She first encounters Jumong when he literally falls off a horse in front of her carriage. She dismisses him as a fool. But then she watches him from afar. She sees the kindness in his eyes and the strange loyalty he commands from dangerous men like Hae Mo-su.

The show's writer, Park Kwang-beom, drew inspiration from historical records and legends to create the story of Jumong. The first episode provides a glimpse into the tumultuous period of Korean history, marked by the decline of the Gojoseon dynasty and the emergence of new tribes and kingdoms. The show's creators aimed to bring this fascinating era to life, weaving together historical facts and mythological tales to create an engaging narrative.

The episode jumps forward roughly 20 years. We finally meet the adult Jumong, and he is not what we expect. He is not a noble, brooding prince. He is a scrawny, disheveled, and infuriatingly clumsy young man. He cannot shoot an arrow straight. He falls into rivers. He is the laughingstock of the few servants who know his true identity.

Airing in 2006 on MBC, Jumong became a cultural phenomenon, achieving ratings as high as 51.9% and finding an international audience that stretched from Iran to the United States. But all legends must begin somewhere. For Jumong , that genesis occurs in a breathtaking, action-packed, and emotionally devastating first episode:

The episode employs a cinematic scale rarely seen in mid-2000s television.