The Story
A Joseon concubine is sentenced to death by poisoning. But upon her deathbed, she is suddenly whisked through time, and finds herself in the body of a modern day actress. As she adjusts to her new surroundings, her life will become intertwined with a handsome and ruthless chaebol. And as they grow closer, they soon realize that their fates have been connected for a very long time.
The Leads
Im Ji Yeon as Sin Seo Ri/Dan Shin
Kang Dan Shin is abandoned by her parents as a young child and sent to work in the palace as a servant. And when she is bullied by older palace maids, she is rescued by the illusive Crown Prince, Yi Hyeon. The pair begin a friendship that deepens over time and turns to love. But the prince's cousin, Yi Jae, comes between the lovers, forcing Dan Shin to falsely testify against Yi Hyeon. As a result, the prince is exiled and Dan Shin becomes a high ranking concubine. Later she learns that Yi Hyeon died while in exile. Dan Shin's rise from poor palace maid to concubine incurs the jealousy of many of the women in the palace. Eventually she is framed for a crime and sentenced to death by poisoning. But on her deathbed, a shaman manages to send Dan Shin into the future, in the body of a struggling young actress.
In modern day Seoul, Dan Shin's name is Seo Ri. She is an actress who works in historical dramas. She has her own backstory as a child actress whose parent's attempt a murder-suicide by driving their car into deep water. Seo Ri survives, but loses her ability to act. Now she takes bit parts and struggles to find success. When Dan Shin wakes up in her body, she helps Seo Ri capture the essence of Joseon women, and her career begins to take off. Seo Ri also finds herself running into an arrogant business man, Se Gye, who is actually the reincarnation of her past love, Yi Hyeon. Except, she can't recognize him, because Yi Hyeon wore a mask over half his face. Seo Ri wins a modeling job in Se Gye's company and as they spend time together, they go slowly from enemies to lovers. But when Se Gye's cousin, Mun Do, tries to destroy Seo Ri to ruin Se Gye's reputation, the pair join forces to get rid of Mun Do and secure Se Gye's position as heir. Seo Ri will also try to correct the historical misconceptions that turned her into a villainese.
Kang Dan Shin is a strong woman with a blatant charisma. She is practical and resourceful. When she first comes to the present day, she finds Seo Ri to be timid and easily intimidated. But as Dan Shin's personality takes over, we see Seo Ri become a stronger character. Seo Ri was raised by her grandmother, who Dan Shin doesn't know in the beginning. But as she sees her grandmother's kindness, she begins to accept her as her own. Im Ji Yeon loves these fiery, spunky characters and she was a perfect Dan Shin. But I wish she hadn't lost some of that spunk as Seo Ri.
Heo Nam Jun as Cha Se Gye
Cha Se Gye is the CEO of Biojei, nicknamed the monster of capitalism. He is determined to convince his father that he is the rightful heir to the family company. But his cousin, Mun Do, continually undermines Se Gye and tries to win his uncle's favor away from Se Gye. But one day, Se Gye runs into a strange woman and, although she is incredibly frustrating, he can't help but feel drawn to her. Over time, they become increasingly entangled, and when he begins dreaming about his past life with Dan Shin, he starts to believe that her crazy story about being from the Joseon period is really true.
In the Joseon era, Se Gye is the Grand Prince Yi Hyeon. He wears a mask over half his face to cover the scars left behind by a mysterious palace fire. Because of this, Yi Hyeon is known as the ghost prince. He works as a scholar and lives in the private royal quarters. While his older brother Yi Jae sits on the throne, after ruthlessly killing his other rivals. Yi Hyeon falls for Dan Shin, who is a quiet, lonely palace maid. But Yi Jae breaks them apart by exposing their relationship and manages to get Yi Hyeon exiled. Later he sends men to poison Yi Hyeon while imprisoned. But after her stint in present day, Seo Ri goes back to Joseon times and finds a way to save Yi Hyeon before returning to her rightful place with Se Gye.
Cha Se Gye is a cold businessman with a hunger for power and profit. He has spent his life trying to protect himself against his cruel cousin, who would love to convince Se Gye's father that Se Gye is incapable of running the family business. But just when things are looking bleak for Se Gye, his father turns on Mun Do, and shows that he has always known Mun Do was greedy and dishonest. Heo Nam Jun fits these kinds of intense, serious roles well. But I wish we could have seen him show a more gentle, emotional side more often.
Supporting Characters
Jang Seun Jo as Choi Mun Do
Choi Mun Do is Se Gye's cousin. He came to live with Se Gye and his father when he was young. And although he always put on his best face around his uncle, Mun Do was always trying to make Se Gye look bad. He is the president of Chail Construction, a subsidiary of Chail Group. He is a single dad whose son is living abroad with a caretaker.
Lee Se Hee as Yun Ji Hyo
Yun Ji Hyo is a star who works in Seo Ri's agency. She worked with Seo Ri back when Seo Ri became famous, and she has always been jealous of her. But now, Ji Hyo is getting starring roles while Seo Ri is struggling to find bit parts.
Kim Min Seok as Baek Gwang Nam
Baek Gwang Nam is Seo Ri's neighbor in their goshiwon. When Dan Shin becomes Seo Ri, she enlists the help of Gwang Nam to act as her driver. Gwang Nam also introduces her to some part-time jobs when she doesn't have any acting jobs. Gwang Nam has always been a fan of Ji Hyo, and working with Seo Ri allows him to see Ji Hyo and get to know her.
Things I Like
Im Ji Yeon
We all knew that Im Ji Yeon was a good actress who knows how to play a mean girl. But who knew she has such great comedic timing? Her historical drama antics in the present day were fun and was a unique way to highlight her adjustment period. Rather than rely on the astonishment of modern inventions, Dan Shin struggles to understand the social norms and hierarchy of a present day society.
Baek Gwang Nam
I love Kim Min Seok, and his character was a nice addition to this drama. I was happy that they skipped the whole, "neighbor gets a crush and then has to give up and fall for the second lead" thing. His reluctant friendship with Seo Ri was great to watch. And his worship of Ji Hyo was cute. Luckily, he got more development than most of the other secondary cast, but I still wish we had gotten to know more about his character.
Double Time Travel
Time travel dramas aren't uncommon, so I'm always happy when a drama comes up with a unique plot twist. This series did that by making Seo Ri someone who was actually from the present day. She was not so much a time traveler as someone returning to her rightful place. I have plenty of complaints about the plot holes in this drama, but this concept is something I felt like they did right.
Things I Didn't Like
Questions
This drama left us with way more questions than it answered. Here are some of my most burning questions. Mun Do is just one big question to me. What made him turn so nasty? Where did the son come from? Why raise him abroad? Then there is Seo Ri. Why did all of this happen to her? How did she become a senior concubine? What did she do to get the death sentence? See below for a further dive into her relationship with Dan Shin. Also what happened to the dog? And what was the point of having Seo Ri's grandmother in the first place? And why have her die? This is just a sampling of what I would consider plot holes in this drama. Too many unanswered questions for me.
Masked Prince
I get it that everyone is impatiently waiting for a second season of 'Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo'. But this drama is not that. We've already seen the handsome young prince in a mask. And that rain scene under the prince's cloak was just a blatant copy. Just because the tone of this drama was more light-hearted doesn't make it right to copy another drama so shamelessly.
Dan Shin/Seo Ri
We never really get an explanation about what exactly happened with Dan Shin and Seo Ri. Why is it that at the end Dan Shin doesn't remember Yi Hyeon, but Seo Ri remembers everything? Are Dan Shin and Seo Ri two individuals connected by fate or one soul that has been split by trauma? When Seo Ri dies during the Joseon times, how does Dan Shin suddenly appear back in her own time without any memory of her time in the present? Where was she while Seo Ri was back in the Joseon period lying unconscious? There are just too many unanswered questions for me.
The Ending
'My Royal Nemesis' gives us a happy, although not entirely satisfying ending. In the end, Seo Ri goes back to the Joseon period long enough to save Yi Hyeon. Se Gye finally goes to the museum to see the portrait of Seo Ri. And as his memories of his past life come flooding back, he begs Seo Ri to come back to him. In Joseon times, the shaman gives Seo Ri a choice where she wants to live, and, of course, she chooses to be with Se Gye. When he leaves the museum, he finds Seo Ri on the street waiting for him and they have a romantic reunion.
Seo Ri exposes Mun Do during a press conference and he is arrested for his crimes. Mun Do's son goes to live with Se Gye's dad, who is only too happy to have another child in the house again. Gwang Nam rescues Ji Hyo from her jerk of an ex. He tries to apply for a company job, but Ji Hyo shows up and hires him on the spot to be her manager.
Back in Joseon times, we see Yi Hyeon alive and apparently on the run after surviving his fall. He has ditched the mask, but wears a big hat to hide his face in case he is recognized. Dan Shin is there with him. After her years in the present, he immediately comments on her strange use of language. But he accepts her anyway and the pair run off together after avoiding detection.
Se Gye is plenty busy in modern times, between running the company and catering to his newly famous actress wife. The final scene shows Seo Ri and Se Gye walking on the beach as they talk about what they want to do together in each of the upcoming seasons.
Should I Watch
'My Royal Nemesis' is a time travel drama that takes place mostly in the modern era. In the present day, it seems more like a business rom-com, with flashback nods to it's historical origins. Im Ji Yeon is engaging both as an evil Joseon concubine and as a historical drama actress. The chemistry is especially strong between the leads in the first half of the series.
But the pace gets muddled somewhere along the way. The rules for time travel are vague and seem to shift, depending on the circumstance. And the supporting cast really don't get enough development to make them relevant. This one is a fun watch and I always enjoy Im Ji Yeon, but I wish it would have finished as strongly as it started out. I give 'My Royal Nemesis' a 3 out of 5 ramen.
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