I was genuinely excited to watch Perfect Crown. Now that I am watching it, I can tell you for sure, it is a really good K-drama. Will I recommend it? 100 %, but I have one issue with the relationship dynamic, and we need to address that. (Don’t worry, no spoiler).
Perfect Crown : the main male lead deserved better
Let me just start by shouting: “For the love of God, can someone let these men have backbones!?”
For a character who started the series with blood on his shirt, a gun in his hand, and a history of being a hunter, I expected him to be a bit stronger. I am not saying he was weak—he wasn’t. But there were scenes where the writers should have let him take the lead and show more of a backbone.
I love the Asian film industry because, in general, their great storytelling is excellent, and no detail is pointless. That’s why I don’t understand why he seemed so incapacitated in certain scenes. Since the series already started with the female lead being forward and making the first move, did she also need to constantly drive his actions? She was doing a lot of the heavy lifting, meanwhile, the male lead was capable enough to make that shift on his own.
He was passive, not powerless. He initially tolerated being dominated by the monarchy because he simply didn’t care about it. As soon as Seong Hui-ju came into the picture, he became like a roaring lion to protect her. However, the scenes where she had to push him toward a certain action made it feel like his shift in behavior was solely due to her impulse—as if he couldn’t stand on his own as a man. Given such a strong opening, he didn’t need his power undermined by constant external prompting.
Perfect Crown : My demon understood the assignment
Many viewers have been drawing comparisons between Perfect Crown and the hit Kdrama My Demon, rightfully so. Both shows center on incredibly strong female and male leads. However, My Demon serves as a perfect counter-example to where Perfect Crown fell short.
In My Demon, when the male lead fell in love, he softened completely and became a total lovebird, yet he never lost his agency or his ability to make his own decisions. A strong female lead does not mean she has to dominate or lead the entire relationship. True romantic tension relies on balance and polarity. By stripping the male lead of his independence to elevate the heroine, Perfect Crown ultimately missed an opportunity to give us a truly equal power couple.
PS: I do have a few episodes left to watch, and yes, I do know that there is a shift in the relationship dynamic as their love story evolves. But this is not a criticism of the entire show, like I said, it is a good K-drama. This is simply a criticism of a tendency I have been noticing in romantic movies/series lately, something I call: The intellectualisation of love.
Did you watch the Perfect Crown Kdrama? Let me know what you think in the comments.
XO
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