Summary
The King: Eternal Monarch episode 12 is a highly-fuelled continuation which calms down somewhat but it still provides some intriguing questions that we hope the series clears up.
We recap the Netflix K-Drama series The King: Eternal Monarch season 1, episode 12, which contains spoilers.
The King: Eternal Monarch recaps
How does The King: Eternal Monarch episode 12 open?
Well after the previous chapter, you’d hope the K-Drama series gave the audience some time to rest but it’s non-stop in the first half of episode 12 — this chapter starts without a continuation. Myeong Seung-a visits Eun-sup in hospital and he’s very excited to see her believing it is Na-ri. Meanwhile, the real Na-ri meets Prime Minister Koo in her world at the cafe — we still have no idea how Koo is in this world but we can only assume she’s crossing over without knowledge or she’s actually more sinister than we realized. Jo Yeong sees her and they look at each other confused. Jo Yeong kicks into action and acts like Eun-sup and then follows her.
We are then back to the end of the last episode and Lee Gon is watching Tae-eul on video footage. Everyone else thinks it’s Luna but Lee Gon knows it’s Tae-eul. Meanwhile, Lady Noh finds out who the spy is in the palace — she asks the woman if she is Min Seon-yeong who lost her son. The woman starts gushing blood from her mouth — Lady Noh tells her staff to keep her alive as she needs more intel.
High-speed chase
One of the things I’ve enjoyed about this series and especially in The King: Eternal Monarch episode 12 is how it switches the pace up with ease. Jo Yeong follows Koo, speeding down the streets, and then blocks her car. She tells Jo Yeong that she’s mistaking her for someone else. All of a sudden a car passes by and someone shoots Jo Yeong in a drive-by. Koo leaves him struggling on the floor. Sin-jae turns up to provide aid. Jo Yeong luckily had a bulletproof vest on — he reminds Sin-jae that Lee Gon is his King too and retells the story of how he met Lee Gon as a child. The one question remains though — is that the Prime Minister? And if so, why did she leave Jo Yeong on the floor hurt?
The violent reunion again
Lee Gon and Tae-eul are reunited and it’s extremely emotional — there’s blood and tears, love and shock: “I missed you. I missed you”. She collapses in his arms and he carries her through the smoke. He returns to the palace with Tae-eul and asks for the doctor immediately. I’m not sure how The King: Eternal Monarch episode 12 managed to make this more emotional after we witnessed the same scene in the previous chapter but it somehow did. You can feel the desperate love between both characters as they embrace, blood and tears tricking down each other’s faces.
Tae-eul wakes up and wonders how Lee Gon found her — he tells her he is a decent person, which was really vague and leaves more questions unanswered. She asks a few questions and then falls back to sleep. Word has spread that King Lee Gon has announced a new Queen as Tae-eul.
Tae-eul recovers
Tae-eul is up and she looks for Lee Gon. He’s made dinner for her and it’s like a Michelin star 3-course meal — is there anything that this man cannot do? Lady Noh is in the background looking concerned and it becomes clear why later. The mood is a little lighter, especially since the recent violent scenes — Tae-eul wants to see Eun-sup. Noticeably, she’s been treated like a Queen with her own wardrobe. Lee Gon asks her what flowers she likes and then she suddenly remembers when Lee Gon gave her flowers for the first time — this supports the time shift theory again as Lee Gon seems unaware of this moment. The soon to be Queen is irked by it and wants to see Eun-sup.
Tae-eul and Eun-sup are reunited
Tae-eul meets Eun-sup in hospital and he is so excited to see her. They eat cake together. Outside the hospital, Tae-eul tells Lee Gon that Lee Lim brought her here and she doesn’t know why. Lee Gon tells her that Lee Lim wants the other half of the Manpasikjeok — the war is about Lee Gon not losing his half; it’s all or nothing. The pair have an intimate chat outside a church — the church exists in both worlds. They tell each other how great they’ve both turned out. Lee Gon asks the priest to take a photo of them both. As the priest takes the photo the world freezes. Lee Gon cries; there’s a narration by Lady Noh about not wanting her to forget him. Lee Gon wipes away the tears and prepares for the photo as time unfreezes.
Later that evening, while checking on Tae-eul, Lee Gon’s shoulder suddenly hurts and you can see his veins light up. Other characters who have crossed worlds are experiencing the same symptoms — Tae-eul isn’t in pain though which is interesting and she shows him her shoulder. Lee Gon believes the rules have changed but they don’t discuss it for long and end up kissing.
Prime Minister Koo learns of the Queen announcement
Prime Minister Koo learns that King Lee Gon has chosen someone a Queen and she is shocked. She’s not had her phone with her recently — why has she not kept up with recent events? Is it because she’s confused with merging worlds? Hopefully, answers become clearer on this situation. Lee Gon is told that Lee Sang-do gets pains in his shoulder when the storms start. Prime Minister Koo visits Lee Gon without any warning. He tells her everything in the news is true and that he loves Tae-eul. The storm hits and Prime Minister Koo is in pain but Lee Gon seems okay. The King: Eternal Monarch episode 12 provides more and more twists with each chapter.
How does The King: Eternal Monarch episode 12 end?
Lady Noh and Tae-eul drink tea together. Lady Noh apologizes for the way she treated her but it was just to protect the King and she states that she’s ready to trust her — Lady Noh then wants to ask Tae-eul a specific question.
She says her name is Noh Ok-nam, her father is Noh Gi-seop, her mother is Shin Jeong-ae and her sister is Noh Yeong-nam — she was born in 1932, in Pyoksong of Hwanghae Province and she left her hometown at 17 and she hasn’t heard any news regarding the place for 67 years — she asks Tae-eul, “What happened to that war? The war that broke out in June 1950”. Is Lady Noh suggesting she is from the other world? Tae-eul’s reaction suggests so. The King: Eternal Monarch season 1, episode 12 is a highly-fuelled continuation that calms down somewhat but it still provides some intriguing questions that we hope the series clears up.
