7.9
Moon Embracing the Sun
2012
Set during the reign of King Sukjong in the Joseon dynasty, the story focuses on Dong Yi, a water maid who gains the trust of Queen Inhyeon and later the favour of the king when he is moved by her prayers for the health of the Queen during the court disputes caused by Jang Hee Bin. Dong Yi becomes a concubine with the rank of sook-bin and bears a son who will later become the 21st king of Joseon, Yeongjo.
The Start of a TragedyMar 22, 2010 · 65mThe story begins in 1681, 7th year of King Sukjong. Dong Yi lives with her father and brother in a slave village. They are the members of Sword Fraternity, which is the organisation made up of the lowest class people. Then, a high ranking government officer from Southern Faction was assassinated. After that, Dong Yi finds the assassin ID and hand it to the police. But, it belongs to a corrupt policeman who worked for Oh Tae Seok. He is arrested, but gets killed in his prison cell. Dong Yi's father has the information, so Oh Tae Seok's masked man try to kill him but he gets saved by his friend, Cheon Soo. When they get home, Dong Yi is not there.
The Framing of Sword FraternityMar 23, 2010 · 65mOh Tae Seok wants to frame Sword Fraternity for the murders of Southern Faction and the police officer. Chief Seo asks his father to speak to the king about opening the investigation again. But, King Sukjong is at his father's grave. So, Chief Seo's father goes to visit him there. The Sword Fraternity realise that Oh Tae Seok is planning something. They rush to stop it, but all of them are dead. The corrupt police tries to frame them, but they manage to escape. Meanwhile, Dong Yi finds herself in a noble lady's house. Dong Yi prepares to do the greeting, but her father refuses to let her go. But Dong Yi sneaks away. She has to greet Oh Tae Seok. He then realises who she is and ask his men to kill her. But, Cheun Soo saves her. Then, a member of Sword Fraternity betrays them and leads to the arrest of Dong Yi's father and brother.
The Rescue MissionMar 29, 2010 · 65mDong Yi's father and brother are taken into custody. Dong Yi is taken to a fortune teller's place. He predicts she will be the leader of Sword Fraternity. Oh Tae Seok announces that Dong Yi's father and brother will be executed the next day. Some evidence has been found in the Sword Fraternity headquarters to prove that they are guilty. Cheun Soo and members of Sword Fraternity make plans to free Dong Yi's father and brother. Dong Yi sees a young aristocrat lady do the same hand signal that the dying official has showed at the riverside. The escape plan works, but they get chased and killed. Dong Yi hears that her father has escaped and runs to find her. But, she only sees corpses and the embroidered purse she has given to her father.
The Search for the TruthMar 30, 2010 · 65mChief Seo orders the city to be searched for members of Sword Fraternity. Dong Yi is still on the wanted list. So, when she takes her friend, Gae Doo La to the hospital, she is arrested by Chief Seo. Luckily, he lets her go and tells her about the hand signals. Dong Yi asks her brother's friend, Seol Hee to get her into the palace as a servant because she wants to find out what happened to her father. Meanwhile, a girl's body is found and Chief Seo confirms it although it is not her. Dong Yi enters the palace and starts working in the music department. She starts to play a sorrowful tune using a daegeum, which reminds her of her brother and father. Many years later and it's now the 19th year of King Sukjong and Dong Yi is now a young woman.
A Bad OmenApr 5, 2010 · 65mSix years have gone by and Dong Yi is now a young woman. Then, a meteorite is landed in the palace, a bad omen. Jang Ok Jeong's protesters blame this on her. Furthermore, the Western Faction is stronger than the Southern. Jang Ok Jeong is supported by Southern Faction, but the Western Faction is supported by the Queen Dowager and Oh Tae Seok. They do not like her and plan a 'bad omen'. Later at the banquet, the orchestra can't play in tune and says that it is a bad omen. Dong Yi tries to find the lady with the butterfly accessory. But, she is found loitering around and she is arrested and tied up in a barn with a dead man with the chimes earlier.
The InvestigationApr 6, 2010 · 65mDong Yi manages to escape before she is killed by the bad guy. She finds a policeman but when they go back to the barn, the body is gone. The capital is in turmoil because of the bad omen. The King is determined to find out who is responsible for the musical disaster. But the police and tribunal have come up with nothing. Dong Yi decides to do the investigating herself. She takes evidence dropped by the bad guy and then goes back to the barn, where the King turns up. Then, there's an argument outside the barn and the King bumps into Dong Yi when he hides. They escape together and as the collect more evidence, they get cornered by armed men.
Set during the reign of King Sukjong in the Joseon dynasty, the story focuses on Dong Yi, a water maid who gains the trust of Queen Inhyeon and later the favour of the king when he is moved by her prayers for the health of the Queen during the court disputes caused by Jang Hee Bin. Dong Yi becomes a concubine with the rank of sook-bin and bears a son who will later become the 21st king of Joseon, Yeongjo.
Han Hyo-jooDong Yi
Park Ha-seonQueen Inhyeon
Jeong Dong-hwanOh Tae-suk
Ji Jin-heeKing Sukjong
Bae Soo-binCha Jeon-Soo
Jung Jin-young
Kim You-jungDong Yi (young)
Lee Kwang-sooYeong-dal
Kim Dong-yoonShim Woon-taek
Yeo Hyun-sooGe Dwo-ra
Oh Yeon-seoQueen Inwon
Choi Cheol-hoOh Yun
Nam Da-reumPrince Eunpyeong
Jeong Yu-miJung Eum
Kwon Hae-sungCha Soo-taek
Kim Woo-seok[Servant]
Park Jung-sooQueen Myeongseong
Son Il-kwonHong Tae-yoon
Jung Sun-ilEunuch
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The drama is BAD. Dong Yi was an absolute letdown, and I can't sugarcoat my disappointment with it. This series was a torturous ordeal to endure. The pacing was an agonizing exercise in watching paint dry, and it felt like they were stretching a thin plot to the breaking point. The character development, particularly for the supposedly central character, Dong Yi, was so shallow that it bordered on insulting. This show wallowed in the worst of K-drama clichés, relying on contrived plot twists and over-the-top melodrama that made it cringe-worthy to watch. Dong Yi wasn't just bad; it was a masterclass in how not to make a historical drama, leaving me longing for something, anything, more innovative and less painful to endure. Can't recommend!
It's a watered down tale with low tension and disappointing baddies which all made the insane runtime just a tad bit more unbearable. The entire story is confined to in-palace drama where the king likes a commoner while another woman grows to be super duper extra jealous. You may imagine how the story will pan out for 60 episodes. Its length turned out to be its biggest weakness, this is further emphasized with its first and last 5 episodes of which they were dull and redundant. It would've been significantly better with a short runtime since the main leads were likable. Speaking of which, the main leads scenes were generally enjoyable, they had a good chemistry but only when it's NOT romantic. Their romance sucked! Making the king physically a weakling was a nice touch. Although the drama is named after the historical character and we were shown and told about her having ambitious ideologies but we rarely got to see that side of her character in the drama, just a few scenes in the middle and around the end. Instead, we got a typical melodrama in a historical setting while borrowing small bits and pieces from the real historical character for world building. The main leads were doing a lot of heavy lifting to keep the drama afloat. The drama is okay but it doesn't have much to offer and the long runtime is really hard to justify.
One of the BEST tv shows i have ever seen. I rank it with "Jewel in the Palace" and "Yi San, and "Queen Seondeok" I have seen this drama at least 3 times and watch till i drop then resume when i wake up. I give this drama a 10! This type of TV show does not exist in the USA. closest thing to this format is 24 the series. I highly recommend this TV show (called a Korean Drama). I even own it in boxed set. There are a few things different about watching Korean Dramas. For one thing they have subtitles. this can be good or bad.. good because you have to focus on the show.. bad because if you are distracted you miss things. A few hours in i don't even notice the subtitles anymore. i read them without qualms. Another pretty unique kind of thing is this drama is ~ 60x 1hour episodes. It is like a 60 hour movie. the story spends HOURS building the foundation .. more time than typical western movies are in full duration. the immersion is incomparable. pay detailed attention for an hour and your likely hooked for a wild 60 hour ride. Finding Korean TV shows opened up a whole new universe of high quality content right when i had thought i had seen it all. In Dong Yi you meet the characters as children..and you grow with them, their entire life! This was a GREAT watch! This drama is a fictional story based on a real person in korean history. How a water maid came to be a queen.. and the mother of one of the greatest kings in Korean history.
Season 12010 · 60 episodes2012
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