#kdrama second lead coule

[kdramafeeds]

Lee Yeong Hwa x Seo Dan Ah

08.27.2022

[watchinglikeafangirl]

"The King: Eternal Monarch" is the best kdrama ever

Okay, you have to know, I only started watching because of Lee Min-Ho. I've watched "The Heirs" before and I really loved Tan, so I figured, "Eternal Monarch" couls be my next show. And I say I was right and I don't regret it a bit. This show was soo good and I would rate it as the best kdrama I've watched so far. There was fantasy, there was action, there was an exciting plot, there was tragedy, there was romance. All of it. All I ever wanted.

All the jumps between worlds in ep 13 or 14 were a bit confusing but it all unraveled later on and I was like "I see what you did there" with Lee Gon traveling through 26 years to find Jeong Tae-Eul again and looking for another gate. It was thrilling and I truly felt their connection throughout the whole season.

Fantasy

I don't really know if this show's genre counts as fantasy or science fiction. The general idea of parallel universes is science fiction but they paired it with an old myth about the flute and whenever the flute was crying, it all had a more mysterious and spirtual vibe. So I would say it's fantasy because it didn't feel like science fiction. It wasn't about space or something, just a mysterious gate opening up to other worlds across the universe.

"Eternal Monarch" did a very decent job in introducing the idea of parallel universes slowly and didn't throw it at our faces to just deal with the fact. It's new for the characters too but we soon understand that Lee Gon is a smart person, thinking very fast and logically. The moment he chases after Luna and says "I wanted to see if it was a rabbit or a clock", I was hooked. Such a deep quote to lead the audience. A comparison with "Alice in Wonderland" states pretty clearly that Lee Gon is chasing after a different world or will reach that other world while looking for Jeong Tae-Eul. Jeong Tae-Eul is the key to all of it and Lee Gon will follow every lead he has, even if it means to follow "a rabbit" into a different world.

Many episodes later Jeong Tae-Eul is in his palace and requests for him to taste her food because she fears to meet the same fate as Alice - growing big and tiny after eating certain things. "Alice in Wonderland" is used as a metaphor to explain a complex story in an easy comparison. It's why it doesn't surprise us when Lee Gon actually reaches the other world.

Action

Lee Gon is a man of action. He know different kinds of styles of self-defense and Jeon Tae-Eul owns the black belt in Taekwondo. One would think the king doesn't know how to fight because he always has his men to fight for him. Jo Yeong literally follows him everywhere Lee Gon goes and for many episodes, the audience believes all Lee Gon can do is think smart and sell his buttons to have money in every world. But then we see him fight off three men in 5 seconds. Not only Jeong Tae-Eul is surprised. I was there like what was that.

The most iconic moment would be in episode 13 when he saves Jeong Tae-Eul after she has been kidnapped. There is an army of Lee Lim's men and he just walks through them, swinging his sword, looking like it's nothing difficult. He kills without regret and is actually way tougher than he seems. Give this man a reason to fight for and he will do everything until he dies. But even though he killed all those men, he still looked powerful and kinda holy. We see him like Jeong Tae-Eul sees him. And she loves him even more because he shows a different side of himself. Thus we love him even more as well.

Exciting plot

I haven't seen many movies or shows about time traveling but they usually work differently. My best example is Harry Potter. They can only change time as long as it didn't already affect any future events. It's why they can save Sirius and it's why the eigth book doesn't work. The moment an event was imprinted in time, you can't change it because the consequences would be too big. But in "Eternal Monarch", they can still rewrite the past more than once and in some way the past and present and future happen at the same time. Lee Lim is 70 years old but in the end Jo Yoeng and Lee Gon kill him when he is 40. But the 70 year old still lived because the past they created wasn't the past he lived yet. A bit complicated and way more complex but it still works in this world.

Another example is Lee Gon traveling through 26 years and giving them all new memories. He "messes" with their past and it hasn't happened to them until he went back. Like the past and present flow simultaneously and happen at the same time though there are 20 years in between.

A really interesting concept and it's surprising how the change in the past didn't affect the present that much. They could easily change the circumstances without much worry.

Tragedy

There was drama indeed. The very first scene is a tragedy with Lee Gon's father dying from the hands of his brother. It's a trauma Lee Gon handled well throughout the years but it still affects him and his choices.

The obvious tragedy is the fact the universe would stand still for all eternity if Lee Gon and Lee Lim keep on crossing the gate. I think the saddest scene would be when Lee Gon and Jeong Tae-Eul get a picture taken but in the process, everything freezes. Lee Gon starts to cry because he knows it's only happening because they're not meant to be messing with the multiverse. People from different universes aren't supposed to cross paths nor catch feelings and mess with the timeline that's already predestined. Fate mostly decides otherwise in the end. Jeong Tae-Eul knows when he's away for long, there's a chance he won't return because it's not possible any longer. Every meeting is melancholic and tragic in some way because they think they will have to put an end to their relationship at some point. Despite love, fate isn't in your hands. In the end, they both remember what happened and Lee Gon finds a gate, so it's a happy ending but for most of the season, nobody knew if they will work out.

But the biggest tragedy in my eyes was Kang Sae-Jin's story. He was taken away after his mother tried to kill them both. Some random man took him to another universe and he lived under an identity that wasn't his. He grew into the circumstances, didn't understand what happened to him at all but when he found out, it was very emotional. Finding out his name wasn't his, his mother wasn't the one he remembered and his world wasn't his true home. It's the biggest tragedy for me and I was happy to see him in a place where he belongs.

Romance

This is a kdrama, so of course, there's romance. It wasn't a heavy one with overreactions to little problems. Neither was it a light-hearted relationship because they had things to deal with and real problems surrounded them. There was no not-approving by the parents or many tears over nothing. It's why I love "Eternal Monarch" so much...

The "I love you" came pretty quickly but it was fine since they seem to be fated and live turbolous lives. These two were in a very healthy relationship and I loved that they told each other everything even off-screen. Jeong Tae-Eul suddenly knew the plan without a connected scene to her learning about it. They just trust deeply and it's something the audience can feel. They both let their guards down and are happy for themselves and for the other. It's very pure and wholesome. Kang Sae-Jin has every right to be jealous haha

A couple that wasn't romantic in any way but a combination of characters I reallt loved were Jo Eun-Seob and Jo Yeong. The whole convo with "I never knew I look so handsome" "Has no one ever told you?" was in some way hilarious but it felt like they were bonding deeply and were not so different after all. They were a good friendship and it's very sad it's lost for good.