'Lee Gang-gal' Lee Shin-young closed the narrative with the choice of 'Lee Woon.'
Moon River, which premiered on Nov. 7 on MBC as a Friday-Saturday drama (written by Jo Seung-hee / directed by Lee Dong-hyun / planned by Kwon Seong-chang / produced by HiJeeum Studio), concluded after episode 14 on Dec. 20. The finale achieved its highest ratings to date with a nationwide household rating of 6.8% (Seoul metropolitan area 6.4%) according to Nielsen Korea, closing on a high note, and key scenes in the drama peaked at a momentary 7.5%, proving its topicality until the end.
In episodes 13 and 14, which raced toward the drama's finale, Lee Shin-young as Jeowon Daegun Lee Woon acted as a 'quiet but solid center,' holding the drama's balance at the intersection of romance, power and fate. In particular, Lee Woon expanded into a character who simultaneously bears 'the choice to reclaim the truth' and 'the responsibility to protect love' in the final phase, and Lee Shin-young's restrained emotional line persuasively supported that weight.
Episode 13 was an installment in which a full-fledged reversal narrative unfolded. Lee Woon sided with the crown prince, participated in the operation to rescue Queen Jangjeong and secure the 'secret pact,' and was evaluated as functioning as the core figure providing the actual driving force of the palace power struggle. Reports released immediately after the broadcast emphasized the development that 'the rescue plan was devised with Lee Woon,' highlighting that Lee Woon's presence propelled the late-stage narrative.
The finale tied up with a happy ending by closely weaving moments when 'twisted fates find their place.' In the concluding narrative, Lee Woon (Lee Shin-young) and Kim Woo-hee (Hong Soo-ju) ultimately become husband and wife and walk their own paths to happiness, a scene highlighted as leaving the warmest aftertaste for viewers.
He added, "It feels unreal that the end of the run is approaching when the first broadcast feels like yesterday. For me, Moon River was another new challenge. It is a work in which I concentrated and worried a lot to show my own color. While expressing Woon's complex psychology and the emotions and narrative of inner pain, I learned and grew a lot. Thank you to the viewers who immersed themselves in 'Moon River.'"
He continued, "I will work hard to show deeper acting in the future. Thank you," raising expectations for his future endeavors.
Online reactions immediately after the finale continued to praise Lee Shin-young's acting. Comments such as "a scene is completed with just the eyes" and "silence is more intense than lines" reflected evaluations that the 'contained moments' had greater persuasive power than scenes in which Lee Woon's emotions exploded.
Lee Shin-young proved his growth potential by jointly winning the male single-episode drama award at the KBS 2020 Drama Awards and the rookie actor award at the SBS 2023 Drama Awards, and through this work he firmly stamped the 'refined inner acting' that works in historical dramas. News also came that he will appear in director Park Hoon-jung's global project film Sad Tropics, and Lee Shin-young, who is active across both the small screen and the big screen, is attracting attention for the performances he will continue to show.
[Photo] Forest Entertainment
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