First Night with The Duke review: Taecyeon and Seohyun are on fire — but the script isn't

After finishing First Night with the Duke, the most apt summary of this show would be…things happened. Things kept happening, everywhere all the time. So many things happened that you didn’t feel like paying attention to half the things.

Things, things and more things. But maybe OK Taecyeon and Seohyun saw it coming — and decided to douse the chaos in chemistry so strong, you end up saying, “Okay, I’ll allow it.”

So, what’s it about? Should you watch it? Well… yes and no. The premise isn’t unfamiliar: a modern woman gets trapped inside a novel. If you’ve seen W: Two Worlds or similar fantasy fare, you know the drill. Here, she’s the heroine of a romantic historical (maybe?) drama, and naturally, the dashing Duke Lee Beon (Taecyeon) falls head over heels for her. The result is kooky, chaotic, and — for a while — wildly entertaining.

 Taecyon and Seohyun are so brilliant and convincing, especially Taecyon, who conveys worlds of expression with just his eyes or a smile. If you’re looking for just romance, then maybe, you can just watch and enjoy two people being cute. And whenever you have questions about the plot, the chemistry will cloud your brain so that you don’t ask questions. 

Around episode nine, the mood takes a sharp turn. The banter and fluffy charm evaporates — in its place, we get a swirl of revenge plots, royal backstabbing, and a classic throne tug-of-war. Suddenly, we’ve stepped into a fairly standard historical drama. Nothing’s particularly bad,  the villain holds up, the king does his part, the writing ticks along but it’s all rather... serviceable. The First Night with the Duke starts off as a rom-com soufflé but can’t seem to keep its comedic flavour through the final stretch.

The biggest mystery: You’re never quite sure what kind of story it wants to be. A lighthearted modern-girl-in-a-fantasy-kingdom tale? A parody of sageuks? A melodrama with twenty villains and one very tired heroine? It ticks every trope: evil besties, long-lost family secrets, sword fights, panicked finales — but none of it sticks. But, oh look chemistry!

By the end, it felt like someone trying to wing an office presentation after forgetting their slides at home — stalling, joking, losing the thread completely.

So if you’re going to watch The First Night with the Duke, ask yourself what you really want. If the answer is “Taecyeon being adorable with Seohyun,” then by all means, press play — and maybe just ignore everything else.