Random Red Sky 14
To expand on my previous points made about one of the main issues this show has being pacing @kdramaswimmer

Episode 14 is filler.
It took them 6 episodes to figure out it there’s something wrong the king’s portrait and sort of question it being the king’s portrait they actually need. But instead of coming up with a solution for this, and instead of taking the most obvious narrative choice (id est, it’s not the King’s Portrait they need at all, but Ha Ram’s), that anyone could’ve told you from episode 1, we’re nowhere farther, and we’re still talking about repainting the King’s portrait… for the third time.

It took them 6 episodes to get to this non-point and to set up the failed sealing ceremony.

Which means they haven’t structured or set up, but also laid-out and paced, all the necessary plot elements correctly, efficiently or intelligently, to tell their story in the most effective way, or in the way that is the best narrative option for the story.
(If you want to read more about these concepts, I suggest reading my IFWYTWIN and Squid Game essays.)

I feel like we’re both speed running things and also dragging things out longer than necessary.
Yul’s exile, him inciting those loyal to him against his brother off screen, Moo Young’s sacrifice, and the gisaeng’s frustration at Ha Ram (and both their internal conflict and relationship with Ha Ram not being fleshed out enough just adding to Ha Ram’s revenge arc feeling superfluous); these are rushed through with little narrative weight. Even Cheon Gi’s father’s death feels a bit pointless and weightless at this point.
But at the same time, I feel like we’re no farther forward with the important stuff than we were 4-6 episodes ago, and we keep repeating dialogue multiple times an episode. So what exactly have we been doing for the last half a dozen hours exactly?
Finally, this is further exacerbated by the King’s return in the final few minutes of 14, making the whole episode but also several before just added, unnecessary and forced conflict filler to either pad run time, or waffle because the writer actually doesn’t know where to take this thing, or both: The latter being the most likely to me since they’re connected (knowing where you want to take your story and therefore knowing how to use the time you’ve been given are not mutually exclusive.)

 
And, unfortunately, also for me, our OTP has lost almost all of its charm, and I feel like neither of them have gone through good enough development or exploration to be compelling in this finale. Their conflict feels weak, and their connection feels shallow now, their spark distinguished.
I think this is partly because it actually hasn’t been explored well enough, and it’s constantly been held back by mediocre use of writing tropes.
What I mean by this is, a lot of the conflict and separation they go through is at the hands of really dumb lore and plot, which just… makes it that much more painful.

For example, I felt we never actually got enough time for them to re-bond after finding each other again, and the forced separation due first to Ha Ram’s revenge and then due to Mawang was inconsistent, and suddenly he’s confessing his love. Cute but, also, what.

Also, I’m disappointed Ha Ram’s Astronomer status and abilities have had so little to do in the last 3rd again a drama has dropped a MC’s profession or quirk in the long run, and also specifically here because of dumb plot tangents…

RIP the show this could’ve been.