Secret Royal Inspector & Joy: Eps 1 & 2 Open Thread

The thread is now open for spoilers and…?

Honestly, I don’t know what to expect from this drama. I hope Ok Taecyeon and Kim Hye Yoon won’t disappoint me.

source: kdramylove2000’s tumblr

It’s out on Viki and I’m crossing my fingers that the subbers will be quick with their job. 🤞

Let’s enjoy the show.

13 Comments On “Secret Royal Inspector & Joy: Eps 1 & 2 Open Thread”

  1. GrowingBeautifully (GB)

    Thanks @pkml3. I’m usually iffy about sageuks. I go in gingerly and run off fast quite often.

  2. Old American Lady (OAL)

    @packmule3, Will probably watch this. I enjoyed Taecyeon in Vincenzo-he can be funny and mean at the c same time.

    Two small comments not having anything to do with this thread. 1-HPL2 is polarizing in that it has been compared both among the best and worst dramas by industry insiders. And there was a best couple vote and JJ S and Mido were one and our ob/gyn was also there-no winter garden in sight.

    2-There will be a Dr. Romantic3 with Han Suk Kyu and Ahn Hyo Seop slated to reprise their roles with a premier next winter. One theme throughout is Master Kim’s[Dr. Romantic) wish to establish a trauma center. Thar may be the theme. Will not give you spoilers. There were a lot of our favorite actors in supporting roles and I hope they return.

    Hope all of the BOD family is safe and well.

  3. Kalimera!

    I am not sure If I will start this one. If I do, I will do it for the comic relief!

  4. Thank you, @packmule3. I’ll have a peek.

  5. Will watch it because I like Ok Teacyeon and probably for the comedic relief in the story, something I rarely get so see in saeguks.

  6. Sigh…I watched Ep1 and I am not sure I am in the mood to continue. It feels like…a Western? 😂. It’s the background music. And it kicks off with KHY’s character JoYi trying to get a divorce. Is this even legitimate in those times? I thought it was fine for a man to divorce his wife (in a patriarchal society) but women didn’t share those same rights? It’s quite slapstick in its delivery and I am not into that at all.

  7. I made my way through Ep.1 slowly and with difficulty. Although cinematography is a visual medium, there was an awful lot of “telling” and not “showing” (if I may diverge into the writer’s world) and boredom resulted. Still, I persevered through to Ep.2, which is much better, and I was actually experiencing anticipation as Ep.2 ended.

    I’d say there’s some good character development to come, not to mention a possibly rather predictable plot line (nothing wrong with that), but I’ll be interested to see what the writer and director do with the comic features.

    The two main leads showed strength from the outset, with Taecyeon slightly ahead in those particular stakes, and definite promise coming from Kim Hye-Yoon. But the character who really caught my attention was the absolutely ghastly mother-in-law, brilliantly depicted by Nam Mi-Jung. I do hope we see more of her.

    Anyway, we’ll see what transpires in Episode 3.

  8. Thanks for your post, @Juriel. I’ll continue watching till Ep 2 then. I was going to drop this after the first episode because:

    a. the buffoonery bore me to death

    b. the trio’s interaction (or brotherhood) was contrived. I don’t get why the sidekicks were given so much time really. Usually, the focus would be on the leads and their meet-cute.

    c. I was waiting for punchlines that never happened. Take the protracted scene with Joy suing for a divorce, and her mother-in-law was complaining. IMO, that scene should have been either shortened or revised to show more humor.

    Seriously, my cheeks stiffened from waiting for the punchline.

    d. Speaking of stiff cheeks, Taecyeon’s performance is still stiff. Sigh. I wonder if he’s better suited behind the camera, as Director, rather than in front of the camera.

    Anyway, I’ll take your word for it that Ep 2 picks up. I’ll reserve judgment till then.

  9. Oof! I watched Episode 3, and it was a mess: bad script, bad directing, bad cinematography, bad editing, bad acting (by some characters, such as the band of thieves). The transition from scene to scene was so choppy it almost gave me whiplash. The camera work didn’t serve the story: overuse of the god view (overhead shots), arrow POV becoming…what zigs and zags like that…a fly? This show is taking itself too seriously to be a parody, but too ridiculous to be taken seriously. In my opinion, the only reason to continue watching this show is to have fun mocking it.

  10. @welmaris and @packmule3
    Sadly, and with hopes very much crushed, I have to agree with your opinions regarding the early episodes. I’m half-way through Episode 4, and the storyline has just become even more complex and awkward to follow with the introduction of the abandoned children. I don’t have a great deal of empathy with a plurality of abandoned children, except that they create action for the adult characters, which is what’s happening here.
    What is puzzling me is how the director, Yoo Jong-sun is managing to create such a production, with at least three very well-crafted dramas to his credit (Children of the Sun, What’s wrong with Secretary Kim and Designated Survivor: 60 Days), but there it is. Secret Royal Inspector and Joy will not be one of his directing high achievements, unless the forthcoming episodes change for the better.
    However, I have become interested in this drama, and I’m thoroughly enjoying Taecyeon’s delivery. I think he hits just the right degree of intensity for the general and particular situations, so I will continue to watch it. Why it’s classed as a drama, with no hint of the comic in its genre description is beyond me.

  11. Still giving it a try but the story is going all over the place, but am giving a try but not really cotton on to it too much.

  12. Annyeong,

    i’m staying on with this show also because i want to know how he will solve the murders of the previous Inspector and Joy’s Bestie. Also, i kind’a like how as he goes along trying to solve this main mystery, he uncovers other types of atrocities or crimes and basically cleans up Joseon, hopefully not die in the process.

    i think Joy is a great partner for him. she’s really outspoken and brave.

    there’s also a backstory with him and the king who passed and this whole wolfbane poison that caused his death. so, i’m hanging on for some answers 😀

    i do like that he’s good in the kitchen. i’ve never eaten a really ripe persimmon before. i rather like them like my nectarines, crunchy haha. i do want to see him own a restaurant. so far, this food trip they’re is not working out hahaha. i haven’t seen any food. haha.

  13. I agree with everything you say. I’m also going on to the latter episodes. I love ripe persimmons. I had some once directly from the tree. One of my best food memories, but I can definitely manage the crunchy ones as well.

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