The Year: 2027
The Place: The Beanieverse

Beanie: Hey, you remember that cross-dressing sageuk?
Me: Love in the Moonlight?
Beanie: Not that one.
Me: The King’s Affection. No? Sungkyunkwan Scandal. No? One of the Nokdus. No? Jeez, just how many cross-dressing sageuks are there?
Beanie: Sigh. In this one, the female lead is some kinda player.
Me: Ho, ho, ho. Reverse harem, eh? Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.
Beanie: No! It wasn’t a C-drama. It had JJS.
Me: OMG. The hot king! I remember. So good. Oh, and that woman, sucking a blood-crusted finger.
Beanie: Yeah! That’s the one. What was its name?
Me: Sorry, don’t remember.

While I probably won’t remember much except a few highlights, I’m glad I watched CtK. Over its course, the drama featured some outstanding performances and character arcs, as well as some taut and gripping plotting. Unfortunately, other characters were rather disappointing and the tale weakened considerably in the second half until it came to its so-so finale.

If I average all the elements, it was a middling drama. But remembering how exciting CtK was in its early stretches, I can’t help but feel letdown. It could have been a classic.

It was a sweet show and a pleasant ending. JJS was a revelation for me in this, he was my favorite part of this drama. Here is hoping I love him the same in his next one.

I can't believe i am saying this. As much as I am a saeguk lover and a JJS fan, I can't bring myself to really love Captivating the King as much as others due to the script in the second half, the FL, and some of the characters.

I've seen dramas where I do not agree with beanies when they say this actor or that actress carried this drama. Well, save for Kokkdu which was a trainwreck for most of the time. Captivating the King was not a trainwreck at all. I can't even call it an average movie. I'd give it a solid 8-9/10 overall. However, despite giving it such an adulation, I'll add it in that Jo Jung-seok is what carried the drama.

I've been refreshing this page for days because I wanted to know the ending before I finish watching this drama

JJS is making it harder for me to stay away from this drama as he really brought the king to life. The sensitive, kind hearted, romantic but a ruthless one nonetheless, and he played all of these characters flawlessly. I was soo taken on that Mong Woo revelation episode where, with just his face expressions, he managed to convey all of those emotions and it leave a mark on the audience. If he's not getting any acting award from this drama, I will be surely be bitter. He deserve it! He practically carried this drama on his back!

Thanks for sharing your recap! I really appreciate it!

Thank you for the recaps! I find that I'm usually the most positive about a drama right after I watch it, and later figure out what I didn't like. In this case, what I liked the best (and I hope what will stick with me) was the strength of the last four episodes. Last week's two were amazing, and frequently episode 15 is strong, but I usually hate the soppy icky tying up of loose ends in episode 16. This time, I felt like I finally got the happiness of the ending, which I frequently feel a little less.

Not sure at all why I feel that way.

I think it's because the point of this relationship is that these people really like to play baduk with the people they love. She loves playing with her dad. He loved playing with his brother (wrote him a letter from exile in China imagining finally getting to relax together and play baduk!) They both love playing with the Crown Prince and dote on him through baduk. At the end of the story, they are outside, she's in male drag, the weather is nice, they are confessing their eternal love and playing baduk! He calls her to him with the thunking of the stones! It's frankly adorable. I'm not saying the actors weren't able to manufacture romantic chemistry with kissing and gazing or whatever. I'm saying, I already had in mind that their end game was going to be...baduk. Jo Jung-seok delivered the romantic lines at the end so persuasively.

I am sorry to say that I adored the two death scenes. Jo Jung-seok chose to show how being sprayed with a dying person's blood as they convulse from poison is traumatic. I think the reason that Lee In punished Myung-ha by making him witness the poisoning death is to help him understand how awful it was to see his brother die that way. But of course, Lord Park has to be extra and yell that the poison is delicious! Fantastic.

Shin se-kyung was pretty OK in this drama. Honestly, the predilection of Korean casting directors for tiny, slim, weak looking actresses to play FLs is not my favorite. It always makes the FL look too young or too weak to do all the swashbuckling. It contributed here to a sense that the FL was out of her depth. I watched this show while also watching some episodes of Marry My Husband, Queen of Divorce, and Knight Flower. Only Honey Lee's dimple was athletic and muscular enough to make me believe people thought she was a man when she was in drag or believed she could hurt them by fighting. Making the FL look physically weak turned her into the weak link in the drama, even though I think Shin Se-kyung can act.

I really liked these last two episodes. The drama did improve a lot once Mong-woo dropped her revenge schemes. She also had far less screen time, because there was little baduk and more kingly trouble. Sending her off to Qing was good decision by the writer! It removed her from the palace and allowed the reunion of the lovers away from the palace, later.

With Mong-woo away, the drama could concentrate on the king's mother and uncle, both very well played by these two seasoned actors. If you feel badly treated by your ungrateful nephew, this is how to drink a cup of poison!

Poor old Lady Dong took the poisonous way out and never revealed Mong-woo's real identity which I did not expect. I felt very sorry for her most of the time.

In the end, it all wrapped up rather well. It was a nice surprise that Myung-ha survived the drama and that even the princess was not forgotten and allowed back after the return of the spy who also took up her normal life again.

Ultimately there was very nice cinematography and one star: Jo Jung-seok.

The best part of this drama was the King and JJS. The King was really well written, he was strong, smart, cold and warm according the situation, and JJS was mesmerizing in this role.

The worst part was Hee-Soo and SSK. Hee-Soo saw herself smarter and more necessary than she was. It was completely stupid that the writer made the King thought she could continue her mascarade when she wasn't convincing as a man.

Myung-Ha's epiphany about the King was funny, kinda ridiculous after so long being so stubborn.

Court Lady Dong's destiny was really sad. I loved her last scene with the King.

I can't believe that Hee-Soo sent Boon-Young, daugther of the people who saved her, to be the wife instead of the Princess. She deserved way better, the poor girl. It's easy to say no to be a concubin and send a young girl who doens't have any choice in another country to be the wife of man she never saw... I was happy to see her back and the King being grateful.

I was sad they didn't make Chief State Councilor Kang Hang-Soon coming back in the story. Son Hyun-Joo is such a great actor. We already lost the last King who had great scenes with JJS.

Thanks for the recaps @mistyisles, as always I've enjoyed them. But on this one, I think you are being way too kind!

Like others, I kept watching for JJS, and he was mesmerizing enough for me to keep going to the end (unlike the equally ridiculous Love Song for Illusion), but honestly, this was a pretty poor entry in the saguk stakes for the year.

In these last two episodes the ludicrous decisions continued to pile up. First, the couple have a night together and then she just sets off for Qing potentially pregnant with the King's child for the next nine months...

Second, why doesn't the fake princess and family accept at least some reward - did after all serve Joseon's interests.

Third, on her return, why on earth did she decide to set off again without even seeing the King?

If her motive was to protect the inheritance of the Crown Prince, she shouldn't have come back at all surely, at least until he was old enough to rule in his own right.

As it is, pretty hard to see how this works out in the longer run unless she continues to miraculously avoid getting pregnant.

And given that the King has given up refusing to have sex with anyone in the interests of preserving the CP's claim to the throne, and has been resisting selecting another Queen apparently while waiting for her return, surely the better ending would have been to have her Dad return as well, having been instrumental in securing the return of the fake princess, and provide a needed support in the court?

Though just how the fallout can be avoided when it inevitably becomes clear that a woman was pretending to be a man in Joseon can be resolved is not obvious to me.

I'd been assuming he would abdicate in favour of CP and they could go off and live somewhere privately where she wouldnt be visible to the outside world - but that clearly isnt practical given his age and need for a regent etc.

Frankly the screenwriter for this one should not dabble in this genre; the king is certainly memorable but that's largely down to acting not script.

And its all the more disappointing because the setting of a (slightly) alternative history to Qing-Joseon relations, and internal tensions within the court on relations with Ming/Qing had the potential to be very interesting. But alas, that wasn't really ever explored properly. Instead we just got a stock baddy chasing his own power.

Overall the plot was thin and tedious to say the least - ridiculous revenge plots, princess swaps, cross dressing baduk players with no know background getting appointed as an official and so forth.

And actors who I've liked in other dramas simply didn't pull it off in this one.

I'm glad I was able to watch Jo Jung Seok as a strong king in a sageuk. But the second half was disappointing. It was a struggle to get through these last two boring episodes.

The writer didn't address the issue about Lee In being without a queen. How long before he has to choose someone??? How could he possibly stay with Hee Soo while being the king?

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the way this series wrapped up. What I found intriguing was the way they incorporated true events into this fictionalised tale. Injo's adopted daughter was married to Prince Dorgon, who died the same year of the marriage and the princess returned to Joseon (though she had to marry another prince who also died within two years). Dorgon was posthumously declared a traitor by the then ruling emperor (Hong Taji's very young son). It's also true that Injo's second son who became the Joseon king was considered a very strong king by the Qing.
I am not a fan of open endings with romance, and their separation made no sence (especially as she could have been pregnant - that was really a weird decision by a King who refused to sleep with any of the woman so he would not produce children).
Also, I felt a little sad at some of the choices the King made early on, specifically how cruelly he treated the Queen. Poor thing.
But the fact that baduk is where they continued was well done.
Loved Lady Dong, I think for me, she stood out. Her arc was very well done too. In fact at some point I felt a subtle chemistry with JJS. She will be a memorable character in a mediocre series.
And I have said enough time how impressive JJS was as the King. I realised I watched Hospital Playlist sometime ago, and dropped it (I can't really do medical settings well) and never realised I had watched him in it. He was very funny there but here he is fire. Incrredible actor and I would love to watch more.
I already said it else where and will say it again - JJS carried it all on his capable shoulders, and Mrs Baduk didn't matter as much. It was not a rabble rousing show, didn't challenge your gray matter, I could not relate to any of the characters and it's never going to be a rewatch material, but it was nice while it lasted.

There were a lot of elements I enjoyed in these episodes. The shoes outside the cabin to signify their night of passion, then their absence to convey that their owners have gone on their separate, sad ways. The King's clever self-interest in arranging that final tryst, to both satisfy his desire to see and spend time with Mong-woo as a woman, and to cement their bond so she might be more motivated to return.

I liked the villains staying true to their unrepentant selves to the end, and getting poetic justice. I like the servants in both palace and town also staying true to their loyal selves, in whatever way they were called to (poor Lady Dong).

I liked the Queen Mother's petty, loud, self-pitying tantrums, and her son's new indifference to them. Tantrums are all she has now.

I like Mong-woo suddenly offering her name, without conditions, to offer with her heart and body. Since their separation had been nine months, I half expected that Jageunnyeon's bundle she was clutching on their return to be an infant. Unless one of our lovers really is infertile there should be a baby at some point in the next fifteen years, but I'm willing to go with magical birth control.

I wish their last kiss had been either more passionate or more tender, but it looks like they went for one that the actors could hold for a really long time to accommodate the various camera angles. Phooey.

What I'll remember this for is the King's anguish at the choices he has to make, and his wonder when offered love, even though he knows it come with strings. Perfect scenes.

It was a mostly satisfactory ending. Overall, what I would remember most of this show is JJS's excellent portrayal of the King. His character was the one I most empathized with and mostly cheered on to succeed with his revenge. His happiness is what I wanted the most and with that I am glad he ended uo happy in the end.
Why its mostly satisfactory? The FL's characterization and motivations was very disappointing. I also wonder how she will live in the end, will she continue to be Mong Woo or take on her real name, Kang Hee Soo. Either persona, how will it affect Lee In?
I did find the punishments for the King's enemies as very apt to their crimes. This the writer got right. I sure hope that the Crown Prince will only see his uncle's good points and not turn against him like what the DQ said.

And now it has come to an end! It began brilliantly, then changed up its tone a bit and finally went the way of all Sageuks and focused a bit more on the politics than the romance.. but it was a cute ending and I enjoyed myself throughout.

I do have to say I think I really liked the romance in this drama because it felt as though it wasn't just a couple falling in love. They were both so aware of the situation politically and what their role in that political situation was - or at least both so aware of the king's role in it all - and I loved that it felt like Mong Woo was really his confidante in many ways. It wasn't as sexually motivated as it was intellectually, and I think that's something fascinating and honestly really attractive.

JJS knocked it out of the park especially in the early episodes. Well done! Bravo! I will watch out for his next drama.

On a completely random digression:

I think the Kang family should be awarded some sort of Virtuous Plaque or award as the poster-child for Model Patriot/Citizen / or Advanced Level Spy-craft

Cos did you notice that practically everyone from the father (Kang Hang-soon), to the daughter (Kang Hee-soo), to the servant (Chu Dal-ha), to even their shoemaker (Sedong)'s daughter (Bun-yeong) ended up becoming spies at Qing for Joseon??!

They need to be on some leaderboard for that winning streak

Overall, I liked this show. The past two episodes did drag for me. I knew I would have to read recap to fill in the blanks. I was captivated BY the king, JJS. I would have wanted less tearing from him, but he was enthralling from start to finish. Will it crack my top 10 sageuks? No, but it wasn’t a waste of time either. I was THE MOST disappointed in have just 10 minutes in paradise for the leads-lol-meaning, the day spent together was cute, but just not enough for me. Lots of unanswered questions, and I wished they would have had less politics in the last episode and more closure for several of our characters. What ever happened to the princess? I assume they brought her back like nothing happened after Prince Rui died too. And her dad? Did he just stay in China as a spy? No matter, it was a good show.

The finale was... how do I say it? Subdued? Lukewarm? I think Captivating the King had much more potential than were we landed. It failed to have that emotional connection that makes it be great. The set-up was so good, and the rest of the story could have used that in much better ways. The writing on the last quarter was too convenient, and my greatest frustration was the fact that the revenge plan did not make sense in the beginning. A lot of characters were also hard to understand until the end and the writing was a bit too convenient in the resolution of arcs. The principal director: it wasn't clear what he wanted, what he was trying to achieve after Lee-In was in power; Myung-Ha and the affection of the King for him: why ?; Myung-Ha himself and how he conveniently and suddenly came to love the King; the Queen Dowager: what were her motivations and what did she want to achieve ? Also, I am not sure I understood what the plot with the princess achieved, and by the end where is she and what happened to her? The Queen was just there to have the Prince become Crown Prince ? Her character should have been more present I think or better utilized; what happened to Hee-So's Dad ? In the end, it did not seem she was returning to Qing, did she not miss her Dad? Wasn't her Dad the whole reason she started this "revenge" quest? Why didn't the Dad return to Joseon ? Finally, I wonder what she is planning to do for the rest of her life ? I thought she would have made it clear, like create an academy of baduk players, I mean something. How are the King and her be able to continue their relationship unless she becomes Queen or a concubine ? I think Shin Se Kyung's performance is not too blame, rather the writing of her character was a bit lacking. Overall, it wasn't a bad drama, it was okay-good, but it could have been a great drama, a great sageuk that remains as a classic like 7-days a queen, or Red Sleeve. I will remember the outstanding performance of JJS, who carried the show, and also will look out for the child actor, the Crown Prince who also did an absolute great job. The cinematography was beautiful and the costumes as well.

For everyone newly discovering JJS, three words for which you will thank me later: Oh My Ghostess

Thanks for the great work these weeks @mistyisles...I too think your viewing lens was just a 'tetch' brighter than mine when it came to the last two episodes. I will only remember the wonderful patriotic Kang family, our sad rejected Lady Choi's death scene, the brave mature-for-their-ages Crown Prince and Princess, and yes, even the tense edginess that Kim Myung-ha added to the plot until the last chapters. But ultimately of course it was Jo Jung-seok who was the nail above the board in this drama. He's proven his skill in rom-coms before and also my first introduction to his serious side was as the King in an old Kdrama that I loved, called "King 2 Hearts" with Lee Seung Gi and Ha Ji Won. And now he's wowed us all with the electric intensity of this tortured King, which for me is his 'tour de force'. But there's lots to disappoint in this too. The hostage trip to Qinq was a waste of time for me because she didn't come back with her Dad, (we didn't even see them meet, it felt like her Dad was the gun on the mantle that no one picked up in the plot). And ultimately, unless I missed something, she didn't bring back any really important intel for Korea either because she wasn't even intending on meeting the King when she came back. But then too...why writer...why her silly assumption that the king would have 'met someone else'? Very illogical, since she either would have heard the news through other connections during her stay in Qing (especially from her father who surely gets secret missives from Korea regularly) or even from her maid and the Kangs when she visited them coming home. It would hardly be a national secret if the King was 'otherwise engaged'. This was definitely lazy writing. Their relationship was built on a very hard-won trust, but in the end she showed none by assuming he had moved on, when he told her he would be waiting for her. Finally, the ending felt too weak to leave any lasting impact. I would have even preferred a "My Dearest" ending to the lukewarm, open one we witnessed in the Baduk game where the big reveal was learning her name. We didn't really see him register a big surprise that her Dad is the man he sent to Qing to be a spy. I wish he had found that out earlier, then after learning her real identity, the King might have come up with another of his amazing strategic plans. He could have arranged for her to 'disappear' convincingly (even to us) on the way back from the Qing territories...declare her dead...mourn her...then later 'find' her publicly as Hysoo, Her Dad had the ranking I think for her to make a worthy candidate for marriage...eventhough she didn't particularly want to become Queen. But for a lifetime together it might have been worth enduring until the little Crown Prince was ten years older, then the King might be able to abdicate and leave the Crown Prince in Kim Myung-ha's capable hands...allowing our royal leads to play baduk the rest of their lives, away from the...

So it's ended. Captivating The King or Sejak started off strong then somewhere around episode 9 it got convoluted... I think Mong Woo / Hee Soo character writing sometimes can be inconsistent or they didnt clearly mentioned some of her reasoning at beginning. Like why they (Hee Soo and Dal ha) didnt kill Yoo Hyun Bo first until last two episode when Hee Soo mentioned she hesitated because he is Hong Jang's last kin. Also the moment Mong Woo is in team Lee In, she kind of lost her purpose in the story plot, until she revealed to conspire with Myung Ha to take down Park Jong Hwan.
The ending episode is nice, but i really want to see Hee Soo reunion with her father... or the prince reunion with her sister. The revelation that Hee Soo is Lord Kang Hang Soon's daughter also felt flat. It should be an aha moment for Lee In why Mong Woo is adamant on defending Jinhan back then. Because her father is Jinhan's master and they are literally pen pal while Jinhan is still being captive in Qing. What is Lord Kang Hang Soon opinion on Hee Soo being Mong Woo, become the king's gidaryeong AND his lover too??? I want to know! Maybe the earlier actor isnt contracted until the last episode hence they cant appear on last episode, which is bummer.
Someone mentioned that CTK is good at the idea but executed it poorly, and i agree with that. Maybe this drama should get 18 episodes instead to get all the story fleshed out because in the last episode i kept looking for the time until the end. Well, at least it is not become sad ending for no reason although "the happy ending" is sort of open ending because what will happen to Lee In and Hee Soo now? Did she become Lady Hee Soo fully now? or back become gidaryeong? who knows. Another rant is maybe the adult content quota is already spent on ep 8 and 9, that's why on last episode is feels a bit lacking. LeeMong ofc still has amazing chemistry, but i didnt understand with the directing(?) which makes Hee Soo looks surprised while being kissed...
In the end, Captivating The King is still very much enjoyable drama for me. It has some potential, but some of it is gone in the process. If I must choose the one that being consistent since the beginning until the end, it would be the soundtrack and the sound choice for the scene. Really happy with the 88 tracks album on the youtube :) oh also the still in picture that they release on the web, it has really nice composition and tone color that are pleasing to see. Stiil, thank you for the hardwork, Captivating The King Team! Kudos!