‘My Dearest’ part 1 review: love is a battlefield in this gripping historical drama

My Dearest’s Yoo Gil-chae (played by Ahn Eun-jin), a beautiful but conceited young woman born into a noble family, has very little to worry about in 1636. Aside from being regularly being kicked out of class, she goes through life doing as she pleases with very few consequences, using her good looks and ability to turn on the charm to manipulate the men of Neunggun-ri into doing whatever she wants.

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Although she could have anyone in the village, she only really has eyes for Nam Yeon-jun (Lee Hak-joo), despite him being on course for marriage with her best friend Kyung Eun-ae (Lee Da-in). Gil-chae’s days are spent plotting and cooking up ways to get Yeon-jun to finally admit the feelings she’s sure he has for her; to ditch Eun-ae and propose to her instead. Each night, she dreams of a man waiting for her on the shore and, although she never sees his face, she’s sure it’s her crush.

No one (except Eun-ae) gets in the way of her romantic scheming, until the mysterious Lee Jang-hyun (Namgoong Min) shows up in Neunggun-ri. A womaniser who doesn’t believe in marriage, his arrival is accompanied by rumours of his heartbreaking ways, but the villagers . begrudgingly and warily accept him into their settlement. He’s immediately drawn to Gil-chae, but she has little interest in him, other than making him another pawn in her game. But their like-minded spirits – sly and cunning, always putting themselves first – keep bringing them together and, although neither will admit it, feelings start to slowly blossom.

Soon, though, life in Neunggun-ri is turned upside down as the Qing dynasty invades Joseon, rampaging through villages in search of silk and women. Yeon-jun, one of the village’s scholars, heroically volunteers to put down the books and go into battle to try and defeat them. Jang-hyun, on the other hand, gathers his armour and heads to the sanctuary of the mountains, once again seemingly lacking any morals or compassion. When he returns to the area after the invaders have ransacked it and finds the bodies of an old couple who refused to flee, he vows to take revenge on the culprits and heads off to war.

The other villagers, meanwhile, have headed off to find safety elsewhere, but Gil-chae, Eun-ae and their servants get separated from the group and are thrown into a series of terrifying trials they must get through to survive. No longer able to mess about and idle away days, Gil-chae must grow up quickly to save herself and her companions, and find the answer to who her dream man really is.

Although there are parts of My Dearest that feel predictable, it’s the kind of K-drama that reels you in and keeps you hooked, throughout the first four episodes at least. In Gil-chae and Jang-hyun, its leads are more complex than they first seem, each new layer they unravel leaving you wanting to know more. The will-they-won’t-they push-and-pull of their storyline is delivered with just the right amount of teasing – not too much that it becomes annoying, not too little that you lose interest.

Romance might be at the centre of the show, but its historical setting plays just as big a role too. The peaceful days in Neunggun-ri show village life – from flower festivals to wedding parties – through an idyllic lens, before flipping things on their head when war takes over. The battle scenes feel epic without overshadowing the story, the team using cinematography to make you feel as if you’re in the heart of the brutal, blistering action. It’s a compelling combination that helps set My Dearest up as potentially one of the strongest dramas of the year, as long as it can maintain the pace its set for itself.

My Dearest airs every Friday and Saturday on MBC, and is also available to stream in selection regions on Viki

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