This weekend saw the premiere of jTBC sageuk drama My Country, the latest sageuk we’ll see this year and hopefully turns out to be the best we’ve had so far. The ratings are solid for the second largest cable network coming it at 3.512% and 3.846% for the first and second episodes. Early reviews are promising but more for the veteran actors including Jang Hyuk in a key supporting role to the hot blooded youngsters played by Yang Se Jong, Seolhyun, and Woo Do Hwan. The babies are getting criticism for their screen presence and enunciation which is always a problem with less experiences actors in sageuk and a frequent sore point for K-viewers. For those who rely on subtitles this isn’t a problem but domestic viewers need to be able to quickly understand conversations for speech is key in sageuks with the formal and historical cadences harder to immediately pick up. Continue reading →