I have to speak about Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung. The thoughts aim around my head and they have to be written down. I have finished this show today and my final conclusion is that it’s up there, among my favourite shows (although the fact that I have finished it is testament enough. I have no loyalty or patience for shows that I don’t really like.. which I suppose it’s a common feeling). I will try to separate it in some form of timeline with categories. And even then I am afraid I won’t be able to do it justice. This will be mostly spoiler-free. I kind of want to rewatch it, to be fair.
When I first started it, last week or so, I had no expectations. Or oh, well, I had the expectations that it ought to be about books or contain it. It was one of the reasons I started it in the first place, along with the fact that I was intrigued by the title.
And boy, did it deliver! It offered so much in just 20 episodes, that for the past week I’ve been thinking about it at random times. There’s just so many things that I adored about it. It contained well-fleshed characters, interesting plot points (and side-plots), a good dose of humour and many achingly sweet fiction tropes that I adore, not mentioning so many moments which were just too cute.
I fell in love with Goo Hae-Ryung from the first episode. Bookworm, doesn’t want to get married, doesn’t mind telling her opinion as it is and stands for what she believes in. She wants to live her life, runs away from her wedding so that she can dictate her own life. I kept alternating between Ravenclaw and Slytherin for her, (even if at times she can be very Gryffindor, she still has her head on her shoulders, mostly.) In the end, I think she’d be a Slytherin, if only for that line “How could you choose principles over people?” (Slytherin are very loyal. Although, yes, she could be interpreted as a Hufflepuff, I don’t really see her as one. I think Prince Dowon is a Hufflepuff 100% though.)
I absolutely loved all the other female historians as well. Oh and Heo were too adorable and they lightened up the scene. I liked Sa-hui for her calm and rational demeanor; I even empathized with her, although I sort of wish there had been more consequences for her betrayal. (Though, to be fair, she has suffered enough).
I cannot express my love for the Crown Prince, Prince Dowon and Min U-won, especially as male characters don’t impress me as strongly as women do. (I have high standards since usually, the bar for men is quite low). Even as I was disappointed in the Crown Prince towards the end of the season, in the finale, he came clean and proved himself to be the honorable Crown Prince we knew him to be.
Queen Dowager was absolutely badass and I believe everyone adored her.
I loved that we got the backstory on so many characters, including that French dude (even as I didn’t care much for it, I think it’s touching). I loved that we got to see the perspective of so many characters, I even got to empathize with the antagonists for a little bit (even as I despised them for most of the show).
There are so many plot points, I don’t even know which one I loved more. But I will try to talk about the main plot for the moment, without going too much into spoilers. Like many other people, I could predict a few things before the finale came, and yet it took me by surprise on many accounts. Despite it being a relatively common royalty plot, it was handled well in my opinion. It kept me hooked and I was constantly intrigued. I didn’t know for sure how it was going to end, but I’m quite happy that it ended up like this. So satisfying.
Important Issues & Lessons:
And now I shall dwelve a little into the topics the show tried to address. There were so many, but I think most of them were handled well. They talked about banned books, the irrationality of it, the importance of knowledge and truth, but as well as the plight of the poor who cannot afford said knowledge. (I was truly impressed by the conversation between the Crown Prince and Goo Hae-Ryung in the second - or third - episode.) I truly agree with the importance of knowledge, to drive away fear, but too few people talk about how knowledge is not affordable to everyone, so that’s why superstitions and ‘silly’ traditions exist. To calm the mind. I still prefer knowledge, naturally, but it’s a good point. In fact, the Crown Prince does often try to bring attention to the suffering of the not-nobles. And he does try to help them as much as possible - even as his father intervenes. And the point about truth is a recurring theme in the show.
I really liked how they dealt with vaccination as well. I think a few people from modern times could really use to watch that episode as well.
They talk a lot about honour. About trying to do what is right, about trying to help the other person. I was quite surprised to see Catholicism mentioned there, but I kind of liked that plot, if only because we saw how much Min U-won cares.
There are just so many I’m not sure I could mention them all on the top of my mind. The rights and suffering of women as well (the obligation to marry someone even if you don’t love them, how women are tied to men their whole lives and they try to take agency over their own lives, how they are belittled by others for being females but having the other historians / Princes stand up for them). Even a little about greed, and the blinding effect of power.
Maybe I should have mentioned this right after characters, this would have been the normal course, but I did not realize I didn’t say anything of them until now. My favourite were by far the sibling relationships, particularly the relationship between the Princes, although Goo Hae-Ryung and Goo Jae-kyeong were quite touching as well.
And the main romantic relationship, what a beautiful slow burn! Even as I’m not overly invested in them, there were just too many amazing/sweet/angst bittersweet tropes that I ate greedily. They were adorable and I rooted for them.
I know there’s much more I could mention, but for the time being, I will leave it as such.
vaporwave
origamiaround
turnnoffyourmind
yousharknotpass
dededos
areudirty
romaincrisis
