[ad_1]
Knight Flower: Episodes 1-2
by Unit
Tis the season of moonlighting heroines, and Honey Lee has joined the league! Knight Flower kicks off on a ratings high, and with its exciting debut week, it’s not hard to see why. The drama invites us on a journey of comedy, action and mystery, and I am seated at the table and ready to feast.
EPISODES 1-2
Right off the bat, the drama introduces us to the secret life of our heroine, JO YEO-HWA (Honey Lee). A mix of Robin Hood and Batman, Yeo-hwa dons a mask to get justice for the downtrodden folks in the society, distribute relief materials to them, and teach the bad guys a lesson while she’s at it.
In an opening scene that does well to establish the comedic tone of the show, Yeo-hwa raids the Pil inn where she prevents a chronic gambler from parting with his house deed and plunging his family into more misery. Her effort is rewarded with pushback from the inn’s thugs who chase her into a room where there’s an ongoing commotion, and the chaos escalates. Yeo-hwa ends up with a slash on her wrist, but she holds her own against the thugs.
In the midst of the chaos, she lands in the arms of PARK SOO-HO (Lee Jong-won), one of the initial occupants in the room. Yeo-hwa stutters in surprise, and her feminine voice gives away the gender behind the mask. But it’s a short-lived meeting between the two as the morning curfew bell soon rings, and Yeo-hwa has to hurry home. Thankfully, she arrives just in time to change into her White Hanbok of Widowhood before anyone realizes that she’s missing.
Yeo-hwa’s mother-in-law, LADY YOO (Kim Mi-kyung!), is a traditional mother-in-law who strongly advocates for the propriety and etiquette of widows — especially the part about the widow staying at home all day with just one meal for sustenance. Aigoo! Just say you want her to starve until she joins her husband in the afterlife.
Yeo-hwa spends her days praying for the soul of her late husband, transcribing books, and having nightmares about the punishment that awaits her if she gets involved with another man. As if getting regularly scolded by Lady Yoo isn’t enough, she also has to put up with her sister-in-law’s rants about how she should have just died with her husband. Ouch!
At least Yeo-hwa has a much better relationship with her maid and forever-stressed accomplice, YEON-SEON (Park Se-hyun), and a servant girl, KKOT-NIM, the daughter of the chronic gambler from earlier. Kkot-nim is especially fond of Yeo-hwa, and she embroiders flowers on handkerchiefs for Yeo-hwa’s viewing pleasure because she isn’t allowed to leave the house. With a restrictive life like that, it’s no wonder Yeo-hwa became the Batman of Hanyang. Because it’s better to see the outside world at midnight than not at all.
We come to learn that Soo-ho is a newly appointed officer at the Capital Defense Command. He’s also the adopted son of a prestigious family, and his brother, PARK YOON-HAK (Lee Ki-woo), is the royal secretary and childhood friend of the KING (Heo Jung-do). If Yoon-hak had his way, Soo-ho would lay low all his life and never transfer to Hanyang. But it’s not a case of looking down on the adopted son or not wanting his brother to make a name for himself — Yoon-hak is just worried about Soo-ho’s safety. From his conversation with the king, there seems to be a certain 15-year-old incident that should remain buried in order to protect Soo-ho. But is there any secret that stays buried in dramaland?
By the way, it seems the recent crop of Joseon kings held a meeting and decided not to stress themselves out, because this king is so unbothered by the “ruling” aspect of his role. I wouldn’t be surprised if his nonchalance is deliberate, but at the moment, it’s the Left State Councilor, SEOK JI-SUNG (Kim Sang-joong) who makes the big decisions. Lord Seok doesn’t openly oppose the king, and at face value, he seems genuine in his interactions with everyone. But his non-hostility is unsettling because Joseon Left State Councilors are not to be trusted.
Of course, Lord Seok is Yeo-hwa’s father-in-law, and his graciousness extends to his family as well. He is very considerate of Yeo-hwa, and he manages to persuade his wife to let her leave the house every now and then to get some air. So, Lady Yoo reluctantly brings an excited Yeo-hwa along to the Moran Gathering, a gathering for VVIP noblewomen at the Myeongdo inn.
As expected of a gathering of classy noblewomen, gossip flows like wine, elegant disses fly up and down, and daughter-in-laws are compared. Lady Yoo wins the “my daughter-in-law is better than yours” battle of wits, and she brags about Yeo-hwa’s painting skills in the process. But it turns out that Yeo-hwa’s famed orchids are actually Yeon-seon’s handiwork. Ha! This is why we should never subcontract our tasks to others.
All eyes are on Yeo-hwa to replicate her painting at the gathering, but her orchid is a disaster as expected. Yeo-hwa is saved by another disaster: the head merchant of the inn, JANG SO-WOON (Yoon Sa-bong), “makes a mistake” while grinding the ink, and the ink splashes all over the paper and Yeo-hwa’s clothes. But Lady Yoo has already been embarrassed by her daughter-in-law’s subpar painting, and Yeo-hwa and Yeon-seon get punished at home.
It turns out that So-woon and Yeo-hwa are on friendly terms, and Yeo-hwa moonlights under So-woon. Apparently, Yeo-hwa once saved So-woon’s life, and as a result, So-woon is willing to hand over the moonlighting business to Yeo-hwa whenever she is ready. But Yeo-hwa turns it down because she’s not sure of her identity outside being Lord Seok’s daughter-in-law. And while taking over the business may be a way for her to start a new life far away from Hanyang, Yeo-hwa doesn’t want to leave because she’s waiting for her older brother.
Yeo-hwa and her brother used to be really close, and he was the one who taught her how to fight. But 15 years ago, he went on urgent business into the palace one night and never returned (15 years, huh?). With no other relatives around, Yeo-hwa’s uncle married her off to Lord Seok’s son, and unfortunately, she became a widow on her wedding day. Despite everything, Yeo-hwa believes that her brother is still alive, and she maintains a caring disposition toward the people around her.
When Kkot-nim is dragged to Pil inn as payment for her father’s gambling debt, Yeo-hwa comes to her rescue. But instead of her mask, Yeo-hwa dons a colorful hanbok and veils her face with a hat. Yeo-hwa sees Kkot-nim with a nobleman, and she assumes the girl has been sold as a concubine. But the nobleman turns out to be Soo-ho, and he was taking Kkot-nim away out of concern. Yeo-hwa’s veil reminds Soo-ho of the masked woman he met the other day, but she denies the encounter.
Yeo-hwa wins an impromptu auction for Kkot-nim, and takes to her heels to avoid Soo-ho’s interrogation. She flings her shoe at him as a distraction, and before he can catch up with her, he’s accosted by the owner of Pil inn, KANG PIL-JIK (Jo Jae-yoon), and given a stern warning not to mess with his business. Yoon-hak — who is not openly affectionate to Soo-ho — steps in to defend his brother, and Pil-jik backs down. For now.
Soo-ho makes sure to hold on to Yeo-hwa’s shoe as evidence, and Prince Charming’s investigation into the masked lady leads him to Myeongdo inn. So-woon maintains an air of neutrality, and while she acknowledges that she has come in contact with the masked person, she doesn’t divulge Yeo-hwa’s identity.
But Soo-ho is nothing if not persistent, and you just know he’s not going to rest until he unmasks Yeo-hwa. It’s just like how he became all the more interested in Pil-jik after Yoon-hak’s warning to steer clear of the guy because he is bad news. Although Soo-ho’s interest in Pil-jik also stems from a feeling that he has met the guy somewhere. Hmmm.
As a merchant, Pil-jik has allies among the higher-ups, and he greases their palms every now and then in exchange for corrupt favors. One of such higher-ups is the petty and vain Minister of Finance, YEOM HEUNG-JIB (Kim Hyung-mook) — who has no problem beating an old servant to near-death because the servant accidentally splashed a drop of water on his prized tiger painting.
When Yeo-hwa hears about this, she sneaks into Minister Yeom’s house, and Yeom almost has a heart attack when he discovers that his beloved tiger painting has been switched with a sketch of a giant house cat. LMAO! Soo-ho launches an official investigation into the theft, and he’s further driven by witness statements which point to the masked lady as the culprit.
The week wraps up with Soo-ho and Yoon-hak visiting the temple for Soo-ho’s birth family’s memorial. Through a flashback, we see that Soo-ho witnessed his entire family’s massacre, and this bloody incident is most likely connected to whatever happened fifteen years ago. Speaking of which, Yeo-hwa also journeys to the temple to pray for her brother’s safe return, but she’s ambushed by hungry bandits.
Soo-ho and Yoon-hak happen on the scene, and Soo-ho jumps in to fight off the bandits. But you know how it goes in dramas. The hero saves the heroine from danger, and she somehow happens to end up in his arms. Again. They twirl in slow motion to a voiceover where Soo-ho states his mission to catch the masked lady, and he urges her to stay out of his line of sight. Ha! How exciting!
This was an entertaining and fast-paced premiere, and I loved every minute of it. I was a bit skeptical about coming into Knight Flower so soon after The Matchmakers because both dramas have similar plot elements. But what this drama lacks in the charm of The Matchmakers, it makes up for in the fun. Although some scenes felt a little repetitive, Knight Flower is charting its own course — especially when it comes to its characters. There is a clear distinction in their characterization and the motives that drive them, and the world they live in seems larger and way different from that of The Matchmakers.
As expected, Honey Lee is amazing in this, and she effortlessly embodies the character of Yeo-hwa. Whether it’s in her comical sides as the masked heroine, her piousness with a hint of mischief as a daughter-in-law, or in her more subtle moments where she’s hit with the limitations of being a widow. Yeo-hwa is a very likeable and easy to root for character, and I can’t wait to see more of her and her noise cancelling earplugs.
The other characters are just as interesting, and they left me wanting to know more about them and their interpersonal relationships. I’m interested in the brotherly relationship between Soo-ho and Yoon-hak, and Yoon-hak and the king. Yoon-hak, the king, and a secret third party are investigating a case, but for now we don’t know what that is. There is also no clear cut antagonist in terms of palace politics, but I’ve got my eyes on Lord Seok. Aside from the bumbling Minister Yeom who seems like a small fry in the grand scheme of things, Pil-jik has also been introduced as a villain, and he seems even more menacing because of the actor playing the role.
There’s bad blood between Pil-jik and So-woon that goes beyond a simple merchant rivalry, and there also seems to be a story with him and Minister Yeom’s wife — whose character is shaping up to be more than just your regular noblewoman. As with the drama offerings of late, Knight Flower has set up a fun story and paired it with a not-so-fun/bordering-on-dark side, and I look forward to seeing how well this show balances both parts.
RELATED POSTS
[ad_2]
Source link
