Falling For The Queen
After a somewhat subdued fifth episode, The Crowned Clown returns with an hour of political scheming, romance and drama. As Ha Sun continues to doubt his own feelings toward So Woon after their intimate kiss, trouble brews in the Royal Palace. All of this scheming culminates in a climactic finale within the heart of the city as Ha Sun and So Woon are interrupted by a familiar face. We begin the episode moments after the kiss between our two lovers. Ha Sun suddenly comes under fire with a bout of hiccups and, thanks to the advice of Eunuch Jo, is cured following the dismissal of So Woon. After a particularly humorous exchange between the two, we arrive back to the main court for the crux of the drama this episode. It’s revealed early on here that it was the Left State Minister’s son who orchestrated the attack on Joo Ho-Geol the night before. As court commences and the Royal Secretary appears to be missing in action, Ha Sun is forced to make an impossible choice. That is, until Lee Kyu shows up with a shocking bit of news. It turns out the assassination attempt on Ho-Geol’s life the night before was unsuccessful and after working all night, they’ve uncovered a financial scandal leading back to those who would seek to undermine the King and make a profit at his expense. Under Royal law, it’s decided that these crimes are forgotten due to the standing of these officials but for not before a humiliating lesson is dished out to the Left State Minister’s son. Following this particularly tense moment, it appears the Left State Minister is broken for the time being and, at least for now, the wind taken out of his sails. We don’t get long to dwell on this though as Queen Dowager resurfaces with a new scheme, designed to send So Woon off-kilter. This is left wide open for debate as the attention turns to the upcoming Lunar festival. Dal-Rae stumbles upon the location Lee Hun is currently being held while Ha Sun and So Woon enjoy the festivities together. As they flee from the crowds to have a moment alone, the episode ends with Ha Sun and Lee Hun staring each other down as all hell looks set to break loose. After the fifth episode took its foot off the gas a little, the same cannot be said for this hour of absorbing entertainment. The political scheming is back in a big way and it’s becoming increasingly interesting to see Ha Sun grow into this role, assuming dominance over the others whilst playing the part of King to perfection. With Lee Hun coming back into the fold late on, it’ll be really interesting to see how this plays out and what it means for the dynamic of the show. The Crowned Clown is a really interesting and well written Korean drama. From the costume design and general cinematography to the acting from its various fleshed out characters, every part of this drama oozes confidence and style. Aesthetically and visually, this is one of 2019’s brightest prospects and it’s such a shame that more people won’t get a chance to experience this one. You really owe it to yourself to check this out though and at the moment this is topping the list for must-watch drama in 2019.
