Entertainment

K-drama midseason recap: River Where the Moon Rises – period drama weathers crisis with casting triumph


Following a scattered and lacklustre opening, period-romance action-drama River Where the Moon Rises has, in fits and starts, gradually gained some focus. Yet the most exciting thing that has happened to date was the drama that unfolded behind the scenes, which quickly forced the show to take drastic action.

A few weeks after its premiere, River Where the Moon Rises was faced with an urgent and sensitive situation. Its lead star, Ji Soo, came under fire after allegations surfaced online implicating him in high school bullying. In a wave that has gripped South Korea, several other stars have faced allegations of bullying. But the claims against Ji had a sexual component, which hastened his forced removal from the show.

K-dramas have traditionally been made very quickly and typically remain in production even as shows start airing. These compressed timelines, though stressful for everyone involved, keep production costs down and give writers a chance to focus more on things viewers like, or correct them if too much criticism comes their way.

>

In the case of River Where the Moon Rises , this production method gave them an opportunity to make a massive change midseason – switch out their embattled lead actor. Ji, who had already shot 18 of the show’s 20 episodes, was fired on March 5 and his replacement Na In-woo was confirmed later that day. Three days later, episode seven aired – Ji was gone, and in his place was Nam, sort of.

With so little time to react, there was never going to be a chance of a seamless transition. It’s remarkable that they hit the broadcast deadline at all, but the result, for episodes seven and eight, wound up being a bizarre and strangely fascinating compromise.

Lead character On Dal suddenly became a supporting character. He appears in very few scenes and when he does it’s with a mix of wide shots with his back to us (clearly still featuring Ji) and some hastily inserted close-ups with Na.

Na is introduced into the show through these odd, disembodied close-ups and initially struggles as he clearly has no counterparts to act with. That said, by the time episode nine arrived a week later, there had been time for more significant reshoots, with major cast members now in the frame with the replacement actor.

Most recently seen in Mr. Queen, Na quickly gets a feel for the role and makes it his own. Whereas Ji was cocksure as he swaggered around, Na is goofy and google-eyed.

River Where the Moon Rises has struggled with uneven casting, but Na brings some balance to the show. He fits in well with the characters of the Sunno Tribe, like his guardian Lady Sa (Hwang Young-hee) and, crucially, shares better chemistry with Ga-jin (Kim So-hyun).

[[nid:518793]]

Dramatic casting switcheroo aside, the show has featured several other reversals on screen as well. First Ga-jin is an amnesiac assassin, then she puts down her sword to live a quiet life in the mountains. She is blackmailed into doing some more dirty work for the assassins’ league and then discovers her true identity – as Princess Pyonggang.

To save On Dal one day, she reveals herself in the palace, and then resumes life as a princess. Soon after, On Dal gets himself into trouble again, and this time she pretends they are married to save him. This gets her exiled by her father, and the pair continue to pretend to be married anyway back in the mountains.

Ga-jin is now aiming to align the Sunno Tribe with her father, to prevent Go Won-pyo (Lee Hae-young) and his Gyeru Tribe from assuming control of the Goguryo Kingdom. Won-pyo, meanwhile, is pursuing several nefarious tactics in his pursuit of power, which includes attempts to assassinate King Pyeongwon (Kim Pub-lae), Ga-jin and On-dal.

Steadfast and adaptable, Ga-jin seldom wavers, despite the wide swings in her trajectory. She is strong, uncompromising, and unafraid of bringing the fight to Won-pyo. Her purpose is constantly changing, but we know what battlefield her choices are going to lead her to, and as such, her narrative and motivations are easy to follow.

[[nid:520793]]

As with many period dramas, the trickier parts to follow are the various power plays within the palace walls. It’s clear enough what they mean for the narrative and the main characters, but the details can be confusing and the motivations of smaller characters, for example royal concubine Hyun-bin (Ki Eun-se), are unconvincing.

Through sheer repetition, the political scheming eventually gains clarity, but it’s so familiar and one-note that most of the palace scenes remain something of a slog to wade through. Sadly, this extends to the secondary romance plot, between Won-gyo’s son Go Gun (Lee Ji-hoon) and the mysterious apothecary Hae Mo-yong (Choi Yu-hwa), which feels underwritten.

Things begin to look up by the end of episode 12 though, as war looms on the horizon and the back-door scheming spills into the open. Ga-jin and On-dal’s love continues to bloom, and will soon face the ultimate test of the battlefield.

River Where the Moon Rises is streaming on Viu.

This article was first published in South China Morning Post.



READ SOURCE

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.