When I started watching "Mr. Queen", I had no idea how popular it was or why it was so beloved. That turned out to be a good thing - the only expectation I had going in was good comedy. And wow, did it deliver on that front!

Besides the humour which was completely to my tastes - physical over verbal, great comedic timing and perfectly balanced with drama - the acting was what shined in my eyes. Shin Hye Sun was the star of the show. She had impeccable chemistry with her co-stars and wasn't afraid to emote with her face. In fact, I would go as far as to say that she was the sole lead of the drama, and every other character just bounced off her. Kim Jung Hyun was also a perfect fit for the role of the king who pretends to be foolish, but for the life of me, I could never come to enjoy his performance 100%. Maybe it's just the character archetype I don't like, but I only liked his scenes with Shin Hye Sun's character(s).

The rest of the cast was amazing and delivered engaging relationship sub-plots - be it Director Hong and Kim Hwan's hilarious friendship, Court Lady Choi and Head Chief's budding romance, or Hwa Jin and Yeongpyeong's angsty courtship. These six characters, paired and alone, helped me get through the latter episodes without falling asleep. I was about to give up on Hwa Jin as a likeable character, but writers seemed to get it together in episode 15 (about time) and gave her much needed complexity.

As I near the end of my review, I also must talk about the ending of the drama, which is where most of my issues with plot and narrative choices stem from. Let's talk about the obvious first: So Yong returned to her own body in the most unsatisfying way. Bong Hwan was the one who survived in her place for months, the one who built the relationships with his servants and the King. And the writers try to cram in her character last second to claim the benefits? Yes, this was So Yong's body originally, but she was unfairly neglected - the lake incident was a suicide, her scream for help, and she was gracelessly shoved back into the world that abandoned her without getting time to heal. Also, writers, are you really trying to convince me no one would have noticed/cared that the Queen was acting completely differently? For goodness sake, her entire voice changed.

The most disappointing thing, though? It would've been so easy to get this right. The premise of the drama is soul-switching/time travel. What held them back from placing So Yong into Bong Hwan's body, too? We could've seen both of them growing together, learning from each other, and the plot would've been more engaging and more comedic. A queen from Joseon era travels into a man's body and has to solve a crime he is accused of? Yes, please!

Sorry for the long review! After all my complaining I want to reiterate that "Mr. Queen" is an astounding drama with wonderful comedy and romance, and it did give a pleasing conclusion to all its side characters and sub-plots.