position lived, and what daily expectations were placed on them.
The drama portrays the difficulties of being a Yeolnyeo, or being a virtuous woman, in this society. Joseon followed Neo-Confucian principles, which emphasized filial piety to parents, in-laws; husbands in marriage and sons in widowhood are the final authority. In 1485, it was prohibited for widows to remarry, and those that did could have no descendants participate in the civil service exams, cutting off the hopes of the future. To encourage society to keep with the social order, the government introducted an award for those who remained loyal to thier late husbands; bonus points if you die with them. This mindset emphasizes how little women were valued at that time, as once they were married, they were no longer seen as apart of their maternal family, and without the protection of their husband, they were rejected or mistreated by their in-laws.
As for the romance, it was fine. I wish the drama had spent more time on it; the comedy definitely took precedence. Lee Ha Nee (FL actress) and Lee Jon Won (ML actor) had some cute moments, and I liked them together, but I wasn't swooning, you know. Lee Ha Nee (FL actress) and Lee Jon Won (ML actor) are 12 years apart, but not that's nothing compared to the second couple who has a 17 year age gap. I'm really curious about how they cast these dramas. An age gap isn't the end of the world, but I've noticed it popping up more and more lately; when it's an actress who has the star power, she's paired with a younger actor, and likewise, when it's the actor who has top billing, it's a younger actress. Do they even do chemistry tests? Honestly, my favorite relationship was between Cho Yeo Hwa and her mother in law.
Not a must watch, but a perfectly fine time, if you have time.
Story=4, Acting=4, Production Quality=4, Ending= 3.75, Enjoyability= 3.5, Would I rewatch= No
Trailer:
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Director: #JangTaeYoo (Bon Appetit, Your Majesty)
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