Early Access: Mr. Queen E2 (Patreon)

E2. I feel more engaged, more intrigued, and more entertained this episode, which all bode well for my relationship with this show, going forward.

I feel like I'm getting the hang of this drama world, sort of. It does require some suspension of disbelief, that the people around So Yong are that tolerant of her crazy antics; I feel like in a more serious sageuk world, she would've already been imprisoned for lunacy, for good. But in this drama world, everyone is much more tolerant, and as a result, So Yong gets to flounce around as she pleases, while her court ladies and maidservants wring their hands and shuffle about furiously. Also, nobody seems to mind too much, that she's not using courtly language, and is even using modern slang.

It's quite amusing, and the funny is enhanced by Choi Jin Hyuk's ultra deep voiceovers, which directly contrast with Shin Hye Sun's feminine visuals. On that note, I really am very impressed with Shin Hye Sun; the way her delivery matches the tone of the voiceovers is so good that I often find myself forgetting that these aren't her actual thoughts.

I found it most entertaining when Bong Hwan pits his player skills against Cheoljong, like during the wedding night, when they try to get each other drunk. It's quite fun to see player pitted against player, each trying his darndest to outwit the other.

The way we get situated regarding the political situation is also much more fun than average, since we get Bong Hwan's sarcastic droll commentary, as he processes all the information he gets. I find this efficient and effective, since Bong Hwan basically analyzes everything for us, in simple, easy-to-understand terms. Very clever, Show.

On that note, I rather like the fact that there's political intrigue that Bong Hwan / So Yong needs to sort through. This makes everything more interesting than if it were purely about needing to get back to his own body in the present. Also, it gives Show a chance to play with the idea of history vs. reality, like with how Cheoljong is represented as something of a sex maniac in the annals of history, but doesn't seem to be that way at all, in reality. I like how Bong Hwan then categorizes the history books as mere tabloids, ha.

I'm definitely curious to know more about Cheoljong, who's a clueless king by day, and fierce ninja by night. It's clear that he wants to find evidence of corruption so that he can clean up the court, but what is all this about his feelings for his Royal Concubine, and what does Prince Youngpyeong mean when he tells Cheoljong not to let his personal feelings get in the way, with regards to the queen? I'm curious to know what the real story is.

Also, how interesting, that So Yong is getting insight into some of the real So Yong's memories. Those memories indicate that Cheoljong despised the real So Yong, so that directly contradicts the idea that Cheoljong might have personal feelings for So Yong. That definitely piques my curiosity.

Now that Cheoljong's decided that he's going to kill So Yong himself, how is our body-swapping, time travel-challenged protagonist going to survive?