REVIEW: The Red Sleeve
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Re-watch value: 4 out of 5 stars
SYNOPSIS
*From MyDramaList*
In Korea during the second half of the 1700s, Yi San is an aloof and perfection-loving young prince. His father’s killing haunts him, although it leaves him in the position to take the throne once his grandfather – the cruel and ruthless current king responsible for Yi San’s father’s death – dies. He has resolved to become a benevolent monarch who will reform the law when he eventually takes the throne, but the way his father was killed has scarred him emotionally.
At court, he meets a young woman named Sung Deok Im. Yi San falls in love with her and tries to convince her to become his official concubine. But Sung Deok Im is strong-willed and free-spirited. She is also intelligent enough to understand that becoming a royal consort to the future king is a prestigious role, but one that would restrict her freedom and likely bring her little in the way of joy. But Yi San’s love for Sung Deok Im is true, and she starts to understand that forming a union with him could ultimately benefit his troubled realm.
RAMBLING
*beware of spoilers*
Buckle up, this is a long one! The Red Sleeve is pretty much unassailable. Such a wild ride of complex emotions and layered meaning. It’s a masterpiece of screenwriting, cinematography, set design, and acting—in fact, I’ll say it’s a powerhouse of acting. The score is so gorgeous with its beautiful instrumentals.
The chemistry between Junho and Lee Se Young is sizzling and crackling. A classic misunderstanding of his identity kicked off their relationship, but they didn’t keep the gag running for too long. San is quickly enamored by her, while she is also fiercely loyal to him and eventually deeply loves him. During the middle of the show, there was something really enchanting about those high stakes episodes where the Crown Prince was getting hounded and Deok Im was in his corner 100%.
It was inside these episodes where they ran to each other across an open field (episode 10) and she collapsed into his arms. The way he holds her and tells her he knew it was her that sent the kite signal, that when he was facing death all he could think of was her, pleading to get one more chance to see her. <3
The main question that haunts their romance throughout the show is “Were you captivated by me, or was it that I was captivated by you?” A version of this was asked almost every episode as San desperately tries to decipher Deok Im’s true feelings for him and if they match his own for her. The question never dissipates but is amended with “Can a good king also be a good husband?” In many moments, I found myself rooting hard for the couple to make it, though acutely aware and supportive of Deok Im’s love for her own wellbeing and happiness.
About halfway through the show, I made the mistake of looking up the real history, and I was shocked to find that she has two kids that never make it to adulthood, and she dies early, at the tender age of 33, of liver cancer while still pregnant with yet another child. As soon as they announced a 17th episode, I knew that they’d take the story all the way to her death. I was waiting for the horrid moments where they’d say goodbye for good.
I was very distraught, but in a good way? It was perfectly Shakespearean. Our couple is constantly caught between duty and love or freedom and happiness… but could death actually soothe their predicament?
The Girl Deok Im
I think she was such a layered character, one of the best ever written.
I loved Deok Im’s original personality and drive. She’s not just unattainably beautiful and that’s all there is; she’s super smart and clever. She boldly speaks her mind, has a perfect moral compass plus an uncanny ability to read the ever-changing moods of the royals—discernment. She enjoys reading, and her childhood dream was to become a writer. She’s naive but wise at the same time. She has compassion but still holds grudges. It thrilled me that she was carefree, still running through the back gardens of the palace with her skirts up, and a bit clumsy (e.g., slipping and falling into the pond with Crown Prince San), yet meticulous in her job.
In episode 11, Deok Im gives this gripping speech about why, if she loves the Crown Prince, she won’t become his concubine. She says that it’s a life of suffering. New concubines arrive every day, young and pretty, backed by powerful, rich clans. “I would have to remain silent while suffering all that.” She owes it to herself not to live a life of great suffering. “The Crown Prince is precious to me. But it’s more important to take care of myself. So I will never ever let myself suffer great pains. It’s better to have nothing if you can’t have it all to yourself.” I couldn’t believe how much I respected her for respecting herself—and if San, as king, can demand monogamy from her, it’s not unreasonable for her to want the same from him.
San: You are to stay by my side at all times for you are mine.
Deok Im: Yes, I am yours. [Voiceover: Although you will never be mine.]
I think back to when San offered her the precious orange, and she politely but firmly refuses. He pushes the matter until she spits out “I never wanted it in the first place. Am I not allowed to decline because I’m a lowly court lady?” After a beat, he asks “Are we truly talking about the orange?” understanding that the orange was a metaphor for himself. Just like it was easy to simply accept the orange, it was always the easiest thing in the world for Deok Im to accept San and become his concubine. It seemed stupid and unthinkable to everyone around her that she would refuse a golden ticket. But she always knew this forbidden fruit would be her ruin, and it didn’t matter the impropriety of a low-class woman standing up to a king, she valued herself too much to cave to the pressure. Not to mention she was groomed for him(!!) by Head Court Lady Jo, which I’m sure made Deok Mi feel icky.
By episode 12, after a 3-year mourning period for the late grandfather king, San proposes to her, coldly at first, and then he throws this zinger: “I want you to become my family.” She avoids him and delays giving him her answer. When he asks her why she won’t become his concubine, she reveals it’s because she’ll lose everything. She will give all of herself to him, while he will never reciprocate.
It’s tragic that in finally becoming San’s concubine, she does lose everything that she is. Her hesitancy and fears turned out to be prophetic self preservation. Any joy in being with the one she loved was stolen by her drastically changed lifestyle, one without any agency. The twinkle in her eye is now gone; the eager, helpful friend is spayed; the bubbly, carefree girl is dead. She can no longer work or keep busy in her usual ways, and she’s relegated to waiting for San to visit her. Her freedom is rescinded.
Deok Im: His Majesty is not my husband, but the Queen’s. I cannot ask His Majesty anything…or expect anything. I knew it…all along.
Ever since San belatedly rescued the palace maids kidnapped by Hong Deok Ro, it was the nail in the coffin for Deok Im trusting in San. Sorry your friends are getting tortured, but my friend is having a meltdown and I’m hoping he snaps out of it—terrible excuse. They face off not long after, and she gives the iconic “I have never loved you. You were never a man to me. And you never will be.” The best lies are the ones with a little bit of truth in them. I think keeping her love for him a secret until her dying day was 100% an act of unabashed rebellion against him, just like her hurtful words in that moment. Can’t I just keep a little piece of me to myself?
At one point, the (remarkably young) queen dowager angrily says the palace is a “luxurious prison”—a concept nearly always explored in sageuks that feature royal women. I did love when the queen dowager said (paraphrasing), And who made us this way? implying that the men are directly at fault. It’s hard to argue that point when the show showcased a male lead as selfish and clueless as San. I say clueless more referring to the later episodes once Deok Mi is suffering in silence.
By the later episodes, all that was left was a shell of her former self. A quiet, subservient wife who relied on polite smiles and impeccable etiquette to get through her mundane days. Accepting San’s heart inherently meant living a harsh bittersweet life, one she borderline regretted in the end. I’m not sure how San could have lived blissfully unaware of her turmoil, seeing her so reduced. Did he not sense her guarded looks and weary love?
Deok Im: What would have happened if I was not a court lady and you were not a king? What would it be like if we were ordinary people? Sometimes I can imagine it.
San: I do not know. I cannot imagine it.
San’s crime is not that he was a good, benevolent king with big dreams for the progress of his country. It was that he was so privileged and blinded by virtue and duty that he couldn’t even imagine a life of lesser calling but with greater equity between him and Deok Im. I’m sure that his answer here played into Deok Im’s final request to forget about her in their next lives.
The Boy San
Good: The Bathtub Scene® was a serious highlight—are you kidding me? Although Deok Im “falls in” unbelievably, the ensuing magnetic sexual tension between them is worth the gaff. Junho’s abs… we were all Deok Im when she couldn't get a grip afterward. We were all blushing hard.
Bad: San has a little hissy fit because he saw the Gyeomsaseo Hong Deok Ro whispering in Deok Im’s ear and being flirtatious with her. But Deok Mi doesn’t bat an eye at the accusation. She serves it back to San, saying (and I paraphrase), Well he was being fresh with me, and why didn’t you stop him? He does this to all the court ladies in order to manipulate little secrets from them, but you blame the court ladies? Blame your man Deok Ro! Victim shaming doesn’t look good on our main boy.
Good: In episode 5, the scene where Deok Im reads poetry to San at night felt so intimate. He kept asking her if she knew the meaning of the poem she read. The translation was so lovely and of course mirrored their own blossoming relationship:
Title: The North Wind, from the Book of Odes
The north wind is cold, the falling snow is voluminous.
With the one that loves and likes me,
I’ll hold your hand and part with you.
Why do you hesitate so?
I’m already in a hurry.
The north wind is chilly, the falling snow is thick.
With the one that loves and likes me,
I’ll hold your hand and go back with you.
Are foxes only red and ravens only black?
With the one that loves and likes me,
I will hold your hand and go on a wagon together.
Good: After the grandfather king beats San and leaves in a huff, Deok Im asks if he’s okay. He shakily says yes and that what he needs is for her to stay near and keep reading. I love that she doesn’t just leave it at that—she deduces, “I see this is not the first time [that you’ve been physically abused.” and then bravely asks, “Do you bear it because you have no other choice?” Junho’s acting here was prestige: “I hold back to attain my aims, and I bear it to get what I want. I know what pain is. And I know how many others are also suffering. I am the Crown Prince of this land. One day I will have the strength. With that strength, there are so many who I can help. I have so many plans in store for the future. Do you have any idea? As for you…just stay by my side. That’ll be enough.” The fiery conviction and emotional tears really made it sing.
Bad: The power dynamics between San and Deok Mi were always a problem. In episode 7, San has another jealous spat where he demands “Does your everything belong to me?” She fires back and says no, he can’t possess all that—her thoughts, mind, heart. He grabs her by the neck—a decidedly aggressive move—and says gruffly, “Everything you own belongs to me. I decide whether you live or die. Never forget that.” Yeah, it could be sexy or it could be toxic.
Bad: He excitedly gives her a bunch of his favorite books—a mixtape of sorts—but she perceives it as a punishment (for stalking him to the gisaeng house) instead of a “reward” or love gift. She was already seeing him in a negative light, thinking that he’d probably do more harm to her than good. Much later, bitter at her official rejection, he threatens that if she beds the king and she does not become a concubine, she would be relegated to a life of unwanted shame while court ladies mocked and belittled her for the rest of her life. It’s hard to parse out the deviousness of his statement when drunk off the sexual tension in his one simple gesture of touching and tugging slightly at the bow on her hanbok…but he’s a problem.
Good: By the end of the show, one last attempt on Deok Im’s life makes San decide to have sex with her. The one moment everyone has been waiting for is here. Homegirl Deok Im has to say yes to this stud now, right? He seemingly gives her a choice: “Can you live your whole life without seeing me? Tonight, if you mean to refuse me, I will let you go. But we will never get to see each other again, and this will be the last time we meet. I love you. It is okay if you don’t love me back. I do not care what feelings you have for me whether it is loyalty or love. If you just stay by my side.” We all know that she does, and it’s a scene that will live on in our collective memory. Just like that night on the bridge, she reaches out to him ever so gingerly in acceptance. It’s satisfying to think that after all this time, the lovers are finally together.
Bad: … But what were her options? Refuse the king and end up a social pariah? Refuse the king and leave the palace as a jobless celebate woman, or worse, a fugitive? Never again see the love of her life? You could interpret his love for her as binding and, ultimately, a trap. It’s so telling that on her deathbed, she tells him to ignore her in their next lives, saying “I want to live the way I want.” Don’t pull this shit again. I love you, but you never gave me the life I wanted. Don’t use love to bind me.
The Gyeomsaseo Hong Deok Ro
Instead of San having a friend and confidante who trusted him sincerely, the Gyeomsaseo is hands down the sketchiest character in the show. He’s not this perfect, long-suffering brother; he’s a cunning snake, a lethal strategist, starting from his childhood when he took credit for saving the young prince (by ripping a damning page out from the banned book). He easily and consistently lied to San’s face.
More interesting still is that he sought to install his younger sister as the queen! He’d rather have his naive, innocent sister dressed in silks and respected as the highest woman in the land—and him be her puppeteer, influencing the country’s politics from behind her skirts. He’s manipulative of all the court ladies, and he constantly tries to do Deok Im favors so that she owes him. He says to Deok Im, “What’s inside a palace maid’s heart—nobody cares to know.” Ironically, San is the only one who cares to know. He tells San “Just have your way with her. Once you do, it’ll be easier to concentrate. It happens to us all.” Let’s just rape so we can get back to real business. Once king, San reveals that his ultimate goal is to free the slaves Abe Lincoln style, but Hong Deok Ro says he should be protecting the owners, not the slaves. LOL
I will admit that I didn’t expect the little princess concubine to die so suddenly and so young, and I didn’t expect Hong Deok Ro to go nuts and take over the post of ruling the underground “fairies”? Like, that wasn’t hinted at at all. San was like Let’s QC this job I gave him to burn down that hideout and boom, Deok Ro’s moved in and was kidnapping poor court ladies.
Already ousted from the palace, the fact that he asks homegirl Deok Im to run away with him and tries to manipulate her one last time by threatening to commit suicide if she refuses… It was vile, but I loved it. You could sense that he was just done. In this suicide letter, he reveals that he lied about saving San’s ass as a child, and it almost redeems him. Almost.
The Grandpa King
I really appreciated that the grandpa king (played by Lee Deok Hwa) was so imposing and commanding, with his thundering crackly voice, but was unexpectedly merciful and nostalgic. He tells Deok Im multiple times that she reminds him of a daughter who’s since passed and how could never harm her because of that. He bestows gifts, like the book written by his late concubine or a precious rice cake from his own table. The old man seemed fun and lighthearted, but in many other instances, volatile and unreasonably abusive. He clearly loves his grandson but was so easily swayed into violent anger whenever Crown Prince San failed.
My favorite scene with the grandfather king was in episode 8. Deok Im’s life is at stake (again), and San begs for the king to give Deok Im another chance after he quickly sentences her to have her heels cut and be exiled. Deok Im recounts the story of that night (with the late concubine in repose) so beautifully, showing off her gift of storytelling in a high stakes way.
Episode 12 showcases the death of the king but more importantly the duality of a grandfather. San verbally expresses how devastated he is that he’s lost his grandfather but how hurt he was by what he did. Love and hate.
The Fairies
The bedtime story of the moon fairies and the king? Bewitching. Moon fairies coming down to willingly serve a great king but then getting abandoned in a moment of need. The thesis “Never believe the king” was damn powerful.
Re: Head Court Lady Jo. BUT THE SECRET SOCIETY OF COURT LADIES?? THE FAIRY PALACE?? Coercing our endearing Court Lady Seo (played by Jang Hye Jin from Parasite!) into joining their ranks?? To make matters worse, there’s this giant exposition dump—the head court lady is responsible for making Crown Prince Sato (San’s dad) lose his mind? She started devilish rumors about his mental instability and poisoned the grandpa king against him, so in the end, he really did go nuts. WHY? She was jealous of the old concubine, having evidently been passed over by the grandpa king who promised her that he’d marry her. But instead he chose her closest friend to be his, and Head Court Lady Jo never let it go. Too much all at once.
Her demise was really interesting, and her final convo with the grandpa king was beautiful. He tells her he’s sorry, to forget the ill will of the past, and she asks him the question she’s been longing to ask for decades: “Why Yeong Bin and not me?” He responds, “Looking at you is like looking in a mirror. We are cut from the same cloth. Yeong Bin was so full of warmth. It was easy to be at rest.” Of course, similarly to Deok Im never telling San that she loves him, Court Lady Jo never gives the grandpa king the satisfaction of saving her life; she takes it herself and robs him of whatever positive nostalgia and goodwill he was feeling. One final F-you to the old man.
The Friendship
I love the four little girls and their enduring friendship. They are so sweet all together, and they complement homegirl Deok Mi so well. At times I got Spielberg vibes from them because they seem more like kids on bikes getting into adventures and trouble than court ladies with zero personality.
The loss of her friend to an outmoded law banning court ladies from loving anyone but the king. That goodbye broke my heart into little pieces. Her friend wasn’t angry but at peace; she didn’t regret falling in love or getting pregnant; she lived a life most court ladies would never dream of, and she experienced true happiness. Deok Im, on the other hand, sobbed at this. The juxtaposition between the girls was unreal.
In the finale, Deok Im wanted only her friends by her side as she passed, and she never promised to live out eternity with San, but with her friends, living freely, roasting chestnuts together. Can we ever be happy as court ladies? Maybe friendship is the truest happiness.
The Red Sleeve
The poetry of the red sleeve that the old king himself tells the child Deok Im. All court ladies wear red sleeves to represent that they are the king’s women, as his ceremonial robes are red. The old man said that when he looked at his beloved concubine’s sleeves, his heart ached.
In the finale (episode 17), San (now King Jeongjo) explores Deok Im’s belongings, and at the very bottom of the box was her old red-sleeved uniform. He holds it up and laments, “It is so small. I did not know you were this small. And I loved you… who was this small.” The red sleeves are still making hearts ache.
The 17th Episode
Episode 17 largely recenters the main character, going from Deok Im to San. After the first 15–20 minutes of the episode, I was like, “This should be over. It’s her story, not his.” I still feel that way.
The loss of their son. Her grieving process. Him telling her to man up, as she’s not the only one who’s lost a child. Ruthless.
I didn’t mind the high body count because there was always this undercurrent in the show of the importance of HOW a person leaves the palace, especially how court ladies aged and died. I was waiting for an elaborate funeral procession to mirror the one in the beginning of the show actually. But that never happened.
San tries to move on but is too crippled by Deok Im’s loss. “I will forget you” he says, standing in the same overlook as when he was a child and vowed to forget the little girl who helped him. It’s not until many years later that his thoughts return to Deok Im.
The 17th episode really put forth that he didn’t deserve her. He was never necessary for her, but she was absolutely instrumental in his growth as a person and as a king. Would he be who is today without her influence?
The snow falls, stopping San in his tracks, invoking their poem, “The north wind is cold, the falling snow is voluminous...” On his deathbed, he closes his eyes and seemingly breathes his last when, suddenly, he’s back in time as a young man, back in that moment when he was startled awake from a nightmare. It’s a full repeat of the earlier scenes, with San saying that he will never love like his grandfather—that is, in a manner that destroys the person you love. Boy, that ship has sailed.
He muses that he isn’t sure “if I missed you or if I missed an idealized past.” But now he’s sure. He missed her. Instead of rushing off back to court, he fixes his memory by staying in the garden with her, watching the flowers bloom. His voiceover explains that he doesn’t care if it’s a memory, a dream, or if it’s death, “the moment became eternity.”
It was a beautiful ending, sure, but it wasn’t the ending our heroine longed for. I don’t think she wanted to spend eternity with him at all. But maybe, without the crown hanging over their heads and the threat of other women, they both can find eternal bliss?
It matched the tone of Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)”:
And I know it’s long gone and
That magic’s not here no more
And I might be okay, but I’m not fine at all //
’Til we were dead and gone and buried
Check the pulse and come back swearing it’s the same
After three months in the grave
And then you wondered where it went to as I reached for you
But all I felt was shame and you held my lifeless frame //
The idea you had of me, who was she?
A never-needy, every-lovely jewel whose shine reflects on you //
Time won’t fly, it’s like I’m paralyzed by it
I’d like to be my old self again, but I’m still trying to find it. //
Just between us, did the love affair maim you all too well?Just between us, do you remember it all too well?
Did you see The Red Sleeve? Tell me your thoughts in the comments below!
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