The Crowned Clown (2019)

Great acting master class by Yeo Jin Goo ;)

This is quite a good series thanks to the amazing charisma and fantastic acting shops of our handsome leading actor and supporting cast. Yeo Jin Goo was already great when he played young Kim Soo Hyun in Moon Embracing The Sun, so it was expected of him to try to emulate Kim Soo Hyun and try to have a decent if not a bright acting career as an adult. But I must say that he has surpassed my expectations, after seeing him tackle such complex roles in Circle, Beyond Evil and The Crowned Clown I can easily say that he is definitely one of the most talented and compelling actors in South Korea.

Most of the cast in The Clowned Crown were great, the only character that was underwhelming was the queen played by Lee Se Young. Her passive character, lack of good story and forced chemistry with the ML was probably to blame. Perhaps this was her warm up role for The Red Sleeve, in that series she really shined. She had a better character arch in The Red Sleeve and her costar wasn´t as intense as Yeo Jin Goo. YJG knows how to work the camera; he commands it and steals it. His costars need to be on their A game or he would just swallow them.

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at first I watched it because of the main lead. He has superb acting. you can actually distinguish which is the real king ang the clown.

as I watch the story, i'm forcing myself to like it. It does not entice me anymore to watch it anylonger. They ended the real king's life too fast. Dalrae became really irritating. and the main actors doesn't have a chemistry at all.

they all have great acting skill but the story line are not making them any favor. I hope I see them in another drama together. It's just that the story line can be improved.

i don't want to drop this drama but I have to.

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This was an amazing drama. As I began watching I knew I was starting on another Korean historical marathon and wondered if I could make it to the end. It had all the usual good and bad characters, alternating between romantic episodes and action episodes. It had the - for me - usual high emotion and melodrama that seem characteristic of Korean drama. However for me it was a very original idea but certainly requires a big suspension of belief. It had so many different strands and developments I kept wondering how they would keep them going. In fact you could say rather like circus juggling. I sometimes find the tension too much to take. This drama I think divides into two main parts 〜〜the first half more the story about the real king and his double and the second more usual palace politics but with the crowned clown twist as to how he behaved in the role of king and with the palace intrigue. I must admit I needed a break half way [though partly because I am butterfly and watch so many other dramas] and I thought the romance was taking over too much from action and it was rather hard to believe a king would behave in that way. However I found the tension towards the end very hard to bear. I watched the last 3 episodes in one go and I must admit how the plot was worked out surprised me. It is giving nothing away to say that good triumphed and all the villains came to a "sticky end", but how it was done here was unusual and original to me compared with similar Korean dramas. The finale totally surprised me and then of course the romantic element then also became very moving. I think Koreans must be very emotional as all their dramas are so emotional and "weepy". It was however certainly very moving with a very handsome romantic hero and beautiful heroine. In the end very enjoyable and rewarding drama. I do not think I will watch again, knowing the story, but I think it still deserves a perfect score.

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Did the clown get crowned or did the crown get clowned?

Story was peak until the last few episodes. But overlooking some of the questionable decisions, it is still really enjoyable. The acting really complements the show. Its perfect. The cast was really strong and they even found two actors that look identical for the king and the clown. Fantastic work to those actors.

Music was peak as fuck. I like to imagine that there is a person out there listening to the ost . And that someone will one day ask him, "What are you listening to?".
And the man will reply "Man who became king".
So peak

The dowager queen yapping was fucking annoying and they should have just framed and killed her way earlier. A lot of the story would have been simpler if he was just apeshit crazy like the actual king and just killed the enemies as soon as a tiny bit of treasonous intent was found. It was a little bit unreasonable tbh. Especially when some characters were specifically noticing that the king was acting "insane" when the clown was acting like a normal human compared to the og king. The actual king was way more batshit crazy and mfs kinda just forgot but whatever. There were def many moments where one faction would be afk while the other did some crazy bs behind the scenes or straight up just waited for the other faction afk. It was abit stupid, especially considering the stakes and how serious the show is.

The rebellion was abit goofy and rushed (with people coming and leaving and making very questionable decisions), the overall ending was pretty good
The last bit with Un dieing (Un is the royal guard from Moon Embracing the Sun, I will continue to refer to all royal guards and skilled future soldiers as Un or Descendants of the Un), was abit eh. It felt abit out of nowhere and rushed.
Show lost 2/3 points and went to a solid 7 for a few moments, but redeemed itself. So I'd leave it with a 9.

The best scene in the show was when the advisor was pooring a drink for the king and he was like "I wish you were my dad" and the guy keeps pouring the poison. So fucking peak. Honestly so many peak scenes. Really enjoyable stuff.

In the end, the crowned clown clowned the crown.
That is all

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Good enough

The show was well paced with a very well developed plot centered around political intrigue. All the male characters were interesting, and, thankfully there weren't any convoluted plotlines and cliche tropes. My favorite relationships were between Ha Seon and the Chief Royal Secretary, Eunuch Jo, Guard Jang, and the villains. However, the show should've gone without the romance.

This was probably the first drama where I couldn't care less about the romance. It felt like an afterthought. Nothing against the actors. Everyone did a great job portraying their characters. Big props to Yeo Jin Goo being so young but already so talented. He did a fantastic job playing two completely different characters. But, the romance bored me out of my mind. Yeo Jin Goo next to Lee Se Young looked like a younger brother rather than a romantic partner. Their relationship was completely uninteresting and the chemistry was bland.

The ending was odd having an unnecessary death then returning back to life. The writing choice didn't contribute anything to the story but rather pointlessly dragged the plot for a few extra episodes killing off some very cool side characters and focusing on the boring romance story between Ha Seon and So Woon. The bromance between Ha Seon and the chief royal secretary was way more interesting.

Overall, I enjoyed the plot about duty and loyalty. But the story could've gone without a bland romance between two people who had no chemistry on screen.

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A rich seam of rewatch value

I am a big fan of the sageuk (Korean historical drama) genre in general but this is one of my favorite dramas in the genre and, well, of all the Kdramas I have watched. I come back and rewatch it periodically, partly because I am a super fan of Yeo Jin-goo (who plays the dual roles of the king and Ha-seon the clown so adeptly), but also for lots of other reasons. The rest of the cast, the writing, the direction, the production, the soundtrack, everything is very nearly flawless. Except the ending which almost everyone seems to have some issues with.

One of the things that keeps me coming back is that the characters are so well-realized through a combination of writing and acting that knowing more about them gives certain lines and actions more significance on rewatching, so I always pick up on something I didn’t notice before.

Nobody in this drama is one-dimensional. Shin Chi-soo, the Left State Councillor, bears the scars of war, clawed his way to the top, and is just doing what he thinks he needs to do to protect himself, because he’s seen what happens to people without power. The Dowager Queen is doing the only thing she can to get justice for her little son’s unjust murder. The king Ha-seon doubles for and eventually replaces was despised by his own father from the day he was born for something that wasn’t his own fault, then used, manipulated, and addicted to drugs by people who should have been his most trusted advisors - how could he have kept his sanity or stayed a decent person in the face of that? And the Chief Royal Secretary, oh boy. Although Shin Chi-soo is a terrible person, he is absolutely right about the Chief Royal Secretary.

There’s also something uncomfortable inherent in these characters and motivations: the usual sageuk trope of setting everything right by clearing all the bad guys out of positions of power won’t work here. The environment of the palace is bad and corrupting not because there are bad people in it, but because it’s the nature of the palace and the incentives in it. People will lose their morals, lose their humanity, commit terrible acts, and perpetuate a cycle of violence and suffering that engulfs both people in positions of power and, unfortunately, the innocent people they have power over.

Yes, it’s depressing! But it’s not wrong. Hereditady aristocracy and monarchy are a terrible way to run a country.

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The Crowned Clown surpasses the movie masquerade in every level. The story was presented more in depth and the characters were complex and interesting. I especially liked that the twists were simple and not that many. Thus, the story's flow was smooth and it concentrated more on the main story of the clown. The highlight of this drama, however, was the leading actor's performance. The duality of the characters he presented was so distinguish and yet he managed to performe each character beautifully. Another plus of this drama was the romance that was sweet and simple. However, the drama did got boring towards the ending. In addition, the twist in the very end was kind of unnecessary and cliche.

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Intensely riveting! This Korean Costume Drama is a WINNER!

Intensely riveting! This Korean Costume Drama is a WINNER! I just finished watching The Crowned Clown and was gripped through to the end. I had no idea this was a remake of the 2012 widely famous movie “Masquerade.” TCC’s dark and somewhat ominous opening had me wondering whether, where, and when this production would transition or evolve to a lighter storyline. Yet this historic palace drama was captivating and I knew it would simply get better with each episode. BTW the set, scenery, cinematography and even wardrobe were so well coordinated I consider this as a top-tier production.

Truth-be-told I could brag on EACH-AND-EVERY cast member, because they ALL executed their roles so believably and phenomenally well. BRAVO to YEO JIN-GOO who portrayed both Ha-seon (the clown) and Yi-heon (the king)! His performance delivery spanned from coy innocence, lovingly gentle, comical, pensive and insightful, wise and astute to even tyrannical. Quite impressive for this young actor! An actor portraying just one personality type could be challenged, however, Yeo Jin-Goo’s multi-character shifting is worth boasting about and applauding.

Although the final 10 minutes of episode #16 did not have quite the punch or dynamic pizazz I felt was due TCC…considering the string of continually compelling episodes…it was not disappointing enough to cause me to rate TCC any lower than 10 STARS. Don’t skip this Korean Costume Drama. As I’ve said from the start, this is a WINNER!

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Great casting

Despite living in an Asian country, historical movies and dramas are not as common here as compared with Japan, Korea, and China. Which is why I take particular interest in watching these historical Kdramas.

It is a learning experience seeing how Koreans used to live in the past. The manner of speech, the customs, the social hierarchy.......

I just finished this drama and, I can honestly say, that the storyline is one of the more entertaining ones I have come across with. Although it bears resemblance to other dramas (corruption, greed, power hungry officials etc); what would define this drama is the cast and the writing.

The Crowned Clown is well written and the cast gives a stellar performance as an ensemble. The energy of each emotion is palpable to the viewer and it is a nod to the cast that they can each deliver their roles with such dedication. My favorite character would have to be the Chief Secretary. For me, he is the driving force behind the king. It may seem manipulative, but he gives sound advice and is tactful despite dealing with the snakes in court.

Was apprehensive about how it would end after watching some good dramas with FLAT endings. But, it turned out well...

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It's been a while since I found a show that hits all the boxes in terms of character, storytelling, pacing, soundtrack, emotion, but man it is good to be back. I've been looking for a drama this addictive for a while! My only gripe is that it's not more known and recommended. This one needs and deserves more attention.

This drama is excellent, it keeps you engaged to the story from episode one and it doesn't let go. It makes you care so much for every hero and despise every villain. Every victory is a moment of pure satisfaction and by the end of the drama you're left feeling satisfied. Just chefs kiss to everyone involved, especially all the cast. But I have to say ML is the star here. He's fantastic in these roles! I could tell which king he was portraying just by his eyes.

Also every character is written wonderfully. I especially loved ML, our Clown/King. He's such a great active character that you can't help but root for. Simply put, he's a good guy but not a perfect guy. He always defied my expectations of his next move and was such a joy to be constantly surprised by him. His chemistry with FL is wonderful as well. Side characters are amazing too and they do not feel overbearing or without purpose.

This is one of those shows that I'd recommend to anyone just not Kdrama fans. Beutifully written, cast and produced. One of my ultimate favourites for sure!

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JUST GO AND WATCH IT, TRUST ME!!!

This show gave me the chills from start to end. The actings gave me chills, cinematography gave me chills, the sounds they used gave me chills, and the scenario, this is one of the bests I’m telling you.

Yeo Jin-Goo (ha-soon) did a very very good job with his acting while playing both very different characters at the same time. Lee Se-Young (yoo so-woon) also was amazing. At first I couldn’t fit the character with her but after a few episodes, I couldn’t think anyone else can do it better. And about Kim Sang-Kyung (haksan), HE DEFINETLY NEEDS AN AWARD. From start to finish, his acting was magnificent. The episodes that blew my mind and really enjoyed watching was the 1st, 6th and 12th episodes. Ofcourse I LOVED all of them, but this episodes like, I needed a break to continue to watch.

The ending was also satisfying. I feel like they wanted us to think ‘’if it’s a dream or real’’ vibe.

Overall, this show was 11/10 I think, but I only can give a big 10, so 10 it is. Just go watch it, you’ll never regret it.

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"I have fallen for His Majesty "

The Crowned Clown is a portfolio piece for Yeo Jin Goo. He carries the story with an electric energy held up by an excellent cast of staid supporting actors.

The drama feels like a theatre piece, as a viewer you are looking into a diorama. I really loved the costume of the clown, and how as a prop it also becomes a doppelganger.

The lasting message of the drama is a really powerful one- that despite having a generous and kind King everyone is still operating within a feudal system, that in itself is corrupt. So Ha Sun's dilemma about coveting the post is valid. His constant back and forth about wanting to be king- these monologues are performed really well. I don't think I have ever seen a British drama about Royal Family that looks at monarchy in a critical way like this- the dramas are usually about characters and their flaws rather than the system which influence them.

Yeo Jin Geo as King Yi Heon is so convincing as a gaslighter and menace that when I saw Yeo Jin Geo as Ha Sun I almost doubted his sincerity and innocence as a viewer. The actor moves between these extremes with such ease.
The arc with the queen is shown in a very sympathetic way. The journey of building trust is a slow one, Yoo So Woon is vulnerable but also holds her ground. She is no pushover and her quiet and dignified strength is complimented by Ha Sun's admiration for her.

I sometimes wonder if Yeo Jin Geo and Kim Min Jae should have acted in this because their vibes feel very similar and they almost look alike!

I love the running sound for the drama Before Fall Down, it's on my 2021 playlist.

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