The Crowned Clown Episode 16 – The Finale – Recap & Review

 

The End Is Here

Chief Royal Secretary is dead. The palace is thrown into turmoil and at the center of this chaos is our clown King, Ha Sun. After 15 episodes of drama, tension and romance we finally reach the conclusive chapter to this historical Korean show.

After a brief recap to the events of last week, we begin with Queen Dowager and the former Left State Minister plotting their next move. After the Secretary stabbed Prince Jin, the Queen thanks Jin for his work thus far and instead vows to put another puppet in her stead on the throne to control.

Meanwhile Ha Sun is torn after receiving an urgent letter regarding troops on the Frontier. He doesn’t have long to ponder it though as Sin Chi Soo makes his move and, along with a handful of rebels, storms the palace in a bid to take him out of the loop once and for all. It turns out to be a trap though that he walks right into. Ha Sun has become immune to this man’s slippery techniques of deception. That’s not all though as we soon find out. Queen Dowager walks into a trap of her own and we understand the extent of Ha Sun’s game-playing as he truly understands how to navigate the viper’s pit.

After wrapping up the loose ends with both Queen Dowager and Sin Chi Soo, we skip forward a year (or so I presume due to the first dialogue exchange). Peace has descended across the land and now the attention turns who the new heir to the throne may well be. As So Woon is unable to bear children, Ha Sun decides to leave the throne to a more worthy contender, proclaiming he was only borrowing the throne temporarily and never fully deserved the accolade.

An emotional farewell with Eunuch Jo (now Royal Secretary Jo) ensues and Ha Sun leaves the palace for good, following after So Woon who left the palace just before he did. All seems well and as Officer Jang vows to stand by Ha Sun’s side no matter what, assassins appear to avenge Queen Dowager resulting in both Officer Jang and Ha Sun suffering a terrible fate.

Two years pass by and we see So Woon a broken shell of the woman she once was. Dal-Rae and the entertainers continue to please the masses while the new King successfully implements the Dae Dong Policy across the region. The episode ends with a long anticipated reunion and one final glimpse of the sunset.

Whether you were satisfied with the finale or not, there’s no doubt about it, The Crowned Clown delivered one heck of a rollercoaster ride for its finale. From shock and tension through to sadness and bittersweet goodbyes, this 75 minute episode encapsulated everything I’ve loved about this show since I begun covering it 2 months ago. Emotional manipulation in the best possible way and it rounds out a highly enjoyable Korean drama.

While some of the plotting did feel a little rushed at the end, especially with the 2 time jumps, for the most part Crowned Clown delivered a highly satisfying final episode. We’ll have the full season review written up shortly but for now, it’s fair to say the show ended on a well-deserved high.

 

Previous Episode

Click Here To Read Our Full Season Write Up And Final Score

  • Episode Rating
    (5)
  • Provisional Season Rating
    (4.5)
4.8

18 thoughts on “The Crowned Clown Episode 16 – The Finale – Recap & Review”

  1. Sono positiva e sentimentale e voglio credere che lui torna da lei dopo due anni di coma o perdita di memoria

  2. Why does everything have to end sad. The ending should have ended happy cause they went through such a rough time. Give me a break. The actors and actresses were so good then you let everyone down with all of the good people dead !!!

  3. Like everyone else I feel the end was rushed and not thought out. My thoughts are the queen died of a broken heart when she learned the king was dead. Then they reunited in death and walked off into the sunset. Very sad but thoroughly enjoyed the series. Didn’t want it to end.

  4. This drama you have to choose the ending 😪 I chose he had died then she did and he came to get her so they could go together to heaven. She did get to meet his sister without knowing it was her. For a moment I thought the red clown was the king and would be the happy ending but was not 😪

  5. After all if the really great episodes the ending was puzzling. I know it’s a tragedy but why so confusing. When she gave her rings away and they found his compass. She gave up and it seems they met in Heaven? Gotta watch the final episode again.???

  6. Loved loved loved this drama till the ending
    Why kill officer Jang So random. Then not explain the gap of two years
    Why didn’t the Queen let his sister know who she was

    Also I was also confused at how Shin got back in the palace back in his uniform for the assembly meeting when he broke out of jail And was sentenced to death

    Because I loved the drama so much and was on the edge of my seat I was expecting a Scarlet Heart type ending or Queen for Seven Days even but do t get this one at all but would still give it 9/10

  7. I was perfectly okay with the ending. My take on the ending was that he was nursed back to health though we don’t know how and who took care of him. But he did not return right away because he wanted to make it appear to the people that the real King was in fact assasinated and waited two years before he surfaced as Ha-seon, a clown surfaced that closely resembles the dead king.

  8. It was pretty good Korean Soap Opera but so much tragedy and I did want Haskan to have survived for his happy ending but not to be. I was glad that Ho-sun and the Queen finally got together but the ending sounded more “eternal” due to the mist and not quite earthy. However, they should have shown the Queen passing on so that Ho-Sun could have been stated met her in the afterlife. It was about the time due to the constant conflict among the delegates of his courts. The part that pleased me was when he went to the first tournament and how cleverly he won during archery, or with the dog having that tiger cloth near his hand to confuse the dogs. It was cleverly placed so he wouldn’t appear foolish but experienced in many avenues of sports which pleased me very much.

    T

  9. I love the show, but they have to redo the ending!!! That was unfair!! They have to go back and redo it!!!

  10. My take on the ending is that they reunited in death. Can’t explain how the Queen died, but the whole scene implies that they are walking into eternity together. I was devastated with the ending, but thoroughly enjoyed the whole series.

  11. Decent show, awesome costumes and props. I give the story, props and acting 9/10 and Haksun (Chief Secretary) could get an 11/10 for his acting alone. He was awesome!! I love how real his performance was. At times he made me forget that it was fiction.

    But for the ending, that’s a 4/10 for me.

    I’m glad that some other comments mentioned it here. I was sorely disappointed by the ending. Was glad when I saw Officer Jang want to accompany him, but then when those assassins attacked I was like????? Firstly, shouldn’t the King have been escorted out to safety in the event that people who were waiting to attack him would have?

    Because, honestly, he had so many enemies while he ruled. He was responsible for the Queen Dowager’s, Shin Chi Soo and the Prince’s deaths, plus the real King was a complete madman who was responsible for the Queen Dowager’s father’s death and his half brother’s death and many other atrocious things. Hasun implemented a controversial tax law and opposed the Ming. Did he actually think that he could just walk out of there unprotected and NONE of the people he wronged as the real King or as himself would have come after him?? Or is he just slow witted when it comes to matters like his own safety?

    I really loved this show, but they botched it in the end. And it’s not because I didnt get the ending that I wanted that makes me sad. Because, when making a sad ending, you have to make it believable enough so that the viewer does not feel like they’re being unnecessarily hurt.

    So many relationships were built up during the tumultuous happenings just to do this :/

    It’s just as J Star said: “Unanswered questions. Unnecessary death of the officer. Predictable and flat waiting period for the queen. … He should have walked away, been protected by the officer, who would then accompany him as he returned to the village incognito to meet up with his sister and the queen.” <- this is exactly what I was expecting. Even if they didn't want a predictable ending of "yayy happily ever after", they could have done it like this: Officer Jang and the King are attacked and badly injured. They barely manage to suppress the assassins because…..hasn't the King been shown to be excellent in archery and decent in using a sword? Could have had someone stab Officer Jang and as they're about to finish him he picks up a sword and kills the man, then the man with the arrow could have shot him, then Jang could have killed the man and collapsed, leading us to think that both he and Jang are dead. That scenario would have created a lot of edge, suspense and sadness without killing a character for clout.

    Then, both Jang and the King could have remained somewhere and tended to their wounds. Some peasants could have been shown taking them in. Then Officer Jang and him could have travelled far searching for the queen, end up in this town at the end and reunited.

    Would have been nice if Officer Jang could have had a chance at a normal life. Maybe even shown the Queen's Lady having a hint of interest in him. It would have been fun to watch someone as stoic as him being all awkward around someone as bubbly and mischievous as she is. I just wanted the man to be happy. He lived such a hard, unfeeling and regimented life and then to have him finally decide to do something for himself by leaving with Hasun…only to make him die with his 'wish' to die with the King??

    Ah….I just can't forget how foolhardy Hasun was to leave without protection when he knew that he had so many people against him. Shin Chi Soo, Queen Dowager and Prince Jinpyeong(?) all had loyal supporters! How could you just walk out unarmed in broad daylight?? Then the death of Officer Jang and the unnecessary pain the Queen had to go through while grieving for Hasun. I was still bitter with how they made the Kisaeng wait for Haksan for 20 years then bam Haksan's dead just when she thought she had a happy ending now this :/

    And with the way Hasun suddenly reappeared and the Queen didn't even ask him where he was, only asked what took him so long…?? That seemed so unnatural. Like…who took care of him? Where did he get money to travel around? And clothes? How did he suddenly appear by chance in that deserted field?

    All this leads me to wonder now if the ending is much darker than it seems on the surface? Like, we see the Queen leaving her Lady behind to go for a walk. She is depressed and gets yet another false hope that Hasun could be alive. What if she had killed herself in that field and seeing him was an illusion? The way the camera panned out at the end with them walking off into nowhere and how there were no questions asked and she just said that she had seen him in her dreams etc, could mean that it was their souls reuniting and not their physical selves.

    Sigh. Idk anymore. Not bashing the show, these are just my thoughts. I don't hate it, just think that the ending could have been better executed. Because a writer can write a 'bad' end, but if properly done no one can challenge it or be confused. The viewers would simply accept it as a bittersweet fate in a sad destiny. But to create a 'bad' end then rush a 'good' one without solid backing feels weird.

  12. The ending failed. I know they were trying for something similar to the movie Dave but it did not work. Too forced. Irrelevant time frame. Unanswered questions. Unnecessary death of the officer. Predictable and flat waiting period for the queen. … He should have walked away, been protected by the officer, who would then accompany him as he returned to the village incognito to meet up with his sister and the queen. End of story.

  13. Yeah…there should be a flash back. How did he recover from 3 arrows??? I loved the show but we need to know How he survived. Please enlighten us🙏

  14. It would have been nice to have more info on who retrieved his body and nursed him back to health and where. The writers could have done better making recovery time shorter, say 3-6 months. Anyway, overall best Korean drama ever!

Leave a comment