Details

  • Last Online: 15 days ago
  • Gender: Female
  • Location: US
  • Contribution Points: 0 LV0
  • Roles:
  • Join Date: September 8, 2021
The King: Eternal Monarch korean drama review
Completed
The King: Eternal Monarch
0 people found this review helpful
by summerfancy
Mar 21, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 10.0
Rewatch Value 10.0
This review may contain spoilers

Very good but...

I watched this drama shortly after it came out, but recently I went back and watched it again because frankly, it can get confusing, and that's it's biggest flaw. With the scenes jumping back and forth between worlds, I really wish the director or whoever would have put something on the screen saying 'Republic of Korea' or 'Kingdom of Corea'. Also, it was hard to discern at times what the chief villain was doing by replacing people in the different worlds and what their purpose was - too many people were being replaced. Even the second time around, I didn't catch all the subtleties. Long story short - it was confusing at times, and I'm glad the King was smart enough to figure it out because I sure couldn't!

What I liked: the music was excellent. The romance was lovely, when it was there, and the actors/actresses did an great job with their roles. I think this is my favorite Lee Min-ho drama; I think he looked his best, and as always, he delivered plenty of emotion while still being an 'man of science'. Woo Do-hwan was handsome with those sexy lips and showed versatility with his two personalities.

My favorite scene: when the King is riding to FL's rescue on his white horse with his minions following.

What I didn't like: the inconsistency in FL's character (I'll get to that later) and the ending, which is too open for my liking. The King has asked FL to be his Queen, but she never answered him, and at some point, he just drops the subject altogether, and I guess they just date for the rest of their lives since we're shown old hands but who knows if they ever married. I guess the Kingdom must have become a Republic since the King apparently died without children. Who knows.

My favorite characters in order:

1) Jo Eun-sup - He was so cute with his longer hairstyle and he was really the only character that brought humor and light-heartedness to the drama. I loved him! His little sister was cute too when she made the 'I'm watching you' gesture to Jo Yeong. I honestly don't know how these people could so easily replace their counterparts since your closest friends and family ought to be able to tell a difference as demonstrated with the little sister, Na-ri & the King. They may lookalike, but their personalities and habits were completely different.

2) The King - he was just the kind of ruler you'd want. Smart and benevolent yet capable of strength and decisiveness. He had the Prime Minister's ticket right from the beginning and made sure not to fall into any of her traps. I loved when he said a decisive 'no' when she asked if she could marry him. I also loved his devotion to FL and his patience with her (she was getting on my last nerve in the beginning with her attitude). He was indeed the heroic King one hopes for.

3) Jo Yeong - of course, he has to be 3rd favorite even if he was suspicious and a wet blanket. He was the exact opposite of Eun-sup.

4) Court Lady Noh - how can you not like whatever role this actress plays? She's a staple of Korean drama.

4) FL gets into this category because the King loved her and the actress did a good job with the role. I wasn't crazy about her character though because 1) her initial attitude toward the King (she was snarky and rude); and 2) her inconsistencies. Although she displays strong emotion towards the King whenever he's gone, missing him like crazy, crying, etc., she refuses to leave her world and become his Queen. This is what really bugs me about her. I understand wanting your family and career, but he's the KING! He has to have an heir, especially since he doesn't have a brother or sister or nieces or nephews. I see the King sacrificing for FL and his country over and over again; it would be nice to see FL make a sacrifice for him - especially after he searches endlessly for her, visiting multiple universes. It would go a long way in convincing me that she loves him as much as he loves her. This inconsistency shows itself once again at the end where we don't see them marrying, etc. They just 'vacation' or 'date' in between worlds. It was cute, but are you really satisfied with this kind of life? Isn't the King feeling pressure to marry? None of these questions are answered, and you're left to answer them yourself.

Characters I didn't care about: Sin-Jae, Na-Ri. They were just there as supporting characters.

Characters I hated: The chief villain, of course, Prime Minster Koo (really hated this greedy, ambitious woman) and all the traitor's minions. I also couldn't stand Luna and her dazed look, ugly hair and crappy attitude. Don't know how dad and Na-ri couldn't tell something was up with this girl.

That's my take on this drama. I would have liked to see more closure at the end instead of this 'dating' between worlds nonsense and I would have liked it to be less confusing.
Was this review helpful to you?