Such a refreshing plotline. The comedy had me dying laughing. The chemistry between the leads is amazing as well. I'd say the beginning third and last third really make the show. I almost stopped watching in the middle because the show was getting bogged down by the politics. The humor that made the show so charming went away for a bit, and we didn't get enough time with out leads which is where the show loses major points from me. However, it picks back up around episode 13, and I was absolutely hooked again until the end. Definitely a must-see drama in my opinion because the humor is impeccable and the plot is so refreshing. I don't recommend for a one-sitting binge though because of the dragging.

I loved that the "female" lead kept their eccentricities until the end. The actress did an absolutely phenomenal job depicting a man's consciousness inhabiting a woman's body. The mannerisms were so on point and was such good observational humor about men's mannerisms. Jang Bong Hwan in the Queen's body was my favorite character in the show hands down.

I wish that they perhaps consolidated some of the villainous characters so there would be less villains but more flushed out into 3D beings. I think it would have given our main characters more screen time, would have prevented the drama from dragging in the middle, and made the court drama more engaging. The villains are quite two dimensional and don't have a backstory to enforce their motives. Their motives are also very generalized to "money and power." For me, that's the most cliche part of the show is the villains. Even when Concubine Eui and Byeong-In become bad guys for a period of time, their characters lose all dimension to fit their villain roles.

As for the ending, I'm not sure I could have reasonably expected anything different. I knew going into this drama that by the end they would try to make it as heteronormative as possible, given how the LGBTQ+ community is viewed in South Korea. Also, most Kdramas don't usually have stellar endings so I'm giving it a lot of leeway. I hope in a time where the LGBTQ+ community is more accepted that they will remake this drama so we can get all the love scenes and the ending that Jang Bong Hwan and Cheoljong deserve. The only great thing about the ending is when the Queen visits Byeong-In's grave and tells him "you found me again even when I was hiding"... Oh my god that hit me right in the feels and was the perfect scene that encompassed their relationship.