“The Crowned Clown” (왕이 된 남자)

By Jae-Ha Kim
jaehakim.com
March 5, 2019

☆☆☆☆
Ha Seon / Yi Heon (played by Yeo Jin-goo)
Yoo So Woon (played by Lee Se-young)
Yi Kyu (played by Kim Sang-kyung)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.

“The Crowned Clown” was one of those nearly perfect K-Dramas that kept me on the edge of my seat. And then it ended with a finale that fell flat. For me, it was kind of like being served a Twinkie for dessert, after having enjoyed a fine meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant.

A serialized remake of the 2012 film “Masquerade” (광해: 왕이 된 남자), this version stars Yeo Jin-goo as young, immoral king Yi Heon, whose crown is constantly under threat. Drugged out on opium (initially unknowingly, and later willingly), he eagerly agrees to allow a lookalike jester, Ha Seon, to impersonate him until things are under control. In other words, let the clown be assassinated, instead of him.

This is where I should say, “You’ll never believe what happens next!”

But since you’re already here, let’s backtrack a tiny bit to talk first about the casting of Yeo Jin-goo, who was perfect playing both roles. The first time I saw him in a major part was in 2012’s “Moon That Embraces The Sun,” where he played the teenage version of the Crown Prince. I had initially watched for Kim Soo-Hyun (who portrayed the grown up version of the boy who would become king). But I was riveted by all the child actors, particularly Yeo (who was only 14 at the time). Even then, he had a deep, resonating voice that belied his babyface.

In this K-Drama, Yeo is reunited with Jang Young-nam, who had a cameo in “Moon” as a tragic shaman who was tortured to death. Here, she has a much juicier and complicated role as the queen dowager. After her husband dies, her worst fear comes true when her young son is poisoned to death. She blames Yi Heon and vows revenge on her step son.

Overall, this 16-episode series is spectacular, with a clever plot and enough twists and turns to get you car sick. Yeo Jin-goo is frightening as the volatile king. And with the subtle change of his facial expressions, he shows depth and humanity as his scared doppelganger.

As his queen, Lee Se-young does a formidable job in what could have been simply a secondary “girlfriend” role. It’s hard not to be upstaged by Jang Young-nam’s queen dowager, who gets to chew the scenery with delicious aplomb.

Kwon Hae-hyo — who played a delightful chef in “My Lovely Sam-Soon” — portrays Shin Chi-soo, the Left State Councillor. Chi-soo not only personifies evil, but he also raised a son who grew up to be a rapist. He faced minimal punishment, because his child victim was a peasant and, therefore, not worthy of justice in the eyes of the law. (Ha Seon finds a workaround here, by ordering Chi-soo to whip his son’s legs. I pretty much can’t stand violence. But this is one of my favorite scenes, to be honest.)

Classism is touched on in this series. Even the saintly queen’s prejudice comes to surface when she discovers that Ha Seon has been impersonating her husband.

I am not one who expects the final episode to neatly tie everything up into a bow. I understand that the endings I didn’t want (“The Smile Has Left Your Eyes“) are sometimes the endings that have to happen, given the plot’s circumstances. But there was something lacking with how the writers wrapped this series up. And what they did to the main characters made me feel empty inside (even moreso than watching what was supposed to be an epic battle between thousands of soldiers, that was actually played out between a dozen or so behind closed gates). (More in the Spoiler Alert below.)

Airdates: Sixteen episodes (averaging about 60-minutes each) aired from January 7 to March 4, 2019 on tvN.

Spoiler Alert:

In Episode 8, Haksan (the chief royal secretary) takes matters into his own hands and poisons the real king. It was a heartbreaking scene, because Yi Heon had said that he wished he had grown up with Haksan as his father, since his own dad had shown him no love or affection. You could tell it was difficult for Haksan to come to this decision, but Joseon needed a kind, moral leader who wouldn’t be led astray. And that was Ha Seon. Still, it was bittersweet watching Yi Heon die. He knew what was happening and why, but it was too late to change anything.

In the series finale, Ha Seon handpicks a successor and abdicates the throne to live a peaceful life with So Woon. He leaves the palace…by…HIMSELF. That is not how royalty works. He is still regarded as a V.I.P. and would’ve left the palace with armed guards. Nope. His loyal guard, Jang, eventually catches up with him and insists on serving him in his new life outside the palace. And…they are attacked. Jang is killed and Ha Seon is seen collapsing from two arrows that have pierced his back.

Flash forward two years later: Ha Seon reunites with So Woon. His recovery took a long time and … I don’t know. The whole ending was just so disappointing. On the one hand, it is a happy ending. On the other, the writers took an unsatisfying route to reach it.

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