“King The Land” Episodes 1 And 2 Review- Unexpectedly Outdated, Or Were Expectations Set A Bit Too High?
JTBC’s “King The Land” has premiered to much fan fare and some unexpected criticism, so let us discuss the drama’s premiere episodes.
Note: this article is a first-impression review, it doesn’t mean this is the writer’s final thoughts on the drama. This is a spoiler review.
I think I speak for a lot of fans when I say we were EXCITED to see this, I mean the visual combination is enough. Junho and YoonA share good chemistry and have been in the same industry for some time. They look very comfortable around each other and their recent dance collabs set the internet on fire, so when the casting news came out, I kid you not, it was HUGE news.
So how did the premiere episodes of “King The Land” turn out? Let us talk about it!
I anticipated the drama due to the pairing but if you read the synopsis or seen some trailers, then you should probably be aware of what will come, but it seems some k-netizens were very surprised.
At first, I found it a bit unexpected that they were taken by surprise. However, upon reflection, I can understand why it happened. The majority of regular K-drama viewers belong to an older demographic, and it’s likely that they don’t closely follow every trailer or poster release due to their busy lives. It’s safe to assume that most of them were only aware of the main cast and perhaps had a vague idea about the setting at best.
The premiere episodes were surprising but also not so surprising. I expected them to be corny and cringy at times, but I was still surprised by the levels at which those were seen. Like some of the backlash it received on some online communities, the drama has some very outdated dialogue/scenes included, and for a screenwriter who is just now making their debut, this is a bit concerning.
I mean, I might understand this if this screenwriter has been writing scripts for some time like some screenwriters who have been active in the 2000s as they try to adapt to the 2020s writing style… but for a screenwriter who is only now making their debut with this drama, to have this type of outdated writing is quite honestly; like I said before, somewhat concerning.
Not that such corny-ness shouldn’t exist, but can you at least try to spice it up? Or take some risks? The premiere episodes play out about as expectedly as you’d think in every aspect, even the side plots, nothing is left for imagination, which makes it feel rather disappointing.
It seems to me that the screenwriter relies heavily on the Star power of these two actors to do the heavy lifting for the drama, which I think can backfire tremendously depending on how well general audiences in South Korea react to it.
Some people are asking ‘why netizens are thinking so critically of this drama considering its very obvious premise?’ and while I do agree that some of the criticism was too much, it is still somewhat understandable that there will be a certain level of criticism.
Even with giving the creators some leeway because the drama is about a very stereotypical topic, the screenwriter could have done something a bit different with it, especially since they have some of the biggest current Korean stars who can drive anyone to watch their projects based on their names alone. So it feels like a missed opportunity thus far. They could have subverted expectations, that would have been fun to see.
The screenwriter chose the safest method and the most expected one at that, which meant they invited criticism, especially since those two actors have been involved in some critically acclaimed projects recently.
Now, taking a look at the drama from another side: if you like romance kdramas and those two actors, such premiere was probably something you liked. I found it to be fine, the 2nd episode was definitely better but with the 3rd episode preview, I can tell a lot of typical romance kdrama moments will play out word for word.
I think if you watch this drama on surface level without minding the cliches too much and focusing a lot on the beauty aspect of Junho and YoonA together, you will likely enjoy this drama a lot. Take nothing seriously and just have fun watching it is the recommendation I’d give, not unless you want something a bit deeper.
I think the drama will find success with the audiences who knew what they were getting into. There are many people out there who like such types of scripts and there is honestly nothing wrong with that. If you are drawn to such type of simplistic scripts and you enjoy Og-type Office kdramas, I think you will likely enjoy this one and if you do, more power to you.
So, these were my thoughts on “King The Land,” What about you guys? Did you like the premiere episodes or not?
Hi.. I’ve already watched episode 1 only. The story is good and exciting but as a Hospitality Industry student, there are some things that I know about the management in a hotel. In episode 1, the front desk is the one who went in the guest room to get something, but in the hotel industry, she shouldn’t be the one doing it but the room attendant is and the front office clerk cannot leave their place unless they need to go to the bathroom. The room attendant is the only one who can get inside in the hotel room. Well even it’s really urgent as mentioned in the drama, still, the front desk are not allowed to go inside the hotel room. They obviously should call the room attendant to speed up the work to do it if it’s really urgent. The director or the writer should already know it because it’s just common sense unless they didn’t done a proper research before conducting it, even a not hotelier already know it lol. I find it cliche, but I’ll still try to continue watching it because I love the actors 🙂
I agree as a layperson commonsense would have told you that the reception would not be able to leave their area ✋️
I question the two well-established actors too; why do this drama in this way if it felt safe and cliche. You would think they would want to push their obvs abilities and keep their dignity .. hmmm interestiled to know the thought process
I dropped this drama around episode 3, too cliched. Surprised that Jun-Ho chose this type of drama after his huge success in The Red Sleeve. Maybe he needed the money, lol. No, seriously you were right in that our expectations were probably too high.