Disenchantment is filled with a plethora of characters. All of them serve a purpose in the narrative and help to take it forward. The most recurring one was Bean’s father, King Zøg, who ruled the kingdom of Dreamland for a long time. The monarch happens to appear in the show all through the five seasons, imparting some kind of lesson to the viewers. It feels as if, along with Bean, her father also went through a transformation.
Spoilers Ahead
King Zøg Of Dreamland
King Zøg comes across as an obnoxious monarch who has no clue how to run the kingdom that was handed down to him after his brother died. He does and says bizarre stuff from the seat of his throne and does not try to understand the qualms of the people he is ruling over. His relationship with his daughter was very complex in the beginning. Princess Bean refuses to live by her father’s strict rules. The young girl is outgoing, adventurous, and an alcoholic. His not-so-perfect princess of the kingdom bothers him a lot. He tries to put some sense into her as a father and a king in the hope that she will one day transform into a princess that everyone loves.
Zøg hardly knows his daughter, which is why he tries to put restrictions on her, but she always ends up finding a way past them. Bean also tries to stay away from her father and his bizarre way of ruling. Zøg could never be a good father to her, and in the absence of a motherly figure, the relationship turned from bad to worse initially. He attempts to marry her off, knowing she will react. To no one’s surprise, Bean tried to be the runaway bride twice until her father gave up due to unforeseen circumstances.
King Zøg fiddles with the idea of becoming immortal by using his magician at court. He tries to get a hold of Elfo to utilize his blood to make a potion for himself. It turns out he wanted to use the liquid to revive his dead wife, Queen Dagmar. This gesture proves that the monarch might not be selfish. He is seeking the love he thinks he lost with Dagmar’s death and wants to bring her back so that Bean gets to meet her mother. Meanwhile, Zøg and Bean end up having to experience a failed diplomatic mission to Oona’s homeland, Dankmire. Oona is his current wife and queen consort. Surprisingly, this mission brought the father and daughter closer than before. They could openly speak about this diplomatic mission, which worked like an icebreaker.
Zøg’s Tryst With Mental Illness
Zog goes through spells of physical and mental illnesses that lead to him visiting the mental asylum one too many times. His experience of being stuck in a coffin led to him behaving strangely a lot of the time in the castle. This puts quite an onus on his ability to take care of his kingdom. He ends up having to depend a lot on Bean from here on. This was the second time the father and daughter got to spend a lot of time with each other, and Bean took care of him. Meanwhile, Zøg was happy to have his daughter by his side during such a distressing time of his life.
At this point, he also gets obsessed with a wooden toy named Freckles and starts considering it his own. His deteriorating mental health leaves Bean with no choice but to transfer him to an asylum so that he can get treated. The reason for his bad health could be the unwarranted stress that came from taking over the kingdom and wondering if Bean could be the right person to succeed him as monarch.
Zøg’s flashback sequence took the audience through his relationship with his older brother, Yøg, until he died. Zøg also became a local hero when he was taken into the depths of the sea by a mermaid. The locals who witnessed this thought thought a sea monster dragged him. Zøg came back up again because of his fear of water bubbles. The same locals hailed him as a hero because they thought Zøg killed the sea monster. This is the kind of validation he was happy to seek as a young kid. It is also fascinating to watch Zøg, and his daughter Bean seems to be attracted to beautiful mermaids. It proves they are more similar than they initially thought. The entire five seasons document his quest for some kind of happiness, which he did not find in Dreamland as a king. Zøg ends up meeting an old lover, Ursula. His meeting reignites his love for her in the most carnal fashion, which is cute and hilarious to watch at this stage. The loud-mouthed Zøg suddenly becomes a creature of hilarity. He also learns of a part-bear, part-human son named Jasper from Ursula. Zøg is suddenly inundated with kids from lovers and wives, which makes him happy.
Zøg, The Father
On learning his sons Derek, Jasper, and Freckles were headed to Steamland, as a good father, he went to seek them out. Zøg did not think twice about his health or the fact that he could get lost along the way. His search led him to a trap laid by the freakshow owner. Zøg’s love for his kids was never-ending because he felt he would do anything to safeguard them. He was eventually located by Bean, with the help of Mora. His oldest daughter came to his rescue when he needed her the most. It proves the relationship he shares with her has reached a point where they have started seeing each other as family. The core of Disenchantment is the dynamic between parents and children.
Bean and Zøg end up spending a lot of time rescuing everyone from the freakshow. Everyone they rescued got into the electrofish, but Bean and Zøg ended up having to save themselves on a hot air balloon. This was an important moment in their relationship. Bean finally opened up about being in love with Mora. Zøg was happy because he felt his relationship with Bean had gotten better. It allowed Bean to open up about the most intimate subject of her life. Zøg was happy for her because, lately, he had been consumed by the idea of falling in love. He encourages her to pursue Mora.
Zøg was also there for Bean when she was going through a meltdown at the asylum when she started speaking about her evil mother, Queen Dagmar. Bean was conflicted about eliminating her, but Zøg at no point tried to incite her to follow her instincts. Bean was mad at her mother, which was not news to anyone. Zøg always remained neutral about his daughter’s take on how to deal with Dagmar. His stance only made sense because he did not want to be the person who would push his daughter to decide the fate of her evil mother. He was sympathetic to the anger she felt for her mother.
Bean’s father stayed away from the showdown between Bean and Dagmar. He was unaffected by Dagmar’s defeat. Zøg was far more affected by Mora’s death because he knew Bean would be devastated. King Zøg’s arc was one of the best in Disenchantment. He went from being highly unlikeable to someone sympathetic towards everybody. King Zøg ends up giving up his throne to be with his lover, Ursula. He plans to spend his retirement falling in love with her all over again. He made sure Bean also followed in his footsteps and gave up the throne to someone who deserved it. King Zøg ends up being one of the most endearing characters in Disenchantment.
