top of page

River Where the Moon Rises: Spoiler-Free Review

  • Jul 22
  • 3 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

Title:

River Where the Moon Rises (2021)

Platform:

Viki

MDL & IMBD Rating:

7.9 & 7.4

Genre:

Period (Goguryeo) Romance, Politics, Action

Episode Count:

20

Parental Guidance Rating:

PG-13: Blood, violence, battles

Starring:

Kim So Hyun (The Tale of Nokdu)

Na In Woo (Marry My Husband)

Lee Ji Hoon (The Impossible Heir)

Choi Yu Hwa (Doubt)

Kim Bup Rae (The Judge Returns)

Lee Hae Young (Mr. Plankton)

RBTS Rating:

2.6/5 Stars (An adaptation of the famous legend of On Dal that was beset by production issues of mythic proportion. )


Cast From Left to Right: #KimSoHyun, #NaInWoo, #LeeJiHoon, #ChoiYuHwa


Synopsis:

Born a princess of Goguryeo, Pyeong Gang survives an early crisis and grows up as the warrior Yeom Ga Jin, unaware of her past. When she meets On Dal, a gentle soul who values peace, their bond draws them into palace struggles and hard choices. As her memories and duty begin to surface, Pyeong Gang sets her sights on protecting her land, and On Dal chooses to stand by her side. Together, they learn how love and courage can change the road ahead. @MDL



Spoiler-Free Mini Review:

Petition for the drama to be renamed River Where the Sun Don’t Shine, because humor was not in attendance.


Some production lore: This was a controversial series as the original actor, Ji Soo (not Blackpink's Jisoo, think Strong Girl Bong Soon) playing the ML, was cancelled for bullying allegations when the show had already aired up to episode 6. Because of this, the drama was paused and a new actor, Na In Woo, was brought in to play the ML for the rest of the series, and later reshot the original first 6 episodes that previously aired with Jisoo as the ML. (The original 6 episodes have essentially disappeared, so if you are watching for the first time, it's almost a guarantee that you are watching Na In Woo play the ML.) The narrative really suffered because of this later than last minute switch up. It felt like the writers were using any excuse to send the ML away within the story in the rewrite to lessen the need to reshoot. For a story about On Dal, he’s truly not in it that much and literally disappears entirely for eps 7 & 8 due to the restructuring.


From Left to Right: Na In Woo as the new On Dal, Ji Soo as the original On Dal


The show on a whole was such a poor use of the source material. The original historical tale had SO much potential, but the drama treated it like a distant 2nd cousin, twice removed from reality. For more information on the actual tale, check out this article.



The conflicts between the ML and the FL didn’t make sense, and their relationship took the farthest back seat on the bus. Their story was more “destiny” than a fleshed out romance. The 2ML general and 2FLstore owner had way more natural chemistry and tension in their relationship than the leads, but the 2ML is out in these streets giving me whiplash. The characterization of honestly everyone was consistently inconsistent. At least the ML’s frighteningly white teeth complemented his 2018 Selena Gomez Met Gala tan. Also, one could turn the number of times they said “that guy” into a drinking game.



Story=2.5 (A mess—We can blame the reshoot?) , Acting= 2.75 (Didn’t love FL or ML), Production Quality=2.5 (I hated everyone’s outfits), Ending=2.75 (Welp, okay then. The writers actually changed the original ending for the reshoot) , Enjoyability=2.75 (enjoyed first 7 eps, then it dragged, then it got interesting again, and then I was like huh), Would I rewatch= No


Trailer:


Director: #YoonSangHo (Parole Examiner Lee, King Maker: The Change of Destiny)

Screenwriter: #HanJiHoon (Last, Time Between Dog and Wolf)


*Disclaimer: I do not own any of the images used on this blog. All images belong to their respective copyright holders and are used for commentary and review purposes. All reviews, opinions, and statements expressed on this blog are my own and are intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. They reflect my personal thoughts and interpretations and should not be considered as factual.



Comments

bottom of page