46. I must protect my king, that is my duty.
Jo Yeong to King Lee Gon
Jo Yeong is on a mission. One which never deviates. His “want” from the very beginning is to care for and protect the king. This NEVER changes. From episode 1 to episode 16 he is arguably developed into a flat character for this exact goal. On the surface level, the argument stands, but it can also be argued that he is a round character, because you have to consider other nuances and character action. So, he does indeed change. By pretending to take on his foil’s persona, Eun-sup, he indeed integrated some softer characteristics into his personality. As such, he is a round character that just happens to be loyal to his goals and loyal to his friend.
47. You are to be beheaded.
King Lee Gon gives his sentence.
For his treasonous actions, insumountable misery and grief, Lee Lim is sentenced by the king to a beheading.
A beheading that the King himself will administer.
Let the final battle commence.
May the Tiger Sword be used justly.
Our finale is within reach, and with it peace, justice, and closure for our hero.
For the first time we see the gory details behind a tiger sword beheading. The punishment does indeed fit the crime.
48. your choice determines your destiny.
Episode 16
Wise words from Prince Buyeong:
"But no one gets to choose their parents. So change this choice of yours for the choice will determine the boy's fate." --- Prince Buyeong
Sometimes as we live in the moment, we forget that our actions and reactions impact people around us; people beyond ourselves.
The deep seated truth in this statement is what puts it on this list … everyone thinks that fate and destiny are outside our hands, that it’s entirely in God’s hands and his will … but God gave us free will for a reason. So ultimately, our choices will determine our fate. We can only hope God will guide us to a fruitful and blessed future. But in the end, I believe it is up to the effort we put into our own lives and that God will oversee it.
49. I wish to love tirelessly.
My favorite one liner!
The long awaited conclusion to this 16 episode drama is unexpected. Two lovers, across parallel universes, live a long life together … a life where they reunite on weekends to explore the multiverse, the different parallel worlds and realities that exist. During the week, they return to their duties: one to the Kingdom of Corea to serve as the lone monarch, and the other to the Republic of Korea to that of a public servant: catching criminals.
Although this is an unexpected outcome, it satisfies the need to see these two love-birds together. Even if this is the case we unfortunately never see Tae-eul become the queen. It’s not in her reality or apparently her destiny to rule alongside Lee Gon. I found this to be such a sad element to our happy ending. Lee Gon was nothing but excited to show her his world and to announce to his people that she was his queen.
But it never came to be.
For the rest of their lives, they only gave each other their weekends.
Sure you have to give what you can and they made so many sacrifices to stay together, but they couldn’t help each other out on the day to day stuff. I do find this sad.
But, I find it incredibly inspirational too. They both had duties and other countries to serve. They were loyal to their upbringings and responsible. The fact that they decided to stay together and spend what time they could together, when they could have easily called it quits to find another partner … well, I find that to be the ultimate relationship goal. That in-itself deserves recognition and praise.
They never gave up on each other.
50. We decided to love the fate that chose us.
All they needed was the love shared between them. So they lived out their days loving each other and serving their purpose.
It’s a story of responsibility, sacrifice, love, and the desire to never quit on one another. Although we couldn’t see Tae-eul rule alongside her husband, she will be the queen of his heart, the sole inhabitant, and because of their bond they unite many people and two separate universes. They are changing the world … or I guess worlds if I am being technical.
Cheers to the cast and crew …
for creating a sweet story of loss, myth, and the fantastical. Thank you for bringing such captivating characters to life and filling our homes with thought provoking themes and motifs.
for giving us an unconventional ending. Thank you for surprising us with a contemplative conclusion, and for developing wonderful foils. The integration of current affairs adds a nice cherry on top too.
You can watch The King: Eternal Monarch on Netflix
Randi Orr 