| KDRAMA - Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo |

"You are my only queen."

SYNOPSIS: A woman is transported back to the Goryeo period. She learns to live in that time and gets caught up with the princes who are fighting for the throne.

RATING: 8.8/10
NUMBER OF EPISODES: 20
STATUS: COMPLETED

NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: This is the first traditional setting kdrama I finished in my life and it was worth it. I kept seeing commercials of it on tv that's why I decided to watch it and it did not fail me. It was very entertaining to watch. Each episode had their twist and turns. The characters were fun and adorable (except of course for the villains). There are many heartbreaking scenes that made me cry. I think I cried 5 times which is a big thing for me since I do not really cry that much because of a show. Plus, all of the prince are good looking! So many familiar faces here like Kang Ha Neul, Nam Joo Hyuk, IU, and Ji Soo. The story was very interesting and I'm glad that I chose to watch it. Also, their costumes are quite pretty. Although the main time travel concept was quite weird and some events were confusing, it was still time well spent. I had no regrets after watching this. That ending though! Oh my god.

• Queen Yoo is quite a terrible mother and quite insane. I don't understand why she kept turning So away. It's also terrible to find out that So's scar came from his own mother. 
• Madam Hae is a very wonderful character and it broke my heart to see her die especially since she died in Wook's arms. I love that she cared for Soo so much that she sacrificed her own happiness. It also broke my heart that Wook never got to tell her his true feelings for her and she died without ever hearing that he loved her. I was curious as to why she's so close to Baek-ah. 
• So and Soo's interactions at first were full of arguments. I love seeing their relationship develop and I was really happy when they got together even though it was quite sad for Wook. It broke my heart that they didn't end up together especially since Soo thought that So didn't love her anymore. I wanted to see them end up together in the future time but the ending was a bitch!
• Yeon-hwa was quite a bitch character. I really didn't like her and I hate that she became queen. Even though she's Wook's sister, she's nothing like him. She's manipulative and evil. I know she had a backstory (the one related to Queen Yoo) but I really hated her. I hated how she treated Soo. 
• I love Wang Eun and Soo's relationship. I love how they met. I love how Eun thought she liked him at first. I love how they treated each other, comforted each other, and made each other happy. Although I did not ship them, I liked their friendship. I felt bad for Eun when he proposed to her but she did not accept. 
• I really shipped Soo and Wook at first. I really love their relationship together but I felt bad for Madam Hae. She could tell that they liked each other but she loved Wook and wanted him to be happy. Her own selflessness enabled the two to get together but they didn't last. I hated that Wook broke Soo's trust and her heart. I know it's for his family at first but later on, it was because of his greed for the crown. He didn't fight for Soo and let her go.
• I liked Jung and Soo together too. I did not ship them as much as I shipped Soo with Wook and So but I liked them together. I feel terrible for Jung in the end because even though he was in love with Soo, he knew that Soo really loved So. He cared for and married her and even took care of Soo and So's child. He's a very selfless character that should be admired. Even though he's the brother of the main villain and the son of the psycho Queen - he's nothing like them.
• I thought that this show aired in tvN at first because Kim Sung Kyun and Sung Dong II are there.
• I love that Soo's reply to Wook's poem was an emoji. It was a very cute scene and I like that some of the prince tried to do the same pose and that it was So who realized what that symbol meant.
• It's very weird to see that Soo almost married the king. It was fun seeing the princes try to save her although she saved herself even if it resulted to her being punished because of what she did. 
• I liked Soo and Baek-ah bond too. I love that even though Baek-ah did not like Soo at first, they developed their friendship later on. I wanted more of the backstory of how they became close but it's sad that they became close because of Madam Hae's death.
• Wang Eun's birthday is one of my favorite scenes. He's really adorable and I love that they prepared a celebration just for his birthday and even Soo got to attend.
• I love the episode where Soo hid So's scar using make up just to make the people like him. It's was such a bitch slap to the face of all the people who used to look down on So. It was quite terrible though that with the scar they kept judging him and throwing things at him but without the scar, they bowed to him.
• I hated that after helping him, visions of So murdering his own brothers kept appearing to Soo causing her to be afraid of him. I felt bad for So and for Soo.
• I hated that Queen Yoo and Yeon-hwa tried to use So as a scapegoat yet again. I felt bad for So because holding out on the poison didn't work in protecting Soo. Yeon-hwa was such a bitch for drinking the poison just to frame Soo.
• I hated Wook after he abandoned Soo. I know that it was because of his family but he promised. I felt bad for Soo especially since Lady Oh just shared with her how she was abandoned by her own love. I hate that Wook wasn't brave enough to push their love. He prioritized the crown.
• Lady Oh sacrificing for Soo was such a heartbreaking scene especially when Lady Oh told the king herself what she plans to do. You could see that the king really did not want to execute Lady Oh but it was her dying request. I felt terrible that even though they were the ones who really loved each other, Lady Oh is not the queen. It's also heartbreaking to find out why Lady Oh was sick. Damn, Queen Yoo for sabotaging the king's true happiness with Lady Oh by killing her child.
• I felt really bad for Soo all throughout the series. She endured many things but survived because she really wanted to live. She endured humiliation, torture, and many heartbreaking things. Even though she left So, you can't blame her because she's already experienced so many bad things and did not want that to happen to So too.
• Omg. The scene where Baek-ah takes the sword meant for the king. You could tell that he didn't want Woo Hee to get in trouble even if it meant injuring himself.
• The king's death was also heartbreaking. He kept Soo near because she reminded him of her Lady Oh. It was a very bittersweet ending when the king died but his last words was Lady Oh's name which angered Queen Yoo (GOOD DAMN IT).
• I was fine with how things ended by episode 13 (where Yo died) but I was like, daaaaamn since it's just the 13th episode - I know more things are going to come down and things aren't finished yet. I just wanted them to be happy.
• I was glad that during Wang Mu's reign So and Soo had some happy moments. Soo became the head of the Damiwon which made me happy since she became Lady Oh's sort off heir.
• The next events happened really fast since not even one episode had lasted and there goes Yo again. I was shocked to see him alive but then again, who would become the villain? I feel really bad for Wang Mu since he was a great and nice character and would have probably been a good king if the people near him weren't trying to kill him all the time and finally, in this episode they succeeded. It was a heartbreaking scene because no one was able to do anything to save him.
• The way Yu framed Soo again and used her against So was really unfair. I felt really bad for her because their love was corrupted and abused. 
• Wang Won was the prince I hated the most. I hated how he betrayed his family and his goals weren't really that clear. I hated that he could smile towards his other brothers while in truth, he was betraying them. At least Yo was outright evil. I hated how he manipulated Chae Ryung to do his bidding just because she loved him. 
• It really broke my heart when Wang Eun and Park Soon-Duk were killed. I hate Yo for ordering their death just because he wanted a scapegoat. I hate him for making So kill Eun even if it was his wish especially since Wang Eun and Park Soon-Duk just became closer in the previous scene. Park Soon-Duk could have been spared but huhuhu. I cry. They were an adorable pair and I loved them together.
• I hate that So and Soo had to pretend not to be together because of Yo but I love the scene where they stayed together for one night and they were really happy then.
• I love that they were finally able to overthrow Yo. However, I knew that being the king would not be able to support their love since lately being the king results to bad things. I'm glad though that at first, So was able to keep Baek-ah and Soo with him. He was happy even if it was just for a time being. 
• Damn you Wook for ruining So and Soo's happiness just because you can't be king and you don't have Soo.
• I love that even though it was unreasonable, So tried to fight for Soo. He rose to the throne in order to live with Soo rather than what Wook did. Wook told Soo that he wanted the crown for Soo and his family but he never did anything for Soo after he abandoned her. Meanwhile, So tried to fight for Soo.
• Their date outside the palace - one of the cutest scenes yet heartbreaking since she rejected So's proposal. 
• Ugh Yeon Hwa became queen but haha because So walked out after the wedding.
• Queen Yoo's death was very heartbreaking for So. Even at her deathbed she didn't want him. She only wanted Jung. I feel bad for Jung because he wasn't able to stay with his mother.
• I felt bad for Chae-ryung. She didn't deserve to die because she was manipulated by Won but she deserved to be punished because she really was one of the main reasons why So and Soo cannot be together. She did many villainous acts. 
• I feel bad because So and Soo could've been together if Soo wasn't so stubborn. She could stayed with him when he proposed that she becomes an official concubine and would have been queen if she bore a child.
• I'm still really confused as to why Woo Hee died. It broke my heart to see Baek-ah because he loved her too much and he saw her just before she committed suicide and he wasn't able to save her. *The night before things went downhill was really cute. 
• I felt bad when Wook was framed for the dead hawk but he kind of deserved it. He was a pretty mean character on the second half of the show but I'm glad Soo begged So not to execute Wook.
• Yeon Hwa is still an asshole for blaming things to Soo. I mean, yeah sure some of the things were Soo's fault but it was Yeon Hwa who pushed Wook too far. It wasn't because of Soo.
• I really love Jung for being so selfless and marrying Soo just to get her out of the palace. I love that he didn't demand anything for payment. He just wanted Soo to be free. I felt bad for him after Soo died because you can really see that he loved her even if it was just one-sided.
• I'm really confused as to why So thought that Soo betrayed him. He knew Soo loved someone before he tried to pursue her. He just couldn't accept that it was Wook (well, yeah, I can see why since Wook did so many horrible things to separate them) but it's not like she'll ever return to Wook.
• I hate that So broke off connections with them after he received news that they were kind of lovey-dovey. However, it broke my heart when I saw how devastated So was because of Soo's death. He's an idiot though for not even bothering to open Jung's letters - Why the hell would Jung send so many letters to him if it weren't for Soo? They don't even like each other that much.
• OMG a baby. At least something came out of their relationship but I got sad that Soo wasn't able to be with her baby for a longer time. They weren't able to get a reunion with So even for a short while. It could've been a better ending.
• Hae Soo's death broke my heart. After all that thing about wanting to live, she still died at the end. Sure, she had many years of pain and heartache but still she wasn't able to get her happy ending. It could've been expanded in the present time but why did it have to end in a cliffhanger after she remembered So???? 
• So meeting her daughter and figuring out that she's his daughter made me happy! I'm glad that he removed Jung's exile even if it was only for the sake of seeing his daughter.
• The ending broke me. It was a cliffhanger but at least some hope were given. Soo remembered So and So could have been reincarnated and they could be together. I hope there will be some short extra just to give a better ending.
• I really like all the cast of this show. I liked their acting and it made me appreciate the drama more. It's my first time watching Lee Joon Gi and IU and I was impressed by their acting. I hope to see more of their kdrama in the future.
• REASONS WHY I CRIED:
  1. Madam Hae's death.
  2. Court Lady Oh's death.
  3. Wang Eun and Park Soon-Duk's death.
  4. Woo Hee's death.
  5. Hae Soo's death and the brother's argument.