(철인왕후; aired from December 12, 2020 to February 14, 2021; 20 episodes)
Mr. Queen is one of the most popular K-Dramas of early 2021, still no. 9 on the list of highest-rated series on cable television. It was recently released on Netflix to some success. It is a period drama and romcom, it has also elements of culinary comedy.
The premise of the show is that after an accident, the head chef (Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan) working at the Korean Blue House wakes up in 1851 in the body of Joseon era queen, Kim So-yong, also known as queen Cheorin (Shin Hye-sun). So-yong is supposed to marry King Cheoljong (Kim Jung-hyun) the next day.
The plot is predicable, follows the typical tropes established by other Korean period dramas. In short, after initial distaste and resistance, Bong-hwan in the body of So-yong falls for Cheoljong. There is a usual conspiracy and corruption arc among high officials, intrigues by dowager queens, and a palace coup. Still, the show is quite entertaining, which mostly comes from pretty well executed body swap comedy (with usual tropes found in a story of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court type), and culinary comedy scenes.
Interestingly enough, the show is actually in alternative history genre, since most main characters are actual historical figures (in which it differs from many other Korean Joseon-era dramas). Cheoljong was an actual Joseon king in the 19th century, although, as explained in the show, his reign wasn’t particularly well evaluated by modern historians. In short, he was a puppet king controlled by powerful Andong Kim family, continued isolationist policy, and failed to resolve significant poverty and other problems Joseon suffered from during his reign. Queen Cheorin was quite a passive figure as well; she survived her husband only to witness the downfall of her clan.
The show changes all of that. Cheoljong is a secret freedom fighter aiming to remove from power the powerful aristocratic families, and to limit the overwhelming corruption in the country. Defying her family, Andong Kims, and powerful Grand Royal Queen Dowager Kim (Bae Jong-ok), So-yong (with a soul of Bong-hwan) comes around to help Cheoljong in his plans, while their love blossoms. They have to fight the powerful adversaries from Andong Kim clan, and their rivals, Pungyang Jo clan. However, they also find occasional allies. (Fun fact: historical queen Cheorin was only 14 years old when she married Cheoljong; in the show she looks much older, Shin Hye-sun who was around 31 at the time of filming.)
In short, I find the whole plot remarkably similar to Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung: while there is no body swap or time travel in that earlier show, both shows take place in roughly the same time, and revolve around fictional reforms in Joseon kingdom based on Western ideas (Mr. Queen goes even further suggesting that under influence of So-yong/Bong-hwan Chaeljong wants to put Joseon on the road to democracy).
I find that the portrayal of “body swap” trope in Mr. Queen is quite entertaining. Shin Hye-sun shines in her role as Kim So-yong. She is mimicking gestures, body language, and speaking manner of a man, making it a quite compelling performance of a woman with a soul of a man, if not a bit exaggerated. Since Bong-hwan was a chef, in the body of So-yong they are cooking modern dishes with Joseon-era equipment. Those cooking sequences are terrific, one of the most entertaining parts of the show: flashy and spectacular exhibits of cooking skills are accompanied by the voice-over explanation. I wish there would be more of them, unfortunately, not every one of 20 episodes has those sequences.
The other leading characters are rather disappointing. Kim Jung-hyun is rather bland and stiff as Cheoljong; his chemistry with So-yong is mostly rescued by Shin Hye-sun’s performance. I don’t find the duo of Cha Chung-hwa as Court Lady Choi and Kim In-kwon as Royal Chef Man-bok particularly funny, but they are definitely netizens who find them hilarious. The same trio stars in Kokdu: Season of Deity, which, unlike Mr. Queen, isn’t finding particularly good reviews, with what I must agree.
In sum, Mr. Queen is a solid, although predictable, romcom, with interesting and well executed premise, as well as entertaining main female lead in Shin Hye-sun.
Mr. Queen on Wikipedia and MyDramaList
