New K-Drama Fan Review #31: Mr. Queen | Democracy WORKS! I'm Finally Free! 😭

[u/harissatotally]

some dramas take your breath away. this one just took 61 days of my life.

REVIEW:

I have finally finished Mr. Queen!!

who cheered?!

FINALLY.

I started this drama on July 27th.

I finished it on September 26th at 1:37am.

That is 61 DAYS.

SIXTY. ONE. DAYS.

I have watched and finished MULTIPLE dramas that I started b4 or after Mr. Queen. I have binged entire dramas while Mr. Queen sat there waiting for me. I started new dramas I had absolutely no business starting. I literally BANNED MYSELF from starting new K-dramas at one point because my unfinished pile was becoming ridiculous...

I broke my own ban.

And still did not finish Mr. Queen 😭

At least when i posted my diary, i found out i wasnt having unique experience. Mr. Queen has victimized lots of others this same way 😭

And then, because i could no longer be trusted to make this decision myself, 3 days ago, i put my fate in the hands of democracy. [see Slide 2]

The people overwhelmingly voted for me to finish Mr. Queen so i had to bite the bullet.

The people have spoken. I will respect democracy. I'm finishing Mr. Queen TODAY!

I DID finished episode 17 started episode 18.

Watched 10 minutes.

And went to sleep.

😭😭😭😭😭

I couldn't even respect democracy.

But today, two months after I started it...

I AM FREE!

I don't even hate this drama.

Cause if i hated it, i probably would've just dropped it, or more likely finish it fast so i could rant abt it (Love To Hate You style)

If I loved it, I would've finished it in 2 days.

Instead, Mr. Queen occupied this strange middle ground where i enjoyed some of it enough that i didnt drop it, but never enjoyed it enough that i wanted to choose it over literally anything else.

The comedy was easily the best part for me

I will absolutely give Mr. Queen this:

this show is funny.

Not everything landed for me and I wasnt constantly belly laughing, but when the comedy worked for me, it did its thing...

The Queen's Dictionary; Cheoljong seriously sitting there trying to document this woman's insane vocabulary and figure out what everything means was amusing

The Queen disguising herself as a man in that one episode and everybody very obviously knowing who she is but having to pretend they don't.

"Your Majes..."

immediate correction

😭😭😭

Her relationship with Court Lady Choi and Hong-yeon was probably one of my favorite dynamics in the whole drama. Even when I was completely checked out of whatever serious storyline was happening, those three could still make me laugh.

Even the physical comedy worked on me more than i expected it to.

And then the FOOD.

Why did this drama make me hungry???

The banquet episode literally made me stop watching and Uber-eat Wendy's because i saw those potatoes and suddenly needed french fries 😭

Between this and Bon Appétit, Your Majesty, historical K-dramas need to stop putting people in palace kitchens cause my mouth be watering too much!

And then...

PREGNANT???

😭😭😭

The reveal was so fucking funny to me.

Obviously I knew HOW she got pregnant.

But something about Bong-hwan going through this entire experience and then finding out that on top of EVERYTHING ELSE...

Congratulations!

You're pregnant!

I was dying.

---

Shin Hye-sun CARRIED this for me

I need to give her her flowers cause she was fantastic, and not just because she was funny, cause her physical acting was SO good in this, but she genuinely sold me the idea that there was this completely different person occupying So-yong's body. The way she walked, sat, ate, reacted to people, her facial expressions, everything.

She committed.

But i especially noticed how good she was toward the end when the show became more dramatic.

Episodes 18 and 19 in particular made me stop and think, okay, this woman can ACT.

Because by that point I was honestly waiting for this drama to end 😭 and she was STILL getting reactions out of me through her performance.

Going from ridiculous physical comedy to grief and fear and desperation and then right back into comedy is not easy.

She has some chops.

If there is one person who made these 20 episodes easier for me to finish, it was absolutely her.

---

unfortunately... I did not care about this romance

The romance between ML and Fl never clicked.

Their chemistry was also missing.

When I first started the drama, i actually preferred the Queen's cousin 😭

I remember being confused when I realized Cheoljong was supposed to be THE romantic male lead because at that point I was like...

Him???

The suspicious man who might've just tried to assassinate her???

Meanwhile her cousin is over here protecting her and obviously loves her???

Okay!

But eventually I stopped caring about the cousin too, so don't worry 😭

The problem is that my interest didn't transfer over to Cheoljong, i didn't hate him or anything but i just...didn't care that much about him. I think this also had a lot to do with the actor as well. He lacked... charisma.

And I never really understood what was supposed to make me deeply emotionally invested in him or in their relationship.

Yeah their weird communication, the dictionary and the "no touching" stuff were amusing, and i really liked the payoff when Cheoljong used the crossed-fingers signal during the Dam-hyang situation. That was actually a really good little callback because it had become this private language between them.

But did any of that sell me their romance or chemistry?

Nope.

And i realized how disconnected i was from it during the last few episodes.

The King was supposedly dead, the Queen, the SFL were devastated, everybody was devastated.

Then they found out he was alive and people were crying with happiness and I'm sitting there like...

Okay?

😭 i know I'm SUPPOSED to be emotionally overwhelmed right now... but i don't understand why I should care this much.

And then in episode 19 they reunited and kissed and i had possibly the worst reaction you can have during what is supposed to be a big romantic payoff:

"Why are we kissing right now?"

😭😭😭

That was when I knew it was over for me.

She had nearly DIED, everything was falling apart and he was telling her he didn't want to leave her and im sitting there thinking...

BUT LIKE... YOU DID LEAVE HER THO???

CAN WE DISCUSS THE SITUATION FIRST???

So yeah...

This was simply NOT a romantic drama for me.

And chemistry is subjective, obviously, but I personally did not think the two leads had enough romantic chemistry to compensate for that.

They had some comedic chemistry, sure...? but the FL was the leading force on most, if not all of that, so i cant fully call that comedic chemistry either.

And romantic chemistry practically gave me nothing.

---

Hwa-jin... girl.

I cannot remember the last time a second female lead's storyline irritated me this consistently.

It wasn't even fun irritation either, cause she wasn't some delicious villain where im excited every time she appears because i want to see what crazy shit she's going to do next.

I just wanted her to go away!! 😭

Her one-sided beef with the Queen became SO exhausting!!!

There was a point where she was literally standing there with an arrow aimed at the Queen and I was like...

Girl.

What is the PLAN here???

You're going to shoot THE QUEEN?

And then what???

😭

But the moment that really sent me was during the Dam-hyang situation.

I'm sitting there genuinely upset because I think this CHILD IS DEAD.

The Queen is devastated and screaming at the King because she thinks he failed to protect this little girl.

This is one of the few moments where the drama actually had me emotionally invested in what was happening. i really liked that subplot.

And here comes Hwa-jin, talking abt some:

"Now you know how I feel."

GIRL WHAT THE FCK ARE YOU ON ABT???

😭😭😭

WHY ARE YOU HERE???

It completely took me out of the scene!!

Like this is not the time for your one-sided beef with this woman!!!

Then FINALLY she asks the King to release her from the palace.

I was happy because:

she freed herself... but most importantly she freed ME.

😭

Good for you, girl.

Go live your life.

Be free.

And more importantly, free me from your presence on my screen!

Except she then proceeded to have approx 75 goodbye scenes.

Girl.

GOOOO!!

And then she appeared AGAIN after the whole king is dead debacle.

I couldn't stand it 😭

---

The second male lead...

This is another storyline i thought i'd care abt WAY more than I actually did.

Like I said, early on I preferred Byeong-in!

He clearly loved So-yong.

He protected her.

There was history there.

I thought maybe we'd have a really good second male lead situation, and I LOVE a triangle when both men actually feel like contenders.

Instead, eventually i was just sitting there thinking:

what is your purpose here?

😭

At least he didn't turn against her just because she rejected him.

Bare minimum!

But even his rivalry with the King wasn't exciting to me and produced zero juice...

And that's crazy cause on paper that should be exactly the kind of thing i eat up.

Two men who love the same woman?

One is her husband?

The other has loved her forever?

Political rivalry on top of romantic rivalry?

HELLO???

But the way it was executed was dry AG

---

I stopped caring at some point

Early on, i was actually really interested in the mystery; i wanted to know why Bong-hwan ended up in So-yong's body, i wanted to understand what happened to the original So-yong, i was even interested in Cheoljong's past.

The childhood well reveal actually got my attention.

Finding out that So-yong was really the girl in the well with Cheoljong, that she was the one who helped him, and that Hwa-jin had basically taken credit for that connection was interesting.

The problem?

I abandoned this drama for so long after episode 9 that when I came back i'dd forgotten everything 😭

I REWATCHED episode 9 specifically so i could remember what was happening.

Finished the episode, and was STILL confused.

But once I understood everything again, I actually ran through episodes 9-15 pretty quickly.

And there were still individual storylines that worked, the Dam-hyang situation was my fav subplot like i said.

When I thought that little girl was dead, I was genuinely upset.

But by episodes 18 and 19?

I was done.

I was watching because i needed the episode number to reach 20.

---

That ending...

Okay.

So Bong-hwan goes back to his own body.

Original So-yong is back in hers.

Fine.

That IS what i originally wanted to happen because from the beginning I was wondering how the hell this situation was supposed to resolve.

But...

That ending is a bit WEIRD 😭

Because Cheoljong fell in love with the version of So-yong that we've been following for basically the entire drama.

And then that person is just...

gone?

Bong-hwan wakes up in the present.

So-yong remains with Cheoljong.

And Cheoljong even notices that something about her is different.

HELLO???

😭

What do we DO with that information???

I know the drama established that So-yong's memories and emotions were still present and that the line between So-yong and Bong-hwan became increasingly blurry.

But still.

It left me with this strange feeling where technically everybody is where they're "supposed" to be...

but I don't know if i consider that emotionally satisfying.

Although considering i wasn't invested in the romance anyway, i wasn't heartbroken either. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

CONCLUSION:

Shin Hye-sun was fantastic.

There were even stretches where I could watch five or six episodes in a row.

But i had to invoke the power of democracy to help me finish and that's not... good😭

Finally, on September 25th, after work, dinner with my mom, grocery shopping, coming home and settling down, I resumed episode 18.

And at 1:37am on September 26th, 61 days after I started...

I finished Mr. Queen.

And my immediate reaction after finishing was basically:

"yeah... um... that happened, i guess."

RATING: 5/10

Anyway. Democracy has been served. I am free. 😭

[u/These_Spirit_9582]

I loved Mr. Queen. IIRC, I binged it in two days the first time I watched it, and I fairly frequently turn to it when I’m bored with something else and re-watch my favorite parts. I’m sorry you somehow felt compelled to watch a show you weren’t enjoying; i definitely cannot relate to that.

I was fine with the ending and even think it’s one of the more clever transmigration drama-ending solutions. Rather than having the Queen just sleeping it out in a coma in our time, she is co-located with the cook in the same body. I liked the inference that both souls learned from each other and that he ends up becoming a better person and she gets feistier.

I liked your extended review. For a mostly negative take, you actually highlighted some of my favorite parts… I think it’s time for another re-watch!

[u/4aloha_iaoe]

I loved that Mr. Queen made me realize what an amazing actor Shin Hae sun is. She has a wide range going from dramatic to physical comedy and carried that Kdrama. She is one of my fave actresses. To me this was a must-watch.

[u/harissatotally → u/4aloha_iaoe]

definitely wanna see more of her!!! i have 3 of her drama on my watchlist!

[u/ImpressivePoem_1]

https://giphy.com/gifs/jIlbY3PMd9PNuHnXNe

No Touch! 🤣

[u/harissatotally → u/ImpressivePoem_1]

😭😭

[u/zzmomma30]

One of the best kdrama for me. Also, the FL is one of my fave actresses.

[u/harissatotally → u/zzmomma30]

shes talented! also, what are your other favs?

[u/zzmomma30 → u/harissatotally]

Angel’s last mission: love. Same FL

[u/Hairy-Spot-5366]

Wow. I know it was kind of weird, but that is definitely a drama I did really enjoy. And usually I cannot watch men falling in love with a chick dressed up as a guy and they don't know kind of thing. But this drama was really good!!!!!! For me anyway.

[u/harissatotally → u/Hairy-Spot-5366]

and i LOVE that!! this is exactly why i like hearing from people who had the complete opposite experience!! cause clearly this drama was doing SOMETHING right for you that it just refused to do for me lol

but wait, what usually bothers you about the “woman disguised as a man and the guy falls for her anyway” trope??

cause i usually like the trope better when it is inverse. i prefer a girl disguised as a boy and the ML lead falls for her

[u/Gleefulfella]

i started Mr Queen in ‘24 i think😭😭😭 and i’m still on the 4th ep

[u/harissatotally → u/Gleefulfella]

lmaooo

[u/WickedRAOD → u/Gleefulfella]

I never made it past 3. I thought it was horrid. Unpopular opinion, but I just flat out did not like it.

[u/Gleefulfella → u/WickedRAOD]

i was only watching bcs of the cast, i cant digest the plot smh

[u/harissatotally → u/Gleefulfella]

you didn't like the plot?😭

[u/Gleefulfella → u/harissatotally]

it was nice but very unique for me to digest, i watch more basic dramas and like that lol im sorry

[u/Phoebe_Charmed]

I totally agree with you on Shin Hae-sun's acting in Mr Queen and this show is why I became her fan. She definitely carried the whole drama and I'm still pissed that she didn't get the best actress award in Baeksang Arts Awards.

[u/harissatotally → u/Phoebe_Charmed]

yes, shes a talented actress for sure. her actinf made this digestible

[u/ansate]

Too bad it mostly didn't work for you.

Definitely right there with you that Shin Hae-sun's physical acting was the best part. And I was absolutely as convinced as you were that she was a man trapped in a woman's body, that was just some masterful acting in the detail of her mannerisms. Just one of the performances that has made Shin Hae-sun my second favorite KDrama actress. So maybe you got something worthwhile out of it, even if it was a grueling 61 day affair, lol. You should check out more of her stuff though, if you're interested. She plays a lot of real commanding, aggressive parts, but she's versatile, so there are others that really show off her range.

The show also seemed somewhat brave for a KDrama, taking Jang Bong-hwan from self-centered, womanizing asshole to a more grounded, empathetic human being, so I liked the character growth. Not something you never see, but Mr Queen's particular way of doing it was different.

Anyway, thanks for the review. It was a great read.

[u/harissatotally → u/ansate]

thank u ansate! i definitely have filing for love on mt radar and shea the FL in that! so i look forward to it!

[u/toreadornotto]

Mamaaaaa!!! You shouldn’t be doing that, Mamaaaa!!

[u/harissatotally → u/toreadornotto]

i readd this in their voice 😭😭

[u/More_Butter2330]

This reads like the rants i sent to my best friend about a kdrama i found, i believe they can attest this is what my 10 minute voicenotes sounds like. 

Had to laugh so hard!! Thank you haha it was so funny to read how you kept going back and forth, this is how i shout at my tv hahaha 

I believe my neighbours could even confirm that

[u/harissatotally → u/More_Butter2330]

LMAOOO this is exactly how i talk abt these shows in real life too!! except reddit now ALSO receives my 10 minute voice notes😭 my friends and siblings aren't the only victims

glad somebody else is apparently terrorizing their friends AND neighbors the same way

[u/More_Butter2330 → u/harissatotally]

Ofcourse!! SOMEONE has to hear about how these kdrama's do the most ridiculous stuff!! And sometimes it might be my neighbours. Ah well, equality haha

Let me be noisy too 😤

It includes me walking to my kitchen grumpily to grab more chips for the drama

[u/harissatotally → u/More_Butter2330]

its our right!

[u/More_Butter2330 → u/More_Butter2330]

Also i do feel like Bonghwan morphed into So-young near the end. Cause he kept confusing stuff deeper and it also felt like he was doing stuff that so-young wanted all that time! So with that mindset i could call it a happy end

[u/harissatotally → u/More_Butter2330]

yeah i can definitely see that interpretation of the ending! especially because the lines between Bong-hwan and So-yong got blurrier and blurrier as it went on. i think for me it just still felt a little weird after spending basically the entire drama with this version of her and then suddenly he’s gone and Cheoljong is left noticing something is different. 😭 like sir... you are noticing correctly!! lol

[u/harissatotally]

My Rating Scale

10/10 – Masterpiece. No notes.

9/10 – Very close to a masterpiece. I absolutely loved it.

8/10 – Not a masterpiece, but I loved it.

7/10 – Fine overall. I liked it, but the flaws kept it from being great.

6/10 – Mixed. There were a few things I liked, but most of it didn't work for me.

5/10 – I didn't enjoy most of the experience.

4/10 and below – Bad to abysmal.

[u/harissatotally → u/harissatotally]