2
5
1
2
Enjoyable Yet Unsatisfying
My experience while watching Perfect Crown has been one of total, utter, and complete satisfaction. The premise was nothing even remotely original, and both the plot and characters had minor and major inconsistencies, but these shortcomings did little to derail my enjoyment of the show. However, now that I'm done watching the show and have had time to fully process everything, I see clearly and realize that several aspects of the drama left much to be desired. See, I’ve never been one to fall purely for aesthetics. Thus, it was becoming increasingly difficult for me to put my finger on what exactly was making me enjoy this show so much. And then it hit me; it’s the female lead.
Seong Huiju is an extremely likeable character. She’s not a particularly compelling FL, but she’s certainly easy to fall in love with. She’s bold, charismatic, tenacious, and so funny. IU nailed her comedic scenes so well. I simply must give a shoutout to the scene of Huiju exiting the hospital after her wedding debacle. Comedy gold! Huiju, for me, is the beating heart of this show, and it simply would not be half as enjoyable if she weren’t written exactly as she is.
I found Prince Ian a far more compelling character with more understandable motivations, a more fleshed-out backstory, and just better writing in general. However, I do feel like his character is tied too much to his relationship with Huiju, and much of his character work is sidelined in favor of developing his relationship with Huiju. Now, normally this would be fine in a show where the leads were clearly meant to feel like two indivisible halves of a whole. But it doesn’t quite work in PC because the writers are clearly trying to write two individualistic characters with separate (yet parallel) motivations, so making Huiju Ian's entire world is counterproductive.
This problem is directly related to the show’s biggest failure–pacing. Boy, have I ever seen a 12 episode drama that I needed 16 episodes more. So many subplots are brushed over because of time. Things like Ian's childhood, his relationship with his brother, his relationship with his father, the psychological effects his mother's death had on him, and his relationship with his position in the royal family could have been properly developed but instead they were only lightly touched upon. And as for Huiju, her relationship with her family (specifically her father) and her relationship with her social status could have been better depicted with more time. The worst victim of this is the Prime Minister whose character got barely any development before deciding to do a complete 180° turn overnight. More high school scenes and more insight into his relationship with Ian and Huiju would have been helpful in understanding his motivations. The horrendous pacing also helped create several plot holes that were never addressed until the end. Most were never even addressed at all.
Anyways, the acting was fantastic. Bombshell performances all across the board. Byeon Woo Seok and IU devoured their comedic and emotional scenes with equally striking accuracy. BWS’s ability to convey the emotion of a thousand words through a single look in his eyes made him the perfect choice to play the lonely, distant Prince eagerly yearning for warmth, connection, and understanding. Absolutely brilliant!
The visuals were spectacular, music divine. Supporting and side characters all felt truly relevant to the story. Overall, a good and enjoyable show. I would certainly recommend it.
Seong Huiju is an extremely likeable character. She’s not a particularly compelling FL, but she’s certainly easy to fall in love with. She’s bold, charismatic, tenacious, and so funny. IU nailed her comedic scenes so well. I simply must give a shoutout to the scene of Huiju exiting the hospital after her wedding debacle. Comedy gold! Huiju, for me, is the beating heart of this show, and it simply would not be half as enjoyable if she weren’t written exactly as she is.
I found Prince Ian a far more compelling character with more understandable motivations, a more fleshed-out backstory, and just better writing in general. However, I do feel like his character is tied too much to his relationship with Huiju, and much of his character work is sidelined in favor of developing his relationship with Huiju. Now, normally this would be fine in a show where the leads were clearly meant to feel like two indivisible halves of a whole. But it doesn’t quite work in PC because the writers are clearly trying to write two individualistic characters with separate (yet parallel) motivations, so making Huiju Ian's entire world is counterproductive.
This problem is directly related to the show’s biggest failure–pacing. Boy, have I ever seen a 12 episode drama that I needed 16 episodes more. So many subplots are brushed over because of time. Things like Ian's childhood, his relationship with his brother, his relationship with his father, the psychological effects his mother's death had on him, and his relationship with his position in the royal family could have been properly developed but instead they were only lightly touched upon. And as for Huiju, her relationship with her family (specifically her father) and her relationship with her social status could have been better depicted with more time. The worst victim of this is the Prime Minister whose character got barely any development before deciding to do a complete 180° turn overnight. More high school scenes and more insight into his relationship with Ian and Huiju would have been helpful in understanding his motivations. The horrendous pacing also helped create several plot holes that were never addressed until the end. Most were never even addressed at all.
Anyways, the acting was fantastic. Bombshell performances all across the board. Byeon Woo Seok and IU devoured their comedic and emotional scenes with equally striking accuracy. BWS’s ability to convey the emotion of a thousand words through a single look in his eyes made him the perfect choice to play the lonely, distant Prince eagerly yearning for warmth, connection, and understanding. Absolutely brilliant!
The visuals were spectacular, music divine. Supporting and side characters all felt truly relevant to the story. Overall, a good and enjoyable show. I would certainly recommend it.
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