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Welcome to my Mr. Queen – Unspoiled Review.  A modern day chef wakes up in the body of a Joseon queen.  Standing at the side of a king who has been painted by history as a failure, he begins to see that there is more to the story.  Now he is  laying everything on the line to help the king gain true power and make a name for himself in the annals of history.

Kim Jung Hyun as King Cheoljong

King Cheoljong is a king in a palace full of people who want him dead.  Both the Queen Dowager and the Grand Queen Dowager have plans to replace him with someone loyal to their cause.  He is in love with the Royal Concubine, who he has know since she befriended him and saved his life when they were children.  Knowing that Queen So Yong was chosen because of her family connection to the Grand Queen Dowager, he distrusts her, and even tries to kill her.  But slowly he notices that she seems to have changed and is actually trying to help him.  Little by little, he begins to trust her and slowly falls in love with her.  Now his dream is to become a powerful and righteous King who can rule the country with his Queen at his side.

Due to the difficult situation he finds himself in as King, Cheoljong is cold and distrustful of everyone except those in his closest inner circle.  But his true goal has always been to make a Joseon that is fair and just for it’s people.  Secretly he has trained to become a strong warrior and a wise King.  Kim Jung Hyun played the role well and his chemistry with Shin Hye Sun was fantastic.  Watching their scenes together was a highlight for me.

Na In Woo as Kim Byung In

Na In Woo is the childhood friend of So Yong.  He has been in love with her for years, but she has always been fixated on the King.  In Woo is also the adopted son of Kim Jwa Geon.  His jealousy over So Yong leads him to challenge the King and try to destroy him.

♥ Balance of Comedy and Drama

Mr. Queen manages to hold a great balance between the dramatic moments and the comic relief.  Many kdramas start with some comedy, but it tends to fizzle out as the episodes go on.  But not so with this drama.  They continued to add humor into all the episodes right up until the end, and those scenes never felt forced or out of place.  I have seen few dramas that have been able to attain this kind of perfect balance throughout.

♥ Hong Byul Gam

Hong Byul Gam played such an interesting role as the guy who knew everything that was happening in the palace.  He seemed lazy and happy-go-lucky but he was always the first person to make connections and understand what was actually happening.  Every time he would figure out something before everyone else, it would make me smile.  And so I loved it when they made him the official Royal Investigator.  It was obviously the job he was born to do.

More So Yong

It seems like if they were going to have So Yong come back in the end, it would have been nice to have seen more glimpses of her throughout the drama.  As it is, all the things that Cheoljong fell in love with seem to come from Bong Hwan;  the idioms, the crazy stories, the bold unpredictableness.  They could have shown more scenes where So Yong is obviously in control and interacting with the King, to give both the audience and Cheoljong a chance to fall in love with her too.  I think this would have made a smoother ending for those who were unhappy with it.  

Poor Bong Hwan

On the opposite end of the above spectrum, I would have liked to have seen a little more of Bong Hwan at the end. Something showing how he carried the friends and memories of the past with him in his modern life would have been fun.  That would have also reflected how much his time there had helped him to change and grow as a person.  

Well whether or not “Mr. Queen” had a happy ending is not an easy question and has been heavily contested by fans.  First let’s talk about the easy stuff.  The bady guys were removed from power and influence.  Jwa Geun is sent into exile to live out his life in disgrace.  The Queen Dowagers have been sent to the West Palace, where they will also live in isolation, removed of all their power.  The only obviously sad ending is for  Kim Byung In who is killed protecting the Queen’s life.  On the King’s side, Hwa Jin is finally seeing Yeongpyeong as more than just a friend.  Man Bok and Court Lady Choi seem to be happy together, and now that the Queen has lifted the ban on palace staff marrying, I hear wedding bells in their future.  So now onto the more difficult topic;  our lead couple.  Bong Hwan has been shot back through time, into his own body.  Rather than being wanted for a crime, he is now being rewarded for his contribution as a whistle blower.  He reads in a history book that he and Cheoljong did manage to make the King into a successful ruler.  And So Yong is now back in her own body, and happy with the King.  Their relationship seems to be going well, although the King does confess that sometimes he feels like he has lost something.  While many fans felt that separating Bong Hwan from the King was not a happy ending, I was satisfied that he needed to return to his own time.  But it was not without a bittersweet feeling that these 2 who had loved each other so much would never be together again.  What about you?  Did you like the ending?