As excited as I am for this epic-looking sageuk, I’m also equal parts apprehensive that the show will fall short of the massive expectations placed on it. That won’t be stopping me from checking it out though, and I’m really hoping that tvN’s Arthdal Chronicles will succeed in telling its epic tale without falling flat. In anticipation of the premiere of the show’s Part 1 (of 3) in several weeks, the show has been steadily releasing promo material, and the latest reports have released some new stills of its male leads, Song Joong-ki (Descended From the Sun) and Jang Dong-gun (Suits).
I love a good hero’s journey, and Song Joong-ki’s Eunseom character definitely fits the bill for a promising tale of literal rags to hero. His mother is (was?) a member of the Wahan tribe, but his father was a “Neantal” – which I’m pretty sure is what we think of as a Neanderthal – and so Eunseom was always considered a half-breed and outsider as he was raised among his mother’s people. He may seem carefree and naïve on the outside, but those aspects of his personality mask a dangerous warrior who will go up against the powerful Tagon (Jang Dong-gun).
Jang Dong-gun’s character sounds like a hero in his own right on paper: His father is the leader of the Saenyuk tribe and sits at the head of the alliance uniting all the different tribes in Arthdal, while he is himself a skilled strategist who leads an army for his father. While still a teenager, he led his tribe to victory in a great war, and has quelled rebellions stirred by tribal leaders. From the looks of it, Song Joong-ki’s Eunseom is going to have a formidable opponent in Tagon.
I don’t know if it’s because the show’s been on my radar lately, but Arthdal Chronicles vaguely looks and sounds like Game of Thrones, which is a great show to draw comparisons to. It’s not helping to dampen my expectations, though, so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see whether Arthdal can meet them once it premieres.
The fantasy action adventure drama Arthdal Chronicles will premiere on tvN’s Saturday-Sunday slot on June 1.
