Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 12 of Mr. Queen, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Kim So-yong, Kim Jyung-hun as King Cheoljong, Seol In-ah as Jo Hwa-jin, Na In-woo as Kim Byeong-in, and Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan. 

We discuss:

• The songs we feature during the recap: Toy Soldier by Kim Deuk-so and The Great Recipe by sEODo.
• How this episode started with danger, then both the king and queen are safe, then it gets funny, then the king is beaten by Kim Jwa-geun, then it ends on a cliffhanger, and what a cliffhanger it was!
• How Jang Bong-hwan saved the banquet with his inventive cooking and his experience that cooking and food are political in a place like the palace.
• During the banquet, for the first time ever, the king and queen are on the same page, working together to save the banquet.
• How the king beautifully interprets the queen’s messages about each dish in the meal.
• Court Lady Choi’s words that there are things that are constant in the palace: the secret feud between women, the war of governmental powers, and assassination by poison
• The amazing meal the queen made during the banquet, how clever it all was, and how meaningful every element was.
• How Kim Jwa-geun beats the king down by exposing the 7 king’s guards who had false papers and ordering them beheaded, taking jurisdiction over the men away from Prince Yeonpyeong and the king.
• Why the episode is called Dancing Upon a Knife: because the king and queen are caught in a dangerous and delicate place and they have to act very carefully.
• The K Drama elements in this episode, including a piggyback ride that we almost missed (the royal chef gives Court Lady Choi a piggyback ride when she gets ill from the poisoned water).
• The crazy cliffhanger of an ending and the many questions left unanswered, like: Who was behind the bombing? How badly is the king hurt? What about the ledger that the Jo family was supposed to reveal during the banquet?
• Our favorite Korean dishes now that the season is changing and it’s turning colder. Sung Hee likes Seolleongtang while Joanna loves sundubu jjigae.
• The shows we’re watching now: Sung Hee is obsessed with A Time Called You while Joanna has just started watching Destined With You.

References

• The Great Recipe by sEODo with lyrics
• Beef Seolleongtang recipe
• Lighthouse Tofu restaurant in Annandale, VA