[Drama 2020] The King: Eternal Monarch, 더 킹: 영원의 군주

[madmad min]

 

42 minutes ago, Dramafreak said:

@Heilo @madmad min @mychoiyoung

 

Did you guys see LG's shoes in episode 8. His entry into the hotel room when JY and SJ are fighting?

 

So does this pair match any shoes in episode 1 fight sequence. You guys are detectives!!!.

 

@DramafreakLG's shoes are different in episode 8 when Hottie 1 and Hottie 2 are fighting. (JY and SJ) than the pair of shoes in episode 1. For me the pre-spoiler giveaway was the  loose style of Jacket LG was wearing which was similar to the Pulse checker Savior in Episode 1. 

 

 

EPISODE 1 (LG Shoes, I think)

 

 

EPISODE 1 (SJ Shoes, I think)

 

EPISODE 8( LG enters when Hotties fighting shoes)

[syntyche]

"The King" will have a special episode on May 17, 12:10pm KST.

https://www.sbs.co.kr/schedule/index.html

 

[jerboa83]

6 hours ago, mamabear said:

We have this theory here that there were 2 saviors who saved the young LG. The strongest evidence so far was the shots of 2 different kinds of shoes that were shown on Episode 1. I believe someone posted pics of the shoes a few pages back. 

 

Some of us believe that the saviors are either 

 

LG and SJ

LG and JTE

LG and Ji Hyun

 

One thing is for sure though, if this happens to be correct, one of the saviors is LG.

Wait... Who's Ji Hyun? Did you mean to say Jo Young (LG's bodyguard)?
(I haven't backtracked the posts yet.)

[Heretorant]

8 minutes ago, heartoppaya said:

Has any of you watched the American crime show “Fringe”? I saw something about the birth secret similar in it.

 

Don't read this is you’re planning to watch Fringe:

  Reveal hidden contents

In Fringe, Walter Bishop admits that he stole his doppelgänger’s son from the alternate universe when his own son died from a sickness. He kept telling Peter Bishop that he was very sick and then he recovered, but always with a very sad face. Because the truth is Peter didn’t recover, but he died. Then Walter went to the alternate universe and stole his doppelgänger’s son, who he brought up as his own.

 

Does this sound like the fate of Shin Jae?

Also, the difference between Shin Jae and his character in Prison Playbook is really contrasting. Like Jo Yeong and Jo Eun Sup.

 

I can’t be the only one who’s having a hard time wondering whether to ship Jo Yeong with Lee Gon it Jo Yeong with Jo Eun Sup, right? Hands up please!! 

Sounds plausible. We know kid SJ was switched and his real mother is in Corea. It’s possible he was kidnapped and used to threaten his real mother to leak information. Kid SJ in Korea must have never woke up and died. Does this mean his Korean mother knows about the switch? 
 

Also, I have a third ship: LG and JES lol. They get into more trouble together lol. But I ship them all with each other so it’s hard to decide. 

[madmad min]

9 minutes ago, jerboa83 said:

Wait... Who's Ji Hyun? Did you mean to say Jo Young (LG's bodyguard)?
(I haven't backtracked the posts yet.)

She meant Lee Ji-Hun, LG's doppleganger in ROK.

[1ouise]

15 minutes ago, madmad min said:

Hottie 1

Hottie 2

Pulse checker Savior

 

  You win!

 

 

[jerboa83]

14 hours ago, Geolyvseven said:

 

There was no commotion during faith so everything went smooth but it was in heirs era where we witnessed the back and forth wrestling mainly from faithlings trying to destroy heirs fans inside heirs thread. faithlings were bullies. Where as heirs fans or shippers were young you could tell by their posts. 13-17ish majority of them. They just couldn't live under the same roof at that time

That's not true. The reason many people bashed "The Heirs" is far more simple: like DOTS, it was a badly written drama. The episode shot in the US were awful, and some scenes utterly nonsensical (the two main characters running from Hollywood hills to Malibu beach, the "drug" scene and most of the female lead's misadventures abroad). "Faith" and Lee Minho's previous dramas have nothing to do with that. 
I don't have much faith in this scriptwriter, admittedly, but I'm enjoying "The King" so far and I hope it will make more sense than some of her previous works. She's better at writing fantasy stories (like Goblin) than other stuff, so I hope she'll fare better this time.

[Guine]

On 5/10/2020 at 10:55 PM, Keikokoko said:

 

I hope one can enlighten me: Ep3 , when JTE wasn't able to trace family of LG based on his DNA , while on Ep8  she was able to trace family of LR doppelgänger's autopsy (the king , the queen and LJH  on ROK) , why is that ? I mean , how's that possible ? They already have records of the family which is direct to LG's DNA,  right?  

Edited May 13, 2020 by Guine

[Heretorant]

17 minutes ago, 1ouise said:

 

32 minutes ago, madmad min said:

Hottie 1

Hottie 2

Pulse checker Savior

 

  You win!

 

I’ll take the Pulse Checker Savior. Can’t tell if he’s hot but i’ll put faith in my luck. Fair enough? 

 

7 minutes ago, jerboa83 said:

That's not true. The reason many people bashed "The Heirs" is far more simple: like DOTS, it was a badly written drama. The episode shot in the US were awful, and some scenes utterly nonsensical (the two main characters running from Hollywood hills to Malibu beach, the "drug" scene and most of the female lead's misadventures abroad). "Faith" and Lee Minho's previous dramas have nothing to do with that. 
I don't have much faith in this scriptwriter, admittedly, but I'm enjoying "The King" so far and I hope it will make more sense than some of her previous works. She's better at writing fantasy stories (like Goblin) than other stuff, so I hope she'll fare better this time.

 

I agree, Heirs was so badly written and until this day, I am bitter towards Writer Kim. The King may not be perfect in so many ways but it is far better than Heirs in every way. It’s a pity the directing and editing is off because it could have been so great! Regardless, I’m still enjoying it and will probably walk away liking the drama a lot. On the other hand, Heirs was a drama I watched to support lmh but walked away never wanting to watch it again. 

 

[madmad min]

7 minutes ago, Heretorant said:

I’ll take the Pulse Checker Savior. Can’t tell if he’s hot but i’ll put faith in my luck. Fair enough? 

 

 

I agree, Heirs was so badly written and until this day, I am bitter towards Writer Kim. The King may not be perfect in so many ways but it is far better than Heirs in every way. It’s a pity the directing and editing is off because it could have been so great! Regardless, I’m still enjoying it and will probably walk away liking the drama a lot. On the other hand, Heirs was a drama I watched to support lmh but walked away never wanting to watch it again. 

 

 

Yabadabadoo... I have my eyes on Hottie 1(JY) :D...the pulse checker in previous Era's Conman stole my heart(JoonJae), Pulse Saviour can be JTE or yours no problemo...

 

Heirs was fine...I mean it meant to be somewhat like US shows making no sense at times (Romance Drama ala Gossip Girls or One Tree Hill)..Kim Tan and Kim Won storyline ( The one who wears the crown bears the Crown) made me stick to it and ofcourse the entire ensemble cast.(Marvellous, who is not known now amongst them anymore?)..

 

Again as I said before Kim Tan was a Rapunzel so is LG in some sense (He knows He is a King, He was born into the JoB he did not chose, but yet he is not fully contempt). Even if DOTS and Heirs was badly written , The local audience loved it because they were no brainer and made someone Pine something hence the emotional connection. (IMO LOTBS was far far better ). This one needs Brain, and unless In depth analysis is done for LeeEul couple no one feels the pining ( The irritating fact that this is 16 episodes led even the writer to cut short some scenes which led to non attachment to main OTP imo). Again people loose plot because they zoneout and cleaely lack patience to understand the storyline , that is what made them miss this show's uniqueness. 

Writing for TKEM ain't bad at all, it just that what I assume TV watchers may prefer a Mills and Boon instead of Cecila Ahern meets Sydney Sheldon novel is what is happening here.

[syntyche]

23 minutes ago, Guine said:

I hope one can enlighten me: Ep3 , when JTE wasn't able to trace family of LG based on his DNA , while on Ep8  she was able to trace family of LR doppelgänger's autopsy (the king , the queen and LJH  on ROK) , why is that ? I mean , how's that possible ? They already have records of the family which is direct to LG's DNA,  right?  

 

In episode 3, JTE did not find a match for LG's fingerprints and DNA because his doppelganger in Korea died at a young age in 1994, and back then, there possibly was no record of kid doppelganger's fingerprints and DNA.  In this episode, all JTE had were the fingerprints and DNA of LG. 

Meanwhile, in episode 8, LG handed information to JTE on Lee Rim's age, blood type, and fingerprints. Lee Rim's doppelganger must have those on record in Korea, thus, JTE found a match. Once she found a match, finding the doppelganger's family background was quite easy.    

[lindas55]

22 minutes ago, Heretorant said:

I’ll take the Pulse Checker Savior. Can’t tell if he’s hot but i’ll put faith in my luck. Fair enough? 

 

 

I agree, Heirs was so badly written and until this day, I am bitter towards Writer Kim. The King may not be perfect in so many ways but it is far better than Heirs in every way. It’s a pity the directing and editing is off because it could have been so great! Regardless, I’m still enjoying it and will probably walk away liking the drama a lot. On the other hand, Heirs was a drama I watched to support lmh but walked away never wanting to watch it again. 

 

I agree with both of you while I like most of Lee Min-ho's dramas Heirs just didn't work for me. He is always great eye candy but now days I also need a story line and even with it's faults and what drama doesn't have a few, this one is a great story.  I took a break from the K drama world because the stories started to be to routine and boring. The King brought me back to the K drama world and soompi. 

[jerboa83]

On 5/12/2020 at 12:53 PM, ktcjdrama said:

Some eagle-eyed people, check the shoes. I cannot see very clearly.

 

Here is for reference.

 

 

 

Episode 1. Definitely two different pairs of shoes, and like someone else pointed out, the timing of scene seems to point to two different saviors being there at the same time. The two details can be explained either as amateurish mistakes by the costumer and the director (I think/hope not), or something made on purpose. 
If it's a clue, then we have different options with different characters involved...
Which characters are good have the shooting and fighting skills to pull it off?
1) Jo Young: he's a master fighter and (presumably) a skilled shooter
2) Kang Shin Jae: he's a very good fighter and he's better than Tae Eul at shooting
3) Jung Tae Eul: she's probably even better than Shin Jae at fighting, because of her longer experience, but slightly less good than him at shooting
4) Lee Gon: When he couldn't count on his bodyguards he proved himself to be very good at hand-to-hand combat, especially with short range weapons like his whip (he seems to be amazingly skilled fencer: just looks at how he moves!), but we still don't know how clumsy he actually is when it comes to firing guns and rifles (he missed the targets when he was doing it for fun at that booth, and the general made fun of his supposedly sub-par skills, but we don't know whether that was just a joke or not. Maybe it was, considering LG's affronted reaction...).

If the spoiler image I haven't seen (it was removed before I read those posts) really showed adult LG (Lee Min Ho) wearing his own savior's clothes, the King might have actually saved himself, with or without one of the other three characters (his bodyguard/his girlfriend/his newly-found subject). In that case, he must be a good shooter too... Taking down that many trained and armed hitmen is no easy feat, even with the help of another person.

[mychoiyoung]

1 hour ago, Heretorant said:

  1 hour ago, Dramafreak said:

@Heilo @madmad min @mychoiyoung

 

Did you guys see LG's shoes in episode 8. His entry into the hotel room when JY and SJ are fighting?

 

So does this pair match any shoes in episode 1 fight sequence. You guys are detectives!!!.

 

LG's epi 08 shoes DO NOT match epi 01 shoes.  But the shoes on the spoiler pix did. The clothes are also similar

[jerboa83]

57 minutes ago, madmad min said:

She meant Lee Ji-Hun, LG's doppleganger in ROK.

But his ROK doppleganger was killed by Lee Rim when he was still a child...

[scrawford]

56 minutes ago, Heretorant said:

 

I agree, Heirs was so badly written and until this day, I am bitter towards Writer Kim. The King may not be perfect in so many ways but it is far better than Heirs in every way. It’s a pity the directing and editing is off because it could have been so great! Regardless, I’m still enjoying it and will probably walk away liking the drama a lot. On the other hand, Heirs was a drama I watched to support lmh but walked away never wanting to watch it again. 

 

@jerboa83 and @Heretorant I also Agree that Heirs was poorly written, however, im not gonna lie, it was my crack Drama and i was smitten even more with LMH through Kim Tan. I personally think LMH did a good job portraying Kim Tan, however, the writing went down hill from Episode 13 and nothing develop. Just teen angst. The Heirs is another KES drama that "could have been better", because the material is there. Kim Tan is a character that could have an arc, but instead he stayed the same.She could have develop the Brothers rivalry better, and make Cha Eun Sang a bit more feisty and Strong instead of continually crying. When i rewatched the second time, i skipped the 1 episode and FF through the 2nd episode only for the cute moments and skip the cringe worthy Chasing scene, and watched ep 3-13 and then usually didn't go further. because him and PSH had a good and believable chemistry, but again didn't get utilized to the fullest. Why do i sense that's KES weaknesses? she writes interesting story but lack in fully utilizing her characters. 

Out of all the drama of her that I watch, Mr. Sunshine is the best (almost perfect) one so far because it's written well and presented well, however the she spent 10 years on the story before making it to screen. The king is probably the second one since the story is good but again feel like lack in the preparation hence the flaws in the presentation (directing/editing). maybe she needs more time to develop this story? But The King definitely got me hooked and really involve in the story and despite it's flaw i admired KES imagination and her attention to detail in the world building and how almost everything has double meaning/mirroring something.

[Heretorant]

1 hour ago, madmad min said:

 

Yabadabadoo... I have my eyes on Hottie 1(JY) :D...the pulse checker in previous Era's Conman stole my heart(JoonJae), Pulse Saviour can be JTE or yours no problemo...

 

Heirs was fine...I mean it meant to be somewhat like US shows making no sense at times (Romance Drama ala Gossip Girls or One Tree Hill)..Kim Tan and Kim Won storyline ( The one who wears the crown bears the Crown) made me stick to it and ofcourse the entire ensemble cast.(Marvellous, who is not known now amongst them anymore?)..

 

Again as I said before Kim Tan was a Rapunzel so is LG in some sense (He knows He is a King, He was born into the JoB he did not chose, but yet he is not fully contempt). Even if DOTS and Heirs was badly written , The local audience loved it because they were no brainer and made someone Pine something hence the emotional connection. (IMO LOTBS was far far better ). This one needs Brain, and unless In depth analysis is done for LeeEul couple no one feels the pining ( The irritating fact that this is 16 episodes led even the writer to cut short some scenes which led to non attachment to main OTP imo). Again people loose plot because they zoneout and cleaely lack patience to understand the storyline , that is what made them miss this show's uniqueness. 

Writing for TKEM ain't bad at all, it just that what I assume TV watchers may prefer a Mills and Boon instead of Cecila Ahern meets Sydney Sheldon novel is what is happening here.

Hahahaha, I’ll take pulse checker savior in the previous era too. Actually, Heo Joon Jae was the best thing out of LOTBS. He was such a pleasure to watch, fun and full of charms. And I must admit, I’ll never get tired of seeing lmh get jealous of himself lol. There were just a few details I couldn’t turn a blind eye to, like how both Joon Jae and Ma Dae Young could dream about their past. And everything was too one dimensional: all characters who were good from the past were good in the present and same goes with evil characters. BUT I was definitely more emotionally connected to the love story there because it was a sweet one. Especially because we got to see the previous life played next to the current life. Regardless of its flaws, I still say LOTBS >>>>> Heirs. I can watch LOTBS over again and still enjoy it. In comparison to DOTS, I’d rank LOTBS equivalent in writing. But I agree, Heirs and DOTS were made for the general audience. It was simple and easy to grasp so it makes sense why people would enjoy it. Heck, even I enjoyed it while it was airing. It’s not the best written drama ever but it’s a good way to kill time. 
 

I don’t think The King is written badly at all! I think the script is amazing but it’s the pacing, directing, and editing that is off. It’s a great story but lacking in execution. And you’re right, currently, I don’t have the same attachment to the OTP as I would normally, but I’m more interested in seeing how this all will play out than any of the dramas named. It’s unpredictable so it’s fun. I also think there’s still room to make the OTP special. So currently standing, I choose The King over any of the dramas mentioned. I can, however, acknowledge that it is a harder story to grasp and not made for everyone. I get a kick out of figuring out mysteries and coming up with theories so it’s my cup of tea. I’m also a sucker for symbolism and foreshadowing and all that geeky stuff. Others might find it too difficult and give up. And still, others might only care about romance but are not given enough of it. I can certainly understand why The King is not as popular but if we’re just comparing writing, it’s written better than the others imo. 

——————————————

 

@scrawford everything you said, 100%! Heirs is kind of like the drama I’m embarrassed to admit I enjoyed. Badly written but enjoyable. And nope, cannot blame lmh for Kim Tan at all. His portrayal of Kim Tan was a such sensation! He did his job great! It was the writer who decided to, like you said, to make everything go downhill after episode 13. She also decided to write Kim Tan passive aggressive, which led many people to hate his character. That, one cannot blame lmh for.

 

Like you, to me, Mr. Sunshine was her best written script. It was near perfect. The avoidable deaths at the end had to ruin it. I still give her crap about that because she could have killed him off without making me think, why didn’t he do this or that? He could have lived in the scenario she presented. Why not ask them all to drop their guns? Move them to the next room and then cut the train loose? But that discussion is for another day. Back to what I was saying, it was a strong script but it was not as fascinating as The King. Like you, I think The King can be up there but the pacing is off. If we’d spend less time at the police station and more time with the king or the OTP, the story would have been better. The King has so much potential, such a great setup to pull you in and keep you guessing until the end. But the problem is that half the episode, I’m just waiting and then the other half, I get excited. It’s kind of like, I know you have the ability to make a full episode exciting but why don’t you? It irks me. In comparison to Goblin, I think the king is still more fascinating but goblin was much better produced in every way! Goblin was directed and edited on another level! While most of it was quite slow to me, the execution was far better. Mr. Sunshine falls in the same category. It was less exciting but I knew what I was watching and I forgave it. Because I didn’t need a fast pace story, I needed a meaningful one and it delivered. And my god, let’s not even begin about the directing and editing, it simply puts this drama to shame. Mr. Sunshine was top level! 

[RobinM]

She is trying to put to much into the story,  the creative side is trying to be super extra and creative when none of that is necessary.  All The bells and whistles are masking a really good story and what could be a lovely romantic plot.

[CarolynH]

Here is a cute review of episode 1 complete with the chicken!

cr:  DUCKHU TV

[madmad min]

40 minutes ago, Heretorant said:

King over any of the dramas mentioned. I can, however, acknowledge that it is a harder story to grasp and not made for everyone. I get a kick out of figuring out mysteries and coming up with theories so it’s my cup of tea. I’m also a sucker for symbolism and foreshadowing and all that geeky stuff. Others might find it too difficult and give up. 

KING is way more creative and Analyzed plot with multiple folklores and facts than any other shows mainly kdramas that have seen. Writing or lets say the basic Concept is awsome albiet Long. 

 

I for one dont need to rely on OTP for it to progress. I dont even remember it being a romance drama when the FIRST Trailer aired with all the NUMBERS and Time Turner watch. Its from the Press Con this started being promoted as a romantic show which clearly the preproduced part was not?

 

I grasped onto it for HP feels and LMH , so OTP only servers like a noodle in sauce for me atleast because that's what I thought the story would be. I wanted the sauce to be intresting, noodle being soggy would have been a disaster, for me its Noodle (OTP) is ok so its a GREAT watch while I figure what makes the content of this sauce this intresting. (Moreover I love that JTE calls out on LG being too Cheesy , His dialoges are cheesy Eh!)But again without Noodles Sauce wouldn't be appreciated alas!

 

(I have watched LOTBS five times on different platforms and without subs, there is this subtle expressions and longing from OTP which just cannot be missed.And LMH's variant expressions till date which I love :D)

 

 

Goblin, I think the king is still more fascinating but goblin was much better produced in every way! Goblin was directed and edited on another level! While most of it was quite slow to me, the execution was far better.

 

What you said here is so true @Heretorant Goblin's storyline had like little to not Ah Shucks Moments (Soilder killed wrongly by King. Soilder becomes Goblin King becomes Grim Reaper,Goblin finds the bride , Goblin and GR are bff,Goblin in Freaking episode 13 finds the Evil soul, GR and Goblin kill him, Goblin dies returns, bride dies after 110 yrs Goblin and Bride reunite,the end)The show was fascinating because of development and execution it was like on some other level. KING has double the material but why is it on such a DARKER undertone in both the worlds is beyond me. Like I mean a reviewer said maybe the color pallete could have been better or different to make it distinguiable at certain points. 

 

Get someone from Goblin's team for execution :(. Honestly the visuals of first episode and 4th episode end were the Best yet. ( And Hotties fight scene :D)