Arthdal Chronicles

June 1, 2019

The ancient world of Arth is established — its tribes, its geography, its power structures. Eun-seom (Song Joong-ki) is born under a prophesied star. The Goheung wetlands and MBC Dramia sets create a visual world unprecedented in Korean drama.

June 2, 2019

Eun-seom discovers his hybrid nature — half Neanthal, half Saram — and what it means in Arth's tribal hierarchy.

June 8, 2019

Kim Ji-won's character Tan-ya is introduced — her role in the prophecy and her connection to Eun-seom established.

June 9, 2019

The city of Arthdal itself — constructed at MBC Dramia — is shown in full. Its scale and ambition are unlike anything previously built for Korean television.

June 15, 2019

The full scope of the prophecy connecting Eun-seom, Tan-ya, and the fate of Arth is revealed.

June 16, 2019

Jang Dong-gun's Tagon — the drama's most complex antagonist — demonstrates the full extent of his political and military authority.

June 22, 2019

Eun-seom in slavery. The drama's examination of power, hierarchy, and resistance at its most direct.

June 23, 2019

Tan-ya's political intelligence and her own claim to power within Arthdal's hierarchy.

July 6, 2019

The drama's three main storylines at their midpoint convergence. The Goheung landscapes at their most expansive.

July 7, 2019

A revelation about Eun-seom's connection to another character reframes the drama's entire power structure.

July 13, 2019

Unlikely alliances form across tribal and class lines. The drama's political map reshuffles.

July 14, 2019

Tae Al-ha (Kim Ok-vin) makes her decisive move. The drama's female characters at their most politically active.

September 7, 2019

Extended sequences in the Goheung Eco Land prehistoric forest — the drama's most visually spectacular location used for its most mythologically charged episodes.

September 8, 2019

Eun-seom's return to Arthdal after his time in slavery — transformed, purposeful, dangerous.

September 14, 2019

The drama's theological and mythological structure — its invented religion and its connection to the characters' destinies.

September 15, 2019

What Tagon is willing to sacrifice to consolidate his power over Arth.

September 21, 2019

The drama's climactic confrontation at the city of Arthdal.

September 22, 2019

The Season 1 finale. The most expensive Korean drama ever produced at its time — a drama that divided critics but demonstrated that Korean television could attempt truly epic fantasy storytelling.