The highly-anticipated release of Dear Hongrang on Netflix has finally premiered, and it did NOT disappoint. Days after the cast attended a star-studded press conference in Seoul, all 11 episodes of the mystery historical drama debuted on the streaming service and are now available for our viewing pleasure.
When a long-missing heir returns with lost memories, love and suspicion entwine; is he truly Hongrang, or a stranger disturbing hearts and family ties? Jae-i, portrayed by Jo Bo-ah, must search for her brother Hongrang (Lee Jae-wook) taking her on a journey of self-discovery and love. Along the way, she must confront the dark secrets of her family and the dangers of the Joseon era.
Dear Hongrang is adapted from the mystery, romance novel Tangeum: Swallowing Gold; by Jang Da-hye.
My personal Sageuk drought is officially OVER! Check out my first impressions on the new series below.
Episode One First Impressions
Hongrang’s Disappearance
In the initial scene of the episode, we see a young boy, who we later learn to be Hongrang, being chased down by a man/spirit/(demon?) with long white hair covering its face and wearing all-white clothing (more on this figure later).
Chaos follows as his sister and parents desperately attempt to locate Dear Hongrang after he disappeared the evening before.
A very dark moment happened as the flashback to 12 years ago wrapped up.
His sister believed she found Hongrang in the jungle near broken wood, but she became startled as a crow suddenly launched from beneath the bark and as she falls to the leaves at her feet, the Mudang (female shaman) that performs her riding knife ritual before Hongrang’s parents, slips off the giant blade slicing her feet.
While this certainly may just signify a minor accident by the shaman, an error of this gravity in this instance could be a bad omen symbolizing that the family may never successfully find their lost Hongrang, based on my personal research of Korean shamanism.
I could be looking too deeply at this moment, but if I were the mom and dad, I would have been completely shook, especially since it appeared that this ritual was to try to help us find my child! Depending on the experience of the shaman, this could have some serious negative sentiment around it.
To the Present Day
As per usual in these historical dramas, rumors have started to swirl as the boy is still missing 12 years later. The sister overheard some young boys discussing how she ate her brother in the forest as well as other missing children.
The father appeared to be plagued by solicitors that have claimed to be his Dear Hongrang, while the mother has understandably driven herself nearly insane as she becomes more desperate to find her lost child.
I believe any mother who experienced the sudden disappearance of their child would experience all of the stages of grief, so I empathize with how she reacted and handled the situation. Although it was the wake up call that the mother needed and I’m attempting to understand the Madam wanting her to show resilience in the face of all such an heartbreaking activity, you cannot really tell someone how to move bad something so hurtful.
Wicked Stepmother
Soon after she gets this wake up call though, I almost immediately regretted feeling remorse for her as a flashback cuts to this same woman accusing Jae-Yi for the deaths of so many of those that were closest to her. In this moment, it is also revealed that Jae-Yi and their Dear Hongrang were born to different mothers, as the girl’s mom died giving birth to her.
UGH… the wicked stepmother troupe strikes again, and she is ALL OF THAT AND MORE. She even hates her adopted son?! Is there anyone that this woman will ACTUALLY be kind to??
I pronounce that Uhm Ji-won is a QUEEN that must be protected at all costs because she SHINES in this role! We were barely 30 minutes in, and I don’t know about you all but I despised her. I’m loving how she brings this character to life.
Hoping she continues to put on an excellent show — but I know she will though!
Dear Hongrang Returns?
This is where things get a bit wild for me!
Hongrang returned to his home after a man claimed that he found the boy with no childhood memories. He passed all of the physical tests from his father.
But Jae-yi doubted him.
Her first words upon seeing his face: “He is an imposter.”
Leading up to this moment, I don’t know if it was the song choice, but I had chills!! This moment really gave me hope that Lee Jae-wook and Jo Bo-ah were perfectly casted into these roles. It was just something the former’s face and that feeling of watching siblings for me I guess.
Could he actually be Dear Hongrang????
Hopefully, I’m not confused remembering this detail, but I believe Jae-yi’s name was not officially said on the show until the scene that revealed Hongrang had returned. It is such a small detail that I don’t believe it would hold any significance.
Favorite Moments from the Episode
He clearly teased her, but Jae-yi did not appreciate it AT ALL. I could not help but giggle as her Dear Hongrang pretended to shoot an arrow at her as stood on the roof.
That definitely felt like a playful sibling moment between them.
A little less light-hearted moment that stood out for me was when Mu-jin, the adopted son, confronted Hongrang for threatening Jae-yi.
Mu-jin being TEN TOES DOWN had me so excited. As much as I love Lee Jae-wook, Hongrang acted a bit arrogant as the scenes progressed, making me question him! I’m happy to see another character put him in his place haha!
Final Questions
I wondered about a few things so here are my questions as I finished this first episode.
- What is the beef between the Sin and Min families?
- The father briefly mentioned that the Sin family needed to assert power over the Min, so I’m curious what is the exact history of these messy families.
- Why does Jae-yi keep grabbing that spot on her arm every time her stepmother enters her presence?
- What did Hongrang feel that night as the bell chimed when he unsheathed his sword?
- What (or WHO?) is the source of this white-haired being that terrorizes this community?
Hoping to see this series answer these exciting questions! I also have some concerns about our female lead, but I look forward to seeing how she continues to grow within the role of Jae-yi.
Stay tuned for a halftime and final review after I finish the series!
- xoxo Jourdy 💕
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