REVIEW: Mr. Queen
| Title | Mr. Queen |
| Male Lead | Kim Jung-hyun |
| Female Lead | Shin Hye-sun |
| Writer | Park Gye-ok, Choi Ah-il |
| Episodes | 20 Episodes | 70 to 90 Minutes per Episode |
| Release | December 12, 2020 to February 14, 2021 |
| Genre | Historical Drama, Romantic Comedy, Fantasy |
| Language | Korean |
| Country of Origin | South Korea |
Going Back in Time
Mr. Queen is a historical romantic comedy where a free-spirited modern-day chef Jang Bong-hwan, finds himself in the body of Queen Cheorin, the queen of Jeoson. Bong-hwan is working at the Blue House. He is feisty and has strong opinions about certain things. He accidentally gets involved in an unfortunate situation. The police chase him. He falls from his apartment building and when he wakes up, his soul is inside the body of Queen Cheorin.
Present Day at the Jeoson Period
Bong-hwan is stuck inside the body of the queen of Joseon. He tries to find ways on how he can go back to his own body and reality. He fell into the body of water at the same time that Queen Cheorin fell. Their souls miraculously get mixed up.
Once it registered that he/she is actually the queen, Bong-hwan issues orders to Queen Cheorin’s palace maids to quickly get out of her predicament.
Bong-hwan got to know the life of Queen Cheorin little by little. He got to know the palace and the people living in it. King Cheoljong is a puppet king. Elders of the royal family control him. Or so they think. He developed a crush on Jo Hwa-jin, Royal Noble Consort. She is the king’s concubine and first love. He learned that Prince Yeongpyeong, Cheoljong’s older half-brother who serves as his royal guard has feelings for Hwa-jin.
The Queen and His Royal Highness
Powerful members of the royal family are controlling the king on the surface. Unknown to everyone, he is training very hard to be a king in his own right. He wants to be a leader who can fight for the goodness of his kingdom and his people.
His relationship with his wife develops into an unexpected courtship. As with every royal marriage, the parties do not have much say on whom they will marry. It is the powerful members of the clan who partakes in the selection of the future leader’s wife. Both Cheoljong and Cheorin did not have much say in their union.
The king had a deep romantic relationship with his concubine. She was his first love. Cheorin liked the king. She was hurt that the king had feelings for his concubine. Queen Cheorin who was really Bong-hwan’s soul inside her body piqued the interest of the king with his unusual feisty character. She intrigued him. Both of them explore their growing feelings towards each other as it blossoms into something that the queen has been wanting all along.
Binge Star Rating – 8 Stars
Mr. Queen Quick Review
If you are looking for a historical fantasy romantic comedy with great chemistry from the leads and an interesting storyline then I would recommend that you watch Mr. Queen. The parts where Bong-hwan acts as Queen Cheorin is hilarious. He talks to himself about being conflicted with what he knows about himself and what the Queen’s body is making him feel. The scenes are funny and refreshing to watch. All the supporting characters each had a story to tell. The series is very cinematic as well. With the period costumes, the palace and all the backdrop use rich colors. Although the plot twists are predictable, the portrayal of the actors more than makes up for it. This is a must-watch if you just want a steady drama that you can watch after work for an episode or two before you sleep.
Re-watch Value
The two leads Shin Hye-sun who plays the part of Queen Cheorin and Kim Jung-Hyun playing the part of King Cheoljong has really good chemistry onscreen. I would say enough to make it to my list of re-watch later when there is nothing else to watch. The supporting actors are also quite entertaining to watch.
It will be sitting somewhere in the middle of my to re-watch list. But I will definitely skip all the boring parts.
Where to Watch
Watch the full drama with complete English subtitles on the DramaCool website. The show was so popular with viewers that the team created a prequel mini-series with two episodes that share secret stories within the palace called the Bamboo Forest. The series also had a 2-part interview of the whole cast. The cast were interviewed about their experiences while filming the show. Watch the two-part interview on this link.
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