The Iron Empress, Sageuks, and Connection
warning: long long post of longness
I've had this post on my mind for awhile. I'd pretty much stopped Iron Empress, but then I watched some more today. Fusion sageuks, with their 14-24 episodes or whatever, are easier. Not just because you can get through a whole story without feeling like you're on an endless journey, but because they tend to have a closer focus on characters. And that connection is something that I need in a story.
The more traditional (whatever that means) 70-80 episode sageuks are harder to commit to, and I've never actually watched one completely. I skipped my way through some of Queen Seondeok, couldn't make it past ep24 of Jumong, and didn't make it far in Dae Jang Geum a couple of years ago (even though I liked that one more and I've thought about trying it again).
It's not just the length. In the longer shows sometimes it feels like the characters are window dressing, and we're just moving through history. I don't feel that connected to the people. Maybe this is entirely my problem, but it keeps coming up.
So why am I still watching Iron Empress after 46 episodes? I say "still watching", but I'm fast forwarding through most of it -- much of the political intrigue, all of the table plotting (I hate sageuk table plotting scenes)... but I watched more today. Why?
I think I'm going to need lots of pictures and spoilers for this...
People, loyalty, romance
Occasional Narrator says that women had more freedom in Goryeo than later in Joseon. They say something about being able to remarry and inherit part of the estate... though remarriage was more difficult to do openly if you were married to the previous emperor.
There are a lot of female characters in this show, moving through the court, making plans, fighting -- and several of them are very interesting to me. Several of the male characters too, but not many.
Saila (or Sa Il-la or Sa Il-ra depending on who's trying to spell it) is loyal to Kim Chi-yang, but when I last left her, she was debating whether to kill a child he'd ordered her to assassinate. Instead she hides him away and lies... which leads to a scene I loved. The prince has been found alive.
"We don't have to be monsters, do we?" is a question Chi-yang should have asked himself long ago. He throws down a knife and orders her to take her own life.
But her brother won't let her.
And Chi-yang, who totally doesn't deserve her loyalty, tells her she can live if their plans aren't ruined. They're very loyal to this guy, except sometimes they disagree, and try to act on it. Like when Ka-moon tried to help by planning to kill the King, or when Saila saved a young prince. They don't follow every order... but they stay with him. And maybe that's the world they're in, but they deserve better.
Honae has finally seen her son become King, and she's Empress Dowager. But her son, who was kept away from her for years, seems... less than suited.
Her loyal retainer, Kang Jo, has been with her for years, but he's fallen in love/obsession with her.
When her estate is raided (again... this happens a lot) and Kim Chi-yang brings forces to help them, she walks right past Kang Jo and toward the lover she thought was dead.
Which seems like it could be a romantic moment, but not here. Because while Kang Jo really is loyal, Kim Chi-yang is secretly the descendent of Sillan royalty who wants to destroy Goryeo and restore Silla... so everything he says to her is lies and manipulation. His plans would end in her death, and he knows this every moment.
On the other hand, if Kang Jo would look away from Honae for just a moment, he'd see that Hyang-bi -- who's been fighting beside him since she was a girl -- has always loved him.
And Seol, Honae's sister -- perhaps the only woman living in Hwangju who can't fight -- lived ten years not knowing whether the man she loved was even alive. When she finds out he is, she walks alone through the forest for miles (with her pipa, of course) to find him.
And they're awfully cute together. They marry in secret.
Their lives are short, but for a time they're the happiest people in this story. And thanks to Saila, their son is safe.
Dok Yeon, the former bodyguard of the Liao Empress is... a different person than Seol. She's more fond of men who are challenging.
Like Saila's brother. They talk in a field, and it turns into a fight/dance that's rather graceful.
She wins.
He doesn't seem sad about this.
So I find myself fast-forwarding through court scenes with the king, people plotting around tables, people screaming this or that... and settle on the small character scenes I'm enjoying. And scenes that just... are fun or pretty.
And so I'm still watching, even though "watching" means a lot of fast fowarding. Maybe I'm one of a dozen people who've ever seen this, and I keep thinking I'm going to stop. But I feel connected to some of these characters. The parts I like bring me back, at least for now. Even though I know this probably ends badly for everyone. It's a sageuk, after all.
I've had this post on my mind for awhile. I'd pretty much stopped Iron Empress, but then I watched some more today. Fusion sageuks, with their 14-24 episodes or whatever, are easier. Not just because you can get through a whole story without feeling like you're on an endless journey, but because they tend to have a closer focus on characters. And that connection is something that I need in a story.
The more traditional (whatever that means) 70-80 episode sageuks are harder to commit to, and I've never actually watched one completely. I skipped my way through some of Queen Seondeok, couldn't make it past ep24 of Jumong, and didn't make it far in Dae Jang Geum a couple of years ago (even though I liked that one more and I've thought about trying it again).
It's not just the length. In the longer shows sometimes it feels like the characters are window dressing, and we're just moving through history. I don't feel that connected to the people. Maybe this is entirely my problem, but it keeps coming up.
So why am I still watching Iron Empress after 46 episodes? I say "still watching", but I'm fast forwarding through most of it -- much of the political intrigue, all of the table plotting (I hate sageuk table plotting scenes)... but I watched more today. Why?
I think I'm going to need lots of pictures and spoilers for this...
People, loyalty, romance
Occasional Narrator says that women had more freedom in Goryeo than later in Joseon. They say something about being able to remarry and inherit part of the estate... though remarriage was more difficult to do openly if you were married to the previous emperor.
There are a lot of female characters in this show, moving through the court, making plans, fighting -- and several of them are very interesting to me. Several of the male characters too, but not many.
Saila (or Sa Il-la or Sa Il-ra depending on who's trying to spell it) is loyal to Kim Chi-yang, but when I last left her, she was debating whether to kill a child he'd ordered her to assassinate. Instead she hides him away and lies... which leads to a scene I loved. The prince has been found alive.
"We don't have to be monsters, do we?" is a question Chi-yang should have asked himself long ago. He throws down a knife and orders her to take her own life.
But her brother won't let her.
And Chi-yang, who totally doesn't deserve her loyalty, tells her she can live if their plans aren't ruined. They're very loyal to this guy, except sometimes they disagree, and try to act on it. Like when Ka-moon tried to help by planning to kill the King, or when Saila saved a young prince. They don't follow every order... but they stay with him. And maybe that's the world they're in, but they deserve better.
Honae has finally seen her son become King, and she's Empress Dowager. But her son, who was kept away from her for years, seems... less than suited.
Her loyal retainer, Kang Jo, has been with her for years, but he's fallen in love/obsession with her.
When her estate is raided (again... this happens a lot) and Kim Chi-yang brings forces to help them, she walks right past Kang Jo and toward the lover she thought was dead.
Which seems like it could be a romantic moment, but not here. Because while Kang Jo really is loyal, Kim Chi-yang is secretly the descendent of Sillan royalty who wants to destroy Goryeo and restore Silla... so everything he says to her is lies and manipulation. His plans would end in her death, and he knows this every moment.
On the other hand, if Kang Jo would look away from Honae for just a moment, he'd see that Hyang-bi -- who's been fighting beside him since she was a girl -- has always loved him.
And Seol, Honae's sister -- perhaps the only woman living in Hwangju who can't fight -- lived ten years not knowing whether the man she loved was even alive. When she finds out he is, she walks alone through the forest for miles (with her pipa, of course) to find him.
And they're awfully cute together. They marry in secret.
Their lives are short, but for a time they're the happiest people in this story. And thanks to Saila, their son is safe.
Dok Yeon, the former bodyguard of the Liao Empress is... a different person than Seol. She's more fond of men who are challenging.
Like Saila's brother. They talk in a field, and it turns into a fight/dance that's rather graceful.
She wins.
He doesn't seem sad about this.
So I find myself fast-forwarding through court scenes with the king, people plotting around tables, people screaming this or that... and settle on the small character scenes I'm enjoying. And scenes that just... are fun or pretty.
And so I'm still watching, even though "watching" means a lot of fast fowarding. Maybe I'm one of a dozen people who've ever seen this, and I keep thinking I'm going to stop. But I feel connected to some of these characters. The parts I like bring me back, at least for now. Even though I know this probably ends badly for everyone. It's a sageuk, after all.