Damo

Cast:

Jang Chae-ok/Jang Jae Hee: Ha Ji Won
Hwangbo Yoon : Lee Suh Jin

Jang Sung-baek : Kim Min Joon Ma Chook-ji

Lee Moon Sik Ta Bak-nyu : No Hyun Hee

Synopsis
A long time ago in Korea, during the time of the Chosun Dynasty, there was a profession for women called 'Damo'. The Damo were regarded to be of the lowest class status and work as policewomen but they had the privilege to investigate ladies' private room and interview the ladies of the high society whom no man could approach.

However, due to their low social status they were treated no better than the humble slaves in the society. They were not free from the suffocating society that is full of prejudice towards their class and their sex.

This drama depicts the life of a Damo named Chae-Ok. She was of noble birth, but was downgraded to be a slave due the downfall of her family when she was seven. Her father committed suicide due to the persecution of the court, and she was separated from her brother and mother when they were trying to escape the imperial guards. She was captured and assigned to serve in the Hwangbo residence as a servant, and specifically to look after the young master Hwangbo Yoon. They were put under the tutelage of a highly skilled master.

She is undefeatable when it comes to using the sword. She is straight, honest, courageous and upright. She possesses the advanced idea for living that could not be accepted by the conventions of the society. She finds herself trapped by the injustice of the world and the prejudice of society, which makes life unbearable for her. Her only motivation in life is to assist her young master to achieve his ambition. She shares a complex relationship with Yoon, who is also the superior of the police team that she works under. Yoon is her closest kin since she was separated from her brother and mother.

Yoons mother was the concubine of an honorable man and this has been his scar since he was small. He adores his people like his own brother but would not outwardly express his feelings. He yearns to achieve more than what society has assigned him. He is in love with Chae-Ok. But they are from two different classes, and his father had instructed Yoon at his deathbed never to choose Chae-Ok as his partner as she is the daughter of a disgraced family.

While working undercover on a counterfeit case, Chae-Ok finds herself drawn to Jang Sung-baek, the mysterious and charismatic leader of a gang of bandits she has infiltrated. Sung-Baek is also an outstanding swordsman. He takes care of his people but he also has a ruthless side that would never forgive anyone who does not share his thought. He feels himself falling for Chae-Ok and tries to convince her to join him. Chae-Ok cannot betray her loyalty to Yoon and turn against the law for Sung-baek, yet she is not able to arrest Sung-baek during the crucial moment of the police attack. This eventually leads to dire consequences as the rebels, in their plot to topple the Emperors rule, use Chae-OK as a pawn to double-cross Yoon and his team during their investigation of the counterfeit ring.

Chae-Ok and Yoon eventually realise that Sung-baek is not a common thief/bandit, but the leader of a guerilla army training to overthrow the Emperor. Sung-baeks gang is protesting against the the prejudice brought about by the caste system, which is suffocating the people.
Sung-baek decides to forget Chae-Ok as he knows that loving her will ruin his big dream of destroying the old world order and to set up a new justice to the world. Chae-Ok also resolves to arrest Sung-baek to redeem herself for her betrayal to Yoon. Yoon on the other hand, seeing Chae-Ok slipping away from him because of Sung-baek, unleashes his feelings to her with heart-breaking consequences as well. How will it all end for Yoon, Chae-Ok and Sung-baek who are entangled together by love, loyalty and betrayal?

Review
Have you ever watched a serial that makes your heart ache so much that you feel that your chest is squeezed the entire time, yet your tear ducts are clogged from all the pain and no tears can fall? That is the feeling I had when I watched Damo. The love story of the 3 leads hurts so much that with each episode you yearn for at least one of them to find happiness, but alas the writers of the story will not grant you that peace.

I am not one to go for tragedies and I hate sad endings. I make it a point to find out the endings (so that I know whether it is worthy of my time) before I watch anything. But I think I have broken that rule with Damo.

Reading about the buzz surrounding this beautiful serial was too much for me, and I jumped on the first chance to catch it when I came across a dubbed copy of the serial in Mongkok. Despite the terrible quality, (it was well translated but hideously dubbed by different voices for the same character!!) I am so taken with the story, the performance of the leads, the wonderful dialogue and the unconventional method that was used to deliver a period drama. I think MBC weaves the best stories around!

The plot was fast-paced (unusual for Korean dramas) and brilliantly set up with a fair mix of action, drama, excitement, love and pain to keep viewers glued to the story from beginning to end. There were heroes and villains, people standing on different sides of the law, each with different views on what a better world should be. The writers did not overload the serial and focus on the love story alone, but were able to expand the plot to create an intriguing tale about politics, conspiracy, loyalty and betrayal.

The story tells of a Damo, Chae-Ok and her undying loyalty to her young master, and the complex relationship they share. All these are put to the test when she falls in love with a rebel bandit leader. The setting of the serial is a feudal Chosun dynasty where times were very different from modern days. Society was classified into strict and specific castes, and it was considered a crime to cross the boundaries of your caste.

Despite her lowly status, Chae-Ok is beautiful, intelligent, resourceful and a great swordswoman possessing great martial arts abilities. She is also a dedicated law enforcer, and stands for what she believes, which is considered a behaviour beyond her time. She throws herself completely into her task as a Damo to support her young master, who is the head of the Police force, in his cause.

Yoon is her young master and her closest kin since she was separated from her family while escaping arrest from the imperial guards. They share a relationship so deep and so close that they are willing to sacrifice their lives for each other. But due to the difference in their social status, they have both banished any thoughts of a possible union together. But Yoons affection for Chae-Ok are unleashed completely with the appearance of Jang.