In the 18th Century, Yi San is a crown prince who dreams of becoming a righteous King.  The current King, his grandfather Yeongjo, is known for being a cruel and ruthless leader who is uninterested in the people he is supposed to represent, but San is determined to redeem his family name.  Sung Deok Im is a Court Lady who serves in the library of the Prince’s palace.  A chance encounter with the Prince leads to a unique friendship between the two.  As their connection grows, the King expresses his desire for Deok Im to become his Concubine.  But although she has pledge to support and protect him until he becomes King, Deok Im is not interested in a formal royal title that would take away the little amount of control she still has over her own life.  As her feelings for the Prince grow, she is locked in a struggle between love and freedom.  

Lee Se Young as Sung Deok Im/Royal Consort Uibin

Sung Deok Im lost her parents when she was young.  As an orphan, she was sent into service at the palace.  Because of her love of reading and her skills in writing, she is sent to take care of the Crown Prince’s library.  When she encounters a man looking for a book in the library one day she mistakenly assumes he is the King’s tutor.  The two of them strike up a friendship  before she finds out he is actually the Prince.  As their relationship blooms, the King wants to make her a Concubine. But Deok Im isn’t interested in just being another one of the King’s women, with no identity or independence of her own.  

Having grown up without a real family, Deok Im treasures the family she has made among the Court Ladies who serve together.  She is determined and outspoken and her mentor usually tries to place her in positions where she can’t get herself into trouble.  This is my favorite role I have seen Lee Se Young in.  Her exuberance was perfect in this part and I loved watching her run from place to place and laugh with pure joy.  The complexity of this character was one of the key elements to the drama and Lee Se Young portrayed the range of emotions well.  I felt empathy for the character and her difficult journey.  

Jang Hye Jin as Court Lady Seo

Court Lady Seo is in charge of the ladies who work for the Crown Prince.  She is Deok Im’s caretaker when she is a young girl, and continues to be her mentor  and mother-figure.  She is a strong worker who is attentive to details and does her best to not draw attention to herself.  But keeping Deok Im out of trouble can be a full-time job.

♥ Complex Relationships

I especially loved the complexity of all the relationships in this series.  The lead couple had a very unique dynamic, especially for this time period.  But there were plenty of others that were poignant and special.  One of my favorites was between San and his grandfather.   It is the perfect reminder that forgiveness is never easy, even with those we love.  I also enjoyed the special bond between the Court Ladies and Deok Im.  But each lady had their own individual personality and way that they interacted with her.  

♥ Women’s Issues

So many historical dramas portray all women characters as fighting to get into the palace however they can.  So this series was a pleasant change of pace.  Taking a more realistic approach to the conditions for women in that day, it shows that life behind the palace walls was not all rosy and perfect.  Being a Court Lady required hard work and sacrifice, and if you got placed under the wrong master, sometimes your life.  And while the work load was easier, the dangers to life and freedomI reall only increased for higher profile roles like Concubine or Princess.      I really enjoyed this realistic look at the lives and issues of women in that time.  

Secret Lady Society

The secret society led by Head Court Lady Jo storyline felt a bit rushed and out of place with the rest of the plot.  First of all, the whole hidden lair under the castle (that looked susiciously like the lair from “The Scholar Who Walks the Night”!) seemed a little unrealistic.  The idea that none of the men ever noticed it’s existence doesn’t seem very likely, especially in a place as well-scrutinized as the palace.  And second, what was Lady Jo’s motive?  She didn’t want San to be be King but she didn’t seem to have another option.  She supported the Princess until she fell out of favor, and then threw her to the side without a second thought.  So what was the end game?  

More Married Life

After fighting so hard to be together, it would have been nice to see a bit more of San and Deok Im’s life together, especially as parents.  I know time was limited but just a couple scenes of them with their son as he grew upwould have made the child’s death scene all the more powerful.  It felt like a bit of a whirlwind that bounced from her pregnancy, to the death of their son, to her death with no real context.   

“The Red Sleeve” ends in a bit of a traumatic whirlwind.  Hong Deok Ro is dead by his own hands, which is disappointing for San, who had tried to spare his life.  Deok Im is living as the King’s Concubine, and she is pregnant. She finds out that Young Hee had a miscarriage and has been arrested for adultery.  She goes to visit her friend one final time, but understands that San would never use his power to pardon someone who was guilty.   A 10 year time jump goes straight into the death of their son, who contracted measles. His death breaks the hearts of Deok Im and San, who are expecting another child.  Shortly after, Deok Im falls ill as well, and asks to see her friends one final time.  But instead, San sits by her side and she tells him that while she has loved him, in the next life she would rather not meet him, so can live by making her own choices.  One final time jump shows the King who has grown older, calling Deok Im’s friend Kyung Hee, as the only one who still remembers her.  She tells him that Deok Im used bravado to maintain what little control she still had over her own life, but that she truly loved him.  She leaves him with the few keepsakes Deok Im left behind.  The King becomes sick and asks to be left alone.  Falling asleep in his chambers, he wakes up with his head back in Deok Im’s lap.  And as other scenes from their life together rush through his mind, he finds himself face to face with her.  While she begs him to return to his people who need him, he says he would rather stay with her and begs her to love him.  The choice of whether you interpret this final scene as a dream or vision or the afterlife is up to you.  Personally, I believe that whether in life or death, the important thing is that she will always remain the only woman he chose to love.