The Tale of Lady Ok – K-drama Episode 3 Recap & Review

Episode 3

Episode 3 of The Tale of Lady Ok begins with Gu-deok telling Mak-sim that she doesn’t want to pretend to be Tae-young but she wants to make Tae-young’s dreams come true such as helping people like Baek-yi. As they discuss the case, Mak-sim reveals Baek Do-gwang loved Baek-yi who never returned his feelings.

Magistrate Seung questions the county’s coroner who spills that Special Inspector Baek bribed him. Seung then orders the Baeks to remain in the county till the investigation is over and they are furious.

Yuhyangso aka Mother’s Sanctuary gossips about the situation. A pregnant slave is in pain and asks for leave. The noblewomen are furious and agree that the Baeks must win the trial to remind the slaves of their place.

They have Mak-sim arrested for insulting the nobility. On top of that, the Baeks kill the coroner. Tae-young confronts Madam Song and appeals to Do-gwang but it is futile. She also notices Dol-seok, the branded slave and checks on his wound.

Next, she tries to see Mak-sim in prison but isn’t allowed. She sneaks in and is caught by the doppelganger guard. She mistakes him for Seung-hwi and chides him for stalking her. She tells him to call her Gu-deok and laments about the passing of her friend, Baek-yi. A guard addresses him and she is embarrassed when she realises he is someone else.

Magistrate Seung goes home and tells his sons about Tae-young wanting his help to eradicate corruption. And well, one of the sons is Seung-hwi’s doppelganger, Seung Yun-gyeom.

A while later, bounty hunters spot Tae-young and she fights them before Yun-gyeom shows up and chases them away. He is curious about Seung-hwi and Baek-yi and advises her to defend Mak-sim. She likes the idea and he goes one step further and sneaks her into the archives to read up the law. She wonders why he is helping him and he reveals that he is impressed that she is courageous and takes action. In return, she promises to save him one day.

Elsewhere, the Baeks hope to frame Dol-seok as the last resort. Tae-young sends aloe for his wound and he is upset. He escapes and the Baeks decide to privately settle before he can cause problems. Of course, Tae-young points out that private settlement for murder is illegal. 

She heads home and finds Dol-seok. A flashback shows what happened – Madam Song orders him to get intimate with Baek-yi so Do-gwang will stop loving her. Baek-yi tries to run away but hits her head on a rock. The Baeks are annoyed but don’t think it matters. As she dies, she tells Dol-seok that death is better than thinking she cheated on her love.

Tae-young tells Do-gwang who is shocked to learn that Baek-yi loved him back and only pushed him away because of her status. However, he cannot testify against his parents. Yun-gyeom thinks having Dol-seok is a win but Tae-young points out that slaves don’t have a choice and he shouldn’t be the one who is punished. 

At the trial, Magistrate Seung acquits the Baeks as there is no proof of their connection to Baek-yi. Jubilant, the Baeks want Mak-sim killed to make an example. Tae-young once again points out that it is illegal and Seung assigns 10 lashes. Sure that Mak-sim won’t survive, Tae-young offers to take her place. Mother’s Sanctuary is furious as their status will be questioned if a noblewoman takes a slave’s punishment.

Unable to take it, Do-gwang claims he killed Baek-yi because she rejected his advances. He is exiled and Special Inspector Baek is fired along with Mother’s Sanctuary moles. 3 years’ worth of public petitions against Mother’s Sanctuary has led to the royal order that Magistrate Seung is allowed to restrain them. Seung also bans household rules on slaves.

Yun-gyeom congratulates Tae-young and she finally reveals that Seung-hwi is her first love. She has both his gemstones as he gave them back. He doesn’t want her to forget him as he would feel lonely. She won’t deny her feelings but she doesn’t regret her actions as the pregnant slave finally gets her leave. The other slaves too thank her.

There is a drought and to restore balance, the King orders all noble bachelors and maidens to marry. Yun-gyeom makes an offer to Tae-young but it isn’t of marriage as Mak-sim had hoped but for her to become the county prosecutor. They unwittingly flirt which just frustrates Mak-sim further.

Meanwhile, Mother’s Sanctuary hosts Magistrate Seung to win him over. He indulges them as they suggest themselves as the next Special Inspector and offer their daughters’ hand in marriage to Yun-gyeom. 

Tae-young’s relationship with the Seungs grates on Mother’s Sanctuary who thinks she is trying to seduce and marry Magistrate Seung, a widow. Yun-gyeom tries to apologise for it but she keeps her distance.

However, Magistrate Seung was just toying with Mother’s Sanctuary as he picks his own Special Inspector. Yun-gyeom even sends a marriage proposal to Tae-young. Turns out, Seung knew of his son’s feelings and was just waiting for him to realise them. Tae-young is scared of her identity being revealed but both Mak-sim and Grandma Ok try to assure her that it is a good match.

At the end of The Tale of Lady Ok Episode 3, Tae-young asks Yun-gyeom why he wants to marry her even though she is in love with someone else. He jokes that she can think of him as Seung-hwi to get over her heartache. He also likes her as they have the same ideals and doesn’t care that she has secrets. She claims he has fallen for Tae-young and not her. But before she can tell him the truth, she spots Mistress Kim So-hye.

The Episode Review

The Tale of Lady Ok Episode 3 truly is ripping off the rose-tinted glasses on sageuks with the constant reminder that the funny servant sidekicks, non-aristocratic plot devices and nosy servants in such historical dramas are usually slaves with brutal lives.

This is the strongest element of this K-drama as Tae-young does her best to better the lives of slaves, and empathises with them which has given us some bittersweet moments and angst. Not to forget the identity crisis as she feels like Yun-gyeom has fallen for her Tae-young persona and not herself as her actions and ideals are of the real Tae-young’s.

But honestly, whatever she has done so far has aligned with the thought process of Gu-deok. We are sure she would do the same even if Tae-young had never been in the picture. So, it is quite sad that she discredits herself. Phew, talk about writing such a complicated character. 

The show also tries to put out a new idea of the love triangle as it seems that the same actor is going to be the main lead and also experience the second lead syndrome. It is hilarious the way both Seung-hwi and Yun-gyeom are played by the same guy and it shouldn’t matter who Tae-young ends up with.

But we know we are going to feel bad for the one she doesn’t pick. But if the first episode flashforward is anything to go by, does she marry both of them? We need answers, stat!