One of the BEST tv shows i have ever seen. I rank it with "Jewel in the Palace" and "Yi San, and "Queen Seondeok" I have seen this drama at least 3 times and watch till i drop then resume when i wake up. I give this drama a 10! This type of TV show does not exist in the USA. closest thing to this format is 24 the series. I highly recommend this TV show (called a Korean Drama). I even own it in boxed set. There are a few things different about watching Korean Dramas. For one thing they have subtitles. this can be good or bad.. good because you have to focus on the show.. bad because if you are distracted you miss things. A few hours in i don't even notice the subtitles anymore. i read them without qualms. Another pretty unique kind of thing is this drama is ~ 60x 1hour episodes. It is like a 60 hour movie. the story spends HOURS building the foundation .. more time than typical western movies are in full duration. the immersion is incomparable. pay detailed attention for an hour and your likely hooked for a wild 60 hour ride. Finding Korean TV shows opened up a whole new universe of high quality content right when i had thought i had seen it all. In Dong Yi you meet the characters as children..and you grow with them, their entire life! This was a GREAT watch! This drama is a fictional story based on a real person in korean history. How a water maid came to be a queen.. and the mother of one of the greatest kings in Korean history.