A fun Joseon era show. Great characters, evil villains, plucky women, sincere and good hearted heroes, corrupt officials, a little comedy and the typical Korean push-pull romance. Perils of Pauline, "How will they get out of this trap?" Really enjoyable. Look forward to another season, I hope.
5 Reviews
Honestly underrated
xelaetal21 May 2021
Despite being an under-the-radar drama with a relatively simple premise, the plot is surprisingly rich and eventful. The story is covered very decently considering the it's length and depth. Good balance of comedy, action, and emotion. Characters are great too, I really enjoyed watching them. Even shed a tear at the end. 10/10!
Tough to review this drama
nasimzhosein-695-79474818 January 2022
Warning: Spoilers
It was neither good nor bad, funny nor serious nor romantic. Starts out with an interesting story with a bit of mystery and some bantering among the lead actors. But quickly faded out to some sub plots that were rather a bore.
SPOILER: As an agent representing the emperor he solves a murder in a town, corruption by officials and history of a prince death. Along the way there is a semi-romance and some awful script scene with the servant that turns out to be a slave. So clear flaws how does a agent for the emperor travel on foot from place to place when others have horses and he is not outfitted with a weapon when the bandits have such. But the major flaw is at the end when the "group" is so opposed to slaves and is trying their best too free captured slaves and the agent has a slave in his group. Story is not that great no real mystery, romance is a passing sprinkle at best, the bad guys (corrupt officials) are easily identified.
Not really worth the watch.
SPOILER: As an agent representing the emperor he solves a murder in a town, corruption by officials and history of a prince death. Along the way there is a semi-romance and some awful script scene with the servant that turns out to be a slave. So clear flaws how does a agent for the emperor travel on foot from place to place when others have horses and he is not outfitted with a weapon when the bandits have such. But the major flaw is at the end when the "group" is so opposed to slaves and is trying their best too free captured slaves and the agent has a slave in his group. Story is not that great no real mystery, romance is a passing sprinkle at best, the bad guys (corrupt officials) are easily identified.
Not really worth the watch.
Good enough
PennyReviews16 November 2021
Korean Drama 'Secret Royal Inspector' had an interesting plot prompt, but ended up following the old well traveled path.
The drama starts pretty strong, with the introduction of the characters, the main story, and the main mystery. The first case the Royal Inspector and his team take sets the foundation of their friendship and their dynamics as a team while presenting to the viewer what is yet to come. And yet, the story is pretty generic after that, with a bad guy who was neither intriguing nor original.
The romance was also a bit of a let down, as it had a messy pace, but, at least, it didn't overtake the story and played the role of filling the gaps. Unfortunately, the side romance and the trop of past love interest coming back to create drama was well used, probably a bit too much at times. At least the bromance was quite strong and refreshing.
The performances, finally, were pretty great for everyone, especially the leads, though the leading lady needs more screen time to improve her skills.
So, overall, 5.5 out of 10.
The drama starts pretty strong, with the introduction of the characters, the main story, and the main mystery. The first case the Royal Inspector and his team take sets the foundation of their friendship and their dynamics as a team while presenting to the viewer what is yet to come. And yet, the story is pretty generic after that, with a bad guy who was neither intriguing nor original.
The romance was also a bit of a let down, as it had a messy pace, but, at least, it didn't overtake the story and played the role of filling the gaps. Unfortunately, the side romance and the trop of past love interest coming back to create drama was well used, probably a bit too much at times. At least the bromance was quite strong and refreshing.
The performances, finally, were pretty great for everyone, especially the leads, though the leading lady needs more screen time to improve her skills.
So, overall, 5.5 out of 10.
Peasants
Park_Min24 December 2023
I despise, with every atom in my being, the loathsome trope of interrupted intimacy upon any physical approximation in a semi-romantic setting-of which this drama kept repeating endlessly and shamelessly for 14+ episodes before committing to what it was trying to do. Cringey levels of cringe! Despite attempting to address important themes of justice and societal issues, the drama struggled to properly address these subjects and instead turned them into a background noise to service their jokes. Why bother then? While the cast may have been fine but their characters remained uninteresting throughout the drama. Basic characterization, none of them stood out.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
