Premiere Watch: Perfect Crown
by stroopwafel
Time slot: Friday & Saturday
Broadcaster: MBC
Genre: Rom-com
Episode count: 12
Global streamer: Disney+
Reasons to watch: The MBC/Disney+ blockbuster that many drama fans have been waiting for is here, and Perfect Crown pairs IU and Byun Woo-seok in a romance that crosses class lines and family opposition. Rounding out the ensemble, we have Gong Seung-yeon, Noh Sang-hyun, Yoo Soo-bin, and Lee Yeon.
Perfect Crown introduces us to a world where the Korean monarchy still reigns and the royal family, with Byun Woo-seok as grand prince, are atop the country’s social hierarchy. Though the royals, and the aristocracy, have no political power, they have a firm grip on who can gain entry into their elite world–and no amount of money guarantees entry into high society.
And trust that IU, our chaebol heiress, has done nearly everything she can to be one of the elite, but none of her efforts have paid off. It’s not just that she’s a commoner, she was also born out of wedlock, which means she has two strikes against her. But she’s as bold as she is rich, so she formulates one last plan to finally gain the social clout she’s longed for: Marry the prince.
Leaning on her business skills, she approaches Byun Woo-seok with an offer of a contract marriage. She’ll get the title, and he’ll get access to…something. Her riches? (I’m not totally clear what’s in it for him as a business deal, since I assume the royals are rich already, but let’s put that aside for now.) He agrees and thus begins a love story that captivates the country. While certain people in their orbit (Noh Sang-hyun and Gong Seung-yeon) want to stop the marriage at all costs, as our contract bride and groom set out to take on the world together, they start to actually fall in love.
This show will either be an entertaining extravaganza of romance and worlds-colliding hijinks, or a cheesy mess that leaves us unfulfilled. Either way, I’m ready to watch and with both IU and Byun Woo-seok coming off of hit dramas for Perfect Crown, that has definitely upped the anticipation factor for me. Watch for a fun twist on the usual boy-meets-girl love story, and for the promise that we could be getting something as addictive as Lovely Runner and When Life Gives You Tangerines.
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- IU
- Byun Woo-seok
- Noh Sang-hyun
- Gong Seung-yeon