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

[x2020]

4 hours ago, Heretorant said:

To hell with the ratings! They’re having so much fun bts, they don’t even care.
 

I love them!

I stole these gifs from some of you guys. Hope you don’t mind hehehe.  

I think because people prefers to watch on Netflix compare to the normal TV showtime. I am not sure about Local Korean viewers wants on this kind of drama, or they might be still not favor KGE with LMH Or maybe the storyline is not as cheesy as normal romantic drama,  or the they prefer drama that focus on the leading actor/actress or they dont like drama that have too many thinking and unpredictable.

Too bad if the rating is low in Korea. Hope the production just accept it and look at us which contribute to the global ratings.

Edited May 23, 2020 by Jillia
Please do not quote pics! Thanks!

[mouse007]

Thanks so much @SweetButters for your timeline graph! 
 

I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me that he might be travelling through time over and over again!! I knew from ep 1 that it was his future self that saves his younger self and left the ID on purpose but I did not consider the possibility that he has travelled more than once so this makes total sense now. To sum it up, future Lee Gon is the one putting things in motion to help his past self change the future. He’s the one leaving himself clues and also leading Tae-Eun to himself through Lee Sang Do. My suspicion is that he succeeds in killing Lee Rim but probably lost Tae-Eul in the process so he is going back through time to change things. It appears the focus of his time travelling isn’t so much to kill Lee Rim but rather to save Tae-Eul. 
 

Lee Gon is slowly realizing that someone is putting things in motion when he says it’s fate. Like when JTE’s ID card is stolen at the palace, he says it looks like it’s meant to happen. 
 

Tbh, I love it. I think this is definitely a drama I will have to re-watch from the beginning once everything is over so I can better understand who’s who. 

[AgentQuake]

So as my username suggests, I looooove Agents of SHIELD.  It’s my favorite show ever.  Nobody watches it live, even though the quality is excellent.  But when they tested Disney+ in Europe, it was one of their top streamed properties, I think 2nd most popular.  It’s ending this year on their own terms with 7 seasons.

 

It’s 2020, at this point, I don’t give any Fs about ratings anymore.  Shows have other ways of making money, whether it’s through selling songs like Glee, selling merch, winning tons of awards like Big Little Lies, or evening having suit kimchi PPL scenes, shows will find a way to come out on top.

 

And I think this one is going to have a loooong half life, especially as word of mouth becomes stronger.  But in any case, as Melinda May on SHIELD said, “we have a small but active fan base”.

 

i wish we had 7 seasons of this.

[mj diz]

I am so invested in TKEM.  Lee Min Ho made my heart ache again after watching him grieve for his uncle in Epi 11.  In Epi 10, my heart ached after their kiss in the end.  

I was surprised that PM Koo went to RoK.  Now she's working with LL.  Maybe she's doing that because she wants to LG to hurt.  How did LG know that JTE was in KoC?  Maybe they have some kind of connection, huh?  Also I wonder what the story is behind Prince Buyeong's son.  When they flashed back to the Prince's conversation with the son, was LG there in the room?  I have more questions. I hope they get answered.  Oh man, I don't know how I'm gonna be able to sleep tonight.  It's Friday night so I have 11hrs till episode 12.

[lyrically aesthetic]

13 hours ago, mychoiyoung said:

 

Any Korean viewer, here to help?  Did the script actually say ""You're in this world, too?" 

ME IS HERE!!! hehehehe 

 

 

she actually asked the kid "you're also here in this world, why are u here?" 

[AgentQuake]

I know I’ve been complaining about the final scenes in each episode being redone in the next episode with more crap in it, but I REALLY REALLY need to see the scene where the very confused SWAT team and Royal Guards try to convince LG that it’s not necessary for him to lead the charge and chop up the redshirts, and then him tossing a tantrum and rushing out on Maximus. 
 

And then the sub captains will have to explain to Yeong how they allowed this to happen.

[mrsj3n]

14 minutes ago, AgentQuake said:

i wish we had 7 seasons of this.

 

God no...

As much as I adore the drama.. 7 seasons will be too much.

I don't mind extended episodes to wrap up the whole doppelgangers shenanigans and revolt nicely.

 

And... what if they pull a GOT stunt on us for the love story of LG and JTE?

Can you all wait for the final season to see LTE do the deed like Jaime and Lady Brienne and then have our heart broken like Jaime left Brienne? 

Nope. I can't.  I can't live through that again.

 

Besides... I don't think you ladies can wait that long. LOL.

 

@lyrically aesthetic OH!!!

So it is not what the subtitles stated???

 

[rambutan]

11 hours ago, AgentQuake said:

 

  Hide contents

 

 

Time Traveling LG -

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I love that JTE isn't stupid.  She's fully aware of her surroundings and figured out the time travel thing in 2 minutes.  I also love that her first indignant reaction was that she got dumped.  

 

PM -

  Reveal hidden contents

wot the hell.  She's gone full blown mustache twirling villain at this point.  I get the feeling that history might repeat itself with Buyeong's son and PM teaming up to take down LG/JTE to name themselves King and Queen Consort.  LG's at his most vulnerable right now - no Queen, no heir, and the nutcase has 49 days to take him down and become King.  Obviously the cousin seems to have loved his dad enough to not commit patricide to get closer, but he's got nothing to lose now.   BUT THIS BISH.  She's got no poker face, and she's completely lost it.  I don't know how much of a redemption arc can be given at this point, and I think if the writer wanted to at this point, they would've started on it already.  That said, she's so GORGE and I want to be her omg.  Also, my YOON SERI COAT!  UGH! 

 

I think we're about to see the rise and fall of her arc though.  Her dopple finally came into play, and it looks like she's in ROK now?  With Jo Yeong?  I get the feeling that 12 is going to be fairly light on JTE/LG since they've shined the last few episodes, and we're really going to get a good dose of ROK with the PM, JY, SJ, and Luna.  For now, I do believe that JTE/LG are in a place where they can take a pause and let the supporting characters move the plot forward.  There's only so many Men in Black raids I can take before my heart gives out.

 

Luna -

  Reveal hidden contents

I don't think she's going to go completely psycho.  For one, she's got 3 months left.  She also got somewhat of a code to her, and I think she's going to fit into JTE's life and after absorbing some of the love and support JTE has around her, she'll make one final hero play.  SJ and JY are going to figure this out pretty quickly, since Luna didn't seem to get much time to practice like the others.  SJ and JY are also fully aware of what's going on with the switches, and JY knows that Luna exists in KOC.  That being said, I think they're going to show her respect and try to help her, because that's who they are.  While Yeong might have some snarky comments and his first priority is to protect LG and the KOC, he's spent too much time around JTE to not care for her too, and we know he has a strong sense of being kind from childhood.

 

She's going to really embody "the move that LG didn't make".  Both her and JTE.  I mean, JTE took out 8 men on her own, and fought her way out of there just a little roughed up.  LL's rage over her escaping tells us he never planned or imagined that she would be like that, and Luna already isn't impressed with him. Luna's MO is to protect herself and get what she wants, and if what she wants is to help her twin....then...RIP LR.

Lee Gon -

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Ahhh baby boy really got to shine last few episodes.  He's basically the character that embodies the writing style of this show.  Bide your time and you won't be disappointed.  I was fine with his acting and his story in the first few episodes, though it was a little slow.  But honestly...I think this is more effective storytelling.  We got to see this cheerful and jokey, benevolent King that liked to tease his staff and care for his people, so it's even more heartbreaking to see him pushed to the edge.  Let's say we had this LG from the start, killing traitors left and right, sending in the SWAT teams, actually beheading people.  Like, okay, calm down dude...who the hell do you actually think you are?

But no, we got a kind, sweet, King who was a little unsure of himself and treated everyone around him with respect and decency.  Which is why it's so much more effective now that he's having to actually behead people instead of making jokes about it and teasing people.  He doesn't want to be this way.  He didn't want to be king when he was 6 years old either.  He definitely doesn't want to be bringing in armies of guards and soldiers onto pedestrian streets in order to save the person he lives who's half dead pointing a gun after being drugged and kidnapped.  But life is making him do this, and we can see it killing him inside.  AND LEE MIN HO'S ACTING holy crap.  He's gone from being very subtle to being this intense bada$$ and it feels like it's such a natural progression.  It doesn't feel like someone's acting.  I can't with him, I just CAN'T.

 

I also love that we're going to see sweet dashing King Arthur again next episodes, with him putting on his uniform to ask her to marry him.  Also, proposal through food. I FEEL IT.  Me too.  Me too.  Gimme that fried chicky and that ring.  We also got to see his jokey self in the flashback, so we're reminded that his true identity is there, and will come back once this is all over and he can be happy.

 

I just want him to be happy okay. 

 

ALSO WHAT ON EARTH WAS THAT ENDING SCENE.  HOLY CRAP.  WHAT EVEN.  I ALMOST DIED.  And if he's BAD at swords like Yeong said...I WOULD LIKE TO SEE YEONG WITH A SWORD RIGHT NOW PLS.  FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES.  Also, why is LG so extra.  He sent in the military and the SWAT teams, yet made them all hold off so he and his guards could go in on horseback, swords swinging. 

 

I hope they turned all the CCTVs off, otherwise the entire population of KOC would be like O.o on their TVs watching what is happening. 

 

The Future -

  Hide contents

 

 

 

 

Sorry to cut your post short to only "She's fully aware of her surroundings and figured out the time travel thing in 2 minutes.  I also love that her first indignant reaction was that she got dumped." This scene has me real worried that she is being dumped. LG's clothes looks like he is going to be wed. And TE is locked in another world.

 

How are we to get a happy ending? 

[Dramafreak]

Sorry am late to the party but @lyrically aesthetic or anyone else who can...

 

What did the secretary bring to the King to see on her tab when she said it was triggered by the PM?

What were the articles about?

 

 

Thanks @Edgar Pordwed when i saw it without subs i thought the Prince's son was a doppelganger that LG has recognized but alas

[AgentQuake]

Speaking of the Secretary...

 

If I were her, I'd consider retiring ASAP to a nice quiet cottage with all of the drama that the royal court is causing hahaha

[SweetButters]

29 minutes ago, mouse007 said:

Thanks so much @SweetButters for your timeline graph! 
 

I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me that he might be travelling through time over and over again!! I knew from ep 1 that it was his future self that saves his younger self and left the ID on purpose but I did not consider the possibility that he has travelled more than once so this makes total sense now. To sum it up, future Lee Gon is the one putting things in motion to help his past self change the future. He’s the one leaving himself clues and also leading Tae-Eun to himself through Lee Sang Do. My suspicion is that he succeeds in killing Lee Rim but probably lost Tae-Eul in the process so he is going back through time to change things. It appears the focus of his time travelling isn’t so much to kill Lee Rim but rather to save Tae-Eul. 
 

Lee Gon is slowly realizing that someone is putting things in motion when he says it’s fate. Like when JTE’s ID card is stolen at the palace, he says it looks like it’s meant to happen. 
 

Tbh, I love it. I think this is definitely a drama I will have to re-watch from the beginning once everything is over so I can better understand who’s who. 

 

@mouse007 No prob! Yes you got it ! For me, I'm such a visual person and when I'm trying to learn new concepts within my field, I always end up making charts or whatever to help me learn or understand things. However, what I presented here is a simple possibility of how time travel could work in TKEM. There could be a bunch of other ways in which time travel in TKEM could work, but since KES hasn't told us directly, I just formulated something that could fit the data or evidence we are given/observe lol. 

 

LG is probably treating this whole thing as one big experiment is the way I see it lol. And he's using time travel as a way to figure out the errors in his methods or events that occur in order to direct them toward success which in his view success is JTE surviving lol.

[Jad068]

1 hour ago, Phoenix Klaw said:

That was a terrific episode. After the slow weeks of build up, they can now go charging ahead. (Side note: I really don't understand why ratings continue to fall. I would have thought it would go up 3-5%. My guess can only be that showing on Netflix Korea has something to do with it.)

 

Sorry for cutting your post. My guess is that this drama is catered for millennials and gen zs and these generations does not watch traditional tv and just stream. It’s usually old people who watches tv and maybe the plot is confusing for them.

 

i am sad that the Wikipedia page does not mention how successful it is internationally and in streaming sites only highlighting traditional tv in its ratings. 

[heroonthebeach]

I really enjoyed this episode with only one minor complaint - not enough Yeong or eun seob  

I preferred tae-eul in this episode as well compared to the past one. 
 

sharing my thoughts Here

https://kdramaanalysis.com/2020/05/23/the-king-eternal-monarch-episode-11/

[koreaboooo]

4 minutes ago, AgentQuake said:

Speaking of the Secretary...

 

If I were her, I'd consider retiring ASAP to a nice quiet cottage with all of the drama that the royal court is causing hahaha

 

She seems to like the gossip though. She got excited when LG was telling her JTE was the lady he likes. 

 

@Jad068 I think Wikepedia does show the international success. 

 

"Despite these controversies, the show became an international hit. As of May 22, 2020, it was #19 in the list of most streamed TV shows on Netflix in the world, the only South Korean TV show in the top 20."

 

It's just not as visible as the charts of SBS viewers. You have to read it under controversy tab.

[mychoiyoung]

8 hours ago, Keikokoko said:

Being a Christopher Nolan long time fan, I guess I am just very used to the nonlinear narrative structure and motifs of memory and perception type of story telling. I don't find event told through scenes from different time loops to be difficult to understand if pay attention to details.    I will say thus, when it comes to time, space and mind bending,  none beats Nolan.  So maybe @madmad min you are right, I should not expect too much from this writer's work.  If writer's intention is for a no-brainier mass consumption of daytime soap opera, then I've given too much credit to each line and gesture by actors/actress and scenes setup by production team. Nevertheless I've had fun theorizing and really don't care if right or wrong at the end. It's a beautifully produced drama that have entertained me far above my expectation and changed my perception of generally formulaic story in Kdrama. 

 

Memento, my all time favorite film by Nolan. Check it out if everyone likes a bit brain exercise.

 

My whole family is also a big Nolan fan.  So we had no problem watching  & following TKEM, despite some editing problems in the earlier episodes.  But I think the change in the director & the movement of the former director to do the editing is a great move, as we have seen in the last 3 episodes. 

 

Yes Memento is fantastic!

 

Quote

 And, of course, he does and Tae Eul, who’s been so strong until that moment, finally breaks down and begins to cry. They are so meant for each other, it’s unreal!

 

@briseis I was so proud of TE in that scene. My heart bled for her, but at the same I was in awe of her courage, esp in the beginning at that crossroad.

 

She was in an impossible situation -- alone, deflated & with only 3 2 bullets left in her revolver - yet she stood her ground, pointed at the oncoming crazy crowd of LR minions. She was not gonna go down without a fight!  A magnificent display of bravery making her previous pronouncement that she chose to be brave, more relevant & poignant.

 

Her finally breaking down when she saw LG was SO earned.  No damsel in distress but at that point, who would not feel relief & salvation? Such a sad but proud moment for the couple. Proclaiming her as the future Queen - GAH! Loooooove it! Love her. Love him.

 

The Kingdom would be so lucky to have her, in any capacity.

 

 

 

 

 

[leeminhosny]

 

 

 

[AgentQuake]

Just now, koreaboooo said:

 

She seems to like the gossip though. She got excited when LG was telling her JTE was the lady he likes. 

 

So the good news is...I'm hooking up with that pretty girl.

Bad news is...I may have murdered about 100 people without a publicly valid reason

But the other good news is...she agreed to marry me

Unfortunately, I got sauce all over my white Navy uniform.

Oh and I may have blown half the national budget on the amount of cleanup crew I needed after um, murdering.

[Keikokoko]

Duplicate 

[pp05]

Did it occure to anyone that the old guy in PM's room is related to Lee rim..he is the one providing her all the info and pics which are actually given by her ex husband who wants to be free from jail..he and his company might also be linked to Lee rim..that pm is one hell kind of greedy and witch..

[mychoiyoung]

5 hours ago, Keikokoko said:

Being a Christopher Nolan long time fan, I guess I am just very used to the nonlinear narrative structure and motifs of memory and perception type of story telling. I don't find event told through scenes from different time loops to be difficult to understand if pay attention to details.    I will say thus, when it comes to time, space and mind bending,  none beats Nolan.  So maybe @madmad min you are right, I should not expect too much from this writer's work.  If writer's intention is for a no-brainier mass consumption of daytime soap opera, then I've given too much credit to each line and gesture by actors/actress and scenes setup by production team. Nevertheless I've had fun theorizing and really don't care if right or wrong at the end. It's a beautifully produced drama that have entertained me far above my expectation and changed my perception of generally formulaic story in Kdrama. 

 

Memento, my all time favorite film by Nolan. Check it out if everyone likes a bit brain exercise.

 

My whole family is also a big Nolan fan.  So we had no problem watching TKEM, despite some editing problems in the earlier episodes.  But I think the change in the director & the movement of the former director to do the editing is a great move, as we have seen in the last 3 episodes. Yes, Memento is fantastic