The Crowned Clown (2019)

Before start, I have to say that I watched this drama at the same time that "The King's Face" and only at the end I realized that was about the same character, King Gwanghae. TKF tells the story of Gwanghae in his time as Crown Prince, and TCC about the life of King Yi Heon (his real name). The characters are pretty different and the reason for that is because King Gwanghae had a short reign that wasn't talked about by so many people, so many rumors about this king were propagated, ad the one that we see here in TCC. I write some things in my first impressions, so take a look here (https://mydramalist.com/profile/8270201/feeds/QQwZmf8) and let's go to the review.

Man, what do I say about this story? I can't describe how shocked I was since episode one. As I said before, don't follow the idea showed by Netflix's teasers (we have this one on Viki too, so go for it!) that this is a soft and funny drama. I was tense since the beginning and I was almost dehydrated at the final episodes. The way how the tension is built is totally captivating and made me devour each episode.

About the performances, Yeo Jin Goo is just perfect. I felt the courage of Ha Sun and the craziness of Yi Heon in the same intensity and this was amazing. Kim Sang Kyung and Jang Gwang were also incredible and made me cry and laugh many times in this plot. But I have to say that Lee Se Young as the queen wasn't my favorite. I didn't feel any feelings with her interaction with Ha Sun and the little that I felt is mostly because of him and his cuteness. But this wasn't mess up with the story and we yet can cheer for the main couple.

Without any spoiler, as known, the only thing that I would appoint as a not-so-good choice is the ending (the last twenty minutes to be more precise). When I watched the last part of the last episode, I just asked "Why? Why they are doing this?" I couldn't understand the events and the reason why they write the ending in that way but after reading about the story of Gwanghae and the rumors about his life, I finally understand. I still don't agree and think that this could end in a better form, but I understand. With this final I thought about another final based on a true story that made me feel the same, could you guys guess it? Let the initials in the comments if you got it, haha.

I'll put this as a chosen one (★ ★ ★ ★ ★★ ★ ★ ★ ★) without any doubt. If you didn't watch it yet, just do it. If you didn't give a high note for this here in MDL, do it now because I can't conform that the note is only 8.4. Just absurd.

See you soon!
XOXO, Mari.

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This is the one.

Timing at its finest.
I kept getting this drama as a recommandation. And everytime, I kept delaying it for later. But YOU should NOT.

This is (one of) the best historical dramas I've watched so far. Everything is perfect : the cinematography, the cast, the soundtrack..this is a 10/10.

I want to highlight Jang Young Nam's acting as the villain. This actress is the real deal. She's able to portray any type of characters. She's not a simple second lead role. She's the one..

Yeo Jin Go is impressive. He's got the aura of a very experienced actor when he's so young. And his relationships with the queen, Haksan and Eunuch Jo were emotional.

My favorite scene is the death of the real king on the beach. Insanely beautiful.

I won't give any more details. It was just a masterpiece. If you love historical/sageuk, you have to check this one out !

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Must watch

You wont regret starting this,
From the OST, the acting, the production, the storyline everything was actually incredible.
definitely played with my emotions, made me teary in a couple of episodes as well.
It reminded me of Hwarang, epesh that feel good feeling when the hwarang team joined arms with the king. It was defos that same vibe.
Ah it was really an epic drama guys. Reading the summary kind of made me understand the first episode a bit better so i would recommend that but one thing is that there is elements of dragging for a few minutes in each episode but it gets compensated by the epic twists.

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A Tragic Tragicomedy.

I finally discovered a drama where the King is not a self absorbed idiot, but an actual, lovable human with brains .

'The Crowned Clown' is a beautiful, tragic and heartwarming story about a humble clown, Ha Seon, who is put on the throne as a decoy for the unhinged doppleganger King. Having never dealt with anything remotely related to the Court or governing a nation, he attempts to rule the people as he sees fit, angering the corrupt ministers, cheering his people, and befuddling his enemies.

The first two episodes itself were a mix of horror, terror and comedy. Lee Hun, the present King was a nutcase. I'm not kidding when I use that word. Completely addicted to drugs and a tyrannical, he murders everyone who stands against him without a second thought, including his Queen Consort's very own father. With support from his sycophantic ministers, particularly the devious Shin Chi Soo, his madness soon has conspirators plotting to kill him.

Yeo Jin Goo kicked the ball out of the park with his performance in this drama. To be honest, I began this because he was in it. And he did not disappoint. His transition from the completely psychotic King to the vibrant and happy clown was unbelievable. I began to see those two characters as separate individuals and could see no shadow of their dispositions on the other. His supporting actors were equivalent in their peformances, portraying impeccable performances which alone, elevates the quality of this drama. And Episode 15 will forever go down as one of the most epic moments I've watched on television.

Ha Seon, who is forcibly put on the throne as a decoy knew nothing about court. Haksan, the Chief Royal Secretary, asks him to stay put and leaves him instructions on how to conduct an assembly and listen to the ministers' reports while he was gone. Long story short, Ha Seon, who is shocked by the ruthless rules of the palace, bends them to his will and governs the people as he sees fit.
The plot is dependant on the political struggles, but I did not find anything annoying. The clown was a breath of fresh air and saved me from listening to the ministers spout nonsence.

Haksan and Ha Seon's rapport and trust is what made this drama watchable despite of the deep emotional battles. The intense bloodshed and the foolish mindsets of the ancient royals made me want to smash their teeths out. But, these two characters knew their game. I was completely in awe when Hae Seon stood up against everyone to serve justice. His love for his people, his sibling Dal Rae and uncle Bak Soon was heart warming. Haksun is someone who could easily be the definition of morally grey. He took risks that would make him lose his head, but with a strong conviction and backbone that made us (and Ha Seon) believe in him.

The script did not shy away from portraying the barbaric acts that the lower class faced at the hands of the so called "royal blood/upper class". I hated episode 2 in particular, where a tragic, traumatizing and cruel incident happens to a character only for it to be easily brushed off by the perpetrators.
Ha Seon suffers emotionally. Watching him was worrisome -- he was never meant for the court. His loyal Eunuch Cho and Haksan become his constant source of support. There were a number of supporting characters whose frequent appearance slowly made me like them and treat them as important ones.

Romance is not a strong aspect. But, Soo Woon, the icy queen was well acted. She was icy in the beginning and never quite drifted away from her calm and strict demeanour till the very end. This also happens to be the first time that I'm seeing a drama where the Queen has an active role in the troubles of the King. Their mutual love and support was never cringeworthy, but a joy to watch. Lee Se Young appears to be a very versatile actress who can fit into any role without making it seem over the top. I had seen her performance as a consort in another drama, where she changed from being happy and smiling court lady to a rather a bleak and silent consort. I could see no sign of that consort in this one. She fit the role of the silent Queen well.

The villains were stunningly vile. I'm upset that no one set Shin Chi Soo's beard and the Queen Dowager's room on fire.

The music was strange. There would be lyrics being sung in the background, but they blended in so well with the scene that it took me sometime to realize that there was a song going on.

I'm still unsure of what to make of the drama's conclusion. Was it happy? Or was it really sad? But, Ha Seon deserves the best. So, I'll imagine that he finally became happy.

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Gorgeous drama

What a beautiful drama, in every way. Whenever fictional characters readily sacrifice all for their leader, I never really understood, somehow it just seemed so far-fetched... but this king? I get it. He's just so GOOD. Pure-hearted and upright, sweet-natured but bold when necessary, truly passionate about doing the right thing and unwilling to compromise on it. Excellent performance from Yeo Jin Goo. The supporting cast is also top notch, particularly the Chief Secretary and Eunuch Jo. The cinematography and orchestral score were gorgeous. (And I just have to say, certain shots and moments reminded me of Man in the Iron Mask, which was a bonus since I loved that movie!) Would've been 10 stars if not for the last few minutes, which felt a bit deflating and vague and didn't make much sense.

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Very Enjoyable

It was really enjoyable. Yeo Jin Goo was amazing in differentiating his acting for the real king vs the clown vs the clown playing the king. I love Lee Se Young's subtle performance too, she's really fit playing royal women as seen in both here and the Red Sleeve. Kim Sang Kyung and the actors for the villains are also enjoyable.
I think some people who were drawn to watching the drama because of Jin Goo's double role might be disappointed since the real king died in episode 7, but the plot of the drama plus the acting of the actors should be a good reason enough to continue.

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Altamente recomendado para quem gosta de drama históricos com política.

A histórica política é show de bola, bem costurada do inicio ao fim, com todos os personagens se envolvendo de forma ativa para o desenvolvimento dela.
A atuação também foi excelente , principalmente do personagem principal, do secretário chefe, eunuco Jo, e o ministro da esquerda.
Só não dou 10 porque o final foi levemente wtf, e o romance também não foi um "nota 10", algumas vezes a rainha tinha falas repetidas e os momentos deles dois juntos não foram tão envolventes.
Também faltou certo equilibrio, o bem sempre vencia em todos os episódios, diferente dos outros dramas que geralmente o vilão tá sempre um passo a frente, aqui os heróis estão sempre um passo a frente, e isso quebra um pouco a imprevisibilidade.

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The Crowned Clown VS. Masquerade

I'm going to cut to the chase.
I've watched the movie version of this so this will most likely be me pointing out the difference between the two. Don't get me wrong, while I appreciate both versions I still felt the need to write my experience on this.

Let's start.

One thing that stood out to me when i dived into this is how they missed to include some of the details that were there in Masquerade.
To think that this ran for 16 episodes (which i think is more than enough to include some of the details that are supposed to be there)

1.
The training process of the King.
Every intricate detail to me is important and they should've included that. I am bummed that they failed to keep the detailed process of it in this version.
Also, the introduction for those people whom he needs to look out for was left out. I was like????
Was he supposed to know these things by heart?? Ofcourse not. In here it's like he taught himself everything??? How is that even possible for someone that is new to the palace. Ugh. I'm so frustrated this part should've been done flawlessly. In the movie version they were able to cover the training process. He was taught how to talk, behave, look at people like an actual King.


2.
The clown's behavior.
In this version, he looked at the King straight in the eyes when they met. That should not have happened. I've had my fair share of historical dramas to know that you CANNOT look at the King straight in the eye unless you were permitted to, high in position or extremely close to him.



Apart from those two, I would like to commend this version because albeit a few missing details that they failed to include... They added a lot w/c i think made me like this version more.

Let me point the things that I liked here:

The relationship of the Clown King and the Queen.
It wasn't highlighted at all in the movie version. I guess they weren't able to give light to it because of the time limit but here, it was highlighted.
I always appreciate when a little bit of romance is injected in a saeguk drama and here it was done really beautifully.

The relationship of the Clown King with his family and peers. I felt for how the people surrounding the Clown King was vouching for him, slowly putting their trust onto him and following through with the decision that he makes.

The Reign of the Clown King.
I for one truly believed that he made a great King. So i enjoyed watching him take the lead w/c eventually led the country to a peaceful time.
I wish they'd shown that in the movie version but ofc that wouldn't happen cos of the different fate of the Tyrant King in the movie version and the tv series version.


Can i just say both set of casts hits different.
Let me just say... I've always thought Yeo Jin Goo was a great actor, but the duality that he displayed here for me surprised the heck out of me. His image has always been goody two shoes so when i dived into this I wondered if he'll be able to do well as a tyrant King and oh my goodness he did so well! In this version though I might have to add the King w/c Yeo Jin Goo portrayed was not only a tryrant but a damn crazy one. He was another level of paranoid and crazy. In the movie version the King was a Tyrant but a bit more mellow and chill compared here but I loved that i get to see this side cos then him being addicted to drugs made sense.

The Queen.
The Queen in the movie version didn't get much air time but ofcourse was still great whenever she appears. Duh, it's Han Hyo Joo. But let me just say that I loved the Queen in this version. Lee Se Young's portrayal of the Queen was nicely done. In here she was not completely cold, just the right amount and I loved seeing the process of her slowly opening up the the Clown King. That was a gem.

The villain.
The set of villain in here and in the movie version also hits different. I hated the villain in this version more because they were really hateful. I honestly at one point wanted the King to just behead them to get things over with but where would the thrill be if it wasn't for them so ofc they were kept till the last min.



If i were to choose w/c version i prefer, I would have to say this. This version hit home for me.

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A copy-cat Kdrama for the books!! --- WARNING: a few indirect spoilers ahead, no direct spoilers.

I cant believe I went about 3 years without knowing of or watching this killer of a sageuk (historical drama)!! The OST was spine chilling at the right times and heightened the tension so greatly that I found myself holding my breath till the next moment. As a seasoned fan of sageuk dramas, I started this show feeling like I know it all and I've seen it all. But wow, the story of a copy-cat look-a-like clown taking over the seat of the King left so much room for never before seen twists and turns in our precious but sometimes repetitive world of kdramas!!

Acting: Before I praise the good guys, let me make mention of the exceptional acting skills of the actors who play the "bad guys". Shin Chi Soo was brilliantly conniving and very convincing. My favourite of all was the Queen Dowager. Even though she wasn't seen much in the first half of the show, whenever we saw her she convinced us of her presence and power and her goal for revenge. Even as an audience member, I was always weary of her and kept her at the back of my mind wondering when she would strike next. She was so unrelenting in her quest for revenge by plotting murder after murder. I loved her facial expressions, very regal even when she was being nonchalant. These two actors really emphasised the discriminatory division between "upper class" and "lower class" and showed us the dangers behind prejudice. Their strong performances motivated the "good guys" to work and try even harder.

Yeo Jin Goo/Ha Seon/King: I will never forget the harrowing moment when King and Clown meet for the first time - coupled with the sharp and edgy OST - that's when I knew that this actor was about to take us for an endearing ride.
For such a young actor at the time of filming this, he really outdid himself and gave a knock-out performance. The original King absolutely CREEPED ME OUT with his gaunt face, troubling spells of histeria and outbursts against the servant staff and other royalty. His slow but steady decent into total "madness" was so realistic that it was worrying. It reminded me of Macbeth in William Shakespeares Macbeth, whose "bloody hands" haunt him till his last moment. I went from denouncing his appalling actions throughout his time to feeling sorry for him in his final moments when he said "I'm scared". Thats when I saw him as a victim of his own evil.

Secretary Lee (SL): Wow what can I say?! First of all I was surprised to learn that this is the actor from "What's wrong with my family/What happens to my family" ....That is the only drama I ever watched him in and he had a more comical, silly but serious role to play as he became entangled with the main family. Kim Sang Kyung is amazing in this role, so multi-dimensional at the right times. We saw him be a noble, "clean" politician but also saw him commit "sins" in order to wipe out the bad guys and save his country. He gave a strong and steady performance, and I felt he was the backbone of this drama. To me, he was the "father" of this drama and gave a strong sense of protective paternalism which is what HaSeon , along with us the audience, really needed in order for this "crowned clown" act to last as long as it did. He did an excellent job of supporting HaSeon with the mentoring and leadership that he needed, gently but sometimes firmly. He struck a perfect balance between guiding and letting Haseon make decisions as king. Just like with what Haseon experienced, SL showed the inner conflict that comes with doing whats rights and doing whats best. When he needs to let his guard down and shown some tenderness, he does so to Woon Shim [Courtesan] so sincerely. We hardly see him express his romantic feelings towards her but when we do, it is most convincing. I could feel the trust and compassion between them whenever SL would involve her and ask her to take care of certain things.
I cant wait to see him in the Joseon Psychiatrist Yoo Se Pung, another historical drama!!Even though I express my disappointment at how short the drama was below, I believe his character was well fleshed out and fully explored.

Queen: I love how the actress displayed a more reserved demeanour compared to other queens in other sageuks. Instead of plotting and scheming (even for good causes), I do appreciate how her character was faithful to the King through mental and emotional support instead of being too politically engaged. The actress did a good job of making this queen seem more human and "normal" because she hardly used her powers and made major decisions. She gave a great portrayal of a quiet but sure love.

OST: Really dynamic - it fed your emotions and really influenced the way you felt. I wont ever forget the chilling violin sounds for the tense scenes and the softer piano for the romantic scenes or scenes when an important conversation took place.

Story/Negatives: More episodes please!!
My only disappointment was that it was too short and plot lines were resolved too quickly. I so badly wanted 50 episodes, throughout which the clown's identity would be concealed for much longer as he and his crew continue to fool the bad guys and make real change in the Joseon nation. I wanted Ha Seon and Haksan to do more work together, to see Haseon win and fail and win again while navigating the heaviness of the crown. I felt like the Queen, her intelligence and her commitment to helping her King was not explored enough. We just saw her go through struggles but I felt she did not have enough victories in her position. I wanted her to win battles against the Queen Dowager. But I do love the way she gave mental and emotional support to her King.
***Spoiler ahead** * when Ha Seon revealed his identity to Shin Chi Soo I was soooo mad, it was way too early!!! That gave SCS too much ammunition against Ha Seon and Co. And what about the story of Secretary Lee and his "members" ? That story was introduced in the first half but was never fully developed or revisited thereafter.

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Emotional Engaging Brilliant

I watched the movie (Masquerade (2012)) one week ago and i liked the story,so i decided to start the series too. I have seen
Yeo Jin Goo in Beyond evil,liked his performance there and i wanted to see him in something different.

Music:Was on spot at every crucial scene,delivering all the right emotions.

Cast: All actors well chosen for their roles.
Acting: I will repeat myself and i dont care.Every time i write a review in a Kdrama i will always say that the majority of the Korean actors are too talended.After watching tons of series and movies from all over the world, i strongly believe Koreans belong to the very elite.Period.Same applies here.Outstanding performances from everyone.
Story:Interesting,engaging,heartbreaking.Full of hope.Full of despair.Shows how power can corrupt one and inspire another.
Long episodes but the pace is good and the story keeps going.You find yourself looking forward for the next episode without even realizing it!
Until episode 10 the drama was a solid 9.It was a marathon i enjoyed to run.But the last 6 episodes..Oh Gosh!What a ride!A sprint that left me breathless and dried but so satisfied.And the 9 became easily a 10!
The romance-fortunately for my taste-wasnt too heavy.Only in the later episodes was more intense,but the whole time supported the story perfectly.For those who really enjoys long and romantic scenes and the story revolves only around romance might be a bit disappointing.For me was the perfect dose.

Characters: Brilliant,powerful,well written characters with depth,with emotions,with strenghts and weaknesses.You feel their pain and their struggles.You put yourself in their shoes.You seek their revenge and their justice as it was yours!You can even justify the villains's actions,their evil shelves driven by power and money.Every character was substantial and had its importance for the story.Yeo Jin's char.I think this character,this dual role, gave him the opportunity to unfold his talent.This series surely enriched his Cv.
The madness in his eyes as the evil king.The kindness on his face as the good clown!Same face,two different persons,two opposite personalities.Yeo Jin Goo really nailed it!As the clown who had to take king's place he had to make many sacrifices,but walking down this dark and hard path he never lost himself .And that is what i loved the most about this char.He remained pure, he used the unexpected power he got for good.He had a vision and although he was a "fake" king he didnt want his people to suffer!All the way through he made the right choices.Many were hard and even cruel but all were for the best.
But it will be unfair not to praise Kim Sang Kyung as the Chief Royal Secretery(for his acting and his character as well)
He was the one who brought the clown to the palace.He saw the good inside him and felt there might be hope to achieve his dreams for a better nation through the kind-hearted fake king.For me this was the most interesting char and the pilar of the whole story.Eunuch Jo.Another outstanding character,same as Officer Jang.The definition of supportive roles.Without those 2 chars the story would't be complete.I havent mentioned the queen so far not because i forgot about her but because this role was more supportive than main.Her char was the weakest among all.It was the same typical queen role as in every historical Kdrama.No spine,no fire,no dynamic at all.Id love to see her been more energetic and take more decisions and support the king in a more powerful way.
Rewatch value:I gave a 5 because there are too many good Kdramas outthere waiting to be discovered and i only have 1 life and 24hrs per day!
I hope when you decide to watch this to enjoy it as much as i did!

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Well Done, except for the end

I assume that you have already watched the whole series, and this review is meant to discuss one problem of this overall very good show. So if you are looking for a thorough review of the different aspects of this show. This is not it. I mainly want to discuss one thing, namely, the the plot design of the very last episode. So let me explain my major issue with the show, and proceed to offer short comments on other aspects of it.

The major issue has to do with the overall themes of the show. It is worth saying again that this is an overall very good show. The majority of the plots are nicely laid out, and delivered to the audience in a digestable pace. This is not a show where the plots get so complicated that you need to re-watch in order to understand some of the intricacies. This is not to say that the plot is very straightforward and banal either. Both the premise of the show (namely, the a clown all of a sudden becomes a king) and the overall story progress are interesting and not cliché. The major conflict through the whole series, namely, the political and power fight within the court, is complex, multifarious yet well-articulated such that the show never gets boring (for me).

Spoiler alert again:
The major problem I had with this show then is where the show should end (I know, pretty technical and even pitty). The time distribution of the last episode is wrong. Given that the major conflict is the political fight, the show should end shortly after where that major plot is finished. While there are other themes and plotlines, such as the romance between the King and the Queen (roughly), the main theme is not romance, at least not so for the 15 episodes of the show. However, at the very end of the last episode, the director spent 20 minutes of the episode on romance, which has nothing to do with the political fight (because it is already finished at this point). It is also not very good romance: 20 minutes about how the King and the Queen are not able to find each other has "tears" value, but feels highly unnecessary. This last bit of the show, therefore, negatively impacted the overall coherence of the show because that bit, which is used to conclude the whole show, makes the whole show look like a romance when it is not. If someone only watches the last episode, s/he would have wrongly thought that romance is a major theme of the show. If s/he gets hooked by the last episode and decides to watch what happens before the last episode, s/he would be disappointed. It is as if the last episode is a nice bowl of chicken noodle soup. If someone likes the chicken noodle soup and wants more of it, s/he would be disappointed because the first 15 episodes are not chicken noodle soup, but stir-fried chicken and noodle with a bit of sauce. This is my major complaint of the last episode: still nice on its own, but not a good episode for concluding the show.

A minor complaint is the sound track, esp. the use of Schubert's ständchen, which is the theme song for (most if not )all romantic interactions. The melancholy of the song just doesn't fit well with some of the sweet interactions.

Actors are good! This is my first time watching the female lead Lee Se Young, and she catches my attention.

Much more can be said about the show, but I don't have much more interesting to add on top of all the reviews. So let this be it.

Thanks for reading.

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