MBC's historical drama "Perfect Crown," starring IU and Byeon Woo Seok, is hitting record-high viewership ratings but has drawn mixed reactions from critics.
As per Naver, columnist Jung Seok-hee expressed disappointment with the drama's artistic qualities in a recent review shared on his YouTube channel, "Jung Seok-hee TV Criticism", following the airing of episodes 1 and 2.
Regarding the overall performance, Jung said, "Neither the work nor the actors stand out as talent worthy of being nominated for the Baeksang Arts Awards."
He highlighted Gong Seung-yeon's acting as a rare bright spot, noting, "Gong Seung- yeon's acting transformation is notable. It feels like she is filming a serious drama all by herself within a romantic comedy. There should be a back-and-forth dynamic, but it feels like she is struggling."
Jung also commented on audience expectations and production design: "As expectations were high, there are quite a few reactions expressing disappointment. While many say that the acting of IU and Byeon Woo Seok fell short of expectations, I found the set design and visual aesthetics to be more disappointing."
According to Herald Muse, the columnist further questioned the drama's visual approach compared to MBC's historical drama legacy. He stated, "I wanted to see the beautiful cinematography that comes to mind when thinking of MBC. In recent years alone, they have consistently produced masterpieces in historical dramas. However, I wondered why 'Perfect Crown' lacked that distinctive MBC style."
Jung expressed concern over the director's background, saying, "While I admire Director Park Joon-hwa for his outstanding skills, I questioned why he was entrusted with directing an MBC historical drama when he has previously worked for CJ ENM. He failed to utilize MBC's visual know-how at all. I suspect there might have been internal resistance."
Comparing the series unfavorably to the popular drama "Princess Hours", Jung noted, "Both the monarchy setting and the visual aesthetics had regressed."
On the storyline and cast dynamics, Jung observed, "In my opinion, the plot seems to have been structured around the main characters with the overseas market in mind rather than the domestic one. Aren't there far too few royal figures? Former kings appear only in flashback scenes, and royal women are nowhere to be seen other than the Queen Dowager."
He stressed the importance of veteran actors by adding, "I believe the success or failure of a drama depends on how well veteran actors are cast in the right roles. However, '21st Century Grand Prince's Wife' does not seem to have any veteran actors with that kind of gravitas."
Jung also warned about narrative limitations: "If the show proceeds mainly around the bickering between the two main characters, it eventually becomes boring. '21st Century Grand Prince's Wife' is exactly that kind of show. Aside from the two main characters, there are no relatable characters or dialogue."
Despite such critiques, "Perfect Crown" continues to perform well with viewers. The drama's fourth episode, which aired April 18, recorded an 11.3% viewership rating in Seoul's metropolitan area and 11.1% nationwide, ranking first in its time slot across multiple demographics.
The peak minute rating was 13.8%, which shows that it was going up quickly as per Nielsen Korea data. The different reactions show that there is a gap between how critics and audiences felt about this MBC historical drama.
