The King 2 Hearts

The King 2 Hearts was a weird drama. I wasn't immediately drawn in, but once I was there was no escape, even though there were lots of aspects of the story I didn't necessarily like. It left a bad impression on me once it had ended, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't praise the things it did well.

NOTE: Major spoilers. One of the things I hate the most about The King 2 Hearts happened in the second-to-last episode, after all. Don't read the last two paragraphs if you care.

The King 2 Hearts takes place in a universe where the monarchy still exists in South Korea, and our main character Lee Jae-ha is the spoilt prince. His elder brother, the King, hopes to improve relations between North and South Korea forming a joint military exercise. He also tricks Jae-ha to join this team in an attempt to make him grow up. This is how Jae-ha meets Captain Kim Hang-ah, a North Korean iron woman. These two instantly despise each other. These two somehow end up engaged. But their feud will have to wait because a dark threat is about to appear. Unhinged terrorist John Mayer, or Kim Bong-gu, has unbelievably horrible plans for South Korea and their leaders. It's time for Jae-ha to step up, and Hang-ah to learn how to support him.

This drama really took me by surprise, it went far deeper and far darker than I ever expected it to. Since the show is an action-thriller, I fully expected to be on the edge of my seat, but I have my limits and just couldn't bare to watch in places. I'm assuring any readers now that this is now a drama for the faint of heart.
  That aside, The King 2 Hearts delivered heart-pounding action during most of it's run. Ha Ji-won made this drama with her bad ass yet sweet character. I loved Lee Seung-gi even more, and I marvel over how every character he plays is progressively more horrible and complex than the last. Jae-ha was awful, one of the worst characters I'd ever seen (who wasn't a villain), but he was also incredibly charming and his risky political dance with Kim Bong-gu was the best part of the King 2 Hearts experience for me. 

  Regardless of how awesome their characters were, though, I just wasn't always that invested in the romance. This wasn't due to lack of chemistry - boy, did these two have that. No, honestly, I think I just didn't like the way their romance was written. Naturally, it took a backseat to the dangerous political mess Jae-ha had it deal with (and rightly so, since a King should worry about how to protect his people first). But ultimately, despite a few wonderful moments, it contributed to an anti-climatic ending I'm still bitter about.
  Okay, from now and onwards is the spoiler section. As in, all the angry thoughts I have about the last two episodes. Tread with caution.
  Now, I found the ending anti-climatic. I've said this already. The solution to all their problems was suddenly so unbelievably straightforward, I was actually bored during the last episode. But that isn't the biggest problem I had with the show.
  In The King 2 Hearts, there was a secondary pairing. The slightly robotic but kind and faithful right-hand man of the King, Eun Shi-kyung (played by the always fantastic Jo Jung-seok), fell in love with the once-outgoing princess. I found their love line more interesting than the main one at times - and then Eun Shi-kyung died. I honestly don't understand why he had to die, and maybe some people thought it was great of have that tragic, bittersweet ending, but it soured the experience of watching the show for me completely.

So in conclusion, The King 2 Hearts was equally as frustrating as it was rewarding. I say watch with caution if you're curious, but if not, don't watch at all. Now I need to go and watch something happy to sort me out.