Product: The Great Queen Seondeok Vol. 1 (2009)
Rating: 4.0
Would have been a classic if the lead actress can act
Great story, plot, tempo. Terrific group of acting talents. Koh Hyun-Jung as Mishil should win top acting award. She appears in episode 1-50. That's Vol 1 and Vol 2. The show has aired 50 episodes as of Nov. 10th, and is expected to extend to 62-70 episodes in total.I had high hopes for the drama series to become one of the classics. Unfortunately it falls short as the lead actress Lee Yo-Won for the role of adult Duk Man, the future Queen Seondeok, cannot act. While great in stubborn, kind, and often times dumb contemporary female roles in her past, Lee proves to be incapable to portray Korea's first Queen, known for her outstanding wisdom which eventually provided foundation for the unification of the three Kingdoms on the Korean Peninsula in the 7th Century.As much of the show was based upon the power matches between the two main characters Mishil and Duk Man, Lee Yo-Won's unconvincing performance as Duk Man was a stark contrast to Koh Hyun-Jung's brilliant portrayal of the charismatic, powerful Mishil. While in the story Duk Man wins in the end, Lee's Duk Man is decidedly not a worthy opponent of Koh's Mishil. Pretending to believe Lee's Duk Man as someone she isn't through this LONG series is exhausting, taking away quite a bit of the excitement and pleasures from the stories and other actors' great acting...The show enjoys immense popularity in Korea. Despite the tiresome Lee Yo-Won, the show is otherwise excellent, and has plenty to offer. I wouldn't miss the fantastic Koh Hyun-Jung for the world. So for those who wouldn't mind a BAD lead actress, go for it.