Synopsis

“The Forbidden Marriage” (“Marriage”) is the love story of Ye So Rang (Park Ju Hyun), a swindler and wanderer, and Lee Heon (Kim Young Dae), King of Joseon.  Upon the death of the Crown Princess, a ban is placed on marriage for women of a certain age until the king remarries.  Ye So Rang sees an opportunity to make money and, defying the ban, act as a compatibility reader between couples.  So Rang and her partner, Old Man Gwaeng Yi (Choi Duk Moon), move to the capital city and set up Aedaldang.  Disguised as a tea shop, Aedaldang is an illegal meeting place for young women to receive compatibility readings and have their fortunes reads.  So Rang is arrested by the king and the chief of the Royal Investigations Bureau, Lee Shin Won (Kim Woo Seok), for her illegal activities.  To avoid imprisonment, So Rang pretends to have the ability to channel spirits.  When she is brought before the king, she sees the pain he is in over the death of the late crown princess and pretends to channel her spirit.  Eased by her presence, the king insists that So Rang be made a court lady and serve in his inner court.  Over time, the two become closer, and So Rang continues with her deception in an effort to heal the king’s heart and persuade him to end the marriage ban.  The real reason behind the marriage ban, however, is a secret that only the king and his closest advisors know.  The former crown princess’s death was made to look like a suicide, but was actually murder.  Every year, on the anniversary of her death, the woman closest to the king – and the most likely prospect for the next queen – is murdered and hung in the former crown princess’s chambers.  In an effort to stop the killings and catch the murderers, the King bans all marriages in Joseon.  So Rang helps the King see the negative affect the marriage ban is having on his people, so the King vows to select a queen by the end of the year and end the marriage ban.  The process for selecting a new queen subsequently resumes.  Unfortunately, the queen selection process has been compromised, and the king charges Shin Won with keeping So Rang safe, as her closeness to the king puts her life in danger.  The king falls in love with So Rang and wishes to make her queen, but discovers that she has been lying about her true identity.  Born Ye Hyeon Seon, the daughter of an elite family, So Rang has been lying about her identity ever since her stepmother, Lady Seo Woon Jung (Park Sun Young), attempted to have her killed and replaced with her own biological daughter.  During the queen selection process, So Rang’s true identity is revealed by the very same woman, who – along with the Minister of Defense, Jo Sung Gyun (Yang Dong Geun) – is behind the kidnapping and murdering of women throughout Joseon, including the women hung in the palace.  Though the king is initially hurt and angered by the revelation of So Rang’s deception, he realizes that So Rang’s intentions towards him were always true, and he and Shin Won work with So Rang to clear and regain her name, and to reveal the identity of the masterminds behind the plot to infiltrate the queen selection process and eliminate the king.  With the repeal of the marriage ban, the series ends with So Rang/Ye Heon Seon and Lee Heon happily married and serving as king and queen of Joseon.

Ye So Rang / Ye Heon Seon

So Rang is a lively female lead, who often dresses and walks like a man.  She also has a keen eye, which enables her able to see things others miss.  She understands people, too, which makes her an extremely compassionate character, despite her swindling ways.  After seven long years of a marriage ban, the people of Joseon long to have relationships and marry.  So Rang contends that her matchmaking ways are not illegal because, while marrying has become a crime, having feelings for someone has not.  Instead, she simply helps people see the red string of fate that ties them together by the Matchmaker god.  So Rang’s ability to read people enables her to read and understand the king in ways that others do not.  She realizes that he is suffering greatly from the loss of a loved one, and she justifies to herself that her deception of channeling the spirit of the late crown princess is her way of helping the king to forget about the past and to regain his strength. 

Unfortunately, as So Rang develops feelings for the king, she believes that she is merely the shadow of a woman that the king cannot forget.  But the difference between crown princess An Ja Yeon (Kim Min Ju)’s relationship with the king and So Rang’s, is the difference between a relationship built on respect and regret, and one built on compatibility and love.  Ja Yeon was submissive to the king.  She always worried about the king’s image.  She lived as his wife out of “bizun yisu,” a sense of duty owed to a superior.  She loved him as her king, but not necessarily as her husband. 

Where Ja Yeon fulfilled her role as wife as part of her duty as the crown princess/future queen, So Rang is playful and genuine, and desires to be Lee Heon’s wife rather than queen.  The king is filled with sorrow after the crown princess passes, but the sorrow stems from his regret, not love.  He regrets that he did not do more for the crown princess when she was alive.  In comparison, So Rang makes the king’s heart flutter in ways that the crown princess never could. 

The King is the Nation

After the death of the crown princess, the king’s regret leads him into a state of weakness, as he agonizes over who was behind her murder, as well as the subsequent murders in the palace every year on the anniversary of her death, and the string of kidnappings occurring throughout Joseon.  The king’s weak state is troublesome to his subjects, because the king’s strength represents the strength of the nation.  His abilities demonstrate to the outside world the power of Joseon and what it is capable of.  Even his sexual prowess – proven by his ability to produce an heir – is critical to the perception of the nation’s strength.  So Rang warns him, however, that a man who looks at his past with regret “is still committing acts that he will regret later.”  His marriage ban is hurting others, specifically the people of his kingdom, who long for marriages of their own.  Simultaneously, the marriage ban – which represents the king’s inability to take a new wife and have a family – also affects the people’s perception of themselves, their country, and its place in the world.  

Antagonists

There are two main antagonists in “Marriage,” the Minister of Defense and Lady Seo.  These two villains have a shared goal of acquiring power, and destroying the king and So Rang along the way.  The Minister of Defense works from within the palace walls trying to portray the king as unfit to serve.  He orchestrates the murder of the crown princess, as wells as all of the subsequent women murdered on her death anniversary, in an attempt to emotionally unhinge the crown prince/king.  During the marriage ban, the Minister of Defense is also the man behind the kidnapping of women throughout the kingdom.  These women are then sold into slavery as wives.  He sees So Rang as a threat to his carefully laid plans and kidnaps a courtesan who is the late crown princess’s doppelgänger.  He threatens to kill her if she does not do as she is told, and forces her to dress up as the late crown princess and appear before people throughout the kingdom, stirring up unrest and casting doubt on the king and his actions.  Eventually, the Minister’s plans are uncovered and it is the king, himself, who ends his life.

Working alongside the Minister of Defense is Lady Seo, So Rang/Ye Heon Seon’s evil stepmother.  In an effort to make her daughter the queen, Lady Seo becomes So Rang/Ye Heon Seon’s father’s concubine.  She infiltrates his home, kills his wife, poisons him into a state of physical and mental weakness, gets rid of his daughter (So Rang/Ye Heon Seon), and replaces her with her own daughter, who assumes the name and life of Ye Heon Seon.  Later, Lady Seo establishes a Women’s Association to train the daughters of elite families to participate in the selection of the new queen.  She worms her way into the Grand Queen Dowager’s (Cha Mi Kyung) inner circle and bribes the court ladies, so that her daughter will be chosen as the future queen.  So Rang – with the help of the king, Shin Won, Sung Hwa Yoon [(Jo Soo Min) a woman who saves the lives of So Rang and Shin Won and then helps So Rang (posing as her servant) to enter the palace during the queen selection process], and the Queen Dowager – exposes Lady Seo’s plans.  Lady Seo’s daughter is sentenced to life in service for your role in the deception, while Lady Seo is hung for her treason. 

Bromance/Love triangle

One of the best relationships found in “Marriage” is the Bromance between Lee Heon and Shin Won.  The two men have been friends since childhood.  They are a true power couple in that each person brings a great strength to the relationship; Lee Heon is powerful and Shin Won is the kingdom’s best fighter.  When Lee Heon becomes king, he makes Shin Won the chief of his Royal Investigations Bureau.  Shin Won is the only person that Lee Heon trusts implicitly.  The king is known to keep Shin Won close to him, and they are often seen practicing with their swords late at night.  The two are so inseparable that their relationship is the origin behind rumors of the king liking men and being a eunuch.

Sadly, the Lee Heon/Shin Won Bromance is strained when both men fall in love with So Rang, creating a love triangle.  Shin Won and So Rang have a terrific friendship.  Shin Won is always there to listen when So Rang needs a friend.  He also protects her life on several occasions, not only with his superior sword fighting skills, but also by jumping off a cliff into a river to save her from drowning.  When Shin Won discovers the truth behind So Rang’s true identity, he keeps her secret.  The reason behind his secrecy is that So Rang – or Ye Heon Seon – was once Shin Won’s bride in an arranged marriage between their two elite families.  But before the two could marry, Ye Heon Seon disappeared and was assumed dead, victim to Lady Seo’s villainous plans.  When Shin Won eventually confronts So Rang about why she hid her true identity, she admits that it would been too difficult for her to admit to herself how much she had lost.     

Second Lead Syndrome

The relationship between So Rang and Shin Won in “Marriage” is so sweet and endearing, that it gives off serious SLS (Second Lead Syndrome) vibes.  So Rang recognizes Shin Won’s name immediately, and realizes that he is the “firstborn son of the willow tree family,” her former husband-to-be.  We learn that Shin Won snuck a peek of his bride-to-be the night before their wedding all those years ago and that his bride made a lasting impression.  So much so that the Chief of the Royal Investigations Bureau has been searching for his missing bride for seven years.  He even admits that her disappearance was the reason he joined the Royal Investigations Bureau in the first place.  The two become friends quite naturally, despite the difficult situations they find themselves in, and unlike the King, Shin Won never doubts So Rang’s intentions.   

Final verdict: WATCH  

“The Forbidden Marriage” is an easy to watch K-drama that lands itself on our WATCH list.  The female lead’s character is a strong female, somewhat of a novelty amongst period K-dramas.  The king is a bit bland and tiresome by comparison, which paves the way for SLS with Shin Won.  Far from melodramatic, “Marriage” is an easy watch, well-balanced between the comedic and dramatic moments.  While not without its flaws – for instance, it is never made clear how the marriage ban is supposed to stop the murders, especially because the murders continue to occur during the life of the seven-year ban – but ultimately, the plot is interesting and the end is satisfying.  All-in-all, “Marriage” is a fun K-drama that deserves to be watched and enjoyed.

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So there it is, our review of “The Forbidden Marriage.”  What did you think?!  Thank you for joining us on this journey. 

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Up next, “Kill Me, Heal Me”