Korean Drama TV Series: The King Loves (2017)

This Viki Original series is binge-worthy: “The King Loves” (or “The King in Love”) (2017). This series is based on the novel of the same name and is set during the Goryeo Dynasty historical period.

• What's the major theme of this series? Simply put, IF you have to choose between power, friendship and love, which would you choose?

There are very intricate relationships that were developed in this series: between parents and their child, between BFFs (best friends forever), and between people who fall in love. You know what? It doesn't matter if you're a seriously wicked and evil scheming conniving person, or a ruthless murderous assassin, you still have a heart and there can still be room for somebody in your life that you truly love who can reach your “tender spot”.

The 3 main characters are:

~ Wang Won (played by Im Siwan), the Crown Prince, heir to thr throne and future king;

~ Wang Rin (played by Hong Jong Hyun), his BFF since childhood, who is also of royal blood which means he could be chosen as king, instead of the Crown Prince, if the conniving power-monering people who plot and scheme behind the scenes have it their way; and

~ So Ha also known as Lady San (played by Yoona), the woman who completes the love triangle.

Of course, Wang Won and Wang Rin are both fall in love with her.

Image credit: Soompi

Crown Prince Wang Won's parents are King Chungnyeol, 25th king of Goryeo (played by Jung Bo-Suk) and Princess/Queen Wonsung (played by Jang Young-Nam). The mother is Chinese and she is the daughter of the Chinese emperor, Kublai Khan. The royal marriage was clearly arranged to form a strong political alliance between the kingdoms of Goryeo and Yuan.

• (REAL HISTORY NOTE: I had to do research to understand the significance of the royal marriage. Kublai Khan (Born  1215 – Died 1294), was also known by his temple name as Emperor Shizu of Yuan. He was the fifth khagan-emperor of the Mongol Empire, reigning from 1260 to 1294. He founded the Yuan dynasty of China in 1271, and ruled as the first Yuan emperor until his death in 1294. From 1231 - 1273, Goryeo (Koryo) was invaded six times by the Mongols. Goryeo became a tributary of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty ( 元朝) in China. Goryeo was under Mongol Rule but this ended in the 1350s when the Yuan Dynasty itself began to disintegrate and King Gongmin of Goryeo seized the opportunity to begin to reform the Goryeo government by removing pro-Mongol aristocrats and military officers.)

The Crown Prince's parents make the mistake that most royal parents make. Instead of loving and nurturing their son like any parent should, they use their child as a pawn in a power play. It does not make for a loving parent-child relationship and the very objective they want to accomplish, i.e. raise their child to one day become a great ruler who cares for and protects the people, gets lost in all the vicious palace intrigue and infighting. Interactions between either parent and the child were always INTENSE!!

So! Here's the PLOT. The Crown Prince is a HALF-BREED!! A child born from the union of a Goryeo king and a Chinese queen. Some of the folks in Goryeo don't like that! There is a clear divide. Those who will be loyal to the monarchy no matter who reigns as long as it's a good person who cares for and protects the people AND those who want a “pure-blood” Goryeo person to be the leader of the nation, as if only a person born without mixed heritage would possibly be the best person to rule the kingdom. Their excuse is that they fear the land of Goryeo will be taken over by a strong foreign power, Yuan, and they will cease to exist as “the true people of Goryeo”. That means they need to get rid of Wang Won, the half-breed. But how do they do that? Can it be done using:

~ Plan A: Place a pure-blood king on the throne without incurring the wrath of the Chinese Emperor and causing a bloodbath ... OR ...

~ Plan B: If they do make the Emperor angry, can they stand against him with their own military might? There will still be blood … but it will be worth it in The End because it will result in a Goryeo nation free from Chinese domination.

The series is 20 episodes. Definitely binge-worthy. I agree with the rating of 8.8 out of 10 stars reported by Viki.com viewers. To be honest, even though the king is the main person, if it were not for the character, Wang Rin, the king's BFF (best friend forever), I would not have been interested. From the moment of being introduced to this character, I wanted him to be my best friend forever! I liked him that much! So I had to follow this series through to The End because I needed to know what was going to become of him. Was he going to be killed OR would he survive the power struggle?

OFFICIAL TRAILER

What others have to say about “The King Loves”.

((WARNING! Some of these content links contain “spoilers”.)

• The King Loves (Series) - TV Tropes

• The King Loves Review: When Loyalty to Friends and Family is Put to the Test - The Silver Petticoat Review

• The King Loves Korean Drama Review | Kdrama Kisses

• Final Review: What “The King Loves” Did Right And Where It Missed The Mark | Soompi

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Korean Drama TV Series: Queen Insoo (or Insu — The Queen Mother) (2011)

“Queen Insoo” is a Joseon Dynasty historical period drama. During the various episodes, the narrator explains who the people are and where they fit on the historical timeline. This series has major character development. It starts when the main characters are young and then takes you through their life at various stages.

You know how when you’re watching a TV series and there is a really bad character and they are so wicked that you watch each minute of each episode HOPING that they finally get what’s coming to them?

Well this series has more than one bad character and with each episode these characters get worse and worse. The only reason you keep watching is because you keep thinking: ‘OK! This is the episode where they are going to get PAYBACK!’

Of course, the episode finishes and that evil person is still going strong!

So! You watch the next episode thinking: ‘OK! This time for sure, they’re gonna get it!”

All I can think is that if this was an accurate historical depiction of these real people, then the only person I felt truly sorry for was Prince Dowon (played by Baek Sung-Hyun), who was the young husband of the woman who would become Queen Insoo. That poor guy was a meek, humble, warm and kind-hearted person. But he was stuck between:

• his ambitious father ~ Prince Sooyang (played by Kim Young-Ho) who eventually becomes king AFTER he shed a lot of blood to get to the throne;
• his mother, who becomes Queen Junghee (played by Kim Mi-Sook) once her husband is crowned king, and she fully supported and justified everything her husband did; and
• his wife, Han Jung (played by Ham Eun-Jung), who — even though she loved him — she was hellbent on becoming a queen! So she financially supported her father-in-law’s murderous efforts and she also gave him advice on how he could achieve his goals, when he couldn’t think of what to do! If he had to do something questionable or absolutely wicked, she would help him out. She eventually became Queen Insoo (the part of the older queen was played by Chae Shi-Ra).

Being stuck between these 3 people who were determined to gain power at any cost, with personalities that are so contrary to his; trying to be a dutiful obedient son and a loving devoted husband and father … it’s no wonder he was ill and would have blackouts. It was too much for his heart to take.

I didn’t really feel sorry for the father, the mother, or the wife. But there was also another character who was just horrible! She was Song-Yi / Queen Yoon (played by Jeon Hye-Bin). She married one of the sons of Queen Soo; and although she became queen, she was deposed. If that was a true depiction of the real life character, sorry to say but they should have gotten rid of her and her son! But who could have predicted the son would be even worse than his mother. They had to get rid of the mother but they tried to save the child. After all, he was a legitimate prince and he was a young child when his mother was deposed. Oh if only … if only they could have predicted the child was going to turn out worse than his mother!

“Queen Insoo has 60 episodes and honestly? By the time I finished this series, I felt like going to a psychiatrist and laying down on the couch.

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Korean Drama TV Series: Cruel Palace — War of Flowers (2013)

I wanted to watch this historical period drama series because it starred Kim Hyun Joo. The first time I saw this actress was in “Boys Over Flowers” (2009) . She was a supporting actress and she played the part of the big sister of one of the boys who were known as the “F4”. Her character was so sweet and generous. By contrast, in “Cruel Palace — War of Flowers”, she is the main character who plays royal concubine Soyong Jo / Yam Jun, and she is anything but sweet and generous. Although, her character started out as a nice girl; once she is adopted as a nobleman’s daughter, she changes completely.

Kim Ja-Jeom (played by Jung Sung-Mo) is the nobleman who adopts her. He has his own political/revenge agenda. The king had exiled him and when he came back, he was out for blood! The king’s blood! He planned to use his adopted daughter to take control of the throne and when she has a son for the king, that son will be his grandson, and he will hold the power. However, his adopted daughter, Soyong Jo, has her own plans to achieve her dreams of power. She wants to be queen AND make her son king!

Even though the rule is NOT to be envious and jealous, life for the women in the palace ~ mainly the queen and the concubines who constantly compete to receive the favor of the king ~ is motivated by envy and jealousy. This series is set during the Joseon dynasty after the Manchu invasion. The Qing are fighting against the Ming and Joseon is stuck in the middle. As if it’s not bad enough that the entire country is stuck in the middle of a power struggle between two Chinese warring groups, the “flowers”, i.e. the women in the palace are engaged in their own ruthless power struggle.

What will these women do to gain the king’s favor which gives them certain “power”?

To say that these ladies, were sleazy, caddy, and cruel would be paying them a compliment! It’s a good thing the queen and crown princess are sensible and seem to know how to navigate through the dark palace intrigue. Even so, the royal concubine Jo So Yong is willing DO ANYTHING to maintain her dominant position and control over the king. She even gets King Injo addicted to opium in order to be able to manipulate and control him better. The ruthlessness, the viciousness, the cruelty … the acts she committed just to keep her power and hold over the king … were SAVAGE!

Thank goodness for the loyal eunuch who was always by the king’s side.

Eunuch Kim In (played by Woo Hyeon) was physically short in stature but he was not a person you wanted to mess with. Out of all of the people in the palace, he was the only one who put that cruel concubine in her place. In one of the episodes he told her plainly “You know you’re not all that much.” In other words, you think you’re all that and you think you can become queen, but it wouldn’t be that hard to get rid of you.

The series is 50 episodes and honestly? I had to take breaks and rest. But I finished the series because I just had to know what was going to happen to royal concubine Jo So Yong in The End.

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Agora (2009) ~ Who Was Hypatia?

I recently read an article about female philosophers who were contemporaries with the male philosophers in the ancient world like Aristotle, Epicurius, Socrates, etc. ("Wise Women: 6 Ancient Female Philosophers You Should Know About")  I did know one of the women philosophers named in the article: Hypatia. I knew of her because I saw a movie about her. Rachel Weisz played the part. 

 Agora (2009)

I love Rachel Weisz. She is a fantastic actress.  But I did not like this movie. Of course, Ms. Weisz did a fantastic of playing the role of Hypatia. What I did not like about the movie was that it was the story of a real life human being and her ending in the movie was horrific! What was worse? When I did more research on the real woman, it turns out the movie did not really show what happened to this woman. The Hollywood version of her death was horrible. But what they did to her in real life was much much worse. Why did she have to die that way when she had really done nothing worthy of death? I don't want to explain it. It's too graphic. I give this movie a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Awesome Korean Drama Based on True Love Story: Dong Yi (2010)

HA! That stands for hooked again!! My new addiction is watching Korean historical drama TV series. There are way too many of them for me to keep up. They are so exciting and interesting, even though the basic plot in most of the series is pretty much the same.

What's the basic plot, you ask?

Eh! Some palace intrigue on the inside, rivalry among the nobles and scholars on the outside, honorable slaves, and commoners who prove time again that being poor and uneducated does not equal stupid! ... and of course, the love triangle.  No Korean drama is complete without the love triangle. △

For each series, the script writers take this plot, create different and intricate twists and turns, and develop characters that make the viewers immediately choose sides and start rooting for them! I like this lady or this man! But that person has got to go! When the ruthless evil characters finally go down, you're pumping your fist in the air and going Yeah! A flood of relief washes over you and then you have to remind yourself that it's just a TV show. :)

 

Image credit: Official poster found at viki.com

While seeking and finding more and more historical series to satisfy my K-drama addiction, found “Dong Yi” (2010). This television program is directed by Lee Byung Hoon, who also directed "Jewel in the Palace" (2003).

Reviews indicate that Hoon's 2003 series was extremely successful, so it went on my watch list. But because the 2010 series includes in its cast an admirable child actress, Kim Yoo Jung, who also starred in “Tamra the Island” (2009) and “The Moon Embracing the Sun” (2012) ~ her cute little face drew me in. The series is based on the life of a real historical person: Royal Noble Consort Suk of the Haeju Choi clan.

{Side Note – According to recent reports in South Korean entertainment news publications, Ms. Jung's latest project, “Moonlight Drawn By Clouds” aired its first episode during the 4th week of this month, August 2016. It is being well received.  Series at viki.com.}

Back on point. The child character played by little Ms. Jung, is a “commoner”, i.e. not born into a noble family, who grows up into a beautiful and intelligent, caring and compassionate young woman, played by Han Hyo Joo. The character's name is … what else? Dong Yi!

She went from the child who had everything taken away from her to the woman who had the world laid at her feet. According to all the fortune tellers, “her light” was going to shine brightly in the land of Joseon.

Nothing annoys me more than reviews with spoilers, so extra precaution is taken to constrain myself and not to reveal too much. Here are my impressions so far.

Good start! Series starts off with a very peaceful idyllic scene of a man fishing and enjoying a quiet leisure moment. The silence is immediately shattered when the man is brutally murdered. But before he breathes his last breath, guess who finds him? A young child named Dong Yi!

Good fortune? I'll say! This lady was born under the Lisa Bonet lucky star. She got two hot guys wrapped around her finger! If you know who Lisa Bonet is and you watch this show, then you'll understand my meaning. :)

60 episodes and I've only reached the halfway mark. What's the hook the writers used to keep you interested all the way to the very end? A butterfly! Don't know about everybody else, but I love butterflies!

Dong Yi ~ Official Trailer

* * Related or Similar Articles:

Did Dong Yi and King Sukjong really have a long romance?

The Best Korean Historical Drama

Do You Heart Butterflies? | Webnuggetz.com

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