King: Eternal Moron

I’m going to start off with the good parts of this drama aka the parts that can pass off as decent.
- The cinematography
The scenes were shot beautifully, everything was grand and extravagant as expected of well, a king and his palace. I might even go as far to call this a cinematic masterpiece if not for the dry, non-existent plot. But for now, I digress. (I will delve into that soon).
- The casting
Let’s face it, the casting was easy on the eyes and the main reason why most of us kept watching this boring ass show. Because in the end, we’re just humans who want to see pretty faces. Lee Min Ho was enough a justification for me to click this show but Kim Go Eun as well? No shit I decided to stick to the end. I have loved her since watching her appearance in Goblin and I must say I adored her character in this series because she was a badass cop with a backbone. I’m not a fan of woo do hwan but he was the only one who showed real versatility in the roles played here, him acting as a serious bodyguard and then taking a whole 360 with his other role. Kudos to his superb acting skills. The rest of the cast were perfect and their acting was on point. If there’s one thing I’m not complaining about, it’s the cast.

Now, it’s time to get down to business about why exactly despite the stellar cast and brilliant cinematography, I gave this drama a withering 4/10 stars.

- The plot or lack thereof
Okay, the idea of parallel worlds and doppelgänger sold the show AT THE START. It was what made me click besides LMH and KGE and it was what made me finish that first episode. Great start with the history of this magical flute that had to potential to connect both worlds. Yay, sitting on the edge of my seat. Well, until LMH started to get on his horse and trod into the other world. The first thing he said to KGE was literally something like “finally, I have seen you.” or some shit. Cue the swooning and fangirling because wow this handsome dude i’ve literally never seen my whole life is now hugging me?!?! After that, what happened from ep2 to like 11 was literally nothing but him travelling back and forth, flirting and dating and using that half broken flute to return to his kingly duties. I’m not even sure when the romance started because there was no slow-burn, no tension and NO CHEMISTRY. The next thing I knew, they were kissing and saying cheesy things. I don’t even want to talk about that over-the-top, dramatic scene where his whole troop of bodyguards went to save KGE, the crying damsel in distress. It was ultimately, a waste of bloody resources.
The ending was confusing to say at least. I spent many episodes wondering who was the one who saved LMH when he almost got killed by his uncle on the night of the treason…only to find out it was LMH himself from the future. BOOM mind-blown. Was that the expected response?

K. More like poor, convoluted plot and a pathetic attempt to salvage an already broken storyline. And if you think about it, LMH from the future gave LMH in the past an ID card with KGE’s face on it so that LMH in the future would find her? Seriously. But anyway, the most messed up part was when he literally opened all the doors to the universe to find KGE. Hey, I get it all you romantics like this kind of stuff but at this point, it’s just getting tiring… This drama was just 90% romance and 10% fantasy where the action ONLY PICKED UP AT EPISODE 16 OR SO. All the times when LMH approached his uncle the traitor, they only had dramatic eye contact before he let him slip away. And then somehow, he managed to catch him so smoothly towards the end? I would’ve liked to have seen the uncle outsmart LMH given how that’s what he’s been doing all along. Quite disappointing for a villain.

- The romance
Was there chemistry? I’m pretty sure they already got together during the first ep. I loved KGE’s badass cop character at the start but afterwards…I’m pretty sure it’s not her acting but more of the character she needed to play…she became dry and just lovesick throughout. The whole time she was waiting for him and then crying when he finally came. The dramatic scene at the end of ep11 (I think) where she waited for him, crying in the middle of the road was over exaggerated. And to be realistic, if LMH was really a king, how could he even have time to travel between both worlds and how did no one impeach him for neglecting his duties? Unless head court Lady Noh did all his work for him while he was busy playing boyfriend with KGE. There was no swoon worthy moments for me, not even that neck kiss which was overhyped. Seriously, it was just a brief peck on the neck. And the cooking scenes where he wore his navy uniform? I’m sorry, I skipped it because it was way too cringe. By the way, I think it was ep 4/5? When they confessed their love for each other despite the fact that their only interactions being limited to the chicken restaurant? Alright, people fall in love fast sometimes but i did not see that coming :)

- The place where time doesn’t exist

They just wasted time filming a balloon and an empty vacuum of space. Nothing happened there except when LMH brought KGE there to gush and show off his brainiac knowledge. Oh, and I guess the part where the traitor died there and KGE was trapped inside for a while. Other than those parts, nah.

- Who saved me? Future me??
I’ll never stop. This plot twist had no twist and was just, just—Maybe because I don’t quite understand it but I say for sure that i know i won’t be the only one who didn’t grasp that concept. You know why? There was NO EXPLANATION WHATSOEVER. Then again, what sort of explanation could they possibly come up with to support this wacko theory? Physics? Alright.

I’m done here. Please, watch this show if you’re looking for a cheesy royal romance because rest assured, it’s the only one with a high budget and a stellar cast. But really, don’t even waste your time to finish this drama because I can assure you, you’re not missing out on anything but a measly neck kiss ;)

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An enjoyable beachside romance

This drama is not overrated in the slightest.

I’m not one for romantic comedies especially in a small town setting but this one has a special place in my heart. I’ll share about what was really enjoyable for me and what I felt could’ve been better.

- CHIEF HONG

Every episode was interesting for me and the humour was OUT OF THIS WORLD. No seriously, shut up I’ve never laughed so hard my entire life. I loved, loved and LOVED chief hong’s character. The way he managed everything in the small town and had so many official licenses. He was so cheerful and charming that I couldn’t help but adore him even if I personally am not a fan of Kim Seon Ho. His character had so much substance and humour. Plus, his interactions with grandmother was so touching and tear jerking. When he piggybacked her and that boyish laugh he let out…God, I was done for. When I learnt about his past and what he had gone through in Seoul, it was the only time I ever cried with a character. His backstory wasn’t what moved me but more of the way he finally let out his bottled up emotions and dropped the act. Goes to show that behind every smile, there really is something more.

- THE VILLAGERS

Every form of entertainment came from them. The three grandmothers, Bora and her family, the divorced couple with their son. All of them made a lasting impression with their funny interactions and bittersweet moments. Personally, I liked the little boy whose name I can’t seem to recall the most. He was so mature for his age and when he cried, it really stuck with me.

- THE PLOT

There wasn’t a lot of drama because this was a lighthearted watch and the events that took place were quite trivial, with occasional conflicts here and there getting resolved fast. It wasn’t entirely based on the main lead’s romance because most of their interactions were centred around things happening in the town. The main “plot twist” or “climax” was really discovering about Chief Hong’s tragic backstory. Other than that, everything was enjoyable and realistic.

- THE FEMALE LEAD

Yes. I understand that in the end, there was character development but her personality thoroughly annoyed me even until the very end. She wasn’t excessive or anything but her disdain towards her was very apparent and I didn’t like how she had to rely on Chief Hong to save her ass. BUT what I did like was how realistic and refreshing her character was at the same time. Sounds contradictory but hear me out. Despite how difficult the dentist was at first and how rude she was to her neighbours, I couldn’t help but relate to her in some ways and find bits of myself in her reactions. I liked how honest and upfront she was about her feelings but yet, she also felt apologetic when she knew she was in the wrong. Her character isn’t perfect or ideal to say the least but that’s the part that moved me the most.

- THE TEMPORARY LOVE TRIANGLE

It wasn’t much of a love triangle but rather a history between the dentist and her ex classmate who after so long, still pined for her but respectfully did so. It was an unrequited love and a matter of bad timing and I do like how unlike some typical seconds leads who spend their entire lives in a one-sides love, this man got a decent ending of his own. It wasn’t rushed or anything but a slow matter of healing from his first love and embracing a new one. It felt natural and refreshing.

I’ll now be moving on to the parts which I personally didn’t like but didn’t find unbearable to watch.

- THE (CRINGE) PARTS

My cringe tolerance is very, very low so rest assured it’s probably won’t be cringe for you. Just throwing this out there. I was up to my neck when they took pictures in school uniforms and the female lead was constantly whining or shrieking in ways that…bothered me. Some parts were okay, quite sweet but it felt overdone a little. I won’t say much but yes, that is my take on the romance and if you enjoyed it, don’t let my opinion spoil your enjoyment :)

- THE GRANDMA DID NOT NEED TO PASS AWAY

Yes. There was already enough going on what with Chief’s Hong past getting revealed and his backstory. I was praying hard that the grandma would not die when she said those sad things before sleeping and it broke me when she didn’t wake up the next morning. I felt it would’ve been better if she had at least seen Chief Hong come out of his house before she passed on because the last time she went to visit him was to leave him corn on his doorstep .

Overall, this was a lighthearted drama with hilarious scenes and a perfect beachside romance. It’s something like crash landing on you with the village camaraderie and all but very different in a way. A must-watch if you’re an emotional person!

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