Captivating the King (2024)

DISAPPOINTING AT BEST, INSUFFERABLE AT WORST.

***DISCLAIMER: THIS IS JUST MY OPINION. YOU DON'T HAVE TO AGREE AND I'M NOT HERE TO ARGUE WITH ANYONE.***

To sum everything up in simple terms:

- Disappointing storyline, plot and flow of events.
- I lost interest at episode 9 and forced myself to watch the rest.
- Watching became a chore and it felt like the biggest waste of time.
- Female MC was badly written (I hate her character and I wish she died)
- If not for the ML (Jo Jong Suk) most people wouldn’t think of rating this drama kindly.
- This drama totally missed the mark for me and to be honest it was boring.
- I definitely would not recommend, you’re better off watching any other ongoing drama or critically acclaimed historical drama.
- I didn't even find the political schemes interesting because it seemed like child's play and was not very engaging. I felt like they were going around in circles for the entirety of the drama. ML did not have anyone on his side and they were all trying to undermine and sabotage him in some way / shape or form. The worst part is the woman he loved tried to kill him even though he tried being very honest with her.
- The whole narrative of being captivated and how they tied it in was bs. If you watched from the beginning you could easily see see that the FL falling for ML would be her downfall and she was the one who would end up captivated.
- The chemistry between the leads were lacking and their love / kissing scenes sucked. In the last episode especially it was painful to watch them interact because it seemed so forced. Their love was not believable at all and the FL looked very uncomfortable. I wish I could erase their scenes from my mind bc they just gave me the ick.
- The drama pissed me off, especially due to the fact that they were sleeping together and he didn’t even figure out her name or demand to know it until the last episode. They’re just so irksome. FL especially she is so trifling ughhh.
- I believe FL should try another career. She's pretty so she can model or do brand deals instead. I feel like I have given her enough chances to redeem herself but she is still the same as she was in Black Knight. She has the same expression (looking like a damn deer in the headlights) throughout the entire series and was almost always crying.
- If you want to watch this drama for the romance I advise you not to. You will be disappointed. If however you still want to give this drama a chance because you love Jo Jong Suk and political schemes (which imo were cliche) then by all means be my guest. I however, would not put myself through that again because I believe that one person should not be expected to carry the weight of the entire drama on their back.
- With all that said, I give this shit show / mess of a drama a 5/10

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The King carried the nation and the drama on his back

I will quickly mention the things that I liked and disliked about the series and then I will refer to my biggest problem about it that made it such a huge disappointment.

What I liked:
+ First four episodes (with pick being the fourth)
+ Jo Jung Suk as the King
+ Park Ye Young as Lady Dong
+ Most of the veteran actors performances (along with a few non-veteran ones)
+ The child actor that starred as Dae Gun
+ Politics based
+ Visuals
+ Non-puppet king
+ The dark atmosphere
+ Production quality


What I disliked or found mediocre:
- Script was mediocre -to be kind-
- Music: okayish individually, but nothing memorable and shouldn't have been used in some scenes
- Pacing: Each episode could easily be 15-20 minutes shorter
- Jang Young Nam tended to overact as Queen Park
- Cobweb-like beards
- The absence of tension in the majority of the show
- The romance aspect made me feel nothing most of the times
- Many clichés - Very underwhelming, especially towards the end
- Ending


Now, to the thing I was mostly disappointed about. Friendly reminder that this is my opinion.
Also, what will be mentioned does not contain spoilers, unless you have not read the synopsis, watched the trailer or seen the poster. So to anyone that wants to go into the series without any previous knowledge I suggest you to stop reading.

And here it is, my biggest problem with the series -> Shin Sae Kyeong and the female lead that she portrayed

1. Portrayal as a male baduk player
- Obviously no one in the crew wanted her to look like a male. The make-up department did their best to make her look like a woman.
- The makeup they used when she was actually dressed as a woman was either the same (as her male identity) or not as prominent...
- Someone must have told the actress to act like a woman at all times too, because everything, be it her mannerisms or voice, could never have anyone fooled that she is a man.

2. Everyone looked brainless
- Have I seen series where an actress that is impossible to look like a man pretends to be one and no one questions it? Yes, many!
But you know what those series weren't? Serious.
They were mostly focused, one way or another, on romance where anything was possible -and they were certainly not focused on politics-.

Captivating the King sets a very serious tone from the get go and the romance is not the center of the plot.
So it feels not only extremely unrealistic, but also a bit dumb.
We have a ton of people scheming and no one mentions that she looks and acts as a woman (not that they could, but at least try to make her look like a man, just try).

3. Every other man VS Her
- This is a series filled with veteran actors, most older in age. There are no idol looking characters and barely any very young men are starring.
The majority of the men are old or middle aged, the younger ones are tall and build and all of them have a beard. Of course even though all actors wear make-up it is not really that visible on the men. And what is the female lead as a male like? Petite, super young, glass skin, no beard - not to mention the absence of the adam's apple- and of course face full of make-up...
She feels so out of place between all these people, yet no one seems to notice.

4. Character
Her character is stupid, there I said it.
- Everything goes her way, because the script says so. She would be dead a long time ago if the series took itself seriously.
- She literally has no plans (she is just going with the flow, even though she wants revenge)
- The scriptwriter and director try very hard to convince the audience that she is a smart and capable character, but her plan makes 0 sense -because there isn't one-. And as we all know, it is very easy for someone to get revenge against powerful people when they have no plan. Let's not forget the thing that irritated me the most. She acts depending on her emotions.

5. Acting
- The female lead is supposed to be a desperate character that will do anything to bring justice about what happened to her and everyone around her. She is supposed to be smart and calculative.
And you know what she does? She is ready to bawl her eyes out every freaking scene!
She is having a serious conversation where she should look intimidating and she looks like she is about to cry! Am I -or any character- supposed to take her seriously?

- Shi Sae Kyung has a limited amount of expressions the entire series
1. She looks like she is about to cry (or cries)
2. She is expressionless with her mouth always open
3. She is moving her eyes around or semi closes them to look flustered/confused

6. She ends up being a vital part of the plot, even though she is unimportant
- The writer tends to involve her in situations out of nowhere just to include her in the plot. She is not really an important character, more like a guest role in her own show that they had to involve in the plot somehow to give her screentime. The whole drama could easily work without her character.

In the few series I have seen Shin Sae Kyeong, I have never considered her a very good actress, but also not bad to a point that bothers me (plus I can’t avoid saying that she is super pretty).
Now, Shin Sae Kyeong was -as usual- not really great, but was basically ruined by a very badly written character -and an equally badly written script-. Also, having Jo Jung Suk as her co-star undermined her performance even more. He was the one that carried this show and he was the only thing that was worth it from beginning to end.

All in all? Unfortunately, despite its good start, this ended up being another series that did not need a female lead, but they decided to use one just to squeeze in the romance and because the scriptwriter apparently couldn't do anything better with the script -while also using the false ''strong woman'' armor-. Some good performances and the production quality weren’t enough to save a very badly written script that was also lacking greatly in terms of pacing. And yes, I will say it, this would work much better as a revenge based male VS male lead drama that focuses on politics and schemes inside the palace.

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takes a shot for every time a character says “captivated” (promptly dies of alcohol poisoning)

It's no secret that sageuks are undoubtedly my favourite genre; the politics, the court intrigue, the pining, yearning, the… female lead pretending to be a man in the most unconvincing way with the perfect eye makeup?

Slay, I guess.

PREMISE:
Kang Hee-Soo (Shin Se-kyung) is a noble lady dressing as a man in order to play baduk so that she can raise money for Joseon citizens who are kept as captives by the Qing empire so that they may return home. Lee In (Jo Jung-suk) is a prince returned home after being kept as collateral by the Qing empire to his loving brother who is… not exactly in a bro-love mood. Surprise! The King is crazy and needs to get a new nail lady because he’s chewing them to the bone.

Lee In loves baduk. Hee-soo also loves baduk. What more do you need for a stable relationship?

Turns out a lot because before long, their shaky friendship is the start of years long power struggle in the court that could mean the end of them both.

OVERARCHING THOUGHTS:
This drama, while marketed as a romance, focuses a lot more on LI and his struggle as a king to maintain control of his fragile power after sort of stealing his nephew’s birthright as king but for good reason. He weaves an intricate web that is years in the making, as he tries to rise above the corruption of the court.

HS… certainly is there.

While a cross-dressing female lead is nothing new, watching Shin Se-kyung, an undeniably beautiful woman, pretend to be a man and have everyone believe she is a man makes viewing this show an out of body experience. Especially when LI experiences true bisexual panic; if that man had a computer, his entire history would be doing buzzfeed “am i gay” quizzes.

SSK gets a lot of flack for her acting abilities, and I’ve always believed some (KEYWORD: SOME) of it is uncalled for. It’s not that she’s bad at acting - it’s just most of her acting is staring wide eyed and mouth slightly agape at another character with silent tears dripping down her face as her gaze is moving back and forth across the other character’s face. Not bad. Just… not particularly amazing. And when put with a veteran actor such as JJS, it becomes PAINFULLY clear just how lacking her acting abilities are. It definitely felt like JJS was having back pains with how he carried this show, in particular the romance, on his shoulders.

THE PLOT:
The plot is nothing spectacular, or anything new, really. You have your king who is in a power struggle with the corrupt (checks notes) uh, Prime Minister? No, the Primark? No. General of Defence? Principal Director? Honestly, I can’t really recall. Just your typical baddie. You got your extremely beautiful female lead who cannot pass for a man to save her life. You got the second male lead who, for once, actually knows he’s the second lead and is like “yeah, nah, not for me, thanks” and ultimately never really acts on his feelings and eventually overcomes them. Sketchy Queen Dowager who literally NEVER LEAVES HER ROOM AND STAYS SITTING IN THE SAME SPOT FOR ALL OF HER SCENES, the king’s loyal bodyguard, untrustworthy court lady - I honestly don’t remember half of their names because they’re very much the stereotypical archetypes of their genre.

The politicians are corrupt. The King and the main baddie fight a cold war with one another over power. The king wants the politicians to stop being corrupted and the politicians are like “nah”. FL swears revenge against ML for his past actions, ends up realising she was wrong all along and he’s actually the good guy and sides with him in the end. And, for some reason, EVERYONE and their mother wants to play baduk with the FL. Like, jeez, HS is more popular than the only person with a working vape at a party.

And the end? Lazy, rushed, dragged, and, not unlike Dixie D’Amlio’s music career, flopped. Somehow, HS just MANAGED to take the right path to the right spot to the right tree at the right time to find LI sitting there waiting for her with a baduk table ready to play.

Love wins, the bad guys are dead, and all the good guys get to live. Yeah. Honestly, that’s it. Anyways.

THE CHARACTERS:
I will say that LI’s character was the main chunk of keeping interest in this show because of the character’s actor and also the writing; while every other character was kept constrained to the roles this genre demands, LI was allowed to grow and show different sides to himself. He’s not afraid to play dirty. He’s not afraid to threaten and do what is necessary. He stole his nephew’s throne for himself, he lied, murdered, and betrayed, he’s the epitome of a grey character; which is such a breath of fresh air for this genre. JJS is a phenomenal actor and he was the main powerhouse of talent in this show.

Again, HS is… there. She has very little personality, and I am unsure if it’s because of how she was written or if it was how SSK decided to portray her, but either way, there’s very little about her that stands out; she’s good at baduk, she’s smart, and somehow everything she does ever always works out in her favour. Her promised revenge against the king was both badly written and portrayed due to the fact that from the start, it is very clear that whatever she has planned to do will never happen; as a result, there is no tension. It is plain bad writing, there’s no other way to put it. Similar to lunch in a school cafeteria: it was sloppy and very undercooked.

Speaking of tension - again, I have to say that the romance between HS and LI felt… lacking to say the least. By EP3, HS is already in love with him. I suppose it can be equated to a girlish love/crush that any woman would have when in the room with a powerful prince who is both handsome and kind to them. However, there isn’t very much that lends credit to the idea reiterated in the show time and time again that HS and LI are madly, deeply in love with one another - oh, sorry, that they are “captivated” by one another. Especially from LI’s side because there’s very little about HS as a person for him to love other than she plays baduk and is also very beautiful. The intimate scenes are very lacklustre, and reminiscent of old-school kdramas where the FL just stands there awkwardly frozen, eyes wide open as the ML is hugging or kissing them. There’s very little chemistry and the only way we know they’re in love with one another is because they say it. A lot.

Once again, I am unsure if it is because of the fault of the writers who are terrified at the idea of a woman being sexually active/attracted to her LI, or if it was a genuine decision by SSK to play HS as a person who barely meets eye contact with the man she’s supposedly in love with and only shows him a display of affection of her own free will, like, once. Even when she does touch or hug him (after he initiates, ofc), it’s like she’s doing so reluctantly and would literally rather touch wet food in the sink than touch the man she is in love with. In truth, the romance was akin to watching a fish flop about in a shallow puddle trying to breathe: somewhat amusing at first, yes, but eventually unbearable to withstand.

JJS did all of the heavy lifting to make this romance even somewhat believable and watchable (even when his co-star decided the most romantic kiss is to press her lips together, remain completely still with her eyes wide open), but it was painful to watch him giving such good performances to a co-star who was either incapable of matching him or was limited by the extremely bad writing of her character.

As such, the romance is not for those who actually wanted a sageuk with romance because there is no romance. Much like trying to find your vape in a bed: it just disappears in a second the moment you try to search for it.

AND ONE MORE THING:
Again, JJS was amazing in this show; he is the only reason the romance was even interesting to watch and he really did have to carry the bulk of the work into making it believable that he and the female lead were in love. Again, I know SSK gets a lot of flack for her acting, and I don’t know if it was because of the writing or if she was given little to work with, but I just honestly don’t have anything to say about it or her. This was JJS’s drama and everyone else was there for a paycheque.


OTHER THOUGHTS:
- The kid actors did extremely well, and the Queen's storyline was the only part of the show that made me weep like a baby.
- I’m sorry, it was so funny to me that to show the three-year time jump, the show decided that EVERYONE needed to grow a beard.
- The set designs were okay. Nothing shabby, but not exactly extravagant like I’ve seen in other historical dramas. The costume department was the same.
- The big bad guy never really got one up on LI. It was like any time he tried something, LI would turn around be like “AHA! YOU FOOL! I'M 15 STEPS AHEAD OF YOU! I ALREADY KNEW YOU WOULD DO THAT WHEN YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU'D DO THAT!”
- Can’t say much on the music, nothing stood out to me, if I’m being honest.
- The “night of intimacy” between LI and HS - you're telling me that they did the dirty and then decided to get completely dressed in their bed robes straight after before going back to sleep? Or did they do it completely clothed, under the sheets with no lights on and in complete silence like a Catholic couple unable to withstand the weight of their sins?

This show was a nice way to fill my time. When I was bored, I would watch as much of the show as I could before switching to something else. It certainly isn’t bad by any means, but if you’re expecting to be blown out of the water, perhaps choose something else to watch.

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Great ML but everything else quite forgettable

I started to watch this drama because I like period dramas and I thought baduk at the centre of it might do for something refreshing, then I was captivated by the King's character, he was an all rounder and made for an interesting plot.

The king as a character and Jo Jung Suk's performance is what carried this drama for me and the reason it has the rating I give it, without him this drama would be so much worse, and if I had to rate the drama based only on him as a character it would get a 10. He's a very complete character and very engaging. It's such a shame that with such an amazing character and performance the rest of it was quite disappointing, especially anything involving the FL.

I like Shin Sae Kyeong and she has been the FL in a couple of dramas I rate very highly and I very much enjoyed. But being realistic I do think that she doesn't have a big range of acting skills and the roles she performs the best are those in which, I feel, she's playing characters that fit with her personality as a person or that she feels comfortable playing. Probably that's kind of the same reason why they took her for this one as the FL in this drama does share certain similar traits with characters she has played in the past. But there are a few things of her acting here that bugged me a lot, like the over stiffness and the constant eye moving to express what the rest of her face is not expressing. While I've seen her do this in other roles here it was very amplified. I don't know whether that was all her or the director was going for that and asked her to overuse it but at some point it started getting old and quite annoying.

Romance is also impacted by all this. ML is there, and his words and actions are clear and well acted and you feel the angst and the longing and all the feels. FL's on the other hand is just not there. So I enjoyed the romance part of this show, like everything else, because of ML, but it could have been so much better if FL had been at the same level.

When it comes to the writing I don't understand how we have such a good character in the king and such a miss in her. Most of the drama is just her contradicting the premise of her personality. She's supposed to be very intelligent, strategic and clever but she keeps making mistakes and becoming the damsel in distress.
The whole revenge plot was just plain BAD WRITING. She kept reaching bad conclusions, she kept asking the wrong questions, or not asking them and kept screwing everything up. Now, I could believe this as plausible and that a character like that can exist if the character hadn't been introduced as the opposite of that, and on the other hand if it was her alone it would have been more plausible, not with other people blindly involved in the revenge like it was the best plan and course of action.

Myung Ha was also quite frustrating and his whole plotline was quite pointless. It's dragged out for the sake of it by just making him not actively seeking information and justice but doing in a slow, second-hand way. Most of the drama he's annoying and towards the end he's just ok because by mellowing his personality they made him look ok now and made you forget all the things he did and said in the past and reduce it all to him being concerned about the Crown Prince. Disappointing.
Equally annoying was Lady Dong, although in this case her character was well developed and the actress did a good job at being the annoying piece of work she is. However, it was disappointing they were trying to make me like her at the end somehow, like if her behaviour was justified because she loved the king.

The rest of characters are basically background, they're ok, nothing to throw fireworks about except the kid that played the Crown Prince, he was great.
The queen dowager was always there but her arch was pretty anti-climactic in the end, nothing happened to her not it escalated much in any manner that would be interesting or significant enough for the plot.
Oh, and I almost forgot, special mention to Ja Geun Nyun (FL character's servant), she was annoying as hell, especially in the first half of the drama.

The end was a bit confusing (between the "I go, I don't go") and generally disappointing, and the last episode feels dragged and like they didn't know how to end it, like a kid dragging his feet leaving the park because he doesn't want to go back home. I definitely expected a bit more and a different ending. After all we saw in the drama I thought we deserved a better one for sure.
I'm also getting very tired of the time jump/one of main leads leaving just before ending it. It's been such a long time I haven't seen a drama where it felt justified to include something like this, especially not in the last episode when it's going to be resolved quickly and in an anticlimactic way. There was absolutely no point in making her go to the Qing, her father doesn't appear again and it's only there so they can meet in that tree to play baduk, what was also such a gamble she left the path/stopped for a break exactly there. There were so many options to end the story in a better way but it feels they chose the quickest to film and the laziest plot wise. Definitely could have been better and leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

Overall I think this show is watchable mainly for the king as a character and Jo Jung Suk's performance but that's pretty much it, plot is generally average for a period drama apart from the king, and the revenge subplot is very bad writing.
I think this show had a lot of potential but I don't think it was exploited as good as it could have. The plots could have been a lot more epic or more engaging, more than a classic hide and seek between hero and villain. The romance could have been so much better as well if we had had a better performance of FL and more moments to explore it.
I think the king is a character worth watching, it's just a shame everything else in this drama needs to be watched as well just to get that, so I'm happy I watched this show for the enjoyment I got of that character but a shame it's attached to many other things I didn't enjoy and wouldn't want to rewatch.

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perfect FL casting, horrible actress for a horrible role !

the writing is so good up until episode 8. episode 4 is so amazing it was so unexpected, i felt it defied every saeguk trope and for that I was hooked (killing the queen father). I also feel like the romance/romantic tensions made the stupid writing less obvious in the beginning because her revenge plot was dumb from the begining. But after he finds out her real gender the writing goes to hell so fast it made me laugh. There where so many weird homophobic comment about how the heterosexual romance needed to start but jokes on them once he found her out the romantic/sexual tension completely left the drama as well. after that all he wanted was to protect her and she wanted to hurt him. no chemistry at all between them.

episode 8 is so disappointing why did he have to find out so quick and like this too. I needed a kiss or a true/explicit confession of love before he found out. It always feel a little cowardy from the writer to put all this romantic attraction and tension but only make them act on it when its 100% sure its heterosexual ! oh the King's Affection you will always be superior for that !!! they even put that little scene with his soldier to make sure we know that he is NOT gay he just like the femboy because he is a girl hihi ????
I guess I'm going to have to be satisfied with the kings confession under the rain that was really nice.
the acting at the end of ep 8 by JJS is insane tho !!! all his micro expression with his eyes blew me away.

the worst thing about the drama is by far Shin Sae Kyeong/Kang Hee Soo both respectively. All SSK knew how to do was have watery eyes and bite her lip, avoiding eye contact and acting scared. Her acting was so stiff so bad and absolutely not believable as a man. Also why did she have lipgloss on ? Now Hee Soo was horribly written, I don't think she made one good decision the whole drama. Annoying from the start and then annoying things about her just start pilling on. And then at the end she ask to go to pekin was the last straw. after all the king did for her she's like I kinda want to see my father and idc about you. just pissed me off. would've been happy with an ending where she dies ???.

I may have watched a different ending because at no point do they explicitly say that mongwoo will stay in Joseon with the king. its a very weird open ending and I don't like that. Horrible ending where nothing happens and the creators dont know what to do. the uncle acting was great tho, made me feel bad for him. JJS the only saving grace of this mess.

So basically there was no romance, no cool fights only intellectual mind game like baduk, the whole drama rest on them but they weren't even that crazy complicated or cool which made the drama boring. To put simply the writers we're not good enough. waste of time and super disappointing.

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Not Good Enough

Korean Drama '' Captivating The King '' is a historical melodrama, heavy on the political thriller.

The drama has an interesting story in theory, alas, it is not handled well. In fact, the spy part was never developed, left only in theory. Also, the leading lady was annoying and her actions didn't make sense after a while. Not to mention the ending was lukewarm, rushed when it came to the twists, and unsatisfying.

However, there were some nice elements to the drama, though they weren't enough to make it enjoyable. The guessing game of when the King will find out who his playing mate really is was entertaining to follow. The performances were great as well.

So, overall, four out of ten.

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Great acting yet no chemistry

Plot: Typical political plot of dethroning Kings and backstabbing. Nothing much special with the plot as it quite reflected that the king will always have his hidden moves to win just as how he plays baduk. I was hoping for some twist and turns but nothing really happened.

Acting: Most of the characters did great in portraying their characters, however, despite the actress being able to cry, I just couldn’t sympathize with her. Her way of acting is not infectious enough to make feel her sufferings or even her happiness. I believe, the Main male lead did all the heavy acting and carrying for the drama but there’s still no chemistry between the leads. There were no ‘captivating’ parts, to be honest. It was nice to see Jo Jung Suk’s acting range though. I’m quite impressed.

Music: I think most songs are quite appropriate or nice but nothing memorable.

Rewatch Value: I personally wouldn’t rewatch.

Overall: It is a so-so drama that it can be forgettable to an extent.

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Mildly Disappointing - Not Good, But Not Bad

This was mildly disappointing? I don’t know what sets this show apart from other historical dramas centered around power struggles and scheming, but this was only okay. Jo Jung Seok and Lee Kyu Hoe both delivered the best performances of the show and were generally delightful to watch. Especially JJS has great screen presence and created tense atmospheres out of nothing. One second, the scene is normal and in the next he’s scary and intimidating.

I liked his chemistry with SSK whose performance was alright. I liked her crying scenes a lot (which… she had a lot for some reason ??), her tears were like diamonds rolling down her cheeks, I can’t explain it. The female lead’s revenge was… I don’t know. Lacking? So-so? Wishy-washy? Can’t put it into words. I think the lack of character development (for all characters) at the end of the show also disappointed me. Did anyone change or grow? I don’t really think so… meh. Also… the fact that everyone believed that MW was actually a man… honestly a bigger plot armor than my girl Ying Luo ever had. The writers decided that her dressing as a man was believable to every single character when it really wasn’t lol. It was believable in “Coffee Prince” for example, but here??? It’s because the writers wanted it lol.

The show generally has left 0 impact on me, and I probably won’t really think about it now that I finished it. It did pull me in – ultimately, it was the tension between Mong Woo and the king that kept me going and made me finish the show. The last episode was a whole lot of nothing that kind of dragged and felt a little useless not going to lie. Overall, “Captivating the King” was alright, but not crazy good!

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Not a captivating one

I started watching seeing the trailer. The premise of the drams is lot similar to a lot of historical dramas with a small change that the FL is a Baduk player. the first 4 episodes were good. But it disappointed me when I saw the 5 and till jow the 8 episode. I understand that the FL had feelings for the Grand Prince but if she has come back for revenge then she shud have been woman of steel. That is where it lacks. she is still living in the past. there are people who are depending on her and she is on her own journey which I find a bit disheartening. The FL is a good actress but last few dramas I am disliking her acting as she has same expressions in all of them. She has very expressive eyes which can bring out lot what she has to say but I fail to see. the only expression I see is watery eyes. I was expecting a revengeful drama but it is a disappointment. The ML is a good actor and he has justified his role very well. I will continue watching knowing how it will end only because I like the acting of everyone else except the FL

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It captured the meh

As with many sageuk dramas, the setting, pageantry and historical references hook us in. The plot and characters sustain it. Unfortunately, this series is patchy in the last two and its quality suffers.

The first few episodes are nicely done. The idea of the FL being a baduk master is novel, but it has its own narrative issues. Regardless, it set up the meet-cute of the OTP. We are left with no doubt that the romance of our leads is the corner stone of this drama. This is problem #1.

As with many Korean court dramas, the FL ended up having to cross-dress just to get access to the ML. The FL is just not convincing as a man. It also hamstrings her performance. There are moments of animation but it mostly feels wooden.

Unsurprisingly, the main theme is standard issue palace intrigue. There are the odd twists, but they are mere ripples in a mill pond. All the classic courtly characters are there. Both good and evil. The veteran actors turn in solid performances but this is bread and butter for them.

The run-of-the-mill political shenanigans is problem #2. We run through several backstabbing plots as expected. Each time we arrive at a flashpoint we’d get our hopes up. Is this the turning point? Will we see some major realignment? Alas, after each bump, the show would settle back to a long period of doldrum.

Other than the romance and political maneuvers, we must contend with a simmering revenge plot. Unfortunately, this has issues as well. So much time and energy have been devoted to this but at the 11th hour, the protagonist found out that it is all a misunderstanding. We knew this all along so . . . Doh.

Obviously, the evil characters are going to get their comeuppance. However, just like the muddled revenge plots, the righting of such wrongs took its sweet time. Everyone knows who they are but other than much gnashing of teeth, not a great deal happens and then everything happened. By then, I'm past caring.

As I mentioned before, romance of the leads is key. However, their chemistry is questionable. Their skinship mostly leaves me cold. Their first kiss is good but I challenge anyone to feel excited after watching their last kiss in the finale. Go on, watch it and tell me I'm wrong. I double dare you!

Thankfully, the acting of the ML steadied the ship. He was 10 times more animated than the FL and his acting is next level. However, he can't compensate for every shortcomings of this drama.

In the end, the series is watchable but there is nothing new. There are the odd highlights. The ending is a bit ponderous. You’d think an HEA ending is a given. Not so fast, chingu. It is as if the writer is having a bet each way. I have no idea why you'd do that at this late stage. It does reflect on the drama as a whole.

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Lack of reason overshadows credibility.

It's a good series to watch overall. I congratulate the production team and director, except for the scriptwriter. Particular attention was paid to the clothes, I congratulate this team twice. Other than that, the script had too much nonsense. First of all, it was not believable that our Badukçu Girl went to take revenge on the king with the same face and the same clothes. Even though the king said he would kill you, he did not. Afterwards, I had to punish you, and after a certain period of time, he sent his guards and asked them to save him. However, for some reason, this happened right at the time he was going to be killed. Badukçu fell off the cliff. The baduk maker's own servants find him and save him. This is also very interesting, you are there at this exact moment and are rescued. Then this girl of ours comes for revenge, wearing the same clothes and the same face, and appears before the king. He's making plans to kill her. Do you think it's believable? I think no. Nobody understood why this screenwriter did this. In addition, those who betrayed were rewarded instead of being killed. It was ridiculous. Our lead girl could neither be a man nor a woman. Caught between two games. His acting was next to nothing. So it wasn't there. It was just an empty image. However, Jo Jung Suk performed phenomenally. He may have been crushed under it. I don't know, but I didn't like the actress. Apart from the male lead, Choi Dae Hoon who plays the King, Park Ye Young who plays Lady Gong, Queen Mother Jang Young Nam, Hyun Bo. Yang Kyung Won, Lee Kyu Hoe who played the Prime Minister, Guard Kang Hong Suk, and Child Prince Choi Ye Chan were good actors that caught my eye. Apart from the script, it was a successful production. The scriptwriter has done a shame on the series. I couldn't feel the love in the series, I couldn't get the emotion. It's actually a love story, but it doesn't seem to have happened. Looks like it had a happy ending...

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