The King's Face (2014)

A beautiful but heartbreaking historical drama.

I really like watching “The King’s Face”, a historical drama based on the actual historical figure and life of Prince GwangHae that became King GwangHae (1608-1623). “The King’s Face” has romance, palace intrigues and political issues interwoven that make the story is so engaging and entertaining. The actor Seo In Guk and actress Jo Yoon Hee are both so attractive and fun to watch in portraying teenage Prince GwangHae and Kim Ga Hee. Both make the beginning of the story so interesting, and their interpretation of adolescent compassionate Prince Gwanghae and tomboy Kim Ga Hee, is so convincing and makes the story fascinating.

I notice Crown Prince Gwanghae becomes a man during Imjin War and actor Seo In Guk’s performance grows into his character as well. The story is getting sadder and sadder as King Seon Jo is so envious of his son, Crown Prince GwangHae, that has a King’s Face. To make the matter worse for Prince GwangHae, Professor Go San, the palace physiognomy, advice King Seon Jo to take Kim Ga Hee as his concubine to improve King Seon Jo’s facial characteristics and become a sage king. It is truly a heart wrenching moment watching the episode when Crown Prince GwangHae realizes it for the first time that Kim Ga Hee is King Seon Jo’s Court Lady.

There is an ambitiously smart but vile character in the story, Physiognomist Kim Do Chi, that uses his physiognomy skills to fulfill his dream to capture the throne. The actor, Shin Sung Rok, portrays Kim Do Chi convincingly and accomplishes as the most hateful character. The sword fight between Kim Do Chi and Crown Prince GwangHae is a beautiful choreography.

I cannot get enough of Eunuch Song, his character works as a catalyst between the King and his Crown Prince. Eunuch Song’s appearance always makes the story less sad as the character’s word of wisdom are soothing.

Actress Kim Gyu Ri that plays as Concubine Gwi In Kim is worth mentioning, her portrayal as a driven Concubine to seat her son, Prince Shin Sung, to become Crown Prince is compelling indeed.

“The King’s Face” is a beautiful but poignant story. It is not a love-dovey K-drama series, but a historical political story. I wish “The King’s Face” would not have an open ending story that ends in episode 23. I would give a ten-out-of-ten for the story, acting, and the original soundtracks. I love the ballad songs and their music that continuously enhancing the scenes in the series. It is worthy to watch and re-watch. The film scenography is beautiful especially the one in the reed field when Prince GwangHae is running after Kim Ga Hee. Whenever Prince/Crown Prince GwangHae embraces Kim Ga Hee, I do not want the scene to end. It is so heartwarming and heart wrenching scene on the same time.

A snoozefest by definition. It felt like an endless, meandering road leading absolutely nowhere, like a book with no chapters, just pages and pages of the same old, same old. This what an AI is capable of generating when giving it the prompts "power, struggle, palace" in no particular order. It would have been less tiresome if it were only half its length. They were so desperate to prolong the drama that they added a war in the middle despite being outside the theme and scoop of this drama. The writing was abysmal and shameful, they made the characters like clowns. Although we were introduced to face reading at the start but that played little to no importance later on and was rarely used outside some fillers.