#TheKingEternalMonarch of dumb reasons to watchalong c'mon let's drag this show together

b4 we begin, this kdrama is airing currently on Netflix and although we've only watched 2 eps so-far it's proving to be living up to the hype of having an incredible screenwriter, cast, production team, etc. Just watch it. https://www.netflix.com/title/81260283 

first some CW: gratuitous but artistic violence, attempted murder of a child, offscreen actual murder of a child, more murder, CSI stuff, cops being cops (unnecessary roundhouse kicks to the face), unsolicited hugging, questionable science, & this man will destroy your life

also to be clear I am dragging this show out of LOVE, so please do not come to my house telling me why you don't like Lee Min Ho or anything else about it I don't want to hear it, I do not care

also how can you dislike a man who dresses up his dog

OK so what is this show about? Before its release all we had to go on was that it would be a parallel dimension story about a king and a modern day detective. Everyone assumed it would be time travel sageuk romance, please appreciate these fanmade posters of what could have been

This show is not that. There's time travel but the closest equivalent is Fringe meets Enchanted, with direct ref to Alice In Wonderland.

it's a supernatural scifi fantasy murder mystery police procedural love triangle romance royal palace political thriller tragicomedy

Most importantly, however, this show was written with the enduring premise that Lee Min Ho is contractually obligated to ride a horse in every drama he stars in

This time they went above and beyond and made the horse a main character. Maximus (yes the same as the horse from Tangled because our King is a princess) is the real reason you should watch this show

Serious star material right here. Look at this beautiful creature (or the 3 beautiful horses that play him I have no idea which is which)

this horse just called me poor

I would argue that whatever love polyhedron we get in this show (more on that later), Maximus is a part of it. Look at this masterful portrayal of jealousy

My favorite Maximus content so-far is this extremely poignant scene where we see him as a young foal, very clearly being played by what is either a miniature horse or a Shetland pony. Truly a glow up.

I got distracted by Googling the difference between mini horses and Shetland ponies (apparently ponies have a rough coat). Closing out the Maximus content for now with this article from today:

oh to be a horse, receiving lemon candy and gentle care from Lee Min Ho