After 20 episodes and several weeks, Bossam: Steal the Fate has come to an end. Did you watch this drama? Well, if you haven't yet, maybe this review will convince you to give it a chance. I mean, it could also tell you that this drama is not your cup of tea too. That is what reviews are for OF COURSE! Have you checked out my FIRST IMPRESSIONS post for this drama? You might want to check it out to see if my opinions have changed from then and now.
A QUICK SYNOPSIS OF BOSSAM: STEAL THE FATE - Ba Woo makes money by doing Bossam - a customary remarriage procedure that took place during the Joseon period. At that time, a widow could not remarry, so a single man or a widower would kidnap the widow and marry her. Some of the kidnappings were agreed upon in advance and others were by force. While performing a Bossam, Ba Woo mistakenly kidnaps Princess Hwa In, the daughter of King Gwanghae and the daughter-in-law of his enemy Lee Yi Cheom. This leads to a series of events that result in them being on the run for their lives all while solving a conspiracy and finding out secrets.
My overall review of this drama is that it is one of the BEST historical Korean dramas I have ever seen. This is a feat within itself for me because as I said in my FIRST IMPRESSIONS post, I usually DO NOT get excited for historical Korean dramas. They usually aren't my cup of tea BUT THIS ONE WAS DIFFERENT! This drama still has flaws but overall, my review is VERY POSTIVE
WHAT I LOVED ABOUT THIS DRAMA
-THE LEADS: I talked about Jung Il Woo and Kwon Yu Ri in my FIRST IMPRESSIONS and it still stands. THEY HAD SO MUCH CHEMISTRY! When they were in the same scene together, their dynamic just leapt off the screen. You cheered for their relationship as it developed through the episodes. You can tell they had a good rapport while shooting this and had lots of fun on set. Their chemistry with Shin Hyun Soo was great as well. I think the trio worked well off each other. I rooted for the trio even if there was a SERIOUS love triangle going on. That is how much chemistry these 3 had with each other.
-CINEMATOGRAPHY: I WILL SAY IT AGAIN - THIS DRAMA IS BEAUTIFUL! I mean just look at the poster above! This is HANDS DOWN some of the best cinematography in a Kdrama I have ever seen. I am also a SUCKER for good cinematography. As I said, in my FIRST IMPRESSIONS post, the scenes in nature or the countryside WERE BREATHTAKING! I will also add the cinematography during the fight scenes was beautifully shot and choreographed as well. If you notice something like cinematography in dramas, WATCH THIS DRAMA! You will NOT be disappointed.
-THE STORY: What drew me into this drama was the unique concept of "bossam" and how it would be worked into the story. The act of bossam was used to set up the story and then sort of dropped off. It was an interesting start though. What kept me invested though was the characters' stories. I became invested in their individual stories and what was going to become of them. I also became invested in the characters' stories as a group. This drama had a BIG component of palace politics and family politics. A character's decision could affect a number of other characters whether that decision was to betray someone or to protect someone. This drama was ALL ABOUT secrets, betrayals, revenge and palace shenanigans. If that is your THING, you will enjoy this drama A LOT! I know I did because I cheered when the bad guys got what was coming to them and cried for other characters.
-THE EMOTIONS/INVESTMENT: Did I feel emotions while watching this drama? HELL YES! I became VERY invested in these characters and wanted all of them to be well by the end of the drama. One of the reasons why I usually don't watch historical dramas because THEY GIVE ME ANXIETY!! Someone always dies and for someone like me who always seems to become VERY ATTACHED to the character that always ends up dying, THAT IS HARD FOR ME! So, the entire time I was watching Bossam: Steal the Fate, I tried to not become attached because I knew someone was bound to die. That obviously did not work because I became attached to all of the main characters. Their chemistry just wouldn't allow me not to care about them. YOU BECOME INVESTED AND EMOTIONAL WITH THIS DRAMA! It grabs a hold of you and takes you for a ride. I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT! I laughed, cried buckets and cheered when something I wanted to happen did.
-THE LOVE TRIANGLE: In my FIRST IMPRESSIONS post, I said that I was worried about the potential love triangle because I usually hate them. Did this drama have a love triangle? ABSOLUTELY! Did it drive me nuts at times? ABSOLUTELY! Did I oddly love it at times? ABSOLUTELY! I said in my post that Kwon Yeri had chemistry with both males so I would not be mad with either pairing. I still stand by that even when I have finished the drama BUT due to story elements, there was REALLY only one option. I mean there has only been a handful of times that the female lead ended up with the second male lead EVER in Kdramaland. So, we aren't surprised who the final pair was. I thought due to the story, this triangle changed into something beautiful and tragic. It worked for me.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER
-THE EPISODE COUNT: No matter how much I loved this drama, THIS DRAMA DID NOT NEED TO BE 20 EPISODES LONG! Yes, I did not want to say goodbye to this drama but it could have condensed some of the episodes into 16-18 episodes. It was just a longer wait for me to get the satisfying ending of seeing the good guys get their justice and the bad guys to get what they deserved.
-SOME STORY ELEMENTS: Some characters I thought were just UNCALLED FOR! Or some characters actions were UNCALLED FOR! I think these characters existed because the drama was 20 episodes. The writers needed to bring in some new drama and characters to fill up some of the episodes. Were these characters fun to watch because they brought new drama? OH YEAH! Were they needed if the drama wasn't 20 episodes? ABSOLUTELY NOT!
-NO KISSING: THE WRITERS WASTED THE CHEMISTRY!! Look, I normally don't need kissing in dramas. I can enjoy a drama PERFECTLY fine without kissing. I MEAN, I loved this drama AND THERE IS NO KISSING! COME ON WRITERS! YOU HAD JUNG IL WOO! You wasted him. You also just WASTED the chemistry between the two leads because WE THE AUDIENCE WANTED THEM TO KISS AT LEAST ONCE!
Rating: 9/10 (Streaming on VIKI now)
So, have you seen Bossam: Steal the Fate?
What did you think of the drama?
Is it on your list to watch?
Will you watch this drama now after reading my review?
WE NOW ALSO HAVE A DISCORD SO TALK TO US ON THERE AS WELL!?