Update: Ep 5 will air on Saturday, January 2.
This show cracks me up.
Although I know that in the history books, it didn’t fare well for this Joseon king, I like how subversive the whole story is.
But I can’t help wondering WHY the writer(s) insisted on using a historical figure, and didn’t just invent an imaginary ruler. He would have sidestepped all this hullabaloo from the sageuk-purists who missed the disclaimer on the show.
The writer could have just started this drama in the same way that Brothers Grimm began their fairy tales. “Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there was lived a king…”
As expected, the actress Shin Hye Sun gives another outstanding performance as a ladies’ man trapped in a queen’s body. I don’t think there’s any other actress who could have delivered this scene:
Gifs from kdramadaily’s tumblr.
I laughed when she took a step back. There’s no way her tiny wrist could “cross swords” with an actual sword.
Sorry. But Kim JungHyun was outclassed and underwhelming here.
The new addition to the story, the second male lead, looks promising to me, too.
I can’t wait for the king and this prince to fight over the girl…errr…man.
Let’s enjoy the show!
Woot! I agreed that SHS nailed this guy in a woman body acting. I reserved my comment on the melo part (re: ep 3). 🤭🤭🤭
I don’t favor the second male contender. He reminded me of an actor who likes to widen his eyes unnecessarily to emote. Feel like I need to slap them shut. 🤪🤪🤪 The result of such a way to emote is, of course bad acting, in my opinion. 🤭🤭🤭
Anyhow, I am keeping an eye on the royal concubine. How sincere is she in loving the King. And also the actual Queen, what happened after that kiss with her cousin 🤔🤔🤔. Has her heart changed that fateful night? Did she, just like the King, put on a facade when she arrived at the castle as a candidate for a queen? Why would she be living a lie as per what she told her cousin? Because she doesn’t want to do whatever they want her to do i.e. use her for their agenda? Does the King really love the royal concubine or it is the feeling of grateful because she helped him?🤔🤔🤔
We can’t judge the Queen yet bec all her actions and decisions that we’ve seen so far are, in reality, Bong Hwan’s own actions and decisions. And Bong Hwang is an unreliable observer and participant of this whole affair.
I’m gritting my teeth every time he does something selfish, knowing full-well that he’s endangering the Queen, in whose body resides. He was asking for trouble when he went to the ginsengs’ house to drink himself silly.
And flirting with the concubine. Grrrr. Can’t he control himself?
I hope the story doesn’t drag on. I know his whole goal is simply to return to his modern world. But he’s so self-centered that he hasn’t spared a single thought to the whereabouts of the Queen. If he’s in her body, where is she? How is she doing?
The Queen cried to her cousin, that she wanted escape the palace, but had no place to go. Those were prophetic. She didn’t even possess her own body to live in.
This show is funny, I especially like the palace cooking sequence.
I also like the dynamic between the Queen and the Queen Dowager. I like her vanity and obsession with looking young lol.. In other sageuk she will be your typical evil queen dowager but here they play off each other well.
On the other hand I kinda gloss over the King’s side plan or mystery.
I’m focused on the King’s mystery because I’m feeling sorry for the missing Queen. Nobody’s looking for her.
I wonder how she can ever return to this life again.
I watched Ep 4 without subs. 😂
I’m curious on what kind of person the real queen is. I’ve seen conflicting information so far on whether she was cruel, ambitious, or someone trapped by her situation. Does she loves her cousin?
Also when BongHwan and the Queen met at the lake, I thought she was helping him to breathe since he was drowning but then they started making out is pretty weird for me.
I thought the original Queen killed herself (she was so distraught about her circumstances)? That’s why they met in the water? She was happy to leave the living world but BH wanted to stay? That was how I explained away her spirit (in my mind) moving on to the other world whilst his spirit stayed and possessed the Queen’s body instead? I only watched Ep1 so I can’t comment any further.
The sub is up for Ep4, @packmule3 you’re right BH doesn’t care what will happen to OG queen if he manage to go back. She will have a crazy huge mess to sort out. BH is kinda an ass.
On other news the rating for mr. queen shot through the roof.
I will watch later this evening with sn. BH really needs to care for what he did there cos it definitely will affect the queen and be reflected in the history. Someone needs to slap some sense into him.
I agree that BH is an ass. He even said the others could sort themselves out once he was gone. Also getting too used to the posh life, ordering the porters to run with the palanquin and threatening the servants who are filling the lake. There must be a better way to get water uphill than a bucket brigade.
But I like the comic elements so much. Mea culpa. The cooking scenes and the assassination scene. ‘Do you think all army cooks are the same?’ Fighting with the king over the duvet.
Choi Jin-hyuk’s voice speaking of the smell of Jasmine tea reminded me of Zombie’s super power.😁
@packmule3 the second lead male is the one who played the villain in mystic pop up bar, if you watched it. In here he is like a good guy so I’m kinda looking forward of different his vibe between these two dramas.
BH is still careless and only think about himself, but his attitude towards the little girl who sneaked into the kitchen palace, and towards hong yeon (the royal court ladies) is kinda promising. I hope his character will be developed in the soonest time as he can’t go back to the future yet and have to face all the palace politic intrigues.