Viewers compare “King the Land” with popular romcom “Business Proposal” & express disappointment, “It’s a failure”
“Was this the best thing they could do?”, viewers commented after watching Lim Yoon Ah and Lee Jun Ho’s new drama “King the Land”.
As soon as JTBC’s “King the Land” unveiled its first episodes, viewers started to compare it to SBS’s popular drama “Business Proposal”. Owning a splendid cast with Lim Yoon Ah and Lee Jun Ho, “King the Land” seems to fall short of expectations. Some pointed out disappointing details, such as unnatural content, clichéd directing, and outdated dialogue.
From the moment Goo Won (Lee Jun Ho) appeared as an intern, he already stood out. The way he went to work using a parachute actually proved his unusual status. A similar scene appeared in Genie TV’s drama “Gaus Electronics” last year. Why did they repeat such a scene?
The directing was also excessive. When intern Noh Sang Sik (Ahn Se Ha) accidentally spills toner on the copier, the manager immediately nags him, saying “Why would we hire someone like you?”. Goo Won tries to defend himself by raising his hand, saying “He has no sense at all”. The manager responds, “Get lost. Don’t come to work from tomorrow”, and the intern gets fired with a single word. It was all too unrealistic.
The scene where Goo Won reveals that he is the chairman’s son was supposed to be a cool one but it turned out to be a cliché. The scenes where the employees are shocked to know Goo Won’s true identity and when he immediately hires Noh Sang Sik as a full-time employee were so old and predictable.
The characters also lack maturity. The female senior employees’ comment, “She’s unnecessarily pretty”, along with the scenes where they annoy Cheon Sa Rang (Lim Yoon Ah) are said to show a false prejudice that beautiful women are likely to be disliked by other women. The setting where the female employees mistake Noh Sang Sik for the chairman’s son and intentionally approaches him also created discomfort for viewers while watching the drama.
On the other hand, “Business Proposal” was different. The setting was typical, but it broke the clichés with unique directing and unexpectedly witty lines. Although the relationships between the characters gave off a familiar feeling, the sophisticated lines and the chemistry between them were fresh and new. Thanks to that, the audience didn’t get bored throughout the drama developments.
The visual effects also added more fun to the viewers’ experience. In the scene where Kang Tae Moo (Ahn Hyo Seop) appeared, the director made the transition of turning a picture into an actor. The effects of the clothes changing whenever Shin Ha Ri (Kim Se Jeong) puts on a new outfit, and the dialogue inserted into the visuals all effectively highlighted the advantages of a webtoon-based drama.
The issue of gender equality was also appropriately addressed in “Business Proposal”. When Deputy General Manager Gye Bin (Lim Ki Hong) tells Manager Yeo Ui Joo (Kim Hyun Sook), “As an unmarried Manager, you might consider it unnecessary talk, but to female employees, Kang Tae-moo’s personal information is valuable information. It’s an opportunity for them to rise in status if they make good use of it”, Yeo Ui Joo firmly responds, “They are employees, not female employees. Don’t make sexist remarks. Instead of talking about rising in status, focus on the approval documents.”
In the end, “Business Proposal” made a clever move. It took advantage of the familiar clichés to help the drama approach viewers easier. It filled every aspect of the story with new stories except for the big frame.
On the other hand, “King the Land” embraced the drawbacks of repetitive clichés. This proves the fact that having a similar premise doesn’t guarantee success for all works. For those who expect another drama syndrome like “Business Proposal”, “King the Land” is still a failure for now.
Source: Nate
