Easy on the Eyes, Hard on Reality

By Jennifer Flinn

Based on a popular comic book, the Korean drama Princess Hours (Kung) takes place in a fictionalized modern Korea where the royal family still exists as titular heads of a constitutional monarchy. Considering the complex and often tragic history of the royal family during the Japanese occupation, this conceit is rich in possibility. Unfortunately it's an opportunity mostly squandered by the series, which treats this imaginative secret history as an excuse for luxurious set dressing to back up some of the most tired cliques in Korean drama.

The real Korean royal family, after decades of coercion, intrigue, and forced integration with the Japanese royal family during the colonial years became mostly defunct after the Japanese defeat in World War II, and the last recognized member died last year. There is more than enough drama already inherent in the history that a “what-if” continuation of the royal line to a modern Korea should result in something much more interesting than the first episode sets up. In fact, the opening narration outright admits that the whole series is completely fictional. Of course the audience is aware that it's fiction, but this egregious addition does nothing but distract from the idea of a secret history. Instead of letting us be swept up into an alternate world of new possibilities, it treats the viewers like fools. It then compounds the misstep by failing to thoroughly imagine the world it proposes. Everything is just dressing for the usual dross. Apparently being the heir apparent is pretty much like being a spoiled pop star.

In Princess Hours, the still-existent Korean royal family is having a bit of a problem. Its members simply are not reproducing fast enough for the tastes of the Queen Mother, who has understandably gotten a bit nervous after the loss of both her husband and the early death of her eldest son. More than anything, she'd really like to see her grandson, the crown prince, settle down with a nice young Korean noblewoman. He's already got his mind set on the girl, a classmate in his ritzy arts high school, but she turns him down to pursue her dream of becoming a ballet dancer. Being a crown princess would be too onerous, she says, while still trying to pass biology and history classes. Plus, the prince has screaming, swooning fangirls following him everywhere, which kind of kills the mood. Meanwhile, palace minions are seeking out candidate number two:  the granddaughter of the former King's best friend, promised before birth to wed the crown prince as a sign of friendship and affection. Too bad she comes from a family sinking in debt, minimal social graces, and excess energy. Apparently a side affect of having a monarch is a decrease in the number of high schools in Seoul, because she is also conveniently a classmate of the crown prince. This gutsy young woman agrees to the marriage to save her parents' marriage and mortgage, and the bratty young prince agrees because . . . he's bored?

One of the biggest flaws of Princess Hours is a magnification of the same problem that plagues many dramas: a stale lead. Yoon Eun-hye is fine and actually quite charming as the newly minted crown princess, Chae-gyung. While she indulges in some of the same overacting rampant in Korean drama (and especially in romantic comedies), she still exhibits enough charm to be attractive. Considering the genre, her performance is much more restrained and mature than many actresses would have done in the same role. Unfortunately she is saddled with the bland Joo Ji-hun playing the obnoxious and thoroughly unlikable Crown Prince Shin-yi. Although the genre convention is to have an initially misunderstood male lead that the audience grows to love along with the (immediately likeable) female lead, Princess Hours has overstepped the mark. Shin-yi is more than stand-offish and difficult to like; he is downright despicable. His behavior is appalling, and his attitudes loathsome. He's supposed to be acting out of loneliness and depression, but Joo can't seem to infuse the character with any warmth or humanity and it's hard to see why anyone would fall in love with such a jerk. His portrayal of what should be a sad and isolated young man comes off as flat, and he's routinely outshone by Yoon and the rest of the cast.

The plot, which had the potential to be a real and vital exploration of the nature of tradition and the roles of monarchies in modern life, unfortunately devolves into the same tired old storyline repeated ad nauseum in K-dramas:  poor, spunky girl virtuously sacrifices herself to save her family and ends up finding true love with a lonely, misunderstood rich man who will fix all her problems. Rare indeed is the drama that defies this standard plot set-up, but if any had had the potential to explore other issues, it is Princess Hours. Perhaps future episodes will delve into more interesting areas, but for now it looks like the same old drama with new set dressings.

The set dressings, however, are gorgeous. If anything is going to set Princess Hours apart from the crowd, it's the fabulous production values. It looks smoother and more polished than most dramas, sometimes achieving a nearly cinematic look. Artistic director Min Un-ok comes from film, and has worked on lush and prestigious period pieces including Blood Rain and Im Kwon-taek's Chunhyang. She's brought some of the same intensity of color and eye for detail to the sets of Princess Hours and effortlessly mixes traditional Korean décor and sumptuous western furnishings. Sometimes it goes a bit over the top (does anyone really believe that the Queen Mother is going to wear an elaborate formal hanbok and 18th century hairstyles all the time? -- it's as if Queen Elizabeth II lounged around Buckingham Palace dressed in Tudor costume), but the effect is so opulent and dazzling that it's hard to believe that they weren't actually filmed in the real royal palace in Seoul.

Still, it's sad that such a tempting piece of eye-candy turns out to be nothing but spun sugar:  insubstantial and unsatisfying. Perhaps in later episodes (there are 24 total), something more engaging will emerge from the less-than-fully conceived story and it will fulfill the potential of its premise. For now, it still has to overcome an insipid lead and a lackluster storyline.
 

Princess Hours is currently playing on ImaginAsian TV: http://www.iatv.tv/drama/princesshours/index.php (http: //www.iatv.tv/drama/princesshours/index.php)

Official MBC Princess Hours site (in Korean): http://imbc.com/broad/tv/drama/gung/ (http: //imbc.com/broad/tv/drama/gung/)