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

[syntyche]

 

 

********************************************************

 

“The King: Eternal Monarch” Staff Shares High Praise For Lee Min Ho’s Dedication And Work Ethic

The staff of SBS’s Friday-Saturday drama “The King: Eternal Monarch” had high praise for lead actor Lee Min Ho.

“The King: Eternal Monarch” tells the story of Emperor Lee Gon (Lee Min Ho) and detective Jung Tae Eul (Kim Go Eun), who live in parallel universes where Korea is a constitutional monarchy and democracy respectively, but work together to try and save peoples lives.

 

Lee Min Ho has been showcasing his talents as an actor through the evolution of his character. His maturity and attention to detail is helping viewers become more immersed in Lee Gon’s story. He is being applauded for his use of his gaze, expressions, and voice to give off a regal aura that is perfect for his character as an emperor.

According to the staff, Lee Min Ho is constantly looking over his script and monitoring his scenes in order to help viewers understand the complicated emotions his character feels as he goes back and forth between two worlds. Not only does he put in effort to have control over his lines, vocal tone, breathing, movements, and outfits, he is said to be in constant communication with the director and his fellow actors. The staff has shared that his considerate and sincere attitude reflects his efforts to bring Lee Gon to life.

 

A source from “The King: Eternal Monarch” stated, “He’s an actor with amazing passion and concentration at every moment. As the drama progresses, we continue to be amazed by Lee Min Ho’s ability to express emotions in depth. We are moved by his hard work to make sure that not a single scene goes to waste.”

“The King: Eternal Monarch” airs every Friday and Saturday at 10 p.m. KST.

 

https://www.soompi.com/article/1399519wpp/the-king-eternal-monarch-staff-shares-high-praise-for-lee-min-hos-dedication-and-work-ethic

 

 

 

[vangsweetie637]

Whoa! This drama..you cannot miss any details otherwise everything easily gets confusing. Even after watching the episodes carefully, it seems like the puzzles are still scattered everywhere and im still confused haha. This is the tricky part about parallel worlds. Everything isn’t as it seems and doppelgängers make it much harder to grasp details. So from my understanding, Shin Jae in ROK is actually from Corea. This means people were able to cross over even before the flute broke or people can actually find the portal on their own? Did LR and his minions bring him over because it doesn’t seem like anyone knows he is from Corea?  

 

Honestly, i am still not very clear on everything unfolding. I think for now, i am just going to see how everything unfolds. This drama is not as simple as it seems because a lot of details are incorporated into dialogue and the settings. 
 

After trying to make sense of what I am watching, this is the result:

 

 

 

i will just take Soju instead  

 

 

[mychoiyoung]

4 hours ago, blademan said:

Shin Jae was the highlight of the episode. FIGHT ME ON THIS.

 

I think I posted this somewhere, not sure here as this site moves SO FAST & cannot check anymore which page but here is my take re amount of screen time for the actors and characters - 

 

Hmmmm perhaps still too early to say but I sense a pattern here in terms of distributing the actor-character highlights when writing scripts —

1. 1st – they built-up SJ in epi 5-6. They made sure we know about his back story and the script made sure that the actor is showcased. He is, as the producers say, the secret weapon.
2. Now – it is JY. I think epis 7-8 will be his, building up with SJ for continuity purposes
3. Next – it will be KGE’s time to shine, what with Luna being introduced. KGE will probably reign in epis 9-10, both as TE & Luna
4. Next-next – Then it will be the actor playing LR or LL to shine. LR or LL has to show his diabolical genius for epis 11-12
5. Then – for epis 13-14 will be LMH; It is the King’s turn to show his stuff; Altho he has been magnificent since 1st episode. He isnot THE KING for nothing!
6. Epis 15-16 will be the assemblage of all the main characters, minus some probable casualties. And of course focus on the resolution between our OTP/s.

 

So far items 1-2 have been correct, right?  Let us see how this goes for the rest…

 

2 hours ago, Keikokoko said:

3 hours ago, Heretorant said:

@Dramafreak  I think half of us here are unsatisfied because we want the story to show a different side to him. It’s not really character growth we are asking for but more so character depth. I want him to break. For example, one of my favorite scenes is when he gave the suicidal order. I actually like when he interacts with his enemies because he shows a side to him that’s different from when he’s around his people. I need more! One day, I wish he’d just break out of his role and punch someone out of anger hahaha. Yes, that’s what I’m looking for.

 

@Heretorant @Dramafreak @scrawford

 

I think we are all yearning to see King's raw emotions occasionally. Take away the shell and show us LG as a man not the kimg from time to time. There is a void inside him since that night. That's why he hung onto the ID. There are also sadness, anger, loneliness etc, along with that fine body underneath his royal outfits. Wish we are privy to see it. 

 

I think this will happen when it is TE who is in danger.  Remember guys, patience is a virtue... I sincerely believe LG and LMH will have a fantastic highlight for the last 4 epis.  Just a hunch. 

 

56 minutes ago, leeminhosny said:

there were my dreams on Takwondo center but all of them died

like this

  Hide contents

 

 

Awwww. I miss LMH in City Hunter.  I wonder what will it take for him to consider doing a Season 2 of this.  The director says he was game for it and will only do it with LMH. Pleeeeaaaase Min-ho?

Edited May 11, 2020 by Jillia
Please do not post consecutively, edit you previous post instead. Thanks!

[Chinelly Fern]

I can't wait to get into this. I am a bit new. Where is the best channel to watch it?

[Heretorant]

1 hour ago, mychoiyoung said:

 

Not only his eyes.  His voice.  That velvety voice  that became hoarse & gruff when the traitor started talking about his father. Restraint & controlled but filled with venom.

 

I also admired the King when he emphasized that what they did was murder and he opted for the traitor to kill himself - instead of ordering JY to do it for him.  That juxtaposition underscores how different they are.

I was ranting earlier that I want the king to break and lash out for once but god, I just love the way you put it! I 100% agree with you on this. It was impactful that he ordered a suicide instead of doing it himself or ordering JY to do it. 
 

I guess I should clarify myself though, my earlier rant had nothing to do with this particular scene because I thought it was perfect! I crave for more scenes like this, more of this side to the king! Yes please  

 

@Chinelly Fern if you enjoy a show full of mysteries and twists and you love to analyze and have patience to wait until everything is revealed, then this drama is for you  Best place to watch it is on Netflix. 

[mychoiyoung]

2 hours ago, vangsweetie637 said:

Whoa! This drama..you cannot miss any details otherwise everything easily gets confusing. Even after watching the episodes carefully, it seems like the puzzles are still scattered everywhere and im still confused haha. This is the tricky part about parallel worlds. Everything isn’t as it seems and doppelgängers make it much harder to grasp details. So from my understanding, Shin Jae in ROK is actually from Corea. This means people were able to cross over even before the flute broke or people can actually find the portal on their own? Did LR and his minions bring him over because it doesn’t seem like anyone knows he is from Corea?  

 

Honestly, i am still not very clear on everything unfolding. I think for now, i am just going to see how everything unfolds. This drama is not as simple as it seems because a lot of details are incorporated into dialogue and the settings. 
 

After trying to make sense of what I am watching, this is the result:

 

 

RE SJ - it would appear that SJ is from Corea alright.  But he has a counterpart in Korea, who is dying or has been in a coma for a some time.  So LR arranged for a switch.  SJ's real mom is in Corea who happens to work in the Palace. So the popular supposition is that

• LR approached Corea Mom to send young SJ to Korea to replace the comatosed SJ in Korea
• In exchange for a better life for the son and her spying for LR.

 

Meanwhile, SJ's parents in Korea may or may not know of the switch. 

• Korea Mom may not know of the switch that's why she calls SJ her "miracle", after waking up from coma. 
• Perhaps SJ's father knew about the switch, that's why he embezzled money to pay LR and that's where LR 1st got his funding to start his diabolical plans.

 

 

1 hour ago, Heretorant said:

I guess I should clarify myself though, my earlier rant had nothing to do with this particular scene because I thought it was perfect! I crave for more scenes like this, more of this side to the king! Yes please  

 

Am SURE we will get more of this in later episodes.  The build-up is necessary for a dramatic high  KES has never disappointed fans of ML on this, right?  Esp with LMH who a lot has mentioned is a favorite of hers?

 

Cannot wait.  Funny I am on this board when most of the King fans I think are out. Or are they on different thread? LOL

[YongZura⁷]

3 hours ago, vangsweetie637 said:

 So from my understanding, Shin Jae in ROK is actually from Corea. This means people were able to cross over even before the flute broke or people can actually find the portal on their own? Did LR and his minions bring him over because it doesn’t seem like anyone knows he is from Corea?  

 

In addition to what you have understood, the duration after the flute were cut into two and LG went to Korea is quite a looooong time.  We're still trying to grasp of LR's plan one by one.  

 

Quote

Honestly, i am still not very clear on everything unfolding. I think for now, i am just going to see how everything unfolds. This drama is not as simple as it seems because a lot of details are incorporated into dialogue and the settings. 
 

 

For some of us who have followed the drama and this thread since the beginning also still have lots of unanswered questions.  Therefore there are times we just sit back and relax, while the others make predictions based on the clues given here and there.  So just enjoy the ride whenever it's needed. 

[imels]

5 hours ago, Dramafreak said:

 

Then because of his not clear but somewhat romantic feelings he follows the rabbit. He likes the JTE, the girl, he sees. He wants to spend time with her. He feels hurt when she doesnt give him time. She is the reason why he came to another world.

It is not about romantic feeling, day before he chased the rabbit with a clock, he read alice in the wonderland in front of kids. Then a little girl asked who was his girlfriend and closed with the statement “then you must follow the rabbit, pyeha”. That trigger him to chase the girl (Luna) cause he was not only see a rabbit but also JTE figure (maybe a glimpse of her face). Also, another reason was he had alice in wonderland book, where he kept JTE id. He was a fan of fairytale too.

[rocat]

@nrbrown Thank you for patiently answering the questions I had!

@Dramafreak Thank you too for the bit on PM's mom!

 

The responses sure helped to plug some gaps. I skim the pages of posts to get a sense of what I might have missed and stop by longest at images to stare but really wish for a button to like everyone's posts at one go. All the musings and conjectures are pretty interesting - at the rate you guys are going, you could produce a study guide for the drama. 

 

I read some comments about Lee Gon's character trajectory and how it could be fleshed out more. I agree to the extent that I'd also like to see more of LMH on screen, but on the other hand, I think I can fill in the blanks of his growth not shown on screen. For Lee Gon, it is fairly straightforward to draw links.  However, it is the actor LMH's growth trajectory that I am beginning to appreciate. I was not a big fan of his - other than superficially, of course. I have always placed him in the vain, fluffy roles category due in part to his slew of youth rom-coms and those that I think are his 'coming-of-age' dramas to help him get out of the youth ones. City hunter was good but the mermaid one was hmm... But in this role, I saw him change. I was not sure I was very convinced by his debonair King in the first few eps - to me, that did not feel genuine. It was as if I expected him to go back to his Kim Tan days - which he sort of did when he was teasing TE with Court Lady Noh. Then, the last scene in ep 8, something clicked. I saw the gravitas he exuded as King. That scene was mentioned by a lot of you too. Recall the scene when Lee Gon mentioned that the room lights up when he is in it? In that last scene, LMH lit that up. Kudos!

 

I think what is missing though is the growth trajectory from the other lead, particularly in the romance dept. Why did TE suddenly spout 'i love you'? I was as shocked as Lee Gon was, and he handled it much better. Gravitas...hehe.

She doesn't strike me as someone who would say something like that out of the blue. Her voiceovers gave some hints about how much she thought about the King but isn't it uncharacteristic for someone who needs evidence and logic to jump to that conclusion? But she is impulsive. If i were to gather visual evidence of the growing love from her in addition to the thoughts: the hug and helping him do detective work. The other bits were all initiated by the King (i.e. the trip to Corea, the peck, the dinner, the rescue, etc). She so stoic when she is with him i can't tell when she is affected - even when she said 'i love you' she puts up a barrier of professionalism.  Also, did I see a small smirk when she drove off? She's like a judge blurting out a sentence - she silently takes into consideration all factors and gives her take whether the time is right or not for the receiving party. Perhaps that is how she shows love. She acts the same when she is with Shin Jae but just stares a little more at the King - one as a brother and the other as a romantic partner.

The love line in Goblin is much better developed methinks.

 

[syntyche]

11 hours ago, reynamorisson said:

 

3) Jung Tae Eul's mother passed away due to cancer when she's five. Luna is told to be having terminal cancer. If Luna were to die in the story, why Cancer specifically? Cancer does have a genetical hereditary disease trait. Am I reading too much or is there a clue here waiting to be solved?

 

 

Yes, Jung Tae Eul's mother passed away due to cancer.

Yes, Luna has only three months to live due to cancer. Based on her character profile, her cancer is hereditary in nature.

No, you are not reading to much, but yes, we need answers. 

 

[Chellsee]

I adore my brave girl when she said ILOVEYOU!

She knows what she's doing.

She's serious.

And so ready for it. 

 

 

I'll wait... maybe she'll propose to marry him! ~wishful thinking!~

 

 

[rocher22]

The Three Musketeers...the fourth musketeer will join them when he puts

the laundry away...

 

 

[jerboa83]

14 hours ago, Wis dom said:

 

You can always rewatch it but generally is for these who haven't seen it so typically it finds audience with them

 

But it seems a missed chance to me anyway... Many people don't re-watch shows, and even if they do, Netflix's statistics can't take the first time into account in that case, so the show appears to be less popular than it actually is. A show doesn't climb the rankings if people don't binge-watch it or rewatch it. 

[serendipity...]

So many pages woahhh!!! *shocked* you guys are express fast and I've literally stopped keeping up with y'all lol

 

Well I'm still lost with certain scenes and characters as usual but lee min ho is totally worth the confusion. He's the single most awesome thing in my life right now.... apart from mcflurry & coffee of course 

 

Me: 

          

[gwin]

36 minutes ago, rocher22 said:

The Three Musketeers...the fourth musketeer will join them when he puts

the laundry away...

 

 

Looking at all three of them in one shot, it really doesn't seem to me that Jo Yeong is the savior.  He appears to be too short compared to the savior in the first Episode.

[madmad min]

1 hour ago, gwin said:

Looking at all three of them in one shot, it really doesn't seem to me that Jo Yeong is the savior.  He appears to be too short compared to the savior in the first Episode.

It's not SJ either. SJ doesn't wear bulky jackets or loose clothes , LG does!! (This loose jacket itself got many confused in the beginning with the silhouette of a girl or a boy savior). SJ may have the SHOOTER to shoot the glass which fell on everyone, but LG is the one who dropped the ID Card.

 

Like what I theorize...

• LG and LR have a showdown
• LG or LR joins the Manpasikjeok
•  LG gets hold of it
• LG reverses time to put an end to exchanges of world by going to the very beginning , takes SJ along with him
• scene in episode 1 happens.
• LR is caught and taken back in 2020 wherein he is being investigated by very aware SJ and nonchalant JTE.

 

 

[syntyche]

 

 

[gwin]

9 minutes ago, madmad min said:

It's not SJ either. SJ doesn't wear bulky jackets or loose clothes , LG does!! (This loose jacket itself got many confused in the beginning with the silhouette of a girl or a boy savior). SJ may have the SHOOTER to shoot the glass which fell on everyone, but LG is the one who dropped the ID Card.

 

Like what I theorize...

• LG and LR have a showdown
• LG or LR joins the Manpasikjeok
•  LG gets hold of it
• LG reverses time to put an end to exchanges of world by going to the very beginning , takes SJ along with him
• scene in episode 1 happens.
• LR is caught and taken back in 2020 wherein he is being invested by very aware SJ and nonchalant JTE.

 

 

 

But if no one saved kid LG, he would not be alive and there would be no adult LG.  This current version of LG we are seeing now cannot be the savior.

 

 

[madmad min]

17 minutes ago, gwin said:

 

But if no one saved kid LG, he would not be alive and there would be no adult LG.  This current version of LG we are seeing now cannot be the savior.

 

 

There are 2 people see, uh The one who shoots the minions of LR escapes (one with Blue shoes) before one of the Person in LR's team asks him to leave because Royal Guards may come at any time , Then when LR is leaving / about to leave another Person with black shoes appears who does shoot But not on any person , he is shooting on the case where the flute was kept, meanwhile LR leaves and then HE the one with black shoes Drops the ID Card after checking baby LG's pulse.

 

That is why I suspect LG is the one checks the pulse , the actual one who creates commotion escapes initially.

[reynamorisson]

1 hour ago, syntyche said:

 

Yes, Jung Tae Eul's mother passed away due to cancer.

Yes, Luna has only three months to live due to cancer. Based on her character profile, her cancer is hereditary in nature.

No, you are not reading to much, but yes, we need answers. 

 

Thank you! I think this is worth exploring!