With news that Son Ye-jin is returning to historical drama after a long time, what will this new work show?
The released photos feature strong contrasts, but they alone cannot reveal even the characters’ endings.
The key lies in the letters exchanged by the three characters and the desires concealed within them.
3-Line Summary
1. Son Ye-jin plays Lady Jo in “Scandal”
2. It is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on September 18
3. The stills do not reveal how the relationships end
Why Lady Jo Is the One Who Proposes the Wager
Online video service Netflix released character stills for its new series “Scandal” on the 27th. Set in the Joseon era, the work is introduced as the story of Lady Jo, who possesses exceptional talent but lives under the period’s constraints on women; Jo-won, Joseon’s greatest seducer; and Hee-yeon, who becomes entangled in the wager between them.
Lady Jo, played by Son Ye-jin, is the character who proposes a secret love wager. According to reports, she is conceived as someone who has lived with her dreams and desires buried in her heart. This description alone makes it possible to understand Lady Jo not simply as someone swept up in another person’s feelings, but as the person who creates the starting point of the relationship.
What stands out in these stills is the contrast between her appearance as a neatly dressed noblewoman and her appearance with her hair down, wearing an undergarment and holding a smoking pipe. However, the clothing and props in the photos are merely devices that convey the character’s image. It would be premature to conclude from a single photo what choices Lady Jo makes or what outcome she faces.
It has also been noted that this is Son Ye-jin’s first historical drama in 24 years. Yet more directly than the record of a “return after a long time,” the point to watch is how the work will unfold Lady Jo’s hidden desires and strategic side through changes in her relationships.
Letters Appear in All Three Characters’ Photos
Ji Chang-wook plays Jo-won, while Nana plays Hee-yeon. Jo-won is introduced as a character who accepts Lady Jo’s proposal and leaps into a dangerous wager, while Hee-yeon is introduced as a young widow who becomes the subject of that wager and becomes entangled with the two. The three characters’ relationships do not begin from equal positions.
The released stills show each of the three characters reading or writing letters. They suggest that feelings and intentions that cannot be expressed directly in words may be exchanged through letters. It cannot yet be determined from the information released which character receives which letter, or how those letters change their relationships.
Director Jeong Ji-woo explained that there is a large gap between the “self they reveal” and the “self they hide” in the three characters. He also cited the psychological tension created through the process of being discovered or spying on others as an attraction of the work. This is the direction for the work described by the director, not an assessment confirming how much tension the unreleased series has actually achieved.
For this reason, these stills are closer to materials that first show how the three characters view and remain wary of one another than materials that summarize the entire plot. In particular, letters are likely to be used in this work not merely as period props, but as a medium for conveying hidden feelings.
On September 18, What to Confirm Is How the Relationships Change
“Scandal” is scheduled to be released through Netflix on September 18. What has currently been confirmed is the casting of Son Ye-jin as Lady Jo, Ji Chang-wook as Jo-won, and Nana as Hee-yeon, along with the three characters’ basic relationships. The content suggested by the photos and introductory text should be read with the understanding that they are materials released before the series premieres.
What is most worth watching in this work is not the lavish costumes themselves, but who holds the initiative in the relationships. The choices made through letters by Lady Jo, who proposed the wager; Jo-won, who entered it; and Hee-yeon, who became entangled in it, appear likely to be at the center of the story. However, this is a viewing guide based on the released setup and does not indicate the actual development or ending.
Son Ye-jin’s return to historical drama is clearly a starting point. But when watching the work, it is more concrete to follow what Lady Jo hides and what she reveals than to settle for the single word “transformation.” The released photos leave questions rather than answers, and those questions can only be confirmed after September 18.
Criteria for Reading the Next Announcement
It is difficult to draw conclusions about news related to Son Ye-jin from a single number or sentence alone. The meaning becomes clearer when you distinguish who made the announcement, whether the statement concerns a fact already implemented or a future plan, and whether the target and timing are presented specifically.
Even within the same materials, explanations of necessity, discussions, implementation plans, and actual implementation may be different stages. Even if the scale of an announcement appears large, it is necessary to check together what it concerns and what procedures remain in order not to overstate or understate the current situation.
In the next update, compare whether a new announcement repeats existing content or whether the target, schedule, or implementation status has actually changed. Reviewing the related reports below together will also help identify differences in wording that are easy to miss from the headline alone.
References
Tags #SonYeJin #SonYeJinScandal #Scandal #NetflixScandal #LadyJo #JiChangWook #Nana #DirectorJeongJiWoo #SonYeJinHistoricalDrama #HistoricalDrama #NewNetflixSeries #ScandalReleaseDate #ScandalCharacterStills