5.16 - Review of Episode 16 of Mr. Queen

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 16 of Mr. Queen, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Kim So-yong, Kim Jyung-hun as King Cheoljong, Seol In-ah as Jo Hwa-jin, Na In-woo as Kim Byeong-in, and Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan. We also talk about the Donghak Rebels. We discuss:

The songs we feature in this episode: Palace by Howl and Bong Hwan-a by Norajo.
Why we think the queen hasn’t admitted to the king that she is the girl who saved him from the well eight years ago.
How the queen has decided to go “all in” with the king, even though Jang Bong-hwan knows the course of history and he knows that King Cheoljong was a terrible king, who died without an heir and without a legacy.
How the queen has allied herself with the king in a big way: she is teaching him about the future and she teaches him about military tactics from the future.
How Jo Hwa-jin’s confession was pivotal to this episode: she admits to the king that the children’s workbook belongs to Kim So-yong, and she found the ledger and gave it to the Dowager Queen.
Jo Hwa-jin’s confession means a permanent rupture with the king and a closer relationship between the king and the queen.
More information about the book The Mourning Bride by William Congreve.
How maybe Prince Yeongpyeong has also betrayed the king by not telling him about the ledger and Jo Hwa-jin.
The queen is back in the kitchen, thank goodness. She learns how to make Yihwaju wine.
How Kim Byeong-in hasn’t given up on the queen, even though she tells him he’s just not the one.
The K Drama elements in this episode, including Kim Byeong-in’s drinking, the queen and her ramen, the butterfly on the sliding doors at the end, and Jo Hwa-jin’s confession.
How the queen is taking a chance when she says she’s “all in” with the king.
How Jang Bong-hwan finds himself in an impossible situation when it’s announced that the queen is pregnant.
A little information about the Donghak rebels

References

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K Drama Chat is a weekly podcast where we take one Korean (K) Drama each season and and recap and analyze each episode. K Drama Chat is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher.

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