Nokdu Flower
Time slot: Friday & Saturday
Broadcaster: SBS
Genre: Sageuk
Episode count: 48 episodes (35 minute episodes)
Reasons to watch: Jo Jung-seok, Yoon Shi-yoon, and Han Ye-ri star in this sageuk that takes place during a turbulent point in Korean history. Set against the real-life 1894 Donghak Rebellion, which was a peasant uprising, the drama tells the story of two brothers who fight on opposite sides of history. Jo and Yoon are half brothers whose fates are defined–and circumscribed–by the circumstances of the births. While both are the children of a nobleman, Jo Jung-seok was born a bastard to a local peasant woman, while Yoon Shi-yoon was born to a noblewoman. When growing tensions and political instability explodes into a full-fledged armed rebellion, Jo takes up arms as a rebellion leader while his younger brother Yoon Shi-yoon’s allegiance lies with the establishment. While the brothers dream of revolution, Han Ye-ri is a local merchant and a steely pragmatist who (seems to) be unwilling to stray outside her lane. An epic story deserves an epic cast, and Nokdu Flower definitely has both.