KDrama Club: 100 Days My Prince

Welcome to our weekly KDrama Club Meeting!  It’s a KDrama-style whisper the password, give the secret handshake, full-fledged fangirling club.  Just like a book club, everyone is encouraged to freely chip in with their thoughts and ideas about the drama (this week: 100 Days My Prince)  Please don’t feel nervous saying what you are thinking.  We are here because we love Korean Dramas too, so you are right at home.

This week we will be discussing the recently finished “100 Days My Prince,” starring Do Kyung Soo(D.O.) & Nam Ji Hyun.  This drama was an emotional rollercoaster.  I have lots of thoughts about it (and also some grief to work through) and am sure you do too.  We can’t wait to hear what you thought.

How to participate: It is SUPER easy.  Below you will see a list of questions related to this week’s KDrama “100 Days My Prince.”  Give them a look, and if one, some, or all spark your interest then pop down to the comments section and leave your response.  Please include the question number so we know which question you are answering.

Also, if you have a comment about “100 Days My Prince” that isn’t directly related to one of our questions, feel free to say it anyway.  Please think of the questions as conversation starters, not limiters.

Lastly, we would love it if you choose to respond to other fans’ comments.  This is the perfect place to have those meaningful KDrama conversations you’ve been wanting…or just fangirl like crazy.  Just remember, please “choose kind” when responding.  Let the commenting games begin!

Note: Spoilers are not only rampant, but they are encouraged.  We want this to be a free, open discussion where you can be comfortable commenting about any part of the drama.

Having a hard time keeping character names straight?  Here is a cheatsheet we’ve created to help: 100 Days My Prince Cheatsheet

Discussion Questions for “100 Days My Prince”

Click to jump to my response/comments section

1. 1. How did you like “100 Days My Prince?”
   2. There were a lot of deaths in this drama.  Which death was the hardest for you?
   3. There were several parts of the story which were left to our imagination: the romance between Moo Yeon and Son Hye, how the brother began serving the Vice Premier, the rescue of the hostages from the Ming, how the King came to desire the throne, the death of the Crown Prince’s mother, among others.  Which one would you most like to have seen on screen?  How would you have completed the story?
   4. After discovering her brother was the baby’s father, Hong Shim decides she must leave the Crown Prince forever.  Do you think her choice made sense?  Why or why not?
   5. Which scene stood out as your favorite?
   6. The writer of “100 Days My Prince” gave a tender, relatable backstory to nearly every character.  Was there a character that you initially hated, but later came to like?
   7. What did you like about “100 Days My Prince?”  What did you dislike?
   8. Who was/were your favorite side character(s)?
   9. How Did “100 Days My Prince” compare to other historical KDramas you’ve seen?
   10. Comments Section

1. How did you like “100 Days My Prince?”

My Comment:

It is difficult for me to talk about this drama without falling into incoherent squeels.  For me, it was easily one of the best dramas of 2018.  The plot was paced to perfection, the leads’ acting was superb, the chemistry intense, and the story complex enough to hold my attention without requiring me to make a diagram or a family tree to keep up.

2. There were a lot of deaths in this drama.  Which death was the hardest for you?

My Comment:

Obviously, it was awful when Hong Shim’s brother died.  (I used up a lot of tissues on those scenes.)  But it also made me so mad that he died.  He and the Crown Princess were so close to their happily ever after and then BAM!  Evil Daddy strikes again.

And honestly, I don’t get why it was such a big deal that Moo Yeon had to die.  The only reason that the Crown Princess’ lover would need to die was if there was a chance he’d betray her secret.  Vice Scumbag should have known that Moo Yeon wouldn’t betray the Crown Princess.  I’ve seen Baker Kim Tak Goo, dramaland can work this arrangement out.

But the hardest death for me was actually the Crown Prince’s bodyguard.  Although, not the actual death; the scene when CP finally discovers that his guard and childhood friend is dead.  I can not praise D.O.’s acting in that scene enough.  My heart hurt watching his anguish.

3. There were several parts of the story which were left to our imagination: the romance between Moo Yeon and Son Hye, how the brother began serving the Vice Premier, the rescue of the hostages from the Ming, how the King came to desire the throne, the death of the Crown Prince’s mother, among others.  Which one would you most like to have seen on screen?  How would you have completed the story?

My Comment:

Probably the romance between Moo Yeon and the Crown Princess was the story I really wished we could have seen.  It is obvious that they care deeply about eachother, but we never see them happy together (unless you could that dandelion scene…which I don’t.)  It would have been marvelous to have even one scene of them playfully joking and laughing together.  Their lives couldn’t have all been melodramatic stares — they did make a baby afterall.

4. After discovering her brother was the baby’s father, Hong Shim decides she must leave the Crown Prince forever.  Do you think her choice made sense?  Why or why not?

My Comment:

This was exasperating to me no-end.  Hong Shim’s self-loathing just seemed like a lame plot device to keep our couple apart for one more episode.  If she had really felt so certain that it really was the best for the Crown Prince for them to be apart, then a couple of book of depressed poetry would not have changed her mind so quickly.

It would have been so much cleaner if they had ended it like this: CP kills the Vice Premier; finds Hong Shim; They kiss repeatedly (and LONG. hehe.)  CP bravely tells her he must go fight the war;  Hong Shim goes back to village and waits anxiously for him;  Insert awesome battle scenes;  CP wins war and goes to find Hong Shim.  The End.  Ta da!   Angsty mess free!

5. Which scene stood out as your favorite?

My Comment:

Gah!  There are so many, it should be which is my favorite scene per episode.  But if I had to choose, it would probably be the scenes right before the Vice Premier locates Won Deuk/the Crown Prince.  The romance is so tender and Won Deuk & Hong Shim were so playfully happy during that brief time.  I knew it was too good to last, but I really hoped we’d at least see more.  What can I say?  I’m a glutton for cute.

6. The writer of “100 Days My Prince” gave a tender, relatable backstory to nearly every character.  Was there a character that you initially hated, but later came to like?

My Comment:

Probably Moo Chil.  I hated his guts when he first showed up with his loan shark nastiness, but he turned out to be pretty cute.  Although, I don’t think we ever really got a reasonable cause for his adoration for Won Deuk and transformation into a good guy.  But I was happily willing to accept the suspension of disbelief on this one.

The one character I think the writer wanted me to have compassion towards that didn’t happen was the Vice Premier.  The scene at the very end where he used the sealed blank paper to protect his children supposedly should have made me feel that everything he had done was just to provide for and protect his family.

Sorry.

No.

No way am I thinking the same guy who murders his daughter’s lover in front of her eyes is somehow this doting parent.  Nope.  Evil Daddy is evil.

7. What did you like about “100 Days My Prince?”  What did you dislike?

My Comment:

Likes:  Where is the button for everything?  This drama was fabulous in every category.  Probably the best part for me was that the story was so well crafted.  First, I was never tempted to skip huge scenes because I was drowning in court politics or suffering from secondhand embarrassment.  (My top two reasons for hitting the fast-forward button.)  Second, the writer did an amazing job of world and character building.  ALL of her characters were multi-layered so that even the villains compelled me to love them in spite of their faults — except Vice Scumbag.  (Yep, I’m stickin’ to that hate.)

Dislikes: Really, just the forced ending, and even that it had its good moments too.  After all the tragedy we’d suffered the last few eps, I was grateful that we had some comedic relief.  The villagers were funny as ever and the interactions between Eunuch Yang and Jung Je Yoon had me rolling.  Still, the angst with Hong Shim just felt artificial…a la the classic KDrama trope: “I’m leaving for your sake.”  It feels such a shame that they wasted all that time on melodrama which they could have spent with more cuteness and kissing.

8. Who was/were your favorite side character(s)?

My Comment:

Not even a contest.  Kkeut Nyeo and her husband were adorable to the max.  I loved that they made the most of their forced marriage and created a happy life together.  Even though they bickered, it felt like they really did enjoy being together.

But runner-up would have to be Jung Je Yoon and his Gisaeng.  In my heart, I believe that they eventually got together.  Their match just seemed to be a pairing of equal minds.  She was the only one who was smart enough able to discover his face blindness without being told, and she was clever enough to know when she had important information to share.  And we know that Jung Je Yoon is attracted to intelligence, that was the original reason he became close to the Crown Prince.  So even though he was originally attracted to Hong Shim, after she finally married I believe he’d notice the clever little Gisaeng following him around.

9.  How Did “100 Days My Prince” compare to other historical KDramas you’ve seen?  What made it unique?

My Comment:

It is very rare to find a Historical Korean Drama that can hold my interest that isn’t also a fantasy.  If it doesn’t have superpowers or mythical beings, then I usually drown in the overly complicated political schemes LONG before the last episode.  (How many times do I have to listen to boring old dudes plot to end my precious OTP?)

But “100 Days My Prince” stands apart as the exception.  Yes, the boring old baddies were still just as annoying, (I’m so over the wailing “Cho-nah!!” in the throne room bit) but the fast moving plot made their appearances short enough that I could ignore them.  And then we got so much humor and cute from D.O. and Nam Ji Hyun in between that I didn’t even care.

The only other Historical Drama I’ve seen with the same tone and fast pacing was “Moonlight Drawn By Clouds,” which I highly recommend.  Are there similar Historical dramas you’ve loved?

Having a hard time keeping character names straight?  Here is a cheatsheet we’ve created to help: 100 Days My Prince: The Cheatsheet

Please leave your comments about “100 Days My Prince” below.  Don’t forget to add the question number to your answer, so we know which one you are answering.  Happy Commenting!  ~Unni

Next KDrama Club Meeting: “Healer” on Saturday, November 10, 2018.  Can’t wait to chat more with you then!

Past KDrama Club Meeting: Devilish Joy