This review may contain spoilers
Heavy in all the right places
This drama would make you keep on anticipating the next episode/s because of how heavy and intense the scenes are. I would always need time to pause before watching because it keeps me at the edge of my seat. Every episode has its own twist and when you thought it was over, another bomb would drop! It's just very well-written!I can say, with full confidence, that this drama is a masterpiece! It will make you feel like you're reading a book with the amount of detail it gives you. The flow is truly astounding, you can feel how much care and thought the writer and director have given to produce this amazingly intricate and solid feast of a story. Everything is just beautifully laid out, the storyline is well put together and the production effectively executed! I am by no means despising how this drama played with my heart (with all its heart-stopping scenes), it's just such a beautiful experience!
Honestly, the journey towards the ending was a bit worrying and all the more excruciating as the story progresses even more profoundly...I kept on thinking how they would plan to end such a powerful story, but my worries were proven to be in vain, for this drama didn’t even give me any time to breathe! I could think of only one scene to make the ending better (for my preference) but other than that, I could say no more. One of the best storytelling done on screen!
P.s. I really think both the king and queen died in the end...the ending part was a bit of an open-ended one with how they played with bits of “dream-like” features for that last scene which suggested how it is possible that both have died and met each other at the after life (I prefer this though, making this drama an utterly beautiful tragedy)
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I only watch every episode when I can fully concentrate. I laughed so loud, by myself mind you so occasionally my family think I've lost it. Cried of course. Get mad at the antagonist without a doubt.
YEO JIN GOO is one mind blowing actor though the entire casts are very good too.
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Flawless drama
What a drama. Everything about it was flawless.Plot is interesting from the very beginning; you don't even notice time passing considering almost all episodes have 75 minutes. Every episode ending was unexpected, I couldn't guess at all what was going to happen.
No complaints about the acting: Yeo Jin Goo played absolutely amazing; you could totally see from his look and intonation when he was playing Ha Seon or the king. Never saw a drama with Kim Sang Kyung before; he portrayed a great character but with flaws. Every character was memorable because of the hard work the actors put!
The OST was so beautiful.
I would rewatch this drama for sure, everything was on point.
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When Good Acting Isn’t Enough
My philosophy with dramas is simple: I don’t believe in forcing myself to finish something just because it might become good. There are too many dramas, too much television, and too little time to spend 16 hours hoping a show eventually finds itself. And that’s exactly the issue I had with The Crowned Clown.I really wanted this drama to be good. On paper, it has so much going for it: fantastic acting, an excellent premise, political intrigue, identity swaps, and high stakes. It absolutely has the ingredients of a strong drama.
And to be fair, for viewers who are patient and willing to ride out its weaker stretches, I can see why many people liked it. Some may even love it. I won’t argue with that.
But for me, the problems were in the writing.
Too many characters behaved in ways that simply didn’t make logical sense. Motivations felt shaky, emotional reactions felt inconsistent, and the screenplay didn’t feel properly anchored. I often got the sense that the drama itself didn’t know what tone it wanted.
At times it seemed ready to be a dark, psychologically layered palace thriller. Then suddenly it would remember the word clown in the title and veer into lighter, comedic territory. That tonal tug-of-war made the whole thing feel disjointed.
The romance also did very little for me. It was one of those whiplash romances where by episode four people are already ready to die for each other, and I’m left wondering when exactly this emotional depth was built. It felt rushed, flat, and more obligatory than organic.
And when I start spending more time thinking about how the story should be written than enjoying what I’m watching, that’s usually my cue that the script isn’t strong enough.
So I dropped it.
That said, I do think timing helped this drama’s reputation. It came out during a period when some dramas felt a bit dry or overly idol-driven, so The Crowned Clown arriving with a more sober, polished historical tone probably earned it a lot of goodwill. Had it premiered in a more stacked era of elite dramas, I’m not sure it would stand out the same way.
So do I recommend it? Not strongly.
I don’t think it’s a consummate must-watch drama, but if you’re looking for something passable, decently acted, and mildly engaging for a few nights, you may enjoy it more than I did.
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MUST WATCH
Simply brilliant! One of the best dramas. hope the writers can do come up with more of these, whether it's costume or modern drama, these writers have really brilliant ideas. not 1 flawed scene.Acting, plot, music, writing.....all outstanding.
If anyone knows any more with brilliant plots like this, let me know.
I wish i could rate this more, as I did not skip even 1 second of it.
Please watch it, you will have no regrets, if you like costume dramas.
With dramas like these, you just don't want it to end. but it's just the right amount of eps.
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Man, what do I say about this story? I can't describe how shocked I was since episode one. As I said before, don't follow the idea showed by Netflix's teasers (we have this one on Viki too, so go for it!) that this is a soft and funny drama. I was tense since the beginning and I was almost dehydrated at the final episodes. The way how the tension is built is totally captivating and made me devour each episode.
About the performances, Yeo Jin Goo is just perfect. I felt the courage of Ha Sun and the craziness of Yi Heon in the same intensity and this was amazing. Kim Sang Kyung and Jang Gwang were also incredible and made me cry and laugh many times in this plot. But I have to say that Lee Se Young as the queen wasn't my favorite. I didn't feel any feelings with her interaction with Ha Sun and the little that I felt is mostly because of him and his cuteness. But this wasn't mess up with the story and we yet can cheer for the main couple.
Without any spoiler, as known, the only thing that I would appoint as a not-so-good choice is the ending (the last twenty minutes to be more precise). When I watched the last part of the last episode, I just asked "Why? Why they are doing this?" I couldn't understand the events and the reason why they write the ending in that way but after reading about the story of Gwanghae and the rumors about his life, I finally understand. I still don't agree and think that this could end in a better form, but I understand. With this final I thought about another final based on a true story that made me feel the same, could you guys guess it? Let the initials in the comments if you got it, haha.
I'll put this as a chosen one (★ ★ ★ ★ ★★ ★ ★ ★ ★) without any doubt. If you didn't watch it yet, just do it. If you didn't give a high note for this here in MDL, do it now because I can't conform that the note is only 8.4. Just absurd.
See you soon!
XOXO, Mari.
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This review may contain spoilers
This is the one.
Timing at its finest.I kept getting this drama as a recommandation. And everytime, I kept delaying it for later. But YOU should NOT.
This is (one of) the best historical dramas I've watched so far. Everything is perfect : the cinematography, the cast, the soundtrack..this is a 10/10.
I want to highlight Jang Young Nam's acting as the villain. This actress is the real deal. She's able to portray any type of characters. She's not a simple second lead role. She's the one..
Yeo Jin Go is impressive. He's got the aura of a very experienced actor when he's so young. And his relationships with the queen, Haksan and Eunuch Jo were emotional.
My favorite scene is the death of the real king on the beach. Insanely beautiful.
I won't give any more details. It was just a masterpiece. If you love historical/sageuk, you have to check this one out !
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Must watch
You wont regret starting this,From the OST, the acting, the production, the storyline everything was actually incredible.
definitely played with my emotions, made me teary in a couple of episodes as well.
It reminded me of Hwarang, epesh that feel good feeling when the hwarang team joined arms with the king. It was defos that same vibe.
Ah it was really an epic drama guys. Reading the summary kind of made me understand the first episode a bit better so i would recommend that but one thing is that there is elements of dragging for a few minutes in each episode but it gets compensated by the epic twists.
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A Tragic Tragicomedy.
I finally discovered a drama where the King is not a self absorbed idiot, but an actual, lovable human with brains .'The Crowned Clown' is a beautiful, tragic and heartwarming story about a humble clown, Ha Seon, who is put on the throne as a decoy for the unhinged doppleganger King. Having never dealt with anything remotely related to the Court or governing a nation, he attempts to rule the people as he sees fit, angering the corrupt ministers, cheering his people, and befuddling his enemies.
The first two episodes itself were a mix of horror, terror and comedy. Lee Hun, the present King was a nutcase. I'm not kidding when I use that word. Completely addicted to drugs and a tyrannical, he murders everyone who stands against him without a second thought, including his Queen Consort's very own father. With support from his sycophantic ministers, particularly the devious Shin Chi Soo, his madness soon has conspirators plotting to kill him.
Yeo Jin Goo kicked the ball out of the park with his performance in this drama. To be honest, I began this because he was in it. And he did not disappoint. His transition from the completely psychotic King to the vibrant and happy clown was unbelievable. I began to see those two characters as separate individuals and could see no shadow of their dispositions on the other. His supporting actors were equivalent in their peformances, portraying impeccable performances which alone, elevates the quality of this drama. And Episode 15 will forever go down as one of the most epic moments I've watched on television.
Ha Seon, who is forcibly put on the throne as a decoy knew nothing about court. Haksan, the Chief Royal Secretary, asks him to stay put and leaves him instructions on how to conduct an assembly and listen to the ministers' reports while he was gone. Long story short, Ha Seon, who is shocked by the ruthless rules of the palace, bends them to his will and governs the people as he sees fit.
The plot is dependant on the political struggles, but I did not find anything annoying. The clown was a breath of fresh air and saved me from listening to the ministers spout nonsence.
Haksan and Ha Seon's rapport and trust is what made this drama watchable despite of the deep emotional battles. The intense bloodshed and the foolish mindsets of the ancient royals made me want to smash their teeths out. But, these two characters knew their game. I was completely in awe when Hae Seon stood up against everyone to serve justice. His love for his people, his sibling Dal Rae and uncle Bak Soon was heart warming. Haksun is someone who could easily be the definition of morally grey. He took risks that would make him lose his head, but with a strong conviction and backbone that made us (and Ha Seon) believe in him.
The script did not shy away from portraying the barbaric acts that the lower class faced at the hands of the so called "royal blood/upper class". I hated episode 2 in particular, where a tragic, traumatizing and cruel incident happens to a character only for it to be easily brushed off by the perpetrators.
Ha Seon suffers emotionally. Watching him was worrisome -- he was never meant for the court. His loyal Eunuch Cho and Haksan become his constant source of support. There were a number of supporting characters whose frequent appearance slowly made me like them and treat them as important ones.
Romance is not a strong aspect. But, Soo Woon, the icy queen was well acted. She was icy in the beginning and never quite drifted away from her calm and strict demeanour till the very end. This also happens to be the first time that I'm seeing a drama where the Queen has an active role in the troubles of the King. Their mutual love and support was never cringeworthy, but a joy to watch. Lee Se Young appears to be a very versatile actress who can fit into any role without making it seem over the top. I had seen her performance as a consort in another drama, where she changed from being happy and smiling court lady to a rather a bleak and silent consort. I could see no sign of that consort in this one. She fit the role of the silent Queen well.
The villains were stunningly vile. I'm upset that no one set Shin Chi Soo's beard and the Queen Dowager's room on fire.
The music was strange. There would be lyrics being sung in the background, but they blended in so well with the scene that it took me sometime to realize that there was a song going on.
I'm still unsure of what to make of the drama's conclusion. Was it happy? Or was it really sad? But, Ha Seon deserves the best. So, I'll imagine that he finally became happy.
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Gorgeous drama
What a beautiful drama, in every way. Whenever fictional characters readily sacrifice all for their leader, I never really understood, somehow it just seemed so far-fetched... but this king? I get it. He's just so GOOD. Pure-hearted and upright, sweet-natured but bold when necessary, truly passionate about doing the right thing and unwilling to compromise on it. Excellent performance from Yeo Jin Goo. The supporting cast is also top notch, particularly the Chief Secretary and Eunuch Jo. The cinematography and orchestral score were gorgeous. (And I just have to say, certain shots and moments reminded me of Man in the Iron Mask, which was a bonus since I loved that movie!) Would've been 10 stars if not for the last few minutes, which felt a bit deflating and vague and didn't make much sense.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Very Enjoyable
It was really enjoyable. Yeo Jin Goo was amazing in differentiating his acting for the real king vs the clown vs the clown playing the king. I love Lee Se Young's subtle performance too, she's really fit playing royal women as seen in both here and the Red Sleeve. Kim Sang Kyung and the actors for the villains are also enjoyable.I think some people who were drawn to watching the drama because of Jin Goo's double role might be disappointed since the real king died in episode 7, but the plot of the drama plus the acting of the actors should be a good reason enough to continue.
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