MR QUEEN and its Unsatisfying Happy Ending | Korean Drama Series Analysis

We are going to discuss what really happened with korean drama Mr. Queen ending and why it left audiences feeling bewildered and unsatisfied. Mr Queen TVN starring Shin Hye Sun, Kim Jung Hyun, Na-In Woo Drama
MR QUEEN and its Unsatisfying Happy Ending | Korean Drama Series Analysis
Mr Queen Ending Analysis
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[@user-te9tu4vu6g]

When the king asks So Yong why she speaks so formally to him in the final episode, he notices the difference in her personality and he is kind of bothered. That shows that he fell in love with Bong Hwan and misses him now that he's gone.

[@27lalitha]

I would rather say that the King fell in love with Bong Hwan in the body of Soo Young. I don't think the King would Fell for Bong Hwan in his own body..

[@user-te9tu4vu6g]

@@27lalitha of course not! I said "personality". He had the chance to know his personality bc it was in her body and he actually preferred his than hers. He only fell for the things than only Bong Hwan could do...

[@c00lhand208]

Even more accurately would be to state that the King fell in love with the blended personalities of Bong Hwan & So Young. He was intrigued and in many ways amazed or aghast by Bong Hwan, but any real physical connection wouldn’t have occurred without the remaining presence of So Young. That physical connection was a very important component to the King’s realization of his love for the Queen.

[@pierchatman7209]

The King said, it feels like he lost something..

[@jockastafernandesabbade]

​@@c00lhand208 Yeah, that's exactly what I'd say: the King fell in love to the blended personalities !

[@sharleenmagashi6823]

This is so ON POINT! The ending missed the mark completely and betrayed Bong Hwan as a character. It all left me feeling like it hasn't finished yet even with all the antagonists getting punished and etc. Like they just did Bong Hwan dirty man. But I still really loved the show and the actors were all so amazing!

[@edwardfarres941]

they could have been one soul that somehow connected from past to now! It is really complicated but I think it's the only way to accept this ending!

[@pmasilv]

Totally agree!

[@idontknowanymore0327]

I couldn't agree more with all you said... I can't help but think that if the story continued Cheoljong would think "why is she so different from the woman I fell for?" Obviously he's physically attracted to jer but ultimately he started to perceive her in a different way because of BongHwan... I still love the drama very much but the last episode felt definitely off

[@stephenlee1108]

I was fully expecting a reincarnated Cheol Jong to appear at the end to Bong Hwan but was left more bitter than sweet 😪

[@summerdawnverana6547]

We should have seen the queen gave birth. We should have seen the changes of the kingdom and how progressive it is when the Kims was out already.

[@SunnyBurnsAll]

Honestly, I thought the idea would be that soul mates can link through time. It would've been better to give Kim so Yong 's body to Bong Hwan and vice versa. And for that to have been an episode.

[@sarahuchoa4018]

This ending sucks😖. I can't believe I went through all this show (good and boring times), only to be served this at the grand finale.

[@mayohshitlol]

Ya'll cheated on me so bad, I LEGIT thought after dying both the king and the chef's soul will come back to future or something as such WHERE THEY MEET EACH OTHER AS THEMSELVES, YES AS MAN!!!!!! I feel like the ending scammed me.

[@pa2wa2la97]

I also found the ending unsatisfying, but for a different reason. I felt Jang Bong Hwan's final monologue was the fitting ending - the story began with a corruption in the modern age, ending it with justice in the modern age (not the one Bong Hwan wanted, but life is unpredictable like that) made sense. The love story was a secondary element.

[@andreaamoralvarez836]

The ending really fell short however I understand why. There would be a homophobic blacklash if the writers follow the expected ending that we're waiting for. Even though Jang Bong Hwan is trapped in So Yung's body still he's a man and in a conservative society it's still unacceptable.

[@lui1673]

Im missing the man in her, the queen. It feels sad as if the king ended up with another woman. I really miss Mamaaa😢 - the manly queen i fell in love with until the final episode.

[@dsjsafdkadsjf5551]

i love this a lot! your writing was very insightful for me . i binged the whole show and found myself dissatisfied a bit and i couldnt say why, but you’ve said it all for me! ty for this :)

[@yvonneburke358]

I kind of agree with you but I still enjoyed every episode of Mr queen and its my number one drama.

[@joyd9827]

I really loved this drama; it brought out so many different emotions. However, I do understand what the content creator is saying about the ending falling short. I do know that due to criticism from various historians and or viewers, it was hard to create the new country that Bong Hwan thought it would be. The show received a lot of backlashes about distorting events of history during the Joseon Era, so just imagine if they had written the modern day ending with all the changes that Bong Hwan expected. Also, concerning the fact that Bong Hwan portrayed a man literally trapped in a woman's body, there was no real display of homosexuality. A lot of the time I had to keep reminding myself "oh yea, a guy's soul is in her body", especially after his voice changed to So Yong's. I just know that there were parts of the series that had slow scenes that were really unnecessary and that the time spent on those scenes probably would have been better served creating a more fulfilling ending. As far as So Yong's return and Bong Hwan's leaving, I just encouraged myself that because of his presence, it helped the King to fall in love with the person that he was actually destined to be with and caused him to respect her and not see her as the enemy. The writers/creators of this show are so very talented and quite clever, and I can't wait to see more of their work. I just hope that in the future, they will not allow the opinions of others to sway them. I'm sure that they had a better ending, but because of the backlash and criticism, they could not give us their best at the end. The cast was phenomenal and even the intimate scenes between the King and Queen were done in great taste. I will rewatch it even with the ending and I will suggest this show to my friends and family. Bravo and two thumbs up. This show is a must see for those with open minds and forgiving hearts. #worthanotherwatch

[@jenkiengonzales6188]

I strongly agree to what you said. We knew that the writers had more better than the ending. But they chose like this because of criticisms.

[@vanthadoun1]

I agree that I liked the drama but... it fell short. Because the ending took Bong-Hwan's victory away and gave it to the Queen. I wrote about it in my analysis. I liked Bong-Hwan's charater growth and humor, but the Queen was a no show for most of the series, and for her to get the victory seemed very shallow for the writers to do.

[@joyd9827]

@@jenkiengonzales6188 I just love this show so much.

[@joyd9827]

@@straw.b3rry_17 I seriously can watch this show over and over and then go on KZbin and watch other people watch it and see their reactions.

[@marisol_mimzy]

I just finished the show and I totally agree with this video. There was something really missing from the finale and you summed up the issues.

[@mochacharms7834]

Yes! He did SO MUCH back then for NOTHING to really change in present time besides his own fate. You would think, ALOT would change

[@KRyan-gn5uw]

What an insightful analysis and excellent suggestions for the script. I too felt very disappointed in the ending as it seemed that the wild and feisty So Yong was transformed into the blandly sweet So Yong we met at the beginning of the series. If the earlier So Yong had perhaps actually been influenced or changed by having Bong Hwan inhabit her body thus becoming more dynamic and unconventional even after he left her body at least she would be closer to the person the king fell in love with.

[@jangracedogcotanonsescon]

Mr.queen drama is so beautiful to look at ,their feelings towards each other is just like in real life.anger ,happiness ,and sadness emotions mixed when you saw it.i loved watching it til the end and season 2 ,we will be waiting for it.hoping that it will be shown as soon as possible.

[@-68]

i just finished the whole series, absolutely loved it, but the ending, honestly the last few minutes of the episodes when Soyong came back or whatever, were my least favorite of the entire series, and i wish i hadn't watched those last few mins. i mean... jeez. we just throw away the relationship between the king and Bonghwan, and make it seem like the king falling for Bonghwan is him falling for Soyong too? BS..! and i can't really even blame the writers all that much, cz i know the homophobic backlash was prbably a major contributing factor in why we didn't get a more daring and on point ending. i still love the series and wouldn't mind rewatching it, but i'll just not watch the last few minutes, cz the king's chemistry w Soyong is not hitting at all, and it almost ruined his and Bohwang's relationship for me

[@c00lhand208]

There never was homosexual relationship between the two. The split personality of so-young’s soul intertwined with the chef’s and her taking over periodically is what led to the romantic progression and sexual development between the Queen and the King.

[@didiorr]

@@c00lhand208 not true, you just sound homophobic

[@amnanasir473]

@@c00lhand208 this is based on chinese gay novel, so yes there was a homosexual relationship between these two here the ending changed into homophobic straight romance.

[@c00lhand208]

@@amnanasir473 while it pulls from the Chinese story, it’s not the Chinese story. This story is its own story and it doesn’t involve a homosexual relationship.

[@c00lhand208]

What are some of your other top quality Kdramas that work-in smart comedy?

[@anusham9717]

Agreed!

[@miniemoon6694]

ive been thinking a lot about the ending, ig the only way it would be satisfying for me would be for bong hwan's and so young's soul to become one (1st life/ 2nd life). ofc there would still be many problems but i badly want bong's soul and personalities to stay

[@Noor-up4jz]

i would've liked it if they had a reincarnated version of cheoljong meet up with bonghwan. that would've been a satisfying ending to me at least :)

[@lorey5222]

This was a great drama with superb acting why do people always have to find fault and complain.

[@aurosario9065]

I dont think the king will fall inlove again with the queen coz the man stuck in her was go away.. that behavior fell inlove by king i need season 2 for continuation

[@OG21020]

Well, it didn't leave me feeling unhappy. I thought it ended well and I enjoyed the drama very much. I don't have the impression Bong Hwan was in a romance with the King throughout the drama. He was trying to deal with his situation and get out of it. He had already formed opinions of the King because he knew about him from the history books but eventually found the King wasn't the useless monarch he thought he was as he interacted more with him. He eventually changed his opinion of the King. Their relationship on Bong Hwan's end, IMO, is more of a brother bond. He was a womanizer and that did not change at all when he was in So Young's body. He was constantly after the maid and then the concubines. When Bong Hwan began to form a friendship with the King, he made a lot of suggestions and was eager to help in any way he could right to the end. When he was back in his own time, he dashed to the bookshop to find out what had happened to the King and Queen because he was worried for them. Was he pining for the King in a romantic / lover way? I didn't form that impression. What I perceived was a friend who's happy his bro and the wife survived. What about So Young? My read is this. So Young attempted suicide because she was unhappy about her situation; the King did not love her and was cold to her. She never really left her body but lurked within; depressed and unhappy. She knew there's someone in control of her body but she had given up hope of living so she did not try to wrest back control and was a silent observer. When she realised the King was less hostile, she began to hope. When Bong Hwan returned to the present (medical meddling) and then returned, So Young was fully aware which was why Bong Hwan was thinking in a feminine voice. No doubt she was more or less 3/4 in control when the King slept with her because Bong Hwan was drunk. Bong Hwan was of course shocked and repulsed when he found out what happened, he thought he was bedding a woman, but he remembered it as a pleasant experience. Towards the end, I had the feeling So Young was exerting more of her presence. When they were hiding at the forest, the King presumably slept with So Young again. Bong Hwan was not drunk but I doubt he was the active mental presence. When her baby was threatened, So Young assumed full control and kicked Bong Hwan back to his own time.

[@vic6784]

Exacto! Por mi me inventé otro final alternativo para dejarme a gusto porque me molestó el final... Para mi, ella despierta en el cuerpo de él y puede experimentar la vida como hombre y en el futuro y quizás con el cariño de una madre. Y cuando le disparan a la reina se aparecen los dos en el agua y deciden quedarse en las vidas del otro porque se dan cuenta que son muy felices así, ella viviendo en el futuro con más libertad y el como reina con su rey, fin 😍

[@GG-yv4bg]

the chinese original story had more guts. this story just went ' no homo' ugh

[@haly981]

Can you please tell me the name of the story? I want to look it up

[@GG-yv4bg]

@@haly981 go princess go! it's a hilarious low budget show that went from experimental nonsense to ultra-viral hit on the chinese internet lol. it's very unserious and that's what makes it funny. sadly, with increased censorship since 2016, a show like that wouldn't be allowed to air.

[@haly981]

@@GG-yv4bg thank you! It's sad that creators can't explore further due to censorship, we would have many interesting and nuanced stories in media if it weren't for that

[@Ardra-jq4ks]

kekekekek THIS IS AN ORIGINAL CHINESE WORK!! No wonder I was thinking nothing other Chinese queer stories recently caught my interest, but Mr.Queen did. Now I got something to spend my brain cells on after The Untamed.

[@c00lhand208]

@@Ardra-jq4ks this story’s telling isn’t that of a queer story.

[@39majesty]

felt so bad for byeong in

[@athenacinca8657]

It's only a movie. Calm down and it was great.

[@bandotaku]

About the time travel, that didn't really bother me because the "Butterfly Effect" is only one of several theories related to it. There is another prominent theory that states going back in time would be like throwing a rock into a stream. It may cause a ripple and distort the flow for a bit, but the stream would correct itself and flow just like it always did. In other words, you could go back in time and change something, but the timeline would eventually correct itself. And in this case, in Bong Hwan's reality, Cheoljong lost. And then when Cheoljong won, he returns to a Korea that he had already known, but the difference was how the history was written. He's still where he is because why would that change? I'm sure there were other effects of Cheoljong's reign, but perhaps we don't see them because they don't affect Bong Hwan.

[@mahamahdhar3915]

7:37 Which episode was that scene from?

[@NgocTran-uk2fh]

Exactly how I felt

[@edreanhenrytombaga562]

If they were worried about BL / homophobic themes, they should't have made the "time-traveling aspect"or idea in the first place. Secondly, regardless if bong-hwan was male or female, the original So-yong was 97% hidden or not present in the series, hence, she made the prior 19 episodes worthless because she took credit for all things bong-hwan deserved. It was a fun 19 episodes, The 2nd half of episode 20 just wasn't satisfying but convenient for the original So-Yong

[@j-ghostie]

I rlly liked the ending but a big bit was missing and I feel like they really did Bo hwan dirtyyyyy

[@novaesc844]

The ending is so freaking bad, I still didn’t get an answer to the main character was gay or straight lmaoo and how did the real queen not end up with her childhood friend???? Since the king fell in love with a different soul in the queens body 😭😭🤧🤧 + No explination to how they switched souls??

[@waitandhope]

No he wasn't gay really, he liked ladies but he inhabited her body making it confused more as time passed. Then like someone said below some of her was returning slowly over time.

[@novaesc844]

@@waitandhope and how or why did they switch souls? And was the real queen in love with the step cousin or the king? And did the king fall in love with the guy? Because it wasnt actually the queen and in the end he said that he felt like he lost something

[@waitandhope]

I loved all of it lol

[@1LIR1]

It's a movie/story so even little aspect will not be covered. I totally enjoyed it and how everything turned out. To me it wasn't all about the man that was in her body - to me it was a love story that took awhile to develop into true love!! Now let me get back and restart it over again!

[@user-eu9us7nj9x]

I think that what most people overlook is that the queen still remembers having a man’s co habitation of her body. She let him take over until she was strong enough to return and you see her coming back a bit at a time. When she returns fully she retains the strength and unpredictability that he gave her. Did you not hear her swearing?

[@waitandhope]

That's true, she'd changed and so did he etc. Definitely wasn't the same after her return

[@vanthadoun1]

Ive watched the end of this great drama 3x and I can say the Writers made a huge mistake. Let me explain 1) The character of the Queen was shown in flashbacks, we only know her through what others describe her as. So when she came back and Bong-Hwan went to his world, everyone felt that it was unfair. Bong-Hwan is the narrator, its his journey that we are invested in. For the writers to give the victory to the Queen instead of Bong-Hwan seemed undeserved. 2) Bong-Hwan was in complete control over The Queen's body. This made his romance homosexual in nature. When the ending happened The Queen came back and took her place with the King, where does that leave Bong-Hwan? does he go back to being a womanizer? is he straight, homosexual, or bisexual? 3) The King notices that The Queen is different. its been a long courtship. Before falling for the headstrong version, the King never had any feelings for The Queen. He felt that she was a political toy being used to manipulate him. Now that The Original Queen is back, does he still love her???? 4) Everyone just assumes that the personality switch was due to her near death experience, they treated her like an oddball that needs to be taken care of. But when no one realizes is the changes that the Queen caused. More people have freedom and they speak their minds as well as use tact and consideration when dealing with each other. Things I would've changed beginning with EP10. 1) Control of the Queens body should have been shared between the Queen and Bong-Hwan!!!! We get to see the OG queen and how she loves the King. From EP10 onwards we see the power dynamics between 2 souls occupying the same body. It would have made for funny comedic moments. And we get to root for the Queen when she achieves victory in the final episode!!!! Having the Queen become a stronger more focused character starting in EP10 would allow us to experience and understand her character firsthand instead of through flashbacks. We would see that she is strong willed and loves the king. we would also be able to eliminate the homosexual encounters between Bong-Hwan and the King. 2) Have Bong-Hwan be the descendant of The King and Queen!!!! Yes your heard me right. He is time travelling back to his great great grandfather and grandmother!!! He doesnt know it at the time, but that is the connection he has to them. He is saving their relationship as well as the kingdom by being there. This familial bond can be seen at the end of EP20 and its a huge defining moment for the audience. If Bong-Hwan is their great great grandson then it makes sense why he is able to time travel and inhabit the body of his Great great grandmother. So.... by saving their relationship... he is also saving his own existence!!!! Just my thoughts, I loved this show.... I just wish the Writers planned ahead better and came up with a better more nuanced script. the actors did a wonderful job.

[@mell4248]

Yeah I really thought the drama would take the route of two souls competing over the body. I figured for obvious reasons that the straight couple would be endgame so I hoped we'd get to see more of Soyong so that we could root for her. I also hoped that Bonghwan would meet a modern version of the king in the present world (idk like an altruistic CEO played by Kim Junghyun lol). It's sad that in the end Bonghwan goes back to a world without the man he loves and can only connect with through pieces of archive. It's not shown in the episode but logically it should be devastating for him (and he also felt the baby inside him so this would be heartbreaking too). I really loved this drama so I'm trying to make sense of the ending to still be satisfied with it: I think the Queen's personality was a mix of Bonghwan and Soyoung. He inhabited the body so the demeanour was manly, but the personality, behaviour and motivations were also driven by Soyong's own feeling and memories. If it wasn't for her, the Queen that the King fell in love with would not exist either ("we're made out of our own experiences" kind of shit). Bonghwan started to like the King and care for him because Soyong's feelings was strong enough to overpower his soul. The real shift was from the moment Bonghwan gets all of Soyong's memories back, and I think from then on, there were more glimpses of Soyong taking over (not shown explicitely but I'm gonna believe it's true). When Bonghwan left the body, Soyong was more herself and we see that she shares similarities with him, it was only restrained by the period customs. Rather than being two different items sharing the same body, I think they both completed each other and made each other better. So the King didn't only fall in love with Bonghwan, he fell in love with both. Another version I like to tell myself is that Bonghwan is a reincarnation of Soyong (See you in my 19th life someone? lol). It could be the reason why out of all people, Soyong is the body he went back to when he almost died. In the first timeline in which the King loses the war, the Queen tragically ends her own life. But in the Mr Queen timeline, Bonghwan comes back to save himself and with the knowledge he carries from the future, also helps the King to win the war. Maybe the period overlap and gender switch are what grab the King's attention at first but he falls for the same person. Don't know if that makes sense.