El Rey: Eterno Monarca (2020)

A failed masterpiece

TKEM was supposed to have the best of everything: the most successful screenwriter and director, extremely popular actors in an ensemble cast and a lot of money being into production. We were hyped for months. All of it unfortunately could not save this mess of a show that it became.

Pros:
1. AMAZING CINEMATOGRAPHY: Everything is beautiful.
2. Lee Min Ho in all his glory.
3. Woo Do Whan in his double role is extremely convincing and is the best part of the show.
4. Most of the actors in this large cast have done a really good job.
5. Interesting concept of parallel worlds and time travel.

Cons:
1. Very annoying FL. I do not like her. I'm disappointed with Kim Go Eun's portrayal of Tae-Eul. The character herself isn't very likable either. The way they styled her is also drab and disappointing considering the contrast with the King who is always looking regal.
2. No chemistry between the leads. I tried to convince myself that they look good together for a very long time but I'm finally giving up. Their romance is really boring, no fun moments.
3. The plot is a mess. There are too many characters and none of them is able to make a meaningful impact because its not coherently put together.
4. Kang Shin Jae is given a lot of importance in the plot, but the actor doesn't have equivalent screen presence to pull it off.
5. SO MUCH PPL, the characters not only use the products but also TALK ABOUT THEM. I never complain about PPL but honestly in this drama its very distracting and really pulls you out of the story.
6. The world building is off, Kingdom of Corea looks almost like and Republic of Korea and its hard to tell the difference unless its the palace setting.
7. The suspense is not built up properly cause often the audience already knows what's going on while detectives on the show try to catch up.

Overally the show is a mess. You might want to invest your time into watching the beautiful cinematography, Lee Min Ho and Woo Do Whan.

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Woo Do Hwan, surprisingly makes this drama. Okay the most positive thing I can say is that there is some nice eye candy in this drama. However flat, the drama may be. I also like the main plot with the Parallel Universe for the most part. However, the delivery falls short in almost all other aspects.
The acting.
To start the beginning of story actually starts of well and explains a lot. But then it loses everything when the actors open their mouths. The acting is terrible (or should I say over acting). I have never been a fan of Lee Min Oh and I could not really figure out why. I mean he is good looking and everyone loved him in (legend of a deep blue see). Me not so much and it is because he cannot act, at least in my eyes. He never has any expressions on his face as if someone told him he should look subdued and stark or did he get Botox? He does not ever raise his eyebrows while delivering a scene, it is quite annoying to watch. His voice is completely monotone, no up down it makes it hard to believe his character.
So, Kim Go Eun, is not any better. One thing Go Eun is good at is her stares that is the positive. I have to say they put two of my least favorite dramas stars together. They are very handsome people but not much more in this drama. So, Kim Go Eun, overacts in almost every scene. Her expressions and body movements are all wrong. Her lines seem to be way ahead or too late. Probably because she cannot read Min Ho, expressions. The other distracting thing is she is constantly either flipping or tying her hair. Oh, this makes me not like her or her character at all. Doing this while trying to deliver her lines. So, I am not sure is this is the director, writer or actually part of the story or just her vanity. Whatever it is, it makes the drama look really cheap and low budget. Beautiful women don't have to constantly flip their hair. Then her wardrobe, not marketable at all. I never understand why in Chinese dramas the women dress to a "T" (American expression for Great) which I love, but in Korean dramas they tend to look homely with baggie clothes just unkempt not a good selling feature to me.
Woo Do Hwan, surprisingly makes this drama. His character is handsome, light, funny and a joy to watch. I think he would have been a better match for the female lead.
There are some gaps in the story line which may throw you off at times and it is a missed opportunity for the director to make an impact. The romantic moments are awkward and rushed. There is not reason why the should love each other the dots do not connect. The first kiss does not have an impact at all.
I am not a hater I have watched over 300 dramas from all genres and I am a fan. It just makes me mad when directors, writers, producers miss the mark and forget to entertain the fan.
Supporting Cast
So, on the up side of this movie the supporting cast is somewhat entertaining. There are some truly funny and light moments to this dramas. I found myself laughing out loud at times. This part has kept me watching.
Action
There is some action and fight scenes in this drama that are entertaining. There are some climatic moments that make you want to root but they do not quite connect the dots for a awesome moment. It is as if the editing was cut a few minutes too short.
Sound Track-
If there was a sound track or great music it went over my head and I missed it.

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Watch if you just want to see pretty faces.

Keeping it short. It is a mess. Total mess. Over complicated the script so much that it just stopped being entertaining. Around halfway point I was merely watching to finish the series. I wanted to like it especially because I really enjoyed watching lee min ho and kim go eun; and it had a big budget. But just fell short in all aspects when it comes to story and character development. All the jumping around in the story just ended up giving me a headache in the end. I really wanted to like this series, in the first 5 episodes i was still looking forward every week for new episodes, but it flatlined so much and so quickly that i saw myself wanting to watch something else instead as new episodes were released.

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The nerd in me loves this drama in its entirety.
The cast, the directing, the production, the storyline, the screenplay and even the multitude numbers of product placements which at one point simply became amusing...
I guess; it was very expensive to keep up with the Haute Couture fashion for the entire royal crew from the Kingdom of Corea. They needed those product placements.

Although I enjoy watching it to the very end; I feel rather unsatisfied with Lee Gon and Tae Eul‘s ending. Traveling into different parallel universes and time periods are all fun and game; however, I wanted to see a royal wedding, a royal queen coronation and a stable lifestyle... So to speak...
The scientist in me understands that it is against the rules to have both Luna as a detective and Tae Eul as the crowned queen living in the same universe.
Nonetheless, the irrational romantique in me wants Lee Gon and Tae Eul to be the royal couple that rules over the kingdom.

*All in all, both the scientist and the romantique in me adored this drama.

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Did this make no sense or am I just dumb??

I wasn't planning on writing a review for this drama (specially because I've never written a review before) but I just finished watching the whole thing and I'm honestly so upset! I want my 16 hours back!!

"The King: Eternal Monarch" presented us the concept of parallel worlds and later time travel. THAT'S PRETTY COOL! except it wasn't because it was very poorly executed. And I'm not talking about the actors (they were all pretty good specially Woo Do Hwan). I'm talking about the writing, which was clearly focused on the romance while the whole ~parallel worlds and treason~ storyline stayed in the background.

I really wanted to like this drama but the numerous plot holes just made it very difficult to accompany and focus. AND DON'T GET ME STARTED ON THE PRODUCT PLACEMENT!! I mean I get it they are being sponsored and supported by these brands but that was absolutely shameless and ruined the immersion.

And now my thoughts on the ending: It made no sense. As simple as that. The King Lee Gon restored everything he wanted and that needed to be restored but that had a price: Jeong Tae-Eul and everyone from the Republic of Korea would forget Lee Gon and his world. And that's what happened... EXCEPT FOR TAE-EUL WHO DIDN'T FORGET ANYTHING!!!! AND WHY? FOR THE SAKE OF ~ROMANCE~ (a romance which, in my opinion, had no chemistry and seemed forced).

That's not how you write a coherent script! A better altrenative would be having Tae-Eul forget Lee Gon and falling in love with him again because she felt in her heart that that was her destiny! But nope! EVERYONE FORGOT COREA EXCEPT THE FEMALE LEAD BECAUSE OF THEIR ROMANCE AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER TRAVELING ACROSS TIME!! HOORAY!!
Can you tell I'm bitter and upset?? :))))))

To be completely honest the only reason I started watching this drama was because of Woo Do Hwan and (as expected) he delivered!! His character was what kept me going through this absolute mess of a drama. And I applaud him for his performance as Jo Yeong and as Jo Eun-Sop!

So, to summarize: If you're looking for a romance with some ~crazy~ background story, go for it! But if you're looking for a drama with a well developed plot and a romance that isn't completely forced, please run! Run as fast as you can and never look back!

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So first off, this is not a drama for the faint hearted. This is a all in commitment. Initially I was hesitant on the first 3 episodes.. then it started to draw me in and as story unfolded I loved it. It so rare that you get a drama that sucks you in and you are waiting impatiently for the next one finding yourself day dreaming about what’s going to happen next, putting the puzzle pieces together :) it’s an all in fun ride.
You really have to pay attention(especially the uncles evil schemes in the beginning) he is ssoooo evil and did it sooo good) and there’s other side stories.. (which do not take away from the main story but add to it.. ) it should have been 17 or 18 episodes but they wrapped it up nicely in 16. Certain people are fundamental to the story and when you get the flow you start to see how deep/good it really is.
I didn’t get the romance at first.. but then I realized; the King saw the FL as his champion at a very vulnerable sad time in his life and as “she” had saved him from death and killed some of the traitors. She was larger than life to him and I’m sure that looking at her picture everyday... after a while he probably felt like he “knew “ her.
So. when he sees her ; It’s like a long lost friend/savior who means so much to him. Also FL is kind of tough. She’s not a damsel in distress (which I love:) , So until she knows him and can trust that he is for real about his story and his feelings toward her. She’s not gonna give him an inch. Obviously she is somewhat interested in him because she spends time with him and listens to his story (at first she thinks he’s nuts and then she starts to research different things that make her question her reality) I loved that she did that and then you see the wheels in her mind turning and things making her REALLY question that lead her to answers .. soon they are thinking out loud together .. so one more thing about this relationship he’s a really smart wise compassionate capable strong good looking man who is not about power..but about justice.. what’s not to love in him:):):D Omo.. also loved loved his horse :) he was beautiful

Let’s face it, there’s a lot to consider and the writers tried to give you an authentic point of view from the characters personalities Sometimes when we watch dramas we take it for granted that everyone accepts the impossible slightly implausible crazy story that two worlds that are similar parallel and exist.
I liked that FL really did her due diligence and she has a smart mind so the gathers her info. When she accepts that he is authentic and honest with her and she realizes that he is what she has been looking for, she commits to the relationship. I liked the romance, it wasn’t a “needy” relationship it was a “i really like you wanna get to know you but I still have a job a family and a life.(aka I’m a King..hehe) .how do we manage that?” Kind of romance.
Then throw in a REALLY evil homicidal uncle who replaces people from each world ( people swapping killer,) close friends/protectors workers/palace people/ and you got a fun ...all out ....what’s gonna happen next story. Also humor was thrown in so it had some really funny moments :)

The FL as a co- and all her people were excellent and the King in his world with all his people were excellent.. to have friends and people like these in your life really made the story about them all:)

Like I said not for the faint of heart. But the story really comes together and you realize the main couple are in love and they’ve never been in love, /so they are finding out not only about each other but they and others are also threatened and have to save/protect/ figure out the next step in the tine line and solve the chaos in the past somehow.
I thought each actor was really good. I love the Main leads and have seen all their dramas. I must say they have matured and I loved them and totally got their relationship, because it’s not easy to date Fall in love, keep in touch and save two worlds. Once she committed she totally committed ..(it was sweet)

The other leads (FL best friend who is in love with her.. Kings right hand man , nice Uncle , Grandmother ) (I totally LOVE the grandmother.she is the icon for all grandmas in k dramas) I thought all were really good.
SPOILER ** The ending was perfect. It showed you how well the leads understood each other/worked well and independently and did what needed to be done ; how things changed and ended up...(a few of them I LOL’d how they changed)
Once the FL got the gist of how things were panning out she was way ahead of the game and started to work out how she needed to proceed (a woman with a tactical mind herself) and the ML respected her ..her job , independence and her intelligence. You just knew they were gonna enjoy life together:)

Soooo.. what I’m saying is the drama is done you can binge watch it and have fun.. if in the first 4-6 episodes you don’t connect... no harm done but I am so happy I watched it and will rewatch some of the episodes again

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Unfortunately this plot could have been really good if not by the lack of consistency and overall coherence. I do think the main ideia could become a good drama but the decision making behind this show is beyond clueless.
We had thousands of misplaced propaganda, hundreds of plot choices that made no sense, cliches and ideas that were randomly placed in the storyline with no justifiable reason, soundtrack was bad, multiple genres not well integrated and I could go on for many lines.
I also struggled with the chemistry between the main couple, well... There was none. And although Lee Min Ho came a long way in his acting skills, to me his best drama acting wise so far, the project was yet too demanding for his capabilities in my opinion. I’m sorry, he’s still handsome though.
I wish I could point out everything wrong plot wise and direction wise in this drama, but I’ll leave it at that as a warning for future viewers. It’s somewhat watchable still if you have the patience to endure and pretend thinks that make no sense can be overlooked.

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I blinked and they were in love.

I don't even know what to say about this drama other than I have never been so confused in my life. I was lost almost every episode, I thought I was slow but having read many reviews I'm glad I'm not the only one in this train. The writer overcomplicated everything even the simple things. I don't know if I would say the story had potential, but it was definitely a smart idea if only it was executed better. This was my first Woo Do-hwan drama, he really did shine. I laughed and cried all thanks to him and I also found Prime Minister Koo intriguing, I hate what they did to her character at the end.

I didn't like the two leads as a couple, I don't know how and why they began liking each other it was just so rushed and they did not go through any development. Im sick of Lee Min-ho playing the same freaking role (wealthy guy), we know he can pull that off well. At this point I'm beginning to doubt his talent. I hated the way each episode began, as well as the drama's ending. The time travel theme was a disaster and didn't help at all; additionally, the product placements in this drama is ridiculously excessive. Finally there's literally not much of a reason for anyone to watch this so I do not recommend.

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What a beautiful mess.

I didn't come into this drama expecting much. I still left feeling disappointed, mostly in myself for wasting 16 hours of my life watching this commercial...I mean drama.
Yes, the product placement is that bad. It is everywhere, and it is jarring.

Let's move on to the acting. Woo Do Hwan kills it. His shoulders must hurt from trying to carry this show. He has the best chemistry with everyone, including himself.
Most of the actors did a pretty decent job, besides the main leads. The chemistry between Lee Min Ho and Kim Go Eun was almost non-existent. Kim Go Eun brought everything including the kitchen sink, and it was too much. Lee Min Ho's underacting did not mesh well. He does not emote well, but seeing him in a uniform with his beautiful eyes and warm gaze might be enough to save some fangirl's poor soul.

The characters were pretty one-dimensional and way too abundant. Even the ones I wanted to know better didn't get enough of our time, because that time was spent on side characters that wouldn't even matter if the writer didn't love taking us off on a tangent with all the sub- plotting. The main characters were yata yata I'm not even impressed enough to describe them coherently. Woo Do Hwan's character(s) made for good comic relief. The hot ahjussi...I mean villain was a joke.

The biggest failure in the drama has to be the writing. The romance was big in this drama, and it was totally rushed and stilted. It left me completely unconvinced. Why do they love each other? Does anybody know? Anyone? Bueller??
Let's talk about the plot. The initial idea for the drama had potential but it wasn't executed properly. There were too many sub-plots and crater-sized plot holes. Even some questions the characters asked never got answered, let alone the audience's questions. The drama goes here, there and everywhere, and rather quickly too. With too much going on, it becomes very chaotic nonsense. I am not going to get into the details as it was confusing as heck and hello spoilers. Good writing can make sense of complicated plots, but that doesn't happen here. Just believe me that if you can make any sense of this mess, then I must be one dumb bunny and you should never trust me or my reviews again.

The best thing about TKEM, besides Woo Do Hwan, was the visual. Everything was so very pretty. So there is that.

I wanted this to be a short review, but somehow it didn't work out that way.
Here's the main point: This drama stinks worse than my BO, so if you like stuff that stinks you should totally watch it.

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My rating is greatly influenced by the romance in this drama, because of the quality of the production and the moments that left you on a high, it was enough to make me eager for Fridays. If you are looking for a well thought out sci-fi/fantasy drama, this is not for you. But if you can abandon logical storyline and live in this world of make believe for a king and his girl, you are good to go.
I was reminded of Dr. Who when I watched this but the world created is nowhere as exquisite as in Dr. Who. The accepted lore surrounding time travel and space/time stories don't bother this story, it does its own thing. Sounds like you should not watch ---- but as much as all of this is true, I felt that this show delivered a romance that made it worth a few hours of my time.
Story:
I gave the story a 9 because of its bones. It is not fleshed out well, but there is enough for someone to pick up and let your imagination take you the rest of the way.
The high production value does enough to keep you in the world of the drama even when the story lines when off the rails sometimes.
There is a theme of love across almost impossible boundaries like that which can be found in Crash Landing On You.
I don't mind cheesy romances... I can discount the plot holes and live for the moments where the leading man is dressed in his military dress uniform and stand stately and claim his woman.
Acting/Cast:
Lets just say Woo Do Hwan 10/10 ….
I don't favour Lee Minho's acting but he suited this character and did a credible job of creating the mood of the romance. A cool, smitten, dominant male lead. It isn't a swoony romance and it is not about the female lead. Lee Minho carried the romance for me but it might be because I like a strong male lead. This role seems to be suited for his type of acting. The charisma of a King or a knight in shining armour on a white horse. There were enough times he got to say lines that cheesy romance novels stereo typically write for a King.
The rest of the cast, considering everyone had to play dual roles, I found extremely engaging. The storyline failed a couple of the characters in later episodes.
Music:
10/10 and really, all I need to say is that there is this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apNWEcuBboI
Rewatch:
I don’t think I would rewatch this without a lot of fast forwarding.

Overall:
You can break a piece of art down into the different lines and colours but until you stand back and look at it as a whole, you don’t really see any substance or merit. This show is like that to me. There is so much I can say that could have been done better. Yet, I feel I could replay some of the moments and get the “feels” all over again. Watching it left me feeling good. If that is all it provides in the world as it is today, then this drama was worth it.

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First, I want to emphasise that I am no hater of any of these actors. I do like some more than others (Sorry Lee Min Oh, I just can't deal with you anymore ...), but to be fair, I believe that even the best actors could not save this drama.

To be honest, there was potential at first ...... and then nothing happened.
To sum up my opinion in a few points:
- Flat characters
- Relationships happening out of nowhere, because why should we spend time on building real links between characters?
- No real suspense, as viewers we often understand things way before the characters do, and really, that takes them an awful lot of time.

I love most of these actors but unfortunatly their characters are so bland that they can't do any magic here.
As for the aesthetic, it is really enjoyable and pleasing to the eyes... but that's all this drama is about: nice visuals.

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I just completed The Eternal King Monarch and thought I would love this show because I really like the lead actress and the writer. I was never a big fan of Lee Min Ho, not even his looks but seeing him as a king and his prefect hair , I see his charms. I want his perfect hair.
But one thing that annoyed me majorly was how they show that the king has no skill in shooting using the gun n that’s y he went to the navy to serve. And then there is one scene where he goes on a killing spree with his gun n killing everyone at one shot, even those who r standing far. (Insert “hands in the air” emoji”), plot hole or what ??
Other also had so many problems with this show too, with what it portrayed and stuff.
It’s not a show I would rewatch again but a show where I would watch some 30 seconds scenes again. I liked all the side actors, <3Eun Seop<3 in the show. I wonder how I would feel if I binged the show than watch each episode weekly, most likey keep fast forwarding as there are a lot of repetitive scenes.
The actors looked like they had great chemistry and shippers were going crazy, and of course I’m one of those shippers. But in the drama, u don’t see any moments which is really touching.
My fav part was how she falls in love with him after she realizes he’s a king, my kind of gal.:)) But again , not at all real for a drama n wouldn’t convince audience. I really couldn’t see their love, it was rushed. And her crying everytime she saw him, I couldn’t feel the emotions and relate.
And also in the end, Tae Eul who has all her memories dint care to even ask for her childhood buddy and wasn’t even curious about him? I guess the time traveling and the diamond coat buttons was enough for this justice seeker who lives to protect people.
And the ending is a long distance parallel universe dating relationship? Should I be happy with that ending ? How does that make sense? Until when will it last ? Shouldn’t a King settle down n produce a heir ? So bring her to his universe, when and how ? So many unanswered questions just like how 2020 has been.
Not so much character growth and the story is supposed to be confusing with parallel universe and such and had so much to explore and get in depth with it but was very lacking and fell flat in the end, there was no mystery to anything. And everyone knew how it would end. And I wouldn’t even look forward to watch this show every Friday and I would forget it as soon as I watched it. Really wanted more from the writer, she usually has such good stuff. Maybe I had too much expectations. And omg the product placements, the story was written around the products more!!! 2020 continues to disappoint.

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