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Excessive graphics and plot twists saved by a trio of engaging demon hunters
The East Palace features ride or die dynamics between its main cast involving Saeng Gang, the "court lady" who hears ghosts, Gu Cheon, the demon hunter who sees ghosts, and their dearest Ggeomeoksali (adopted adorable demon pet), that alone gives enough reason to watch this show. In fact, any genre you place these three in, is worth watching, just that in this particular scenario they had to deal with backstabbing demons and vengeful spirits in a palace full of secrets.
I think I was unfair to this drama heading in with the mindset that it would be like Kingdom. Kingdom is a masterpiece and I will forever compare every historical horror with it, but The East Palace is a great watch in its own right and deserves to be seen for its interesting worldbuilding and cast.
The main negatives from my pov with this show is its heavy reliance on gamey CGI/VFX scenes which aren't really my cup of tea and the shots themselves losing pacing due to too much slo-mo. I think the plot twists in the screenplay could've also been limited to one or two because this too drags down the main conflict and overall pace of a 8 episode drama.
Regardless, like I said before, the lead duo (and the cutest labubu demon in kdrama land, Ggeomeoksali) carry this show and keep it engaging whenever they're on screen. Nam Joo Hyuk and Roh Yoon Seo have great chemistry, very devoted kindred spirits vibes, and give Gu Cheon and Saeng Gang a dynamic that feels far deeper than simple attraction but genuine love and care for the well being and safety of one another. Their love language is literally going through hell to save each other even at the cost of their own lives and their confessions are not corny "I love you"s but "I'll save you over and over in every lifetime if I had to" which is a recurring theme in so many romance dynamics this year with kdramas that i'm LOVING all this reciprocal love being showered by the kdrama gods after a looong drought filled with one-sided sacrifices mostly from male leads 🥹
I would be totally down for a s2 with this same trio, a tighter screenplay and fewer heavy graphics...
I think I was unfair to this drama heading in with the mindset that it would be like Kingdom. Kingdom is a masterpiece and I will forever compare every historical horror with it, but The East Palace is a great watch in its own right and deserves to be seen for its interesting worldbuilding and cast.
The main negatives from my pov with this show is its heavy reliance on gamey CGI/VFX scenes which aren't really my cup of tea and the shots themselves losing pacing due to too much slo-mo. I think the plot twists in the screenplay could've also been limited to one or two because this too drags down the main conflict and overall pace of a 8 episode drama.
Regardless, like I said before, the lead duo (and the cutest labubu demon in kdrama land, Ggeomeoksali) carry this show and keep it engaging whenever they're on screen. Nam Joo Hyuk and Roh Yoon Seo have great chemistry, very devoted kindred spirits vibes, and give Gu Cheon and Saeng Gang a dynamic that feels far deeper than simple attraction but genuine love and care for the well being and safety of one another. Their love language is literally going through hell to save each other even at the cost of their own lives and their confessions are not corny "I love you"s but "I'll save you over and over in every lifetime if I had to" which is a recurring theme in so many romance dynamics this year with kdramas that i'm LOVING all this reciprocal love being showered by the kdrama gods after a looong drought filled with one-sided sacrifices mostly from male leads 🥹
I would be totally down for a s2 with this same trio, a tighter screenplay and fewer heavy graphics...
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