Review: Queen In Hyun's Man (2012)

Year 1694, 20th year of King Suk-jong's reign. Rumor has it that Queen In Hyun has a lover. It was never covered in dramas though, and being such a minor incident, is usually ignored. Even the annals have but one mention of it. However, an interesting additional record was found…

Memories. Our memories.
Losing them is the final price I must pay.
I do not know what will happen now.
Will we forget each other, or will we live unable to forget, forever tormented?
If I have a final wish… it is to remember you.
In a life without aims, to not even have those memories would be hell.
And you... as for you...
Even if you should happen to read this letter someday far in the future, I pray that you will not be able to know whom it is for.

...a letter, in which a government official's deep love for a nameless woman and the sadness at their separation is evident. Considering the circumstances at the time and a rumor that the official regularly showed up at the then-deposed Queen's residence to offer close protection, scholars speculated that the nameless woman is likely to be Queen In Hyun, making the official become presently known as...

Queen In Hyun's Man.

Image via Tving.

Queen In Hyun's Man (international title: Queen and I) is a 16-episode romance-comedy-fantasy-historical drama broadcast by cable channel tVN earlier last year. It is a story of a chance encounter that started at a gap in time  when Joseon Dynasty scholar Kim Boong-do (Ji Hyun Woo) time travelled 300 years into the future; after getting nearly killed in the midst of fighting against assassins hired by the Soron Faction. Boong-do is a loyal supporter of the reinstatement of Queen In Hyun; who has been deposed from her position due to conspiracy by royal concubine Lady Jang. (Dong Yi, anyone?) There he meets Choi Hee-jin (Yoo In Na), a no name actress  who landed a big break after being casted as the titular role in the upcoming drama "New Jang Hee-bin". Hee-jin plays Queen In Hyun, the same Queen Boong-do is trying to save 300 years back. As Boong-do travelled time to and fro to gather necessary historical knowledge in saving the Queen in the past, he eventually falls in love with the Queen in the present, making him literally and figuratively, the Queen's man.

Image via Naver Blog.

Brilliant, poignant writing. This is the perfection that Queen In Hyun's Man is. In an age where time travel dramas are cliché, to be able to make both the past and present timeline work without feeling forced is  sharp and clever. (Almost) Everything in this drama is well constructed and thought of, living up to its idea of cause and effect where everything is connected, linked and interwoven together. No element was wasted, despite the existence of two varying worlds, as even the smallest detail was paid much attention to. This is all the more effective in pulling off  what was already created as a beautiful circular thematic plot for the drama. Rare as it is, it is also one of the strong points Queen In Hyun's Man has.

Yet a story wouldn't be effective and memorable without characters that deliver. As Queen In Hyun's Man's characters are well written (e.g. Kim Boong-do, the absolutely perfect man whom writer Song referred to as the real fantasy of the drama, and whom every woman wants immediately cloned), having them well portrayed makes up for an all the more better experience. Both In Na and Hyun Woo was able to nail being the characters they play. Their chemistry is evident in almost all scenes they are together, especially through the latter part of the show. And as Queen In Hyun's Man stays faithful even to the smallest of details, character consistency is present. There didn't seem too much need for Na Jung though as aside from playing Hee-jin's rival for their upcoming drama, she pretty much didn't do anything.

And consistency... Queen In Hyun's Man continued to be faithfully consistent throughout that despite not having such grand cinematography (referring to Arang and the Magistrate), it still is a win. It also is creative in portraying that scene in the palace where Hee-jin is shooting the documentary; with Boong-do, at the same time, being dragged for interrogation. Making two totally different timelines exist in one place, identified only by color, was gorgeous. Yet tragic. And heartbreaking.

Having said all these, Queen In Hyun's Man has really set the bar for all other dramas out there, especially time travelling ones. From looks, romance, brains or substance... the show had them all—characteristics that made it stand out despite a minor (yet totally important) flaw. All technicalities aside though, the real fantasy of this drama  is not the talisman nor the time-slip, but the absolutely perfect man named Kim Boong-do. That, and his brain. Plus his smile. Looks. Height. Brain. Collectedness. Brain. Composure. Brain. Strength. Brain...

All. That. Brainnnnn.

THOUGHTS...

More than the visuals, writing and metaphor are what sells me in a show spot on. I can go on and on about how the ending worked (and didn't work) for me...

The use of the talisman as a time-travelling device was so well-established it made the use of the cellphone as the final time-slip device... weak. I don't know. Somehow, the cellphone thing didn't give a bang, despite it being a continuous recurring motif throughout the show. It's probably because it didn't work the first time (which is logical. how can a device acquired 300 years from now work in the Joseon Dynasty? do we even have signals there?!), or that we are so used to it in our everyday lives (compared to the talisman, though it's just a piece of paper) that using it to incorporate magic seemed off. Or probably its introduction as a time slip device was just too rushed, compared to how the rules of the talisman as an agent of time travel was laid out, and made it seem that the cellphone was weak. Whatever it is, in the end, how Boong-do was saved probably didn't matter so much as that he did get saved. After all, everything came to a close when Boong-do finally rectified the imbalance made by his time travel and him messing with life and death. A beautiful circular narrative, though I  felt a little "cheated" with the cause. 😐

Yet these cannot outnumber the effects the clever narrative circles Queen In Hyun's Man was able to pull. Like how Boong-do asked Hee-jin, "Am I dreaming or am I dead?" during their first encounter; and how Hee-jin reacted, "You're alive. You're real." upon seeing Boong-do arrive from his final time-slip. Throughout the drama, how the writers made Boong-do travel from one timeline to another in the expense of his life is also a strong and refreshing plot point, especially that the agent to travel beyond each world is fairly within his control.

I also find it really clever that the writers were able to create a final conflict without making it too draggy for the show.

I was one of the few people who thought everything could've ended at episode 14. Our two leads have already settled, already all lovey-dovey, so why two more episodes? The answer: consistency. The talisman had to go. For the leads to be truly happy, the talisman had to go. This was what the writers wanted to convey with that two remaining episodes, making it fairly consistent to what has been previously set up. I knew the talisman had been effective because of Yoon Wool, but since both Hee-jin and Boong-do had been swooney all over, what would happen if Yoon Wool is to die  and  the effects of the talisman wears off never dawned in me. I was like "oo nga noh" all throughout episode 15 when the use of the talisman was explained in detail—with the conflict being portrayed in visual in a scene where Boong-do attempted to kill himself with a sword to be able to go back to the present time, yet only being able to stay a few seconds for Hee-jin to see before disappearing for good. Heartbreaking, I know. But this also shows how well thought of Queen In Hyun's Man is, and how the writers are keeping control.

And Kim Boong-do!!! He really is the show's catch. ;) Kim Boong-do is written in such a way (and portrayed by Ji Hyun Woo in such a way) that would make every woman who's watched the show swoon. He's smart and analytical that he was able to figure out things in the modern world even on his own. He's a scholar, yet he can fight. And is fairly good at that. He's got a witty sense of humor, is charismatic, adorable, and sweetly innocent. The list goes on.

Ah, Queen In Hyun's Man... One gem of a drama this is. ❤

TAGS: Dramas, K-Drama Reviews, Reviews   Edit