Editorials 
This review may contain spoilers
The King's Affection is a story of stolen identity, impossible love, and power. Dam-yi, a twin princess condemned to death at birth, survives outside the palace and years later comes face to face with her brother, Crown Prince Lee Hwi. When he is murdered, she is forced by her mother to take his place: she becomes a man, a prince, a future king. All while falling in love with Jung Ji-woon, her first childhood love, who believes she is a man and torments himself over "impossible" feelings.
The writing: a editing problem
Indeed, in the first two episodes the narrative proceeds through time jumps that are never signposted: in one scene Dam-yi talks to her mother and three seconds later, in the next scene, her mother is on her deathbed, without any understanding of what happened in between. To introduce the backstory, the writer and director put together a jumble of scenes devoid of captions and of any explanation of the connections between the blocks: the passage of time is never indicated, and the viewer has to reconstruct everything alone.
Love with the enemy's son: a forced plot that rests on a fragile character
Ji-woon is the enemy's son, and a normal person — even granting that he is the first love — would hardly be able to sustain such a relationship, given that loyalty, politics, and concrete risk to one's own life are involved. Worse: his father killed Dam-yi's brother. In other dramas, when the protagonist discovers that the beloved's father is responsible for the death of a family member, the relationship breaks: you see the rupture, the inner conflict, and only over time, if ever, do the two reconcile. Here, no: Dam-yi knows and does not leave him, no inner conflict is shown, no hesitation or fracture, despite knowing the origins of her beloved. The script glosses over this weight as if the spilled blood counted for nothing, and the love story moves on as if nothing had happened.
Jung Ji-woon: the black hole of the drama
Ji-woon is the most infantile character in the drama. He thinks more about flirting than about the problems his feelings create: instead of helping, he generates misunderstandings; instead of reasoning, he acts on impulse. He has a ruthless father, he lives in a court where one false step means death, yet he behaves as if in a romantic comedy. The actor does nothing to make him more adult: his facial expressions do not help, and where weight would be needed, out comes the offended little boy or the dreamy lover.
The critics have praised him, but the facts say otherwise. From the river, it is Dam-yi who saves him. From the pond, it is Dam-yi who saves him. When he is kidnapped by the grandfather in episode 19, it is again Dam-yi who saves him. He does not think about protecting her or about the consequences of his actions: he thinks only about his own desire. He is liked only because he is the first love, a label that covers up his infantilism and practical uselessness.
The grandfather: an antagonist who wins by inertia
Lord Sangheon always manages to gain the upper hand, not because he is more intelligent, but because the script allows it. In the end it is Dam-yi who resolves everything in the most extreme way: she poisons the tea, serves it to her grandfather, and drinks it with him, attempting a joint suicide. A powerful scene, but it comes after twenty episodes in which no one has ever truly challenged the grandfather's advantage: more than a victory, it is a desperate draw.
The cousin: the only man who deserved more
Prince Jaeun, the cousin who eventually becomes king, is a breath of fresh air. He truly protects Dam-yi, does not put her in difficulty, does not force his feelings, does not create misunderstandings. He too feels something for her, but his loyalty never becomes a burden: he is a silent support who acts for her good without asking anything in return. Jaeun is mature, loyal, protective without being possessive, and understands the weight that Dam-yi carries. Jaeun as romantic lead would have been more credible and more mature, but unfortunately he remains the token "good guy."
Park Eun-bin: the reason it is worth watching
Park Eun-bin is the center of gravity of the entire drama. She is extraordinary in playing the part of the man for almost the entire series, a full 18 episodes, managing to convey all the bitterness of losing one's own identity and being forced to play the role of a man: she is the one who gives weight to the silences and makes the torment credible.
A note, since it comes up: this drama is not a gender drama. Dam-yi never shows ambiguity: just look at her love for Jung Ji-woon, or the marriage to the queen, which is never consummated — and it shows. Let us stop putting political correctness everywhere, even where it does not belong: The King's Affection is the story of a heterosexual woman forced to play a male role in order to survive. Stop.
Verdict
A drama with a fascinating premise and uneven execution: confused editing, a love story that rests on a forced plot, an infantile and poorly acted male lead, an antagonist who wins by inertia, and a finale that is saved only because she takes the situation in hand. But it has two weapons: Park Eun-bin, who alone is worth the watch, and Prince Jaeun, who would have deserved the role of romantic lead.
Rating: 7.5/10 — it would have been 6.5 if not for Park Eun-bin.
The writing: a editing problem
Indeed, in the first two episodes the narrative proceeds through time jumps that are never signposted: in one scene Dam-yi talks to her mother and three seconds later, in the next scene, her mother is on her deathbed, without any understanding of what happened in between. To introduce the backstory, the writer and director put together a jumble of scenes devoid of captions and of any explanation of the connections between the blocks: the passage of time is never indicated, and the viewer has to reconstruct everything alone.
Love with the enemy's son: a forced plot that rests on a fragile character
Ji-woon is the enemy's son, and a normal person — even granting that he is the first love — would hardly be able to sustain such a relationship, given that loyalty, politics, and concrete risk to one's own life are involved. Worse: his father killed Dam-yi's brother. In other dramas, when the protagonist discovers that the beloved's father is responsible for the death of a family member, the relationship breaks: you see the rupture, the inner conflict, and only over time, if ever, do the two reconcile. Here, no: Dam-yi knows and does not leave him, no inner conflict is shown, no hesitation or fracture, despite knowing the origins of her beloved. The script glosses over this weight as if the spilled blood counted for nothing, and the love story moves on as if nothing had happened.
Jung Ji-woon: the black hole of the drama
Ji-woon is the most infantile character in the drama. He thinks more about flirting than about the problems his feelings create: instead of helping, he generates misunderstandings; instead of reasoning, he acts on impulse. He has a ruthless father, he lives in a court where one false step means death, yet he behaves as if in a romantic comedy. The actor does nothing to make him more adult: his facial expressions do not help, and where weight would be needed, out comes the offended little boy or the dreamy lover.
The critics have praised him, but the facts say otherwise. From the river, it is Dam-yi who saves him. From the pond, it is Dam-yi who saves him. When he is kidnapped by the grandfather in episode 19, it is again Dam-yi who saves him. He does not think about protecting her or about the consequences of his actions: he thinks only about his own desire. He is liked only because he is the first love, a label that covers up his infantilism and practical uselessness.
The grandfather: an antagonist who wins by inertia
Lord Sangheon always manages to gain the upper hand, not because he is more intelligent, but because the script allows it. In the end it is Dam-yi who resolves everything in the most extreme way: she poisons the tea, serves it to her grandfather, and drinks it with him, attempting a joint suicide. A powerful scene, but it comes after twenty episodes in which no one has ever truly challenged the grandfather's advantage: more than a victory, it is a desperate draw.
The cousin: the only man who deserved more
Prince Jaeun, the cousin who eventually becomes king, is a breath of fresh air. He truly protects Dam-yi, does not put her in difficulty, does not force his feelings, does not create misunderstandings. He too feels something for her, but his loyalty never becomes a burden: he is a silent support who acts for her good without asking anything in return. Jaeun is mature, loyal, protective without being possessive, and understands the weight that Dam-yi carries. Jaeun as romantic lead would have been more credible and more mature, but unfortunately he remains the token "good guy."
Park Eun-bin: the reason it is worth watching
Park Eun-bin is the center of gravity of the entire drama. She is extraordinary in playing the part of the man for almost the entire series, a full 18 episodes, managing to convey all the bitterness of losing one's own identity and being forced to play the role of a man: she is the one who gives weight to the silences and makes the torment credible.
A note, since it comes up: this drama is not a gender drama. Dam-yi never shows ambiguity: just look at her love for Jung Ji-woon, or the marriage to the queen, which is never consummated — and it shows. Let us stop putting political correctness everywhere, even where it does not belong: The King's Affection is the story of a heterosexual woman forced to play a male role in order to survive. Stop.
Verdict
A drama with a fascinating premise and uneven execution: confused editing, a love story that rests on a forced plot, an infantile and poorly acted male lead, an antagonist who wins by inertia, and a finale that is saved only because she takes the situation in hand. But it has two weapons: Park Eun-bin, who alone is worth the watch, and Prince Jaeun, who would have deserved the role of romantic lead.
Rating: 7.5/10 — it would have been 6.5 if not for Park Eun-bin.
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