The King's Face Episode 1

Oh Damn...That'll Be the Books

Well, here we have another sageuk drama predicated on the predictions of a book and someone who can read that book (and faces too, of course). And of course, the book has monumental ramifications for the vitality of an entire state and its affairs, lest we forget. Also, as if we didn't already know the importance of this book, we get a nice scene where an entire library of books is made into a mess the likes of which have not been seen since a full-torsoed floating apparition made its way into the New York Metropolitan Public Library.

All of that aside, however, and The King's Face's first episode did a pretty decent job of identifying the main "goodies" and main "baddies"--the face of the drama, if it pleases you. We see King Seonjo basically going off of words from a book to decide which wife, son, etc. is worthy of his investment and him being pretty basic to some common folk who are genuinely suffering. (I think we're not supposed to like him much). Next, we meet Gwanghae, who's cheeky but actually has a decent head on his shoulders, and who at least is cognizant of the rotten state of his father's affairs (at least somewhat).

Then we meet a scholarly-looking person in a bookstore who looks slightly feminine and is reading a book and if you think you've seen this in another show, please tell me. (kekeke) She (he) just happens to know the reference to an important plot point and well, there ya go.

As snarky or as sarcastic as I sound, it actually was a decent first episode. I wasn't bored by it; the tension between father and son was stated blatantly, the king's two-faced nature examined quite firmly, and Gwanghae's thirst for understanding why his face shape is so important explored matter-of-factly.

The only thing the first episode didn't have was Shin Sung Rok, and I can't wait to meet him!

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