Heroes fighting to survive and protect the crumbling Goguryeo enveloped the opening week of River Where The Moon Rises! And it’s definitely a picture of promise!
KBS 2TV’s newest historical series clearly presented its motivation and trajectory in a solid opening week emotionally anchored by Kim So Hyun. The series scored 5.8, 9.7, 6.5 and 9.4 percent on its first four episodes highlighting its enthralling run.
abbyinhallyuland watches River Where The Moon Rises on Viu
Opening Week Rating: 
River Where The Moon Rises Opening Week Story
With a little power he holds in the Kingdom he reigns, King Pyeongwon is threatened by Go Won Pyu, the leader of Gyeru tribe for the exclusive rights to salt. To help out the King, Queen Yeon leaves with Princess Pyeonggang to meet On Hyeop, the chief of Sunno tribe.
However, the evil Go Won Pyu and concubine Lady Jin worked together to instill doubt on King Pyeongwon. It leads to his decree of killing Queen Yeon (Kim So Hyun) and Princess Pyeonggang with whom he suspects to be a child of Queen Yeon’s rumored lover, Wol Gwang.
“Before you should learn to take a life you should learn how to save one.”
On Hyeop (Kang Ha Neul) orders his son Ondal to escape with Princess Pyeonggang, but he fell off the cliff. Princess Pyeonggang arrives to where Wol Gwang is – only to see chaos erupting with King Pyeongwon leading his men to destroy the village madly looking for Wol Gwang.
Someone takes Princess Pyeonggang and does a ritual for her to forget her past memories. Back at Sunno tribe, Go Won Pyo mercilessly killed the Queen and On Hyeop.
Eight years after, Princess Pyeonggang lives as Yeom Ga-jin (Kim So Hyun), a swordfighter of an assassin group which vowed to eradicate the Goguryeo descendants. Often suffering from nightmares, Ga Jin requests to their leader of living a normal life with her father.
To grant her request, she was asked to do a last mission of taking the life of King Pyeongwon. She also encounters Ondal (Ji Soo), but does not recognize him.
“Live like a fool and live peacefully.”
Unfortunately, Ga-jin failed the assassination attempt. Chased by the King’s men, she was saved by Ondal who also nurses her back to life. Soon, she was found by her group and reminds her to either kill or marry Ondal because of the rule set by the group.
Ondal who lives with her blind mother has been living in hiding pretending like a fool per his last father’s advice. To protect the village people, On Hyeop allowed himself to be marked as a traitor and gave his life for the tribe people to survive.
Ga-jin receives the news that her father was attacked by the Chief assassin’s loyal right hand and she also learned that she was just adopted by her father. The clue to finding her real parents is through a necklace that she needs to find.
River Where The Moon Rises Opening Week Musings
River Where The Moon Rises incorporates historical drama essentials focusing on the valiant main leads’ inevitable journey to avenge their loved ones. It has neatly established a groundwork that would progress in the backdrop of the politics involving the reigning monarch of Goguryeo and the powerful tribal heads.
Notably, Kim So Hyun has brought in so much grit and varying facets in the first two episodes of the series. It’s hard not to be impressed on the action scenes she pulled off and the emotional frames to which she is famous for.
Poised and graceful as Queen Yeon, she goes to an amazing assassin as Yeom Ga-jin (Princess Pyeonggang). We still need more scenes of her with Ji Soo to validate the on-screen chemistry since the first two episodes laid the plot foundation of the story.
What To Expect In The Series?
While period dramas usually take over three episodes to give an overview of the story, the series notched it in two episodes of convincing and clear pitch of why its worth tuning for. Despite following the usual big-cast formula, the evident focus on the main characters’ stories made its mood not too overwhelming.
By providing an overview of what to expect in the narrative cauldron being simmered, it definitely raised a few questions to be answered as the series goes along. Like where is Wol-gwang because “everything is his fault” *chuckles. Also, if he can answer to the rumor that Princess Pyeonggang is really Queen Yeon’s love child with her.
Betrayals and alliances are also in the horizon in the drama. Will Go Gun defy his father’s quenchless greed and stand on what is right? Can Ga-jin and Ondal find a way to achieve justice for their parents. Will Ga-jin regain her princess status? Ultimately, all roads lead to a showdown with Go Won Pyo.
It’s easy to be fond of River Where The Moon Rises. Thus, for those who find historical dramas daunting, you need not to worry. So far, the vibe is just right with a conflict that does not involve too much drama or history technicalities.
Photos: Viu
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