The scenario is certainly very well written, but the realization is extremely mediocre. The management of light and colors seems to have been totally neglected by the director.
The dark scenes are very numerous, which I hate particularly. In the age of HD TVs and images, and even ultra HD, visual quality is an integral part of the show. Fortunately, most directors of Korean drama perfectly measure this criterion. But apparently not Lee Yong Seok.
In nocturnal scenes, the light must be artificially increased in a judicious way so that we can enjoy fairly bright images, including faces, but not only, the sets must also be visible with their colors so that the images are beautiful . Lee Yong Seok seems not to have understood this.
The colors of the clothes are also neglected compared to other Korean historical dramas of the Joseon period. For example the clothes of the nobles are dark, those of the police too. It does not matter that the color does not scrupulously respect the historical notion, the images must be bright and beautiful.
Lee Yong Seok did not understand the importance of the visual beauty in his work. It's really unfortunate, because screenwriter Kim Yi Young has proved his talent with Dong Yi and Yi San, among others. Dong Yi was made in 2010, but the achievement is excellent, the management of light and colors is infinitely better than in Heachi. Same for Yi San. And this is not the only example of Korean historical drama where light and colors are very well mastered, there are for example The Crowned Clown, Queen For Seven Days and others.
