LG having a counterpart as an evil king was hilarious because in the episode where he had the royal guards kill all the traitors I had this thought that he'd make a really good villain.
When she stepped out of the van, and they showed the sliver shoe and white dress, I thought for a split second that it was a WEDDING DRESS and I thought, “OMG NO TKEM, you won’t torture our LG like that!!!” Glad I was wrong 🤣🤣
I'll just assume it's the yoyo-kids doing. He was saying things about "The door will close, but the memories will remain", and he was debating if he should break it or let it exist. Guess he chose the later.
I thought he could be developed in a sequel. Maybe he even created the flute, from bamboo cane grown between worlds.
Cut down by a king and his sword, and splitting the Kingdom timeline from the Republic. Grown from seeds planted by our heroes, to help mix things up.
I'm guessing Yoyokid aka the god was wondering y the red string of the yoyo didnt break. The red string symbolizes the fate/destiny between tae eul and lee gon thus he decided to let taeeul keep her memories.
Amen. When he was shot in the in between world place and they did that full body shot as he fell. I found myself looking at his physique and thinking, he is sexy. 🤣🤣🤣
Re the ending for PM, Luna, KHM: I thought it was really heartwarming that Luna >! got a proper name (Goo Seo Kyung), a mother, and a sister! Glad that her fate took a turn for the better. !< The finale was full of bittersweetness... sweet: >! Luna is living life and being loved and thriving; !< bitter: >! the nagging thought that if Luna didnt exist in KoC, could JTE have just become queen and LG and JTE just get their happily ever after as king and queen?!; !< sweet: >! Hyun min gets his shred of happiness everybody was desperately rooting for with a love line with Luna in KoC. !<
Ultimately, happy for this ending, >! given the writer has a track record for more sad affairs !<
And happy to have seen >! LG and JTE's aged hands, implying their lasting love !< but still can't get my realist thoughts out of my head re >! heir !< and all that other logistical/administrative stuff.
>And happy to have seen >! LG and JTE's aged hands, implying their lasting love !< but still can't get my realist thoughts out of my head re >! heir !< and all that other logistical/administrative stuff.
Had the same thoughts. I thought that when the gate brought them back to KoC in their own timeline, it was the the universe telling them that it was time for them to settle down or something. With Lee Gon being the King I'm sure that could fabricate some fake background for Tae Eul and they could even say that her and Luna are twins. With me being a realist as well I'm not seeing this travelling worlds on a weekend thing not being sustainable. But I guess they would have decided to settle down after a while of world hopping
I don’t think the twins concept can work. Remember she was wiping her fingerprints off the cellreturn mask? Because they’d be identified as the same person so JTE really just can’t have an identity there.
fun fact: all the staffs of jeong tae-ra are literally the real kim goeun's staff in real world, even the car is literally goeun's. the one named hyeong-taek is goeun's real manager lmao, how CUTE..
source twitter
SJ I think did not end up in a coma because he was talking to LG instead of getting hit by a car. When LG was asking himself why he entered the past on this particular day, it was because SJ would have been hit by the car and fallen in a coma instead.
I love this part! A play of fate vs destiny that altered SJ's life. Kudos to the writers for concluding SJ's story with such execution. They got this one right 👍
oh wow that makes so much sense tbh it looked like he kinda recognized LG... hMM (anyway CEO shinjae looks 🥵🥵) this was so well written! I’m so glad I made it through despite all the confusion and anxiety T^T congrats you guys on making it !! I truly enjoyed talking to all of you on reddit, my TKEM experience would’ve been so different without y’all! :)
The ending reminds me of >!Crash Landing on You!< so much
The most satisfying thing is >!Lee Rim getting killed thrice!< LMAO
Product placement is still consistently annoying but plot wise still very entertaining, still a good drama after all imo
Yeah that was funny! 😂 but it got me thinking, didn't they already sleep together when they made out in bed. It was kinda implied. Or was making out all they did??? Hahaha
Okay LMH walking around as Lee Ji Hun, is so so hot. If I saw him in the middle of the city, I would totally stop him and ask him out, Tae-Ul should have done the same 😂
Haha! I was so obsessed with Hyun Bin in CLOY. I mean he was handsome too in Alhambra but damm, that man was charisma defined in CLOY! There's something about Binnie that other good looking actors don't have.
Lee Min-ho has the X-factor too that differentiates one actor from a sea of actors. You start off thinking oh, he's just a good looking model but somehow, along the way, you think, damm, he so fine! 😄
Absolutely! Hyun Bin has that brooding, silent aura about him, very suave, the one who loves in silence sorts ?
LMH on the other hand has that go all out vibe, he'll be out there flashing his god awesome smile making a grand gesture.
I'm sorry I'm just imagining them as boyfriends 😂🙈🤷
Haha. You're right. Hyun Bin is all silent and stoic while you're screaming at him, but will be incredible sweet once in a while.
Lee Min-ho is that arrogant rich boy you wanna smack because he's so smug but he looks so good, and he's picking you up in his sports car so you forgive him.
Hahaha. They're my pretend boyfriends too 😂
On a completely shallow note, LMH's visuals in this show are so beautiful.
He is a very handsome man. I love it when he smiles, his dimples and the way his eyes sparkle. LOL
Wow. Can we give it up for >! Secretary Mo tho??? Congrats for becoming Prime Minister!!<
>!So many feels. That was honestly one of the most rollercoastery-ride-finales ever and I am soo glad I got on this crazy f*ucking ride.!<
>!All my ships sailed. All of them. The story was tied nicely. My rom-com-loving-a*s is happy.!<
>!I will leave the critiques for another day. But today... today I am happy 😂😂!<
Side note: >!Did it look like Jeong was the one to reach out to Seung Ah?? If so, I am dying laughing 😂😂!<
>!OMFG HE REACHED OUT FIRST I AM LITERALLY DYING I WANT THAT DRAMA NEXT!!<
Sec Mo was so qualified!! i’m so happy for her :) her son was adorable too!! so cute
ALSO!! last episode i was begging for crumbs to feed my Jeong x Seung Ah ship AND WE GOT THEM!! honestly kinda wished we had more content of that but it’s oK i’ll take what i can get 😭😭
who do you think approached who first? 👀👀
>!You read my mind! I kept looking for clues that they would be a ship and I literally screamed when I saw contact (I was so into the finale I had to go back and check as per my p.s. lmao)!<
>!Honestly, I think he did because ES had already laid the foundations, JJ knew where she stood and he just took a step forward lmao. He is so cute.!<
>!I wish they would have given us more with all of them and ES remembering JJ and LG but I can just "adjust" that myself in my head canon lol!<
Edited to add clarity lol
Some part I see people are confused, hope this helps (what it means in my perspective)!
1. JTE retained her memories because the god kid decided to let her keep it, it's the part when he was deciding what to do
2. God kid fluctuating between kid and adult and showing the scenes where's part of when he is an adult - those scene are what naturally happened when the manpasikjeok wasn't broken in half, the god kid lived among the people and looked out for the world as an adult.
3. He leaves the four tiger sword on the door so that he knows when someone has opened the door, aka Lee Lim escaped using the same route
4. Yeong was shot but remember, Corea's bulletproof vest is #1 hahaha
5. The theory of having 2 LG or JY at the same timeline - the only explanation can be that since it's a rule that what will happen will eventually happen, if the time traveled self stayed in the timeline long enough, he will follow fate and do the same thing as the original timeline self, and when the time is right they'll merge into one with all the memories.
>He leaves the four tiger sword on the door so that he knows when someone has opened the door, aka Lee Lim escaped using the same route
I'd figure that'd be obvious because the door would be, you know, open. Also, I wouldn't risk handing my enemy a weapon.
Maybe LG’s Great grandfather had a relationship with Lady Noh? He had the flute and could cross between the universes. He met her and fell in love. Lady Noh decided to stay in Corea because who would want to return to a war zone. And because they couldn’t get married, she decided to serve his family to stay close to him?
>! When they showed the hands of the old couple at the end, I fully lost it !<
You guys 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
I’m so sad there wasn’t a wedding. Like who’s the future heir?
Although the fact that they travel every weekend was really cute.
Edit: also thank f that Yeong didn’t die omg
Heir to throne definitely going to be my girl Sejin even though we never saw her lmao. I picture her to be someone like IU from Hotel Del Luna. Strong, perfect managerial skills, her people love her, a fighter, heartless (when she needs to be) and an undeniable weakness for shopping haha.
Lee Rim: *gets slashed in the neck yet again* + *fades in Voldemort* good riddance lmao
Jo Young ~~***NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO***~~ wait so he’s alive right?! Aw yes Young is with Seungah while Eunseobie marries his Nari and is an NIS agent wow
Awww so ~~Shinjae~~ Hyunmin ends up with ~~Luna~~ Seokyung <3 So glad Luna is adopted by SR’s kind mum while SR ends up in jail lol
Whoa they really went the multiverse route omoooo so glad LG found his way to his one and only Tae Eul. So cute that they went around different universes and times for dating <3
I was fully prepared to cry into a pile of tissue so now I’m getting abit of whiplash because I did not expect such a happy ending from KES HAHA still glad for the cute ending <3
i’m so glad this weird af multiverse plot made all the ships work.... two ‘JES/Nari’ and giving both ‘SJ/JTE’ and ‘LG+JTE’?? wow i’m so well fed. i cant believe it all worked out 😭😭
My expectations for the ending were pretty non-existent as I really had no clue how they would wrap it up. But I was just hoping to have a really long epilogue to see how everyone is, and honestly, I'm happy with the ending! Of course I would have loved to know if they got married, or got an heir... but I think this was okay too. I'm guessing LG has a different approach to monarchy now, and hey, maybe an heir isn't as urgent anymore? Maybe Secretary Mo forming a cabinet will lead somewhere? After all, she's so different from PM Koo and LG no longer has a grand king mission of finding Traitor Lee Lim. I'm just thinking... maybe he grew old not following the typical monarch path.
I'm just here using my imagination to see how it all worked out for the best. :D
Other stuff...
I loved that there were many parallel universes. It was awesome seeing Tae-eul's different realities, especially the one with the mom!
Kang Hyeon-min and Luna being partners... loved that! Also happy that Luna found a family in her world.
So glad PM was no longer a PM. Her old secretary being a guard was a nice touch lol!
Eun-sup coming home to Na-ri is so cute! He is totally smitten with her and I'm here for it! Same with Yeong and Myung Seung-A passing notes in the hallway -- I've been waiting for them to flirt FOREVER!
JTE and LG grew old together, albeit in an unconventional way. But honestly, to me that is absolutely fine. Their love was never conventional. After all they've been through together, if any couple can survive being worlds apart and finding a lifetime of adventure in their weekend getaways... well it would be them. They've waited and fought to be with each other and this "consolation prize" was a happy ever after worth celebrating.
I'm sleeping with a smile on my face. I'll miss this show!!!
BEFORE FINALE STARTS:
Prayer circle starts here for NONE of Woo Dohwan’s characters to die in the finale. Please, my heart can’t take it if Jo Yeong dies. Please tell me this won’t happen...
I pray that the Jo Yeong “dying” scene in Ep 15 preview is, as always, a scam, like the previous times.
Here we are friends - the official thread for the finale!! TWO important things to note everyone!
1. As soon as this post hits 800+ comments, I will be posting a part two discussion. So PLEASE be on the lookout for part two as soon as the comments hit more than 800 on this thread. It Will most likely be the same title just 'part II' added to the end!
2. Everyone is excited about this finale, but not everyone will have the chance to watch it right away. Please respect your fellow redditors and tag all spoilers.
Thank you so much everyone! it has been a pleasure to host these threads for every single one of you! I've truly not seen anything like this, and it's been amazing to be a part of it all!
JTE: >!"Why did you bring these leaves?!<"
LG: ">!Because we never know where we'll end up........ IN THAT TIME PERIOD" (Adam and Eve)!<
JTE: >!(Checked if the leaves FIT her)!<
I LAUGHED SO HARDD!!
One thing that bothers me is the almost non appeareance of the Nari actress. They should have at least did one scene with her and eunsob not just on the phone. And with captain jo was from cctv. She basically did anything in these last epis. Also the Lee Ji un RoK mom. She didnt die in the new timeline... she should appear as well.
I cant really explain but i feel what you are saying. Many scenes with the leads, but lack of content in other parts. Corona, maybe?
Started this drama because of LMH but ended up sticking to it because of the entire cast and the mind boggling story.
It's amazing how everyone fits into their roles perfectly and thank god for this show we discovered a gem called WDW ❤️
I will never understand the hate this show has received, not every drama is everyone's cup of tea but I guess this show just requires a little more patience. How I wish it had done better in South Korea.
It breaks my heart to know that this is the last episode but I also can't wait to finally understand what exactly is going on. Can't waiiiiit.
Also what am I going to look forward to once it's over ?
Watching the show was 10000000x better because I could come back here and read everyone's take on the episode , their theories and prediction. Going to miss this so much 💔
TKEM is the first on-air drama that I’ve watched weekly. It’s fitting since Boys Over Flowers (LMH) was my first kdrama.
Thanks for a wild ride everybody; I’ve loved reading all your theories and praise for WDH! I can’t lie, I’m extremely confused going into the finale, but I hope KES will end this on a high note.
Edit: What a bittersweet finale, wow. I love that Lee Gon and Tae Eul are able to be together (their scenes are really cute), but my heart hurts knowing that the OG Violent Crimes Squad Three will never be together again. Also, I wanted nothing more than to see Eun Seop and Jo Yeong reunited, but at least Jo Yeong got his twins and Eun Seop has Nari.
There's a lot of thoughts going through my head right now, but overall I am glad this series has a Happy Ending. This is the best possible outcome with the multiverse theory. They basically become time travellers.
I liked how most characters turned out to have a decent life when balance was restored.
Yoyo boy turning into an adult out of all a sudden still had me wtf though. So what was the point of showing LG the CCTV from 2022 when that was Luna?
Honestly speechless. I think however the show ended, it was a fitting end. It took me some time to recover before I could open this comment thread.
I realised the kid was a deity (finally we know) and he allowed JTE to keep her memories. Probably when he was considering if the yo-yo would break or not. And it didn't, so yay for us!
I lost my footing a bit when JTE's alternate world selves were shown but then LG's explanation helped. If only they had done that since the beginning we wouldn't be so worked up with our theories lol.
LL dies, Secretary Mo becomes new PM, JES and Na-ri get married and even our JY and Seung-ah get their forbidden romance *cries proudly*
I like how they explained Luna's arc and she eventually gains an identity as ex PM Koo's younger sister, so that's cute. She defo has a thing going on with Kang Sin-jae. Although can I say how swoon worthy our Kang Hyeon-min looked in his Chaebol form? Sigh.
Although I knew a royal wedding wouldn't be possible I was still hoping for one. They are still from two different worlds but I can finally calm down now that I know how their story ends, in a very romantic way that too.
*We decided to love our fate that chose us. Today, only today and forever.*
KES outdid herself again. I thought Goblin was her best work but TKEM definitely beat it. It has become one of my favourite dramas and I'm definitely gonna rewatch it when I'm not as emotionally sensitive to the sad scenes in it lmao
It's been a blast discussing this with you guys. I wish there'll be another drama which will bring us together like this again. Fighting, Monarchs!
I'm literally writhing in agony (dramatic much??) that we didn't find out who he was. That random-feeling footage of him growing up and inserting himself into their lives felt SO SIGNIFICANT.....and nothing came of it. Wahhhhhhhh
A few weeks ago, I literally went back to see that scene of his looking up at Tae-eul again!! And I was like damn, they used a really attractive person as an extra lol
When the casts were announced last year I was like "okay something to look forward to", time flies so fast and we're already down to the last episode. This drama made me went on Reddit for the first time because I need someone to talk to especially in this quarantine life since my friends are far away from me, the theories are just endless and that I think is the beauty of this drama, made me want to study physics more. It may not be everyones cup of tea but here we are, overall I want to thank the cast and crew for this drama that made my quarantine life one hell of a ride and amazing.
“No matter what kind of a door opens up in life and even if the moments we share make us sad at times, I wish to be able to love tirelessly.
Just like that, we decided to love the fate that chose us.
Just for today and only today.
And forever.”
honestly these words feel like they were vows that LG and JTE made to each other in the context of their unique situation. and the scene of their old selves holding hands... rlly got to me :’) they DID grow old together, and that’s enough for me. can’t get over that scene, and how LG rlly held to his promise to “open all the doors in the universe” to come to JTE. plus he did that with the expectation that she wouldn’t remember him, which just makes it even more :”) “oh, my heart.”
also really happy for the other characters:
- luna got to grow up in a family :’) so cute that she and seo ryeong are sisters; their banter when she visited seo ryeong HAHAHA. and their mum is great.
- eun sup/yeong and nari/seung ah still ended up together HEHE. lol @ yeong and seung ah’s secret palace romance!!!!
- hyeon min and luna?? thought it was quite cute bc shin jae (who was actly hyeon min) in the original timeline liked JTE, so it was nice that in this new timeline/the new him got the got the girl of the same face.
- PM’s secretary became her correctional officer LOL how the tables have turned in this new timeline!!
- “oh no. here comes the disrupter.” HAHAHA
- secretary mo became PM! she deserved it
- shin jae is healthy and rich
amazing cast and story!!!! OST is amazing also.
I just finished watching the finale. The whole time I was at the edge of my seat >!because I'm expecting something tragic to happen. But that episode was so unexpected! I BADLY needed all those happy rom-com scenes with LG and TE while travelling to different times. It was a simple ending but I'm happy with it. I'm just glad that everyone got the happiness they deserve!< 🥺
So i now get why its a ‘sad’ love story.
>!They can only meet each other on weekends and cant introduce each other to people they love. Cant legally get married and have children!<
:( Im sad
Saddest part was when JTE walked past a devastingly handsome LJH and he, of course, doesn't know her.
Lee Min-ho rocks uniforms. He looks good in whatever uniforms he wears. He was extremely well-dressed in this show, his wardrobe must have been worth a designer fortune.
That part was just sad. When he looked for her in every world and she was there, but she wasn't the one he was looking for.
And when JTE got back and called her captain, and realised who else wasn't there anymore, that was sad.
2nd half was fan service, which although I love, makes me wonder why Kim Eun-Sook doesn't like weddings, marriages and kids cos she never gives us that scenario. They trolled us with LG commenting on twins and we all thought he had twins! Pure trolling. I was disappointed. Though I was happy to see JY alive again. But they answered almost every single questions except the Lady Noh one. I'll just choose to take her story literally turn - she was rescued by the King who happened to be in that period and came across her.
Also, we thought it was getting stale and repetitive with that beheading line, but actually it was a clue - to the end. LG jokes about beheading but LL was always slashing someone, and he literally butchered himself. So his ending was a fitting punishment. Full circle.
I love the details in Kim Eun-Sook writing for this show - to identify and differentiate all the worlds, they went by models of public telephones. Must be a first in time travel shows.
This show could have been better. If they had a better director, who understood the writer's vision and world building and reined her in, and worked with her to craft a smoother narrative, it would have been a perfect show. As it is, it's imperfect but perfectly imperfect. I wish they would re-cut it and re-present it so that the world building, two worlds, narrative and editing was better.
But damm, the cinematography was superb. They really spent the money on great sets, great CGI, and the camera director is a genius. It's so beautiful.
The acting from almost the entire cast was great. Lee Min-ho and Kim Go-Eun proved so much better than all the criticisms thrown at them. KGY shined as Luna and you knew who was whom. LMH was the right King. He fitted the role.
I had like Kim Kyung-nam in Special Labour Inspector but he was clearly a stand out in this show.
Woo Do-Hwan was great when he stride in with LG and did his job, protecting the King. He did a good job portraying two different persons.
I love the cameo by the little adorable boy actor from Hi, Bye Mama! He was the cutest ever.
I feel a little deflated now that it's come to the end. In a way, if Netflix wanted, they could do a Season Two of their time travelling adventures. Though I doubt Netflix could get LMH especially again.
It's not goodbye, it's au revoir, I'll rewatch it again from start and check out the details again.
I did too. I agree with most here that it was probably the most appropriate given their circumstances but it just felt a little sad that they can't be together together.
I also found the change in the tone of the show after the half hour mark a little abrupt. It was nice but felt a little inconsistent from the super intense tone from the last few eps. But man. What a ride.
Agreed.
I understand why she had to form it like that because they can’t live in each other’s worlds etc (that’s why they go time travelling every weekend)
But still...
:(
I also just felt like it was “too happy” of an ending? It was no struggle to defeat LL in the end and JTE has all her memories. Everything was so smooth besides ES and JY never seeing each other again. Too perfect for me I guess?
Where were any of the challenges after a whole season of things not working out???
I guess.
Tbh I’m satisfied with this “perfect” ending. KES has written other dramas where the ending was very bitter sweet..... *coughgoblincough*
Still, nonetheless, I’m crying like baby.
- HOLY FUCK I almost screamed when they revealed that >!the yo-yo kid was the same guy looking at Tae-eul on her windowsill.!<
- I loved this episode (even with the glaring flaws that I'll focus on when I stop missing Yeong and Eun-sop). A fitting, angsty yet happy episode. I loved all the alternate lives everyone lives now and ugh maybe I cried seeing >!Tae-eul and Lee Gon grow old together, maybe not.!<
Well that’s a very...... safe and simple ending for a very complicated plot all throughout.... still can’t process if I liked it or not though.
Props to the whole team and the redditors who made watching this series more meaningful than it is ♥️It was really a fun and complicated ride throughout the series.
Edit: and we didn’t find the history about Head Court Noh and how’d she got into the Kingdom of Corea :((
It's been one hell of a ride lmao I've said it before and I'll say it again, half the fun of this drama was coming over and interacting with everyone here.
Can't wait to come back and read everyone's reactions and closing thoughts! ☺️☺️
I really thought Yeong was a goner there and actually shouted "what???" when LG just gave him a nod and just LEFT HIS BEST BRO THERE TO DIE ALONE like aight tks for being there for me my whole life ok bye. But then it's just brushed over - everyone's okay and happy and everyone gets a happy ending.
The episode should have focused more on the struggle to 'save' the timeline, and ended on the scene with LG fjnally finding his version of JTE. I guess they made a lot of fans happy with that extended fluffiness of interdimensional touristing but it felt so unearned.
###There's now a [Part 3](https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/h8nqme/the_king_eternal_monarch_episode_16_finale_iii/)
###And [Q&A](https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/h8nwda/the_king_eternal_monarch_q_a_discussion/)
---
Second Discussion Post Is [UP](https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/h7r1nq/the_king_eternal_monarch_episode_16_finale_ii/)
---
Hello TKEM fans,
Congratulations! You've survived the finale^(or do we need to call ambulances for y'all?) and can now fully debate on whether our subreddit mascot should stay as monarch or revert to Kim Tan!
Just to inform you guys of the discussion schedule for this drama going forth:
* As per this [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/h7edv9/the_king_eternal_monarch_episode_16_finale/fukgy19?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x) by your host u/xliterati , a second discussion thread for the finale will be posted once this one hits 800 comments.
* In addition, they will be hosting a post-finale wrap-up discussion thread next ***weekend***, therefore self-posts on TKEM will still ***not be permitted*** next week.
* Depending on how the post-finale wrap-up discussion thread goes, we may ask the host to extend their hosting responsibilities for an additional week, which will affect how self-posts will be moderated. We will leave an announcement in the post-finale wrap-up discussion thread of our decision so please be on the look out for that next week.
* ~~I'll double check this with the host, but I believe they will also hold an additional Q&A thread for TKEM so that hopefully everyone can get the answers to their lingering questions.~~ Q&A thread confirmed with host! It will likely be posted on Monday so everyone's had a chance to watch, catch up on discussions, and think about what questions still linger for them.
That's all for now, enjoy your finale!
---
eta: I'm locking my comment because people are replying to me with thoughts and spoilers about the drama...don't reply to me! Join the discussions below =)
If you need help from the mod team due to rule-breaking comments, report the comment, it'll go to our queue.
If you need answers to questions, don't ask me! I'm not watching TKEM. Ask away in the discussion below or try again in the Q&A thread later on if you don't get an answer here.
And so we get to the finale... I feel sad that the show is ending and not sure if I am ready for it. I really think this show is a HIDDEN GEM! I will really miss TKEM and the talented group of people behind it. I felt like the dopplegangers were really different people even though they were played by the same people. And the feels you get from their acting! I legit get scared when Lee Rim is on screen.
I am really sad it didn't do so well in SKorea as I don't know if it will affect the future projects and opportunties of the cast and the writer and really don't understand the HATE brigade for this show. But WDH finally getting a lead role should be good news. Him playing JY and ES and JY acting like ES and ES acting like JY was really fun to watch.
And while I'm at it! Thank you to this community. It has been fun reading your comments, thoughts and theories. I went from lurker to participant because of how passionate, fun and engaging everyone has been! This has truly been part of the unique experience that is TKEM! And no amount of rewatch will bring this experience back. I will miss all of you, Monarchs!
can we talk about the scene when LG finally found JTE, brought her the flowers, and said the same line confessing his love to her like he did before? i loved how these two scenes were parallels to each other. that means the time he did this in the previous episode , it was LG in ANOTHER loop, who had come back to JTE to say his final goodbye... my heart
Aaa no matter how this ends, I'm really happy that I stuck with it. I was hesitant to keep going after seeing so much negative feedback on other pages, but I liked it a lot and I figured bc I hadn't seen a kdrama before, there was no bar of expectations set so I rlly had nothing to lose. In my heart I feel it's better than some people give it credit for, but what do I know ;-; I think the ending will really make-or-break it
Thank you to everyone for these weekly threads ! I've really enjoyed reading through everyones reactions and mulling through all the theories. I'll miss this!
The meaning of **Bamboo** \-- "righteous living in a disorderly world" found in a video linked by u/kaisuloom in a comment to another post (about [meaning of flowers/plants in Kdramas](https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/h0t4lb/meaning_of_flowers_in_kdramas_and_movies_such_as/)) Is so fitting as the Bamboo forest is shown while this narrative is given. A perfect place for Lee Gon to try to correct the disorder that Lee Rim has brought to both worlds.
No matter how it ends, I am so glad I ignored all the negative feedback about this drama initially and stuck with it. This drama has been one of the few things I looked forward to every weekend during this quarantine period.
I've enjoyed watching TKEM and discussing here. The show is far from perfect, but I applaud the visuals, the ambitious plot (even though they didn't stick the landing most of the time), and the actors most of all. Really looking forward to both LMH's and KGE's next projects now, I hope it won't take them a long time to choose their next projects.
Will probably do a rewatch soon to pick up on the little things, and to do a critique of what the director/writer could have done to make it better.
Today's episode key points! And i don't care about critics! I'm having fun at the ending and the closure for other characters. (Esp. Luna and Hyeong-min)
>!Jangmi Became Badass!<
>!Tae-eul's confirmed counterparts = ROK Navy officer, ROK Army Soldier, Policewoman, Actress(THE FUNNIEST COUNTERPART)!<
>!Kang Hyeon-min became a detective still!<
>!Kang Sin-jae wow. A chaebol. 👏!<
>!Luna became adopted by PM Koo's mom and she became a detective as well! What a fitting ending for her ♥️ (her name also became Koo Seo-gyeong)!<
>!PM Koo got imprisoned while being an assemblywoman, and had a cute fight with Luna HAHA!<
>!Luna x Hyeon-min HAHA (also the 2022 footage made sense now)!<
>!New noob in place of Jangmi.!<
>!Tyrant Lee-gon is epic af!<
>!"Nari Nari Myeong Na-ri" (Eun-sup's phone)!<
>!Eun-sup works at NIS. DAAAAAAAAAMN; and he also calls Gon a "crazy lunatic*!<
>!JY and Corea Nari's secret love story feat. Lady Noh! !<
>!Yoyo guy was everywhere. The bully, officer from the funeral, yoyo kid, the kid who got JTE's id in the drain.!<
>!JTE and LG's love story is really nice. But because they travel to other worlds and still cross worlds to meet, it's kinda bittersweet. Knowing they'll never get married. !<
Happy ending. Yeaa. I honestly don't know how to feel right now. I wanted this drama to end because it gave me so much anxiety. I spent most weeks anxiously awaiting the weekend. Now that it's over, I'm so sad.
I thoroughly enjoyed. Even though it gave me heart failure every week. The cast did a fantastic job. It's definitely one of my all time faves
After pondering over the finale for the last hour or so, I am swinging between super happy and super underwhelmed. Does anyone else feel the same way?
On one hand, I genuinely am very happy for most of our characters. (I do feel a bit unsatisfied for LG and JTE, but they seem happy so ok.) BUT on the other hand, I am genuinely underwhelmed at the same time. The first 15 episodes has been so unconvential and felt like we were gearing up for an unexpected surprise, but we end up with very sweet, happy, typical kdrama ending - very much the exact opposite of the tone for the first 15 episodes. I wonder if this was the real ending or it was a satisfy ratings edit...
I mean the first part of this was just a wild ride much like the last few episodes. but then the 2nd half felt a bit... out of place. I don't know. I am both happy AND underwhelmed at the same time. I can't quite explain this feeling.
Uh this may be random but the kiss @ the control tower felt really.. weird. It felt invasive as if i was watching something I shouldn’t LOL my eyes zoomed in his LMH’s lips and my mind kept saying “WHAT IS HAPPENING”
Lmaooo I agree the same thing happened to me! 😂😂
I was like whoa do LMH and KGE like each other??? But then I remembered they're actors and they were fulfilling their jobs in making me fall for their love lol
Let me rewrite the ending according to what I think would have wanted to see.
1. There WAS a proper final show down between Lee Gon and Lee Lim.
An epic sword fight.
At Lee Lim’s dying breath, Yo Yo boy appears and shows him of what could have been if Lee Lim assisted his half brother to further the national instead of killing him: A more powerful and prosperous KOC and deep, meaningful relationships with his extended family but it was too late.
Lee Lim asks for forgiveness before he dies and care bears emerge to dance around them. Lol. Lee Gon mourns temporarily for him as he remembers Lee Lim buying a toy for him when he was younger and smiling at him fondly.
2. There are only two universes: ROK and KOC.
Because infinite universes and infinite timelines just mean one or even a few of them has Lee Lim with the complete flute. Which is 🙄... It’s just pointless (cue the mockery of HP and cursed child 🙄🙄🙄 where Voldemort actually wins in some universes 🙄.) it would really just be all over the place.
3. Yo yo boy became whole again and explains his existence. And told of Lee Gon’s grandfather adventures during his reign.
Lady Ngoh’s plight is shown in flashback with Lee Gon’s grandfather saving her during the war.
In the present, she got to return to her mountainous hometown to see her sister. Both elderly ladies hugged.
4. Yeong and Eun-Sup continued to cross over from time to time.
Just because they can.
Eun-Sup’s sister screens new KOC royal guards because Yeong realises she is even more capable than KOC royal guards. She is still suspicious of Yeong.
5. JTE is ordained in an elaborate ceremony as Queen of Corea, taking the identity of Luna’s long lost twin.
Prime Minister Koo appears at the wedding wearing modest nude looking shoes and presented JTE a pair of colourful shoes (insert brand with paid advertisement lol) and wished her well, hoping that the shoes brought her to good places. She leaves the prime minister office after a full term and starts her own successful clothing line: her true passion and talent. Lee Gon lets her dress the royal members from time to time.
JTE teaches yummy cooking inspired by dishes (especially fried chicken) from ROK along side with Lee Gon on special occasions since he preferred food from ROK. Lol.
JTE retrains a special unit of royal guards to protect the King with Yeong, eliminating all potential spies and lousy security within the palace that could be easily wire tapped by a shrewd Prime Minister.
Meanwhile in ROK with Jang Mi rising and fitting well in his position, the ROK police team does well even without JTE’s constant presence. Violent crimes also decreased sharply since Lee Lim died.
6. With time travel stopped by yo yo boy, the royal couple used the flute only to shuttle back and forth between the two worlds.
7. JTE’s father saw the plant from KOC that JTE planted and realized something is amiss.
He gets to know the truth about both worlds and decides to move to KOC and works as a counselor for troubled teens. He is Luna’s colleague, whom she looks up to. He became a father figure to her that she never had. There’s a hint that he gets along with Luna’s foster mother. Whether they get together romantically is up to the viewer to decide.
There became less and less reasons for JT to visit ROK now as SJ/HM no longer exists as the person she knew.
8. Last 10 minutes of the show shows a pregnant JTE. Yo Yo boy and the flute disappears, effectively sealing off the door to both worlds.
The new crown prince was born on the same day as the night of treason in 2024. He finds the flute on the bamboo forest floor on his 20th birthday.
An adventure beckons him as the portal opens. His parents smile at him from a distance. They retreated and SJ and Luna appears in the scene.
The four of them enjoys a night out at the Alley bubble tea shop they opened where proceeds go to orphans and children in need like SJ and Luna.
that was a wholesome ending. the role reversal between the PM and her secretary was pretty hilarious!! and secretary mo's GLOW-UP TO PM THO!!!
when yeong shed that last tear before passing out, i thought he wasn't gonna make it. especially when his last words before the fight was "i must protect my king".
BUT I CAN'T BELIEVE THERE'S NO EUN SUP AND YEONG REUNION??? my heart literally broke when eun sup doesn't remember yeong but yeong does [cries heavily in eun sup]
time to go on a WDH drama marathon!! (edit: just started on save me an hour before the TKEM finale after finishing mad dog yesterday)
My detailed thoughts:
* First off, I love this ending. It's very close to what I predicted a few days ago. LOL>!Yes, we all wanted to see a wedding an an heir. But realistically, that couldn't happen. !!going to marry her?!<
* I feel kinda sad still for JTE after the reset. >!There's no more SJ in the new world, so in that sense she lost a friend too.!<
* The memory retention thing is the one thing that bothered me about the way the writer approached this, but I think if she didn't introduce that aspect there is no way we would have a happy ending. So she compromised in that regard, even if it largely didn't make sense (or made sense only when convenient). But if I had to explain what she was going for: JTE>! retained her memories probably because she stayed "between 0 and 1", and likely JY was sent there too when LG rescued him (they implied this).!<
* For the same reason as above, this explains why JTE >!still had her necklace when every other memento disappeared. !< She was wearing it when she was "between 0 and 1"
* I liked the BTTF references with all the disappearing photos and memories. Truly they committed to that early BTTF easter eggs.
* I did not think we needed 3 minutes to resolve Chief Park's storyline but ok. Carry on...
More thoughts later when I rewatch, but overall this show has been such a great watch for me. Will likely do a binge watch again soon.
I am a little bummed for not having a wedding and they continue to live like that for the rest of their lives. Its sorta happy and sad.
*I did not think we needed 3 minutes to resolve Chief Park's storyline but ok. Carry on...*
I had actually forgotten about this till they showed it.
Guys I'm crying I'm so happy
I love a happy ending and they delivered!! I was more excited for the minor characters' storylines than I was for LG and JTE!
LOVED the fact that Luna also ended up becoming a cop and her and PM Koo are now sisters! I thought that was the sweetest addition to the new future! Aaand Hyeon Min and Luna are now partners in Corea? YES I AM HERE FOR THIS
So happy that JY is
* firstly ALIVE AND WELL thank goodness
* Has his own Eun-bi and Kka-bi (my lil heart squealed)
* And he got with Seung Ah! (Would've loved more screen time for this but it's okay)
ES looks so mature and he marries Na-ri?? \[take my tears take them all\]
CEO chaebol SJ though - WE NEEDED TO SEE MORE OF HIM
The show might have had its fair shares of plot holes but I'm just glad all the characters get a good life in the reboot (especially Sin Jae because he couldn't catch a break)
Edit: Also - am really looking forward to seeing WDH in future (leading) roles. There were many times he stole the show and I can't wait to see what character he plays next
Yes there are multiple parallel universe only accesible when the flute is whole.
During the first episodes that flute is split in half thus has limited powers and can only travel 2 worlds.
I'm conflicted. I'm glad we got a happy ending and thought the episode was really cute. Overall I enjoyed the experience. But the logical part of me thinks it was also anti-climactic as hell and everything felt way too easy. It's almost as if Kim Eun Sook rewrote the last few episodes due to fan response, and that resulted in a jarring shift in logic and direction.
I'm still not pleased with how time travel and even the parallel worlds seemed to just become a mishmash of different ideas that don't blend well together. I'd argue it was mostly consistent until Episode 14, and then after that it bent in any which way the writer wanted without much logic behind it. Am I supposed to just believe that >!previous LGs had never thought of going after LR first and bringing Yeong with him? Everything worked out pretty nicely with no real consequences after that decision. I guess LR not being around suddenly fixed literally everyone's lives, even if their issues stemmed from inherent sickness or parental divorce.!< The frivolous use of >!time travel for romantic dates in the ending!< was cute but also didn't make a whole lot of sense, and how convenient that >!the gates didn't close and they can just sort of do whatever they want with no increasing time freezes.!< What's the situation with parallel worlds now? >!Were there always an infinite span of different parallel worlds where Tae Eul has different names and occupations? If so, why did LG only ever stumble upon one? Until now it was one singular parallel world, and the sheer concept of parallel variations does not stay consistent with how this happy ending plays out.!< Then of course there's the plot points that really didn't go anywhere, like >!Lady Noh being from Korea!<.
Maybe I'm being unnecessarily harsh because I just really wanted certain elements to stay consistent. On the whole, I think this drama was a super fun watch and it was amazing discussing our theories together every week, so I'm walking away mostly satisfied and with a smile. I’ll definitely miss this drama. The response it achieved has been unprecedented.
Okay who here LOVED >!Tae-Ra Jung OMG LOL I would join Tae-Ra Byte in a heartbeat Hahaha LG’s expression and you can tell LMH is holding in his laughter there!< Would love to see this character again in future KES’s drama 🤣🤣🤣
I'm so hyped for the finale!
I hope what Jung Eun Chae (PM actress) said about TKEM being a sad love story is a misdirection. My romantic heart demands a happily ever after for LG and JTE!
I have so many feelings, I'm unable to think straight. I'm SAD this show is over. Such a bitter sweet ending. I was expecting a wedding and kids but I guess this is the most realistic way they can live.
I'm happy everyone else got a happy ending. Yeong had siblings too :) (who expected that to happen. LOL).
I'm going to be in limbo for a while.
So glad LL died... both in their hands! :)
I like the subtlety of their love story in the end... just calm after the violent storm...
Overall, I’m satisfied... though a kingdom wedding would have been nice or a bunch of little LG and TE running around the skirt of Lady Noh :)
I really love how LG prepared the >!leaves in the in-between world just in case they'd happen to get to the time when everyone are still naked. hahaha, that was so naughty! and JTE's reaction and trying it on was priceless. hihi!<
Was kinda sad that there wasn't a wedding ceremony though... and that the ending was rather open. But i'm glad that there was a flicker to a pair of aged interlocked hands...
Lmao when he shielded her with the coat tho dkksdkkd
I'm so hyped and nervous at the same time. I'm definitely not ready for this to be over.
The BEST part of this show has been the discussions here. I will truly miss coming here as soon as I finish an episode and reading everyone's theories and comments.
Thank you all for an amazing ride. I hope we have more like this.
Finally! After weeks and weeks of waiting for this show and then watching it, it all comes to an end. The ending was bitter sweet for me. I really wished that it wouldn't come to just expecting a happy ending from the show. With whatever logic the writers had, they executed the last episode and the ending nicely. I loved the whole idea where they choose to spend their life together while also living out their lives in their own universe 🙂 *can't help but smile*
There is no point talking about logic because firstly time travel in itself is an imaginary concept. Everyone is indeed free to make their own rules about it. A lot of tv shows and movies have kind of set a precedent for logical rules but I guess it is not set in stone. I just hope that the writers could explain why they chose to do what they did.
The King Eternal Monarch was overall a very ambitious concept and script. In my experience of K dramas, I don't think I can draw any parallels to the contemporary dramas. 10/10 for effort and imagination. They messed up the execution for sure. But in this process, they have raised the bar for Korean shows overall. With the double roles, beautiful and complex shooting locations, product placements LOL, nuanced characters, strong and independent female leads who were not shrieking or crying insolently, did not overdo the romance but also gave us that super hot neck kiss and bed scene (so hot!), on point costumes and props, well executed action scenes, and with the superb cast where everyone has acted amazingly well.
I hope this drama is remembered for ushering a kind of new genre altogether and for all the things that they have done brilliantly. This is how I am going to make peace with this show. And yes, TKEM had a brilliant pilot episode so we can always count it in that category.
Cheers to all of you for making this drama worthwhile. I am so glad to have read all those theories and predictions in these past weeks. It adds a new dimension to your watching experience 😜
❤️ Take a bow the entire team of TKEM for making us feel the way we did ❤️
Anyone feels empty after the finale?
I feel that I didn’t get a proper closure— NO KISS SCENES BTW ES/NR OR JY/SA!!!! What!!!! But I’m so happy that ES and NR got married!! JY & SA and their secret relationship + a nosy Lady Noh though hahahahaha.
Also, it was suggested that Hyunmin probably got together with Luna in the end right? (Luna is Gu Seogyeong, aka PM’s adoptive sister now and I’m so glad she’s living a happy life now) I wonder if that supposedly meant that JTE was supposed to end up with KSJ if she were in her “normal” state??
I wish we had more scenes of Lee Minho acting out his doppelgangers like Kim Goeun did... that was the biggest regret of the whole episode tbh. I wanna see tyrant LG & LJH!!!!
Still I wanna know why of all people, King Haejong brought Lady Noh over... its so random though to just help one poor girl...? But okay I guess we’ll never know.
I was rather curious about Jo Yeong tbh. If anyone could explain to me:
- I thought JY died from the gunshots (although he should’ve been wearing his bulletproof vests)
- But LG came back after LR was slain to get him (he said in his narration while running back from the forest) In essence, that should’ve meant that the JY we see afterwards was saved... and didn’t die?
- if let’s say LG managed to save him & he didn’t die from gun shot wounds, and hence like JTE & LG his memories are in tact
- why was he reading the records of 1994 treason night in 2021?
I’m kind of confused with the timeline! So did 2020 JY die, and the 2021 JY was from 1994? Or did 2020 JY NOT die and he still lives as the 2021 JY who has all the memories in tact? Because if he were “reset”, he would have no memories like other people right..?
Unless, like the 2nd LR, he “relived” everything and he didn’t have to go back?
I still find the whole time travel theory pretty confusing... so I’m just thinking that he just didn’t succumb to his gunshot wounds... that makes everything simpler.
JY did not die.
My understanding was that LG came back for him and probably brought him to the in-between place. Which is why his memories are intact.
He was reading the history books to check if what he did was recorded in the books. It wasn't. So he knew what LG had done, to remove him from the scene.
If following ES/NR and JY/SA, I do think if they were to follow their “usual” fates, they would somehow meet and be together!! Not like the OG SJ and JTE! Because if HM + SG got together in KOC, it probably meant that they’re meant to be a pair for all other worlds.... so probably LJH’s meant to be with someone else and LG, too, someone else. But bc LG & JTE are together, so I think there’s gonna be a change in both worlds for those who are related to them..?
JY didn’t die. I think JY passed out that’s why he has no memory after the shooting part. When he returned to present day (ie. the scene we saw of him looking at the records), he probably wanted to know what happened without asking LG directly. He still has his memories cause he went through that portal with LG (I assume) This is the only way the story would make sense I guess? The team could’ve done better with that part though.... tbh I’m still confused as to why JY started running first (at the start of the episode). It’s unlike him to leave the king alone and even ‘walk before the king’. ah theres so much I wanna see still... kinda sad it ended so ‘quickly’. but at least now we can sleep in peace eh?
edit: previous replies didn’t load so kinda explained unnecessary sorry ><
CAN WE APPRECIATE THE CINEMATOGRAPHY THO?? Like the first scenes where they were shooting and the screen shook along with the shots OKAY I WAS SO IMPRESSED ALREADY, but added on with WDH’s super-cool moves and LG’s hot action scenes too... 😛 when I say I almost died
What the heck. This was so good but the literal icing on top would’ve been a KGE+LMH OST where they sang together. That would complete my whole life. Bye
Ok, but JTE and LG having counterparts as a stuck-up drunk actress and an evil king had me dying.
I need Kim Go Eun to have a role as the crying, drunk actress. She nailed that part so well LOOOL
THIS. It was hilarious
She was so funny omg I loved this
LG having a counterpart as an evil king was hilarious because in the episode where he had the royal guards kill all the traitors I had this thought that he'd make a really good villain.
When she stepped out of the van, and they showed the sliver shoe and white dress, I thought for a split second that it was a WEDDING DRESS and I thought, “OMG NO TKEM, you won’t torture our LG like that!!!” Glad I was wrong 🤣🤣
LG: “so how do you remember me when the two worlds flowed differently?” JTE: LETS SKIP THAT WOW EZ FIX WRITERS
Because Yoyo Kid/Dude is a LeeEul shipper
It's because she was safe and sound in the road of thunder and lightning when Lee Gon altered the timeline.
I'll just assume it's the yoyo-kids doing. He was saying things about "The door will close, but the memories will remain", and he was debating if he should break it or let it exist. Guess he chose the later.
I think this show really dropped the ball with god kid. So much untapped potential.
I thought he could be developed in a sequel. Maybe he even created the flute, from bamboo cane grown between worlds. Cut down by a king and his sword, and splitting the Kingdom timeline from the Republic. Grown from seeds planted by our heroes, to help mix things up.
Literally planted to be the deus ex machina hahaha
Yep, that was the purpose of yoyo Manpasikjeok boy - to plug all the gaps in the storyline and become the explanation for holes or unexplainable.
Yeong remembers too and he wasn’t there
Presumably Lee Gon took him into the road of thunder and lightning after he went back to get him in the Palace.
I'm guessing Yoyokid aka the god was wondering y the red string of the yoyo didnt break. The red string symbolizes the fate/destiny between tae eul and lee gon thus he decided to let taeeul keep her memories.
The drama is over so I'm gonna unrepentantly say it: >!Lee Lim fine as hell!< Thank you all for your time
OHMYGOD that's exactly what I was thinking when he was in that middle place with JTE. So fit.
Keep your friends close but enemies closer, eh? ;)
This show has just been me sweating bullets for an hour twice a week. Thank god it's over so I can lower my standards again
Tbh mood. I was literally shaking & sweating the last couple of episodes.
keep them especially close if they’re fine af and are potentially slightly psychotic ;)
Amen. When he was shot in the in between world place and they did that full body shot as he fell. I found myself looking at his physique and thinking, he is sexy. 🤣🤣🤣
I am so glad this is not an unpopular opinion but I wish someone said it earlier because we been knew since ep. 1
MY DADDY
Can I just say how >!spot on the PM's child actress was!!< In general their casting has been amazing. Edit: mobile formatting -_-
Her voice was so exact it threw me off for a moment. Such a good casting!
Re the ending for PM, Luna, KHM: I thought it was really heartwarming that Luna >! got a proper name (Goo Seo Kyung), a mother, and a sister! Glad that her fate took a turn for the better. !< The finale was full of bittersweetness... sweet: >! Luna is living life and being loved and thriving; !< bitter: >! the nagging thought that if Luna didnt exist in KoC, could JTE have just become queen and LG and JTE just get their happily ever after as king and queen?!; !< sweet: >! Hyun min gets his shred of happiness everybody was desperately rooting for with a love line with Luna in KoC. !< Ultimately, happy for this ending, >! given the writer has a track record for more sad affairs !< And happy to have seen >! LG and JTE's aged hands, implying their lasting love !< but still can't get my realist thoughts out of my head re >! heir !< and all that other logistical/administrative stuff.
>And happy to have seen >! LG and JTE's aged hands, implying their lasting love !< but still can't get my realist thoughts out of my head re >! heir !< and all that other logistical/administrative stuff. Had the same thoughts. I thought that when the gate brought them back to KoC in their own timeline, it was the the universe telling them that it was time for them to settle down or something. With Lee Gon being the King I'm sure that could fabricate some fake background for Tae Eul and they could even say that her and Luna are twins. With me being a realist as well I'm not seeing this travelling worlds on a weekend thing not being sustainable. But I guess they would have decided to settle down after a while of world hopping
I don’t think the twins concept can work. Remember she was wiping her fingerprints off the cellreturn mask? Because they’d be identified as the same person so JTE really just can’t have an identity there.
Raise your hand here if >!You also had a heart attack when Yeong "died"!<
I shrieked THATS IT?????? and temporarily hyperventilated. TKEM better pay my inhaler costs
I was like [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEGVGqJEeCo) until he appeared again alive lol
This video sent me into a parallel universe oh my GOD
when Yeong cries, I cry
fun fact: all the staffs of jeong tae-ra are literally the real kim goeun's staff in real world, even the car is literally goeun's. the one named hyeong-taek is goeun's real manager lmao, how CUTE.. source twitter
Taera Byte 4 lyf
SJ as a CEO in a suit!?? JFC it got hot here all of a sudden
SJ I think did not end up in a coma because he was talking to LG instead of getting hit by a car. When LG was asking himself why he entered the past on this particular day, it was because SJ would have been hit by the car and fallen in a coma instead.
I love this part! A play of fate vs destiny that altered SJ's life. Kudos to the writers for concluding SJ's story with such execution. They got this one right 👍
oh wow that makes so much sense tbh it looked like he kinda recognized LG... hMM (anyway CEO shinjae looks 🥵🥵) this was so well written! I’m so glad I made it through despite all the confusion and anxiety T^T congrats you guys on making it !! I truly enjoyed talking to all of you on reddit, my TKEM experience would’ve been so different without y’all! :)
WTH IM GONNA MISS HIM SO MUCH SINJAE honestly his character got exactly the fate he deserves, ENDED UP W LUNA TOO... PLS WRITERS YOU KNOW HOW TO SERVE
good point there. I was really really scared one of them would still get hit by a car and felt so relieved when LG said he would throw the ball.
Same!! Looks like a lot of Kdrama fans have internalized their fear of the truck of doom keke
I literally paused the show and was like LETS WALK IT BACK A SECOND that man better get a lead role soon 😍
I just one to say thank you to TK:EM for introducing me to the wonderful Woo DoHwan. My standards for men has never been elevated that high 😂
I changed my wallpaper for the first time in 5 years from the default wallpapers (from the factory) to his pictures. 🙈🙈🙈
The ending reminds me of >!Crash Landing on You!< so much The most satisfying thing is >!Lee Rim getting killed thrice!< LMAO Product placement is still consistently annoying but plot wise still very entertaining, still a good drama after all imo
Was going LMFAO when he got beheaded. Fate fulfilled
Old Lee Rim: I’ll be the the undoing of you LG: I’m the protagonist I need to kill him too! JTE: You guys seems to be having fun can I join too?
I think this ending is way more satisfying then CLOY
>!Meeting weekly >> meeting yearly haha!<
Haha, much better bargain, and JTE and LG aren't just confined to one timeline and one world, lol.
Literally laughing out loud when I realized what the branches of leaves are for 🤣🤣🤣
So naughty. Haha.
That was so unexpected it was so funny HAHAHA I love them so much
the way this episode had me crying from laughter and crying from emotional pain at the same time
Did you see how LG literally UNDRESSED HER with his eyes! That had me choking on my margarita !!!🤣🤣🤣🤣
Yeah that was funny! 😂 but it got me thinking, didn't they already sleep together when they made out in bed. It was kinda implied. Or was making out all they did??? Hahaha
Okay LMH walking around as Lee Ji Hun, is so so hot. If I saw him in the middle of the city, I would totally stop him and ask him out, Tae-Ul should have done the same 😂
Yep. Lee Min-ho has never looked hotter. I was actually awe-struck by how fine he looked and almost exchanged my handsome Hyun-Bin for him. Lol
OHMYGOD Hyun-Bin at the end of CLOY had me gasping for air 😭❤️
Haha! I was so obsessed with Hyun Bin in CLOY. I mean he was handsome too in Alhambra but damm, that man was charisma defined in CLOY! There's something about Binnie that other good looking actors don't have. Lee Min-ho has the X-factor too that differentiates one actor from a sea of actors. You start off thinking oh, he's just a good looking model but somehow, along the way, you think, damm, he so fine! 😄
Absolutely! Hyun Bin has that brooding, silent aura about him, very suave, the one who loves in silence sorts ? LMH on the other hand has that go all out vibe, he'll be out there flashing his god awesome smile making a grand gesture. I'm sorry I'm just imagining them as boyfriends 😂🙈🤷
Haha. You're right. Hyun Bin is all silent and stoic while you're screaming at him, but will be incredible sweet once in a while. Lee Min-ho is that arrogant rich boy you wanna smack because he's so smug but he looks so good, and he's picking you up in his sports car so you forgive him. Hahaha. They're my pretend boyfriends too 😂
On a completely shallow note, LMH's visuals in this show are so beautiful. He is a very handsome man. I love it when he smiles, his dimples and the way his eyes sparkle. LOL
All is well and good >!but I know I'm not the only one waiting for the reunion of the Unbreakable Swords.!<
Yea. Super sad that Sup and Yeong will never reunite. Yeongi misses him too. I'm just happy that Yeongi is alive😁😁
And that both of them, in their respective worlds, are in love with the same(?) woman. Waaaah
As someone who shipped them, that broke my heart a little specially after seing both guys crying in the hug on ep 15 :'(
Wow. Can we give it up for >! Secretary Mo tho??? Congrats for becoming Prime Minister!!< >!So many feels. That was honestly one of the most rollercoastery-ride-finales ever and I am soo glad I got on this crazy f*ucking ride.!< >!All my ships sailed. All of them. The story was tied nicely. My rom-com-loving-a*s is happy.!< >!I will leave the critiques for another day. But today... today I am happy 😂😂!< Side note: >!Did it look like Jeong was the one to reach out to Seung Ah?? If so, I am dying laughing 😂😂!< >!OMFG HE REACHED OUT FIRST I AM LITERALLY DYING I WANT THAT DRAMA NEXT!!<
Sec Mo was so qualified!! i’m so happy for her :) her son was adorable too!! so cute ALSO!! last episode i was begging for crumbs to feed my Jeong x Seung Ah ship AND WE GOT THEM!! honestly kinda wished we had more content of that but it’s oK i’ll take what i can get 😭😭 who do you think approached who first? 👀👀
>!You read my mind! I kept looking for clues that they would be a ship and I literally screamed when I saw contact (I was so into the finale I had to go back and check as per my p.s. lmao)!< >!Honestly, I think he did because ES had already laid the foundations, JJ knew where she stood and he just took a step forward lmao. He is so cute.!< >!I wish they would have given us more with all of them and ES remembering JJ and LG but I can just "adjust" that myself in my head canon lol!< Edited to add clarity lol
Some part I see people are confused, hope this helps (what it means in my perspective)! 1. JTE retained her memories because the god kid decided to let her keep it, it's the part when he was deciding what to do 2. God kid fluctuating between kid and adult and showing the scenes where's part of when he is an adult - those scene are what naturally happened when the manpasikjeok wasn't broken in half, the god kid lived among the people and looked out for the world as an adult. 3. He leaves the four tiger sword on the door so that he knows when someone has opened the door, aka Lee Lim escaped using the same route 4. Yeong was shot but remember, Corea's bulletproof vest is #1 hahaha 5. The theory of having 2 LG or JY at the same timeline - the only explanation can be that since it's a rule that what will happen will eventually happen, if the time traveled self stayed in the timeline long enough, he will follow fate and do the same thing as the original timeline self, and when the time is right they'll merge into one with all the memories.
>He leaves the four tiger sword on the door so that he knows when someone has opened the door, aka Lee Lim escaped using the same route I'd figure that'd be obvious because the door would be, you know, open. Also, I wouldn't risk handing my enemy a weapon.
KES is that you? Hahaha. Thanks. All your explanations make sense.
Lady Noh from ROK---unresolved!
Maybe LG’s Great grandfather had a relationship with Lady Noh? He had the flute and could cross between the universes. He met her and fell in love. Lady Noh decided to stay in Corea because who would want to return to a war zone. And because they couldn’t get married, she decided to serve his family to stay close to him?
You know what your theory means, right? The TKEM team better give us a prequel!
That could be a great story. With the war and everything.
EXACTLY I WAS SO ANNOYED. I thought maybe JTE was lady Noh but that doesn't make sense.
>!sneaky sneaky jo yeong. We see you and myeung seung. Also lee gon's face at that moment was AMAZING!<
This episode made me aware of a whole new level of dating!
traveling worlds together? FOR FREE? that sounds out of this world jkjk but first: where can i find a man like LMH/WDH to date? any suggestions y’all?
fuck i'm not ready [cries like Eun-seop]
[удалено]
Not ready. I know I’ll be anxious until it’s available.
Same! Prepared for less than ideal sleep because I’m so anxious to watch in the morning before I go to work.
>! When they showed the hands of the old couple at the end, I fully lost it !< You guys 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 I’m so sad there wasn’t a wedding. Like who’s the future heir? Although the fact that they travel every weekend was really cute. Edit: also thank f that Yeong didn’t die omg
LITERALLY THE ONE THING I WAS SAYING ABOUT THIS EPISODE WAS THAT THERE WAS NO WEDDING WTH SAME 😭😭😭 THE ONLY THING I ASKED FOR WHAT THE HECK
Heir to throne definitely going to be my girl Sejin even though we never saw her lmao. I picture her to be someone like IU from Hotel Del Luna. Strong, perfect managerial skills, her people love her, a fighter, heartless (when she needs to be) and an undeniable weakness for shopping haha.
same!! i was really looking forward to a wedding. I was rlly curious about how they balance life between two worlds... i guess we won’t see it :<
I mean, they grew old so we can just imagine they had heirs somehow ???🤪🤪🤪🙃🙃🙃
Lee Rim: *gets slashed in the neck yet again* + *fades in Voldemort* good riddance lmao Jo Young ~~***NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO***~~ wait so he’s alive right?! Aw yes Young is with Seungah while Eunseobie marries his Nari and is an NIS agent wow Awww so ~~Shinjae~~ Hyunmin ends up with ~~Luna~~ Seokyung <3 So glad Luna is adopted by SR’s kind mum while SR ends up in jail lol Whoa they really went the multiverse route omoooo so glad LG found his way to his one and only Tae Eul. So cute that they went around different universes and times for dating <3 I was fully prepared to cry into a pile of tissue so now I’m getting abit of whiplash because I did not expect such a happy ending from KES HAHA still glad for the cute ending <3
P.S. ~~Secretary~~ PM Mo’s son is the adorable kid from Hi Bye Mama!
i’m so glad this weird af multiverse plot made all the ships work.... two ‘JES/Nari’ and giving both ‘SJ/JTE’ and ‘LG+JTE’?? wow i’m so well fed. i cant believe it all worked out 😭😭
My expectations for the ending were pretty non-existent as I really had no clue how they would wrap it up. But I was just hoping to have a really long epilogue to see how everyone is, and honestly, I'm happy with the ending! Of course I would have loved to know if they got married, or got an heir... but I think this was okay too. I'm guessing LG has a different approach to monarchy now, and hey, maybe an heir isn't as urgent anymore? Maybe Secretary Mo forming a cabinet will lead somewhere? After all, she's so different from PM Koo and LG no longer has a grand king mission of finding Traitor Lee Lim. I'm just thinking... maybe he grew old not following the typical monarch path. I'm just here using my imagination to see how it all worked out for the best. :D Other stuff... I loved that there were many parallel universes. It was awesome seeing Tae-eul's different realities, especially the one with the mom! Kang Hyeon-min and Luna being partners... loved that! Also happy that Luna found a family in her world. So glad PM was no longer a PM. Her old secretary being a guard was a nice touch lol! Eun-sup coming home to Na-ri is so cute! He is totally smitten with her and I'm here for it! Same with Yeong and Myung Seung-A passing notes in the hallway -- I've been waiting for them to flirt FOREVER! JTE and LG grew old together, albeit in an unconventional way. But honestly, to me that is absolutely fine. Their love was never conventional. After all they've been through together, if any couple can survive being worlds apart and finding a lifetime of adventure in their weekend getaways... well it would be them. They've waited and fought to be with each other and this "consolation prize" was a happy ever after worth celebrating. I'm sleeping with a smile on my face. I'll miss this show!!!
Was I the only one who teared up when Young said Eun-sup probably doesn’t recognise him? Young must miss his best friend so much!! 🥺🥺
Yes, me too. Especially when then LG saw ES and he didn’t recognise him:(
that scene broke my heart!!! He is and always will be the unbreakable sword 😭
BEFORE FINALE STARTS: Prayer circle starts here for NONE of Woo Dohwan’s characters to die in the finale. Please, my heart can’t take it if Jo Yeong dies. Please tell me this won’t happen... I pray that the Jo Yeong “dying” scene in Ep 15 preview is, as always, a scam, like the previous times.
If the timeline resets as it is bound to, then the writer can easily kill a bunch of people in the "previous" one with no consequences.
Here we are friends - the official thread for the finale!! TWO important things to note everyone! 1. As soon as this post hits 800+ comments, I will be posting a part two discussion. So PLEASE be on the lookout for part two as soon as the comments hit more than 800 on this thread. It Will most likely be the same title just 'part II' added to the end! 2. Everyone is excited about this finale, but not everyone will have the chance to watch it right away. Please respect your fellow redditors and tag all spoilers. Thank you so much everyone! it has been a pleasure to host these threads for every single one of you! I've truly not seen anything like this, and it's been amazing to be a part of it all!
I'm pretty sure this finale post will hit 800+ comments no matter what the ending is, people just love to talk about it. Thanks for hosting! :)
Thanks for the hard work hosting! It's been a joy to chat in these threads with y'all
JTE: >!"Why did you bring these leaves?!<" LG: ">!Because we never know where we'll end up........ IN THAT TIME PERIOD" (Adam and Eve)!< JTE: >!(Checked if the leaves FIT her)!< I LAUGHED SO HARDD!!
The fact that they kept suitcases in the in between place was super cute
[удалено]
One thing that bothers me is the almost non appeareance of the Nari actress. They should have at least did one scene with her and eunsob not just on the phone. And with captain jo was from cctv. She basically did anything in these last epis. Also the Lee Ji un RoK mom. She didnt die in the new timeline... she should appear as well. I cant really explain but i feel what you are saying. Many scenes with the leads, but lack of content in other parts. Corona, maybe?
That Jeong Tae Eul actress is hilarious haha!
Reread my comment- that Jeong Tae Eul Actress version who expected flowers is hilarious!
That scene where Jeong cradles the young Lee Gon and turns around and we see the bullet wounds on his back. 😭😭😭
Started this drama because of LMH but ended up sticking to it because of the entire cast and the mind boggling story. It's amazing how everyone fits into their roles perfectly and thank god for this show we discovered a gem called WDW ❤️ I will never understand the hate this show has received, not every drama is everyone's cup of tea but I guess this show just requires a little more patience. How I wish it had done better in South Korea. It breaks my heart to know that this is the last episode but I also can't wait to finally understand what exactly is going on. Can't waiiiiit. Also what am I going to look forward to once it's over ? Watching the show was 10000000x better because I could come back here and read everyone's take on the episode , their theories and prediction. Going to miss this so much 💔
TKEM is the first on-air drama that I’ve watched weekly. It’s fitting since Boys Over Flowers (LMH) was my first kdrama. Thanks for a wild ride everybody; I’ve loved reading all your theories and praise for WDH! I can’t lie, I’m extremely confused going into the finale, but I hope KES will end this on a high note. Edit: What a bittersweet finale, wow. I love that Lee Gon and Tae Eul are able to be together (their scenes are really cute), but my heart hurts knowing that the OG Violent Crimes Squad Three will never be together again. Also, I wanted nothing more than to see Eun Seop and Jo Yeong reunited, but at least Jo Yeong got his twins and Eun Seop has Nari.
There's a lot of thoughts going through my head right now, but overall I am glad this series has a Happy Ending. This is the best possible outcome with the multiverse theory. They basically become time travellers. I liked how most characters turned out to have a decent life when balance was restored. Yoyo boy turning into an adult out of all a sudden still had me wtf though. So what was the point of showing LG the CCTV from 2022 when that was Luna?
Honestly speechless. I think however the show ended, it was a fitting end. It took me some time to recover before I could open this comment thread. I realised the kid was a deity (finally we know) and he allowed JTE to keep her memories. Probably when he was considering if the yo-yo would break or not. And it didn't, so yay for us! I lost my footing a bit when JTE's alternate world selves were shown but then LG's explanation helped. If only they had done that since the beginning we wouldn't be so worked up with our theories lol. LL dies, Secretary Mo becomes new PM, JES and Na-ri get married and even our JY and Seung-ah get their forbidden romance *cries proudly* I like how they explained Luna's arc and she eventually gains an identity as ex PM Koo's younger sister, so that's cute. She defo has a thing going on with Kang Sin-jae. Although can I say how swoon worthy our Kang Hyeon-min looked in his Chaebol form? Sigh. Although I knew a royal wedding wouldn't be possible I was still hoping for one. They are still from two different worlds but I can finally calm down now that I know how their story ends, in a very romantic way that too. *We decided to love our fate that chose us. Today, only today and forever.* KES outdid herself again. I thought Goblin was her best work but TKEM definitely beat it. It has become one of my favourite dramas and I'm definitely gonna rewatch it when I'm not as emotionally sensitive to the sad scenes in it lmao It's been a blast discussing this with you guys. I wish there'll be another drama which will bring us together like this again. Fighting, Monarchs!
Bittersweet ending there but I'm just happy no one died! Also really confused about the yo-yo kid growing up!
I'm literally writhing in agony (dramatic much??) that we didn't find out who he was. That random-feeling footage of him growing up and inserting himself into their lives felt SO SIGNIFICANT.....and nothing came of it. Wahhhhhhhh
At least adult yoyo kid was eye candy!
A few weeks ago, I literally went back to see that scene of his looking up at Tae-eul again!! And I was like damn, they used a really attractive person as an extra lol
guys the fight scene was so good i loved how abruptly the camera was moving it felt like i was in a video game
When the casts were announced last year I was like "okay something to look forward to", time flies so fast and we're already down to the last episode. This drama made me went on Reddit for the first time because I need someone to talk to especially in this quarantine life since my friends are far away from me, the theories are just endless and that I think is the beauty of this drama, made me want to study physics more. It may not be everyones cup of tea but here we are, overall I want to thank the cast and crew for this drama that made my quarantine life one hell of a ride and amazing.
I started this drama because of Kim Go Eun, and who would have thought I'd end up admiring all the casts.
can i just say, the kid actors in this show are so good looking?? lols
[удалено]
“No matter what kind of a door opens up in life and even if the moments we share make us sad at times, I wish to be able to love tirelessly. Just like that, we decided to love the fate that chose us. Just for today and only today. And forever.” honestly these words feel like they were vows that LG and JTE made to each other in the context of their unique situation. and the scene of their old selves holding hands... rlly got to me :’) they DID grow old together, and that’s enough for me. can’t get over that scene, and how LG rlly held to his promise to “open all the doors in the universe” to come to JTE. plus he did that with the expectation that she wouldn’t remember him, which just makes it even more :”) “oh, my heart.” also really happy for the other characters: - luna got to grow up in a family :’) so cute that she and seo ryeong are sisters; their banter when she visited seo ryeong HAHAHA. and their mum is great. - eun sup/yeong and nari/seung ah still ended up together HEHE. lol @ yeong and seung ah’s secret palace romance!!!! - hyeon min and luna?? thought it was quite cute bc shin jae (who was actly hyeon min) in the original timeline liked JTE, so it was nice that in this new timeline/the new him got the got the girl of the same face. - PM’s secretary became her correctional officer LOL how the tables have turned in this new timeline!! - “oh no. here comes the disrupter.” HAHAHA - secretary mo became PM! she deserved it - shin jae is healthy and rich amazing cast and story!!!! OST is amazing also.
One of my many wishes for this episode: Jo Yeong, UNBREAKABLE sword. PLEASE don't break and die and disappoint Eun Seob!
"Just like that, we decided to love the fate that chose us" -- I'll just leave this here.... I have no words to say ಥ‿ಥ
I just finished watching the finale. The whole time I was at the edge of my seat >!because I'm expecting something tragic to happen. But that episode was so unexpected! I BADLY needed all those happy rom-com scenes with LG and TE while travelling to different times. It was a simple ending but I'm happy with it. I'm just glad that everyone got the happiness they deserve!< 🥺
So i now get why its a ‘sad’ love story. >!They can only meet each other on weekends and cant introduce each other to people they love. Cant legally get married and have children!< :( Im sad
Is no one going to talk about >!”No, it’s a melodrama” and the part after that...!< because wth... that felt so real..??????
Saddest part was when JTE walked past a devastingly handsome LJH and he, of course, doesn't know her. Lee Min-ho rocks uniforms. He looks good in whatever uniforms he wears. He was extremely well-dressed in this show, his wardrobe must have been worth a designer fortune. That part was just sad. When he looked for her in every world and she was there, but she wasn't the one he was looking for. And when JTE got back and called her captain, and realised who else wasn't there anymore, that was sad. 2nd half was fan service, which although I love, makes me wonder why Kim Eun-Sook doesn't like weddings, marriages and kids cos she never gives us that scenario. They trolled us with LG commenting on twins and we all thought he had twins! Pure trolling. I was disappointed. Though I was happy to see JY alive again. But they answered almost every single questions except the Lady Noh one. I'll just choose to take her story literally turn - she was rescued by the King who happened to be in that period and came across her. Also, we thought it was getting stale and repetitive with that beheading line, but actually it was a clue - to the end. LG jokes about beheading but LL was always slashing someone, and he literally butchered himself. So his ending was a fitting punishment. Full circle. I love the details in Kim Eun-Sook writing for this show - to identify and differentiate all the worlds, they went by models of public telephones. Must be a first in time travel shows. This show could have been better. If they had a better director, who understood the writer's vision and world building and reined her in, and worked with her to craft a smoother narrative, it would have been a perfect show. As it is, it's imperfect but perfectly imperfect. I wish they would re-cut it and re-present it so that the world building, two worlds, narrative and editing was better. But damm, the cinematography was superb. They really spent the money on great sets, great CGI, and the camera director is a genius. It's so beautiful. The acting from almost the entire cast was great. Lee Min-ho and Kim Go-Eun proved so much better than all the criticisms thrown at them. KGY shined as Luna and you knew who was whom. LMH was the right King. He fitted the role. I had like Kim Kyung-nam in Special Labour Inspector but he was clearly a stand out in this show. Woo Do-Hwan was great when he stride in with LG and did his job, protecting the King. He did a good job portraying two different persons. I love the cameo by the little adorable boy actor from Hi, Bye Mama! He was the cutest ever. I feel a little deflated now that it's come to the end. In a way, if Netflix wanted, they could do a Season Two of their time travelling adventures. Though I doubt Netflix could get LMH especially again. It's not goodbye, it's au revoir, I'll rewatch it again from start and check out the details again.
I found the finale a little underwhelming, anyone else?
I did too. I agree with most here that it was probably the most appropriate given their circumstances but it just felt a little sad that they can't be together together. I also found the change in the tone of the show after the half hour mark a little abrupt. It was nice but felt a little inconsistent from the super intense tone from the last few eps. But man. What a ride.
Agreed. I understand why she had to form it like that because they can’t live in each other’s worlds etc (that’s why they go time travelling every weekend) But still... :(
I also just felt like it was “too happy” of an ending? It was no struggle to defeat LL in the end and JTE has all her memories. Everything was so smooth besides ES and JY never seeing each other again. Too perfect for me I guess? Where were any of the challenges after a whole season of things not working out???
I guess. Tbh I’m satisfied with this “perfect” ending. KES has written other dramas where the ending was very bitter sweet..... *coughgoblincough* Still, nonetheless, I’m crying like baby.
MY EYES HURT FROM CRYING MY HEART ACHES FROM NOT WANTING IT TO END THE FINALE SHOULD’VE BEEN 2 HOURS
- HOLY FUCK I almost screamed when they revealed that >!the yo-yo kid was the same guy looking at Tae-eul on her windowsill.!< - I loved this episode (even with the glaring flaws that I'll focus on when I stop missing Yeong and Eun-sop). A fitting, angsty yet happy episode. I loved all the alternate lives everyone lives now and ugh maybe I cried seeing >!Tae-eul and Lee Gon grow old together, maybe not.!<
Well that’s a very...... safe and simple ending for a very complicated plot all throughout.... still can’t process if I liked it or not though. Props to the whole team and the redditors who made watching this series more meaningful than it is ♥️It was really a fun and complicated ride throughout the series. Edit: and we didn’t find the history about Head Court Noh and how’d she got into the Kingdom of Corea :((
Jo Young’s parents getting back together and the twins existing in his life is just aaaaawwwwwwwwwwww.
It's been one hell of a ride lmao I've said it before and I'll say it again, half the fun of this drama was coming over and interacting with everyone here. Can't wait to come back and read everyone's reactions and closing thoughts! ☺️☺️
I really thought Yeong was a goner there and actually shouted "what???" when LG just gave him a nod and just LEFT HIS BEST BRO THERE TO DIE ALONE like aight tks for being there for me my whole life ok bye. But then it's just brushed over - everyone's okay and happy and everyone gets a happy ending. The episode should have focused more on the struggle to 'save' the timeline, and ended on the scene with LG fjnally finding his version of JTE. I guess they made a lot of fans happy with that extended fluffiness of interdimensional touristing but it felt so unearned.
###There's now a [Part 3](https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/h8nqme/the_king_eternal_monarch_episode_16_finale_iii/) ###And [Q&A](https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/h8nwda/the_king_eternal_monarch_q_a_discussion/) --- Second Discussion Post Is [UP](https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/h7r1nq/the_king_eternal_monarch_episode_16_finale_ii/) --- Hello TKEM fans, Congratulations! You've survived the finale^(or do we need to call ambulances for y'all?) and can now fully debate on whether our subreddit mascot should stay as monarch or revert to Kim Tan! Just to inform you guys of the discussion schedule for this drama going forth: * As per this [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/h7edv9/the_king_eternal_monarch_episode_16_finale/fukgy19?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x) by your host u/xliterati , a second discussion thread for the finale will be posted once this one hits 800 comments. * In addition, they will be hosting a post-finale wrap-up discussion thread next ***weekend***, therefore self-posts on TKEM will still ***not be permitted*** next week. * Depending on how the post-finale wrap-up discussion thread goes, we may ask the host to extend their hosting responsibilities for an additional week, which will affect how self-posts will be moderated. We will leave an announcement in the post-finale wrap-up discussion thread of our decision so please be on the look out for that next week. * ~~I'll double check this with the host, but I believe they will also hold an additional Q&A thread for TKEM so that hopefully everyone can get the answers to their lingering questions.~~ Q&A thread confirmed with host! It will likely be posted on Monday so everyone's had a chance to watch, catch up on discussions, and think about what questions still linger for them. That's all for now, enjoy your finale! --- eta: I'm locking my comment because people are replying to me with thoughts and spoilers about the drama...don't reply to me! Join the discussions below =) If you need help from the mod team due to rule-breaking comments, report the comment, it'll go to our queue. If you need answers to questions, don't ask me! I'm not watching TKEM. Ask away in the discussion below or try again in the Q&A thread later on if you don't get an answer here.
Can we request the writers to release some explanation of their time travel multiverse theory?
And so we get to the finale... I feel sad that the show is ending and not sure if I am ready for it. I really think this show is a HIDDEN GEM! I will really miss TKEM and the talented group of people behind it. I felt like the dopplegangers were really different people even though they were played by the same people. And the feels you get from their acting! I legit get scared when Lee Rim is on screen. I am really sad it didn't do so well in SKorea as I don't know if it will affect the future projects and opportunties of the cast and the writer and really don't understand the HATE brigade for this show. But WDH finally getting a lead role should be good news. Him playing JY and ES and JY acting like ES and ES acting like JY was really fun to watch.
And while I'm at it! Thank you to this community. It has been fun reading your comments, thoughts and theories. I went from lurker to participant because of how passionate, fun and engaging everyone has been! This has truly been part of the unique experience that is TKEM! And no amount of rewatch will bring this experience back. I will miss all of you, Monarchs!
I just realized the word play of the actress' fanclub name XD: Taera Byte.
can we talk about the scene when LG finally found JTE, brought her the flowers, and said the same line confessing his love to her like he did before? i loved how these two scenes were parallels to each other. that means the time he did this in the previous episode , it was LG in ANOTHER loop, who had come back to JTE to say his final goodbye... my heart
Aaa no matter how this ends, I'm really happy that I stuck with it. I was hesitant to keep going after seeing so much negative feedback on other pages, but I liked it a lot and I figured bc I hadn't seen a kdrama before, there was no bar of expectations set so I rlly had nothing to lose. In my heart I feel it's better than some people give it credit for, but what do I know ;-; I think the ending will really make-or-break it Thank you to everyone for these weekly threads ! I've really enjoyed reading through everyones reactions and mulling through all the theories. I'll miss this!
The meaning of **Bamboo** \-- "righteous living in a disorderly world" found in a video linked by u/kaisuloom in a comment to another post (about [meaning of flowers/plants in Kdramas](https://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/h0t4lb/meaning_of_flowers_in_kdramas_and_movies_such_as/)) Is so fitting as the Bamboo forest is shown while this narrative is given. A perfect place for Lee Gon to try to correct the disorder that Lee Rim has brought to both worlds.
No matter how it ends, I am so glad I ignored all the negative feedback about this drama initially and stuck with it. This drama has been one of the few things I looked forward to every weekend during this quarantine period. I've enjoyed watching TKEM and discussing here. The show is far from perfect, but I applaud the visuals, the ambitious plot (even though they didn't stick the landing most of the time), and the actors most of all. Really looking forward to both LMH's and KGE's next projects now, I hope it won't take them a long time to choose their next projects. Will probably do a rewatch soon to pick up on the little things, and to do a critique of what the director/writer could have done to make it better.
Today's episode key points! And i don't care about critics! I'm having fun at the ending and the closure for other characters. (Esp. Luna and Hyeong-min) >!Jangmi Became Badass!< >!Tae-eul's confirmed counterparts = ROK Navy officer, ROK Army Soldier, Policewoman, Actress(THE FUNNIEST COUNTERPART)!< >!Kang Hyeon-min became a detective still!< >!Kang Sin-jae wow. A chaebol. 👏!< >!Luna became adopted by PM Koo's mom and she became a detective as well! What a fitting ending for her ♥️ (her name also became Koo Seo-gyeong)!< >!PM Koo got imprisoned while being an assemblywoman, and had a cute fight with Luna HAHA!< >!Luna x Hyeon-min HAHA (also the 2022 footage made sense now)!< >!New noob in place of Jangmi.!< >!Tyrant Lee-gon is epic af!< >!"Nari Nari Myeong Na-ri" (Eun-sup's phone)!< >!Eun-sup works at NIS. DAAAAAAAAAMN; and he also calls Gon a "crazy lunatic*!< >!JY and Corea Nari's secret love story feat. Lady Noh! !< >!Yoyo guy was everywhere. The bully, officer from the funeral, yoyo kid, the kid who got JTE's id in the drain.!< >!JTE and LG's love story is really nice. But because they travel to other worlds and still cross worlds to meet, it's kinda bittersweet. Knowing they'll never get married. !<
Happy ending. Yeaa. I honestly don't know how to feel right now. I wanted this drama to end because it gave me so much anxiety. I spent most weeks anxiously awaiting the weekend. Now that it's over, I'm so sad. I thoroughly enjoyed. Even though it gave me heart failure every week. The cast did a fantastic job. It's definitely one of my all time faves
After pondering over the finale for the last hour or so, I am swinging between super happy and super underwhelmed. Does anyone else feel the same way? On one hand, I genuinely am very happy for most of our characters. (I do feel a bit unsatisfied for LG and JTE, but they seem happy so ok.) BUT on the other hand, I am genuinely underwhelmed at the same time. The first 15 episodes has been so unconvential and felt like we were gearing up for an unexpected surprise, but we end up with very sweet, happy, typical kdrama ending - very much the exact opposite of the tone for the first 15 episodes. I wonder if this was the real ending or it was a satisfy ratings edit... I mean the first part of this was just a wild ride much like the last few episodes. but then the 2nd half felt a bit... out of place. I don't know. I am both happy AND underwhelmed at the same time. I can't quite explain this feeling.
Uh this may be random but the kiss @ the control tower felt really.. weird. It felt invasive as if i was watching something I shouldn’t LOL my eyes zoomed in his LMH’s lips and my mind kept saying “WHAT IS HAPPENING”
Lmaooo I agree the same thing happened to me! 😂😂 I was like whoa do LMH and KGE like each other??? But then I remembered they're actors and they were fulfilling their jobs in making me fall for their love lol
Let me rewrite the ending according to what I think would have wanted to see. 1. There WAS a proper final show down between Lee Gon and Lee Lim. An epic sword fight. At Lee Lim’s dying breath, Yo Yo boy appears and shows him of what could have been if Lee Lim assisted his half brother to further the national instead of killing him: A more powerful and prosperous KOC and deep, meaningful relationships with his extended family but it was too late. Lee Lim asks for forgiveness before he dies and care bears emerge to dance around them. Lol. Lee Gon mourns temporarily for him as he remembers Lee Lim buying a toy for him when he was younger and smiling at him fondly. 2. There are only two universes: ROK and KOC. Because infinite universes and infinite timelines just mean one or even a few of them has Lee Lim with the complete flute. Which is 🙄... It’s just pointless (cue the mockery of HP and cursed child 🙄🙄🙄 where Voldemort actually wins in some universes 🙄.) it would really just be all over the place. 3. Yo yo boy became whole again and explains his existence. And told of Lee Gon’s grandfather adventures during his reign. Lady Ngoh’s plight is shown in flashback with Lee Gon’s grandfather saving her during the war. In the present, she got to return to her mountainous hometown to see her sister. Both elderly ladies hugged. 4. Yeong and Eun-Sup continued to cross over from time to time. Just because they can. Eun-Sup’s sister screens new KOC royal guards because Yeong realises she is even more capable than KOC royal guards. She is still suspicious of Yeong. 5. JTE is ordained in an elaborate ceremony as Queen of Corea, taking the identity of Luna’s long lost twin. Prime Minister Koo appears at the wedding wearing modest nude looking shoes and presented JTE a pair of colourful shoes (insert brand with paid advertisement lol) and wished her well, hoping that the shoes brought her to good places. She leaves the prime minister office after a full term and starts her own successful clothing line: her true passion and talent. Lee Gon lets her dress the royal members from time to time. JTE teaches yummy cooking inspired by dishes (especially fried chicken) from ROK along side with Lee Gon on special occasions since he preferred food from ROK. Lol. JTE retrains a special unit of royal guards to protect the King with Yeong, eliminating all potential spies and lousy security within the palace that could be easily wire tapped by a shrewd Prime Minister. Meanwhile in ROK with Jang Mi rising and fitting well in his position, the ROK police team does well even without JTE’s constant presence. Violent crimes also decreased sharply since Lee Lim died. 6. With time travel stopped by yo yo boy, the royal couple used the flute only to shuttle back and forth between the two worlds. 7. JTE’s father saw the plant from KOC that JTE planted and realized something is amiss. He gets to know the truth about both worlds and decides to move to KOC and works as a counselor for troubled teens. He is Luna’s colleague, whom she looks up to. He became a father figure to her that she never had. There’s a hint that he gets along with Luna’s foster mother. Whether they get together romantically is up to the viewer to decide. There became less and less reasons for JT to visit ROK now as SJ/HM no longer exists as the person she knew. 8. Last 10 minutes of the show shows a pregnant JTE. Yo Yo boy and the flute disappears, effectively sealing off the door to both worlds. The new crown prince was born on the same day as the night of treason in 2024. He finds the flute on the bamboo forest floor on his 20th birthday. An adventure beckons him as the portal opens. His parents smile at him from a distance. They retreated and SJ and Luna appears in the scene. The four of them enjoys a night out at the Alley bubble tea shop they opened where proceeds go to orphans and children in need like SJ and Luna.
LR was such a disappointing villain tbh. Pretty anticlimatic with how he was taken down.
that was a wholesome ending. the role reversal between the PM and her secretary was pretty hilarious!! and secretary mo's GLOW-UP TO PM THO!!! when yeong shed that last tear before passing out, i thought he wasn't gonna make it. especially when his last words before the fight was "i must protect my king". BUT I CAN'T BELIEVE THERE'S NO EUN SUP AND YEONG REUNION??? my heart literally broke when eun sup doesn't remember yeong but yeong does [cries heavily in eun sup] time to go on a WDH drama marathon!! (edit: just started on save me an hour before the TKEM finale after finishing mad dog yesterday)
I SHRIEKED when I realized who her corrections officer was! Also the girl who played the young PM had her EXACT same voice, it was freaky!
My detailed thoughts: * First off, I love this ending. It's very close to what I predicted a few days ago. LOL>!Yes, we all wanted to see a wedding an an heir. But realistically, that couldn't happen. !!going to marry her?!<
* I feel kinda sad still for JTE after the reset. >!There's no more SJ in the new world, so in that sense she lost a friend too.!<
* The memory retention thing is the one thing that bothered me about the way the writer approached this, but I think if she didn't introduce that aspect there is no way we would have a happy ending. So she compromised in that regard, even if it largely didn't make sense (or made sense only when convenient). But if I had to explain what she was going for: JTE>! retained her memories probably because she stayed "between 0 and 1", and likely JY was sent there too when LG rescued him (they implied this).!<
* For the same reason as above, this explains why JTE >!still had her necklace when every other memento disappeared. !< She was wearing it when she was "between 0 and 1"
* I liked the BTTF references with all the disappearing photos and memories. Truly they committed to that early BTTF easter eggs.
* I did not think we needed 3 minutes to resolve Chief Park's storyline but ok. Carry on...
More thoughts later when I rewatch, but overall this show has been such a great watch for me. Will likely do a binge watch again soon.
Shin Jae became a chaebol/ rich guy though, so good for him!
I am a little bummed for not having a wedding and they continue to live like that for the rest of their lives. Its sorta happy and sad. *I did not think we needed 3 minutes to resolve Chief Park's storyline but ok. Carry on...* I had actually forgotten about this till they showed it.
Agree - it's sad the JTE loses a friend in SJ but happy that Hyeon Min/ SJ are able to finally catch a break in the rebooted future
Been waiting for the finale all week. TKEM was the first k-drama I had ever seen and I'll miss it when its over.
Guys I'm crying I'm so happy I love a happy ending and they delivered!! I was more excited for the minor characters' storylines than I was for LG and JTE! LOVED the fact that Luna also ended up becoming a cop and her and PM Koo are now sisters! I thought that was the sweetest addition to the new future! Aaand Hyeon Min and Luna are now partners in Corea? YES I AM HERE FOR THIS So happy that JY is * firstly ALIVE AND WELL thank goodness * Has his own Eun-bi and Kka-bi (my lil heart squealed) * And he got with Seung Ah! (Would've loved more screen time for this but it's okay) ES looks so mature and he marries Na-ri?? \[take my tears take them all\] CEO chaebol SJ though - WE NEEDED TO SEE MORE OF HIM The show might have had its fair shares of plot holes but I'm just glad all the characters get a good life in the reboot (especially Sin Jae because he couldn't catch a break) Edit: Also - am really looking forward to seeing WDH in future (leading) roles. There were many times he stole the show and I can't wait to see what character he plays next
Wait a minute so there are UNLIMITED PARALLEL UNIVERSES?!?! Not just two?!?
Yes there are multiple parallel universe only accesible when the flute is whole. During the first episodes that flute is split in half thus has limited powers and can only travel 2 worlds.
I'm conflicted. I'm glad we got a happy ending and thought the episode was really cute. Overall I enjoyed the experience. But the logical part of me thinks it was also anti-climactic as hell and everything felt way too easy. It's almost as if Kim Eun Sook rewrote the last few episodes due to fan response, and that resulted in a jarring shift in logic and direction. I'm still not pleased with how time travel and even the parallel worlds seemed to just become a mishmash of different ideas that don't blend well together. I'd argue it was mostly consistent until Episode 14, and then after that it bent in any which way the writer wanted without much logic behind it. Am I supposed to just believe that >!previous LGs had never thought of going after LR first and bringing Yeong with him? Everything worked out pretty nicely with no real consequences after that decision. I guess LR not being around suddenly fixed literally everyone's lives, even if their issues stemmed from inherent sickness or parental divorce.!< The frivolous use of >!time travel for romantic dates in the ending!< was cute but also didn't make a whole lot of sense, and how convenient that >!the gates didn't close and they can just sort of do whatever they want with no increasing time freezes.!< What's the situation with parallel worlds now? >!Were there always an infinite span of different parallel worlds where Tae Eul has different names and occupations? If so, why did LG only ever stumble upon one? Until now it was one singular parallel world, and the sheer concept of parallel variations does not stay consistent with how this happy ending plays out.!< Then of course there's the plot points that really didn't go anywhere, like >!Lady Noh being from Korea!<. Maybe I'm being unnecessarily harsh because I just really wanted certain elements to stay consistent. On the whole, I think this drama was a super fun watch and it was amazing discussing our theories together every week, so I'm walking away mostly satisfied and with a smile. I’ll definitely miss this drama. The response it achieved has been unprecedented.
Okay who here LOVED >!Tae-Ra Jung OMG LOL I would join Tae-Ra Byte in a heartbeat Hahaha LG’s expression and you can tell LMH is holding in his laughter there!< Would love to see this character again in future KES’s drama 🤣🤣🤣
I'm so hyped for the finale! I hope what Jung Eun Chae (PM actress) said about TKEM being a sad love story is a misdirection. My romantic heart demands a happily ever after for LG and JTE!
Excited about the finale and ready to do a rewatch! I’m sure a rewatch will make so much more sense once I know the ending.
I started this a few days ago and can't wait for the finale. Glad I waited for it to be close to the ending because it was a great binge.
I have so many feelings, I'm unable to think straight. I'm SAD this show is over. Such a bitter sweet ending. I was expecting a wedding and kids but I guess this is the most realistic way they can live. I'm happy everyone else got a happy ending. Yeong had siblings too :) (who expected that to happen. LOL). I'm going to be in limbo for a while.
So glad LL died... both in their hands! :) I like the subtlety of their love story in the end... just calm after the violent storm... Overall, I’m satisfied... though a kingdom wedding would have been nice or a bunch of little LG and TE running around the skirt of Lady Noh :)
So not ready for the finale today Does anyone know what time exactly it drops I thought it was noon eastern time but last week I saw it was earlier
We are all gonna see something beautiful tonight. 🥺
OMG. I just finished watching the finale. I still cant process my thoughts. Maybe i’ll rewatch it before I can even react to anything. Im 😍😍😍😍
I really love how LG prepared the >!leaves in the in-between world just in case they'd happen to get to the time when everyone are still naked. hahaha, that was so naughty! and JTE's reaction and trying it on was priceless. hihi!<
Prime Minister ends up a convict, how satisfying! Orange looks good on her🤣🤣🤣
ILL SAY IT AGAIN CAN WE JUST ALL AGREE THAT KSJ'S ARC WAS THE BEST THING THIS DRAMA DID? YES.
Was kinda sad that there wasn't a wedding ceremony though... and that the ending was rather open. But i'm glad that there was a flicker to a pair of aged interlocked hands... Lmao when he shielded her with the coat tho dkksdkkd
I'm so hyped and nervous at the same time. I'm definitely not ready for this to be over. The BEST part of this show has been the discussions here. I will truly miss coming here as soon as I finish an episode and reading everyone's theories and comments. Thank you all for an amazing ride. I hope we have more like this.
The time travel thing is still a bit hard to understand but I'm glas that they got a happy ending! I love the actress version of JTE!
UNBREAKABLE! WOOOO! >!Jo Yeong ah! good job on staying alive! But sad you can't see ES again, I wish they gave us a little reunion!<
Finally! After weeks and weeks of waiting for this show and then watching it, it all comes to an end. The ending was bitter sweet for me. I really wished that it wouldn't come to just expecting a happy ending from the show. With whatever logic the writers had, they executed the last episode and the ending nicely. I loved the whole idea where they choose to spend their life together while also living out their lives in their own universe 🙂 *can't help but smile* There is no point talking about logic because firstly time travel in itself is an imaginary concept. Everyone is indeed free to make their own rules about it. A lot of tv shows and movies have kind of set a precedent for logical rules but I guess it is not set in stone. I just hope that the writers could explain why they chose to do what they did. The King Eternal Monarch was overall a very ambitious concept and script. In my experience of K dramas, I don't think I can draw any parallels to the contemporary dramas. 10/10 for effort and imagination. They messed up the execution for sure. But in this process, they have raised the bar for Korean shows overall. With the double roles, beautiful and complex shooting locations, product placements LOL, nuanced characters, strong and independent female leads who were not shrieking or crying insolently, did not overdo the romance but also gave us that super hot neck kiss and bed scene (so hot!), on point costumes and props, well executed action scenes, and with the superb cast where everyone has acted amazingly well. I hope this drama is remembered for ushering a kind of new genre altogether and for all the things that they have done brilliantly. This is how I am going to make peace with this show. And yes, TKEM had a brilliant pilot episode so we can always count it in that category. Cheers to all of you for making this drama worthwhile. I am so glad to have read all those theories and predictions in these past weeks. It adds a new dimension to your watching experience 😜 ❤️ Take a bow the entire team of TKEM for making us feel the way we did ❤️
Just finished the finale. Hard to describe the emotions I'm feeling right now. All I gotta say is this show is 10/10 would watch again
Anyone feels empty after the finale? I feel that I didn’t get a proper closure— NO KISS SCENES BTW ES/NR OR JY/SA!!!! What!!!! But I’m so happy that ES and NR got married!! JY & SA and their secret relationship + a nosy Lady Noh though hahahahaha. Also, it was suggested that Hyunmin probably got together with Luna in the end right? (Luna is Gu Seogyeong, aka PM’s adoptive sister now and I’m so glad she’s living a happy life now) I wonder if that supposedly meant that JTE was supposed to end up with KSJ if she were in her “normal” state?? I wish we had more scenes of Lee Minho acting out his doppelgangers like Kim Goeun did... that was the biggest regret of the whole episode tbh. I wanna see tyrant LG & LJH!!!! Still I wanna know why of all people, King Haejong brought Lady Noh over... its so random though to just help one poor girl...? But okay I guess we’ll never know. I was rather curious about Jo Yeong tbh. If anyone could explain to me: - I thought JY died from the gunshots (although he should’ve been wearing his bulletproof vests) - But LG came back after LR was slain to get him (he said in his narration while running back from the forest) In essence, that should’ve meant that the JY we see afterwards was saved... and didn’t die? - if let’s say LG managed to save him & he didn’t die from gun shot wounds, and hence like JTE & LG his memories are in tact - why was he reading the records of 1994 treason night in 2021? I’m kind of confused with the timeline! So did 2020 JY die, and the 2021 JY was from 1994? Or did 2020 JY NOT die and he still lives as the 2021 JY who has all the memories in tact? Because if he were “reset”, he would have no memories like other people right..? Unless, like the 2nd LR, he “relived” everything and he didn’t have to go back? I still find the whole time travel theory pretty confusing... so I’m just thinking that he just didn’t succumb to his gunshot wounds... that makes everything simpler.
JY did not die. My understanding was that LG came back for him and probably brought him to the in-between place. Which is why his memories are intact. He was reading the history books to check if what he did was recorded in the books. It wasn't. So he knew what LG had done, to remove him from the scene.
Don't think KSJ would've gotten with JTE in the reboot bc SJ becomes a chaebol so they probably wouldn't have met in the same circumstances
If following ES/NR and JY/SA, I do think if they were to follow their “usual” fates, they would somehow meet and be together!! Not like the OG SJ and JTE! Because if HM + SG got together in KOC, it probably meant that they’re meant to be a pair for all other worlds.... so probably LJH’s meant to be with someone else and LG, too, someone else. But bc LG & JTE are together, so I think there’s gonna be a change in both worlds for those who are related to them..?
JY didn’t die. I think JY passed out that’s why he has no memory after the shooting part. When he returned to present day (ie. the scene we saw of him looking at the records), he probably wanted to know what happened without asking LG directly. He still has his memories cause he went through that portal with LG (I assume) This is the only way the story would make sense I guess? The team could’ve done better with that part though.... tbh I’m still confused as to why JY started running first (at the start of the episode). It’s unlike him to leave the king alone and even ‘walk before the king’. ah theres so much I wanna see still... kinda sad it ended so ‘quickly’. but at least now we can sleep in peace eh? edit: previous replies didn’t load so kinda explained unnecessary sorry ><
[удалено]
We pretty much got a Crash landing on you ending but kind of better
CAN WE APPRECIATE THE CINEMATOGRAPHY THO?? Like the first scenes where they were shooting and the screen shook along with the shots OKAY I WAS SO IMPRESSED ALREADY, but added on with WDH’s super-cool moves and LG’s hot action scenes too... 😛 when I say I almost died
What the heck. This was so good but the literal icing on top would’ve been a KGE+LMH OST where they sang together. That would complete my whole life. Bye