The Crowned Clown Kdrama Review Full Season With Spoilers

Written by: Kim Seon-deok and Shin Ha-eun

Directed by: Kim Hee-won 

Starring: Yeo Jin-goo, Kim Sang-kyung, and Lee Se-young

The Plot

The Crowned Clown

The King gets replaced by a Clown. This is the one line synopsis of the show. But there's a lot more to it than what's on the surface. Filled of political intrigue and an epic romance, The Crowned Clown has everything going for it. 

The King, Yi Heon is slowly going mad due to paranoia. He is restless as a result of the unending assassination attempts on him and longs for mental peace. One day, his Chief Royal Secretary, Yi Kyu (Haksan) finds a travelling actor/ clown (Ha-seon) who looks exactly like the King. 

He locks him up and eventually presents him to the King. The King is satisfied with the look-alike and allows Haksan to use the replacement as a way to catch the person behind the attempts on the King's life. 

But Haksan, and eventually Ha Seon have more plans regarding this change as they use it for their own benefit. The premise is interesting and the constantly shifting alliances make for a great watch. 

The plot moves forward at full speed in the first half of the series. But after that there is a lull in the story which makes it boring to watch. It feels like 16 episodes are just way too many for this show. At most, this show could have been finished within a solid 12 episodes. 

The Queen

But even then the twists and turns will keep you interested enough to watch. One of the most interesting parts of the story was the romance between the Queen Yoo So-woon and the clown king Ha Seon. 

In the beginning we are told that the Queen really does like the actual King and it seems like the feelings are reciprocated. But the King's mental state prevents him from actually forming a bond with the Queen. 

When the change happens, the Queen is kept in the dark about it. So she slowly begins to fall in love with Ha Seon who is kind and attentive towards her. But soon the truth comes out and it results in the Queen almost doing something drastic. 

I was pleasantly surprised at how well the love angle was handled. Even though the Queen liked the King but it was pretty clear that she fell in love with the clown. And this is best shown in the episode where the King makes his return. 

There's nothing that makes the audience actually root for the King and Queen to be together since the King is beyond the point of return. Yet, the show respectfully treats the Queen's feelings towards the King after his death since essentially she was married to him. 

The ending of the show is satisfying in terms of the plot and it wraps up everything perfectly. Although be ready to shed a few tears at the end. 

The Characters

Chief General Secretary Yi Kyu

There are 4 main characters- Ha-seon, the clown; Yi Heon, the King; Yoo So-woon, the Queen; and Yi Kyu (Haksan), the Chief Royal Secretary. 

Yi Heon, is pretty much a mad king. He has lost control of his mental faculties and given in to drugs that has made him unfit for adminstration. He isn't in the show much and by the half-way point of the show he's done away with. 

Even though I was glad to see him go, but I appreciated the show explaining that the King wasn't a blanket bad guy. We are told that he wants the best for his nation but now he is the biggest obstacle in its path. 

And so he gets murdered by his trusted Chief Royal Secretary, Yi Kyu. The scene where Haksan murders the King because he comes to the realization that the King won't ever become a good ruler is heartbreaking. 

These different shades of various characters makes the drama engaging and interesting. However, I thought that Ha Seon, the clown king's character was a little one dimensional. 

He was shown to be unfailingly good throughout. The scripting for it could have been better, but thankfully it wasn't completely empty. Also, actor Yeo Jin-goo needs to be separately appreciated for portraying the mad king and the good clown amazingly. 

Overall, the characterization was done well and it added depth to an already great plot. 

Final Verdict

The actual King

The Crowned Clown is overly long at 16 episodes but the characters, intriguing politics, and decently moving plot will keep you engaged for the whole of it. It will make you root for Ha Seon and So Woon while wishing that Yi Kyu gets to achieve his dream of a great nation.