[Drama 2019] Haechi, 해치

[akhenaten]

Annyeong!!! I've finally watched the finale. 

 

Well, offhand, I would say I wish this drama were a bit longer.  It would have allowed for some loose plot ends to be tied and some things to be expounded.  I would have loved to see more about the respective backgrounds of Park Moon Su, Dal Moon and Yeo Ji.  These three are part of the main characters of the drama and it would have been good if they were given more exposition.  I would understand that the writer may not have decided to say more about Park Moon Su because, being a real person in history, there must already be a considerable amount of information about him in books.  But this is a drama and it would have still been good if we were allowed to get to know him a bit more.  As for Dal Moon and Yeo Ji, I'm assuming they're both fictional because I haven't found anything about them when I looked up King Yeongjo.  The drama doesn't give any indication whether or not they are.  Yet since they were made into characters that were important to Yeoning, it would have been good to know more about them.  Until now, I'm still confused by the character description of Dal Moon saying he's a famous clown...unless the word "clown" is the closest that they can find to translate the actual Korean word used to describe him.  

 

About Yeo Ji, we don't really know if she was loosely based on anyone in Yeongjo's life.  He had two queens and four consorts in his lifetime, and perhaps nameless concubines or other women he may have been involved with somehow (In fact, at this time in history, Yeongjo already had one queen, at least one consort, and two young children).  But they did not merit any entry in the annals of history because from what I've read, the annals only focused on the King and notable personages.  They never wrote about ordinary people.  That was the reason why there was very little information about Yeongjo's mother because she was a peasant.  So maybe there was a real "Yeo Ji" but information about her is not prevalent in history books.  

 

Having said that, I would give credit to the overall excellence of this drama.  Truth be told, even if there was no romance arc in the story, Prince Yeoning's rise to the throne and the events that transpired in the early years of his reign is exciting and compelling enough to watch.  The romance is just icing on the cake. 

 

I would give credit to the way the writer and director developed the characters and the portrayal of the actors.  They made them real.  There were no one-dimensional characters in the drama.  Yeoning was as flawed as he was talented.    Chairman of Congress Min Jin Heon was not what one would call a good and benevolent man, yet he cannot be described as evil.  Same thing with Chief Justice Jo Tae Koo and the other nobles that Yeoning encountered at some point in his rise to the throne.  All of them were just used to doing politics and keeping power a certain way. They never realized (or perhaps never had the guts) to do things differently for fear of the risk.  Prince Mil Poong, Yi Tan was a violent man, yet if you were to understand his history, you would see him as pathetic and broken.  Yoon Young was a victim of her poverty and her desire to escape a hopeless life.  Yi In Jwa was a man eaten away by vengeance and the trauma of losing influence and power despite being born with royal blood.  I can go on and on.   In the end, I felt for them all because they became real human beings to me. 

 

Going back to the romance, some were of the opinion that it was unnecessary to the story and forced.  I would think in major part, that had to do with the sudden injury suffered by Go Ara.  She missed 6 episodes in total.  I think if she were healthy, there would be more scenes between them that show how her relationship with Yeoning develops.  It would have given a more solid foundation to their later interactions in the story.  There was also the tendency of the writer and director to kind of execute romantic scenes in highly stylized fashion.  And I think they dragged on the Yeo Ji obliviousness for a bit.  They could have put in little moments early on where she starts to become aware of Yeoning as a man and starts to notice that her feelings for him weren't the same as those she had for Moon Su, Ah Bong and Jang Dal.  Anyway, she was already starting to see herself as a woman in his eyes and often asked him if he saw her as one.

 

To me, the romance between Yeoning and Yeo Ji gave another dimension to the character of Yeoning as a man.  If he was able to open his heart to someone like her, then that same quality and openness also gave him the ability to open himself sincerely to others.   That was one of the major reasons why he managed to win over his enemies and obtain the loyalty of his people.  So the romance isn't so much about Yeo Ji as it is about Yeoning. 

    

Spoiler

I just wish they had more than one kiss.  That kiss in episode 23 was beautiful and looked more realistic than most drama kisses go because of course, Yeo Ji wouldn't know how to kiss properly yet.  Ha-ha.   But at least we saw how Yeongjo led the kiss and how she slowly responded to him.  And it showed how much Yeongjo cherished Yeo Ji.  I loved how his eyes shone with tears as he held her face before the kiss and told her that what he wanted most of all was to always have her by side. And when he finally kissed her, he was so gentle with her (I guess because he knows this would be  her first time) although I'm sure his feelings were probably so intense at that moment.  When he was holding her face as he kissed her, his eyes were kind of squeezed shut and the way he held her face was like he was trying his best to control himself.  Yet he was clearly pouring out all his feelings for her into that kiss.  And that little detail of Yeo Ji twisting her hands in her belt was a nice way of showing how intensely it affected her too.

 

And I loved that in the final episode, Yeo Ji declared her love for him in no uncertain terms.  She was crystal clear about the fact that she loved him and she said so.  She was as straightforward as she's always been as a damo.  And it clearly moved Yeongjo because I guess it showed him that the woman he loves chose to love him as a man and not as a king.  And it was a love that she chose to give to him freely.  I just wish they gave us one last kiss during this moment.  It would have been perfect for that.  In fact, it would have been good if the kiss were initiated by Yeo Ji this time, because it would be in keeping with her personality.  Even a forehead kiss would have been beautiful because, to me, it would have shown how much she cherishes him too.  Oh well...

 

I just wonder if they didn't change her character's arc a bit to make up for Ara's absence midway in the drama.  If you analyze the soundtrack and the initial trajectory of the story's development, it did make sense that Yeo Ji may die in the end.  Everything in the lyrics of the two songs pointed to that development.  There is also the fact that her character has no historical basis.  So I was quite surprised that she lived and from the looks of that last few scenes, she and Yeongjo are very happy and have been going out of the palace quite frequently together (he did say that going out gives him a chance not only to mingle with his people and find out about their lives, but also to openly hold her hand).  I wouldn't even put it past the story anymore that they have already been intimate after Yeo Ji's declaration of love.  Queen Dowager Inwon had already given her blessing (because Cho Hong shared that little bit of information about Yeongjo being in love with Yeo Ji ) and given her to the King's palace so Yeo Ji, as court lady, already belongs to Yeongjo.  Maybe they just didn't show this anymore and left it to the viewers to infer it from these scenes.   

In any case, scenes of Yeongjo and Yeo Ji will always be some of my favorites because...well, they just make my heart flutter!  And in the midst of all the chaos and turbulence and heartbreak, those moments are like their little bit of heaven.  And Jung Il Woo and Go Ara look good together.  

 

I'm really moved by Yeoning's transformation and growth from the man who once thought he wasn't worthy to be king, to a man who has embraced his destiny and looks at it as an opportunity make changes to his kingdom.  Every time he made a speech, whether it was to his court officials or to the ordinary folk, I felt his sincerity.  (And I will especially love his conversations with Minister Min.  That man became Severus Snape to Yeoning's Harry Potter.)  In the end, it was beautiful to see how at peace with himself he looked, despite his exhaustion, and the fact that he knows that he will still face so many challenges ahead and that he might make mistakes along the way that would hurt himself as well as others. 

 

"Haechi" was a surprise.  I hope more viewers get to discover it even after it has aired.  It may not be perfect, but a drama is more than the sum of its parts and if it managed to move the feelings of those who watched it and made them care about the characters and their struggles, then it would have achieved its goal.  

[realistic2280a]

i havent watch the last 5 episodes, but i read that it was happy ending... so that means, i'm gonna watch it all.. haha

[akhenaten]

I hope some of the talented viewers of this drama would make an updated MV of Yeongjo and Yeo Ji.  There are hardly any on YouTube and the ones for the soundtrack don't have the latest scenes yet.  That would be really nice.  If I had the skill to do that, I would.  

 

Speaking of soundtrack...so did those lyrics refer to Dal Moon's tragic love for Yoon Young all along?  

[hahanzyy]

@akhenaten , i love your analysis of the show and characters, especially all that u have written about the relationship and interactions between Yeoning and Yeoji 

 

i agree with you about the mv... have been searching high and low for more yeo-yeo mv but there are so few and i know nuts about how to make one.

[realistic2280a]

I'm just gonna focus on the romance side...

 

The last time I've watched JIL kissing someone was in Cinderella and the 4 Knights, and I think he really can kiss (see the last episode of the drama). Despite holes in that drama, but it was still cute and the kiss scenes seemed believable. I think it might be GA who is uncomfortable with kiss scenes.... saw her last in Hwarang (yes, I was late, but never too late I guess) and we know PSJ is a daring kisser in dramas as well.

 

Overall, happy ending for everyone which is good, though Yi Tan killing himself in the end, I would have thought Yi Geum would have hold on to him, briefly at least, at his dying breath... despite the evils he did... Yi Tan probably think so, hence Yi Geum saying, 'youre actually scared... ' but in the end, he just stood there...

 

Ok, i still dont understand, why would the peasants stay in the river bank (ending part of the drama) - what if it rain, and how are they gonna move their stuff our of the drain???

[akhenaten]

9 hours ago, realistic2280a said:

I'm just gonna focus on the romance side...

 

The last time I've watched JIL kissing someone was in Cinderella and the 4 Knights, and I think he really can kiss (see the last episode of the drama). Despite holes in that drama, but it was still cute and the kiss scenes seemed believable. I think it might be GA who is uncomfortable with kiss scenes.... saw her last in Hwarang (yes, I was late, but never too late I guess) and we know PSJ is a daring kisser in dramas as well.

 

Overall, happy ending for everyone which is good, though Yi Tan killing himself in the end, I would have thought Yi Geum would have hold on to him, briefly at least, at his dying breath... despite the evils he did... Yi Tan probably think so, hence Yi Geum saying, 'youre actually scared... ' but in the end, he just stood there...

 

Ok, i still dont understand, why would the peasants stay in the river bank (ending part of the drama) - what if it rain, and how are they gonna move their stuff our of the drain???

 

Hello @realistic2280a . 

 

About the kiss,  yes,  I did watch Go Ara in "Hwarang" and noticed a similar behavior when PSJ kissed her. Come to think of it,  perhaps that's why some viewers say she has "no chemistry" with her male romantic leads. Maybe when it comes to the part when she has to act out love scenes,  she becomes conscious and maybe a bit embarrassed. Or maybe she has set boundaries on how far she will do such scenes. There are actors who are like that; they don't do love scenes in their projects due to personal beliefs. But at least in "Haechi",  I saw her respond to Jung Il Woo's kiss. It's just that the camera cut to a shot of her hands and then a long-distance shot of them after that. 

 

I'm also not surprised at the execution of this scene. This is the same writer that wrote "Dong Yi" and if there's one thing I noticed about the way she writes such scenes,  they're quite conservative. In "Dong Yi",  Ji Jin Hee and Han Hyo Joo only had one kiss scene and their lips were just pressed together before the camera cut away to a distant shot of them. Every other romantic scene after that was just handholding (with only Ji Jin Hee actively grasping while Han Hyo Joo's hand remains limp) or a hug where the actors' bodies don't come into contact with each other so they only hold each other's shoulders and very lightly at that. You'll notice the same way of handholding and hugging between Yeongjo and Yeo Ji.  If you haven't seen "Dong Yi",  check it out and you'll see what I mean about this writer's style. 

[yoo1]

@realistic2280a @akhenaten

 

YeoYeo kiss is sweet and clean and pure. It is simple but the love is there. That's all that matters. 

 

 

 

[oceluna]

@yoo1 @akhenaten

I can't agree more with your opinions about YJ and the King. My wishes here:

- second kiss at the moment YJ says she loves the King.

- one more moment of YJ and PMS. I hoped that while the King meeting with Min Jin Hoon, YJ would meet PMS at the Saheonbu. But not. A little regret. Deep down I think PMS likes YJ as a woman, not a brother. But he keeps it in his heart. The scene where he says goodbye to YJ before the battle shows clearly his feeling.

Eventually, we still don't know YJ' position. But I'm fine with the idea that she's close to the King, go along with him everytime he leaves the palace. 

 

[akhenaten]

Hello @oceluna. Yeah. Park Moon Su and Yeo Ji remains one of the loose ends. If there had been more time to cover the development of Yeo Ji's feelings for Yeoning,  then perhaps the issue of Moon Su's unresolved feelings for her would have been covered as well. I would have wanted to see scenes where Yeo Ji talks a lot more about Yeoning even to Moon Su and he starts to ask her what's going on with her. And he begins to notice how concerned she seems to be over Yeoning's welfare. I would even want her to have initially opened up to Moon Su about her plans to ask Yeoning to make her a court lady and that's when Moon Su starts to suspect that Yeo Ji has feelings for the prince. 

 

But I guess this story arc had to be sacrificed because the drama needed more time to cover the critical events in Yeongjo's rise to the throne and early reign. And of course there was the matter of Go Ars being sidelined due to injury. 

 

As to Yeo Ji's position,  I think it would be safe to assume that she's now part of Yeongjo's retinue of court ladies. Queen Inwon did say that that was her intention all along,  knowing how her stepson feels for her. And I think it's an open secret in the palace that she's allowed direct access to His Majesty. Notice how she was in the immediate vicinity of his rooms when the assassin attacked so she was able to stop him? And she was allowed entry late at night after he met with Dal Moon about letting Yoon Young live,  that time he confessed his feelings. And of course in the last episode when she came to him to console him and confess her own love. 

 

From what I know based on my readings and other historical dramas, one doesn't simply enter the King's palace. One has to be summoned by the King,  or given permission by him to enter if they request to see him. So safe to say Yeo Ji already had a privileged position in the palace. It just wasn't said what exactly that position is. 

 

[yoo1]

19 hours ago, oceluna said:

Eventually, we still don't know YJ' position. But I'm fine with the idea that she's close to the King, go along with him everytime he leaves the palace. 

 

 

19 hours ago, akhenaten said:

And I think it's an open secret in the palace that she's allowed direct access to His Majesty. Notice how she was in the immediate vicinity of his rooms 

Yeo ji has become the first female royal guard  

[realistic2280a]

40 minutes ago, yoo1 said:

 

 

Yeo ji has become the first female royal guard  

 

 

Like a certain royal guard who became queen recently    Real Life

[ross27]

I was so worried and then so relieved that Yeo Ji did not die despite the `misleading' trailer showing her throwing herself in front of King Jeongjo when Prince Mil Poong was running toward the king with a sword. The writer, director, cast and crew did an excellent job in making this most enjoyable drama for me. 

 

I like it that the characters are layered. I am especially touched by the final scene between Min Jin Heon and the King. Min was at peace and he finally acknowledged the sincerity and competency of the King. It was the highest praise when he told that King that if it was the King, he believed that the King will succeed. King Jeongjo too was motivated and reminded himself that he must try not to be exhausted and disappointed in the long path of reforms to bring down abuse of power and dirty politics, and to bring peace and prosperity for his kingdom. He knew that he was blessed with like-minded friends to support him.

 

The kiss was beautifully done. Yeo Ji did respond slightly (which I think is appropriate since it must be her first time) and her hands did twist her waist belt. I did not expect a kiss so it was a bonus. What I love most was her confession of her love for Yi Geum the man and her firm belief that whatever decisions he make, right or wrong, he will always take careful consideration and reflect on them.

 

Holding hands amidst the cherry blossoms was just lovely! 

[hahanzyy]

2 hours ago, ross27 said:

What I love most was her confession of her love for Yi Geum the man and her firm belief that whatever decisions he make, right or wrong, he will always take careful consideration and reflect on them.

 

 

I love her confession too. And i felt so touched that she was crying. It was as though she loves YG so much that her own heart hurts bcos she could feel his pain, his fear & his uncertainty.

I love the look on YG's face after her confession ... to hear those reassuring words from a "wooden" person like YJ, and to hear her reasons and affirmation of her love for him, to see her crying for him... the whole scenario was just so emotionally charged even without a kiss

[yoo1]

4 hours ago, realistic2280a said:

Like a certain royal guard who became queen recently    Real Life

Wow. From Thailand? Amazing real life story. 

[yoo1]

I already miss Haechi even it is not yet Monday. Hope it will be distributed on local televisions in different countries. Every race can relate to its story. 

[realistic2280a]

2 hours ago, yoo1 said:

Wow. From Thailand? Amazing real life story. 

 

Hehe, yes...

[hulya.23_d801]

[shynaz]

When I free to watch finale episode..why my jobs smile to me.. Stress again..lol

[yoo1]

@hulya.23_d801 thanks for sharing those gifs! The finale scene is beautiful, the words of hope and the visuals. Both Ara and Ilwoo's smiles are good for my heart. 

Spoiler

13 hours ago, hulya.23_d801 said:

 

 

[akhenaten]

@hulya.23_d801  Those GIFs are beautiful!  I love the overall theme of those last scenes.  Cherry blossoms and Yeongjo and Yeo Ji's clothes echoing the color of the blossoms.  It seems to speak of hope and a new springtime, both for the kingdom of Joseon and for the two of them in particular.   Of course, I love the way they smiled at each other.  They just seemed so happy. 

 

@ross27  @hahanzyy  I was actually quite surprised by Yeo Ji's confession.  I wasn't expecting it at all. But I loved the way she did it.  It was so in keeping with her character and personality:  straightforward, no embellishments.  She said how she felt and meant exactly what she said.  If you think about it, that confession was hard-won. As compared to Moon Su and even Yeongjo, Yeo Ji isn't the emotional type.  She doesn't look very comfortable expressing her feelings.  So for her to admit to him that she loves him is really an indication of just how much she trusts him.  So much so that she is willing to be emotionally vulnerable in front of him.  And I also loved how Yeongjo reacted to her confession.  He looked so humbled and grateful to her for loving him.   I just wish he hugged her a bit tighter.  He looked almost afraid to hold her that time.