Honey Lee in a sageuk taking part in a feminine Robin Hood? Say no extra! MBC’s latest Friday-Saturday providing guarantees rise up, romance, and an entire lot of working as Jo Yeo Hwa (Honey Lee) alternates between a mannequin of Confucian widowly advantage by day and a protector of Joseon’s downtrodden by night time. Clearly the general public thinks the identical as a result of the premiere episode achieved the highest ratings of any MBC Fri-Sat drama since 2021! Thinking of checking this one out, or on the fence? Here are just a few causes to offer this present a go!

Warning: spoilers for episodes 1-2 beneath.

1. Fun, fast-paced plot

“Knight Flower” doesn’t waste any time throwing us proper into the thick of issues. We meet Jo Yeo Hwa as she enters a playing den to inform off a wastrel of a person who’s about to wager the title to his home to get his playing repair, regardless of his spouse and youngsters begging him to not destroy their lives. He couldn’t care much less about them however sobers up actual fast when Yeo Hwa threatens to finish him if he doesn’t behave. Naturally, the playing den guardsmen aren’t happy about being cheated out of a buyer (who was ready to wager his home as well), and a combat ensues. The odds are 17 to 1, however Yeo Hwa wins—albeit with one not-so-minor complication.

Park Soo Ho (Lee Jong Won) is a army officer on stakeout within the den to catch a cheat when Yeo Hwa’s combat enters his room. In the following scuffle, he and Yeo Hwa find yourself in one another’s arms. And Yeo Hwa’s startled sufficient to make use of her actual voice when exclaiming, so he realizes that she’s a lady. Yeo Hwa takes down her foes and flees, sure that she’ll by no means see Soo Ho once more. But little does she know that this incident is about to change into Soo Ho’s central focus. And that’s all within the first quarter-hour! What follows from then on is a enjoyable examination of a lady’s double life within the Joseon period and the difficulties of sustaining that life when a lady turns into a widow. It’s “Healer”-esque, right down to working on the rooftops!

2. Jo Yeo Hwa

Yeo Hwa blossoms to life within the palms of the stunning and proficient Honey Lee, who imbues her with appeal, tenacity, and sufficient self-consciousness to make her deeply relatable. Yeo Hwa’s proficiency at martial arts got here by means of her brother, an officer, who taught her every part. Unfortunately, he additionally went lacking 15 years in the past on a mission of some type. This principally left Yeo Hwa and not using a protector in Joseon. Women weren’t allowed to make choices for themselves, so Yeo Hwa’s uncle had full carriage of her life, and inside just a few years of her brother’s disappearance, Yeo Hwa was married off to the son of Seok Ji Sang (Kim Sang Joong), the Left State Councillor. Yeo Hwa has no alternative however to associate with it, when destiny strikes once more: Ji Sang’s son dies, and Yeo Hwa is made a widow proper on the day of her wedding ceremony. And that’s when her troubles actually start.

3. Commentary on Confucian guidelines utilized to ladies

Women in Joseon lived restrictive lives, however widows had it even tougher. Unmarried ladies have been purported to be paragons of perfection till marriage (a rule the lads didn’t hassle conserving on their finish), and wives have been purported to be slaves, baby-makers, and yes-men for his or her husbands. But widows weren’t meant to be seen or heard. They lacked the safety of a male authority determine as a consequence of their husband’s demise and have been seen as a burden on their in-laws. Confucian guidelines demanded that widows present penance and observance of their husband’s demise. They have been solely to put on mourning white and by no means step out of the home and be seen (as a result of they need to be dwelling as they’re lifeless since their male authority determine is lifeless).

As a end result, Yeo Hwa solely will get to depart her in-laws’ residence annually if she’s fortunate. Her life has been drained of colour fairly actually as a result of she isn’t allowed to put on it. She endures the day by day lectures of her mother-in-law, Yoo Geum Ok (the incredible Kim Mi Kyung) and the spite of her sister-in-law Seok Jae Yi (Jung So Ri). Moonlighting at night time to help others with the assistance of her savvy maid, Yeon Sun (Park Se Hyun), and a rich feminine service provider, Jang So Woon (Yoon Sa Bong), is her solely shiny spot of hope in life. But Park Soo Ho may threaten all of it.

4. Park Soo Ho

Despite Yeo Hwa’s standing as a widow, she’s had just about nothing in the way in which of romance and has had a lot Confucianism drilled into her that she couldn’t assist reacting badly when Soo Ho clutched her and used her actual voice. Unfortunately for Yeo Hwa, Soo Ho is fascinated by the mysterious feminine fighter he encountered. He digs deeper into her and finds tales recognized throughout the capital of a masked determine in black who assists the poor and downtrodden. Little does he know that that determine is identical widow he discovered so hilarious when he encountered Yeo Hwa hiding cookies in her sleeves on certainly one of her uncommon public outings.

Soo Ho has his personal causes for being within the capital. His father, a loyal pal to the King’s father, was murdered 15 years in the past. Soo Ho was adopted by the household of Royal Secretary Park Yoon Hak (Lee Ki Woo), who cares deeply for him however doesn’t present it in an effort to guard him. From who? It seems to be the Left State Councillor, Yeo Hwa’s father-in-law. Yoon Hak’s safety of his adopted brother appears to imply conserving him at midnight about what he and the King are as much as, which might solely spell hassle sooner or later as soon as these secrets and techniques inevitably come out.

Things come to a head with certainly one of Yeo Hwa’s acts of support. She replaces the Minister of Finance’s invaluable tiger portray with a hilarious mockery (achieved by her) in retaliation for him practically beating his aged servant for getting a drop of water on it. But her act is mistaken as treason by Soo Ho’s bumbling superior officer Hwang Chi Dal (Kim Kwang Gyu). Suddenly, Soo Ho, who is aware of that the masked girl is a do-gooder, is within the uncomfortable place of getting to research her as a presumably treasonous thief on his boss’s orders.

Even higher, Soo Ho’s simply run into Yeo Hwa herself on her solely different public outing of the 12 months: to go to her brother’s memorial. He thinks she’s a widow in want of support from robbers, which she isn’t. She instructed the thieves to only take her grain as a result of she is aware of they’re ravenous and doesn’t thoughts. And she thinks she must throw off suspicion (quick). She’s pulling a Park Bong Soo in “Healer,” pretending that she’s a damsel in misery, and he’s solely too comfortable to be the hero. But when a maneuver throws her again in his arms, will he work out that she’s the masked girl who was there solely a pair nights in the past?

From pacing to characters, this present is simply good zippy enjoyable. Everything about it simply works, and its diminished episode depend (12 episodes) has pruned loads of the bloat that may clog up different sageuks. We’ve fairly just a few mysteries in place with respect to Yeo Hwa’s brother and Soo Ho’s household, to not point out a probably enormous impediment if Yeo Hwa’s brother was concerned in killing Soo Ho’s household. Add a incredible group of supporting actors (Kim Mi Kyung!) to that, and this would possibly give MBC a well-deserved scores win. It’s going to be enjoyable seeing this flower bloom within the night time!

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Shalini_A is a very long time Asian-drama addict. When not watching dramas, she fangirls over Ji Sung, and spins thrillers set in more and more incredible worlds. Follow her on X and Instagram, and be at liberty to ask her something!

Currently watching:  “Knight Flower,” “My Demon,” “Marry My Husband,” “Tell Me That You Love Me,” “Like Flowers In Sand.”
Looking ahead to: “Ask The Stars,” “Sweet Home 3,” “Gyeongseong Creature 2,” “Queen of Tears,” and “Connection.”

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