Queen Seondeok
Queen Seondeok is a 2009 South Korean historical drama that chronicles the life of Queen Seondeok of Silla.
Deokman (Queen Seondeok’s childhood name) was born as Princess Cheonmyeong's twin and a member of the Silla royal family, but a prophecy leads to her abandonment as a baby. She was later brought back to the Silla palace, where she joined forces with her twin sister to oppose Mishil, a royal concubine who wanted to seize power. Mishil devised sinister plans to have the two Silla princesses exiled from the kingdom.
Tropes used in Queen Seondeok include:
- Absurdly Youthful Mother: Cheonmyeong, who became a Hot Mom at fifteen.
- Awesome Moment of Crowning: It's in the title!
- Big Bad: Lady Mishil.
- Bodyguard Crush: Yusin to Deokman/Queen Seondeok.
- The Chains of Commanding
- Charles Atlas Superpower: Yusin and Godo, though the latter is justified being The Big Guy.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Bidam and Prince Chunchu.
- Chekhov MIA: Munno.
- Chickification: For some reason, Deokman stops being an Action Girl once she regain her princess status. On the other hand, Lady Mishil's status as one is justified, as she clearly aged (despite the actress still being in her late thirties).
- Christmas Cake: Queen Seondeok near the end. Unfortunately, she dies unmarried.
- Enemy Civil War: Invoked by Chunchu to Mishil's husbands as part of his Batman Gambit. It worked temporarily, but the two got better.
- The Epic
- Estrogen Brigade Bait: Bidam, Alcheon, Yusin, Wolya, Chunchu.
- Everything's Better with Princesses: Subverted with Deokman and Cheonmyeong.
- Face Heel Turn: Bidam.
- Fan Nickname: Deokmulan to Deokman and Yushang to Yusin due to the earlier parts of the series being similar to Mulan.
- Femme Fatale: Lady Mishil. Oh so much.
- Furo Scene: The reason Yusin blew Deokman's cover.
- Grandma, What Massive Hotness You Have!: Queen Maya and Mishil.
- The Heroine Dies
- Hot Mom: Mishil and Cheonmyeong. Queen Maya isn't bad looking either.
- Generation Xerox: A powerful female ruler who is the Love Interest of both the head general and the prime minister. Think carefully, am I talking about Mishil, Seolwon and Saejong? Or Deokman/Queen Seondeok, Yusin and Bidam?
- King Jinheung dies because of a heart disease. The same disease that eventually killed both King Jinpyeong and Queen Seondeok.
- Guile Hero: Deokman, Cheonmyeong and Chunchu.
- The High Queen: Duh!
- Kill the Ones You Love: Chilsuk accidentally killed Sohwa.
- Lady in Red: Queen Seondeok is usually wearing red.y.
- Lightning Bruiser: Munno, Chilsuk and Bidam are all hard hitting speedsters.
- Lima Syndrome: Chilsuk to Sohwa.
- Lonely at the Top: Deokman once she became Queen Seondeok.
- Love Dodecahedron
- Love Hurts: Taken Up to Eleven. Seriously, the only Happily Married couple until the end of the series are Yusin's parents.
- Love Makes You Evil: Lady Mishil and Bidam. Like mother like son indeed.
- Love Triangle: Oh boy, where do we start?
- Magnetic Hero: Deokman and Yusin. Lady Mishil can count as an antagonist example.
- Master Swordsman: Yusin. Seriously, he trains on doing 1000 strikes everyday.
- Murder the Hypotenuse: Subverted in the finale when Yusin killed Bidam.
- Averted by Mishil's husbands. Chunchu instigate an Enemy Civil War via power struggle within their families, but Lady Mishil arrived to halt the "family crisis"..
- My Death Is Just the Beginning: Lady Mishil.
- Non-Action Guy: King Jinpyeong, Prime Minister Eul Je, Minister Yong Chu, Mishil's son Hajong and Prince Chunchu.
- Parental Abandonment: Deokman was exiled from Silla to be spared from Mishil's wrath. Prince Chunchu was later orphaned following Cheonmyeong's death and Bidam was abandoned by his mother at an early age, and his Parental Substitute was killed off too.
- Parental Substitute: Sohwa to Deokman, Munno to Bidam.
- Princesses Prefer Pink: Cheonmyeong is usually seen wearing pink.
- Posthumous Character: King Jinheung. Later, Lady Mishil.
- Really Gets Around: Lady Mishil and her brother Misaeng.
- Redemption Equals Death: Seol-Ri, the head priestess and General Seolwon.
- Rebellious Princess: Cheonmyeong, and later Deokman.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Connections: Lady Mishil and her followers.
- Separated at Birth: Deokman and Cheonmyeong. Bidam to his family.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: Deokman, both as a priestess and as a princess.
- She Is the King
- Sibling Triangle: Both Deokman and Cheonmyeong fell in love with Yusin at one point.
- Shorttank: Deokman, especially as a teenager.
- Spell My Name with an "S"
- Stern Teacher: Munno to Bidam. Also Yusin to his men.
- Subordinate Excuse: Nearly the entire cast have this.
- Sweet Polly Oliver: Deokman.
- Talking to Himself: Queen Seondeok talks to the young Deokman in her Dying Dream.
- Tall, Dark and Bishoujo: Princess Deokman/Queen Seondeok, Lady Mishil and Princess Cheonmyeong.
- Tall, Dark and Handsome: Yusin, Wolya and Daenambo.
- Tall, Dark and Snarky: Chilsuk and Bidam. Both Lady Mishil and Seolwon can be this when they want to be.
- Teen Genius: Deokman and Prince Chunchu.
- Tenchi Solution: Mishil have two husbands, Prime Minister Saejong and General Seolwon.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Deokman and Cheonmyeong. Emphasized in their first encounter.
- Too Dumb to Live: King Jinji.
- Too Good for This Sinful Earth: Cheonmyeong, Sohwa and King Jinpyeong.
- Undying Loyalty: Chilsuk to Mishil. Later, Yusin to Deokman/Queen Seondeok.
- Unholy Matrimony: See Tenchi Solution above.
- Very Loosely Based on a True Story
- Warrior Prince: Wolya was a prince of the Kaya tribe. Bidam is Lady Mishil's son to King Jinji.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Lady Mishil and her followers, except for her Dirty Coward son Hajong.
- Wise Beyond Their Years: Deokman was a Teen Genius, so is Chunchu. Yusin is also full of wisdom. Lady Mishil is (yet again) an antagonistic example.
- The Woman Wearing the Queenly Mask: Lady Mishil.
- Yandere: Bidam.