Il Re e la Spia

This is a head slapper. Gorgeously produced Korean Historical drama with generally excellent cast, the usual court intrigue -- slow poisoning of the king, others vying for power while the poisoned king loses his marbles and suspects everyone's out to get him -- and an utterly, comically absurd premise that fails the first and every subsequent time I see the lead actress in drag as a gentleman.

The Crown Prince/titular King, a charismatic Hamlet type, is in a tenuous position with vicious courtiers on the one hand and a spiraling monarch on the other, so he finds solace playing a Go-like game of strategy against a phenom who never loses. This player is a pretty noblewoman masquerading as a man who no one realizes ain't a dude. (Snort.) That absurdity constantly intrudes on me as s/he navigates the political minefield of court after the king croaks and the crown prince assumes power. S/he is wrongfully accused of confessing to treason which implicates the prince, and for which the prince-now-king holds a grudge. But the now-king just can't help himself, s/he has captivated him...and oh the side-eyes do fly in court about the two strangely intimate besties. Geez, there is just no way on earth that that woman passes for a man ever in whatever manly costume or see-through stove-pipe hat she ties under her hairless chinny-chin-chin. NEVER. No way. I do not possess the ability to suspend disbelief for as far and for as long as this silly premise requires. There is one man, a rejected suitor, who knows her true identity but he has his own political problems due to Dad being a villain and loving her so much. In short, the premise beggars the imagination how sooooooo many men could be sooooooooo blind/deaf/sexless as to miss her manifest femininity. No adam's apple, no worries. Weeps and talks like a girl, whatever. No facial hair, no red flag, oh but s/he does wear lip gloss -- a beige rose when being a dude rather than pink red when she's dressed her gender but that's not odd, noooooo. I watch episodes with teeth gritted.

The 'gal dresses as a courtier/royal and gets away with it' plot crops up in other Korean and Chinese historical dramas so maybe it's a cultural quirk that just doesn't translate for me. In most cases, the ploy is easier to swallow for some reason. The King's Affection comes to mind. Here, it just tripped me up.

There are many, many excellent Korean Historical series (some serious, some funny): Under the Queen's Umbrella, My Sassy Girl, 100 Days My Prince, Royal Inspector & Joy to name a few.

I give props to the male lead, Jo Jung-suk. He develops the complex motivation of his character and expresses contradictory feelings with constraint, such as his feelings for the 'male' Go player who may've betrayed him but maybe didn't but dang he so fine...

I'm an African American and I love Korean time dramas. This movie, Captivating the King, has captivated me. I look forward to every episode. I could watch one episode after the next. I also think the lead male and female actor and actress are top notch. I have never watched the male actor before but find his acting and presence of great quality. His charisma just seems to jump off the screen. Also, he is quite attractive. The female actress has graced the screen in a lot Korean dramas I watch and I love her acting. She is the reason I decided to watch this drama and I'm glad I did. Kudos to whoever wrote this drama and to the director. I wish there was more time dramas that are suspenseful and romantic like this one. The only other drama that comes close to this is The Princess Weiyoung.

Yes, you have to get over the petite fairy looking female lead being accepted as a man just because she wears male clothes. That part is always hard to swallow in similar K dramas. BUT, ignoring the gender bending trope, this series is very entertaining. Nothing truly unique about the storyline, but the quality of the acting drew me right in. Almost completely due to Jo Jung Suk's acting. He has charisma to spare. I also like that they feature the game of baduk (Go), which adds to the cultural atmosphere. There are the expected political struggles and evil ministers aplenty. But the young crown prince is so delightful and such a super actor as well. Shin Se-Kyung as FL does a fine job, though I would love to see the writer allow her to yell and scream once in awhile. I love Lee Shin Young as Myung Ha, (basically second male lead) who got a lousy break from the get go. Also loved Ha So-hoon, who played the very ill queen with subtlety and a heart-rending sadness.

Really looked forward to watching this. Waited until all the episodes were available to start watching so could blitz to the end.

The "accidental" king who takes the throne when his brother the King is poisoned falls in love with a wannabe spy/traitor who is disguised as a man. Let me say right here right now the she/he does not even pass as a boy! Not even a twinkie. Ayway, Yeah the she/he falls for the king too.

There is all the usual Palace intrigue with the women stuck in there at their very best at being devious. 10/10 to the Dowager Queen, but you can't really act that role badly

There has been a spate of dramas with girls pretending to be boys and confusing the ML who begins to think he is Gay and so here is another one.

The story is basically good. But the absolute lack of PASSION between the ML and the FL literally ruined this drama. It was like watching a Kdrama from the '80s - stiff and unemotional. The FL, Shin Se-kyung, was absolutely dreadful, just one expression dead-pan, occasionally she threw in dead-pan with tears. Will certainly avoid her in anything in future! Not once was I convinced these two Leads were in love or capable of being intimate.

This Director should watch "My Dearest/Lovers" for tips on how to film deep affection/love in a historical context! Even "Mr Queen", was way better at filming believable affection between the leads. Can't believe this was released in 2024. Not tepid or tame, just ice cold!

The cinematography is feeble. When they finally have one night together where the king discovers she is a woman, the light in the room was like a DOZEN led bulbs! Ridiculous.

This is okay to pass the time if you are looking for a historical drama but I had to leave it a few times as I was getting so frustrated with the poor acting. And we know that Jo Jung Suk is a brilliant actor but in this he was so wooden I was baffled. Maybe this was the directors plan? Didn't work for me.

Oh and there is no secondary relationship to ease the boring moments and zero comical moments.

Finally have to mention; watched with Korean audio and English subtitles. The absolute WORSE subtitle translations! So much American modern slang that was totally wrong for the status of the leads. Someone who couldn't comprehend that Royalty do not speak like working class bums and translated as though everyone spoke 'street'. Ugh.

When picked this drama to watch, I hadn't realized that the male lead was Jo Jung Suk. I smiled like a teenager in love for the first time. I immediately thought of "Oh My Ghost!" and "Hospital Playlist" (they owe us a third season, by the way). What a difference between these lead roles, however, his performances were super each and every time. I don't recall seeing the female lead acting before, therefore, I can only applaud her performance. The match between them was delightful. I must finish saying that I was expecting the same historical drama that I have previously watched. It is far from the truth! From episode 1 until the last one, this drama catches all your attention an heart. It is a "must watch".