Summary
The King: Eternal Monarch season 1, episode 4 struggles to combine the two worlds slightly but it manages to finalise the chapter effectively with Tae-eul finally learning the truth.
We recap the Netflix K-Drama series The King: Eternal Monarch season 1, episode 4, which contains spoilers.
The King: Eternal Monarch recaps
How does The King: Eternal Monarch season 1, episode 4 start?
It starts with Lee Lim looking over the sea and suddenly time stands still which bemuses him.
Lee Gon arrives back in his country and Prime Minister Koo is sniffing around, turning up at the palace uninvited without prior notice which annoys the members.
Koo says the King has disappeared so she has every right as it is a national emergency. When they open the door, Lee Gon is there to her surprise.
Lee Gon apologizes to Koo, stating he’s been trying to figure out a complex puzzle. Koo makes out that Lee Gon is indebted to her as she’s kept the limelight off him during his disappearance. Lee Gon talks about the importance of history and how he is king and he will not be indebted to her.
He knows the rules of engagement way better in his world.
How is Tae-eul now that Lee Gon has left her world?
She’s clearly not herself in Episode 4. She refuses to drop the murder investigation and wants to look into the gambling site again. She’s been given a further two weeks to look into Lee Sang-do. In the meantime, she investigates a robbery and smartly arrests Kim Ju-sin who was trying to steal a stolen wallet online — she met her in real life and pretended to be a buyer.
But it’s obvious Lee Gon etches on her mind.
How is Lee Gon coping now he is back?
Well, he has a temperature since returning from the parallel world and Jo Yeong is slightly annoyed at him so installs GPS on his phone. Episode 4 reminds the audience just how important Lee Gon is in his world.
Koo meets the prince from the other side of the royal family who has lower security clearances — she asks him if it bothers him that he can only be a scholar and if he is jealous; he denies this and scolds her. Koo then shows him how a member of the ruling party has just been kicked out for a sex scandal.
Lee Gon also meets the prince and tells him he had an exciting trip. The prince tells Lee Gon he should carry on the royal bloodline.
But then there is a turn in the conversation — Lee Gon looks at the prince’s photos and wonders if he hates him for having to live away from the royal family and references Lee Lim and his family. Lee Gon also asks the prince if his father’s cousin is on his side. The prince is dismayed by Lee Gon’s suggestions and wonders where he got the rumors. Lee Gon asks if he’s hiding something and gives him something he’s been trying to solve — the autopsy of Lee Jong-in.
Afterward, Lee Gon goes to the library and thinks about Tae-eul. In the parallel universe, Tae-eul is in the same library, thinking about Lee Gon.
What’s Sin-jae’s side story in episode 4?
The King: Eternal Monarch season 1, episode 4 sees a disgruntled Sin-jae empty his mother’s bag and sees loads of money. She’s been stealing and gambling again at a dodgy establishment. He sends Jang Michael and the team to the establishment to take photos. They threaten to arrest the owner but he says his mother should be arrested too. Sae-jin gives the money back; the police arrive and arrest her — Sin-jae is crestfallen.
What’s the ID badge all about?
A child accidentally bumps into Tae-eul and her police badge falls down the drain. The kid offers to help but she forgives him. Afterward, the forensics team shows Tae-eul the banknote from Lee Gon, and despite it not existing in their country, it’s 100% legitimate. She checks the CCTV with her team and they cannot find Lee Gon. She then checks out the bamboo forest where Lee Gon was seen last.
But in terms of the ID badge, Sae-jin gives Tae-eul her ID badge back and it has the date November 11 — the same date Lee Gon referenced when he discussed her badge when he met her.
Tae-eul then gets a phone call and she freaks out; Lee Gon has returned with his horse and she meets him. Lee Gon explains that he returned to pay back some money and to check if she is okay. But she is still cynical so asks him a question; she asks if in her ID her hair was up or down — Lee Gon explains it was tied up and shows her by playing with her hair. He also tells her she was wearing a navy jacket. Tae-eul looks shocked and says “it can’t be”.
How does The King: Eternal Monarch season 1, episode 4 end?
Lee Gon asks Tae-eul to come back with him to his world. He holds her hand and puts her on the horse and they ride through the portal.
Jo Yeong and his security greet them on the other side and she is shocked — she realizes in her world, Jo Yeong is Eun-sup. Lee Gon explains to her that he was telling the truth and they look at each other intensely for a prolonged period until he gives her his name — Lee Gon.
Other points
- In a flashback, Tae-eul tells Lee Gon how she watched The Police which influenced her to become a detective.
- Congressman Park makes out that Prime minister Koo knows nothing about politics to a University which is captured on video. Koo has dirt on Park that she asks her assistant to leak.
- Lee Lim learns that Lee Gon has returned to the palace and has figured out how to travel between worlds.
- The wife of the alternative Lee Lim asks Lee Lim why he never ages.
- Tae-eul requests a new ID.
- Lee Gon visits the place where his father was murdered and remembers the night he was murdered. He picks up the Four Tiger sword.
- Lee Gon tells Jo Yeong what has happened, including the parallel Universe.
- Every time lightning strikes, Lee Gon’s arm hurts, showing yellow cracks in his shoulder.
