There are always some dramas that are the highlight of the year (‘highlight’ not ‘best’). The King: Eternal Monarch was one of the dramas that we will associate with 2020.

When The King was airing, I wrote a review for the drama but I just didn’t feel like putting it out in the world because I was very undecided on my feelings for this drama.

But I cannot end 2020 content in good conscience if I didn’t acknowledge the drama that defined 2020 for Korean Dramas. So here is a mixed review of The King: Eternal Monarch (where I make an attempt to explain what worked, what didn’t and what was tolerable).

What is it about?

Yi Gon is the King of modern-day Korea. His world is well developed and rich and everyone adores their king. One day he accidentally travels into a parallel universe where he meets Police Officer Jeong Tae Eul (Kim Go Eun).

GENRE: Fantasy, Romance

The Good, The Bad and The Tolerable

The King was one of the most anticipated k-dramas of the year and for all good reasons!

• It was the comeback of the king of kdramas Lee Min Ho after his military service.
• The cast was amazing (Woo Do Hwan was in it).
• And it was written by Screenwriter Kim Eun Sook, the writer who gave us Goblin.

Needless to say, everyone was hyped up for The King: Eternal Monarch which reflected in the high ratings of the drama. Unfortunately, it did not live up to the high expectation.

Let’s look at the good, the bad and the tolerable.

The Good

The Eternal King of Korean dramas: Lee Min Ho

Is there anyone who is not enchanted by this man? Lee Min Ho is truly the King of Korean drama world. He was my first proper introduction to Korean Dramas with boys Over Flower about a decade ago.

Lee Min Ho is one of those iconic actors who just needs to accept a drama to make it a blockbuster. Truly, every single role he has ever done was iconic and memorable. This particular role felt like it was made just for him. There is nobody who could have done justice to the character of King.

Woo Do Hwan as The Unbreakable Sword:

I watch dramas for the plot

Not gonna lie I watched this drama for Woo Do Hwan and he was my biggest if not the only motivation to continue the show. Seriously, have you SEEN HIM???? Talent, Beauty and that damn smile. Honestly, I might watch it again just to see him.

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I mean…just LOOK at him!

The Cast:

The King has one of the best cast in dramas this year. Every single actor in this drama brought their A-game on screen. From the villain to side characters all had something to add to the screen.

The chemistry between the cast on-screen and off-screen was one of the best parts of the drama.

Cinematics

The cinematics of this drama were exceptional. I don’t think I need to say anything about it except see above picture.

The Bad

Worldbuilding and Timeline

If you have seen Goblin you

No proper screen time and necessary characters and storyline

The Tolerable

1. the love story
2. the entire drama

Final Thoughts

The King: Eternal Monarch is not a bad drama in any sense if you love kdramas and if you can overlook (or understand even a little bit of) the complicated time concept it is worth a watch. Perhaps the drama’s popularity was the reason it got as much hate as it got. Either way, watch it and decide for yourself.

I would like to end this review with a hope that somewhere in one of the parallel universe Woo Do Hwan is waiting for me. LOL, just kidding. But not really – WDH, please come get me.

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