Main Cast: Kim Young-Dae, Park Ju-Hyun, Kim Woo-Seok
Summary
Lee Heon (played by Kim Young-Dae), the king of Joseon is viewed as a demanding and fussy tyrant by his subjects. During his days as a crown prince, his beloved wife died, and to this day the king has yet to recover from her death. For the past 7 years, the royal family and government members have actively attempted to appoint a new queen. However, two queen selection processes later, Lee Heon remains single. During this time, the nation has also experienced a marriage ban, forbidding all single women from marrying until the king declares a new queen. As the ban continues over time, Lee Heon’s subjects become increasingly upset with the king and marriage ban and begin to spread rumors about his inability to find a new wife. Curious to hear the rumors himself, the king secretly eavesdrops on a conversation at a local tea shop run by Ye So-Rang (played by Park Ju-Hyun). Unlike other tea shops, So-Rang’s tea shop is a front for her matchmaking activities where she acts as a “loophole” to the marriage ban and connects men and women with one another. However, So-Rang is actually a swindler and lacks the “channeling abilities” and powers to actually interpret marital harmony signs. The king has So-Rang arrested for spreading false and malicious rumors about him.
In an attempt to leave jail and scare the fellow criminals, So-rang pretends to be possessed by the matchmaking spirit and mentions that the late queen’s spirit still roams within the palace. So-Rang is then brought in front of the king who desperately asks if she can actually see the former queen’s spirit. Realizing that she is in way over her head, So-Rang acts as if she is possessed by the queen’s spirit and “speaks” with the king. Officer Lee Shin-Won (played by Kim Woo-Seok), the king’s best friend, main eunuch, and head court lady all agree that as So-Rang channels the former queen, she may help the king get over his late wife and eventually select a new queen. As a result, So-Rang joins the palace as a member of the king’s court ladies, however as the drama continues So-Rang’s lies get bigger and more audacious as she attempts to survive.
Thoughts
Although only 4 episodes have been released, The Forbidden Marriage, is definitely an interesting drama with quirky characters and funky sound effects. The first episode was a little slow and I found myself constantly frustrated with Lee Heon. He truly is very fussy and obsessed with the late queen. There were definitely moments where I wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake him to move forward for the sake of everyone in his country. I also had mixed feelings towards So-Rang. Although I loved how free and unhinged her character was, I was slightly annoyed with how fixated she was with making money and how willing she was ready to scam people. However, as the drama progressed more backstory behind the queen’s death and So-Rang’s past is revealed and it made me more sympathetic to both characters.
Honestly, the best part of the drama begins when once So-Rang enters the palace. Not only do her lies become increasingly far-fetched, but her dynamic with the king is priceless. She lacks the typical reverence and formality reserved for the royal family and treats him as a normal, commoner. She also definitely eggs him on and knows which buttons to push to get him to react the way she wants. However, by far one of the scenes of the drama so far was when she was telling Lee Heon “bedtime stories” to help him fall asleep faster. Rather than telling him real stories, she summarized the plots of hit dramas such as Goblin and Hotel Del Luna. It definitely was a clever touch by the team!
Although The Forbidden Marriage took a little bit of time to grow on me, the characters’ intertwined and dynamic pasts definitely make the drama interesting and is ripe for the ultimate love triangle.
