The Great Queen SeondeokCan an exiled princess overcome an evil nemesis to claim her rightful place on the throne?
A royal prophecy warns that the birth of twins will end the male line of succession. To protect the kingdom, one twin sister is exiled to a distant desert, growing up unaware of her royal heritage. Years later, she returns disguised as a man, joining an elite order of warriors. Alongside loyal allies and an outcast warrior, she fights to reclaim her identity and overthrow a corrupt rival faction threatening the throne.
DirectorsKim Keun-Hong, Park Hong-kyun
WritersKim Young-hyun, Sang-yeon Park
Episode 1
May 25, 2009
Court Lady Mishil seduces the kings of Shilla to gain enormous power and influence over the royal court, but a prophecy regarding twins promises her eventual downfall.
Episode 2
May 26, 2009
King Jinpyeong and Lady Maya have twin daughters, forcing the king to send the younger daughter away with the maid Sohwa before Mishil can get her hands on the girl.
Episode 3
Jun 1, 2009
Fifteen years later, Deokman lives a life of a merchant with her mother Sohwa. King Jinpyeong's line of male heirs comes to an end.
Episode 4
Jun 2, 2009
Deokman displays her wits against a Chinese official. Lady Mishil's personal guard Chilsuk finally tracks down Deokman as the twin, and attempts to kill her and Sohwa.
Episode 5
Jun 8, 2009
After her husband's death, Princess Chunmyung leaves for the countryside to give birth to her son and keep him far from the reaches of Mishil.
Episode 6
Jun 9, 2009
Chunmyung encounters Deokman and mistakes her for a boy. Deokman believes Chunmyung is a nun and saves her life.
Episode 7
Jun 15, 2009
Saved by Princess Cheonmyeong, Deokman feels somewhat intimate with her. Yusin saves Princess Cheonmyeong.
Episode 8
Jun 16, 2009
Deokman is arrested and brought to the palace, but Chunmyung intervenes and assigns her to be part of the Hwarang.
Episode 9
Jun 22, 2009
Yusin and The Followers of Maitreya return from the battle, only to face disdain from The Ten Elite Hwarang.
Episode 10
Jun 23, 2009
Yusin is being called to be under the command of Seolwon while Deokman stays in Amagseong Fortress.
Episode 11
Jun 29, 2009
Deokman survives an attack, but for Silla to win, Yushin's battered troops are forced to face the enemy once again, alone.
Episode 12
Jun 30, 2009
The Hwarang are rewarded for their achievements in battle. Deokman is arrested under suspicion of trying to assassinate Yushin's father.
Episode 13
Jul 6, 2009
Deokman discovers Chunmyung's true identity. Mishil's background is revealed and the source of her power is suspected to arrive at the palace through a foreign trading delegation.
Episode 14
Jul 7, 2009
The Sadaham Plum Blossom turns out to be an almanac. As Deokman tries to spy on Mishil, she discovers the true fate of Chilsuk.
Episode 15
Jul 13, 2009
Mishil attempts to discredit Deokman in front of Yushin and Chunmyung, but is thwarted. Instead, Deokman manages to get close to Mishil and spy on her for Chunmyung.
Episode 16
Jul 14, 2009
Using the almanac to her advantage, Mishil makes a prediction to manipulate the royal court. She attempts to bring Yushin over to her side.
Episode 17
Jul 20, 2009
Through Mishil, Deokman is one step closer to finding out her true identity. She attempts to meet with the king to answer her questions.
Episode 18
Jul 21, 2009
A theft among the Hwarang nearly forces Deokman to reveal her true gender, but Chunmyung's own questions and investigations lead her to learning the truth.
Episode 19
Jul 27, 2009
Chunmyung tries to send Deokman far from the palace and away from Mishil. Though unable to meet with the king, Deokman pursues a meeting with Queen Maya.
Episode 20
Jul 28, 2009
Princess Cheonmyeong tells Queen Maya that Deokman is her lost twin sister. Deokman tries to sort things out.
Episode 21
Aug 3, 2009
Yushin and Deokman go on the run as everyone in the palace realizes who Deokman is. Bidam, Mishil's secret son, appears.
Episode 22
Aug 4, 2009
Deokman and Yusin sneak into Yangjigol Village. Mishil and Jinpyeong are at odds with each other.
Episode 23
Aug 10, 2009
Yushin, Deokman, and Bidam form an unlikely alliance against Mishil's soldiers. Chunmyung searches for Deokman with Alchun and other Hwarang guards.
Episode 24
Aug 11, 2009
Hwarang Daenambo is sent to kill Deokman, but a case of mistaken identity leads to the wrong person getting killed.
Episode 25
Aug 17, 2009
With the death of Chunmyung, Deokman plans to take revenge and earn her rightful place in the royal family.
Episode 26
Aug 18, 2009
A public announcement is made that threatens the position of Queen Maya and King Jinpyeong. Meanwhile, Yusin must deal with a threat against his family from his own people.
Episode 27
Aug 24, 2009
Ill omens begin to appear around the palace. Deokman tries to extract information from a mystical monk that can help her return to the palace.
Episode 28
Aug 25, 2009
Deokman confuses Mishil with Bidam. When Mishil tries to burn Bidam, something unexpected happens.
Episode 29
Aug 31, 2009
The royal house acknowledges Deokman as the lost daughter and crowns her as princess, and heir to the throne. Immediately, she makes her first decree as a princess - to build an astronomy tower.
Episode 30
Sep 1, 2009
Deokman's decision to release the almanac to the public is met with some consternation even among her supporters.
Episode 31
Sep 7, 2009
Deokman brings Sohwa back to the palace with her. Mishil promotes Chilsook as the teacher of the Hwarang.
Episode 32
Sep 8, 2009
The Grand Marshal tournament begins, and the second question leads Deokman to discover a secret about the royal kings and Mishil.
Episode 33
Sep 14, 2009
Bidam learns about his identity while Yushin prepares to win the tournament and become Grand Marshal.
Episode 34
Sep 15, 2009
Yusin, Bidam, and Alcheon prepare for the upcoming third challenge duel and strengthen their determination.
Episode 35
Sep 21, 2009
Chilsook finds it hard to accept the results of the final duel between Bidam and Yusin, where Bidam loses.
Episode 36
Sep 22, 2009
Misil finds evidence against Yushin that could prevent him from becoming a Grand Marshal, and affect his loyalties.
Episode 37
Sep 28, 2009
Yusin tells Deokman how difficult it is to keep the trust between the sovereign and its subject.
Episode 38
Sep 29, 2009
The country turns into confusion with murders taking place as the price of grains skyrockets.
Episode 39
Oct 5, 2009
Deokman comes up with an idea to distribute the military rice to the people against the greedy nobles.
Episode 40
Oct 6, 2009
Despite the king's frail condition, Deokman does not want to marry, but expresses a desire to rule alone. She is not the only one who wants the throne.
Episode 41
Oct 12, 2009
Chunchu brings Boryang to his secret house. Seolwon suspects Sejong regarding Boryang's disappearance.
Episode 42
Oct 13, 2009
Misil takes a vacation, despite the turmoil within her camp, and returns with a stronger resolve to become queen.
Episode 43
Oct 19, 2009
Deokman proceeds with tax reform to weaken and divide the power of nobles, including Mishil.
Episode 44
Oct 20, 2009
Mishil finds out about Deokman's plan and tries to scuttle it by getting in touch with officials in advance.
Episode 45
Oct 26, 2009
Seohyeon and Yongchun tell Seolwon that they won't budge an inch unless they get the King's arrest approval.
Episode 46
Oct 27, 2009
Mishil orders a state of martial law and for Deokman to be captured and killed. Deokman's supporters are tortured into revealing her location.
Episode 47
Nov 2, 2009
An attack on Deokman's hideout brings tragic consequences for both sides, compelling Deokman to return to the palace.
Episode 48
Nov 3, 2009
Deokman visits Mishil at the palace and tells her that she will be interrogated in front of all the officials.
Episode 49
Nov 9, 2009
With every intent on having Silla for herself, Mishil escapes with her loyal band of soldiers and starts a civil war.
Episode 50
Nov 10, 2009
Deokman offers a peaceful alliance, testing Mishil's will to continue fighting for her dream.
Episode 51
Nov 16, 2009
Following Mishil's death, Deokman must regain the loyalties of her followers, but Bidam also has plans of his own.
Episode 52
Nov 17, 2009
Years into Deokman's reign, the Internal Affairs under Bidam begin arresting suspected traitors that are linked to Yushin.
Episode 53
Nov 23, 2009
Bidam tells Deokman about Yusin's involvement in Secret Society Bokya to make her order an investigation.
Episode 54
Nov 24, 2009
While Bidam tracks down the Bokya, Yushin is sent on a private mission to spy on the enemy kingdom of Baekje.
Episode 55
Nov 30, 2009
Yushin's information is deemed faulty and that places greater pressure on Deokman to execute him. Meanwhile Bidam tries to secure Deokman's heart.
Episode 56
Dec 1, 2009
Seolwon asks Deokman to entrust him with full powers over Silla's military if he wins the war against Baekje.
Episode 57
Dec 7, 2009
With Wolya's surrender, Yusin becomes a major general again. Bidam shows how sincere his love for Deokman is.
Episode 58
Dec 8, 2009
Deokman orders Bidam's private soldiers to join the national military, and Bidam is glad about it.
Episode 59
Dec 14, 2009
Bidam's supporters betray him in the hopes that he will break his engagement off with Deokman and claim the throne for himself.
Episode 60
Dec 15, 2009
Conspiracies surround Bidam, prompting Deokman to send Bidam far from the capital until the furor dies down.
Episode 61
Dec 21, 2009
A misunderstanding breaks the fragile trust between Deokman and Bidam, and the palace undergoes a second military coup.
Episode 62
Dec 22, 2009
Bidam lays siege upon the capital, but when he learns the truth of Deokman's betrayal, he seals his doomed fate.
ParkMin
@ParkMin
It would have been such a good show if they packaged it into 30 episodes. They had two subplots about Hwarang side quests that were a total waste of time, they paused the main story for them. While they might have served a small tiny purpose but the drama could've accomplished that without these easily. I read somewhere that the drama was extended from 50 to 62 episodes and I can't help but wonder if there was a direct correlation between extending the drama and introducing the character Kim Chun Chu at episode 36. Because both decisions were worse than one another. What made me more suspicious that this was the case was because it felt like someone has pushed the soft reset button on the story as a whole around episode 36 and everything took a big step backward. At this exact point I was about to mentally check out. Prior to episode 36, they had this Hwarang competition which was already the weakest checkpoint at this point so what came after only made things worse. Fast forward to the last chunk of episodes, all events post Lady Mi Shil involvement were clearly an unplanned afterthought which led to an underwhelming final climax. The is exactly at the extension gap between 50-62. Away from the poor pacing, the characters showed promise until they stopped. Guess what? It happened also after episode 36, the female lead who used to be a character full of characterization became a soulless blank of wood, boring, bland and dumb. There were many other examples of characters who went through the same downgraded transformation around the cursed episode 36. The story had one major point of disconnect that the writer blatantly swept under the rug, it single-handedly broke the story apart. The female lead came from a hermit living in the woods into her position of power immediately without any regard to any other factors concerning anything. The only justification we were given is that she read books while growing up and was raised in the streets. Her parents had no role in the process despite being the king and queen, not even for emotional support. All I see is just poor storytelling. The background music mixing was trash. Every scene started with low-ish background music, got progressively louder and became unbearably loud and intense until the scene is cut. Repeat this 20 times every episode and endure the nausea. Around midway through I was thinking this is a good 7/10 drama despite the Hwarang nonsense but it turns out that this drama was the perfect example of a drama having a good 1st half and fumbling the 2nd half so hard. I wouldn't give it more than a pitiful 5.5/10.
