WATCHING: MR.QUEEN (Episodes 1-5)
SYNOPSIS: "Bong Hwan is a chef working at the Blue House in the present day. He is so talented that he can figure out one’s health conditions and even get into their mind by just observing what they pick for their side dishes. He somehow gets trapped in the body of Kim So Yong, a queen in the Joseon dynasty, and meets King Cheoljong, the two-faced king full of secrets. Everyone who lives in a palace has secrets.
At first, they go through a hard time trying to understand each other. However, throughout the drama, they show how their sham marriage turns them into strong companions after enduring confrontations and misunderstandings." (viu.com)
I have since watched the first 5 episodes (out of the finite 16 episodes), and this is my personal impressions thus far... *MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD*
MY VERSION OF THE SYNOPSIS: Modern day (wannabe) self-centered and confident "alpha"-dude literally has his mind swapped into a body of a female, a Queen in full hanbok period past, and we get to enjoy his wild juxtaposition between modern day and period sensibilities, habits and culture, and enjoy his multiple schemes and plans to get back into his own body and modern life, which (he has self-deduced) to be jumping into a lake. Imagine a guy who self-praises his own sexual-prowess, then waking up to find he no longer has his dong, and his obsession with want to return to his "original self".
Oh, "she" has a husband that is not what he or history-books have said he is, and a power-struggle fuelled royal palace filled with feuding Dowagers from opposing clans.
"Palace Intrigues" never truly sat well with me, although I do admit the curiosity of period projects, watched with unknowing eyes and absolutely lack of historical knowledge (I'm just a woeful middle-aged Chinese man in Singapore who failed his History in 'O'Levels :p), and had't exactly been pining for this series, but for seeing actress Shin Hye-Sun in another feature film before this (2020's "Innocence") and loved her performance then, plus memories of her in 2015's "She Was Pretty", and 2017's "Stranger" - and want to see what she could bring to the table, and I am floored and LOVE HERE TO BITS at this point of publication! ... okay, I'll save my fawning a little bit more first...
And while we've seen age swap concepts (18 Again), this series is essentially body and sex-swop seen in Blumhouse's FREAKY (Kathryn Newton + Vince Vaughn), where the mind (and mannerisms) of Alpha-Dude "Jang Bong-Hwan" (played by Choi Jin-Hyuk in Ep.1) into the Queen "Kim So-Yong".
And what happens next is a glorious K-Drama-styled blend of slapstick humour mixed with drama and palace intrigue, as we journey along with "So Yong" the queen, and finding out what actually happened on the night she drowned and traded minds/places with "Bong Hwan", all the while how and what she does to try and "get back" to his modern life.
And as ludicrous as that may sound, what I witnessed and watched however, is filled hilarity, sadness, anger even. Shin Hye-Sun's powerhouse acting SHINES thru (This is HER SHOW, IMHO ... no matter how I try to word this delicately, sorry), when the alpha-male inhabits her body, and pre-gender-swap of her absolutely emotionally wrenching portrayal of the Queen caught in the web of said palace-intrigues and expectations.
I was waiting for when the queen stepped into the kitchen to show off his/her cooking skills, and quite frankly would rather see more of that LOL
ABOVE: Fanedit (with English subs) ... BELOW: Full Sequence
Every other character were serviceable, and ironically some even seemed a tad "stiff" and one-dimensional, falling into the cliched tropes we've seen in other period dramas, both Asian and Western. And if it seems I am particularly biased towards and fanboying over Shin Hye-Sun, so be it, and I will not deny your accusations, thank you.
But make no mistake, this is predominantly a comedy, with like most Kdrama-shows, the emotional angle is intense as well.
And while I'd previously mentioned the cliches and character tropes, I am willing to overlook that as the storyline is not terribly oblique to absorb. Yes, there are still secrets to uncover, and a past to reveal, and no doubt even the "how dod the body swap happen?"-question, but all of it is packaged in a project decently edible and understood, without needing ti crack your braincells too much (*BONUS for me, thanks! LOL).
Personally I liked this notion: "History might not necessarily be written proof", and I cannot wait to see how the characters are abe to find out more about each other, and together gain victory over their individual circumstances.
"MR.QUEEN" ("철인왕후") also known as "No Touch Princess" (early English title) and "Queen Cheorin" (literal title) is written by Park Kye-Ok and Choi A-Il, and directed by Yun Seong-Sik. This 16-episode tvN production airs Saturday and Sundays (9pm), premiered December 12, 2020, and will end January 31, 2021.
According to Wiki, "Mr. Queen" is based on the Chinese novel "Go Princess Go" and its web series adaptation.
I watched my episodes thus far on Viu.com (Southeast Asia and Hong Kong) - who currently offering free viewings in the month of December ... . I have no doubt I will be following the series til its end (which means I'll have to eventually pay $$ to watch til the end), and highly recommend this to folks who enjoy this particular genre and signature blend of KDrama(s).
I would be wondering if the swap goes both ways, and would have an interesting series where we see the QUEEN in Bong Hwan's body instead.... Maybe if there is a "Season Two"? :p
Truth be told, once I found out Choi Jin-Hyuk was in the role in this series, I had my doubts going in (*especially since Idol abandoned two of his shows after watching the first episode(s): "Zombie Detective" and "Rugal"), but we'd only gotten a glimpse of the actor in the beginning of Episode One, and hear his voice in subsequent episodes.
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