An intelligent, logical king developing a crush on a girl in a badge is even more remarkable. One way to tell a person loves another is if the former does something out of his nature for the latter. Love is a powerful force that makes people do illogical things, though of course, since he is intelligent I'm sure he would not do things that would injure others.
LG's cries of beheading are jokes. As Jo Yeong pointed out, there hasn't been any beheading since 1920, way before LG's time. Also, the beheadings are references to the Red Queen character in Alice in Wonderland, who always cried "off with his head", albeit seriously.
LG does not like Seo-ryeong because he feels her insincerity and greed. He never laughed when she tried to make him laugh. She was furious when he laughed at JTE mentioning "liberal arts". This is because one way to tell whether a man loves a woman is when he delights in her.
LG is a good judge of character. And he was proven right with Seo-ryeong when she killed her doppelganger and switched to Lee Lims' team. He is right about JTE too. I don't think JTE would kill Luna, nor would she switch to Lee Lim's team.
Regarding his role models, I'm sure Lady Noh and Prince Buyeong were much better role models than a lot of parents. He was also intelligent and well read. He would surely have picked up pointers from books.
When I said SJ's love was ordinary, I meant not unusual like somebody falling for a girl because her face was on a badge of a person who saved him from dying. Since this is a fantasy show, either kind of love would be acceptable.
But you touched on something that probably explains why people cannot get the love story in TKEM. It is not based on the accepted kdrama formula. I did hear that writers were behind the sabotage on the show. It was probably because KES wrote something ahead of her time. This also explains why the show is a big hit with international audience.
I watched BOF and Heirs and the characters of LMH there are entirely different from that in TKEM. His depiction of the king is impeccable. Yet his fans keep comparing KGE with PSH. I watched CLOY. While I liked it, I love TKEM. The latter grabs one's imagination. One doesn't need imagination to understand CLOY. I liked the chemistry between the characters of HB and SYJ. But I am enjoying that of LG and JTE more.
if the controversies were ineffective, why did media keep reposting them even after the apologies? As you said, media will post content that will get clicks, The fact that they get clicks means that people are interested in them. And the effect is the undermining of the whole production including the writing and direction. And the production apologized because of the perceived affront to SK culture, triggering viewers' patriotism. I agree wholeheartedly, issues like the architecture of a temple that was onscreen for probably not even a second as well as the design of the imperial seal and design of warships should not have caused the ruckus it did, but it did
Why would it be hard for a girl to love an intelligent guy who has proven how much he loves her by abandoning his kingdom so he could spend more time with her, proposing to her, cooking her dinners, being considerate, making sure she was not "scared by herself in her room", making sure she did not get cooped up in her room while he was busy and picking her up from the station despite his busy schedule? JTE is sincere and honest, not self-important that she would make a guy slave over her to prove his love. When she knew she loved him, she told him so, especially since she felt they were living in dangerous times and their relationship might be short-lived
The attachment he felt for JTE before they met might have been caused by his imagination, but it does not nullify the fact that her face kept him less lonely all those 25years. So whether she knew it or not, it was her face that kept him company for 25 years. Love had sprouted for less reasons than that :) He told her that to let her know of the depth of his regard for her. He was courting her. As I've pointed out in the discussion thread, he had found out more about JTE that increased his regard for her such that his crush had probably developed into love. And as she proved in episodes 11 and 12, she is worthy of that regard and love.
When I watch a movie, I try to find out what makes a character tick, why they do what they do. For example, when LG and JTE first met, I wondered whether he would still have hugged her had she flirted with him as Seo-ryeong did or gushed over his handsomeness as the other girls in that plaza did. He also values honesty, one thing he doubts about Seo-ryeong and one thing JTE oozes of. Earlier, the story made a big deal of his aversion to people touching him. The story also showed him to be a respectable king with proper manners, not likely to hug just any girl he meets in public.
Please feel free to point out any part of the discussion thread that may not be founded on background information :)
I noted from comments that those who did not like the chemistry of the leads kept comparing them with other co-stars or kept going back to their past roles. It seems some viewers could not separate LG from LMH and JTE from KGE. This is probably the reason international audiences had little problem with the chemistry. We were able to immerse ourselves in the characters, not seeing them as celebrities. We felt the intensity of those gazes as well as the warmth and tenderness of the voices.
As noted, the controversies used the patriotic ardor of SK viewers. They undermined the production as a whole, conditioning people to be critical of the show. If they did not affect viewers' perception, why would the news media re-post them even after the apologies?
please see https://flixpatrol.com/top10/netflix/world/2020/full#type2. This is cumulative, so the yearly stats would change each day. As of May 31, Here are the tv shows in top 100: #16 TKEM, #28 Hospital Playlist, #30 CLOY, #37 Itaewon Class, #38 Hi, Bye Mama!, #62 Extracurricular, #71 Rugal, #87 Boys Over Flowers, #88 Heart Signal, #96 Hyena
JTE, despite her common sense, already felt something for LG before she truly bought into his tall tales, much less saw how powerful or rich he was. She vouched for his diamonds and went to the bamboo forest with him at night. And when he left the first time, when she still thought him to be crazy, delusional and weird, she missed him. Look at her face at the end of episode 3 and when she was in the library reading up on parallel worlds. If she was only after his power and wealth, she would have stayed in Corea as he asked.
For 25 years since he was eight, LG kept JTE's badge in his favorite book. He probably developed a crush on her, just as millions of fans have crushes on celebrities. In his case, though, the pull is much more powerful because he associated her with a powerful event in his life. As he said in episode 2, "Thank you for everything. Because you existed somewhere, I was less lonely for the past 25 years". That attachment he felt for her was probably the reason he was not interested in getting married in Corea. When he saw her, he would have noted her foremost qualities - sincerity, no-nonsense attitude and dedication to duty. He probably noted she was not as obsequious as Seo-ryeong or the other people around them who kept gushing about how handsome he was. He is intelligent and decisive, not to mention he would have been trained not to be demonstrative with his feelings. To top it off, he hated people touching him. Had he not felt JTE worthy of a hug, he would not have hugged her upon meeting her.
SJ's love may be more realistic, but it does not mean it is more powerful than LG's. This is a fantasy, after all.
I am not trying to rationalize their relationship because it enfolds with each of their interactions. One of my favorites is when he called her a bear and she told him, ok, let's go to your world so I can proclaim myself the mother of your people. I find this way too funny. All their dialogues make me at least smile. Regarding fate, that's the point, that she realized it was fate that drew them together. A girl who found it hard to believe that the world is round believes in fate now. A feeling that causes a major shift in one's belief is a powerful one indeed.
Look for news coverage about the controversies related to TKEM, e.g. the imperial seal, a temple that appeared for probably a second, the design of warships. these controversies actually hit the show "below the belt" because they took advantage of SK viewers' patriotism. the production team apologized for these. when the hobbled ratings went up a little in episode 10, a major news site re-iterated these controversies, ignoring the apology already issued. I am seeing a lot of kdramas on Netflix, at least 20 titles. only about 10 are in the top 100 for 2020
Thanks for pointing that out. I'll add more description of her feelings. I thought her emotional outbursts were enough to show the depth of her feelings. He knew she was not the savior, but he associated her face with whoever saved him from the most traumatic episode in his life. Yeah, I think he developed a crush on her face, as billions all over the world develop crushes on celebrities and other photos online, In his case though, her photo meant much more than just a photo because of its connection to that traumatic incident. And that crush developed into love when he found out she was more amazing than he imagined. In her case, had she liked him only for his power and wealth, she would not have left Corea. Even when he asked her to go to Corea with him several times, she tried to evade his question. But she realized their relationship was fated. The movie does a good job at showing the amazing personalities of the characters, apart from power or wealth. You can tell they are a perfect match for each other. The romance is a major reason I love the show.
I think LG did not think she was the savior but that she was somehow related to the savior. In any case, he associated her with a traumatic episode in his life. That he turned out well is mostly due to the connection he felt with her. In episode 2, he told her, "Thank you for everything. Because you existed somewhere, I was less lonely for the past 25 years". In episode 13, Lady Noh told JTE, "Since the moment your ID card fell into the hands of His Majesty, you have been the one guiding him to his fate". This is how powerful his feelings are for her. especially since she turned out "more amazing than he could imagine".
JTE is a tomboy who grew up without a mom and wants to be brave for everyone else. She therefore projects a tough persona. Showing her emotion like that in Episode 10 is proof of the powerful feelings she had developed for LG. Before he appeared, she was missing him. But instead of whining, "I miss him", she was talking to the plant she brought from Corea that he previously commanded to grow for the woman he likes. Knowing what was happening in their worlds, her heart was probably breaking at the thought that they would not see each other again. During their date by the water before he left, she figured that what was happening to their worlds was "a matter of life and death". She confessed to him, "I was pretending to be okay, but I'm not okay." She was scared for everybody but she can confide that feeling only to LG. So, aside from being happy and excited to see him, she felt like she was carrying the world on her shoulders, the reason she could not go with him to Corea, thus her emotional outburst. I liked the slow-mo. It emphasized these conflicting emotions.
Regarding the Kim So Wol connection, a lot of people missed that.
I am new at kdramas but had been a fan of movies since elementary school. I am working now. I grew up with US and British made shows. This movie reminds me of Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones and the Sherlock Holmes series with Benedict Cumberbatch. This is just as good.
Whoa, episode 13! Talk about action-packed! The different story arcs are now coming together. Some mysteries are unfolding and yet more questions keep coming up. No wonder this keeps viewers all over the world hooked. As of 5/31, TKEM is #16 most streamed TV show on Netflix in the world in 2020, the only kdrama in top 20 for several weeks now.
I hope you'd read it and find out why people are loving this show. One thing to remember is that this drama does not spoon-feed. You need to take note of clues to understand the implication of scenes. Please see my answer to lonelyflower below for an example
1 
LG's cries of beheading are jokes. As Jo Yeong pointed out, there hasn't been any beheading since 1920, way before LG's time. Also, the beheadings are references to the Red Queen character in Alice in Wonderland, who always cried "off with his head", albeit seriously.
LG does not like Seo-ryeong because he feels her insincerity and greed. He never laughed when she tried to make him laugh. She was furious when he laughed at JTE mentioning "liberal arts". This is because one way to tell whether a man loves a woman is when he delights in her.
LG is a good judge of character. And he was proven right with Seo-ryeong when she killed her doppelganger and switched to Lee Lims' team. He is right about JTE too. I don't think JTE would kill Luna, nor would she switch to Lee Lim's team.
Regarding his role models, I'm sure Lady Noh and Prince Buyeong were much better role models than a lot of parents. He was also intelligent and well read. He would surely have picked up pointers from books.
When I said SJ's love was ordinary, I meant not unusual like somebody falling for a girl because her face was on a badge of a person who saved him from dying. Since this is a fantasy show, either kind of love would be acceptable.
But you touched on something that probably explains why people cannot get the love story in TKEM. It is not based on the accepted kdrama formula. I did hear that writers were behind the sabotage on the show. It was probably because KES wrote something ahead of her time. This also explains why the show is a big hit with international audience.
When I watch a movie, I try to find out what makes a character tick, why they do what they do. For example, when LG and JTE first met, I wondered whether he would still have hugged her had she flirted with him as Seo-ryeong did or gushed over his handsomeness as the other girls in that plaza did. He also values honesty, one thing he doubts about Seo-ryeong and one thing JTE oozes of. Earlier, the story made a big deal of his aversion to people touching him. The story also showed him to be a respectable king with proper manners, not likely to hug just any girl he meets in public.
Please feel free to point out any part of the discussion thread that may not be founded on background information :)
SJ's love may be more realistic, but it does not mean it is more powerful than LG's. This is a fantasy, after all.
JTE is a tomboy who grew up without a mom and wants to be brave for everyone else. She therefore projects a tough persona. Showing her emotion like that in Episode 10 is proof of the powerful feelings she had developed for LG. Before he appeared, she was missing him. But instead of whining, "I miss him", she was talking to the plant she brought from Corea that he previously commanded to grow for the woman he likes. Knowing what was happening in their worlds, her heart was probably breaking at the thought that they would not see each other again. During their date by the water before he left, she figured that what was happening to their worlds was "a matter of life and death". She confessed to him, "I was pretending to be okay, but I'm not okay." She was scared for everybody but she can confide that feeling only to LG. So, aside from being happy and excited to see him, she felt like she was carrying the world on her shoulders, the reason she could not go with him to Corea, thus her emotional outburst. I liked the slow-mo. It emphasized these conflicting emotions.
Regarding the Kim So Wol connection, a lot of people missed that.
I am new at kdramas but had been a fan of movies since elementary school. I am working now. I grew up with US and British made shows. This movie reminds me of Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones and the Sherlock Holmes series with Benedict Cumberbatch. This is just as good.