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Pierce Conran

This article contains spoilers.
Lead cast: Lim Ji-yeon, Choo Young-woo
Latest Nielsen rating: 9.46 per cent
Korean period dramas set in the Joseon era (1392-1897) typically invite us to revel in tales of palace scheming, with people either trying to take over the throne or maintain their ill-gotten grip on power.


It is an effective format that has long been popular with viewers, but with so many similar stories hitting our screens, all of them featuring the same style of sets and costumes, it can on occasion get a little dull and repetitive.
So every once in a while when a period drama appears without those familiar trappings, it automatically feels that little bit fresher. The Tale of Lady Ok, a star vehicle for The Glory actress Lim Ji-yeon, is such a period drama. However, its lack of a royal ruckus is far from the only novel thing about it.
As suggested by its title, this is a tale in the true sense of the word. Following the ups and downs of its formidable titular protagonist, it is a sweeping saga that unspools in different locations, with new obstacles presenting themselves at crucial junctures in Lady Ok’s life.
While we follow the same central character and there are several recurring elements we circle back to, the pleasure of watching this series is derived from its willingness to continually evolve. Chief among those is Lady Ok herself, whose unique experiences and obstacles constantly force her to mature.

The breadth of the story gives us a richer principal protagonist, while also adding weight to the reappearance of figures in her life, particularly the travelling storyteller Cheon Seung-hwi and the principled nobleman Sung Yoon-gyum, both played by Choo Young-woo (Oasis).
The series began with a brief tease of Lady Ok during one of her worst moments, arrested, marched to court and pelted by angry citizens. Yet despite the ignominy of her situation, she holds her head high and keeps her dignity.
The question the story seeks to answer is thus who is this woman?
The series then turns back to her past as a spirited servant trying to earn some money as she dreams of a different life with her father. Bit by bit, we learn how this low-born woman wound up becoming a noblewoman specialising in law.

It is a story of many chapters, each marked by their own highs and lows and each adding new layers to the character.
It is not unusual for K-dramas to begin with breathless backstories, but after an episode or two their narratives usually settle into a much slower pace and the vast majority of the ingredients for the remainder of the story are right there in the open.
Following the whirlwind events that see servant Gu-deok become noblewoman Ok Tae-young, The Tale of Lady Ok slows a little as well, but its narrative is far from over.
Lady Ok has a life of challenges ahead of her. These happen at different times and in different places, and help explain her complex character.

Take her journey as a legal advocate. She first becomes interested in the law because it is the only way she sees for people of a lower station to defend themselves against their unjust treatment at the hands of members of the nobility.
In typical legal K-drama fashion, Lady Ok recites legal code to save wretched commoners from terrible punishments, including her servant Mak-sim (Kim Jae-hwa).
She goes up against magistrate Sung Kyu-jin (Sung Dong-il), who then becomes her father-in-law following her marriage to Yoon-gyum. The level-headed Kyu-jin is so impressed with Lady Ok that he pushes her to become a legal advocate.
Kyu-jin is later falsely accused of treason and stripped of his position, but when Lady Ok is presented with an opportunity to take down Yunhyangso, the family group that destroyed him, almost had Mak-sim killed and has long been a thorn in her side, she remembers Kyu-jin’s words about the meaning of law.

Rather than tear down her enemies, she defends and saves them. She takes the high road by repaying a debt to them for releasing Mak-sim and matures in her approach to law and morality. It is a poignant moment that makes the downfall of the villainous family hit harder.
However, not everyone is blessed with Lady Ok’s magnanimity and, when the story continues seven years later, the dying embers of Yunhyangso return to haunt her in a new generation.
Lady Ok continues to prevail against her enemies, but we have yet to catch up to the flash forward that opened the series, when the truth that she assumed the name of a dead noblewoman will be revealed.
The Tale of Lady Ok is streaming on Viu.


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Lim Ji-yeon as Gu-deok, who becomes Ok Tae-young, in a still from The Tale of Lady Ok.

Lim Ji-yeon as the servant Gu-deok who becomes noblewoman Ok Tae-young in a still from The Tale of Lady Ok, a fresh take  period K-dramas set in the Joseon dynasty in Korea.

Choo Young-woo in a still from The Tale of Lady Ok. The actor plays storyteller Cheon Seung-hwi and nobleman Sung Yoon-gyum in the series.

Lim Ji-yeon as the servant Gu-deok who becomes noblewoman Ok Tae-young in a still from The Tale of Lady Ok.

Choo Young-woo, who plays storyteller Cheon Seung-hwi and nobleman Sung Yoon-gyum, in a still from The Tale of Lady Ok.

Lim Ji-yeon as Gu-deok, or Ok Tae-young, in a still from The Tale of Lady Ok.

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While the drama set in Korea’s Joseon dynasty continues to impress with its fresh story, it’s the protagonist’s evolution that is compelling


While the drama set in Korea’s Joseon dynasty continues to impress with its fresh story, it’s the protagonist’s evolution that is compelling.
