Sageuk Questionables

As you may know, I am currently enjoying Trees with Deep Roots. It’s a very fun show, indeed. Hopefully I can give you a review in the next month or so. But you’ll have to wait for that. As an intermezzo, I want to bring up something I’ve been wondering a few times. Seeing these sageuks, there are always things that I question about. Most of my questions are related to their time period, which is historical of course, and the nonsensical things that happen during. So, let’s get on to it!

First, how come the palace guards are so slow? Do they have to jog when they’re chasing people? Is it part of the conduct? Because seriously, we have seen one too many unwanted people run away too easily. I can see that most of the time there are at least 5 people chasing that one or two people, but how come they’re always so slow. Which leads to the next problematic palace guard question which is...

How come they’re so weak? And by weak I mean in terms of strength and abilities in combat. This is related to old Hong Kong martial arts movies too (or any war movies, really) where one person can beat like a billion people by him/herself. I know that they’re supposedly the best warrior in Joseon or whatever, but I don’t know, maybe that guy behind him can stab him in the spine? You know, while he’s pre-occupied? Get your heads together man. And speaking of palace guards, they’re really not the sharpest of people are they because...

How can they lose the people they are chasing? So many times have I seen the chased just turn a corner only 10 feet (that’s about 3 meters in metrics) right in front of them and they just go forward. Don’t they have a strategy of spreading out? The chased isn’t even like miles ahead and when they did take a turn, they only went a few feet into the street. It’s not far people. They’re only hiding behind a door. You should’ve seen it. While running away, it seems like sageuk people are super too which questions me...

How can they get to a certain place so fast? It’s not like they have cars or anything. Most of them actually just go by feet. And in the sageuks that I’ve watched, they travel pretty far. Like miles and miles away across seas and over mountains kind of far. But oddly, they can get wherever they wanted, no matter how far, by feet in the same day. While we’re in the topic of travel, the next question will be...

How come it seems like everyone knows what’s going on quite quickly? Almost twitter quickly. I believe in the olden times you have to actually personally give your message to that person to give word. Sometimes it has to go through several people. But how come the receiver of messages always gets the message right off the bat? Again like the previous question, within the same day? It’s not like they’re in the general area, are they? They seem really far away to me. While I’m at it, why don’t someone tell me...

How can each person meet the exact person they need (or the person with the information they need) just when they needed it? Isn’t it too random? Isn’t Drama God being a little too nice? I feel like they have to deserve getting that person or particular info. I wish everyday could be like that. Just saying. Speaking of deserving...

How come these people are so patient? Come to perspective, if for instance all the traveling and secret messages must need a certain amount of time to be delivered. I guess this is a matter of different time where in the olden days people are naturally more patient than now where information and travel can be done in only a fraction of the time needed back then. But as a person living today, it just blows my mind because I know I’m not the most patient person in the world. Finally we have come to the last which is...

How come they can just casually rip their clothes? Don’t think of people ripping off their clothes to show off their abs. Although sageuk abs are fun too. What I mean is that people would rip pieces of their clothing to write messages or mostly to hold off wounds. I actually have to sub-questions for this which are how can they rip off their clothes so easily? And how many layers of clothing do they actually have? For the first question, I feel like the cloths seem to flimsy to be casually ripped off like that. I guess people are stronger, but if it can be torn by hands, wouldn’t it be too weak for daily wear? And the second question, I feel like they just rip their clothes for everything. Is it really necessary? I know in the olden times they wear multiple layers at a time, but for someone like me it’s just an odd thing to do. One more thing that’s been bugging me...

How come the people have to laugh like Santa Claus? Especially the high ranking people. Is it really how people laugh or are they just trying to seem smart and grand? I feel like it’s fake, and weird. I’ve never heard anyone in real life literally laugh like Santa Claus. Even the ministers and presidents. Laugh like everyone else, please. Don’t make me judge.

I know that a few of the questions above are done for plot purposes where they don’t want to dwell on a certain scene or to get things rolling, but stories aren’t how things are in real life. I also know that some of the questions are also because of historical reasons. I’m just very curious coming from a girl living with computers and cars all the time.

I’m pretty sure there are more but I’ve only finished only so much sageuks. One of them is even a fusion sageuk, which isn’t straight up sageuk if you know what I mean. So with that in mind, do you know any other occurrences in sageuks that boggles your mind?