It was amazing in the beginning and in the end. First couple of episodes were nice but then it got a bit dragging like some episodes were meh BUT THEN last 5 or so episodes were fantastic. They were very intriguing and just marvellous.

The first and final episodes are substantially weaker than the rest, therefore it's "only" a good series.

So very good, but flawed. Incredibly interesting story, fantastic acting, and beautiful and immersive sets for a TV production. The characters were well written and cast to perfection. This would have been a solid 9, but it suffers from what seems to be a requirement of most Korean dramas to hit some sort of episode quota. This would have been served much better by half a dozen less episodes. When they weren't flashing back constantly and the story was moving at pace, this was an outstanding show. I wish studios could figure out that the actual story content should dictate the length of a show and not to artificially inflate it to serve a different agenda by its corporate master. [spoiler]I would also say that the ending was a bit of a let down. I have no issue with the result. Just they way it played out. It wasn't up to par with the rest of the story in my opinion.[/spoiler]

“This period drama is a work of fiction based on historical events”. In the past few years, I’ve become aware that the United States was a colonizer of various parts of the world, especially in Asia. This series is set in Joseon (Korea) in the early years of the 1900s, when President Teddy Roosevelt was sending troops to Asia to take advantage of their counties’ political instability, to colonize their lands and claim their resources. This is a perfect blend of fiction and history. (I’m learning so much Asian/World history from Kdramas.) The premise is global, even though the title falls short of the mark. The story is well crafted and captivating. I followed Kim Tae-ri’s filmography, here, and her pivotal performance garnered her awards as did Lee Byung-hun, the series and the production. I give this series an 8 (epic) out of 10.

My dear lord... I get my eye teared... Gorgeous drama, one of the most emotional and beautiful I've ever seen...