A Jewel In The Palace aka Dae Jang Geum
대장금
MBC (2003-4) 54 Episodes
Classic Historical Romance, Masterpiece
Grade: A+
Korean Drama by Winnie, USA (No End Spoilers)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I first started watching this
classic Korean drama romance, A Jewel In The
Palace (2003-4), I somehow thought it would
just be an historical show focused on cooking,
since that was how the lead female character, a
real person in history named Dae Jang Geum, played
by Lee Young Ae (Saimdang
Light's Diary, Dream
Racers, Maestra,
Walking
On Thin Ice, and classic films Sympathy
For Lady Vengeance, Joint Security Area,
One Fine Spring Day) was first recognized
in the Joseon era palace of that day, through her
innovative cooking skills. However, this drama is
much more than that! It's one of the greatest,
purest love / romance Korean dramas I have ever
seen. Credit goes to the brilliant screenwriter,
Kim Young Hyun, who made the historical characters
in the drama seem so real, so beautiful.
Throughout the series,
there will be problems popping up for Dae Jang Geum (Lee
Young Ae), a humble servant girl in the male dominated
Joseon royal palace of King Min Jeong Ho (Ji Jin Hee).
She is intelligent, wise, patient and kind to others,
eventually being made a royal cook, and then as she
becomes the King's object of affection she is able to
study medical books and eventually become the first
female physician in Joseon history.
The way she always
manages to get herself out of the hole someone hat dug
for her is just an amazing depiction of perseverance.
She always continues and fights on, whether it's against
jealous rivals in the palace or her own brief reluctance
to avoid political controversies. Anytime one of the
characters tries to harm or eliminate Jang Geum and her
growing influence over the King, she uses it as a fuel
to strike back and gain strength.
Besides Jang Geum, the
other characters are also quite well created and fleshed
out. You can understand the thoughts and emotions that
each character is going through. In fact, the characters
are quite complex, and sometimes you even feel sorry for
the bad characters.
The Handsome, Respectful King
Additionally, this
series had one of most jaw-dropping plot twists I've
ever seen. You probably know which one I'm talking about
if you have watched the series. Quite a turn in the
story that changes everything. It was a clever
turnabout. As well as that,
this series had one of the most realistic and decent
depictions of love I have ever watched in a movie or
series. Most interestingly, this decent depiction of
love was done without a single kissing scene, and this
has earned my respect for this show. This shows how off
Hollywood "entertainment" is. In this Korean drama it
took years for the sweethearts to hold hands and to
express their inner romantic feelings, even though they
had cared for each other from the very beginning. This
is truly the correct way to depict such feelings in a
television series or movie.
The soundtrack is also quite
beautiful. There are energetic songs when there is
action going on, such as cooking and preparing for an
exam. And then there are beautiful emotional songs when
the scene is sad or sentimental. Sometimes, the songs
are repeated many times, but nevertheless, I believe the
soundtrack was extremely well-done. The clothing and atmosphere design was
also decent and well-done. You would actually feel as if
you are in the 16th century Joseon era of South Korea.
Overall, a great series! One of my all
time favorites! I definitely recommend it to everyone!
Use a search engine to find where it is streaming
currently, since it is considered "old" now and harder
to find in the usual places online. I originally watched
on Dramafever but that sadly disappeared in 2018 when
Warner Brothers bought it and then stupidly shut it
down. However, it still must be out there somewhere and
it's worth a search to find it.
