The King: Eternal Monarch (2020) is a Korean drama that explores Albert Einstein’s theory on parallel universes and alternate realities.
It follows the 3rd King of the Kingdom of Corea both in 1994 and in 2019. It is this reality that many of us are not familiar with as it’s a realm undiscovered to us. We, as viewers in this modern age, are only familiar with The Republic of Korea. As such, the filmmakers have so much freedom to create their own rules … and they do.
The Kindom of Corea not only follows the traditional monarch ruling system, but includes unknown magic and unwritten moral codes in its preexisting society. Along with the unknown, magic, myths, and fairytales are also heightened in this world, in this parallel universe. This delegates The Kingdom of Corea to fall into the special world category of storytelling, a place and idea that greatly appeals to my senses.
Now that I have established the general rules and concept of this series; let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. Here are the best one liners in The King: Eternal Monarch
***Spoilers
***Shout out to writer: Kim Eun-Sook for these memorable lines
1. Defeat the bad for the just
This is the inscription on the tiger sword.
aka the “Four Tiger Sword,” it is a formidable weapon. The Four Tiger Sword is first used in the murder of the 2nd King of the Kingdom of Corea, Lee Gon’s father. Then, it is used by a young Lee Gon who splits the mythological flute Malaspojyeon in half. This alters the magical qualities that the flute possesses: the ability to travel to parallel universes.
This one liner emphasizes the rules, purpose, and moral code that is attached to the Four Tiger Sword. The major question arises, will this sword only be used for good? The answer: no, but what deeper meaning will come from its use? What consequences will occur when it isn’t used correctly? This is a major question that will plague us from the very first moment of Episode 1.
2. We don’t just look a like, I’m you in a different world.
Episode 1
Nothing is more disturbing than discovering our evident villain has a doppelgänger.
But then a twist of irony makes that doppleganer handicapped …
and easy prey.
For a split second, karma and justice seemed fulfilled. It is as Lee Lim says.
“I am you in a different world.”
Yet, our villain knows no bound … at his own hands … he murders once again, except this time he murders himself. He eradicates the narrative and existence of a reality where he is a downtrodden man suffering in a body that imprisons him.
Lee Lim confronts himself in the parallel universe: The Republic of Korea.
As a mastermind villain, this strategy is brilliant. He thwarts the protagonists and the people of The Kingdom of Corea with his plot. He is a deceptive man, and he is very good at it.
Consider this: villains in a film, series, or story reflect the strength and wit of the protagonist. If the balance is skewed in the protagonist’s favor, the story and conflict throughout become weak and as such will betray the genre. Dramas, thrillers, action, and horror films require extremely strong antagonists. This pushes our protagonists to grow as a result. They must meet the challenge.
If your antagonists are not strong the result is a weak plot … or a blatant comedy. You certanly will get one or the other in these circumstance. However, The King: Eternal Monarch is a series that develops a strong antagonist, an antagonist with reason and his own skewed moral code.
4. Even in this world you have seen something you shouldn’t
Lee Gon’s uncle Lee Lim says this to our young protagonist.
Is soul crushing tragedy imprinted into the fate of our male protagonist regardless of which version of him exists in any particular universe? The storyteller in me says yes, although my heart cries out at the injustice.
Hearts everywhere are breaking. Someone please give this little boy a hug!
5. From now on you’re the unbreakable sword
A reappearing motif and title that King Lee Gon gives to his right-hand man … or i guess men depending on the universe he is visiting
I’m convinced that children sometimes understand emotions better than adults.
This makes the list for the heart touching empathy that is prevalent between Jo Yeong and Lee Gon. This is what the best bromances are made of: emotional intelligence, care, and of course the coming comedy.
Childhood friendships of course change and transform with age and experience, but the core values and connection stay the same. I personally like to think that these two characters are indeed destined to meet, they are kindred spirits who walk this path of life together.
Jo Yeong holds a wooden sword after he was crying for the young king’s plight. It’s a touching moment where Jo Yeong is swept away with emotion, emotion brought upon by seeing young Lee Gon in tears.
Jo Yeong had no motive nor reason behind his wails. He too was overcome by the emotions of the newly crowned king. Although a child who may not understand the extremities of our protagonist’s circumstances, Jo Yeong understands one thing quite well … he understands pain … he understands emotion.
He understands the human connection.
6. You need fairytales in your life.
King Lee Gon says this to his “Unbreakable Sword,” Jo Yeong after his captain of the guard doesn’t understand an Alice in Wonderland reference.
As time progresses, the script get flipped. Now it is an older Jo Yeong who stands firm and stoic.
Wearing his emotions on his sleeve has become a thing of the past. Although this is a drastic change, this new characterization allows more opportunities for comedy to blossom in our bromance.
With this one liner, it would almost appear that it’s our King, Lee Gon, who has turned soft. In all honesty though, as a lover of fairytales myself, this is one of my favorite lines in this series.
Randi Orr 