In the soul swapping, gender bending, historical Kdrama, Mr. Queen, antics, intrigue, and culinary arts mix to create a truly delightful series. Shin Hye-sun (See You in My 19th Life) is Kim So-young/Queen Cheorin, a woman who becomes inhabited by the soul of 21st century chef Jan Bong-hwan (Choi Jin-hyuk of Heirs/Inheritors). Head Chef at the Blue House, Bong-hwan finds himself in trouble and falls to his “death”, but instead of dying, wakes up 200 years in the past in So-young’s body. Now he must navigate being in a woman’s body, in a different time period, with palace plots and intrigue surrounding him. Not to mention the fact that the palace kitchen is not up to his standards.
Kim Jung-hyun (Crash Landing on You) plays King Cheoljong, the man chosen by Queen Dowager Kim (Bae Jong-ok) to be her puppet ruler. Cheoljong distrusts So-young, believing that, like the rest of the Kim family, she is out to gain power. As a result, he hides the rebellious part of himself and bides his time. While Cheoljong looks forward to the arrival of his future consort, Jo Hwa In (Seol In-ah from Business Proposal), he wonders what is going on with So-young who has been acting strangely since being pulled out of the lake.
- Series Title: Mr. Queen (Korean: 철인왕후)
- Starring: Shin Hye-sun, Kim Jung-hyun, Seol In-ah, Kim Tae-woo, Na In-woo
- Written by: Choi Ah-II and Park Gye-ok
- Directed by: Yoon Sung-shik
- Network: tvN
- Where to watch in the US: Netflix
- Premier Date: December 12, 2020
- # of episodes: 20
- KafeNook Rating: 4.9 sips
Mr. Queen — !!Spoilers Ahead!!
Ouch. My heart hurts. I approached watching Mr. Queen with some reservation due to its off the wall premise. But how could I resist a show with such good reviews? I loved every minute of it.
My husband is the cook in our family. I can cook, but I prefer baking. (Bring on episodes of The Great British Baking Show!) When I cook, I tend to stick with recipes I know like “Giant Flour Tortilla Tacos” and my mom’s take on “Amato’s Italian Sandwiches”. My husband, on the other hand, is always looking for new recipes to try and is willing to make a bad dish occasionally in order to find a really good one. Cooking can take a lot of planning, preparation, and practiced execution to come off well. Watching Mr. Queen is like having a meal that you don’t expect to taste good, but it turns out to be one of the best meals you have ever eaten. It is a recipe full of ingredients that cannot possibly work together but somehow does.
Mr. Queen features a stellar cast starting with leads Shin Hye-sun as So-young/Queen Cheorin and Kim Jung-hyun as King Cheoljong. Shin Hye-sun beautifully displays the awkwardness Bong-hwan feels when he first arrives in So-young’s body. Everything about her, from her facial expressions to her body language, to her 21st century manner of speaking, give life to this fascinating character. And what about those kitchen skills? The scenes with So-young battling with Royal Chef Man-bok (Kim In-kwon) felt like watching a Joseon era cooking show mixed with a half-hour comedy. The Queen’s court ladies Hong Yeon (Chae Seo-Eun) and Lady Choi (Cha Cheong-hwa of See You in My 19th Life) have their hands full with So-young to the point that uptight Lady Choi often retreats to the forest to comically voice her frustration.
Kim Jung-hyun as King Cheoljong plays the perfect straight man to Shin Hye-sun’s So-young. The scene where a straight-faced King Cheoljong begins to describe his and Cheorin’s first night together is priceless. Plus – who doesn’t love it when the seemingly spineless, dull-witted man turns out to be both extremely intelligent and a phenomenal fighter. Cue Cheoljong in the blue suit with gold trim. Wow. Cheoljong’s sidekicks are his brother Prince Yeongpyoung (Yoo Min-kye) and special director Hong (Lee Jae-won) who help him in his charade while carrying out secret missions for the rebellion.
The Appetizer
The start of Mr. Queen is like a tasty appetizer that is eaten all too soon. In the present day, Chef Bong-hwan, the cocky head Chef of the Blue House, is seen sneaking into a storage room for tryst with a woman. There he notes the security camera is out of order. Cut to a scene where he is accused of putting a giant fishhook into the meal of a Chinese delegate. Then, in the process of trying to escape the bad men after him, he plunges from a high rise into a swimming pool. When he wakes up, he discovers that he is back in the Josean era, and in the body of a woman. This section of the show flies by in whiplash fashion and I found myself referring to it later to refresh my memory on the events.
The First Course
In the delectable first course of Mr. Queen, actor Choi Jin-Hyuk provides the voiceover for Bong-hwan, now trapped in So-young’s body. Hilarious moments ensue as he copes with his new reality (like his reaction to running “unhampered”!). There isn’t much time to linger on this, however, due to the steady reveal of political jockeying going on between families at the palace. This is led by the Queen Dowager’s brother, Kim Jwa-geun (veteran actor Kim Tae-woo). Like Bong-hwan, I didn’t know who to trust. Naturally, Bong-hwan thinks his best way to get home is back through the lake So-young was pulled from before he woke up in her body. His shock is palpable when he sees the lake is empty.
Not to be deterred, Bong-hwan ferrets out two pieces of information: Queen Dowager Kim, the true power behind the throne, ordered it drained, and – she suffers from sore teeth. Being the chef that he is, he concocts a plan to create delicious, soft meals for her to get permission to fill the lake again. This brings him to the royal kitchen where he faces off with chef Royal Chef Man-bok and – the battle for the kitchen ensues. Man-bok, most likely the best cook of his time, doesn’t know what to make of the young queen with ninja like knife skills.
Meanwhile, King Cheoljong, the docile puppet King, is more than he seems. In true Scarlet Pimpernel fashion, he leads a double life. Meeting up with his sidekicks to discuss the plans for their ongoing rebellion, he fears that Bong-hwan as So-young has overheard them and decides to kill her. However, her confusion at his actions catches him off guard and he is thrust into an expertly choreographed sword fight with Kim Byeong-in (Na In-woo of Marry My Husband), the man who has loved So-young since they were young. Of course, the fight is complicated by the fact that Cheoljong must hide his face from opponent. (I’ve taken fencing, and I can’t imagine the difficulty of trying to cover your face with one forearm while fighting. It looks awesome though!)
As the palace staff works in bucket brigade fashion to fill up the lake, Bong-hwan’s encounters with Cheoljong leave the King baffled. For one thing, his Queen seems to speak her own language. This takes some of his attention away from the lovely Jo Hwa-jin (Seol In-ah) who is set to be Cheoljong’s new concubine. Things looks dicey when So-young falls ill and poison is suspected. Up until this point, it has been unclear where So-young’s consciousness is. Did she die in the lake? Did she swap places with Bong-hwan and go to the present? Part of this is answered when awareness returns to Bong-hwan as he lies in a hospital bed in present day. He hears the people around him saying that he’s been in a coma for a while, but he is unable to communicate. Evidently, So-young did not swap places with him.
The Main Course
Mr. Queen serves up its main course when Bong-hwan returns to the past and So-young’s body, but this time, he gains many of So-young’s memories. At the same time, he can tell that So-young is trying to surface. This change is reflected in So-young’s voiceover which is now that of actress Shin Hye-sun. (To signify the morphing of Bong-hwan and So-young at this point, I’ll call them “Bong-young.”) Cheoljong’s reaction to his Queen almost dying a second time reveals how much she has grown on him.
A lot happens during this course. Bong-young remembers an event from So-young’s childhood where she helped to hide young Cheoljong from those who killed his family, but Cheoljong thinks the girl who helped him was concubine, Hwa-jin. Now it makes sense why he loves Hwa-jin who is growing increasingly jealous of So-young.
Kim Jwa-geun and his henchmen attempt to thwart Cheoljong’s effort to hold a banquet. But in one of the most satisfying scenes in the drama, Bong-young saves the day by delivering a multi-course meal with a modern take. Swirled fried potatoes on a stick. MacDunaldu hamburgers. Dessert on a “popsicle” stick – with fortunes written on them. So creative and funny!
Bong-young’s drunken love-making session with court lady Hong Yeon turns out to have occurred with the King instead. This causes Bong-young a lot of confusion, who decides to test out the attraction to Cheoljong. In one late night session between the two of them, Bong-young brings Cheoljong ramen – announcing it with all the inuendo that comes with a modern declaration of inviting a romantic partner over for ramen. The fact that this is lost on Cheoljong is truly funny. Meanwhile, Cheoljong begins writing a book called “The Dictionary of the Queen’s Language” to help him better understand this multi-facetted person he is coming to love. After all – Bong-young’s touch/no-touch policy is very confusing. Later, the two of them have very different reactions when they learn they are to be parents. Cheoljong’s “Well done, My Queen,” and tears of joy are in glorious contrast to Bong-young’s look of disbelief and shock.
Palace politics rear their ugly head and work to separate Cheoljong and Bong-young. Cheoljong is forced to ride out from the palace in what is sure to be a suicide mission. Bong-young leaves the palace to find him, becoming separated from both court ladies while being hunted by Byeong-in. Byeong-in, who suspects there is something seriously amiss with the woman he loves, forces a confession from Bong-young. Learning the truth, he becomes filled with the hope that So-young is still somewhere inside Bong-young and dies valiantly protecting Bong-young.
Things come to a head as the Kim family attempts to take over the throne. A very much alive, Cheoljong returns to the palace with the rebel army. During an assassination attempt, Bong-young, using those reflexes learned in the modern Korean army, takes a bullet meant for Cheoljong. This trama is enough for Bong-hwan to leave So-young’s body permanently and without knowing if Cheoljong survives his own bullet wound.
The Dessert
No good meal is complete without dessert. Mr. Queen presents a satisfying confection for it’s final course. Back in present day, Bong-hwan regains consciousness in the hospital. Thinking that he is still in trouble, he escapes the hospital (hospital gown and all!) and makes his way to a bookstore to look up King Cheoljong. Cut to the past where So-young returns to full command of her body. Both her and Cheoljong have survived – due to wearing the modern invention of bullet proof vests!
After defeating their enemies and overcoming the threat to So-young and her baby’s life, King Cheoljong asserts his authority as King. So-young can’t seem to stop swearing and declares her hidden nature must be coming out due to Bong-hwan’s influence on her. Then, in perhaps the drama’s most a heartbreaking scene, she visits the place where Byeong-in died. After discussing with his friends the changes he plans to the government, Cheoljong finds the dictionary he wrote on the Queen’s language and asks “Did I lose something? From time to time, I feel like I’ve lost something precious…”
Back in the future, Bong-hwan laughs at a picture of Cheoljong, painted while the King made a funny face at So-young. Bong-hwan discovers that his past has changed and instead of being a wanted man, he is hailed as a whistleblower due to the fact that he secretly fixed the security camera in the storage room which led to catching the criminals. He then happily learns of King Cheoljong and Queen Cheorin’s many accomplishments which reflect a major change in King Cheoljong’s own history.
The Palate Cleanser
The final notes of the course occur in the past where King Cheoljong and Queen Cheorin try to see each other but constantly cross paths. This prompts Cheoljong to remark “Are we playing hide and seek?”. They finally meet by the lake for a lovely reunion. Cheoljong asks why she calls him by honorifics now. Is she trying to surprise him again?
Before reading the next sections, I highly recommend watching two of the special Mr. Queen – The Bamboo Forest episodes: Mr. Queen: Love at First Sight, The First Meeting and Mr. Queen: Alternate Ending.
Food For Thought
I had many thoughts and questions coming out of this drama. For one, did Bong-hwan himself love Cheoljong or was it because So-young had feelings for the King? I think the drama shows that it took So-young’s memories and a part of herself to surface in order for Bong-hwan to develop feelings for Cheoljong. When So-young tried to take her own life in the lake, she had fallen for Cheoljong and hoped to save him – if only he loved her as well. Her feelings for Cheoljong influence the attraction Bong-hwan/So-young begins to develop for Cheoljong.
What about Cheoljong? Who did he fall in love with? In the Love at First Sight secret episode to Mr. Queen, So-young and Cheoljong meet for the first time. There is clearly an initial attraction between the two of them in this scene. Unfortunately, after they marry, Cheoljong comes to see her as a tool her family plans to use against him. Once Bong-hwan’s soul inhabits So-young, Cheoljong begins to see his Queen in a different light (thank you Bong-hwan). So much so that by the time she falls ill, he is genuinely concerned for her. Later, their first touch/no touch kiss, surprises them both as mutual attraction surfaces. Eventually, Cheoljong falls in love with his Bong-hwan/So-young Queen.
At the end, when Cheoljong ponders the question about feeling like he is missing something, this made me sad. He definitely realizes that something is different with his Queen. She is not Bong-hwan/So-young, but not the original So-young either. She’s a new So-young who has been heavily influenced by Bong-hwan’s time in her. Then, I remembered when Cheoljong told So-young that he sometimes sees himself as an old man looking back on this time as a dream. I think this is a nod by the writers that he will have a long, happy life and when he thinks of the time when Bong-hwan inhabited the Queen, to him it will be a happy dream.
What happened to So-young’s soul while Bong-hwan inhabited her body. I have a theory that Bong-hwan is So-young in a future life. Therefore, when he goes back into the past, So-young’s soul doesn’t have to go anywhere since it’s the same soul. This makes sense because her soul doesn’t seem to be in Bong-hwan’s body in the future, and when she fully takes over her body again, she only says “that man has left”, not “I’m glad my soul stopped wandering around, or came out of the dark, etc…”. She seems fully aware of everything that has happened since Bong-hwan first arrived.
Taking this theory to the next level, in the alternate ending episode, the King, Queen, and their friends watch a meteor shower. Bong-hwan/So-young asks them all to make a wish. Cheoljong initially hesitates, but then he wishes that if he has another life, he will meet the Queen in it — not as King and Queen but just as So-young and Won-beum (his original name). If he has another life, he wants to find his Queen’s soul again – the soul of the person he has come to love. I think this scene wasn’t included in the show because it set up the promise of something in the future that the showrunners decided not to go with. (Boy – do I wish they would have.) Bong-hwan/So-young even says to Cheoljong – I may be in some weird form that you won’t recognize.
Naturally, this made me wonder what an epilogue would be like that takes this idea further. . .
Kafenook Epilogue for Mr. Queen
Bong-hwan, dressed in a tailored grey suit with a stiff white shirt and a pale pink handkerchief sticking out of his pocket is standing under the awning of an office building waiting for the rain to stop. A woman steps out of the building behind him. Her dark hair is pulled into a high bun and she is dressed in an expensive, dark blue dress trimmed in gold. Her jewelry is gold to match the trim and reflective of the Joseon Kings and Queens of old.
Their gazes lock. Bong-hwan notices a cut on the back of the woman’s hand that is bleeding.
“You’re hurt,” he says. Grabbing his handkerchief, he offers it to her. Her brow creases in puzzlement for a split second, but she watches intently as he places the handkerchief around her hand. When he pulls it tight, she gives a slight whelp.
At that moment, a man carrying a valise steps out the building and puts an umbrella over her head. “Maam, the car is ready.”
She walks away but not before taking one last look back at Bong Hwan who is watching her intently.
In the next scene, Bong-hwan is in a large, industrial kitchen wearing his chef’s shirt and apron and looking at a piece of paper. The letter head on the paper reads: The Queen’s Group. And underneath, “Charity Banquet – Menu Requests”. Bong-hwan smiles wryly as he balls up the paper and tosses it before rolling up his sleeves.
The woman from before is sitting at the head table in an opulent banquet room. A sign on the wall behind her says “The Palace Hotel – A Queen’s Group Property”. People chat around her, but she watches them with only mild interest. The one noticeable item out of place of her attire is the pink handkerchief tied around her hand. She’s gazes down at it, a thoughtful expression on her face.
The first course is brought out and the lids lifted in front of each banquet goer to reveal the contents. The woman looks at the crispy, spiral shaped potato sitting on a skewer first in shock, then with narrowed eyes.
She motions to her assistant.
“Yes, Chairman,” he says.
She whispers something to him, then stands, skewer in hand. “If you will excuse me,” she says to the people at her table before leaving with her assistant.
Back in the kitchen, an assistant Chef whispers something in Bong-hwan’s ear but both look up to the sound of heels echoing through the kitchen. The assistant appears first, then the woman, a look of determination on her face.
Bong-hwan registers surprise. It’s the woman from earlier. His initial smile falters at the stern look she gives him as she holds up the potato.
“What is this?” she asks. If she recognizes him from before, she gives no indication.
Bong-hwan cocks his head and gives her a side-ways grin. “It’s a potato.””
She purses her lips. “I can see that. Why? Did you not read my notes concerning the menu for the banquet?”
“Your notes? Oh, I read them.” His eyes sparkle in amusement. “As to the why? I was feeling nostalgic. I served these at a banquet awhile back. They were a big hit.”
Some of the ire seems to leave her and she looks at him with curiosity. “And therefore, you thought they were appropriate for this banquet?”
“It is the Palace,” he quips, smiling at his personal joke.
At this she stills. She puts down the potato and steps closer to him, searching his face. “I don’t think I caught your full name, Chef Jang,” she says, reading his name on his chef’s shirt.
He rubs the back of his neck, clearly fazed by her close proximity. “Jang Bong-hwan,” he answers. “And you are?”
It’s her turn to smile slyly. “I’m the person who can make all of your dreams come true—Chef Jang Bong-hwan.”
His eyebrows rise. He is clearly intrigued. “Really?”
She turns to her assistant who hands her thick stack of papers. She puts it on the counter next to him. “I’m opening a new, signature restaurant in this hotel–”
“Let me guess,” he interrupts, shaking his head ruefully. “You want me to be the head Chef.”
“I want more than just a head Chef. I’m looking for a full business partner. This contract outlines 51% ownership of the restaurant.”
Bong-hwan is completely surprised now, but also a little suspicious. “What’s the catch?”
“I only have two stipulations.” She holds up one finger and looks at him intently. “First, I have a strict “No Touch” policy.” She immediately, pokes him in the chest with her finger.
“Ouch.” Bong-hwan winces. “That’s the opposite of “No Touch. Just like Cheouljong,” he mumbles.
Her eyes go wide. “What did you just say?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing. I’m not sure why you would make that a policy but whatever. What’s your second stipulation?”
She seems hesitant this time and looks away. “The restaurant must be called, ‘The Queen’s Language’.”
It’s Bong-hwan’s turn to go completely still. His eyes narrow in suspicion. “Who are you?”
She looks back up at him, her eyes bright. “Someone who has gone through a lot to find you. What will it be? Will you take my deal, or did you come here for nothing, Jang Bong-hwan?”
“Come here for nothing?” Bong-hwan is stunned. Those are the words he wrote on the stone by the palace lake. He searches her face, hardly believing the possibility before him and puts a hand against her cheek. “My King?” He asks, his own eyes bright.
She smiles. “You can call me, Won-boem.”
Mr. Queen Soundtrack
My favorite song in Mr. Queen is the ballad: Here I Am – Jo Hyun Ah of Urban Zakapa. Kim Jung-hyun (King Cheoljung) sings the lovely song Like the First Snow. The Great Recipe (sEODo) and the Chef’s anthem – Bong Hwan A – Noraza, are super fun songs for the cooking scenes in the show.
