Knight Flower

For the early episodes of this series I was unsure of its staying power. At times it only just managed to retain me into the following episode.

Then, almost without letting me in on the secret, it began to gain more traction. I guess that the plotting has taken its time to build up the sense of threat hanging over from events that had taken place 15 years earlier. And gradually the lead characters became more energised by their efforts to uncover the nasty shenanigans lurking behind the scenes. And so I became more engaged.

Even so, I was surprised by the extent to which the final episode's denouement gave me satisfaction. I found myself deeply engaged and smiling broadly.

It was also interesting to discover more of Joseon's social attitudes, which run so counter to modern sensibilities. This series highlights to taboo of widowhood, which was new to me.

Overall this is worth a watch. If you find early episodes underpowered then stick with it.

Lee Hanee plays Jo Yeo-hwa who is a dutiful widow living in seclusion at her in-laws house but unbeknown to everybody at nights she goes out as a vigilante righting the wrongs of corrupt officials. A new captain of the palace guard arrives called Park Soo-ho played by Lee Jong-won who is a stickler for rules and soon sets out to capture this vigilante. It is based on a webtoon and like most webtoon adaptations it can be a little stilted at times but it is still an enjoyable period piece. The acting is very good from the entire cast and the leads certainly seem to have chemistry and the plot has good supporting characters.

Good drama that just misses greatness, but with main leads that are perfect, though I wished for more focus on their characters and their story. Both actors have eyes that say far more than words can summon-and what they tell us is so touching about the characters and the developing story line that not taking the time is a clear mistake by the director. It's why the series just misses greatness and causes the plot to struggle in spots. Still, it is good, and I enjoyed it. I'm hearing there is a second season next Sept, so I'm happy that perhaps they will have time to do more developing of the main story-because these two characters have far more to say-to each other.

'Night Blooming Flower' has everything we can ask for. Comedy, Romance, Action, History, Crime, and Mystery. More importantly, it is good at every one of them.

There are three branches of main narratives: a vigilante helping the people in need, Lady Jo's brothers missing, mystery around the death of the late king, and romance between Lady Jo and Park Soo-ho. Each one is complicated enough, but writers manage to keep them in order and in organization AND to connect events from all four categories and weave them together to tell one whole story.

Each character is distinctive, charming, and dynamic. Every individual has not only strength but also weakness. I think weakness is the reason that the audience feels closer to him or her. For example, mother-in-law is blinded by social expectations and high standards of a noble family, and she sometimes pressures Lady Jo to have one meal a day or to pray all day and night. However, she also has taken care of Lady Jo for 15 years and becomes the closest thing to family she's ever got. Even the main villain has two sides: the killer of the king just to prevent social equality from happening and the sweetest husband.

'Night Blooming Flower' introduced a young promising actor, Lee Jong-won who played Park Soo-ho. It is the first time for me to see him on any screen, and he nails it. First, he can deliver unlike many young actors these days. His voice is deep and stable. It was such a pleasure to see his performance.

After two or three a bit slow and sometimes boring episodes, the drama finds its pace and presents a rather intriguing and well-presented story line.

Yeo-hwa lives as a widow with her in-laws after her husband passed away on the day of the marriage before she even met him. She has to be obedient and cry at the shrine all day long, that's basically her life. Or it should be her life, but fortunately, this historical K-Drama gives us a strong and intelligent main character, as Yeo-hwa is skilled in martial arts and roams the streets at night to help the ones in need and fight for justice. Sooner or later, she has to face the law, because even Joseon has a police force. Luckily for us (and for Yeo-hwa), the law comes in form of the handsome sergeant Jong-won. After a while, they find themselves on the same side of a bigger story that revolves around the death of Jong-wons family, the disappearance of Yeo-hwas brother and a tragic incident in the king's past.

As I said, the series needs a few episodes before it becomes interesting. After that, it stands out as a balanced, nicely written historical drama. From all KDramas I have seen so far, "Knight Flower" is in the top of having well written characters. Normally, there are quite a few I find boring or annoying, they scream too much or are way to toxic or just stupid and silly, but in this series, everyone has their place, everyone feels well-developed and believable, even the villains are not just there to be villains. Most importantly, the main characters are smart and act accordingly, not rushing into things just to create drama and plot points. When they do, it's understandable and still fitting for their character.

The love story is slow, it works with gazes and carefully crafted scenes of quite affection that can be hotter than a full on make out session. The chemistry is tangible. Over the just 12 episodes, you find a nicely paced drama with an enjoyable cast, quite a bit of humour, an interesting plot and two refreshingly strong and independent main characters.