[Drama 2019] Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung, 신입사관 구해령

[kitkat0425]

29 minutes ago, SuperTank said:

Finally a new episode tonight!! Waiting for a new episode every week is taking sooooo much of my patience. This drama has certainly kept me on my toes! Wondering why only a few Koreans are watching this. This is soooo good. Right mix of fluff and the serious palace-y stuff. 

 

Kudos to MBC for doing a marathon/re-run of episodes (1-8) last night. Seems like they trust this drama soooo much that they are really doing everything they can to promote it. Gotta give it to them as they mean business when it comes to Saeguk!

 

Here's to goping there'll be a rise in ratings tonight. The story is getting a lot more interesting. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed that it reaches double-digit ratings. 

The good news is it went up last week on Wednesday and had the highest rating for the second part that night and then the ratings went up even more on Thursday and even came in first overall for Thursday night. It also ended on an interesting cliffhanger so there's a good chance it'll go up even more this week. Fingers crossed.

[OksanaSiytra]

Spoiler

 

[OksanaSiytra]

Spoiler

 

[PororoQueen]

I love how PD-nim gave us laughable scene when none of the 4 Rookie female historian's hand-writing are readable - probably it's like a doctor's handwriting LOL. Also when the Police officer interrogated LR for his name, LR even has no ID tag.

 

So next episode, GHR will know that the handsome Maewha is a Prince?

Hahaha I'm thinking if GRH would believe him. LR is so sneaky, even disguised himself as a novelist Maewha/ Eunuch and now a prince.

 

EunWoo is so cute when practicing the lines. He said "Cut, ....O my God" ..

 

[Shine2111]

Today's episode was amazing. Loved both LR & GHR.

The arrow scene was funny. It's good to see for the first time ever a Prince unable to take s shot & female historian did. But what touched me the most was the last scene where LR was eagerly waiting for GHR but GHR was upset. He felt her pain asked her to cry her out. That one line where he said "cry as much as you want, as loud as you want. No one comes here, no one will listen to you". This line tells so much about him also. The lonely life he has lived, crying for help & freedom. It was like he wanted to tell I have done that been there so you can cry.. In the first 2-3 episodes Lee Rim looked like a 1 dimension character but now you can see his multiple shades. There is more to him & I hope we get to see that.

 

Today, we also got to know how comfortable GHR is in LR presence. She can cry in front him, be herself, be vulnerable yet strong. Can't wait for tomorrow's episode. 

 

All actors were amazing & we realised why GHR needs LR in her life partner & not historian or Crown Prince. She needs someone who will let her be, who will appreciate her stubboness but will also have a rapport with her where she can be nourished & flourished & vice versa

[spark101]

LOL the archery scene! He got shown up. Also, that historian that scolds them all the time cracks me up. Love that character. Looking forward to more shenanigans at the history bureau(?). Hope that min woo won can help sa hui can uh, turn from her shady ways.

And that last scene- honestly, to whoever is continuing to watch this drama just to whine about cha eunwoo's acting- I have no words for you! And is that a yoon mi rae ost I hear??? Great song. 

 

Besides sexism(which has already been mentioned in the thread as a major theme of this drama), joseon just had too many issues/backwards thinking in its society/system- after watching a couple of sageuks(or better, researching joseon history directly), I just think no wonder joseon/korea fell and eventually got annexed by japan. (I say this as a korean myself, though really it shouldn't matter since it's the truth.) Jeongjo was the last great king(made some great efforts/changes), and personally I can't watch any sageuks based on real history/figures post-jeongjo era because it's depressing, lol. 

 

Back to a positive note- lee rim's hanboks are stunning. Especially love the white one with gray bamboo leaves. 

I'm very impressed by the writer so far. Not really that suprising considering Solomon's perjury was great but underrated(if you haven't watched it, give it a go), but a sageuk, especially one billed as a fluffy romance type, is very different from grim school mystery drama. If the plot stays strong until the end, this writer is definitely going on my "trust and watch" list. 

 

[kangminjae]

2 hours ago, Shine2111 said:

But what touched me the most was the last scene where LR was eagerly waiting for GHR but GHR was upset. He felt her pain asked her to cry her out. That one line where he said "cry as much as you want, as loud as you want. No one comes here, no one will listen to you". This line tells so much about him also. The lonely life he has lived, crying for help & freedom. It was like he wanted to tell I have done that been there so you can cry.. In the first 2-3 episodes Lee Rim looked like a 1 dimension character but now you can see his multiple shades. There is more to him & I hope we get to see that.

 

Today, we also got to know how comfortable GHR is in LR presence. She can cry in front him, be herself, be vulnerable yet strong. Can't wait for tomorrow's episode. 

 

Same here! I teared up a little. It's perhaps more powerful for someone to tell you it's okay to cry instead to tell you not to, to acknowledge your pain and also leave you to digest it because you want to be alone for a bit.  And it goes back to the reason Haeryung was upset to find out he was the prince - she wanted someone she could let her guard down around and be herself with, not another royal to subject herself to.

 

But in that final moment, Lee Rim not only revealed a bit of his own loneliness, but also showed her that they could still see each other as equals.

[SuperTank]

Oh wow!!! Tonight's episode was amazing. I teared up on the last scene. If somebody dares to criricize Shin Se Kyung or Cha Eun Woo's acting for this ep, I don't even know what to say anymore. They both did very well on that last scene.  My gosh, I genuinely felt HR's sadness. And how can she still be pretty while crying????

[spark101]

Wednesday episode ratings:

4.4, 7.3. If you're going by average or first half, it's lower, but it hit another new high in the second half.  

 

[kitkat0425]

1 hour ago, spark101 said:

Wednesday episode ratings:

4.4, 7.3. If you're going by average or first half, it's lower, but it hit another new high in the second half.  

 

I think I read that its the second half that counts. Either way they were first in both parts for Wednesday as Justice had a 4.3 rating the first half and the Doctor one had 3.7. For the second part both Justice and the Doctor one were in the 4%. Also Rookie Historian is the first Wednesday-Thursday show that has gone over 7%. So its good news for both parts. Slow but steady wins the race.

[SuperTank]

Yay congrats for reaching over 7%!!! Are Knetz bringing in positive response on this show now? Tried google translating all the comments on some articles but gaaaah some translations makes no sense HAHAHAH. Really curious on their opinion and whether they are finally enjoying this drama, which I personally adore. 

[kangminjae]

Yes, I believe Nielsen Korea looks at the highest number rather than the average. Either way, it's the highest in its timeslot/night, which is great. I hope the ratings keep going up. I'd love to see it end with at least 10%!

 

I'm not sure what knetz are saying, but I share your curiousty @SuperTank!

[lover2002]

8 hours ago, SuperTank said:

Oh wow!!! Tonight's episode was amazing. I teared up on the last scene. If somebody dares to criricize Shin Se Kyung or Cha Eun Woo's acting for this ep, I don't even know what to say anymore. They both did very well on that last scene.  My gosh, I genuinely felt HR's sadness. And how can she still be pretty while crying????

Agreed. They did very good job. I cant wait to see tonight ep. So exciting to watch every week. PD -nim also did very good job as we can laugh every week. I want to see more romance scene for both of them. Also curious about the Crown - Prince and Min - nim characters.

 

I love this drama so much.

[Silvermoon]

The end of the episode 10 (5 on Netflix) teared me up..... Lee rim’s tears revealed his pain in this palace. He and Haeryung got closer at a new level. 

 

This drama made me laugh and cry at the same time. I’m so into it!!!! Keep it up!!!

[OksanaSiytra]

Spoiler

 

[angelsskisses]

I am loving this drama so much. I am not one to watch the Korean ahistorical drama, as I feel they are too long and political to me. I love that this is a good combination of political, comedy, drama, and romance. It’s great.

 

Only thing is I’m getting impatient waiting each week for new episodes so I was wondering if anybody had recommendations for any historical dramas that are similar to this one, again it one with like a ton of episodes. Dramas with too many episodes start to get boring for me and it’s a struggle to maintain interests. Thanks for the recommendations!

[PororoQueen]

A lovely sweet episode, Aigoooo I have butterfly in my stomach when the scene of Prince Dowon waiting for GRH arrival. Omo Prince's face is so cute and shy, ChaEunWoo mischievous smile is funny, his laughing etc etc...

 

Well, he's going to stop teasing GRH around after seeing her crying like that - Life in Palace is really hard. But GRH position is becoming unclear, is she going to be a politician or a historian. LOL, ,  I mean can a historian criticize government policy ..or merely a secretary. Love is in the air for the next episode, thanks PD-nim

 

[kangminjae]

7 hours ago, angelsskisses said:

  Only thing is I’m getting impatient waiting each week for new episodes so I was wondering if anybody had recommendations for any historical dramas that are similar to this one, again it one with like a ton of episodes. Dramas with too many episodes start to get boring for me and it’s a struggle to maintain interests. Thanks for the recommendations!

 

The two that I can think of which feel closest in tone to this are Love in the Moonlight and Sungkyunkwan Scandal!

 

Meanwhile, today's episode was AWESOME! This week has been the strongest yet, imo. Haeryung battling injustice, Lee Rim helping her without even grasping the situation, the Ho Dam mystery slowly revealing itself... Everything's coming together!

 

I love that we're still seeing Lee Rim be in immature child, yet at the same time he's showing emotion growth and being kinda selfless with Haeryung. Their chemistry is blossoming as a result, and Seol Geum's hilarious prodding certainly didn't hurt. She and Eunuch Sam Bo are comedic gold.

 

Also loved how Historian Min stood up to the clerks and proved he knows Haeryung has what it takes. Super intrigued by both the Sahee/Lee Jin history and subplot, as well as how Haeryung's brother factors into Mohwa (why does that sound like Maehwa?) and the Queen Dowager's secret plans.

[guinearoyal]

I have to say that I haven't watched todays episode yet, but I am not sure if anyone else noticed. But at the end when LR was sitting outside while our heroine was crying, he was actually tearing up himself listening to her cry. But they cut off right before tears became too obvious. It really shows how much he cares for her and how soft his heart is. 

I do agree that this had been one of the best dramas that I have seen SSK act in so far. I think it is because this character actually fits her temperment better than her previous roles, which were being the typical candy, comic relief or ditzy female lead. It is like she is a bit like the ML in this role and LR is the FL...characterization wise. Her character is the straight man in the story and everyone reacts to her, rather than being the character that reacts to everyone else. 

As for who her character will end up with. I am with the small group that says LR, but not because his role is the "ML". The crown prince is more like an older brother to her, I feel like. I feel like he respects her for her mind, but he kind of sees her like he does his brother... a friend of sorts or more so a friend for his brother LR. The time she was sitting with the crown prince to record really demonstrated this. All he talked about was his brother with her, "my brother this...my brother that...etc." before he was like "Hey, lets actually hang out with him, let's go right now." Then he was getting a kick out of how she was ruffling LR's feathers, he wasn't jealous at all or even wanted to show off like LR. And I am pretty sure the crown prince could tell LR is interested in GHY... I mean it was rather obvious. So I am sure at some point the crown prince is going to be supporter of their relationship. 

As for the Historian, I do not think he would be good for GHY outside of being a work colleague. The historian has be come too much like his job, only observing and never interacting or interfering. While I believe that he does respect GHY on a level because of her intelligence and guts, he seems at the moment too committed to his "hands off policy" which GHY can't do. She is a bit like a rebel fighter. She can't stand back when she sees injustice. And that moral code puts her in direct conflict with the Historian. 

Another reason I think LR is the best for her, is the fact he is so sheltered, innocent and pure. GHY lives in a society where women are second class citizens in a way, and she is an anomaly. She is very highly educated, which in that time was very strange and considered wrong. Her family actually treats her more like an equal as well so the normal restrictive life that women lived following behind men in that time is very unappealing to her. She does not like not have control over her own life, which is why she the historian role appealed to her. In this respect as well, LR is not a typical male lead or man in his era. He wrote fluffy romance novels, and is very ignorant of the world in general. He is sweet and kind, He can't fight, he is terrible at shooting, he cries easily, and doesn't have a calculating bone is his body...as a result, he is not very masculine but rather feminine in nature. But because of that, despite the fact that men are considered to be a higher status, it makes him the more submissive one in their relationship. You will notice that in most of their interactions, LR is on the losing end of the deal. It has only been recently that he is starting to win...though still not very often. But this dynamic, makes them more equal, though GHY is often put into a position of control in the relationship and allows her to display her entire wealth of brains without having to hold back like she normal has to in society. 

While her finding out that he is a prince has put a bit of a damper on their budding relationship, I have a feeling that it will eventually grow back into that fun equal/unequal relationship again and some more.  

Just my thoughts.

[spark101]

Ooh, next week looks juicy. Yay, more seo young joo! Sa hui, guurll- hope the crown prince sets her straight. If you really like him, stop working for the left minister dammit! Is this loyalty out of her father and left minister's close relationship/alliance?

The political/serious stuff is so well done; there's a lot going on but it just works. Major kudos to the writer and PD; the combination of comedic parts and political intrigue is very nicely woven- not at all jarring. Also, while all fluff/fantasy sageuks follow the same format of romance+ obligatory serious subplot for substance, the political scheming seems more substantial and urgent. I've praised the writer aplenty but the PD has a history of some major sageuks(emperor wang gun in 2000, sea god in 2004, and kingdom of the winds in 2008), and it's showing. 

 

On the topic of sageuks, I implore those who are hesitant about traditional, long sageuks to try haechi, yi san, queen seon duk, and jumong. The latter three are quite long, but they all mix real history with fiction, and I think most will find them more immediately engaging than KBS's conventional sageuks (which are great but aren't everyone's, especially young folks', cup of tea). 

 

Also, I needed the yoon mi rae(pretty sure it's her) OST yesterday!