Secret Royal Agent - Full Review
Welcome to Secret Royal Agent - Full Review. A royal secret agent travels the country chasing after corrupt royal officials. If you haven't watched this drama yet, I recommend checking out my unspoiled review here.
Secret Royal Agent
♥ Aired: December 21, 2020 - February 9, 2021
♥# of Episodes: 16
♥Where to Watch: iQIYI
♥Genre: Historical Comedy
♥Starring: Kim Myung Soo and Kwon Na Ra
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The Story
An aimless royal administrator gets assigned to work as a secret royal agent for the king, rooting out corruption among the other royal officials. Following rumors about those who are using their positions to take advantage of the people, the secret royal agent travels to those towns in disguise and attempts to uncover their crimes. His team consists of himself, his servant, and a female police officer who travels dressed as a man. Together they will fight to bring justice for those who have been mistreated.
The Leads
Kim Myung Soo as Sung Yi Gyum
Sung Yi Gyum is coasting through life as a royal administrator until he gets caught gambling. Once the top-rated recruit from his testing cycle, Yi Gyum lost all interest in making a real difference in people's lives afer he was betrayed by his fiancee and his brother. Royal Secretary Jang remembers his potential, and "punishes" his gambling by sending him out as the royal secret agent. Yi Gyum travels to several towns and stays in disguise until he has the proof to capture the corrupt officials. Along the way, his passion for justice and a more fair society are rekindled. His passion for his female traveling companion is also kindled.
Like many who have suffered a traumatic betrayal, Yi Gyum is purposely detached and unconcerned about much of anything. He has given up on his political ideals and is living just to have fun. But as he begins to get a taste for how good it feels to make a difference in people's lives, he finds himself wanting to do more and work for real justice. Kim Myung Soo is a charming actor, but there isn't enough depth to this role for him to express much character development. His relationship with his brother and ex-fiancee felt akward all the way up until their final goodbye, and they never seemed to reach any kind of closure. Since that love triangle is the root of his disillusionment, the lack-luster way this story finished left his character rather bland.
Kwon Nara as Hong Da In
Hong Da In is the daughter of Prince Hwiyeong, who killed himself after being accused as a traitor. Now working as a police officer, she is trying to find evidence to prove that her father was innocent. Sent as part of the royal investigation team by her adopted father, Da In is supposed to be keeping an eye on Yi Gyum to make sure everything goes smoothly. For the purpose of disguise, Da In always travels dressed as a man, although undercover missions often require her to use her "feminine charms". When she first meets Yi Gyum they don't start off on the best footing but as she gets to know him, she finds him to be kind and just.
Da In is bold and determined, especially for a woman at that time. Proving her father's innocence has been her life's focus, so she doesn't have many relationships outside of her love for the Royal Secretary, who raised her after her father's death. Good with disguise and quick on her feet, her contributions to the investigation team help them out of several tight spots. Kwon Nara was a good choice for this role, although she also seemed to struggle with the stilted dialogue and sometimes akward scene timing. Her chemistry with Kim Myung Soo never seemed to hit the smooth groove you would hope for in this kind of romantic comedy.
Supporting Characters
Lee Yi Kyung as Park Chun Sam
Park Chun Sam is Yi Gyum's servant and best friend. Wherever Yi Gyum goes, Chun Sam follows along, although he isn't crazy about carrying out the dangerous missions they receive as secret royal agents. He provides the comic relief in the drama as he bumbles along hiding from any confrontation he can avoid and falling in love with a woman in every town.
Lee Tae Hwan as Sung Yi Beom
Sung Yi Beom is Yi Gyum's estranged brother. A misunderstanding over Yi Gyum's former fiancee left the brothers out of touch and Yi Beom to live life on the run. Determined to use the circumstance for good, Yi Beom became a Korean Robin Hood, stealing money from the corrupt and giving it back to those it belonged to. After years of being together, he is in love with Soon Ae, but he refuses to act on it out of respect for his brother.
Jo Soo Min as Kang Soon Ae
Kang Soon Ae grew up as the daughter of a courtesan. When she refuses the unwanted advances of the local magistrate, he throws her in prison. Yi Beom breaks her out and runs away with her. Travelling for years as the only female in a group of bandits, she has become a mother figure who cooks and tends to their wounds. She has tried to encourage a romantic relationship with Yi Beom, but he continues to resist her efforts.
Things I Liked
♥ Several Mini-Cases
Having Yi Gyum investigating several different cases that took place in various towns with new characters made this drama more interesting than if they had focused on one big case for the whole time. This change of scene kept the plot moving and gave us lots of characters. For this kind of drama, the structure gives it a less intense feel and creates a consistant fast-moving pace.
♥ Embracing Adventure
Especially for Da In, it would have been so easy to be swayed by the life of royalty and luxury, but she wasn't in the least bit tempted. Rather than wasting time on a "will she stay or go" storyline, they allowed her to stay true to her adventurous spirit. To a lesser degree, the same could be said for both Yi Gyum and Chun Sam. I love it that in the end they were all there because they had chosen the life of adventure.
♥ Not Focused on Palace
It's hard to have a drama that takes place in the Joseon period without focusing on the palace and royals. This drama does a nice job of shifting the focus out to the people. Yes, there is still political intrigue going on at the palace, but it doesn't dominate the story in the same way as most period dramas.
Things I Didn't Like
Yi Beom
Yi Beom's character and storyline didn't really work for me. First of all, the whole Robin Hood idea seemed cliche and underdeveloped. Since he was already in hiding, he decided to commit crimes so they would plaster his picture everywhere? Does that make sense? And second, what did Yi Gyum do to his brother to make him act so cold? Yi Gyum misundersood the situation, but under the circumstances he has a right to be mad. But what did he do to Yi Beom? And third, there wasn't enough chemistry or interaction between Yi Beom and Soon Ae to really care whether they fall in love or not. His plot line just seemed randomly thrown in with no rhyme or reason.
Spur of the Moment Rebellion?
Okay, so I understand that Yi Beom was broken-hearted over the death of his mentor. But throwing together a last minute revolution and hoping back-up comes doesn't seem like an air-tight plan. In the end, they failed and lost valuable men in the process. It seemed like a really spontaneous decision with far-reaching consequences. And the only reason Yi Beom even lived to face his defeat was because Yi Gyum found a way to bail him out. It felt like wasted space in the final episodes that could have been better used to address already-existing plots.
Da In's "Disguise"
Women dressed as men is a pretty common trope for historical dramas, but Da In never really seemed very "secret". Kwon Nara is a beauty and rosy lips and accentuated eyes didn't help make her look more masculine. Neither did her traveling companions running after her calling her "miss" constantly. Aside from getting thrown into a couple sleeping rooms together, there really wasn't much point in her pretending to be a man anyway.
The Ending
"Secret Royal Agent" has a pretty straight-forward ending. All of the cases were solved, the corrupt officials were punished, and the town's people were compensated. After a failed revolution, Yi Beom is captured and he and Yi Gyum fake his death. Later the gang takes him to meet Soon Ae on the outskirts of town and the couple head into hiding together again. Da In finds out that her father really was innocent and brings the proof home with her. Yi Gyum frees Chun Sam so that he is no longer a slave. And then, even though Yi Gyum swore this would be his final mission, he gets persuaded to take another case when he hears that people are enpersonating him and tarnishing his reputation. Initially, Da In and Chun Sam tell Yi Gyum that they are done, but when Yi Gyum reaches the gate to head out of the city, they are both there waiting for them. The trio walk off together creating a perfect open door for a Season 2 and yet still offering a kind of happily ever after.
Should I Watch
I really wanted to like "Secret Royal Agent". It has a fantastic cast and I love historical dramas. But this one left me disappointed. With a cliché plot that fell apart as the drama went on, dialogue that didn't give the cast much to work with, and comic moments that felt random and out of place, this drama just fell flat, particularly when compared to other historical comedies such as "Mr. Queen". Having said all that, this drama was not without it's moments. Kim Myung Soo's charm does peek out from time to time and the travelling trio have moments where their chemistry shines through. For those who like historical dramas but don't like their heavy plot lines or beginners looking for a historical drama that isn't too complicated, you may appreciate this one. If you are just looking for an easy distraction, this drama can be fun. But there are definitely a lot of other dramas I would watch first. I give "Secret Royal Agent" a 6 out of 10 ramen.
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