The King Loves – Full Review
Welcome to The King Loves -Full Review. A crown prince and his best friend find themselves in love with the same woman in this historical drama about love and sacrifice. If you haven’t watched this drama yet, I recommend checking out my unspoiled review here.
The King Loves
♥ Aired: July 17 – September 19, 2017
♥# of Episodes: 20
♥Where to Watch: Viki
♥Genre: Historical Romance
♥Starring: Im Shi Wan and Im Yoon Ah
The Story
As the crown prince during the Goryeo Dynasty, Wang Won’s primary job is to act as a bridge between Goryeo’s people and the Emperor of Yuan. To his parents, he has been a pawn in their volatile relationship. His only friend is a royal cousin who became Won’s constant companion when they were young. But that friendship is put to the test when the two young men meet San; a bold and beautiful young woman with a mysterious past. What happens when best friends fall for the same woman and can their friendship survive the outcome?
The Leads
Im Shi Wan as Wang Won
On an outing to escape the stress of palace life and try to understand the lives and needs of the people he will one day rule, Wang Won and his best friend Wang Rin, meet a lively young woman named San. Wang is immediately drawn to her energetic and honest appproach to life. Keeping his true identity a secret, the three become close friends. But Won isn’t the only one with a secret. San is not the simple orphan student she pretends to be. Won will need to put everything on the line if he is going to save the life of the woman he has fallen in love with. To make matters worse, Won discovers he isn’t the only one who loves San. Will he be able to save San and her family, his friendship with Rin, and his own heart?
For me, Won is the tragic character who broke my heart. From episode 1, we hear most of the events from his perspective, as they tell us it’s his story. And yet, it seems obvious that he isn’t going to get the girl. And while dramas where the Second Lead gets the girl are rare, I might have been okay with that, if Won had found some kind of happiness along the way as consolation. But instead, we find out he loses everything, gives up the crown, and lives in self-imposed exhile. What a cruel outcome for such a kind-hearted and loyal man! I know, the life of a prince is never easy, but I’m still a girl who likes some kind of a happy ending. Having got that off my chest, I think Im Shi Wan was amazing in this role! If anything he was too good, because he made me feel every disappointment and slight as if it were my own. But excellent acting in a heartbreaking role should still be acknowledged as excellent acting.
Im Yoon Ah as Eun San
Eun San was involved in an accident as a young girl that cost her mother her life, and caused the family to send San into hiding. When Won and Rin show up at her teacher’s house, she doesn’t want anything to do with them, but the trio quickly become best friends. Things begin to get complicated when thier secrets start to unravel. First, San finds out that Won is actually the crown prince. Then those in power find out who she really is and threaten her and her family. Won and Rin will stop at nothing to protect her, but will she be able to protect them from the fall out?
Eun San is bold and energetic. In the beginning, her interest in Won and Rin seemed mostly platonic. I sometimes struggled to understand how she actually felt about them. Clearly she loved them both in her own way, and her back and forth emotions certainly kept us on the edge of our seats until the very end, but I would have liked to see more about how she was feeling. Was she torn or was it always Rin for her? I don’t feel like we can know that. As an actress, I really liked Yoon Ah in this role. Her contagious smile made it easy to understand how both men would fall for her instantly. And her determination to roll with whatever got tossed her way made her a likeable character.
Hong Jong Hyun as Wang Rin
Wang Rin is a royal cousin of the crown prince. As kids, he befriended Won, and now acts as tour guide and body guard when the two of them venture out of the palace on an adventure. It is one of these adventures that helps him meet San. Rin falls for her immediately, but when Won makes it known that he has feelings for her, Rin hides his interest. When San confronts Rin about Won’s true identity, San and Rim share a secret that brings them closer together despite Rin’s best intentions. Rin’s loyalty to Won is tested when Rin is approached about usurping Won and putting Rin on the throne as the rightful Goryeon king. In order to protect both San and Won and maintain peace in their country, Rin will have to give up his own birthright.
Rin is a loyal friend who has always put Won’s needs ahead of his own. Even when everyone told him that a king can’t afford to have real friends, Rin gave his full heart to him. He is stoic and proud because, in order to protect the king, he has never been allowed to show any vulnerablility. Rin is relateable and Hong Jong Hyun was positively charming in the role. His scenes with Won were touching and fun to watch. And his natural and subtle chemistry with Im Yoon Ah made their blossoming relationship believable.
Supporting Characters
Park Hwan Hee as Wang Dan
Wang Dan is the sister of Rin. She has had a crush on Won since they were young. Won is aware of her feelings, so he generally tries to avoid her whenever possible, so that he won’t hurt her. When their family is put in jeopardy, Won agrees to marry her and make her the crown princess. But even in his proposal, Won tells her that his heart will never belong to her.
Oh Min Suk as Song In
Song In is the royal secretary who serves the king. He teams up with his girlfriend to have her seduce the king and slowly poison him. He wants to get rid of Won and put someone on the throne who will be easier for him to control. His allies are strong, both inside and outside of the royal palace.
Jeong Bo Seok as King Chung Nyeol
King Chung Nyeol is the ruling king and father of Won. Power has made him paranoid and lonely. He doesn’t trust his wife or his son. Song In is one of the few advisors he listens to, which makes him vulnerable to political betrayal. By the time he realizes his mistake, his life and the safety of his lineage are in danger.
Things I Liked
♥ Historical Era
Because so many sageoks are set in the Joseon period, it’s fun to see one set in Goryeo for a change. The political climate of this time is interesting and lends itself well to lots of tense royal intrigue. This drama also took advantage of the setting to give us a visually beautiful series from the scenery to the costumes. I enjoyed the novelty of this era and I would love to see more dramas explore it.
♥ Crazy or Just Wily?
I really loved Teacher Lee Seung Hyoo’s character. He managed to convince everyone that he was just a crazy drunk, while, in reality, he was still as sly as a fox. Even San, his star pupil, was convinced that all she learned from his was drinking. When actually, he had taught her how to believe in herself and live through her grief. Uhm Hyo Sub is no stranger to sagueks, but this was a fun and unique role for him.
♥ Bromance
“The King Loves” is much more a story of friendship than romance. And while I loved the scenes of the three friends together, I especially enjoyed the times with just Won and Rin. From teasing banter to heavy heart to hearts, their friendship was deep and enviable. Their willingness to sacrfice their own happiness to protect the other showed the true degree of their devotion and loyalty.
Things I Didn’t Like
Dan and Yeon Ending?
Apparently both of these ladies lost their chance at love in the end, but we really got no resolution to their characters or their storylines. I am left with so many questions. What did Dan do for the 10 years Won was off in Yuan? Did she go with him? Did she finally find love with Jin Gwan, the handsome royal guard? And what about Yeon? How did she react when she found out Moo Suk was dead? Did she ever know that he actually died a hero while trying to do the right thing? I enjoyed both of these characters, so I am disappointed to be left with no closure.
Comic Relief
Comic relief characters tend to be hit or miss for me. In this case, I just didn’t enjoy them. Kim Ho Jin and Ahn Se Ha are fine actors but I didn’t find the characters of Wang Yeon and Gae Won to be engaging at all. They weren’t really funny or interesting. I found the parts with them to be boring and usually their actions could have been done by any random character. There were plenty of interesting elements to this drama, and it just didn’t need this kind of comic relief, in my opinion.
Song In’s Motive
Song In is a strange character for me. In the beginning, he seems like a moral purist who only wants to ensure a pure bloodline for his beloved country. But then, somewhere toward the end, he confesses that he really just wants to be a king maker who holds all the power from behind the scenes. Somehow this shift in motivation cheapened the role for me. I wish they had let the character have his dignity as a man of high political ideals instead of turning him into a power monger who didn’t even care who was king.
The Ending
For a series with themes like sacrifice and unrequited love, I guess it should come as no surprise that no one in the entire drama gets a totally happy ending. I rather enjoyed watching Song In go slowly crazy before taking a couple arrows to his chest. Evil characters seldom get what they deserve, but somehow, watching him mourn the death of Ok Boo Young was better than just having him die unpunished. Rin and Won hatch a plan to have Rin accept the blame for leading the rebellion and then staging his death. We see Rin get shot by Won’s shadow guards before falling off a cliff. But our trio meets one more time, outside of the palace. Rin is walking with a cane, but very much alive. He and San will go into hiding somewhere even Won doesn’t know. While Rin and San got their ending together, they are both forced to leave their families and lives behind, as their sacrifice. And Won is left alone without the only friends he ever had. A final voiceover tells us that Won did become king for a short time, but gave the throne back to his father and ran away to Yuan after hearing that Rin and San were still close by. It seems that he never stopped missing them, but kept his promise to not try to find them. And with that, Won’s story comes to an end.
Should I Watch
“The King Loves” is a beautiful story of love, friendship, and sacrifice. The political strategies and motivations can get a bit murky at times, so if royal intrigue isn’t your thing, you may find parts of this drama frustrating. Sacrifice and unrequited love are major themes throughout this drama, which can make it emotionally heavy at times. so if you are looking for light and happy, you might put this one on a back burner. But this cast does an outstanding job and the friendship between Won and Rin is one of the sweetest bromances I’ve seen. This drama also stands out as one that breaks kdrama norms to tells a unique and touching story. I give “The King Loves” an 8 out of 10 ramen.
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