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Secret Door doles out love, punishment, and tragedy

SBS’s upcoming Secret Door looks so intense and emotional, and I can’t WAIT for it to premiere (two more weeks!). Check out the next two teasers for the sageuk drama about the king who ordered his own son killed, starring Han Seok-kyu as King Yeongjo and Lee Je-hoon as Crown Prince Sado. All I can really say is: oh my god.

This teaser’s narrative captions repeat the themes of the drama’s first teaser, which paints Yeongjo as the king who needed to establish authority, and Sado as the idealistic son whose dreams of a better world come into conflict with Yeongjo’s domineering, exacting nature.

But there’s love mixed in with that tension and anger, which adds depths to their conflict. For instance, the teaser (and stills) depict a furious Yeongjo at the grave of his brother, wielding his sword. It seems as though his ire may be directed at his son, but the descriptions tell us that Sado is startled and makes a mistake there, and Yeongjo steps in to protect him.

Yes, this series is doing the dramaland thing of reinterpreting the conventionally accepted version of events (that Sado was a violent madman who needed to be stopped, and that Yeongjo had little choice but to order him to his death) and casting this famous story in a new light.

Part of me thinks that it would have been amazing to have kept Sado the frighteningly unstable character that history remembers him as, rather than painting him as misunderstood, because good lord would that darkness make for awesome cinema. But given that this is a broadcast drama made for mainstream audiences, I can accept that this is the direction they’ve chosen, and I’m still expecting to be enthralled—mostly because the whole thing hinges on the father-son conflict, and Han Seok-kyu looks formidable and amazing, and Lee Je-hoon looks like he’s going to rip my heart out and smash it into itty bitty pieces.

Next is another preview that teases a few more characters, namely Sado’s wife, Princess Hyegyeong (Park Eun-bin, looking sharp and perhaps even scheming); the fictional investigative-thriller-author played by Kim Yoo-jung; and the mysterious artist character who is Sado’s most trusted friend, played by Seo Joon-young.

Aw, I love seeing these two friends portraying again (they even trade clothes and have heart-to-hearts!) after their shattered bromance broke my heart in Bleak Night… although I wonder if perhaps our hearts are yet at risk. Seo Joon-young’s character is the painter working on a portrait of the crown prince, but when he happens upon a mysterious document, it opens a tragic Pandora’s box and threatens to shake up the royal family and all of court. That’s it—no more box or door-opening for me! It just always leads to tragedy.

Secret Door premieres on September 22 and will be the Monday-Tuesday drama to follow Temptation.

Via Newsen, Mk.co.kr, Metro Seoul

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sad, i have to skip this drama, since my Sept & Oct are exam months..but i'll watch all episodes in Nov..:) looks so interesting..

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SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!!

just when i thought i had a 'handle' on the eye candy in this drama, they give us MOAR!

this drama is gonna push me over the 'thresh-hold'.

:)

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Definitely going on my 'to watch' list.....???

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I cannot miss this!!
We will be crying and crying with uri LJH. He has such beautiful tears.

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i'm ready for this, bring them on !
the teasers just so intense, especially the one with Sado punishment :*(.

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wanted to watch this but....it's a sageuk and I have no time for so many dramas....will skip

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OMG! i will definitely watch this. LJH is such a great actor!!!

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That's some intense drama going on between son an father. Never really understood their story, can't wait for Secret Door.

So I take it you'll recap it? ;-)

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Btw is it just me, I can't see the second teaser?

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fab ~

I couldn't see it either.

Thought it may have been some blocking software that I use , but , nope, it went from being a empty black box to a empty white box .

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It's not just you. It should however work with google chrome and without blocking software.

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I can't see either.

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There's a pop-up ad that precedes it.

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oh my gosh! This character's suffering....is way past agony. Am so going to love all this historical despair. Come on drama, i am ready to wallow.

Two more weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeks!

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Let's wallow together :)!

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I feel this will be totally daebak. EPIC!!!!! TRAGIC!!! Kinda like what Sword and Flower coulda been if the writer hadn't all caught up with style.

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Hope JB recaps it so we can have group therapy every week. I really don't want to go through this one alone... :'-(

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Trying to contain the excitement. I had really high expectation for Joseon Gunman and I ended up dropping it early even though I love Lee Jun-ki to pieces.
This is a much more stellar casts and I've enjoyed this writers past sageuks so I'm very much looking forward to it.

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I am so excited to watch this drama. I have read the memoir of Lady Hyegyong and was torn by father amd son's relationship. Cannot wait to see if the drama would be similar to the Memoir.

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I'm so excited for this and for Lee Je Hoon to be back to drama land. Is it me or does he seem to look like/resemble Kang Ji Hwan?

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Intense indeed.

So far, it's showing it has what it takes to make this a very interesting watch.

Looks interesting, for sure.

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Man this looks good! the last awesomely instense, grade A sanguek I saw was "Tree with deep roots"...this one sounds like something right up my alley!
I will watch it once it finishes airing OTL (intense study sessions) :'(

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Gawd, it's beautiful.

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Damn. I'm not into sageuk - stuck at episode 16 of The Moon that Embraces the Sun, only reading/scanning the recaps of Three Musketeers, and I only watch one episode of Queen Seon Deok *sorry peeps :( - but the teasers are making my brain shout "watch this!"

As much as I love comedy (romantic or not) series than drama, sometimes you need shows like this to excite and rattle the mind. Don't fail me brain!

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One of the few dramas that I am truly looking forward to this year.

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Can I just give him a hug? I don't think it will help but his despair is killing me already...

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I wish I had an extra heart to spare, because I would give it to this drama, but since I don't, I will wait and see is those who do watch it survive. And, if it really is too good to miss, I'll watch.

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I hope there are recaps because I don't think I will be able to watch this. I had trouble reading the actual story behind it. My feels just can't handle it lol.

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Oh damn LJH... He is definitely gonna wring some tears from us, isnt he? So excited for this.

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Since sageuk is almost always horrible and cruel to the characters, I'm ready to this. Bring it on!

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Loved Seo Joon Young and Han Seok kyu in Tree with deep roots! The bromance of Lee Je hoon and Seo Joon Young in bleak night is also awesome! Will definitely watch this just for them!

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The last show that tried to turn a widely accepted villain to a 'heroine' didn't do well. Whilst ep 1-8 was great! then it went ratings hunting leading to it's crashed-and-burnt status. I still feel hurt by it.

I really hope this does much better because I am on for the ride.

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Definitely sad ending, of course sado has to die at the end, not going to watch it :(

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Is it me or does Lee Je Hoon and Ju Ji Hoon look alike. I always get mixed up with their names and their faces sometimes.

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He kinda looks like Kim Soo Hyun in the teaser from some angles.

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