The drama is BAD. Dong Yi was an absolute letdown, and I can't sugarcoat my disappointment with it. This series was a torturous ordeal to endure. The pacing was an agonizing exercise in watching paint dry, and it felt like they were stretching a thin plot to the breaking point. The character development, particularly for the supposedly central character, Dong Yi, was so shallow that it bordered on insulting. This show wallowed in the worst of K-drama clichés, relying on contrived plot twists and over-the-top melodrama that made it cringe-worthy to watch. Dong Yi wasn't just bad; it was a masterclass in how not to make a historical drama, leaving me longing for something, anything, more innovative and less painful to endure. Can't recommend!
It's a watered down tale with low tension and disappointing baddies which all made the insane runtime just a tad bit more unbearable. The entire story is confined to in-palace drama where the king likes a commoner while another woman grows to be super duper extra jealous. You may imagine how the story will pan out for 60 episodes. Its length turned out to be its biggest weakness, this is further emphasized with its first and last 5 episodes of which they were dull and redundant. It would've been significantly better with a short runtime since the main leads were likable. Speaking of which, the main leads scenes were generally enjoyable, they had a good chemistry but only when it's NOT romantic. Their romance sucked! Making the king physically a weakling was a nice touch. Although the drama is named after the historical character and we were shown and told about her having ambitious ideologies but we rarely got to see that side of her character in the drama, just a few scenes in the middle and around the end. Instead, we got a typical melodrama in a historical setting while borrowing small bits and pieces from the real historical character for world building. The main leads were doing a lot of heavy lifting to keep the drama afloat. The drama is okay but it doesn't have much to offer and the long runtime is really hard to justify.
