"My Sassy Girl - Drama" Episodes 21-22 recap

The larger conflict is once again put on the back burner. Prince Darhan has gone home, leaving Woo and Princess Hyeomhyeong to swoon over each other privately. I like Woo's sense of diplomacy. He can ask for pretty much anything from royalty right now, and rather than getting greedy, Woo is sensible and basic in his desires. Woo, and Princess Hyeomhyeong for that matter, are quite patient and more than willing to live life a single day at a time.
The same can not be said for the villains, who take even these mild setbacks very harshly. Ji-hoon is completely freaking out about Woo's cryptic statements when Woo isn't even paying attention to that stuff anymore. Then Ji-hoon has to go snap at Queen Jungjeon, who snaps back at him and bit by bit they get a little more unbent. Da-yeon is even worse, lacking control over the situation yet still perversely expecting it. I'd feel sorry for Da-yeon if she wasn't so mean.
That's why the charity event is such a high point even though, in narrative terms, it's pointless. Princess Hyeomhyeong may know that there is danger, and that the situation with her mother is still precarious, but in the meantime there are still other people who need help. People who are worse off than Princess Hyeomhyeong because she's, well, a princess. With her own personal bodyguards, and a man who's devoted to her.
That's what Da-yeon really doesn't get with her pursuit of Woo. In Da-yeon's estimation, Woo is an accomplishment. He is an end in and of himself. That's all Da-yeon wants, is more power and social respect. These aren't measures by which Da-yeon should be accomplishing some sort of noble goal, or even any goal at all. Da-yeon wants more of this stuff for the sole purpose of feeling more important, which is why she can't fundamentally understand the purpose of the charity event.
It's nice enough social commentary. I mean yeah, the whole idea of the charity event is, like many of the better jokes in "My Sassy Girl - Drama", an obvious anachronism. But it does a great job of getting across important ideas like the responsibilities royalty should have toward those they serve while also being generally amusing in its own right. That's the royalist conspiracy is going on in the background, showing how powerful people should not be spending their time, only makes that theme all the stronger.
Review by William Schwartz
"My Sassy Girl - Drama" is directed by Oh Jin-seok, written by Yoon Hyo-je and features Joo Won, Oh Yeon-seo, Lee Jung-shin, Kim Yoon-hye, Son Chang-min, and Yoon Se-ah.

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