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The Tale of Lady Ok: Spoiler-Free Mini Review

Aug 3
4 min read

Updated: Sep 26

Lovers of the Red Sky with Im Ji Yeon and Choo Young Woo

Title:

The Tale of Lady Ok (2024)

Platform:

Roku, Kocowa

MDL & IMBD Rating:

8.6 & 8.1

Genre:

Period (Joseon) Romance/ Thriller

Episode Count:

16

Parental Guidance Rating:

TV-14: (It's TV-14 on Prime (w/ Kocowa sub) , but MA on Kocowa app. I'd say TV-16?) Violence (beatings), blood, and a fade to black scene.


For more info: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33980640/parentalguide/

Starring:

Im Ji Yeon (The Glory & My Royal Nemesis)

Choo Young Woo (Head Over Heels)

Kim Jae Won (Love Phobia)

Lee Jae Won (Yumi's Cells S3)

RBTS Rating:

6/10 Stars: A Joseon drama with a modern feel that raised the bar with cinematography, costuming, and acting, but then immediately did the Limbo underneath said bar with its overly Mary Sue main character and unrealistic plot.


Synopsis:

Set during the Joseon period, Ok Tae Yeong is a legal expert. She is smart, has an excellent work ethic, and is athletic. Even in difficult situations, she doesn’t hesitate to help people. That is why she is loved by people around her, but she has a secret. Her secret is that her name, husband, and her status are all fake. She happens to meet Cheon Seung Wi. He is a storytellerand travels all around the country, reciting novels to people. He happens to meet Ok Tae Yeong and falls in love with her at first sight. He stays near her and helps her no matter what. @MDL



Spoiler-Free Mini Review:

The Tale of Lady Ok is a more intense, "serious" period drama depicting a runaway slave who takes on the identity of a wealthy noblewoman and must constantly guard her true identity in a constant struggle to keep a hold of the new life she has gained. When I say it's a "serious" period drama that's because all roads led towards a masterpiece in terms of acting, cinematography, and costuming, but we never arrived. Too much of the story was just SO unbelievable with the doppelgänger and the female lead turning into an unstoppable Mary Sue, that it felt like a fantasy. It wasn't grounded in the parameters of Joseon at all, which felt like such a waste of ingredients. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind a more casual period drama that uses history as a mere set piece, but the director and the story were obviously trying to do something special, and it just didn't land with me.


Im Ji Yeon and Choo Young Woo in The Tale of Lady Ok

Maybe a reason why I didn't buy into the drama falls squarely on the shoulders of the romance. This is a "noona" romance (a.k.a. the main actress is 9 years older than the main actor) and I could really tell. There was no hiding that. No shade to the gorgeous and wonderfully talented Im Ji Yeon. She slayed, but the pairing felt mismatched, and while Choo Young Woo cut a handsome figure, I don't think he was the right choice for Chen Seung Hwi. I also hated the 2ML. The romance department got all zeros from me lol.


There characters also felt very modern, especially Ok Tae Yeong. It just really threw me off. As I did a little research on the drama, I saw spotted an article title that I think fits the bill perfectly: From Slave to noble: 'The Tale of Lady Ok' takes on modern issues with a Joseon Dynasty Setting. Now, I don't mind a fusion period drama that uses a historical setting to show how silly modern society is, but it usually does so with satire and The Tale of Lady Ok played it straight. Also, the drama tackled modern issues that have already been tackled in the modern world. Obviously, society has not achieved success in equality by ANY MEANS, but no new or inventive point was made. The first few episodes of the drama were so genuinely good and made me cry, but I couldn't suspend my disbelief, because everything in the show from the authentic sets to the praise worthy performances were telling me that I should believe. The drama is a gorgeous looking treat, but it falls apart the moment you take a bite. This could just be a me thing, and based on the rating on MDL, it probably is (lol). But some food for thought.


The Tale of Lady Ok

The hanboks were crazy good though! My favorite of any Joseon drama I've watched!


Story=3, Acting=3.25, Production Quality=5, Ending= 2.5, Enjoyability= 2.5, Would I rewatch= No


Trailer:


Screenwriter: #ParkJiSook (Recipe for Love)


*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.



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