Laugh And Be Merry - King The Land

Disclaimer: Readers are warned for minor spoilers.

King the Land was one of the rare dramas I watched as it aired. A light-hearted romcom with a decent storyline, good character dynamics and some catchy tunes. It was a delight to watch Lee Jun Ho, Im Yoon Ah and the host of supporting characters add their own charm to the drama. 

Two years down the line, what stayed the most with me is its comedy – well-placed and serving more than just the laughs. It gives us an insight into the characters themselves and lends a unique twist to the scenes. For example, when there's a sudden power cut, you know exactly how the two characters stuck there are going to behave. And then you see it happen and laugh nevertheless.

It also has some moments of strong contradiction that feel outrageous, but which are diluted by the general hilarious atmosphere of the show, sometimes to the point of invisibility.

This is a compilation of a few scenes I found funny – in both a positive and negative sense.

1. With the Heavens as Proof

Gu Won goes to work diving from the sky descending from the sky (Hah! He's the God. He’s the main character! He’s Gu Won!)

– straight onto the roof of the wrong building. 

He didn't lose his way per se, but that's the thing about perspective. You can't claim to have the same awareness when you are parachuting from several feet above the ground.

Appeal: An unforgettable introduction of a protagonist who is the CEO/Director/President/Leader of a company and a typical alpha male chaebol with a traumatic event in the past, trust issues, troubled family life and one loyal no-nonsense friend.

2. Good Leadership

... is having your team's back and facing situations bravely.

Gu Won is not afraid, and he won’t faint or anything if he sees someone or something in the dark. He’ll instead walk behind Sa Rang to guard the rear. Because enemies always come from behind.

He'd protect Sa Rang because he's not a scaredy-cat. That word isn't in his vocabulary.

Appeal: A clichéd spin on how leadership truly is about supporting the team from the back, but one that adds to Gu Won's character without being a result of his trauma. We needed more scenes of Gu Won being scared shitless.

3. Smile King

Gu Won is the kind of person who can make your day with just his smile.

Even photoshop is unnecessary.

Amongst everything thrown his way enroute to inheriting King the Land, smiling for the cameras is the least challenging for Gu Won.

Appeal: The deadpanning of the photographers and their exhausted grumblings as they put their patience, creativity, and skills to test and produce non-offending, viable pictures of a very grumpy and highly non-cooperative Head Manager.

4. King of Hearts

... and heart-like structures, small and big.

Appeal: The beautiful locales these shots are filmed at.

5. Welcome Dinner 

What were No Sang Sik's degrees again?

Gu Won was clear he wanted to have a welcome dinner with Sa Rang alone.

Appeal: Just have a hearty laugh at a mishap some may have seen coming (I didn't).

6. Attempt at Courtship

Here, Gu Won neither has a degree nor the talent, apparently. Because when he implies that Sa Rang can sit in the back of the car with him...

..she takes it to mean something else.

So, when he offers to drive instead....

.... the opposite happens with the same effect.

Appeal: More of Gu Won-typical Korean to Korean mistranslations.

7. The Chaos that is No Sang Sik

He sulks.

He has big opinions.

He's the clingy type.

Appeal: Confirming Sang Sik's adorableness as his selling point. His Babygirl era, so to speak.

8. The Mix-Up

It was waiting to happen, honestly. Gu Won, ready to ditch their thick-skulled friends for some much desirable alone-time with Sa Rang, grabs onto the exact person he wanted to get away from.

Appeal: The Wii music they add in the background for effect, just as Gu Won starts running away.

9.  Gu Won the Onion Peeler

Reminded me of Three Men In a Boat. The final size of the onions matches the final size of Harris' potatoes too.

But then, he cooks a full-course meal for Sa Rang enroute to asking her out, and I can't help but wonder: Did Gu Won learn cooking in the brief time from now to then?

Appeal: A chaebol in a branded customised suit peeling onions in a reddish pink flowery apron. And he sits on a small stool!

10. Thai Tourism Promotional

Who on earth has a trip before the extremely important, career-defining Centenary celebrations when time is crucial, and someone may be plotting against them?  Why not after when it would have made more sense?

Appeal: Stimulated my inner wanderlust. I think I'll just follow their travelogue as well and Go Hard!

Honorary Mentions

Some deliberately exaggerated shots.

Sa Rang and Gu Won getting into a King Hotel shuttle bus...

... while trying to escape from King Hotel employees.

The ultimate battle between Gu Won the groom vs Prince Samir the sweeper.

Won and Sa Rang getting caught red handed.

Compared to many other popular releases around the same time, King the Land's situational humour feels clean, real and natural. Though predictable, the comedy is not overdone. Barring the episode with Prince Samir, where it looked like they've inserted comedy just for the sake of it, the overall humour doesn't seem forced. It is also well placed in segments to lighten the occasional heavy undertone, thus maintaining a check on the mood of the drama. Moreover, there's no objectifying of oneself as Samantha and Rachel (I've never been able to forgive that drama for using appearance as the repelling aspect of an individual). There's no cringe. Just a lot of silliness induced gags and cackles.

On the occasion of King the Land completing 1 year this June.