User reviews

2 episodes in - the biggest plot twist is so definitively written in that self-explanatory title, and it's no doubt that this romance drama will be gut-punching the audiences to tears in the latter episodes. Yes, it's that obvious.

However, the main casts, production, script and directing has been great so far. I just hope that it didn't include too many gap-filler mini-dramas with minor casts, like other could-have-been-great series as long as they maintained the main track of storytelling.

2 main casts are doing their great job, as expected as usual but surprisingly well set in this between them, which is so overwhelming to watch.

I've liked Jo Jung-suk from 'Oh my ghost' and 'Don't dare to dream', so I was easily drawn to this drama. What do I like about him the most... it's those intense loaded looks he gives his female leads that make my heart skip a beat.... and he didn't disappoint in this drama with 'Shin Se-kyung'.

There was a point in one of the episodes where I didn't realise how much I had been holding my breath in great anticipation of a certain meeting.

I've just finished watching episode 5 and have a WHOLE day to wait for the next episode (how will I cope? Lol) The acting has been superb with no dull moments in my opinion. There are so many of the supporting cast that I have been endeared to which is a credit to them bringing their characters to life. I'm not sure why it's been rated lower than I would have expected but the characters are bringing to our present world the cut-throat and back stabbing behaviours of those who wanted power back in the day, which at times is hard to watch. I am hoping and praying that the next 11 episodes don't disappoint.

Yes, you have to get over the petite fairy looking female lead being accepted as a man just because she wears male clothes. That part is always hard to swallow in similar K dramas. BUT, ignoring the gender bending trope, this series is very entertaining. Nothing truly unique about the storyline, but the quality of the acting drew me right in. Almost completely due to Jo Jung Suk's acting. He has charisma to spare. I also like that they feature the game of baduk (Go), which adds to the cultural atmosphere. There are the expected political struggles and evil ministers aplenty. But the young crown prince is so delightful and such a super actor as well. Shin Se-Kyung as FL does a fine job, though I would love to see the writer allow her to yell and scream once in awhile. I love Lee Shin Young as Myung Ha, (basically second male lead) who got a lousy break from the get go. Also loved Ha So-hoon, who played the very ill queen with subtlety and a heart-rending sadness.

When picked this drama to watch, I hadn't realized that the male lead was Jo Jung Suk. I smiled like a teenager in love for the first time. I immediately thought of "Oh My Ghost!" and "Hospital Playlist" (they owe us a third season, by the way). What a difference between these lead roles, however, his performances were super each and every time. I don't recall seeing the female lead acting before, therefore, I can only applaud her performance. The match between them was delightful. I must finish saying that I was expecting the same historical drama that I have previously watched. It is far from the truth! From episode 1 until the last one, this drama catches all your attention an heart. It is a "must watch".

What can I say, this K-Drama had me sitting on the edge of my seat. The twists and turns of the love between the king and his subject was beautifully executed, I even wished to be kissed by the king. I was willing the weekend to come so I could see the next episodes.

I love the way the characters brought out the barbarity of truth and lies and the plots to control each court faction.

Definitely let there be a series 2. I wait with bated breath. Let's see the blossom of love between the maid and the kings main guard, definitely something to entice us audiences with. Don't let us wait!!!!!!!!.

Us audiences want to see the possibilities of a child between the king and the love of his life. A Queen is born and a son, by god this king needs to have a happy ending. We want to see that this king who has a brilliant mind and ability to lead korea to victory over the impeding menace of the outside political forces.

The king has changed the system to be a worthy kingdom with zero tolerance for rich hording riches and food. He will be strong to keep his people safe and secure in the new Korea he will build with his Queen and Son by his side and adopted late brother's son.

Well done, I am rewatching the episodes again.

I'm an African American and I love Korean time dramas. This movie, Captivating the King, has captivated me. I look forward to every episode. I could watch one episode after the next. I also think the lead male and female actor and actress are top notch. I have never watched the male actor before but find his acting and presence of great quality. His charisma just seems to jump off the screen. Also, he is quite attractive. The female actress has graced the screen in a lot Korean dramas I watch and I love her acting. She is the reason I decided to watch this drama and I'm glad I did. Kudos to whoever wrote this drama and to the director. I wish there was more time dramas that are suspenseful and romantic like this one. The only other drama that comes close to this is The Princess Weiyoung.

This drama has catch my attention because of the great chemistry between the two main characters, the king and the player.

Also the casting was a masterpiece.

She delivered an exquisite performance along with the king character, which made the slow paced history bearable.

I remember seeing Jo Jung-Suk at the great KDrama, Hospital Playlist, so I knew he would be embodying the character as his own persona, making the show a immersive experience in the Joseon era bringing a new perspective into the subject. Despite the slow paced scenes the amount of detail and development of the characters made those scenes justify by the end.

I was afraid of the end, because usually they are all the same in this kind of KDrama, but this particular show brought new perspectives and a nice end to are already captivating history.

I recommend it for sure.

KDrama are great to just let go some steam and enjoy the cheesy love stories. Nowadays everything that helps the mind scape a while from the craziness of daily problems, i'm in.

Everything about this drama screamed total perfection of execution. The chemistry between the main leads was top-notch and insane, the acting is... WOW... AWARD WINNING!!! Plus the plot never lets you get bored, neither every episode. People who haven't watched this drama is missing out on a masterpiece! Watching this whole series had put me into an insane roller coaster of emotions and high level of tension! TRULY A GEM AND GREATEST KDRAMA OF ALL TIME! You can never go wrong with Captivating The King, plus the ending is so ethereal and well executed. LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE CAPTIVATING THE KING!!!!

Jo Jung-suk plays Lee In, the brother of the king and is drawn into the intrigue of who will succeed the king who is ill and mistrusts everybody. Shin Se-kyung plays Kang Hee-soo who disguises herself as a man and is an expert in the game of baduk (go) and uses this to gain the trust of Lee In who is unbeaten at the game. It is a story of court intrigue and initially Kang Hee-soo plans to avenge the treatment of her father but as she gets to know him over games of baduk her feelings begin to change. It is a well acted story which starts a little slow and took me a little time to stop imagining Jo Jung-suk in a hospital gown as he did such a good job in hospital playlist. Overall an entertaining watch which just falls short and I get frustrated at how badly some of the side characters are treated, mainly Court lady Doing and the queen. The trope of a beautiful girl dressing as a man has been done many times before but this is overall worth a watch mainly for the acting.

It starts off with the usual Joseon settings - power fights and intrigues among ministers, a girl in men's clothing with nobody doubting her fake gender, greedy mother and fights for the throne. So far, nothing new in the Joseon universe.

What's new is the mature figure of the (future) king, hilariously interpreted by Jo Jung Suk, the lack of silly dialogues, weak women fainting or loudly crying their souls out. Instead we've got strong, determined female characters and are introduced to the game baduk which the FL is a master of. The whole series is more mature than comparable ones, thus has a slower pace and more mature dialogues. Also the empathy needed for tactics in playing bakuk finds its counterpart in (but not limited to) the behaviour and speech of of the main leads.

All characters are very well acted and believable, the story is told with subtle details, also distinguishing between the king as a private person and being king as a ruler, adding a lot of depth. Or wanting revenge while loving the person, willpower and heart, making the inner struggles of the characters really felt.

This series kept me hooked till the end. I was living with it, wondering how to get out of this or that situation, alternating between there will/won't be a happy ending, hope and despair. The actors, the script, the suspense curve... really well done!

Even if you've watched a lot of other Joseon era movies, go for it. It's well worth it!

I thought it was a very good drama, thanks for the most part by the acting skills of the main character. Yes, they could have much done better in terms of altering the female lead's appearance to make the story credible. Aside from that, the kissing scenes are awful and there is no passion between the actors who are supposed to have fallen heads over heels for each other. The Queen dowager however played her insavory character with great skills (and humor) and recites her lines perfectly. I thought that in many scenes where they appear, she overwhelms and outshines all the other female characters in the plot.

I hadn't yet seen a Korean TV Series, and found this work a Feast for the Eyes and Soul.

The Story is very interesting, with unexpected twists and turns, and has everything (romance, history, war, drama, torture, action, comedy, tenderness), all leaving us longing for the next episode. The Cast is fabulous, all Actor/Actress well match, rendering their scenes perfectly, every time. The Lighting is marvellous, creating shadows and volumes that add to the richness of detail. The subdued Makeup make all actors look gorgeous. The Wardrobe is either luxurious or of elegant simplicity, turning everybody (rich and poor) very attractive. The netting hats, with their ellipses, have a dialogue of their own with the faces. The Music is excellent and adequate in all scenes. The natural Landscapes are probably the most beautiful I have seen in years, and the city ones are also interesting.

(The only, tiny reason why I don't give it a round 10, its the Framing of some side view portrait shots, that I thing should have not been centred, but instead obey the proportion of 2 parts in front of the face to 1 part in the back of the head, that results better - but that is a personal preference, that the director may not share.)

In the end, the bad are punished, the good rewarded, and we feel elated for having watched a Work of Art.

This is a head slapper. Gorgeously produced Korean Historical drama with generally excellent cast, the usual court intrigue -- slow poisoning of the king, others vying for power while the poisoned king loses his marbles and suspects everyone's out to get him -- and an utterly, comically absurd premise that fails the first and every subsequent time I see the lead actress in drag as a gentleman.

The Crown Prince/titular King, a charismatic Hamlet type, is in a tenuous position with vicious courtiers on the one hand and a spiraling monarch on the other, so he finds solace playing a Go-like game of strategy against a phenom who never loses. This player is a pretty noblewoman masquerading as a man who no one realizes ain't a dude. (Snort.) That absurdity constantly intrudes on me as s/he navigates the political minefield of court after the king croaks and the crown prince assumes power. S/he is wrongfully accused of confessing to treason which implicates the prince, and for which the prince-now-king holds a grudge. But the now-king just can't help himself, s/he has captivated him...and oh the side-eyes do fly in court about the two strangely intimate besties. Geez, there is just no way on earth that that woman passes for a man ever in whatever manly costume or see-through stove-pipe hat she ties under her hairless chinny-chin-chin. NEVER. No way. I do not possess the ability to suspend disbelief for as far and for as long as this silly premise requires. There is one man, a rejected suitor, who knows her true identity but he has his own political problems due to Dad being a villain and loving her so much. In short, the premise beggars the imagination how sooooooo many men could be sooooooooo blind/deaf/sexless as to miss her manifest femininity. No adam's apple, no worries. Weeps and talks like a girl, whatever. No facial hair, no red flag, oh but s/he does wear lip gloss -- a beige rose when being a dude rather than pink red when she's dressed her gender but that's not odd, noooooo. I watch episodes with teeth gritted.

The 'gal dresses as a courtier/royal and gets away with it' plot crops up in other Korean and Chinese historical dramas so maybe it's a cultural quirk that just doesn't translate for me. In most cases, the ploy is easier to swallow for some reason. The King's Affection comes to mind. Here, it just tripped me up.

There are many, many excellent Korean Historical series (some serious, some funny): Under the Queen's Umbrella, My Sassy Girl, 100 Days My Prince, Royal Inspector & Joy to name a few.

I give props to the male lead, Jo Jung-suk. He develops the complex motivation of his character and expresses contradictory feelings with constraint, such as his feelings for the 'male' Go player who may've betrayed him but maybe didn't but dang he so fine...

This cannot be the end! Captivating the King is really captivating. I'm watching it for the second time. Jo Jung-suk acting is soooo persuading! I could watch it over and over again. This was the first drama that I'm watcing with this actor and I am so pleasently surprised. The way the scenes are presented are so realistic. The other actors are also great in their performing. I like history / costumed dramas. I can only imagine what was life before on courts all over the world. So risky and cruel, so full of secrets and intrigues... I really think that it will be the 2nd season because lot of things are not said or done.

Captivating the King is a perfect example of how a well-executed K-Drama can seamlessly blend compelling storytelling, dynamic performances, and heart-pounding plot twists into a memorable viewing experience.

Captivating the King is a stunning K-Drama that shines thanks to Jo Jung-suk's incredible performance. His portrayal of the conflicted king is both powerful and nuanced, elevating the entire series. The chemistry between the leads is palpable, and the well-written characters keep you emotionally invested. With a compelling plot full of twists and turns, this 16-episode drama offers an engaging mix of romance, political intrigue, and suspense. A must-watch for fans of historical dramas, with a few minor pacing issues, but still highly recommended.