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the best sageuk i have seen...
i was interested in the drama the moment i saw the first teaser of it and from ep 1 to 20 it didnt disappoint me at all... it will be one of the very few historical rom-com that had comedy till the end... it did had the usual sageuk formulae of palace politics and everyone planning and plotting and having their own agenda but it never goes too serious with those aspects... it was a laugh riot till the end...the overall drama looked grand and it seems to be made with a good budget.... i think the makers were very confident with their product and thats why they chose the cast based on pure acting skills and not popularity... shin hye sun is a wonderful actress that needs more recognition and i hope after this she gains more success... she plays the real queen while she was happy and depressed, the queen with a man inside, then the queen who has two souls inside and at the end the real queen who is different from before and she did a spectacular job with all of the changes the queen goes through...
kim jung hyun is not that far behind... he also had a dual side to portray and he was amazing at it... even though the entire drama mainly focused on the queen he didn't get over shadowed by her and stood on his own in every scene they were together...
the chemistry between these two was great as well and has become one of my most fav onscreen couple...
all the side characters including the villains were good... one of the best things about this drama is it dont have a lot of bloodsheds and unnecessary violence... out of the main cast only one dies and that death was inevitable...
overall, for me, this is the best sageuk and one of the best kdramas ever....
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A drama with a potential but ending up as an utter narrative disaster and problematic in many ways
In my 15 years of watching kdramas I’ve seen some terrible endings but Mr. Queen has perhaps the worst and most unsatisfynig ending in the history of kdramaland. The series has been well-written and stellar throughout most of its run, developing its love story and characters well, but the final episode has ruined all of that which is even a bigger pity because the acting was sublime.
So Yong hasn’t been present aka being in charge of her body’s actions and reactions for 99% of the story. It’s been all Bong Hwan. Cheoljong didn’t fall in love with So Yong but Bong Hwan in her body. He literally admitted this to BH. That it was his temper, his character traits, including the bad ones, that made him fall in love with Bong Hwan in an epic love confession. Not once did he mention about her body, her beauty or her zither playing skills. So Yong “fell in love” with Cheoljong because of one meeting in their childhood and her father’s wishes that she should become a queen.
What I really appreciated about Mr. Queen was how they basically said “fuck the whole childhood love/love at first sight/first love trope” even with Hwa Jin and Cheoljong when he admitted that he liked her not because of the childhood meeting but because she became his friend later so it wasn’t a case of mistaken identities that developed his feelings for her. Thus, the only reason why Cheoljong could have had feelings for the real So Yong disappears (the spinoff actually suggests that they actually met again and that it was a love at first sight which makes it even worse). The fact that So Yong and Cheoljong have their happy ending in the very same place where he confessed his love for Bong Hwan is adding an insult to the injury.
And now, the final episode has ruined all of that development. BH accused Byeong In that he didn’t recognize that the Queen was no longer the So Yong he knew despite the fact that he claimed he loved her that much. So what about Cheoljong now? Wouldn’t it be illogical and hypocratical not to expect the same from him - that he should recognize that the Queen is no longer the same person? Even if for some reason (read: lazy writing and trying to having the cake and eating it too) So Yong adopted BH’s mannerism, there should still be major differences.
What about Bong Hwan and the trauma he is going to get after this? Previously, he used to be a person who couldn’t commit, who didn’t love anyone nor cared about anyone but himself. He fell in love with Cheoljong so much that he was willing to risk his life and sacrifice everything even though he knew that history had CH as the losing side. So losing that sort of connection after accepting his feelings, himself in female body and building a new life in the Joseon Era with a new family consisting of his friends and Cheoljong will most likely be devastating. Furthermore, he was expecting a child, a child he grew to love and that was also ripped away from him.
So Yong has commited suicide from her own will, she tried to escape her life and given up on herself, even though her circumstances were tragic,now she suddenly gains everything she ever wanted while Bong Hwan is left with nothing except for his job.What's the point of such plot?
In the end, such an ending is an utter narrative disaster and problematic in all sort of ways and that’s coming from me who rarely calls something problematic because nowadays the word “problematic” has become a synonym for what are basically normal and natural human flaws and imperfections. Overall, Mr. Queen was poised to become amazing but ended up an epic failure for the ages because of the final episode.
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The homophobic ending to this masterpiece made no sense :/
I'm ashamed to say, I was naive and hopeful enough to imagine that they would give this drama a just ending. So many people, including myself fell in love with this drama for doing everything right- atleast at the beginning. The deep and sophisticated portrayal of changing, loving and transforming one's self in order to love whole heartedly was what kept me hooked, baited and caught. And then episode 20 left me at the bottom pits of the ocean. Not only was my heart broken but also left me disappointed at the creators. Not just because of the homophobia we always complain about but also their pathetic attempt to tie the unfairness and messiness in pretty little bows and ribbons.Are we supposed to be happy for the modern day chef who gave his all, risked his everything for his love only to come back refreshed like he went for a Bali trip or something? He fought to earn the love, admiration and loyalty of those around him in a time where he was in an alien, unfamiliar and often frightening place all alone, only to be left with no one left by his side at the end. He wasn't grieving or even missing his husband and the baby he fought and changed himself for once he came back to modern day? I don't buy it as a viewer.
The king was completely fine with loving a completely different person who he felt nothing towards despite being engaged to for a considerable amount of time once before??? Huh???
In one episode when Bong Hwang was acting sweet and feminine, the king was even shown to be uncomfortable and frankly a little grossed out. He fell in love with Bong Hwang and everything about Bong Hwang. The modern mindset, the cleverness, the honesty, the sweet fiercenesss. And at the end, the bravery of Bong Hwang was depicted to earn the king's loyalty and love. But not at the very end??? Then it was all for null!
They spent 19 hours showing us, convincing us of the love that existed between the king and Bong Hwang only to end it with " SIKE! You didn't think those emotions, the love between them was real did you? It was all just body hormones. And guess who gets all the credit for saving the kingdom and the gets to live with the king's undying love? The girl who wasn't there for 90 percent of the show of course!"
The creators let down thousands of viewers and their own professional integrities by going through with this 'happy' and insensible ending.
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What Can I Say
My, this is one of the best things that happened in 2020. I mean the show is lit in every possible way! The story is unique, the screenplay is intriguing, the actors are outstanding & they're holding the pace of the story well! And, it's hilarious as hell! Believe me, Shin Hye-Sun is on another level in this one. I mean I love & admire her acting since Angel's last mission love. But now, after watching her in this one my admiration for her just went double! She's marvelous in her job & she's talented! Period!I dropped watching historical kdrama after Empress ki and scarlet heart's ending but this drama really made me watch historical kdrama again!! Right from the very first episode this show is like a hilarious rollercoaster ride, i love how the balance of drama and comedy is maintained in the show, not a single moment where you feel bored. The lead actors and even the supporting actors especially the court maid and Lady Choi are so fun to watch. Shin hye sun is nailing it in her role as Mr queen. She has a great comic timing and watching her with Jung Hyun aka The king is like a cherry on the top. I love how the show makes you laugh even in the intense scenes. This show is something which every kdrama fans yearned to watch. By far the show is running great and each episode makes you yearn for more. I just hope that the show gets a happy and logical ending. If you love to watch a show with humor and interesting drama then Mr Queen is your ultimate destination you have been waiting for!! Check it out you won't get disappointed at all !! All the best to the entire cast of Mr Queen, they are doing a fantastic job. Let's hope the show keeps us entertained thoroughly :)
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queerbaiting taken to the next level
i'm sorry, does it make sense for the king and the queen (bong hwan) to have fallen so deeply in love, then have the protagonist be replaced with a character (soyong), who is practically a stranger to the viewers (and the king himself) in the last episode?major yikes. they bent over backwards to champion the het agenda with an obvious (but god forbid) gay romance plot to, you know, make it ✨ spicy ✨ i knew what i was getting myself into, but i held out hope until the end like maybe the king would realise that she was not the soyong he fell for, YET! we're, of course, not going to unpack the fact that the person he loved was actually a man. and no, implying that some sliver of soyong was still "alive" and coexisted with bong hwan during her possessed state does not justify any of the above. we watched the king fall for his personality traits. it ended as a completely different drama than the one i had started.
disappointed but not surprised. 6 stars for the brilliant cast and the comedy, though. shin hyesun, you are incredibly talented.
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THE Worst Ending EVER: Never Have I Felt This Betrayed, Disappointed and Played by a Show!!!
After some time (more than needed thinking about this show and trying to put into words how I felt), I came up with this final review on dramabeans which is more complete than the first one, I also had to lower the rating because the more I think about it the more bamboozled I feel. So here we go.First of all I would like to commend the cast for their amazing work specially Shin Hye Sun, She did the damn thing. She rocked the show, hell she was THE SHOW.
This drama would've been such a masterpiece without that disrespectful ending. I've never felt this betrayed or hurt because of a show because I've never rooted for a couple as much as I did for Sobong and CheolJong just to have the time, feelings and energy I invested in this relationship throwed in a trash bag.
These two were a match made in heaven and this show consolidated my belief in love regardless of genders. Just to be clear, the king never fell in love at first sight with Soyong (love at first sight doesn't exist), he was curious and had a sense of familiarity about her , attracted AT BEST. Everything went through the window when he realized that she was from the Kim clan. Think about it CJ fell in love with Sobong 's personality which is mainly JBH's personality. He fell in love with his/her strange (and unpredictable most of the times )behavior, her/his sassiness, strange words (thanks to which we got the epic Queen's Dictionary) ,boldness and crazy eccentric self. Sobong was someone like no other in Joseon.
From episode 1 to episode 19 ,we got to see the relationship between these two evolve from deep antagonism and lack of trust to selfless love and solid partnership. They were ready to die for each other and my God this insane chemistry , the constant bickering and the fluttering moments between them. I JUST CAN'T. SB went from an identity crisis to carrying his child , accepting his/her feelings for CJ to being all in for CJ knowing that he was going to lose just to die (when BH got sent back to the future) at the most crucial moment just when CJ was dying before him/her.
The first thing BH did when he woke up was try to see if the king survived if that's not love I don't know what it is. BH regardless of Soyong's memories (which I admit could have influenced him in the beginning) fell in love with the king when he saw him in a new light and saw how much the king wanted to change Joseon and cared about his people.
The only reason people are trying to justify this ending is by saying that what CJ and BH had was a bromance and all the romance was done by SY which I will never understand, maybe I watched a different show. Because BH was there and felt everything, he enjoyed the sex, as CJ said SB was a true tigress.
If the queen's body was possessed by a woman from the future nobody would be trying to attribute the feelings of said woman to Soyong's and the internet would be in shambles if she was sent back to the future after making all these sacrifices.But as we have a man here, I suppose to some it's less comfortable that a man who happened to be straight fell in love with another man. This is problematic on so many levels...
They made BH do all the heavy lifting and all the sacrifices just to be treated like a tool that was supposed to help mend the relationship between SY and CJ which is straight bullshit. SY reaps all the benefits without doing NONE of the work and CJ ends up with a person completely different from the one he loved deeply and who had a knack for surprising him every time. It's like falling in love with one twin (the mischievous one, fun, crazy and eccentric one) and ending with the other twin.
To make matters worse, they dumbed him down in the end which is quite contradictory to his character throughout the series , he is very smart and perceptive and remembers every small detail Sobong ever said to him, as he said , he prides himself in being the one who knew and understood his eccentric wife the best, so how come in the end, he doesn't seem to realize the person he truly loved is gone? From the way SB used to call him affectuously "cheoljongie", "Jongie Jongie"or "Jong ah" to SY's annoying high pitched voice "Cheona" there is a huge difference. What about Court Lady Choi ad Hong Yeon who went from being treated like family members by Sobong back to being treated like servants by So Yong. Didn't they realize something was off?
THIS is the problem I got with the ending: the Lack of acknowledgment of BH's sacrifices and everything he did to save their asses without him the king wouldn't have achieved anything (Come on he saved his festival , went to save him when he was declared dead and did everything till the end to help him regain his place) . I wanted more from CJ rather than this vague question talking about "did I lose something?". I wanted him to mourn the loss of the person he loved who is Sobong who sadly died in the end.I wanted CJ to realize that the person who helped him all along was BH( a man who really came from the future). I wanted to see BH mourn what he lost, deal with the trauma (being trapped in SY's body, falling in love with the king after multiple mental breakdowns, coming to terms with it and finally accepting his feelings , carrying a baby he came to care about, building strong relationships with Hong Yeon and Court Lady Choi among others just to be sent back when the love of his life was dying before him). I wanted to see him evolve after his life changing experience in Joseon and see how much of his feelings were influenced by Soyong. I wanted to see Soyong tell the truth to CJ that she is not the person he fell in love with anymore and gave him space to digest it and why not build a relationship afterward based on the truth. I wanted to know more about So Yong, if the writers knew they were gonna make her the protagonist of the show and she will get the man, they had to show us more and make us root for her. Show me SY being active and participating and taking over from time to time very clearly, and show me that she is a badass and she is more than a desperate and sad woman from Joseon who lacks skills and experience who wanted to kill herself because among other reasons her husband to be didn't love her back. Because what we got here as per her own words is someone hiding 98% of the show and you want me to root for her? What I got instead of an honest discussion and her acknowledging the truth ( the fact that she would never have had that life without BH’s help) all I got was a ridiculous laugh when the king asked her if she was plotting something to surprise him.
This made me dislike Soyong and made me think that she is not that different from the Hwa Jin of the beginning because she is pretending to be someone she is not and taking credit for everything BH did which is upsetting and dishonest coming from her who made the same reproach to Hwa Jin beforehand.
In the end, the main protagonist of the love story got relegated to being a Second Lead or the Third wheel in his own damn love story, never got the deserved acknowledgment and that’s what made it so heartbreaking. SB and CJ have that understanding and love that SY and CJ will never have.
This ending is somehow worse than SHR's ending and the only person who got a happy ending was SY and I wonder how long it will last until she realizes that she is not the one CJ fell in love with.
As a viewer, I don't know how to recommend this show maybe the 19,2 episodes. Such a waste of potential...This show used to be my favorite and now whenever I think about it I just feel empty and betrayed. I mean what else can i do beside boycotting the writers’s future works FOREVER (I know I’m being petty but idc at this point)!I said my piece it's time to move on.
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While the story is wonderful, what makes this show is Shin Hye Sun's acting
I am a fan of Isekai stories, so right off the bat this drama piqued my interest. What I thought was truly unique was that it was a man in a woman's body and I was very intrigued about how they would manage to do a romance story.How they managed it was absolutely wonderful, mostly because the main female actress (Shin Hye Sun) was absolutely amazing. She was truly able to convey a man trapped in a woman's body so well. The mannerism, the speech, the actions, she nailed everything! She was able to make this humorous, but managed to make you think and draw emotions from her viewers. You couldn't help but to root for her.
As far as the romance a lot of lines were blurred, but I will say at the end of the day it was about what makes a person attracted to another, it transcends physical and it is all about the soul. That being said, this is not a BL drama at all, all is resolved at the end, but I liked how lines of sexuality got questioned.
King Cheoljong was also very likeable, you understood his pain and struggle. The side characters all did a terrific job. They tended to be funny and lovable. Lady Choi, the Royal Chef, Hong Byul Gam, Kim Hwan, etc., all hilarious and interesting to watch.
All in all I highly recommend this drama, it is very enjoyable and a relatively unique idea.
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One of the funniest period drama
Story: This drama is full of laughter and cute love story of the King and the Queen. There's some cooking story and politics but not too focus on politics. There's no boring scene on each episode. There's some quite tearful scene that makes you cry too.I like the attitude of the character of Jang Bo Hwan that also a lesson that you can get in this drama: When you found yourself in an inevitable dire situation, accept it and make the most our of it. Accept the help of others to keep on going like he did.
Acting/Cast:
I love all of them. All of them are perfect for their role!
Music: All of the OST and sound effect are daebak!
Overall: It is really a worth watching Period Rom/Com Drama.
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Show went from lit to shit in the ending
Trust me, I have NEVER (I repeat) NEVER felt so strongly for a drama like Mr. Queen.I don't know Korean but I watched the live episodes on YouTube because I couldn't wait for the next day. THAT WAS HOW DESPERATE I HAD BECOME.
I hated the ending, I don't even want to talk about it. The day I found out about the ending, I cried for HOURS, I cried for so long I got sick and I didn't even go to school even when I had a fucking EXAM! That's how it hurt me.
I cannot write enough about how wonderful and great Mr. Queen could've been if they had changed the last 40 minutes of the show. I swear, the 9.0 rating would've been 10 easily. I really recommend this show BUT only watch from episode 1 to episode 19 (or maybe the first half of last episode) but please, don't watch the last episode after watching the whole show (I'm saving you from a heartbreak)
I will rewatch Mr. Queen only from 1st to 19 episode. The last episode never happened for me. I've made up an ending in my head and I'm really satisfied with it.
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Best Korean Drama Ever
Everything about this is perfect. From the beginning to the end. From the beginning starting in the water, and end in the lake. Omg this drama is perfect, every character has a perfect ending. From the King, to the Chefs, to Prince Pyeongmong. In the beginning I have thought the King wanna kill the Queen and end the clan influence badly, but throughout the drama King understands her, including her moodswing, and best part is Jo Hwa Jin is not loved by the King anymore, which carve a more better ending for the male lead and female lead.Ahhh, this is the first historical drama I watch, and the best one and could top all other KDramas, the budget set for this drama is impressive :) Thanks for creating a perfect drama :) I love all the characters in the drama, and I would definetely rewatch it, and I believe there is no other dramas could top this drama in every aspect.
Not bias, but it hooked me to the end. What a perfect degree holiday I had :)
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Deliberately misleading
***I've included my thoughts on where the writers were trying to go with this in the comment section of this review. Still think they could have handled it better, but it does make much better sense now and had me improve my rating. Can't do a perfect 10 though - episodes 17 and onward were weak (not just with the romantic elements) and filled with stupid decisions and too much deus ex machina. Might change this entire review at a later date but for now it stays as it is an honest representation of how I felt at the show's conclusion and how poorly they executed their intent that I had to sit here ruminating for a week to see where they were going with this all.***I haven't felt this betrayed by writing since the controversial last season of Game of Thrones. The entire premise of this show was built around the love story of SoBong (Bong Hwan in So Yong's body) and Cheoljong. From episodes 1-19, it was a steady progression of these characters falling in love with each other...not with a memory and not the physical appearance but the substance of each of them as they strove to understand and accept each other. It was one of the most beautiful love stories I've watched. The writers perpetuated this idea by various methods:
1. CJ's fascination with SB was completely with the SB personality. The audience saw his fascination with SB's otherness, heard it in his confession of love for them, and saw it in how he treasured those aspects enough to write them down and pour through them to reminisce and help heal his own wounds.
2. The writers made the SY character a stranger to the audience. We get only the barest of flashbacks, and nothing to show us anything but a one-sided love. Even the prequel in the Bamboo Forest leans heavily to this idea. Which is why so many viewers then feel puzzled as to how the ending makes sense.
3. The writers deliberately made it seem as if the SY character was gone. There's a scene where the queen jumps back into the lake in order to regain more memories and SY's "spirit" or whatever appears before her but at the end she sees her close her eyes and falls back to sink to the bottom. Additionally, when the BH character briefly flashes back to present times, SY does not return, even for a minute.
4. The writers showed a true progression of the feelings in SB for CJ. In the last few episodes, there were major milestones to be had and shared with the viewers. The character of SB accepts their feelings. Reciprocates those feelings. Initiates intimacy - which in a story of quasi-gender bending is a penultimate moment. It's all been culminating to this point where you feel as though everything leading up is falling into place and then Wham! We draw a "Go To Jail" card.
Not only is the soul sent back but the contributions of that character are marginalized. Heck, forget marginalized, they're not even acknowledged in the slightest...as if this brash and vibrant personality never existed. The continuity issue with that alone is enough to curse at my screen. The entire story was about Mr. Queen...yet when Mr. Queen "left the building," there was no true sense of loss felt by their friends or even their love. We get one scene where the king looks puzzled for all of five seconds and asks "did I lose something." Yes...the main character of this entire drama. The show had already struggled with continuity issues such as selective fighting skills to fit the narrative and other minor faux pas but this...who just negates the existence of the main lead? Sure, SY's body is still there, and she's conveniently staying mum about the entire thing and letting everyone think it was her the entire time. The fans vilified Hwa Jin Jo when SHE pulled that move, but it's all good now. A few curses interspersed with an annoying high pitched giggle, and we're supposed to buy that she's SB 2.0 as she simpers "jjeona" like a teenager. Meanwhile the main male character, who is brilliant enough to stage a coup against one of the most powerful families in history, doesn't notice a thing.
I can't with this ending. I just can't. It obliterated all of my excitement and joy at seeing this story unfold. Seeing CJ and SY hug at the lake was like seeing Bran crowned king. Felt like I'd been gobsmacked by a 747. All of these feelings of betrayal could have been avoided by better writing. I'm not intransigent. I could have gotten behind a SY/CJ ending, IF it fit the narrative leading up to the finale, but it didn't. So frustrating!!! The acting though. Not a single complaint there. The acting was brilliant. The music too. I still can't listen to "Here I Am" without tearing up, and the comedic scores were on-point. However, I can't raise my rating higher because despite all of these things being components of a whole, the writing is the heart, and this one stopped beating right at episode 20.
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I have never been so glued to Viki.
I started because the actor who played the modern chef is a very good actor, but I have been laughing all through , of course some scenes are dry and dull but overall, this is very interesting, my least favorite is her cousin , I feel his acting looks boring and it’s like he is forcing to give a tough look but overall I like the drama.The king himself is a clown and I am in love with his acting and facial expression .... the queen is the biggest tout of all.my rewatch value is low because I dislike watching dramas twice, the only drama I have ever watched twice is eternal love and legend of fuyao because of the male lead ya bet lol
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