The First Night with the Duke EP 3 earns LOWEST rating as some international viewers also more negative

The latest KBS2 Wednesday/Thursday drama The First Night with the Duke, Episode 3 aired last night to its lowest rating yet after earning its highest rating for its previous episode.

According to Nielsen Korea, the nationwide rating for The First Night with the Duke, Episode 3 was 2.7 percent on Wednesday night, which is a drop from its all-time high of 3.4 percent last week.

The Korean drama earned a similar drop from audiences in Seoul, where it fell from last Thursday’s 3.4 percent to last night’s 2.5 percent.

International ratings after The First Night with the Duke, Episode 3 airs

Personally, the drop is something I expected as it is exactly what we are seeing from international viewers now the fangirls of stars Seohyun, Ok Taec Yeon have stopped artificially inflating the ratings, and the regular viewer has stepped in.

Look at My Drama List, for instance, where the Korean fantasy romance drama has dropped like a stone from the 8.7 out of 10 it earned after its first episode to the 8.1 out of 10 it is earning now.

Nope, fangirl ratings don’t tend to last for long once the rest of us weigh in with our opinions.

Comments on MDL are also now starting to turn towards the negative, as some are becoming tired of the female lead’s actions.

They range from the short and simple:

The Female Lead’s comedic act is not at all funny….

to the more annoyed:

FL deflecting is very uninteresting. ML is carrying the series for me. It’s selfish to push a man to a woman he doesn’t like. Her friend’s only chance is to get her feelings hurt.

People are upset with the 8.1 rating. I would barely give this a 7.5.

the 1st episode was ok as an introduction episode. the 2nd episode left me hopeful. the 3rd episode made me rethink why I wanted to continue watching.

and

Episode 3 reminded me why I dropped “Jinxed At First”. 🙄Same actress, playing a FL that is basically a 5 year old trapped in an adult body. 😬Her whole behaviour is so childish and silly, I can’t take any more of her shenanigans. The way she keeps pushing the ML towards the SFL is so annoying and actually disrespectful. 😡

Its not just her character. The acting is ticking me off. And I’m watching this with company. We all agree the FL is making the story unwatchable.

Some viewers are still enjoying it, but their comments are beginning to be overshadowed by those who are not.

I will add, however, the drop rate by users of that site is still low, with only 0.7 percent, or 72 people, having dropped it so far.

The K-drama has also seen its ratings rise on Viki, where it started out with a 9.4 out of 10 and is now earning a 9.7.

Ratings on that site, though, do seem to be manipulated by the administrators as they are always much much higher than anywhere else (likely with the goal of getting potential viewers to pay to watch series), so I would take that with a grain of salt if I was you.

To be fair, I will also add, I cannot comment on Episode 3 as I currently have The First Night with the Duke on hold. Not a firm drop yet, but not a drama I have a huge amount of interest in continuing viewing after its second episode aired last week.

The First Night with the Duke stars former idols Seohyun and Ok Taec Yeon, alongside Kwon Han Sol, Seo Bum June, and Ji Hye Won.

Its fourth episode airs later on tonight, so let’s see if my predictions are correct about ratings falling further, or if it can resurrect itself.