Reviews

Great first half but disappearing second half of the drama

I was genuinely excited for this drama—it gave off major Constantinevibes, and I was ready for a thrilling ride. And for the first half, it mostly delivered.

The cinematography is stunning. I loved how they brought the realm and all its creatures to life—the visual world-building was immersive and beautifully crafted. The contrast between the two worlds of the palace was especially well done. You could clearly see the real palace, where countless souls were sacrificed to human greed, standing in stark opposition to the other realm. That tension was palpable and added real weight to the story.

The duo at the heart of the drama was another highlight. Gu-cheon (Nam Joo-hyuk), the spirit slayer who can cross into the Realm of Gwi, and Saeng-gang (Roh Yoon-seo), the court lady who can hear the voices of the dead, made a compelling team . Watching them grow into a great partnership was genuinely satisfying, and their journey kept me invested early on. Cho Seung-woo as the king and Jang Young-nam as the queen dowager, added depth to the palace intrigue . But the absolute star of the show for me was the evil creature, Mengramile. I absolutely loved every scene he was in.

Unfortunately, the second half lost all the momentum the first half had built. It became quite boring, and the story started to feel unfocused and less engaging. It's a real shame because the potential was clearly there. The foundation was solid—great visuals, a compelling duo, and a memorable villain—but the execution in the later episodes just couldn't sustain it.

Overall, The East Palace had so much going for it, but it couldn't quite stick the landing. Worth watching for the first half and Mengramile alone, but I wish the rest had lived up to the promise.

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8 Episodes of Non-Stop Plot Twists

Watching this drama feels like reading a novel. The beginning can be a bit confusing because the story is pretty complex and there are a lot of characters. But once you start connecting the characters and side stories, it gets so addictive. The plot twists just keep coming. 😭🤚🏻

If you're not a fan of horror, don't worry. This isn't the kind of drama that relies on jump scares. The horror comes more from the atmosphere, mystery, and the ghosts' stories. They're nothing like the monsters in Sweet Home—some of the ghosts are actually pretty cute. 🤏🏻

My only complaints are that the second half feels a bit repetitive, the soundtrack doesn't always match the scenes, and the villain's ending was a little underwhelming. After everything they did... that's all the karma they got??? 😭

Overall, The East Palace is definitely worth watching, especially if you're looking for something to binge! 😍

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Promising on Paper, Underwhelming in Execution

I sat with this drama for a few days before deciding how I felt about it because I didn't want my first reaction to be disappointment. I wasn't expecting a masterpiece or anything that would redefine the genre, but I did expect a story that felt complete. Instead, it felt like it never quite knew what it wanted to be.

My biggest issue wasn't even that it was predictable. I don't mind predictable if the execution is good. The problem was that so many storylines either went nowhere or existed purely to misdirect the audience. The whole subplot with the newly hired team leader chasing Peach felt like it was there solely to make us suspect Thee was involved with the mafia, only for that reveal to amount to almost nothing. It took up valuable screen time without adding much to the story.

Tawan is another example. I kept waiting for him to become important, to influence the plot in some meaningful way, and it just never happened. By the end I was left wondering why he was even there.

The pacing in the final episodes also frustrated me. Episode 9 spends time establishing why Thee shouldn't propose yet, only for Episode 10 to have him do exactly that before jumping almost immediately to their wedding. There was very little room for those emotional moments to breathe. It felt like the series was rushing to the finish line instead of earning it.

The "twists" were also easy to see coming. I guessed the adoption storyline from very early on, so it never landed as the emotional payoff I think it was meant to be.

And for a series that constantly reminded us how dangerous this world supposedly was, it never actually felt dangerous. Characters kept talking about the family's enemies and the constant threat surrounding them, yet we rarely saw any real consequences. Thee's entire identity revolved around protecting himself and staying alive, but after a couple of episodes he was suddenly comfortable lowering his guard simply because Peach assured him everything was fine. That completely undermined the stakes the show had spent so much time trying to establish.

Aran, Rome, and Mom also felt underutilized. I kept expecting them to have a larger impact on the overall story, but they never really found a meaningful place in the narrative. Instead, they mostly felt like supporting pieces that were there when the plot needed them and forgotten when it didn't.

One thing that also affected my experience, and I know this comes down to personal taste—is that I generally struggle to finish PondPhuwin series because I've never really connected with their onscreen chemistry. I won't dwell on that because chemistry is subjective, and clearly a lot of people love them. I actually pushed through this one because it's such a popular series and I wanted to give it a fair chance. I'm still open to watching their next BL. Maybe they'll be given a stronger script, and maybe both of them will continue to grow as actors.

By the end, I wasn't angry, I was just underwhelmed. The cast was there and the foundation for an interesting story. But the writing never fully committed to its ideas. Too many plotlines were introduced without satisfying resolutions, the danger never felt real, and the emotional payoffs came before the story had properly earned them. For me, it wasn't a terrible show. It was simply an unfinished one, and that's ultimately what made it so disappointing.

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So this was a good time!

Sometimes you just need a series that’s mindlessly entertaining, and this one was exactly that. Perfect for a lazy Saturday afternoon when you have a few free hours and don’t feel like doing anything productive.

What Worked:
This is an eerie fantasy full of revenge, power, rage, ghosts, mythology, and strong Stranger Things vibes. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started it, but I had a feeling I’d enjoy it — and I really did.
The plot and character development are solid. The final few twists had me on the edge of my seat, and I’m genuinely hoping for a second season. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s very enjoyable.
What Didn’t Work:
There are moments when the pacing becomes extremely slow. You’ll need some patience to get through the middle of the series.
The “other” world-building could have used more detail — we get very few explanations.
I also wish there had been less romance. I know the description never promised otherwise, but I can still wish for it.
Overall:
It’s a decent, entertaining show — as long as you don’t go in with sky-high expectations and you enjoy this type of story.

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Nice drama to watch

This is a nice drama to watch, especially for the FL, who always delivers a great performance.
Even with the license of exaggeration about the corporate world, showing several secondary leads that are impossible to exist in the corporate world, closer to a comic book than to reality, the episodes were easy to watch.
For me, the most important part is the reflection on having a relationship in the company (no serious organization would allow your subordinate to be your partner), the difficulties of living together with a partner with the demands of the competitive corporate world, and the evolution of the female leader as she seeks to find and overcome her flaws to build a relationship.
Overall, I had a good time.

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At least the first half was a good time!

I was prejudiced against this show because of its mafia boss premise for the longest time, and people’s reviews highlighting the cheesy lakorn-inspired flirting weren’t convincing me to give it a chance. However, I found myself scrolling through the GMMTV catalogue on a day with nothing particular to do, and this was the only show with relatively good reviews I hadn’t watched. Also, the mention it earned itself in Head 2 Head alongside the general hype surrounding it (which seems to have resulted in the sequel “Peach and me”?) were all the more reasons to put on an episode.

And just like that one episode became two, two became three, and I was hooked.

I actually had no issue with the cheesy flirting and the out-of-touch mafia boss lead. I even found the dynamic Thee and Peach had very enjoyable to watch, at least in the beginning. Even the cringe moments (that were definitely there) did not result in as much second-embarrassment as I imagined they would. I really enjoy shows depicting class differences and how such are navigated in relationships, so I was living for every single moment in which Peach told Thee off. It seemed to me that Thee was also improving up until they labelled each other boyfriends. Then it all went downhill.

For one, as soon as they established some sort of (shaky) common ground, the fun back and forth they had almost disappeared. Thee continued with his rich antics from the beginning of the show, and Peach would simply shake his head and only intervene when things really crossed his boundaries. Their relationship was elevated, but their chemistry didn’t go anywhere - this show had some of the worst kisses and intimate scenes I’ve seen, so when the proposal eventually came, I was completely flabbergasted. Nothing I had seen on screen so far suggested the emotional and physical closeness I would expect from a couple about to get married. In general, I had somewhat of a hard time believing Peach was just as into Thee as much as Thee was into him. The development of his feelings was mostly believable until he opened up about his childhood trauma in the hospital, but after that, other than Thee pampering him and saving his life once, what other reason did Peach have to love him?

Thee barely changed as a character. Sure, he got a taste of Peach’s normal life, he made a compromise or two, but in the end of the day, he didn’t have to give up anything to be with Peach. Peach not only had to give up his safety (for a time being, apparently everything was fine after the Japanese company left the country. What?), he also had to completely change his lifestyle, obey to Thee to show his love (bathe him, brush his teeth, literally what the fuck), commit to a marriage like, what, one month into the relationship AND he even got children in the end of this all? I would’ve much rather preferred Thee ruining his relationship with his family, exposing the negative sides of being this rich and therefore constantly in danger, eventually choosing to move in with Peach and have a peaceful and normal life with him.

Speaking of Thee and his perfume business: is he a mafia boss in the end or not? The money laundering allegations of ARSENI were rejected, and sure, he used money to get his way, but the show also constantly insisted on him doing things (mostly) lawfully. So why did Peach keep calling him a “mafia boss” if even his own father said he did everything better than him, and why was there a fucking gun on that wedding poster? I mean, if I have to be very real, no such amount of wealth is accumulated in lawful ways and without human exploitation, but if the show wanted to portray Thee as a “good rich person”, it should’ve at least stayed consistent with the ways not only Peach, but also everyone else talks about him.

Also, if love was such a big deal for the Lee family, then why did Peach have 0 issues with proving himself? The show set up this conflict to be way more important than it actually ended up being. That, combined with the nothing burger resolution of the rivalry with the Japanese company, made for a really unsatisfying ending. Not to fall into clichés, but it would’ve been 10 times better if something bad had happened to Peach or Thee and they had to confront the fact that, ultimately, they couldn’t keep their promise to ensure the other one’s safety at all times.

On the good side, Mok’s character was iconic, and Est is just perfect for that role (and not only because he looks damn good in those glasses). I really enjoyed watching his reactions to Thee’s actions, as well as his inner conflict between being his friend and his employee, and between prioritising his feelings for Rome and staying professional. That was a great touch to the story. I would’ve loved to know more about how the romance between him and Rome bloomed - was it a childhood crush that carried on? A drunken hookup on one of Mok’s days off that he still regrets to this day? What did Mok like about Rome? Considering the big role Mok had in the show, I would’ve loved to see more of his perspective on things (but maybe we are going to get this in “Peach and me”?).

For good or for bad, I am tuning in for the sequel. If this show has anything going for it, it’s interesting characters. If you expect crazy chemistry, this one is not for you - Peach is like a dead fish in all intimate scenes, and his feelings for Thee seem unbelievable until the very end. Also, if you want to watch something more critical of the rich and capitalism in general, don’t even think about starting this one. “Me and Thee” was a fun time, but the longer one thinks about its contents, the more one realises they are the result of pure brainrot (maybe similarly to Thee, the screenwriters had AI assisting them…)

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Un ragazzo diviso tra due Coree e un'adolescenza rubata da una missione impossibile

Con “Commitment” ci troviamo davanti a un thriller d’azione che mescola spionaggio, dramma familiare e una buona dose di malinconia. Il film appartiene a quel filone di pellicole sudcoreane che esplorano la complessa e dolorosa divisione tra le due Coree, ma lo fa con uno sguardo che punta più all'intrattenimento che alla riflessione politica profonda.

TRAMA
La figura al centro della vicenda è quella di Ri Myung Hoon, un giovane nordcoreano che, dopo il fallimento di una missione del padre, viene imprigionato in un campo di lavoro insieme alla sorella minore. Per salvarla, accetta di diventare lui stesso una spia, infiltrandosi nella Corea del Sud con l'identità di uno studente liceale. La sua missione: eliminare alcuni agenti nordcoreani ribelli. Il premio per il successo? La libertà sua e della sorella.
A Seul verrà accolto da una pseudo coppia quale figlio adottivo – in realtà sono tutti agenti segreti nordcoreani – e tornerà tra i banchi di scuola per rendere ancora più credibile la sua copertura: lì entrerà in contatto con dinamiche adolescenziali dalle quali si terrà inizialmente alla larga ma – essendo lui stesso dopotutto un ragazzo di vent’anni – finiranno per coinvolgerlo suo malgrado.

PUNTI DI FORZA – Di sicuro le sequenze d'azione: le scene di combattimento sono rapide, brutali di grande impatto. Mi è rimasta impressa in particolare la scena in cui Myung Hoon finisce l’uomo che cerca striscia in fuga sul ring, dopo avergli già sparato alla gamba: il colpo fatale è un calcio mirato che spezza di fatto il collo all’indietro (non si vede da vicino, ma il rumore secco rievoca quasi una decapitazione). Una scena fortissima che sembra stridere ancor di più con l’espressione provata, quasi angosciata a stento soppressa, con la quale lui si guarda allo specchio pochi secondi dopo. Coglie in pieno il senso di un giovane che si costringe a comportarsi come un cinico assassino pur essendo ancora una vittima umana nel profondo.

CAST - Choi Seung Hyun nasce come popolare rapper – in arte T.O.P. – e non come attore, ma nonostante la mancanza di esperienza riesce a portare in scena un protagonista credibile e dal carisma all'occorrenza glaciale, capace di trasmettere una determinazione che conquista lo spettatore. La sua interpretazione di un ragazzo intrappolato in un gioco molto più grande di lui è efficace, meno credibile invece la sua fisicità nel ruolo di un'abile spia. Buona anche la prova di Han Ye Ri, che veste i panni della compagna di classe bullizzata e con la quale sembra a un certo punto aprirsi uno spiraglio per un romance che vira invece a favore di un legame simbolico volto a richiamare – anche attraverso lo stesso nome di battesimo - la sorella di lui. Marginale la presenza della suddetta sorella, portata in scena da una giovanissima Kim Yoo Jung: avrei preferito le fosse stato dato più spazio, già che il legame tra i due fratelli è una delle tematiche principali del drama.

I LIMITI – Un progetto forse troppo ambizioso per le capacità schierate, dall’esordiente regia alla sceneggiatura a tratti sbilanciata. Ne consegue la difficoltà di combinare due contesti così diversi: l’ambiente scolastico e le dinamiche con i compagni da una parte, la difficile e tragica situazione che minaccia la vita dei due fratelli dall’altra. Nella seconda parte del film, inoltre, si perde un po’ anche la profondità tematica a favore di dello sviluppo del thriller che, per quanto ben fatto, appiattisce quella che era la complessità iniziale.

Il finale, amaro e malinconico, se da una parte sembra cercare un tono più realistico, dall’altra è comunque prevedibile e per certi versi stereotipato, per quanto riesca comunque a strappare qualche lacrima. Pur non cedendo a un happy ending che sarebbe stato senz’altra fuori luogo, avrei optato per un’altra soluzione ancora e ricercato un epilogo un po’ più originale.

IN CONCLUSIONE – Non è certo un film rivoluzionario del suo genere, ma appassiona a sufficienza e offre un buon intrattenimento. Sebbene abbia peccato di ambizione, cercando di essere troppe cose – thriller, dramma, storia d’amore – senza eccellere in nessuna, la buona qualità tecnica e la valida interpretazione del protagonista la rendono una visione più che dignitosa.

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