I'm gonna miss my drinking game. ::sniff::

whoa! i invested 8 months for dong yi? it didn't seem like it though.. it was an enjoyable watch.

Thank God. The story was good in the first half ,then it got draggy and boring. I continue to watch it to get to the ending although I regret starting on it. The acting is not good or rather lack of acting. In my humble opinion the ratings should have been reversed with SKKS.SKKS in the twenties ratings and Dongyi in the single digit. I do not want to watch HHJ dramas again until I can erase those same old expressions of hers.

yup, i watched the 60 episode run of this freakin show. i don't know why i bothered. maybe because i'm a sucker for sageuk especially this director's work. yup again, i watched dae jang geum and yi san....though i thoroughly enjoyed dae jang geum and loved ji jin hee and lee young ae there, yi san drove me to hell (how creepy lee seo jin looks though he sounded beautifully as a king)...maybe i just want to see dong yi and his son to ascend the throne, and see jang hee bin burned to flames...and also, my favorite reigns second to yi san is king sukjong because it was eventful...these three kings (sukjong, dong yi's son, and yi san) are always featured in sageuks (see: skks, painter of the wind, conspiracy in the court) yup, i love me some sageuk...

now onto the show, though they tried to be faithful as possible, some of the plots are really just dumbfounding...i almost had my hair pulled because of the roller coaster ride this show has put me in...they at times were fast, then they were super slow...

now to the directing, i always say that this director's "trademark" is his "calculated directing", everything is well placed, well-rehearsed, its like i'm watching a play, and that play was a mega hit (both in ratings and in quality) in dae jang geum, a little annoying in yi san, but plain bothersome in dong yi, it feels like i am watching the same show but only worse-r.

now onto the actors, the only one who is just left giving it her all is lee so yeon, playing the ambitious jang hee bin, maybe i watched just to watch her downfall (don't start with me on how they played it) which was beautifully acted by her, i almost want her to be queen again just because of the huge gap in acting talent between her and dong yi (han hyo joo)...now, hhj is an okay actress, i liked her a lot in shining inheritance but her limited skills was very much exposed here because of the different force an actress should portray in a sageuk, more especially a high ranking concubine...she is just blah, i feel like i'm watching a child playing dress up...now onto ji jin hee, i don't know what happened to him but he kinda overacted here though he was super adorable as a king...when it comes to emotional moments though, he managed to pull my heartstrings...then, bae soo bin, he was just utterly wasted...next time bsb pick a lead role in a beautiful project where you can show your talent and where you freakin get the girl..a big sigh to this now i ended one of my guilty pleasure...yup, i'm so guilty watching this show...

I havent watched the last two episodes yet but I have to say that I loved it. Granted, it's my first real saeguk so i dont have anything to compare it to, but I quite enjoyed it. It did get draggy at times but i think it was because of the length. How many times could one frame the same person over and over?

I originally watched because of my major crush on Bae Soo Bin, and I do feel he was wasted here but no one could have played Chun Soo better than him. King Jin Hee was adorable around Dongyi and sexy when he was angry and played the role well.

One thing about Dong Yi is that alot of the struggles she faced about class, and finding love, about jealousy causing others to see you as an enemy, could carry over to today's world. We could all be more like her and Chun Soo.

I got bored around ep 5. I think HHJ has fallen into type-casting. She should take some villain role, b/c her acting is boring. From all dramas, she acts in I think she has the same personalities, same acting, same emotion, they all the same.

Remembering Yi San (by the same brainlocked writer) I wasn't crazy to watch DY but I watched it to see Ji Jin-hee in a historical again. He really delivered. The series overall was a deadly bore but he was wonderful.

Dong Yi's ratings were good, given that Giant took a chunk of the M/Tu audience.

I actually thought the show improved when Dong Yi returned from exile. For most of the show, it was a court intrigue story that found excuses to not be a court intrigue drama. Never seen a sageuk so willfully unwilling to tell its own story. But it got good with the corrupt Governor; his defeat was thoroughly satisfying.

Dong Yi doesn't explore the nagging dissonance of the principal love story: King Sukjong didn't do anything for Dong Yi (except the ending); yet, Dong Yi never resents him. We never get too deep beneath their pleasant surface.

I really liked the show kinda in the way I liked East of Eden. The latter's screaming "HYUNG!! DONG-HA!!" refrain evolved into Dong Yi's "cho *pause* na *sigh" motif.

LOL... i gave up keeping on the top with dongyi around the middle of it, when i heard there would be an extension.. it's a drama i plan to finish slowly, episode by episode.. I did tune in the finale though because i was curious but honestly, i was so lost about what happened that i gave up.

just to save me some time, what happens in the end?

I loved this show, it did drag in the middle but in my opinion it picked up in the end. I don't care what others are saying it was worth the watch. Dong Yi really won my heart over with her perseverance anc clever personality. The love story was sweet but not agressive and the politics did get boring, but like I said it picked up in the end. Overall it was a good show...not a great as Queen Seon Duk... but good "like a light meal in the middle of the day to satisfy your stomach, unlike over eating that leaves you feeling like a time bomb about to explode." In the words of Goldy Locks. "It was just right" lol

"we know how the ajummas love Kim Nam-joo."

HAHAHA! My culture is pretty Patriarchal, but guess who still really has the power? That's right! The ajummas pretty much rule this world don't they? XD Or at least in Korea they rule TV ratings. XD

Dong Yi really got my goat on so many levels.

Han Hyo Joo - already ranted but would love to rant more. it's laughable how atrocious she was.

Ji Jin Hee - By the end of my patience with Dong Yi, it was his adorableness that kept me watching, although this Sukjong would have me believe that kings have nothing to do with ruling a country. JJH did a good job making a poorly fleshed out character endearing.

Jang Hui Bin - thumbs up. Often wished that the show was about her and her story.

Jang Hui Bin's bro - what was up with him???? When he first came on, I thought he would play a very knowing, chillingly evil, and - most of all - capable villain. Instead, he was utterly underutilized. Turned into a completely inept, fussy idiot by the middle of the show's run.

Queen Inhyeon - liked looking at her and wishing there was more of her story to tell as well. There ought to have been, given her historical significance.

Bae Soo Bin - His character here would have had me believe he couldn't act to save his life. So utterly overdone. Then, when I got fed up with Dong Yi, I started watching Jumong and WOOOOOAAAAH!! couldn't believe it was the same actor. Then, saw Painter of the Wind where he was delicious as Jungjong. Majorly underutilized.

Conclusion = the director sucks. Unlike other folks who loved Dae Jang Geum, I felt much the same toward Dae Jang Geum (as a character) and its actress as I did toward Dong YI and HHJ. But Dae Jang Geum was fresh, the theme of the royal kitchen and the history of Korean cuisine was just inspiring, and the overall execution was far better. I very much liked Yi San primarily because I found the King and the actor very compelling. And Yi San also made me think Han Ji Min could be more than a very pretty face. Dong Yi, unfortunately, has not done the same with HHJ for me.

Anyhoo, no more energy to be lost on Dong Yi.

DY, despite its flaws, was pretty entertaining from about ep. 5 w/ the grown up DY (the eps. w/ the child DY were a bore, due to Kim Yoo-jung's overuse of certain facial expressions, which HHJ unfortunately picked up) w/ all the palace machinations and intrigue until about the time DY became the King's woman and was pretty much stuck inside the palace.

At this point, the palace intrigue became repetitive (after so many plots to kill DY, it becomes a tad tiresome) and increasingly unbelievable (Jang Hee bin going from an intelligent, calculating woman to an irrational, emotional wreck was a bit hard to believe).

Once, the storyline became repetitive, it became really hard to overlook all the bad acting (esp. the overacting).

Kim Yoo suk - as Jang Hee bin's brother was insufferable w/ his trademark evil villain sneer and laugh; the performance was like a bad charicature of the stereotypical evil villain.

Lee So yeon - as Jang Hee bin was OK at the start, but as her character became more unstable/irrational - she just became all "bug eyed" and/or talked really fast (to show how upset she was).

HHJ - at 1st her character was annoying b/c she kept using those same annoying facial expressions that Kim Yoo-jung used playing the young DY (I blame the PD for this), but then endless half head turns and all the other little things really started to annoy me (again, I blame the PD).

The actor who played the Left Minister/Head of the South Faction was horrendous - had about 3 facial expressions that he used again and again.

The South Faction noble family (father, wife and son) - I know they were supposed to be the "humor" in the show, but overacting, exaggerated expressions does not = funny (same goes for DY's musician friends).

But there were a few actors who stood out.

Ji Jin Hee - was really enjoyable as King Sukjong; he did a good job showing the King in a range of emotions - angry to sad, but the highlight was JJH showing the King's "boyish" side.

Park Ha sun - despite a limiting role as Queen Inhyeon, PHS did a really good job showing her character's emotions (as much as a Queen can show her emotions) thru slight changes in her facial expressions. PHS certainly played above her years (being only 22); I thought she was a bit older than that. She has a bright future ahead of her (certainly doesn't hurt that she's real easy on the eyes).

Jung Yoo mi - as Inspector Lady Jung Eum. In scenes w/ both DY and JE, I found myself drawn more to JYM than to HHJ (who I do like), despite JYM's rather more limited role.
JMY is pretty, but in an atypical way. She deserves to get more substantial roles in the future instead of being the 5th/6th most impt. female character.

All in all, DY, while having its enjoyable eps, had too many flaws at the end.

Most of the blame goes to the PD and the writers (who basically kept rehashing the same insidious plots against DY in the later eps) - esp. for all of those really annoying half-turn close-ups and the overuse of "Junah" and "Mamah" w/o characters saying anything else (if the writers just cut all the times the characters said Junah" and "Mamah" in half, they could have cut 2-3 eps.).

i loved this show at the beginning, and i was surprised by how addicted i got...but then it slowed for me and i stopped at around ep 48....it was to boring for me to complete....i wish they hadnt extended it

i love HHJ, but even i was shocked when she was given these awards for Dong yi..it definitely was not her best work, if anything, its a massive learning opportunity...and i hope to see her improvements in her next roles

the little that i watched of this show (whenever i was at home- my mom and her korean cable! lol) i was pleasantly surprised by han hyo joo's acting. i took a strong disliking to her from shining inheritance, but here she was surprisingly good. she seems to have a knack for the sageuk genre, and for playing these calm, poised characters (later on, when she became an official concubine or whatever to the king). still not a fan, but grudgingly acknowledge that she may not be all hype. lol

SKKS 12.8%! Good!)))

If I live to be 100 I will NEVER get Chonaaaaaa out of my head!!!!!!

Yes, I am one of the crazies that watched Dong Yi from start to finish, 2 episodes a week.

I actually liked it in the beginning. And then it just started sucking. And sucking. And sucking.

This drama was filled with little things that annoyed me. Han Hyo-joo is an actress that I like, not based on acting skills, but her face seemed to always just....look the same despite the various emotions she needed to portray.

I just saw the last episode and my verdict? The ending was crap but it made me nostalgic. I did spend 8 months watching this, so I couldn't help but be a little...."sad."

Can someone please explain the ending? This is what I got out of it: Many years pass and Lee Sun-ho comes in to portray the adult version of......Geum, Dong-yi's son? What does that mean for the Crown Prince dude (Jang Hee-bin's son)? And did all the adults....DIE? How is it that there are no familiar faces other than Bae Soo-bin. -_-

I have to say that I loved Dong Yi. Probably not for the same reasons that most people either liked or disliked it. Mainly the reason I liked it was because in many respects it did not take itself too seriously. And given the fact that so many dramas get so dark and brooding I think that was a welcome breath of fresh air.

Something, I would imagine, is a welcome relief when you think about the state of the world economy, and the general levels of anxiety, depression and fearfulness.

If entertainment can be a release valve, serving as an escape, or even a catharsis of some sort for the viewer in such troubling times, then it is worth giving pause.

In a world were corruption, greed, and general pettiness has been sensationalized over and over again, something that may seem "poor" in acting and scope, appeals not so much as the standard fare of entertainment soap opera drama, but as an appropriate response to life as we know it.

When is the last time you have actually seem such goofiness in terms of a romance between a king and common woman? It did not have to go in that direction but it turned out to be charming.

The overall structure of the story was rather repetitious at times towards the end, but it was also, perhaps, more importantly an affirmation of some very benevolent values in a character like Dong Yi, who is able to be big hearted enough to give her worst enemies enough time and opportunity to reform.

Yes, there are a lot of flaws. Just the implausibility of many of the scenarios would make Dong Yi superhuman. After all, didn't she get thrown into the water? Wouldn't she be dead, even if her older brother jumped into the water?

And how many times did her older brother, Chun Soo come swooping in at the nick of time to save whomever? It's so ridiculous you have to laugh. But at the same time you want to believe it, because in times as desperate at today's you want to believe in the good guys. And you want to believe in an enduring justice where the good people will be rewarded for all of their hard efforts.

There are just so many reasons why we can point at Dong Yi and say, "plot hole big enough to drive a mac truck through, " but perhaps more profound emotional reasons why Dong Yi still is, perhaps, appropriate at this time in the world.

I enjoyed it.

I'm still watching the last episode, but I have to say it worked for me. Not because all parts were excellent, but because it was a "drama" for the times. And that, to me, is good enough.

Dong Yi lost me around episode 50.

It was becoming always the same story, always the bad queen trying to squeeze her eyes out of their orbit.

And I love Ji Jin Hee but his role is just so blah. This king hasn't been doing much since the beginning. It's almost the same phrases he has everytime. His subordinates come running in his office saying some big thing happened, he's say "really? what is it?" I'm so sad to him reduced to this. I hope to see him in a more interesting role next time.

Dong Yi has been a steady character, athough I did miss her younger times when she used to smile more.

The good queen (sorry, I don't know her name) has been a good surprise. She was lovely and fragile but her fierceness at the end was also well done.

I thought HHJ did a good job with Dongyi and I am a follower of all of PD lee dramas. He personally also praised HHJ for her role. There is always further room for improvement but she is fine with her acting. it is not easy to play a role from a teenager to a middle age adult.

Personally I enjoyed the last 2 episodes .thank you to all the cast members and production crews for a wonderful 8 months ride. :)

I actually liked the show despite the overutilised phrase of Cho-na and Mama and the scenes where they either look back or cut to flashbacks. I felt the fault was with the writers and the PD. Watched a few of his sagueks and realised that its pretty much the same old same old expressions.

Thus in this situation, I think its unfair to put the blame entirely on HHJ. She did the best she could with the materials provided, perhaps the only folly she made was to follow the PD's direction to a 101%. I think she did great.

And JJH and LSY was great in their roles too albeit they were also being subjected to the same old scripts of flashing back and the usual facial expression. Perhaps LSY captured us more with her villain role which was honestly not so 'single layered' like what they would want us to believe DY to be. Again, I blame the writers and PD.

There were so many areas which they could develop more on DY, KSJ, CCS, etc which instead was wasted on deviated stories of OHY and the likes of him. Felt this was a waste of time and they came across as irritating instead of entertaining. I mostly fast forwarded those parts. Afterall the story is based on DY. So give us more on her and little Geum, more on the crown prince would even be welcomed.

That said, I still think it was a good piece overall but thats my two cents worth!

I am in withdrawal mode now. My Monday and Tues will be empty after a good 8 months. I totally like this drama very much more than YIsan .
Sukong and Dongyi love story is so sweet.LOVE it!

I saw 1 part of episode 26 in vikii then it buffered and I never tried watching it again.

Despite all the negative vibes and violent reactions against han hyo joo, I can't help but like her. She has something in her personality or face, wait, in the way she talks? It always gets me. I'm fascinated although she can really get flat sometimes.

My husband nags me everyday for watching this drama faithfully. I'm sorry to see it end. Others comment about how bad the lead actress was is definitely unfair. I find her charming and I see that she improves each time a new material is given to her.
The king, as expected is good, in fact very good. I seem his vulnerability and his strength. I love the way he loves his loved ones and does his best to protect them. I'm really a softie when it comes to powerful guys with a heart.
Good Luck to all of the cast members you did well. Looking forward to better and exciting drama. Thanks for giving me a good escape from the humdrum of the world.

My husband nags me everyday for watching this drama faithfully. I'm sorry to see it end. Others comment about how bad the lead actress was is definitely unfair. I find her charming and I see that she improves each time a new material is given to her.
The king, as expected is good, in fact very good. I see his vulnerability and his strength. I love the way he loves his loved ones and does his best to protect them. I'm really a softie when it comes to powerful guys with a heart.
Good Luck to all of the cast members you did well. Looking forward to better and exciting drama. Thanks for giving me a good escape from the humdrum of the world.

since we are on the topic of sageuks can u guys pls pls recommend some nice ones to watch? i've watched QSD ( not finished it though and dont plan to either....i really really dont want to see bidam die even though i think he is a full on sociopath) and im almost done with jumong which i enjoyed immensely...ditto with qsd as well....thanks in advance for those how recommend stuff <3!!

Well, I am an ajumma, but I love SKKS. And I don't actually like the leading actress too much, but they have a "secret weapon" - Park Shi Hoo, so I will watched Q of R because of him.

I hope SKKS starts getting the ratings it deserves. Its probably one of the only dramas where I don't have a problem with the casting because everyone fits their character almost perfectly. I'm glad Dong Yi is over because it was getting draggy and I'd love to see Han Hyo Joo in something new, maybe a romantic comedy anyone?

My hubby was one of those (and my 2 adult children) were made to sit through this 60 eps drama because I have the control to the TV channel... Ha ha. I Love it . Love the story , Lovely Sk and DY and all the characters. I am a sucker for such long drama. By the end, everyone in my family enjoyed the series and something to talk at dinner time. I cannot think of anyone as dongyi except HHJ. She is right for the role.

Thanks all the casts/production for the 8 months . Gonna to miss watching again another long drama with my family.

"Furthermore, compared to the director’s prior works (Dae Jang Geum, Yi San), the numbers are a bit disappointing."

Not surprising since Dong Yi is evidently just a retouched version of Yi San, which is in many ways similiar to Dae Jang Geum (though nowhere near as good). Surely people are going to get tired of seeing the same thing over and over again.

I only glanced at the first episode to verify that it is, indeed, stylistically and structurally identical to Yi San (not to mention the vast similarities between their premises), which made me lose interest. I probably wouldn't have ever finished Yi San either if it wasn't for Lee Ip-sae, who unfortunately wasn't in Dong yi (I must be the only fan she has).

I expect the PD's next drama to be more of the same, though his format can, with the right script and cast, work in spite of itself.

1.I'm Han's eternal fan but Han's not old enough to look like a mom with the age of 50.
2.The drama's bad enough to make her look weired.
3.The script writer is an idiot.He/She has many chances to interest the audiences but still she came out with comedic uninteresting lines.
4.Although Han's stunning out,she doesn't have a strong villain against her like Mishil.
5.The director favors the background scences more than the drama so that the tempo was lost.
6.The drama's recycling of Yisan by PD.
7.The others helping Dong Yi are not cool.They always obey orders from Dong Yi and there's no betrayal.
8.Too many incidents but not exciting.Because we know what'll happen next.
9.There's too much love from Dong Yi.How can she not be a little greedy?No one can compare Dong Yi in investigations which is why Han's like standing in the dessert alone.She has no one to support her.
10.The king looks too cheesy.Dong Yi does not show if she's interested in him or not.
11.Dong Yi looks like the participants of the Miss Universe Show always shouting for peace and giving all the dreams she can achieve more than peace.
12.The ending is too sudden.Did Dong Yi die outside the palace?or not?
13.Han Hyo Joo unni,later takes a comedy or melo than sageuk,you suits everyday's clothing esp,bohemian better.I'lll always be looking for you.Don't be disappointed because of one reckless project.You're a bright shining star.

whatever ,i really love this drama !!!!!!!!!!!! i ignore some critics ,i watch it for entertainment and i love it ,many points for the charming han hyo joo ,love her since brilliant legacy

Beginning, ok. Middle, eh. Then...

Immensely touching. When Dong Yi lost her child, when the King made that emotional outburst to keep her to the palace and to overlook anything almost, etc.

I didn't like Dong Yi in the beginning but she became more beautiful as I watched the show. She and the whole cast became endearingly sweet and watching Dong Yi maturing into the different roles of her life: orphan servant, friend, lover, consort, mother, and philanthropist.

It was fun and I'm glad I tried to continue the series (though I must have skipped 10 episodes somewhere).

Some of the cast made me laugh my ass off. Ridiculous, (hehehe) and prob horribly casting but ultimately, adds to the appeal.

Beautiful settings and costumes. I want to live in that palace, damn.

"If Han Hyo-joo gets a Daesang for Dong Yi, I will eat my hat. And my shoes. And my computer. She’ll get an award, but no way will it be Daesang"
Seems like someone has some eating to do.

i stopped watching around 40+ ep too, to be precise it was after gedwora died after they reunited with each other. i guess part of the suspense was about the sword fraternity. like whether dong yi would ever find the lady with the butterfly keychain, or what would happen after the emperor found out that she was the daughter of the sword fraternity's chief. afterwards when everything came to light it started to go downhill from there. it just got too long and draggy and ALMOST every scene after that is filmed with the consorts sitting in their bedrooms, or the emperor brooding over something. there's no more out-of-the-palace scenes anymore. i enjoyed watching those scenes actually, like the sulhee ones, or when dongyi was injured she was rescued by the merchant in uiju. somehow it wasn't gripping anymore, instead it became predictable. you can almost predict that every small little thing will escalate into something big and it did. as i struggled to watch ep 50 onwards, i just couldn't help but sigh or pause every 5 mins to surf the net or grab a drink. i totally stopped at ep 52 with no desire whatsoever to continue watching and i'm surprised consider that i really liked director lee byung hun's works.

i guess part of the reason was also because unlike in daejanggeum or heojoon, there's an objective like wanting to become a top doctor or top cook in the palace. whereas in dong yi there's just nothing much about her. which is also not surprising consider that much of the story about her are fictitious. in real history, nothing was recorded about her as she was a lowborn. and there wasn't even a lady investigation bureau at all.

oh yea and the king too, apparently is it only king sukjong or that all korean kings are kinda like...powerless as the dramas so often portray? i really wonder because it seems like unlike the kings in china where we would often associate them with ordering criminals to be beheaded or beaten/tortured, the korean kings are kinda useless, no? its like they give in to pressure of the ministers, they can't make up their minds, and they just don't seem to have in say in whatever decisions. i wonder if they're really like that or the the directors just wanna portray a good image of their kings in the dramas?

I love this Dong Yi show.... especially the romance between King Sukjong & Dong Yi but a bit disappointed with the end story... nothing much on King Sukjong & Dong Yi in their later lives together and how. only seen the last part on the 60th episode where Dong Yi stepped on the King's back for the 2nd time and ended with the son Guem with his uncle in the cementry, we don't know what happens after this till their respective death.... is a great show but could be fantastic if the shor prolongs a little say an epsiode on the old age between King Sukjong & Dong Yi.... I love both Dong Yi and Dae Jae Geum... I love Ji Jin Hee's acting... great actor ....

I appreciate Dong Yi. The story maybe hanging but the plot is good. It focuses on the importance of goodness.