I loved it and had a blast watching! I loved the comedy, the plots, the politics, the revenge, and the character development. The writing got better and better as the show progressed, and the lightness and darkness were balanced well. The final two episodes were EXCELLENT - writing, directing, acting, music. The SML, Jung Geon-joo, has a really interesting arc as a guy who's grown up with privilege and an assumption of power, who asserts that power when he's thwarted in wanting something for the first time. The third ML was sweet as someone conflicted between supporting his family and being loyal to new friends. The ML is slightly dim in relationships because he takes everyone at face value of what they say they are, but he has upright character, sticks to his ethical code, and really steps up to do the right thing. The FL is playing the long game with her revenge plans and is smarter than she seems. I really liked her and her arc. Seol Mae-hwa is an enigma who elevates every scene she's in. In the second half, it becomes clear that this is a tale that explores greed, power, and revenge, through a lens of personal loyalties. All the questions I had at the beginning about "what's the big deal about that key," and "why do those characters have such a weird power balance," were answered in very satisfying (and logical) ways. Much to my delight, the drama succeeded in surprising me a few times. It's not as dark as some sageuks, but it is a sageuk, so if you're looking for pure fluff, this isn't it. It's not a masterpiece by any means, but it was light enough to be fun, dark enough to be satisfying, and I had a blast! Also, the instrumental OST is FANTASTIC. I'm really affected by musical scores, and the quality of this one made me love the drama even more. Great fun all around!

The plot of this drama is, "What's stronger? Chaebol money or government power?" It is 100% "about" something that happens in the 21st century--only, in a twist!--set in Joseon.

It borrows from that earlier time period mainly one theme: men can't tell women apart from men when they're all wearing the same outfits.

Check In Hanyang could have been a delightful time-slip sort of thing, but it was not. It was a terrible mixture of CSI Joseon tropes (painted footprints as evidence, anyone?), traditional sageuk themes of ruthless justice, and men with dimples sometimes doing jazz hands.