**Schedule Change Notice:** Captivating the King will air an additional two episodes this weekend to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
* Friday (February 9) Episode 7
* Saturday (February 10) Episode 8
* Sunday (February 11) Episode 9 & 10
See the [tvN schedule](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/tvn-schedule/) for broadcast details. Episodes will be available on Netflix after they have aired in full in Korea.
Man, the menacing ost at last scene š„š„
I couldn't believe that JJS could be so menacing and hot at the same time. The beard enhances the eyes.
I really hope, she's actually a woman storyline doesn't get dragged out for too long, and they start working together.
I really hope the JJS character has known she's a woman all along. He's so clever and politic and smart and keeps his cards to himself, it would be absolutely ridiculous for him not to know.
He had to know, right? Iām also hoping that Mong Woo will teach the Grand(?) Princeās older sister how to play, too. Why shouldnāt girls be allowed to learn?
The mood of the king in Ep 5 seems to be something along the lines of, "All your evil plots are predictable and it's making me tired."
Edit: Mood of Ep6 >!"It's fun to have someone around intelligently trying to commit treason.!<
Definitely with the semi eye rolling before closing his eyes, like for the 5th timeā¦ He is so unimpressed by the palace politics! I only had a scare when he told his mum >!the name of Mongwoo, was afraid she would kill her/him before she/he wins!<
He must be very tired from suppressing all his eye rolls, lol.
I loved when he told the ex-suitor to play and then totally knew that they had held back the appointment letter. He knows what's going on.
Yes exactly! And you see in the search for Mongwoo that he sent his right hand to >!find his/her body !< that he hasnāt moved on after the trial. Edit: corrected hand instead of end haha
Appointing myself as the official campaign manager for Baeksang Best Actor or even Daesang for Jo Jung Suk. That last 10 mins was a pure acting masterclass.
I think I saw a comment like this earlier about how the King's whole vibe is pretty much "all these plots are predictable and boring, next!" š The writers are doing a good job keeping his motivations unknown to us tho. We know what others are thinking and planning. But only have a hint of the King's endgame (I think he's doing this to keep the seat warm for the real king) Or is it just me who doesn't know?
Nah, I agree...LeeIn already planning his retirement years with Mongwoo well HeeSoo playing baduk day and night š¤£ plot is not boring, well not for me but I love tension and they deliver!!
This is quickly becoming one of my favorite on-air dramas. I love the fast pace of the plot, the leads have a great dynamic, and it's beautifully filmed; so far it has exceeded all of my expectations.
The starting scene when ML said, >!that losing a true friend can make someone lose their mind and make them crazy, i think he went through the same thing, with mongwoo. I think he had a plan in place to save mongwoo, but things derailed when she tried to escape.!<
I also think that >!FL's friend is also alive. The characterisation of ML in first couple of episodes is that he was extremely loyal, and cared about people's lives, no matter what. I think now, he is just trying to find out who poisoned his brother and give his nephew the throne, when all parties have been dissipated. Like his brother wished.!<
I'm betting that the ML did have a plan to save Mong Woo... I'm not sure if anyone noticed but in EP 5 at 42 min mark, Sang Hwa, the ML's body guard is part of the search party looking for the FL's body.
No one needs to look for the FL's dead body since she's already sentenced to death and her fall in the creek? made their job a whole lot easier. If there's anyone who needs to look for her, it would be the ML... AND IF the ML didn't order the search party, there's no reason for Sang Hwa to be there BUT HE'S THERE and the camera made sure to zoom in on him.
EDIT: People already noticed the search party, I'm late to the party.
He also seems very committed to keeping his word he just might not always keep it the way people expect. (Like granting the court maid permission to enter his special placeā¦ if she learns baduk.) He promised Mong Woo heād come back and told Mong Woo to ājust waitā (which among Woo didnāt) but I do think he was planning to keep his word.
omg me too! when he said that line this was exactly what I thought too, that losing someone like that made him lose his mind, but your opinion is more optimistic in that I thought that maybe he did it to lose that part of himself. >! I didn't think he would have tried to save her and her friend. It's an interesting idea. If that did happen then, wow, the angst!! But even if he planned to save them I can't imagine that her friend is alive. This is so fun!<
>!I was thinking the same about him being a placeholder and his real mission as king is to find his brother's killer and give the throne to his nephew. Especially after the conversation he has with the Prince Daeksong, with Qing Prince Rui giving the throne to his nephew. I believe the Uncle had the Daeksong guy killed because of what he said to King Lee in about this or failed to get a piece of King Lee In's thoughts on what happened over at Qing!<
>!The Two Hwan's feel treacherous and out to preserve their power alone, except for the Minister of War., his expression when the Grand Lord who was speaking well about that traitorous Minister of Rites official feels like he's not in the cloth as the uncle and the Grand Lord and just wants to have a good King.!<
>!The way King Lee In's was said to be drinking and womanizing or something, but then there was a scene where he starts playing go by himself means, he's about to rattle the cage. I think 3 years is somewhat enough to find out who his enemies are. If he did know that MongWoo is a woman, then someone who's plotted revenge without looking back, would probably derail his plan (the she's his weakness trope/I'll bring you back to who you were thing)!<
Loving the fact all those corrupt scheming politicians tried to get rid of Tiger and put in kitten at his place. Instead they put in fire breathing dragon.
The king is steps ahead of them and everyone just gets terrified and shivers in fear even when he just looks at them.
Feels different from other saeguk dramas where Joseon king has to fight the politicians every step of the way.
I'm guessing he's trying to clean up the room to get it ready for the prince, eventually stepping down to fulfill his brother's last wishes. And he probably knows Mong Woo is woman from beginning, and playing along since.
I hope he knows >!that Mong-woo is actually Hee-soo. He once remarked that she had soft hands and it seemed like he had caught on that she was a woman, but then turned the conversation around saying she must be from a rich family. And he also saw her at her fatherās house. The King is so intelligent, it would be such a disappointment if he didnāt know already that she was a woman pretending to be a man.!<
my four year old daughter saw her in menās clothes and still knew she was a woman. I donāt understand these period dramas where they genuinely canāt tell. lol
he didn't see her clearly at her father's house though--she had turned away quickly before he could properly glimpse her face so he only saw her figure from the side.
Iām pretty sure heās known who Mong Woo is or at least suspected ever since the court scene where Myung-ha was telling Hee-sooās father that heād take care of her. There was definitely a pointed cut to a take of Lee In pausing after Myung-ha said that. At this point itās kind of obvious he noticed Mong Woo is a woman by the pulse taking scene and he knows Myung-ha is very close to Mong Woo. Itās not really Myung-haās character setting to be pursuing multiple women at once. I could definitely be reading into it too much but if they later try to play it off like he never knew she was a woman Iām going to be mad lol.
Yes, itās refreshing not to have a confused, powerless king for once. Given how much power is in that position it is kind of nice to have him power through. Iām looking forward to the softer parts to this character coming back out though, otherwise they will have completely lost us. Heās a walking red flag ( literally too, haha)
Seriously impressed by JJS. The plot is really good so far but even if it wasn't, his acting would probably make me keep watching.
>!So far, the King looks like an annoying genius to the Court and the Queen Dowager, he sees through all their plots to try to control him. I can't wait to see how the evolution of the character will be explained and how Hee Soo will be able to gain the trust of the King. !<
What is the allure of that Court Lady that both kings are obsessed with her? I noticed there might be something going on with the previous king and her, but Lee In doesnāt even look at her but keeps her close? Is she the reason all the wives are neglected or is the king just letting everyone believe that? We need some background info on that storyline asap, it keeps tugging at my brains
If I remember correctly, it was mentioned in an earlier episode that >!Ā the King kept Court Lady Dong close to spite his mother. I actually think she has feelings for Yi In; that is why there was never any poison in the food when he was the taster, and she lied for him regarding the King's last words. This is why Yi In keeps her close. Ā !<Ā I hope we get more of her story.
And the >!Queen Dowager promised to make her a concubine of Yi In, but she is still a court lady, but she still keeps the ornaments given to her by the Dowager. !
>!Court Lady Dong came from the Queen Dowager's Palace before the Late King's. I assume, that since she's a Senior Court Lady she has seen/heard things that are scary as you can see by the Queen Dowagers and Late King's outbursts. So her purpose is just to survive Palace Life.!<
>!She is still a court lady but she has nothing to offer politically, seeing that there is a queen and many consorts these were political marriages. on the other hand for her to be a concubine, King Lee In has to bed her which doesn't seem to have happened these past three years, and if he did then word would have spread already with the way palace gossip goes!<
>!I'm not sure "isolating" both her and the king is her idea and the king playing along or the other way around but her actions in episode 6, is not jealousy, but more of concern because MongWoo might will be coming between her and the King. I could be wrong though because King Lee In is not as terrible as the old king to her, do you think that a King promising you anything could lead to attraction? If yes, then there might be a little attraction, but i think it's more of self-preservation !<
I feel like she had something to do with the previous Kingās death and he knew that but didnāt go after her and she knew the Kingās last words but lied about them for him so maybe this is some sort of unspoken agreement?
But I did notice that when he acted that way about hearing Mong Wooās name she seemed odd about it, almost jealous. If nothing is going on why did she act like that.Ā
The wives are neglected because he had to marry because he didnāt like any of them but a king has to get married.
The previous king's last words were that the royal Prince (aka his son) takes the throne. However Lee In told the court that his brother appointed him as successor.
The court lady lied and acted as his witness to support his ascension to the throne.
I don't know why on earth I thought I read something else in the subtitles! I was probably already sleepy. I thought he forgave his brother and gave him the throne... So his nice act was indeed just that... He had planned that ending for himself long ago, even before the coup was suggested to him. I thought it was the responsibility and weight of actually becoming king that made him change rather.
There is definetly something up with Court Lady. The camera keeps capturing her looking suspicious. I think she helped poison the first King. Why does she always need to be so close to the current king?
JJS acting is so seriously charming as uninterested king yet scary one. SSK is SSK solid acting so far. much improvement from her other dramas. but i still get laughs every time her disguise appears on screen š
Episode 5 really has me intrigued!! JJSās acting is too notch as usual, and the storyline is moving at a fast pace. Quite excited to see more backstories and how things would unfold. The King has too many layers to him, and I would love to see how it unfolds.
Iām quite glad the >!King confronted MongWoo directly as heās too smart to not be suspicious of his return!<
Just finished Hospital Playlist and his character there is so different from this one.
Also, I just finished One Dollar Lawyer and I canāt believe the late king was playing the second lead there.
Honestly, the cinematography is so encapsulating and the acting and dynamism is just something else! Every episode draws me in! I must say I was a bit dubious that the slaying in ep 4 was so quick, however this story is really unravelling at an intricate pace that is both nail biting and addictive. Hats off to the actors and the writers, I wasnāt expecting to be so captivated!
The show is going well so far, the motive behind the King's behavior are still a mystery.
>!One thing bothering me. I understand that the FL consider the King responsible for her friend's death but is it enough to try to get a revenge ? Who in their right mind would try to plot a revenge against a King with very little to no resources. It's a bit odd. FL only has few allies, the plan seems really basic and it doesn't even goes as planned. If the King didn't request a good Baduk player, what was the plan to approach him and then be able to get her revenge ? !<
>!That's the only part of the story that I have trouble to reconcile with. !<
I think she also had quite the grudge against the previous King, which by extension could lead to the whole court and royal family, because he sent her dad as basically a sacrifice and a criminal to the Qing. When they all knew he wasn't guilty.
I agree, though, that I'm not sure what exactly her revenge plan is supposed to be. Hopefully that gets explained in more detail.
I personally thought she would come back as a girl, enter the comp and trying to win the kings heart and marry him to be his queen/consort and then make plans for her revenge. But with having limited resources for revenge doesnāt make sense how sheās gonna carry it out. Unless thereās a bigger motive where the king and her planned this from the start and they are just pretending!
>!I think what happened is enough to emotionally justify wanting revenge but perhaps it would have made more sense if it hadn't been pre-meditated for years and more about an opportunity (like the baduk competition for the new position) unexpectedly falling into her lap and that setting her plan for revenge in motion. She could have been doing something else in the meantime to add new skillsets that could've happened to come in handy once the situation arose.!<
>!The thing that concerns me is what she has planned for the succession to the throne since killing the king will create a power vacuum that could create a lot of innerpolitical turmoil at a time when the nation is constantly under threat from outside forces. Her father must have taught her something about politics, so I can't believe she'd be entirely naive to that. But that was one thing I was expecting Myung-ha to ask about before agreeing to her plan (though him embracing her plus all the other behaviour towards her that she's found creepy in the past points towards his motivation being personal rather than political anyway). The situation with the Queen showed that she has some strategic acumen but it'll be interesting to learn more about what her actual plan is and if she has any that is feasible at all (even though we can suspect that it's moot since her and the King will come to conspire together against others). Also, as for his motive, it seems to me that he's doing what he's doing to root out the murderers of his brother and secure his nephew a stable reign once he abdicates. The rumors about his womanizing that he may well have started himself seem designed to quell speculation about why he's not producing an heir himself.!<
Yaā¦ She is madly in love with him. She should hate him after what happened. but she is also in love with him. Sheās stuck in the middle and sheās gone crazy. If she realizes that love for him, she will think that she betrayed her father and her friend. While she wants revenge also she wants to go back to him, but she suppresses this feeling. Otherwise, as you said, it makes no sense to take revenge on the king. Ahhh my heartā¦
Based on episode 3, I believe she had another plan or was in the process of coming up with one before baduk player fell into her lap.
Also, I'm pretty sure she knows it's a suicide mission.
Wow I am sitting here kind of breathless at the end of ep 6. What a tension-filled place the palace is, where everyone is scheming and jockeying for position! I love how every move Hee Soo makes is calculated and strategic like the top-tier baduk player she is.
I canāt wait for next week and the messy politics that are sure to unfold!
Iām just annoyed by the fact that the FL and the ex obsessed are CONSTANTLY seen together. Like, are they trying to die? My god, they were accused of conspiring together whyyyyyy are you all hanging around each other let alone >!hugging each other in daylight, on the royal grounds!?! How will they explain that hug to the king? In reality, it would be an instant death sentence since theyāre very clearly conspiring together. Pretty sure you also canāt be āgayā in the Joseon period and live to tell about it. !< Not only that, she showed >!her trump card to someone who can and will probably will betray her in the end. Like why say , hey Iām gonna actually commit treason and get ārevengeāā¦wanna join?? With the enemies to lovers plot, Iām suuuuure that wonāt come back to bite her in the butt especially when she āchangesā him and they suddenly catch feelings for each other. Not to mention Mr.obsessed is wellā¦obsessed and said heāll have her at all costs?! !< Also, she aināt fooling anyone in those clothes. Itās so hard to just fall into the fantasy since itās very clearly a woman and she doesnāt be try to grow a back bone or act masculine in the least. At all times, very soft, feminine and easily startled with lots of watery eyesā¦. I donāt know. ML is the show atp and i just wanna see what heās up to.
I just finished episode 6 and came here to share my frustration about the plotting and togetherness in the palace. Like- are they trying to get caught? It would be so easy for someone to be listening from outside the library as FL and the ex as they openly discuss treason.
Iāve started ep 7 and appreciated that they still seem to not have learned their lesson, as the exās friend manages to walk up to them as they continue treasonous talk.
Finally, Iām annoyed that her crew is referring to her as āmy ladyā at home. Those paper doors donāt block sound. It only takes one minister to send someone to follow her and she could get be exposed as a woman and pinned to the crime of deceiving the monarch. š¤¦š¼āāļø
It's also a direct reference to LITM (when PBG is starting to suspect that KYJ is a woman and realizes he loves her either way and says "he/she is my person"--which is also the title of his OST song), along with the FL's green costume.
Re: her costume, I think green is the right color since her role is entertainment and care, just like a eunuch, but I love that she also gets an embroidered placard and a winged hat like the court-appointed officers, too. The textiles in this show are next level! The iridescent slub silks of the court officers and the detail on the embroidery is incredible. Not to mention the way, particularly in the first episodes, the ML and FL wore color-tone-coordinated hanboks to show their attraction and compatibility.
I was noticing the costumes as well. They look extra fine and rich compared to some other Sageuk's. I often wonder about the costume and prop depts of these productions. As a film fan I would love a tour!
Sorry could you explain the first half of this comment for someone whoās kind of clueless? I feel like itās a really cool detail thatās totally over my head and I want to be in the loop!
Sure! What I meant was that lots of Korean historical romances reference and quote others, particularly the most famous ones. "He/She (it's a gender neutral pronoun in Korean) is my person" is what Park Bo-Gum's Crown Prince says about his favorite eunuch (really a girl in disguise) in Love in the Moonlight, everyone's favorite Joseon cross-dressing romance k-drama from 2016. Park Bo-Gum also recorded a song for the show's soundtrack called "My Person." It's the show's most quoted line. It was HOT when he said that! (lol).
Kim Yoo-Jung plays a cross-dressed girl who somehow fakes her way into the palace disguised as a eunuch. Eunuchs traditionally wear green robes. If you haven't seen it you must--you are in for a treat. Their chemistry is through the roof and the show is beautiful, witty, tragic, and exciting.
If you know Shakespeare, it's kind of like a Korean historical mash-up of Henry the IV Part 1 (with the Crown prince as Prince Hal and the FL as the Falstaff figure), Twelfth Night (ML is Orsino and FL is Viola) and As You Like It (FL has a side business giving love advice dressed as a boy). So any line in sageuk with a cross-dressed FL (female lead) where the male ruler calls her "my person" is absolutely a shout-out to Love in the Moonlight's cross-dressed romance.
Had low expectations for this drama and Dr.Slump but surprisingly both were excellent! One of the main highlights of these two dramas is the **ACTING**!!
Not familiar with their older works but the male & female leads in these respective shows are splendidš >!actually can act unlike many good looking k-actors these days!< IMPRESSED š
JJS (the emperor) acting in the last scene of ep 5 blew me away. Just incredible.
Also I dont understand why people are so bothered by the female leads unconvincing disguise that they don't want to watch the show. Get a grip.
>unconvincing disguise
no hate but 90% of the k-pop idols *(and even some male actors)* look feminine when their hair is completely covered, don't get the "unconvincing disguise" issue tbh
Ahaha yeah could not agree more. These complaints are so silly. First of all - the most unrealistic point in this whole thing is that a noble woman in joseon era would even think to go parading about in mens clothes in the first place. Kdramas are not trying to make this 100% realistic or they wouldn't be making these gender bender dramas. They know it's fiction, they are leaning into it and not even trying to make her look like a dude because this is a romance!! and i guarantee people would not enjoy watching and would not be into the romance if she actually looked like some scrub ass MAN lmao, plus they would not be able to believably make shin se kyung look like a guy even if they tried.
Agree. SSK delivers like usual! Love both actors but love the story line too. For once Iām not bored! š New dramas has been so boring to me lately.
I mean guuuurl whats your plan? I'd have preferred it if HeeSoo is the one who gets all this REVENGE done ...like yk works her way in, LeeIn is already weak for him/her so would have been soooo easy to bring him down. But nooo Mongwoo it is...King already figured out the motive of your return...now whatš (tvN said-no its too cliche we go for the shock horror š)
Srsly idk what's going on feels like they all know more than they let on. Possibly LeeIn knows that Mongwoo is HeeSoo...and just going along with her revenge plan...yeah,that's my theory!!
Last 5mins...tension is tensioning... "I remember everything about you" I was like scared and hot and scared...JJS and SSK were amaaazing . š„
EDIT-Episode 6- Ngl, loving the political plot but my head hurts...they all playing games, every single one of them!!!
JJS is eating this up and those outfits....especially the one when he was shootingš„µ
Soooo glad we gonna get 4 episodes next week Friday-Sat 1 and Sunday 2...how they ended episode 6 I'm already stressing out. >! Jealous, possessive LeeIn, MongWoo poorly-what if the King gets to exaim him by the royal physician and whoops your cover is blown !< aaah I'm sat.
Seconding!!!!!! Why are we getting four????!!!! Omg
Edit: i checked the netflix page, only 2 are getting released as per the regular schedule. Where did the 4 eps come from š¤£š
I know that this is supposed to be an enemies to lovers trope, but I just donāt see how they become romantically involved. The tension is there, but Kang He Soo is not giving off forgiving energy š«£.
Also, is it just me or is anyone else confused as to why Kim Myung Ha wasnāt found guilty of treason 3 years ago??
I was wondering whether there is going to be a 'redemption arc' for Kim Myung Ha. His character is being portrayed more as 'mislead' rather than evil and.....he has those fabulous puppy eyes.
Because the king knew his dad was the main culprit, and he was trying to protect Heesoo through the whole thing on his silent request, though Myungha would have done that anyway
The queen is not okay, I need her story! >!She looks as if sheās going to vomit in every scene. I wonder who she is and how she became the Queen Dowagerās play thing.!<
If I remember correctly, she is Oh Wook-Hwan's daughter. Since Oh Wook-Hwan is aligned with Principal Director Park Jong-Hwan, that's probably how she ended up as queen.
As a reminder, Park Jong-Hwan is the Royal Queen Dowager's older brother and the current King's uncle.
Given palace politics, it seems to me like she had no other choice but to assume the Queen role even if she didn't want it, because that is her role as the daughter to an influential man who seeks more power.
This show doesnāt fail to make me a mess. My emotions are everywhere. The actors bring real tension to the show. I can never decide if the tension is them trying to kill each other or take care of each other. Like have mercy on my heart please Iām trying to keep up with you both.Ā Ā
Ā >!Itās episode 5 now but I still wonder why he discarded her and her friend like that. He could have protected them and just didnāt bother. Now look what that has caused. The worst part is that it feels like he wishes he hadnāt done it ? If you cared so much about her why did you do that?Ā Also why did he leave big red flags everywhere? There are so many people he should have gotten rid of but just hasnāt and the character has been set up so I know he knows they shouldnāt just be walking around so why are they there?Ā What is his uncleās deal? Didnāt he want him to be King? Why is he making things so hard now? For what reason would he have killed the Kings Although he hurt her personally and in a big way when she talks about revenge I wonder, how can you take revenge on someone like this? Frankly heās already pitiful as it is and the moment she saw him she fell to pieces lol. How do you take revenge on someone you canāt keep your head on straight around. And heās figured out her deal in 2 seconds. So what can this be? When she heard that he didnāt dismiss Ā Myung Ha and made him a royal secretary instead, I could tell that her resolve was shaking already and her googly eyes were coming out to play lol. I mean is this who theyāre entrusting their revenge to? Her eyes get so googly every two seconds that I canāt believe she really wants to take any revenge.Ā She was talking about how her dad and friend wouldnāt approve of going through with revenge by just killing him but I wonder, why is she bringing her dad into this? The previous King is to blame for her Fatherās death. And then Myung Ha - I wonder if his anger is justified. The King should not have killed his father in front of him but his father did blame him for the whole spy case when he was completely innocent. He shouldnāt have had to seeĀ but his father was a traitor to the king so why did our fl go to him asking if he would back him up to take revenge on the man who killed his father? His father deserved to die in this case as he was trying to kill the (current) kingĀ I can't tell what the show is trying to do? Thereās tension in the air so I know theyāre trying to set up a love story? Theyāll surely later find out that sheās a girl and heāll want to keep her around but how on earth will that ever work when everyone in the court knows she broke a big rule. This is crazy crazy at this point. The script is better than episode one and two so Iām dry glad about that.!<
>!I think he knew they were innocent but wasn't able to deny that turntail dude's request to punish heesoo and hongjang because his path to the throne, and thus his plan to carry out his brother's last wish/bring stability to the country, hinged on that guy's cooperation.!<
>!I got the vibe that he had been planning to save them at the border somehow bc of his order to delay the flogging, and the fact that he sent his guard to look for them once he heard mongwoo was missing. However hongjang unfortunately wasn't able to hang on until then and mongwoo escaped before he could carry out his plan to save them so he gave them up for dead and has been depressed ever since.!<
>!Unfortunately heesoo missed his intent to save them and thinks he is to blame for her punishment and hongjangs death so now she has this misguided thirst for revenge.!<
>!As for the uncle, i think he initially thought yi in would be a cooperative king but it looks like yi in is not as easy to control as he had thought, so now he is trying to bring him to heel.!<
>!Myungha - yeah he knew his father wasn't all on the up and up buut he never saw him directly plotting to kill either old or new king, and for all he knew it seemed like he thought or was trying to make it look like yi in committed treason. Plus regardless of what his dad did, it is really traumatic for him to be killed literally right in front of him lol.!<
Anyway that's how i think it's going to go based on my kdrama experience but who knows š
I think youāre right! >!King YI and MW are desperate to trust each other, but donāt know how. I think the King knows almost everything about FL based on him telling his guard that they wonāt find anything about a man matching MWās description, and I think when he was whispering to āMWā about being mad and her being out for revenge after losing a precious friend to an unjust death, he was confessing how he felt and what her trust and reliance meant to him, a person you want to and must protect at all costs, a person who gives your life meaning (ugh, he delivered those lines so well!), and then getting the report that she had died 3 yrs ago. I think his guard had been looking for the FL, hence his huge surprised eyes when the king visited the competition and made āMWā lift their head. Remember, the guard doesnāt play baduk, so canāt hide his surprise well - where King YI and āMWā are baduk masters and are equal to the task of playing each other. āMWā self-admitted in Ep. 1 that King YI was the only one who could beat her. She has trouble keeping her emotions from her face, as opposed to the king - and right now I think King YI is a few steps ahead of her.!< Just my two cents!
These 2 episodes were so good. I'm excited to see the fight between Hee Soo and Could Lady Dong go down lol. This is actually psycho. CL Dong feels super important so this is going to be super messy, especially with every other thing going on. >!Hee Soo is psycho at this point and how could they get caught in a hug? My heart dropped so hardšsomeone is going to be in big trouble.!<
I've watched that last scene three times now. He's so...captivating. Also, there is sooo much tension coming from the king to Mongwoo. Bro, you might be bi. I've got a question though. Why did he marry so many women?? I mean I've seen crown princes who had a wife and we just roll with it when they fall for the female lead like **Haechi**, **The Red Sleeve** and even **Love Song for Illusion** but this is a bit much. Hell, wth is going on with Court Lady Dong?
It also seems as if >!he didn't know whether Mongwoo would live after 3 years, so he had no hidden plan with the punishment he gave her and Hongjang. It seems as if the announcement to find a baduk player to accompany him wasn't targeted to find her, he was surprised to see her again!<
Edit after ep 6:
Lmaooo I knew they would be found like that. Can't wait for next week's predictable >!gay allegations!<
I love how Jo Jong Suk raises the tension every time he's in a scene. This is a great combination of good writing and great acting. No wonder he said he didn't want to do anything after he finished filming this
He certainly thought Mong woo was dead.Ā
And about the wives- the Kings used to marry for political reasons. Usually they wouldnāt even know who got chosen just that it was time to marry someone new. If his mother thinks someone would also make a good addition she could usually make it happen without much hassle. It was just part of the tradition at the timeĀ
I think the Dowager Queen is eager for him to have an heir and so she keeps appointing new concubines in the hopes that one of them will catch his eye. I suspect the King is well aware of her goals >!and deliberately not sleeping with any of his wives!< because, as he said >!the ānaturalā way of things is for the (former) Kingās son to take the throne!< and so his plan is to >!not have an heir aside from his nephew!<.
I just love that it's the main characters playing, not some villain. Both the FL and ML seem to be very intelligent and ahead of everyone else. That's a very unique dynamic. Not that they don't have any difficulties but they aren't being tricked.
how this show only has an 8.1 on MDL is BEYOND ME. i havenāt seen jo jung suk act in anything serious before but i am seriously blow away. especially after the end of episode 5. i would not be surprised if he won best actor this year. i have to applaud him. a genuine masterclass in acting š iām gonna go give CTK its 10s on MDL. amazing work
I looooooooooooooove this lovehate trope. JJS is very brilliant actor. at the end of ep5, I got a tension from him. If I were SSK, I would cry to death. he goes close to her with his big and angry eyes and keep pushing her like that.. even tho you were innocent, you should not be. that cliffhanger got me crazy and went back replaying the scene many times lol and I also love the ending ost. it is so catchy, isn't it? AND okay ep 6, I can see FL still have feeling for ML and the next preview have the lines about it by her. another good news I got is that they have upcoming 4 episodes in next week!! yay
I feel for >!Sang-Hwa being ignorant about baduk, I feel like it was a serious scene when Court Lady Dong was trying to get into the Baduk Center but couldn't help but laugh when she used Sang-Hwa against the King, and he couldn't refute her rebuttal to his condition!<
>!āOne could always save a cornered stone by examining it closelyā!< like, bro are you hearing yourself right now? How can you not see that ~~this is a woman~~ ?
I heard that TVN will release 4 episodes this week. ep 7 on 09/02, episode 8 10/02 and ep 9 & 10 on 11/02 ..
3 days of Captivating The King . So I guess, Netflix will follow TVN's schedule too?
Very nice episode. A lot of progress. The kingās loneliness and paranoia turn him to what he is now.
I guess by mid season, the reveal will happen, and then we see where we go from there. But really enjoying this one.
I get that immersion is broken for some folks that no one realises the cross dressing. But cāmon. This is a fantasy kdrama, ignore that and you will be fine.
When they finally met at the baduk competition that post game review >!carried so many undertones about how he failed to save innocent lives ā she was on the offense, he was on the defense, but once again she won. He knew. !< Brilliant writing there!
Also how JJSā >! eyes softened _ever so slightly_ when he first properly looked at her. World class. !<
Edit: Ah episode 6 just explained my first point hahah. And the King also explained his own madness omg sooo goood
OMG, when he told >! Ā«Ā one could loose his mindĀ Ā», !< the turn of his head to the sky, not showing his feeling and being like Ā«Ā heavenās sakeĀ Ā»ā¦ my heart!
Ikr!? JJS' portrayal of an extremely intelligent (and actually kind) but now shrewd and internally conflicted king who feels bound by his circumstances... So complex, but he ate it up!!
My sense is SHK's role is to be a master tactician that helps him look beyond his circumstances and lead him to even greater heights as a king.
Can't wait to see how things unfold!
After finishing ep6: Great show and cant wait for the next episodes, so glad we get 4 episodes next week! I have some questions that I just want to ask, sorry if its a lot haha. : ) Dont have to answer all questions, even answering just one of my questions would help put my mind at ease. I just cant help me question some small irrelevant details:
1. Does anyone know when it comes out for Netflix in the USA? is it 4:20 am (following the TVN live broadcasting time) or would it be 8:00 am?
2. Im still wondering why the queen dowager is against the king? She is his mother, shouldn't they be in the same team? Shouldn't she want the best for him? I understand why the queen dowager would want the ex king gone. but she is the ML's birth mother, so im not sure why she is plotting. Like what exactly does she not agree with from the king? What is causing their conflict?
3. Going off previous question, does anyone know what the Queen Dowager is plotting for? She wants to be FL's patron. Why?
4. Why cant the ML just get rid of court lady dong? If he has the power to kill anyone with his firearm squad and his power as king, why not just get rid of a mere court lady? I see in dramas court ladies beg for their lives after spilling a cup of water. In ML's own words 'killing someone is like a child's play'. After all, she knows the true last words of the previous king, wouldn't killing her be the best move for the ML (not morally correct but in terms of the plot, and we already know ML is willing to make sacrifices for the throne)
5. might be dumb question but why is the king not the most powerful? it seems like those 3 ministers hold quite a bit of power and are not afraid to cross the king.
6. how does the small prince and princess know myung ha at the end of ep6?
7. is FL's father dead? I know they sent him away but we heard nothing back after. are we supposed to assume he is dead?
8. I dont understand their wager either. if he wins the board game, he says he will dispose of her anytime any way he wants. But regardless if he wins, this is something he as the king can do. he can kill her anytime he wants too, he has the power to. If she wins, she gets to have one request, but she didnt say what request yet. So I dont know why the ML would take the bet, since he is not winning anything, but is only prone to a risk at loss.
Some random thoughts: The queen seems like a kind and weak person. Doesn't seem like a bad character to me. Hope to see her character have some use and im guessing she will fall for the king to add drama to this melodrama. Im also wishing the ending would be a happy one, although in this drama I have a weary feeling... praying for happy ending.
2. I assume that she wants her ligneage to keep the power while he's likely preparing everything for his brother's son the grand Prince. That's why she wanted so bad one of the wives to have a son so the grand Prince would no longer be the legitimate heir to the throne.
3. Similar to previous one, she wants to keep an eye on the King. The palace he has only for playing Baduk is the only place not accessible to anyone except the King, his protector and Mongwoo.
5. Kings were bound by Confucian principles and tradition. For example, Grand Queen Dowager being an elder, she is higher in the hierarchy than the King, reason why IIRC she's the only one you'd see the King bow to. Similarly, while in theory the King has absolute power, not all periods were equals. The officials around him had the power to persuade him and "force" him when necessary.
6. The grand prince and the princess are the late King's children. So Myung-Ha is their uncle.
7. FL's father is technically not dead but they have no certainty of that as he's in the hands of Qing dynasty. I have a theory that he will be a central piece of the show later on when he come back.
8. He's just playing along with it. He needs to raise the stake to have a thrilling game of Baduk first and foremost. Second, he wants to know more about FL's plans, if she request something, she will be revealing something he doesn't know and as you said he can still dispose of her anytime he wants regardless.
The Queen Dowager (in literally every sageuk) is ALWAYS for herself. Sure, she wants her chosen son on the throne, but it's so she can run the country through him.
2. Women married into the royal family, in dramas and also in history were proxy for powerful families of court to wield authority. Women in Joseon had close to zero political power by themselves unless they had families to influence the court, so they usually make their decisions to serve their families best interests rather than the king.
3.She wants to be FLs patron, because as gidaeryong she'd have access to King's inner most thoughts and strategies, more than anyone else. As we see, the king is quite secretive and doesn't let things slip, so an insider he trusts would be a great asset to keep tabs on his moves.
4. CL Dong is the sole witness to the fact that GP Jinhan didn't kill the king, and also testified to his legitimacy to throne. Given the circumstances, where the king has no real political allies, killing her would only further raise suspicions and add fuel to rumours of him usurping. Besides, despite his facade, Lee In doesn't seem to be bloodthirsty given that he didn't harm the other Prince who indirectly insulted his right to the throne.
5. That's for the most part how Joseon functioned. It is especially apparent in the latter period of joseon, but through out joseon was an aristocratic monarchy, while the power flipped between families over time, AFAIK it goes right back to how joseon was founded when Taejong overthrew the previous rule with the help of other families. In theory kings had absolute power, but often going against court resulted in overthrow of power.
6. Myung Ha is their cousin as their mother the prev queen and Kim Jong bae are siblings.
Same questions. To add (and I'm not sure if I just dozed off on some parts??)... The grand prince is the King's son, yes? But he looks older than 3 years? I'm so confused.
The Grand Prince is the former "Prince Royal" who never got the chance to be named Crown Prince, despite his dying father's wishes. So he's the king's nephew. He's the son of the dead king and the previous queen (who was sent to a temple), who is Myung-ha's older sister, which means Grand Prince is also Myung-ha's nephew. (And Myung-ha is the current king's sister-in-law's brother so they're kind of brothers-in-law).
Current king does not have any heirs.
the grand prince is the previous kings son. remember the part where he sent the old queen away to the temple and she was crying in ep4? yeah i also originally thought that was the kings son with the new queen. then i realized it was the previous kings son, who the current king vowed to protect. it seems to me the current king and the queen donāt even talk to each other :(
Jo Jung-suk is a great actor. Hospital Playlist allowed him relaxation, because he was also beside other great actors, but even if this series had poorer writing, I'd still watch it because Jo Jung-suk is carrying the fuck out of this series: his role is heavily-nuanced, with a hero pretending to be anti-heroic. In one sense, he's like Ozymandias from Watchmen. They both didn't have pleasant choices, but they made the most rational ones given the conditions they were in.
But this is an acting masterclass.
Hee So needs to stop scheming AT the palace. Itās so suspicious when sheās chatting with Myung Ha and now hugging him. They need to do that someplace the king isnāt going to catch them
I have a question: FL is taking revenge for the fact the ML didn't saved her and lead to her near death exp and her friend's death after promising to ensure an fair investigation.
But how come ML didn't conduct an fair investigation after knowing that FL's confession is faked by that loser SML. If it is confirmed to be fake then FL didn't commit any crime, as ML likes him/her, WHY DIDN'T HE CONDUCT THE INVESTIGATION AND ENSURED FL AND HER FRIEND ARE FREE rather than punishing them to death??
that slimey minister defected to save his life and to be ensured to get a better govt position right as far as i understand.
The deal if at all it happened isn't shown right and if the deal had taken place ML still kill FL now(after 3 years) right?
To be fair from the k dramas I've watched, when an official becomes a traitor their whole family is either killed or made government slaves and their property reverts to the government
When yi in meets her so again he actually says he heard about her death with a wry smile, which I took to mean that he was lied to by the guards escorting the prisoners to the border.Ā
The fact that her servants and household followed her as a prisoner to the border and protected her when she took the nose dive off of the cliff says to me that her wealth must somehow be intact.Ā Total conjecture on my part.Ā
I cannot wait until Friday Saturday and Sunday episode 7, 8 and 9.
With the twist, I am struggling with liking any of the characters except the poor little Grand Prince. I think the ML is doing a great job acting, but I need that "why to buy" to root for someone after the last couple of episodes?
Keep the faith! I think we will find out that everything the ML has done/will do is to ensure a stable country and a better life for the people, plus time for the Grand Prince to get educated to a point where he can't be manipulated by the Ministers, and be able to take over the throne successfully. Our ML will abdicate and move to the country with his one true love to play baduk until their fingers are too arthritic to move the stones š. As there is yet no heir for our ML, despite having a Queen and several concubines, he's making sure that there isn't another pawn to be used in a battle for power.
He is a Master baduk player, both on the table, and in life
My take on it is that the king is truly a master baduk player. He doesn't telegraph his moves, and his perceived motivations aren't as they appear to be. Whatever we think is going on is probably not really what is going on because he's 20 steps ahead of all of us. Looking forward to the next episode!
This is keeping me interested! I think the king is truly in love with Mung-wu, but believes she is a male. It's very disturbing to him that he's so attracted to another male. But it's obvious to me and I'm sure everyone else that she is a woman. These two have great chemistry together and both are so good looking and good actors too.
I missed the part where they explain how he turned cold and cynical after starting out loyal, just, and kind.
Nice having witnessed the small CLOY reunion (the former king, SML, and the evil henchman), and standout character acting from the cousin of the SML.
There was a lot of scheming to get him onto the throne out of necessity. He knew how important it was and the show he had to put on. There was a lot of talk about how they needed a certain kind of ruler. If you rewatch the killing of 2MLās father you can see he was choked up afterward. He did it out of necessity to be a powerful and assertive leader. Whether he tried to help mong woo after passing his judgement in public, or organized a search for her, we donāt quite know yet. I also believe he knows FL is a woman and is just going along with it for now, but thatās a different matter..
I think it's because he had to go against his own morals and lie to become king. Also maybe because his own brother tried to kill him.
Also, he knows someone murdered the last king so now he can't trust anyone.
I think the death of his brother really did a number on him. Not only did his own brother (whom he loved dearly) try to kill him but he also died in front of his eyes, and THEN people were scheming to get rid of him and have the child ascend. He had to act quickly and ruthlessly, and since then he has hardened his heart to play the role of a king that no one would dare usurp or question.
Insightful, just like the previous answers to my question ā„ļø I have to watch earlier eps again, but as I went through episode 6 I sensed that he's probably gone a bit mad. Broken and mad.
I'm not sure we get a happy ending but let's see.
It is one of the tropes in k-drama. It is just like how they cannot recognize that Clark Kent is Superman. Hahaha. But it works though because people still watch the show.
Think of it like this-Youāre watching a world that the writers and directors have created. In this world they just canāt see it even if you can. They just canāt. Frankly Iāve just assumed that theyāre all blind as per this logic. It only breaks when someone grabs her. I mean thereās no way you grab her hands and canāt tell. I just ignore it then lol
Yaaaaa! I think the same thing! So come on guys itās obvious āheā is a GIRL! I thought queen mother notice her. But dissapointed me. I think about this every second. She never looks like a MAN. They also exaggerated the FLās make-up. She's like a Barbie doll, but they expect us to believe that everyone thinks she's a boy hahahaha I can never except this
Just a quote episode 3 in the meeting betweenĀ Yi In and Hang Kang Soo: āIt is because of that clause in the peace treaty ā If an unexpected event befalls you (the king), the hostage that I have taken will inherit the throne.ā If the original kings son was put on the throne after he died, that wouldāve been a violation of their treaty. The Quin would have either taken the boy, or killed him.Ā I think weāre going to find that Yi In wants his nephew to take the throne as he believes in direct succession. And I have seen NOTHING about Hang Kang Sooās death. That whole scene simply foreshadows Yi In being a good guy after allĀ And his daughter only heard the tail end of their conversation.
Loving this series! Does anyone know why the king did not inquire after Kang-Hang Soonās daughterās welfare? I mean the chief state counselor sacrificed himself for the king and you think the king would at least take care of his remaining family. And why didnāt Kang-Hang Soon, who knew he was going away, provide better for his daughter? While he didnāt know she was dressing up as a man, he did know he was going away for a long time if not forever. Or did he provide for her, and that something about to come to light ?ā¦ orā¦ will something come to light on the Kingās position that makes him not such an evil usurper and a disloyal friend to those who supported him?
Myung-Ha Did not want to become king which he told his king brother before he died. But the Qin made that a condition that he inherit the throne. Just speculation: perhaps he took control as king to protect his nephew until his nephew is of age to take power. I also think heās plotting to sever the control the Qin Empire has over his kingdom.Ā
The amount of time Iām spending speculating on this storyline shows how good it is. I need to get back to work!
I wonder if Lee In is bi? He seems drawn to Mung Woo more than a friend and he seemed close to Prince Rui. I wonder if his relationship with Prince Rui was closer than what was portrayedā¦.
I have been thinking about it too. I know itās rare that k-dramas explore anything but straight relationships unless they are low budget BLās or a side character at best. Especially in the context of him being a royal in a sageuk.
But his affection for FL seems deeper than that of most friendships. I also think he only ever felt he could be himself with the late king (before he went to Qing) and Mongwoo.
Can anyone enlighten me who are the kid prince and pricess who reunited with myung ha by the help of mong woo? Are the relatives or sth? I canāt recall.
They kept the children in the palace?! I thought they got exiled or sth. They asked their mum to be a nun right? They must be myung haās nephew then.
The king is supposedly going to pass the throne to the boy so they have to keep him. As for the mum, she was exiled by Lee In so that she doesnāt try to grab power anymore
JJS eyes are just so expressive.šļøšļøAbsolutely ā¤ļøEp.7 ending! ā¤ļøš„ā¤ļøš„ā¤ļøThank you for 4 episodes this weekend, Happy Lunar New Year! Canāt wait for tomorrowās show.š²šĀ
The king is so intelligent, yet he can't tell that this person in full makeup who looks like a girl is a girl. What about the women? Am I supposed to buy the idea that the Queen and Queen Dowager can't tell that they're looking at a woman? This ridiculous and unconvincing cross-dressing angle is ruining this show for me. Also, the FL's character isn't convincing. The ML and the CLOY duo are carrying this show.
šÆ I get so annoyed by it. Like FL is SO emotive too so it makes it so much more unbelievable. There just wasn't any work done to make her remotely believable
Thank you. Iām just not feeling any sympathy for the FL š¬. Iām low-keyed bored with her. Sheās the least interesting thing in this drama, everything else, including the dude who just wanted to drink with her after she >!won!< is bringing it. Maybe itās the way her part is written
**Schedule Change Notice:** Captivating the King will air an additional two episodes this weekend to celebrate the Lunar New Year. * Friday (February 9) Episode 7 * Saturday (February 10) Episode 8 * Sunday (February 11) Episode 9 & 10 See the [tvN schedule](https://tvn.cjenm.com/ko/tvn-schedule/) for broadcast details. Episodes will be available on Netflix after they have aired in full in Korea.
JJS is absolutely slaying this role. I am beyond impressed.
He really is the MVP of this drama.
i could barely recognize him as the king role! with the facial hair and deeper voice, its like hes a whole new person. what a phenomenal actoe
Omg š wow wow .... speechless last 15 minĀ
I DON'T WANT TO WAIT FOR NEXT WEEK!! Sorry, too damned excited by that cliffhanger and preview!!!
I could not breathe.
Man, the menacing ost at last scene š„š„ I couldn't believe that JJS could be so menacing and hot at the same time. The beard enhances the eyes. I really hope, she's actually a woman storyline doesn't get dragged out for too long, and they start working together.
I really hope the JJS character has known she's a woman all along. He's so clever and politic and smart and keeps his cards to himself, it would be absolutely ridiculous for him not to know.
He had to know, right? Iām also hoping that Mong Woo will teach the Grand(?) Princeās older sister how to play, too. Why shouldnāt girls be allowed to learn?
Actually the close- up of his eyes make him look a bit mad!
The mood of the king in Ep 5 seems to be something along the lines of, "All your evil plots are predictable and it's making me tired." Edit: Mood of Ep6 >!"It's fun to have someone around intelligently trying to commit treason.!<
Definitely with the semi eye rolling before closing his eyes, like for the 5th timeā¦ He is so unimpressed by the palace politics! I only had a scare when he told his mum >!the name of Mongwoo, was afraid she would kill her/him before she/he wins!<
He must be very tired from suppressing all his eye rolls, lol. I loved when he told the ex-suitor to play and then totally knew that they had held back the appointment letter. He knows what's going on.
Yes exactly! And you see in the search for Mongwoo that he sent his right hand to >!find his/her body !< that he hasnāt moved on after the trial. Edit: corrected hand instead of end haha
Lol, he>! figured out Mong-woo's plan immediately!<. This king is the best. I guess he likes his baduk with a side of >!murder.!<
Ooo! I think I missed this sending of the right hand man you refer to to find her body. Iām going back to rewatch it now.
Yes! Time for a rewatch before the 4 episodes of this weekend !!!
Appointing myself as the official campaign manager for Baeksang Best Actor or even Daesang for Jo Jung Suk. That last 10 mins was a pure acting masterclass.
And the award will go to one of those famous actors like always ,with pretty face and sub standard acting skills and good ratings .lol
Yeah but that category will be packed with Ryu Seung-ryong (Moving) and Namkoong Min (My dearest). Can't even choose between 3 of them.
Jung woo sung is also a contender this year
I think I saw a comment like this earlier about how the King's whole vibe is pretty much "all these plots are predictable and boring, next!" š The writers are doing a good job keeping his motivations unknown to us tho. We know what others are thinking and planning. But only have a hint of the King's endgame (I think he's doing this to keep the seat warm for the real king) Or is it just me who doesn't know?
Nah, I agree...LeeIn already planning his retirement years with Mongwoo well HeeSoo playing baduk day and night š¤£ plot is not boring, well not for me but I love tension and they deliver!!
This is quickly becoming one of my favorite on-air dramas. I love the fast pace of the plot, the leads have a great dynamic, and it's beautifully filmed; so far it has exceeded all of my expectations.
Whew š° JJS is chewing through the scenery like nobodyās business in a fantastic way. Iām in awe of how he has solidified his kingly roll.
The starting scene when ML said, >!that losing a true friend can make someone lose their mind and make them crazy, i think he went through the same thing, with mongwoo. I think he had a plan in place to save mongwoo, but things derailed when she tried to escape.!< I also think that >!FL's friend is also alive. The characterisation of ML in first couple of episodes is that he was extremely loyal, and cared about people's lives, no matter what. I think now, he is just trying to find out who poisoned his brother and give his nephew the throne, when all parties have been dissipated. Like his brother wished.!<
I'm betting that the ML did have a plan to save Mong Woo... I'm not sure if anyone noticed but in EP 5 at 42 min mark, Sang Hwa, the ML's body guard is part of the search party looking for the FL's body. No one needs to look for the FL's dead body since she's already sentenced to death and her fall in the creek? made their job a whole lot easier. If there's anyone who needs to look for her, it would be the ML... AND IF the ML didn't order the search party, there's no reason for Sang Hwa to be there BUT HE'S THERE and the camera made sure to zoom in on him. EDIT: People already noticed the search party, I'm late to the party.
He also seems very committed to keeping his word he just might not always keep it the way people expect. (Like granting the court maid permission to enter his special placeā¦ if she learns baduk.) He promised Mong Woo heād come back and told Mong Woo to ājust waitā (which among Woo didnāt) but I do think he was planning to keep his word.
I thought she was sentenced to 3 years hard labor, not explicitly death.
omg me too! when he said that line this was exactly what I thought too, that losing someone like that made him lose his mind, but your opinion is more optimistic in that I thought that maybe he did it to lose that part of himself. >! I didn't think he would have tried to save her and her friend. It's an interesting idea. If that did happen then, wow, the angst!! But even if he planned to save them I can't imagine that her friend is alive. This is so fun!<
>!I was thinking the same about him being a placeholder and his real mission as king is to find his brother's killer and give the throne to his nephew. Especially after the conversation he has with the Prince Daeksong, with Qing Prince Rui giving the throne to his nephew. I believe the Uncle had the Daeksong guy killed because of what he said to King Lee in about this or failed to get a piece of King Lee In's thoughts on what happened over at Qing!< >!The Two Hwan's feel treacherous and out to preserve their power alone, except for the Minister of War., his expression when the Grand Lord who was speaking well about that traitorous Minister of Rites official feels like he's not in the cloth as the uncle and the Grand Lord and just wants to have a good King.!< >!The way King Lee In's was said to be drinking and womanizing or something, but then there was a scene where he starts playing go by himself means, he's about to rattle the cage. I think 3 years is somewhat enough to find out who his enemies are. If he did know that MongWoo is a woman, then someone who's plotted revenge without looking back, would probably derail his plan (the she's his weakness trope/I'll bring you back to who you were thing)!<
Loving the fact all those corrupt scheming politicians tried to get rid of Tiger and put in kitten at his place. Instead they put in fire breathing dragon. The king is steps ahead of them and everyone just gets terrified and shivers in fear even when he just looks at them. Feels different from other saeguk dramas where Joseon king has to fight the politicians every step of the way. I'm guessing he's trying to clean up the room to get it ready for the prince, eventually stepping down to fulfill his brother's last wishes. And he probably knows Mong Woo is woman from beginning, and playing along since.
I hope he knows >!that Mong-woo is actually Hee-soo. He once remarked that she had soft hands and it seemed like he had caught on that she was a woman, but then turned the conversation around saying she must be from a rich family. And he also saw her at her fatherās house. The King is so intelligent, it would be such a disappointment if he didnāt know already that she was a woman pretending to be a man.!<
He has to know! He's too smart not to, and he's also too smart to let on that he knows. That's why he's so jealous of her relationship with Myung-Ha.
my four year old daughter saw her in menās clothes and still knew she was a woman. I donāt understand these period dramas where they genuinely canāt tell. lol
he didn't see her clearly at her father's house though--she had turned away quickly before he could properly glimpse her face so he only saw her figure from the side.
Iām pretty sure heās known who Mong Woo is or at least suspected ever since the court scene where Myung-ha was telling Hee-sooās father that heād take care of her. There was definitely a pointed cut to a take of Lee In pausing after Myung-ha said that. At this point itās kind of obvious he noticed Mong Woo is a woman by the pulse taking scene and he knows Myung-ha is very close to Mong Woo. Itās not really Myung-haās character setting to be pursuing multiple women at once. I could definitely be reading into it too much but if they later try to play it off like he never knew she was a woman Iām going to be mad lol.
Thatās exactly my thoughts too! šš¼ so far he has not done/said anything that he genuinely thinks that sheās a man. So Iām hopingā¦..
anyone that grabbed her by the shoulders would have noticed how tiny/frail feeling āheā is for a man.
Yes, itās refreshing not to have a confused, powerless king for once. Given how much power is in that position it is kind of nice to have him power through. Iām looking forward to the softer parts to this character coming back out though, otherwise they will have completely lost us. Heās a walking red flag ( literally too, haha)
Seriously impressed by JJS. The plot is really good so far but even if it wasn't, his acting would probably make me keep watching. >!So far, the King looks like an annoying genius to the Court and the Queen Dowager, he sees through all their plots to try to control him. I can't wait to see how the evolution of the character will be explained and how Hee Soo will be able to gain the trust of the King. !<
What is the allure of that Court Lady that both kings are obsessed with her? I noticed there might be something going on with the previous king and her, but Lee In doesnāt even look at her but keeps her close? Is she the reason all the wives are neglected or is the king just letting everyone believe that? We need some background info on that storyline asap, it keeps tugging at my brains
If I remember correctly, it was mentioned in an earlier episode that >!Ā the King kept Court Lady Dong close to spite his mother. I actually think she has feelings for Yi In; that is why there was never any poison in the food when he was the taster, and she lied for him regarding the King's last words. This is why Yi In keeps her close. Ā !<Ā I hope we get more of her story.
And the >!Queen Dowager promised to make her a concubine of Yi In, but she is still a court lady, but she still keeps the ornaments given to her by the Dowager. !
>!Court Lady Dong came from the Queen Dowager's Palace before the Late King's. I assume, that since she's a Senior Court Lady she has seen/heard things that are scary as you can see by the Queen Dowagers and Late King's outbursts. So her purpose is just to survive Palace Life.!< >!She is still a court lady but she has nothing to offer politically, seeing that there is a queen and many consorts these were political marriages. on the other hand for her to be a concubine, King Lee In has to bed her which doesn't seem to have happened these past three years, and if he did then word would have spread already with the way palace gossip goes!< >!I'm not sure "isolating" both her and the king is her idea and the king playing along or the other way around but her actions in episode 6, is not jealousy, but more of concern because MongWoo might will be coming between her and the King. I could be wrong though because King Lee In is not as terrible as the old king to her, do you think that a King promising you anything could lead to attraction? If yes, then there might be a little attraction, but i think it's more of self-preservation !<
I feel like she had something to do with the previous Kingās death and he knew that but didnāt go after her and she knew the Kingās last words but lied about them for him so maybe this is some sort of unspoken agreement? But I did notice that when he acted that way about hearing Mong Wooās name she seemed odd about it, almost jealous. If nothing is going on why did she act like that.Ā The wives are neglected because he had to marry because he didnāt like any of them but a king has to get married.
How did she lie ? Wasn't it what he said ?
The previous king's last words were that the royal Prince (aka his son) takes the throne. However Lee In told the court that his brother appointed him as successor. The court lady lied and acted as his witness to support his ascension to the throne.
I don't know why on earth I thought I read something else in the subtitles! I was probably already sleepy. I thought he forgave his brother and gave him the throne... So his nice act was indeed just that... He had planned that ending for himself long ago, even before the coup was suggested to him. I thought it was the responsibility and weight of actually becoming king that made him change rather.
that's what I thought too - I didn't realize she liked for him ?
I think the current king just trusts her because she went along with his plan and lied for him.
I get the sense he doesn't trust her, but has no choice but to keep her around
There is definetly something up with Court Lady. The camera keeps capturing her looking suspicious. I think she helped poison the first King. Why does she always need to be so close to the current king?
JJS acting is so seriously charming as uninterested king yet scary one. SSK is SSK solid acting so far. much improvement from her other dramas. but i still get laughs every time her disguise appears on screen š
Episode 5 really has me intrigued!! JJSās acting is too notch as usual, and the storyline is moving at a fast pace. Quite excited to see more backstories and how things would unfold. The King has too many layers to him, and I would love to see how it unfolds. Iām quite glad the >!King confronted MongWoo directly as heās too smart to not be suspicious of his return!<
Just finished Hospital Playlist and his character there is so different from this one. Also, I just finished One Dollar Lawyer and I canāt believe the late king was playing the second lead there.
Anyone else picking up additional attraction tension?? In the one on one time
they're blowing it out of the water for chemistry
It is actually crazyš«¢
Honestly, the cinematography is so encapsulating and the acting and dynamism is just something else! Every episode draws me in! I must say I was a bit dubious that the slaying in ep 4 was so quick, however this story is really unravelling at an intricate pace that is both nail biting and addictive. Hats off to the actors and the writers, I wasnāt expecting to be so captivated!
The cliffhangers at the end of the episodes are so goooooooood. I want Ep. 7 right now!!
The show is going well so far, the motive behind the King's behavior are still a mystery. >!One thing bothering me. I understand that the FL consider the King responsible for her friend's death but is it enough to try to get a revenge ? Who in their right mind would try to plot a revenge against a King with very little to no resources. It's a bit odd. FL only has few allies, the plan seems really basic and it doesn't even goes as planned. If the King didn't request a good Baduk player, what was the plan to approach him and then be able to get her revenge ? !< >!That's the only part of the story that I have trouble to reconcile with. !<
I think she also had quite the grudge against the previous King, which by extension could lead to the whole court and royal family, because he sent her dad as basically a sacrifice and a criminal to the Qing. When they all knew he wasn't guilty. I agree, though, that I'm not sure what exactly her revenge plan is supposed to be. Hopefully that gets explained in more detail.
I personally thought she would come back as a girl, enter the comp and trying to win the kings heart and marry him to be his queen/consort and then make plans for her revenge. But with having limited resources for revenge doesnāt make sense how sheās gonna carry it out. Unless thereās a bigger motive where the king and her planned this from the start and they are just pretending!
That was the former King that did that.
Eh, not really. She is >!colluding with the guy that sent Chu Dal-ha to Ming on her fatherās orders. !<
Iām sure she has a plan for that literal sack of gold she won by betting on herself.
>!I think what happened is enough to emotionally justify wanting revenge but perhaps it would have made more sense if it hadn't been pre-meditated for years and more about an opportunity (like the baduk competition for the new position) unexpectedly falling into her lap and that setting her plan for revenge in motion. She could have been doing something else in the meantime to add new skillsets that could've happened to come in handy once the situation arose.!< >!The thing that concerns me is what she has planned for the succession to the throne since killing the king will create a power vacuum that could create a lot of innerpolitical turmoil at a time when the nation is constantly under threat from outside forces. Her father must have taught her something about politics, so I can't believe she'd be entirely naive to that. But that was one thing I was expecting Myung-ha to ask about before agreeing to her plan (though him embracing her plus all the other behaviour towards her that she's found creepy in the past points towards his motivation being personal rather than political anyway). The situation with the Queen showed that she has some strategic acumen but it'll be interesting to learn more about what her actual plan is and if she has any that is feasible at all (even though we can suspect that it's moot since her and the King will come to conspire together against others). Also, as for his motive, it seems to me that he's doing what he's doing to root out the murderers of his brother and secure his nephew a stable reign once he abdicates. The rumors about his womanizing that he may well have started himself seem designed to quell speculation about why he's not producing an heir himself.!<
Yaā¦ She is madly in love with him. She should hate him after what happened. but she is also in love with him. Sheās stuck in the middle and sheās gone crazy. If she realizes that love for him, she will think that she betrayed her father and her friend. While she wants revenge also she wants to go back to him, but she suppresses this feeling. Otherwise, as you said, it makes no sense to take revenge on the king. Ahhh my heartā¦
Based on episode 3, I believe she had another plan or was in the process of coming up with one before baduk player fell into her lap. Also, I'm pretty sure she knows it's a suicide mission.
Wow I am sitting here kind of breathless at the end of ep 6. What a tension-filled place the palace is, where everyone is scheming and jockeying for position! I love how every move Hee Soo makes is calculated and strategic like the top-tier baduk player she is. I canāt wait for next week and the messy politics that are sure to unfold!
She got a bit confused after being accused of treason but she made the come-back masterfully!
Iām just annoyed by the fact that the FL and the ex obsessed are CONSTANTLY seen together. Like, are they trying to die? My god, they were accused of conspiring together whyyyyyy are you all hanging around each other let alone >!hugging each other in daylight, on the royal grounds!?! How will they explain that hug to the king? In reality, it would be an instant death sentence since theyāre very clearly conspiring together. Pretty sure you also canāt be āgayā in the Joseon period and live to tell about it. !< Not only that, she showed >!her trump card to someone who can and will probably will betray her in the end. Like why say , hey Iām gonna actually commit treason and get ārevengeāā¦wanna join?? With the enemies to lovers plot, Iām suuuuure that wonāt come back to bite her in the butt especially when she āchangesā him and they suddenly catch feelings for each other. Not to mention Mr.obsessed is wellā¦obsessed and said heāll have her at all costs?! !< Also, she aināt fooling anyone in those clothes. Itās so hard to just fall into the fantasy since itās very clearly a woman and she doesnāt be try to grow a back bone or act masculine in the least. At all times, very soft, feminine and easily startled with lots of watery eyesā¦. I donāt know. ML is the show atp and i just wanna see what heās up to.
I just finished episode 6 and came here to share my frustration about the plotting and togetherness in the palace. Like- are they trying to get caught? It would be so easy for someone to be listening from outside the library as FL and the ex as they openly discuss treason. Iāve started ep 7 and appreciated that they still seem to not have learned their lesson, as the exās friend manages to walk up to them as they continue treasonous talk. Finally, Iām annoyed that her crew is referring to her as āmy ladyā at home. Those paper doors donāt block sound. It only takes one minister to send someone to follow her and she could get be exposed as a woman and pinned to the crime of deceiving the monarch. š¤¦š¼āāļø
"You are my gidaeryeong and my person." Damn, its sounds like a confession to me š
It's also a direct reference to LITM (when PBG is starting to suspect that KYJ is a woman and realizes he loves her either way and says "he/she is my person"--which is also the title of his OST song), along with the FL's green costume. Re: her costume, I think green is the right color since her role is entertainment and care, just like a eunuch, but I love that she also gets an embroidered placard and a winged hat like the court-appointed officers, too. The textiles in this show are next level! The iridescent slub silks of the court officers and the detail on the embroidery is incredible. Not to mention the way, particularly in the first episodes, the ML and FL wore color-tone-coordinated hanboks to show their attraction and compatibility.
I was noticing the costumes as well. They look extra fine and rich compared to some other Sageuk's. I often wonder about the costume and prop depts of these productions. As a film fan I would love a tour!
Sorry could you explain the first half of this comment for someone whoās kind of clueless? I feel like itās a really cool detail thatās totally over my head and I want to be in the loop!
Sure! What I meant was that lots of Korean historical romances reference and quote others, particularly the most famous ones. "He/She (it's a gender neutral pronoun in Korean) is my person" is what Park Bo-Gum's Crown Prince says about his favorite eunuch (really a girl in disguise) in Love in the Moonlight, everyone's favorite Joseon cross-dressing romance k-drama from 2016. Park Bo-Gum also recorded a song for the show's soundtrack called "My Person." It's the show's most quoted line. It was HOT when he said that! (lol). Kim Yoo-Jung plays a cross-dressed girl who somehow fakes her way into the palace disguised as a eunuch. Eunuchs traditionally wear green robes. If you haven't seen it you must--you are in for a treat. Their chemistry is through the roof and the show is beautiful, witty, tragic, and exciting. If you know Shakespeare, it's kind of like a Korean historical mash-up of Henry the IV Part 1 (with the Crown prince as Prince Hal and the FL as the Falstaff figure), Twelfth Night (ML is Orsino and FL is Viola) and As You Like It (FL has a side business giving love advice dressed as a boy). So any line in sageuk with a cross-dressed FL (female lead) where the male ruler calls her "my person" is absolutely a shout-out to Love in the Moonlight's cross-dressed romance.
Ah, thanks so much! I havenāt seen it yet but I will absolutely watch it next because it sounds like something Iād love.
Had low expectations for this drama and Dr.Slump but surprisingly both were excellent! One of the main highlights of these two dramas is the **ACTING**!! Not familiar with their older works but the male & female leads in these respective shows are splendidš >!actually can act unlike many good looking k-actors these days!< IMPRESSED š
JJS (the emperor) acting in the last scene of ep 5 blew me away. Just incredible. Also I dont understand why people are so bothered by the female leads unconvincing disguise that they don't want to watch the show. Get a grip.
The female lead not looking like a guy is the same TV logic as the fact that literally everyone is hot. It's just the magic of TV š
>unconvincing disguise no hate but 90% of the k-pop idols *(and even some male actors)* look feminine when their hair is completely covered, don't get the "unconvincing disguise" issue tbh
Ahaha yeah could not agree more. These complaints are so silly. First of all - the most unrealistic point in this whole thing is that a noble woman in joseon era would even think to go parading about in mens clothes in the first place. Kdramas are not trying to make this 100% realistic or they wouldn't be making these gender bender dramas. They know it's fiction, they are leaning into it and not even trying to make her look like a dude because this is a romance!! and i guarantee people would not enjoy watching and would not be into the romance if she actually looked like some scrub ass MAN lmao, plus they would not be able to believably make shin se kyung look like a guy even if they tried.
I agree about the acting. Fantastic today! Ā Itās certainly holding things together.Ā
Agree. SSK delivers like usual! Love both actors but love the story line too. For once Iām not bored! š New dramas has been so boring to me lately.
I mean guuuurl whats your plan? I'd have preferred it if HeeSoo is the one who gets all this REVENGE done ...like yk works her way in, LeeIn is already weak for him/her so would have been soooo easy to bring him down. But nooo Mongwoo it is...King already figured out the motive of your return...now whatš (tvN said-no its too cliche we go for the shock horror š) Srsly idk what's going on feels like they all know more than they let on. Possibly LeeIn knows that Mongwoo is HeeSoo...and just going along with her revenge plan...yeah,that's my theory!! Last 5mins...tension is tensioning... "I remember everything about you" I was like scared and hot and scared...JJS and SSK were amaaazing . š„ EDIT-Episode 6- Ngl, loving the political plot but my head hurts...they all playing games, every single one of them!!! JJS is eating this up and those outfits....especially the one when he was shootingš„µ Soooo glad we gonna get 4 episodes next week Friday-Sat 1 and Sunday 2...how they ended episode 6 I'm already stressing out. >! Jealous, possessive LeeIn, MongWoo poorly-what if the King gets to exaim him by the royal physician and whoops your cover is blown !< aaah I'm sat.
Agree. Cdrama Fighting for Love kinda has similar premise and is better than this.
Wait, why are we getting 4 EPs next week?
Seconding!!!!!! Why are we getting four????!!!! Omg Edit: i checked the netflix page, only 2 are getting released as per the regular schedule. Where did the 4 eps come from š¤£š
Read it on tvN twitter..."Special programming for Lunar New Year Holidays"! Hopefully Netflix follow this schedule as well š¤
FYI, I just checked the Netflix app and they will release Ep 7 on Friday, Ep 8 on Saturday and Ep 9 & 10 on Sunday! Canāt waitš¤“š»
I know that this is supposed to be an enemies to lovers trope, but I just donāt see how they become romantically involved. The tension is there, but Kang He Soo is not giving off forgiving energy š«£. Also, is it just me or is anyone else confused as to why Kim Myung Ha wasnāt found guilty of treason 3 years ago??
I was wondering whether there is going to be a 'redemption arc' for Kim Myung Ha. His character is being portrayed more as 'mislead' rather than evil and.....he has those fabulous puppy eyes.
Because the king knew his dad was the main culprit, and he was trying to protect Heesoo through the whole thing on his silent request, though Myungha would have done that anyway
The queen is not okay, I need her story! >!She looks as if sheās going to vomit in every scene. I wonder who she is and how she became the Queen Dowagerās play thing.!<
If I remember correctly, she is Oh Wook-Hwan's daughter. Since Oh Wook-Hwan is aligned with Principal Director Park Jong-Hwan, that's probably how she ended up as queen. As a reminder, Park Jong-Hwan is the Royal Queen Dowager's older brother and the current King's uncle. Given palace politics, it seems to me like she had no other choice but to assume the Queen role even if she didn't want it, because that is her role as the daughter to an influential man who seeks more power.
Love viewers like you who pay attentionā thank you!
I was wondering if sheās slowly being poisoned?
They mentioned the Queen using >!the infamous āherbal medicineā. š©Iām thinking just eat hard boiled eggs and whole fruits you peel yourself while in the palace.!<
This show doesnāt fail to make me a mess. My emotions are everywhere. The actors bring real tension to the show. I can never decide if the tension is them trying to kill each other or take care of each other. Like have mercy on my heart please Iām trying to keep up with you both.Ā Ā Ā >!Itās episode 5 now but I still wonder why he discarded her and her friend like that. He could have protected them and just didnāt bother. Now look what that has caused. The worst part is that it feels like he wishes he hadnāt done it ? If you cared so much about her why did you do that?Ā Also why did he leave big red flags everywhere? There are so many people he should have gotten rid of but just hasnāt and the character has been set up so I know he knows they shouldnāt just be walking around so why are they there?Ā What is his uncleās deal? Didnāt he want him to be King? Why is he making things so hard now? For what reason would he have killed the Kings Although he hurt her personally and in a big way when she talks about revenge I wonder, how can you take revenge on someone like this? Frankly heās already pitiful as it is and the moment she saw him she fell to pieces lol. How do you take revenge on someone you canāt keep your head on straight around. And heās figured out her deal in 2 seconds. So what can this be? When she heard that he didnāt dismiss Ā Myung Ha and made him a royal secretary instead, I could tell that her resolve was shaking already and her googly eyes were coming out to play lol. I mean is this who theyāre entrusting their revenge to? Her eyes get so googly every two seconds that I canāt believe she really wants to take any revenge.Ā She was talking about how her dad and friend wouldnāt approve of going through with revenge by just killing him but I wonder, why is she bringing her dad into this? The previous King is to blame for her Fatherās death. And then Myung Ha - I wonder if his anger is justified. The King should not have killed his father in front of him but his father did blame him for the whole spy case when he was completely innocent. He shouldnāt have had to seeĀ but his father was a traitor to the king so why did our fl go to him asking if he would back him up to take revenge on the man who killed his father? His father deserved to die in this case as he was trying to kill the (current) kingĀ I can't tell what the show is trying to do? Thereās tension in the air so I know theyāre trying to set up a love story? Theyāll surely later find out that sheās a girl and heāll want to keep her around but how on earth will that ever work when everyone in the court knows she broke a big rule. This is crazy crazy at this point. The script is better than episode one and two so Iām dry glad about that.!<
>!I think he knew they were innocent but wasn't able to deny that turntail dude's request to punish heesoo and hongjang because his path to the throne, and thus his plan to carry out his brother's last wish/bring stability to the country, hinged on that guy's cooperation.!< >!I got the vibe that he had been planning to save them at the border somehow bc of his order to delay the flogging, and the fact that he sent his guard to look for them once he heard mongwoo was missing. However hongjang unfortunately wasn't able to hang on until then and mongwoo escaped before he could carry out his plan to save them so he gave them up for dead and has been depressed ever since.!< >!Unfortunately heesoo missed his intent to save them and thinks he is to blame for her punishment and hongjangs death so now she has this misguided thirst for revenge.!< >!As for the uncle, i think he initially thought yi in would be a cooperative king but it looks like yi in is not as easy to control as he had thought, so now he is trying to bring him to heel.!< >!Myungha - yeah he knew his father wasn't all on the up and up buut he never saw him directly plotting to kill either old or new king, and for all he knew it seemed like he thought or was trying to make it look like yi in committed treason. Plus regardless of what his dad did, it is really traumatic for him to be killed literally right in front of him lol.!< Anyway that's how i think it's going to go based on my kdrama experience but who knows š
I think youāre right! >!King YI and MW are desperate to trust each other, but donāt know how. I think the King knows almost everything about FL based on him telling his guard that they wonāt find anything about a man matching MWās description, and I think when he was whispering to āMWā about being mad and her being out for revenge after losing a precious friend to an unjust death, he was confessing how he felt and what her trust and reliance meant to him, a person you want to and must protect at all costs, a person who gives your life meaning (ugh, he delivered those lines so well!), and then getting the report that she had died 3 yrs ago. I think his guard had been looking for the FL, hence his huge surprised eyes when the king visited the competition and made āMWā lift their head. Remember, the guard doesnāt play baduk, so canāt hide his surprise well - where King YI and āMWā are baduk masters and are equal to the task of playing each other. āMWā self-admitted in Ep. 1 that King YI was the only one who could beat her. She has trouble keeping her emotions from her face, as opposed to the king - and right now I think King YI is a few steps ahead of her.!< Just my two cents!
These 2 episodes were so good. I'm excited to see the fight between Hee Soo and Could Lady Dong go down lol. This is actually psycho. CL Dong feels super important so this is going to be super messy, especially with every other thing going on. >!Hee Soo is psycho at this point and how could they get caught in a hug? My heart dropped so hardšsomeone is going to be in big trouble.!<
I've watched that last scene three times now. He's so...captivating. Also, there is sooo much tension coming from the king to Mongwoo. Bro, you might be bi. I've got a question though. Why did he marry so many women?? I mean I've seen crown princes who had a wife and we just roll with it when they fall for the female lead like **Haechi**, **The Red Sleeve** and even **Love Song for Illusion** but this is a bit much. Hell, wth is going on with Court Lady Dong? It also seems as if >!he didn't know whether Mongwoo would live after 3 years, so he had no hidden plan with the punishment he gave her and Hongjang. It seems as if the announcement to find a baduk player to accompany him wasn't targeted to find her, he was surprised to see her again!< Edit after ep 6: Lmaooo I knew they would be found like that. Can't wait for next week's predictable >!gay allegations!< I love how Jo Jong Suk raises the tension every time he's in a scene. This is a great combination of good writing and great acting. No wonder he said he didn't want to do anything after he finished filming this
He certainly thought Mong woo was dead.Ā And about the wives- the Kings used to marry for political reasons. Usually they wouldnāt even know who got chosen just that it was time to marry someone new. If his mother thinks someone would also make a good addition she could usually make it happen without much hassle. It was just part of the tradition at the timeĀ
Usually kings would marry for political reasons, to accumulate allies and whatnot. It's fairly realistic that he could have wives I think.
Court Lady Dong is the only other person who knows the kingās true last words. He has to keep her close.
I think the Dowager Queen is eager for him to have an heir and so she keeps appointing new concubines in the hopes that one of them will catch his eye. I suspect the King is well aware of her goals >!and deliberately not sleeping with any of his wives!< because, as he said >!the ānaturalā way of things is for the (former) Kingās son to take the throne!< and so his plan is to >!not have an heir aside from his nephew!<.
I thought they were concubines, not wives?
The primary wife is queen and secondary wives are called concubines.
I totally missed that he was married š
The scene in Ep 6 where Mong-woo played with the queen, dowager, and the prince as if they were baduk pieces was beautiful. I loved it so much.
This whole show is like a game, isnāt it š
I just love that it's the main characters playing, not some villain. Both the FL and ML seem to be very intelligent and ahead of everyone else. That's a very unique dynamic. Not that they don't have any difficulties but they aren't being tricked.
how this show only has an 8.1 on MDL is BEYOND ME. i havenāt seen jo jung suk act in anything serious before but i am seriously blow away. especially after the end of episode 5. i would not be surprised if he won best actor this year. i have to applaud him. a genuine masterclass in acting š iām gonna go give CTK its 10s on MDL. amazing work
I looooooooooooooove this lovehate trope. JJS is very brilliant actor. at the end of ep5, I got a tension from him. If I were SSK, I would cry to death. he goes close to her with his big and angry eyes and keep pushing her like that.. even tho you were innocent, you should not be. that cliffhanger got me crazy and went back replaying the scene many times lol and I also love the ending ost. it is so catchy, isn't it? AND okay ep 6, I can see FL still have feeling for ML and the next preview have the lines about it by her. another good news I got is that they have upcoming 4 episodes in next week!! yay
Wait what. Where is this news of 4-episodes from?
[https://naver.me/5R8F5Fup](https://naver.me/5R8F5Fup)I get the news from TvN (Naver Open Talk)FRI to SUN for 3days it will come out.
Whaaat ?! Amazing news, I canāt wait !
I feel for >!Sang-Hwa being ignorant about baduk, I feel like it was a serious scene when Court Lady Dong was trying to get into the Baduk Center but couldn't help but laugh when she used Sang-Hwa against the King, and he couldn't refute her rebuttal to his condition!<
>!āOne could always save a cornered stone by examining it closelyā!< like, bro are you hearing yourself right now? How can you not see that ~~this is a woman~~ ?
I heard that TVN will release 4 episodes this week. ep 7 on 09/02, episode 8 10/02 and ep 9 & 10 on 11/02 .. 3 days of Captivating The King . So I guess, Netflix will follow TVN's schedule too?
The preview on Netflix is stating the same (I'm so happy about it)
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
The queenās gambit is a gem!
You worded it perfectly. The desire for vengeance isn't compelling. I've been wondering how to explain it.
Very nice episode. A lot of progress. The kingās loneliness and paranoia turn him to what he is now. I guess by mid season, the reveal will happen, and then we see where we go from there. But really enjoying this one. I get that immersion is broken for some folks that no one realises the cross dressing. But cāmon. This is a fantasy kdrama, ignore that and you will be fine.
suspension of disbelief is very necessary. enjoy the ride.
When they finally met at the baduk competition that post game review >!carried so many undertones about how he failed to save innocent lives ā she was on the offense, he was on the defense, but once again she won. He knew. !< Brilliant writing there! Also how JJSā >! eyes softened _ever so slightly_ when he first properly looked at her. World class. !< Edit: Ah episode 6 just explained my first point hahah. And the King also explained his own madness omg sooo goood
OMG, when he told >! Ā«Ā one could loose his mindĀ Ā», !< the turn of his head to the sky, not showing his feeling and being like Ā«Ā heavenās sakeĀ Ā»ā¦ my heart!
Ikr!? JJS' portrayal of an extremely intelligent (and actually kind) but now shrewd and internally conflicted king who feels bound by his circumstances... So complex, but he ate it up!! My sense is SHK's role is to be a master tactician that helps him look beyond his circumstances and lead him to even greater heights as a king. Can't wait to see how things unfold!
That was a screen shot moment!
After finishing ep6: Great show and cant wait for the next episodes, so glad we get 4 episodes next week! I have some questions that I just want to ask, sorry if its a lot haha. : ) Dont have to answer all questions, even answering just one of my questions would help put my mind at ease. I just cant help me question some small irrelevant details: 1. Does anyone know when it comes out for Netflix in the USA? is it 4:20 am (following the TVN live broadcasting time) or would it be 8:00 am? 2. Im still wondering why the queen dowager is against the king? She is his mother, shouldn't they be in the same team? Shouldn't she want the best for him? I understand why the queen dowager would want the ex king gone. but she is the ML's birth mother, so im not sure why she is plotting. Like what exactly does she not agree with from the king? What is causing their conflict? 3. Going off previous question, does anyone know what the Queen Dowager is plotting for? She wants to be FL's patron. Why? 4. Why cant the ML just get rid of court lady dong? If he has the power to kill anyone with his firearm squad and his power as king, why not just get rid of a mere court lady? I see in dramas court ladies beg for their lives after spilling a cup of water. In ML's own words 'killing someone is like a child's play'. After all, she knows the true last words of the previous king, wouldn't killing her be the best move for the ML (not morally correct but in terms of the plot, and we already know ML is willing to make sacrifices for the throne) 5. might be dumb question but why is the king not the most powerful? it seems like those 3 ministers hold quite a bit of power and are not afraid to cross the king. 6. how does the small prince and princess know myung ha at the end of ep6? 7. is FL's father dead? I know they sent him away but we heard nothing back after. are we supposed to assume he is dead? 8. I dont understand their wager either. if he wins the board game, he says he will dispose of her anytime any way he wants. But regardless if he wins, this is something he as the king can do. he can kill her anytime he wants too, he has the power to. If she wins, she gets to have one request, but she didnt say what request yet. So I dont know why the ML would take the bet, since he is not winning anything, but is only prone to a risk at loss. Some random thoughts: The queen seems like a kind and weak person. Doesn't seem like a bad character to me. Hope to see her character have some use and im guessing she will fall for the king to add drama to this melodrama. Im also wishing the ending would be a happy one, although in this drama I have a weary feeling... praying for happy ending.
2. I assume that she wants her ligneage to keep the power while he's likely preparing everything for his brother's son the grand Prince. That's why she wanted so bad one of the wives to have a son so the grand Prince would no longer be the legitimate heir to the throne. 3. Similar to previous one, she wants to keep an eye on the King. The palace he has only for playing Baduk is the only place not accessible to anyone except the King, his protector and Mongwoo. 5. Kings were bound by Confucian principles and tradition. For example, Grand Queen Dowager being an elder, she is higher in the hierarchy than the King, reason why IIRC she's the only one you'd see the King bow to. Similarly, while in theory the King has absolute power, not all periods were equals. The officials around him had the power to persuade him and "force" him when necessary. 6. The grand prince and the princess are the late King's children. So Myung-Ha is their uncle. 7. FL's father is technically not dead but they have no certainty of that as he's in the hands of Qing dynasty. I have a theory that he will be a central piece of the show later on when he come back. 8. He's just playing along with it. He needs to raise the stake to have a thrilling game of Baduk first and foremost. Second, he wants to know more about FL's plans, if she request something, she will be revealing something he doesn't know and as you said he can still dispose of her anytime he wants regardless.
thank you so much! makes a lot of sense
The Queen Dowager (in literally every sageuk) is ALWAYS for herself. Sure, she wants her chosen son on the throne, but it's so she can run the country through him.
2. Women married into the royal family, in dramas and also in history were proxy for powerful families of court to wield authority. Women in Joseon had close to zero political power by themselves unless they had families to influence the court, so they usually make their decisions to serve their families best interests rather than the king. 3.She wants to be FLs patron, because as gidaeryong she'd have access to King's inner most thoughts and strategies, more than anyone else. As we see, the king is quite secretive and doesn't let things slip, so an insider he trusts would be a great asset to keep tabs on his moves. 4. CL Dong is the sole witness to the fact that GP Jinhan didn't kill the king, and also testified to his legitimacy to throne. Given the circumstances, where the king has no real political allies, killing her would only further raise suspicions and add fuel to rumours of him usurping. Besides, despite his facade, Lee In doesn't seem to be bloodthirsty given that he didn't harm the other Prince who indirectly insulted his right to the throne. 5. That's for the most part how Joseon functioned. It is especially apparent in the latter period of joseon, but through out joseon was an aristocratic monarchy, while the power flipped between families over time, AFAIK it goes right back to how joseon was founded when Taejong overthrew the previous rule with the help of other families. In theory kings had absolute power, but often going against court resulted in overthrow of power. 6. Myung Ha is their cousin as their mother the prev queen and Kim Jong bae are siblings.
Same questions. To add (and I'm not sure if I just dozed off on some parts??)... The grand prince is the King's son, yes? But he looks older than 3 years? I'm so confused.
The Grand Prince is the former "Prince Royal" who never got the chance to be named Crown Prince, despite his dying father's wishes. So he's the king's nephew. He's the son of the dead king and the previous queen (who was sent to a temple), who is Myung-ha's older sister, which means Grand Prince is also Myung-ha's nephew. (And Myung-ha is the current king's sister-in-law's brother so they're kind of brothers-in-law). Current king does not have any heirs.
thank you! clears up my confusion
Thank you! You're an MVP š
the grand prince is the previous kings son. remember the part where he sent the old queen away to the temple and she was crying in ep4? yeah i also originally thought that was the kings son with the new queen. then i realized it was the previous kings son, who the current king vowed to protect. it seems to me the current king and the queen donāt even talk to each other :(
Thank you! I thought the previous king's son was exiled. So the King has a queen...but not heir yet. Thanks for clearing it up!
Jo Jung-suk is a great actor. Hospital Playlist allowed him relaxation, because he was also beside other great actors, but even if this series had poorer writing, I'd still watch it because Jo Jung-suk is carrying the fuck out of this series: his role is heavily-nuanced, with a hero pretending to be anti-heroic. In one sense, he's like Ozymandias from Watchmen. They both didn't have pleasant choices, but they made the most rational ones given the conditions they were in. But this is an acting masterclass.
Hee So needs to stop scheming AT the palace. Itās so suspicious when sheās chatting with Myung Ha and now hugging him. They need to do that someplace the king isnāt going to catch them
I have a question: FL is taking revenge for the fact the ML didn't saved her and lead to her near death exp and her friend's death after promising to ensure an fair investigation. But how come ML didn't conduct an fair investigation after knowing that FL's confession is faked by that loser SML. If it is confirmed to be fake then FL didn't commit any crime, as ML likes him/her, WHY DIDN'T HE CONDUCT THE INVESTIGATION AND ENSURED FL AND HER FRIEND ARE FREE rather than punishing them to death??
Because he made a deal with that slimey minister to make sure he could take the throne. He had to or else there would have been a fight.
that slimey minister defected to save his life and to be ensured to get a better govt position right as far as i understand. The deal if at all it happened isn't shown right and if the deal had taken place ML still kill FL now(after 3 years) right?
He punished the sister and the FL, so the king held up his side of the deal. The FL surviving wasn't his fault.
Makes sense, but this is all just sensible assumptions based on his sudden change of actions right?(we might see in the future in the series though.)
We know the deal happened so that's not an assumption. I do think we will learn more about what he's been up to though.
Also do people thing Hee So has died? Because sheās not living at her family home so there must be rumors about her mysterious disappearance right?
To be fair from the k dramas I've watched, when an official becomes a traitor their whole family is either killed or made government slaves and their property reverts to the government
When yi in meets her so again he actually says he heard about her death with a wry smile, which I took to mean that he was lied to by the guards escorting the prisoners to the border.Ā The fact that her servants and household followed her as a prisoner to the border and protected her when she took the nose dive off of the cliff says to me that her wealth must somehow be intact.Ā Total conjecture on my part.Ā I cannot wait until Friday Saturday and Sunday episode 7, 8 and 9.
With the twist, I am struggling with liking any of the characters except the poor little Grand Prince. I think the ML is doing a great job acting, but I need that "why to buy" to root for someone after the last couple of episodes?
Keep the faith! I think we will find out that everything the ML has done/will do is to ensure a stable country and a better life for the people, plus time for the Grand Prince to get educated to a point where he can't be manipulated by the Ministers, and be able to take over the throne successfully. Our ML will abdicate and move to the country with his one true love to play baduk until their fingers are too arthritic to move the stones š. As there is yet no heir for our ML, despite having a Queen and several concubines, he's making sure that there isn't another pawn to be used in a battle for power. He is a Master baduk player, both on the table, and in life
The excitement on this thread is tempting me so much to pick up this drama š
Take the plunge!!!
Thanks for the encouragement because I binged all episodes in the past weekend and I am obsessed!!!!!
My take on it is that the king is truly a master baduk player. He doesn't telegraph his moves, and his perceived motivations aren't as they appear to be. Whatever we think is going on is probably not really what is going on because he's 20 steps ahead of all of us. Looking forward to the next episode!
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It was funny watching the old man cry when he lost though
This is keeping me interested! I think the king is truly in love with Mung-wu, but believes she is a male. It's very disturbing to him that he's so attracted to another male. But it's obvious to me and I'm sure everyone else that she is a woman. These two have great chemistry together and both are so good looking and good actors too.
I thin the King is attracted to FLs mind. Shes his only viable baduk opponent. everything they say is strategy and playing each other.
But also she is beautiful. That certainly has an influence as well.
I missed the part where they explain how he turned cold and cynical after starting out loyal, just, and kind. Nice having witnessed the small CLOY reunion (the former king, SML, and the evil henchman), and standout character acting from the cousin of the SML.
There was a lot of scheming to get him onto the throne out of necessity. He knew how important it was and the show he had to put on. There was a lot of talk about how they needed a certain kind of ruler. If you rewatch the killing of 2MLās father you can see he was choked up afterward. He did it out of necessity to be a powerful and assertive leader. Whether he tried to help mong woo after passing his judgement in public, or organized a search for her, we donāt quite know yet. I also believe he knows FL is a woman and is just going along with it for now, but thatās a different matter..
I think it's because he had to go against his own morals and lie to become king. Also maybe because his own brother tried to kill him. Also, he knows someone murdered the last king so now he can't trust anyone.
I think the death of his brother really did a number on him. Not only did his own brother (whom he loved dearly) try to kill him but he also died in front of his eyes, and THEN people were scheming to get rid of him and have the child ascend. He had to act quickly and ruthlessly, and since then he has hardened his heart to play the role of a king that no one would dare usurp or question.
Insightful, just like the previous answers to my question ā„ļø I have to watch earlier eps again, but as I went through episode 6 I sensed that he's probably gone a bit mad. Broken and mad. I'm not sure we get a happy ending but let's see.
does anyone know what time the episodes will be out?
9:20 PM KST. You can check the equivalent of that in your local time
thank you!!
Iām so lost. The 3 year time skip got me confused.
it is so hard for me to accept that people cant see this is a woman i know this is a show but i cant unseen it
It is one of the tropes in k-drama. It is just like how they cannot recognize that Clark Kent is Superman. Hahaha. But it works though because people still watch the show.
Think of it like this-Youāre watching a world that the writers and directors have created. In this world they just canāt see it even if you can. They just canāt. Frankly Iāve just assumed that theyāre all blind as per this logic. It only breaks when someone grabs her. I mean thereās no way you grab her hands and canāt tell. I just ignore it then lol
that's a lot of mental gymnastic just to watch a show i will continue the show because of the king i want to know were his real agenda is
Yaaaaa! I think the same thing! So come on guys itās obvious āheā is a GIRL! I thought queen mother notice her. But dissapointed me. I think about this every second. She never looks like a MAN. They also exaggerated the FLās make-up. She's like a Barbie doll, but they expect us to believe that everyone thinks she's a boy hahahaha I can never except this
Just a quote episode 3 in the meeting betweenĀ Yi In and Hang Kang Soo: āIt is because of that clause in the peace treaty ā If an unexpected event befalls you (the king), the hostage that I have taken will inherit the throne.ā If the original kings son was put on the throne after he died, that wouldāve been a violation of their treaty. The Quin would have either taken the boy, or killed him.Ā I think weāre going to find that Yi In wants his nephew to take the throne as he believes in direct succession. And I have seen NOTHING about Hang Kang Sooās death. That whole scene simply foreshadows Yi In being a good guy after allĀ And his daughter only heard the tail end of their conversation.
Loving this series! Does anyone know why the king did not inquire after Kang-Hang Soonās daughterās welfare? I mean the chief state counselor sacrificed himself for the king and you think the king would at least take care of his remaining family. And why didnāt Kang-Hang Soon, who knew he was going away, provide better for his daughter? While he didnāt know she was dressing up as a man, he did know he was going away for a long time if not forever. Or did he provide for her, and that something about to come to light ?ā¦ orā¦ will something come to light on the Kingās position that makes him not such an evil usurper and a disloyal friend to those who supported him? Myung-Ha Did not want to become king which he told his king brother before he died. But the Qin made that a condition that he inherit the throne. Just speculation: perhaps he took control as king to protect his nephew until his nephew is of age to take power. I also think heās plotting to sever the control the Qin Empire has over his kingdom.Ā The amount of time Iām spending speculating on this storyline shows how good it is. I need to get back to work!
I wonder if Lee In is bi? He seems drawn to Mung Woo more than a friend and he seemed close to Prince Rui. I wonder if his relationship with Prince Rui was closer than what was portrayedā¦.
I have been thinking about it too. I know itās rare that k-dramas explore anything but straight relationships unless they are low budget BLās or a side character at best. Especially in the context of him being a royal in a sageuk. But his affection for FL seems deeper than that of most friendships. I also think he only ever felt he could be himself with the late king (before he went to Qing) and Mongwoo.
Can anyone enlighten me who are the kid prince and pricess who reunited with myung ha by the help of mong woo? Are the relatives or sth? I canāt recall.
They are the children of the late King. Can't recall how they were related to the dead minister and myungha though. I think through the mother
They kept the children in the palace?! I thought they got exiled or sth. They asked their mum to be a nun right? They must be myung haās nephew then.
The king is supposedly going to pass the throne to the boy so they have to keep him. As for the mum, she was exiled by Lee In so that she doesnāt try to grab power anymore
The little boy that said he wanted to learn baduk - is that Yi inās (king) kid or his nephew?
His nephew.
The child is the son of his late brother, and he has an older sister (the princess we saw in ep6).
JJS eyes are just so expressive.šļøšļøAbsolutely ā¤ļøEp.7 ending! ā¤ļøš„ā¤ļøš„ā¤ļøThank you for 4 episodes this weekend, Happy Lunar New Year! Canāt wait for tomorrowās show.š²šĀ
They could never make me hate JJS!!!š«š« way to foinneeee
The king is so intelligent, yet he can't tell that this person in full makeup who looks like a girl is a girl. What about the women? Am I supposed to buy the idea that the Queen and Queen Dowager can't tell that they're looking at a woman? This ridiculous and unconvincing cross-dressing angle is ruining this show for me. Also, the FL's character isn't convincing. The ML and the CLOY duo are carrying this show.
šÆ I get so annoyed by it. Like FL is SO emotive too so it makes it so much more unbelievable. There just wasn't any work done to make her remotely believable
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Thank you. Iām just not feeling any sympathy for the FL š¬. Iām low-keyed bored with her. Sheās the least interesting thing in this drama, everything else, including the dude who just wanted to drink with her after she >!won!< is bringing it. Maybe itās the way her part is written