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The Haunted Palace – K-drama Episode 8 Recap & Review

Episode 8 Episode 8 of The Haunted Palace begins with Yeo-ri and the eunuchs working on breaking the curse. Head Eunuch Kim lets it slip that Gangcheori has been worried about Yeo-ri and she is surprised. At the riverbank, the drowned ghost goes after the King as ordered by Pung-san. Next, he curses Gangcheori. But together, Gangcheori and the King trap the ghost. Yeo-ri arrives in time as Gangcheori faints. She breaks the curse and hugs him when he finally wakes up. Pung-san learns of the curse breaking and blames it on Yeo-ri being from Yongdam village. Something happened there and a flashback shows Pung-san watching while Neop-deok dies. Back at the riverbank, Bibi watches the hug and has a bad feeling. However, the King and the inner circle are amused by Gangcheori's confusion at Yeo-ri's hug. The King and Gangcheori agree to a truce and the former rushes to his wife who has recovered. Meanwhile, Gangcheori and Yeo-ri question the male drowned ghost. It is his skull that was put in the pillow so he would target the Queen. He agrees to speak when Yeo-ri offers to return his remains to his daughter. When she updates the King, he is overly affectionate with her. Gangcheori is jealous and we learn that the King did it to mess with him. As for the family reunion, the ghost possesses Yeo-ri and comforts his daughter. He finally reveals that a blind yapper has been using him. Yeo-ri recalls the 8-foot ghost mentioning a blind yapper as well. Said yapper is with one of Kwak's ministers, making him a talisman to ward off Bibi. We learn that the nobles go to him for talismans, hexes and shamanic cures for their enemies and lovers and family members. Kwak doesn't believe in all this but begrudgingly takes one talisman. In the market, Choi Won-u frantically searches for a book that some scoundrel touched. He is pretty vague but pays handsomely to the seller to look for it. The one-legged ghost attacks again. Ga-seop and Noh are nearby, searching for Gangcheori and save Choi. Ga-seop ends up advising a confused Choi to repent for the sin against the one-legged ghost. Elsewhere, Gangcheori frets over Yeo-ri, who is tired after the possession. He calls the drowned ghost foolish for worrying about his daughter who will barely live a couple of decades. Yeo-ri calls him out for being heartless. As for Pung-san, he burns all evidence, guessing that the ghost must have blabbed. He is right as royal guards barge into the Association of the Blind Fortune Tellers and arrest everyone. The King questions Pung-san as he is known to visit the Queen Mother. The shaman claims that he has been consoling her after her husband died in the Year of the Water Rabbit. That night, Yeo-ri and Gangcheori stop by an inn for dinner. They bicker as he wants to eat more while she wants to leave. He surreptitiously makes it rain so they are stuck at the inn. He watches her doze off and she catches him. She has noticed his affection for her and he blames it on Yoon Gap's body. In a moment of weakness, he adds that he isn't sure. He then asks if her smiles at him are meant for Yoon Gap or Gangcheori. She is flustered and changes the topic. In prison, the blind shamans scold Pung-san for getting involved with the wrong people. But he is cocky that things go his way as he has dirt on the nobles. Right on cue, all his clients vouch for him. Even Kwak points out the absurdity of the Queen Mother using a blind man to curse the Queen. Even Minister Kim agrees with Kwak. He explains that if the Queen Mother is involved, the King has to be careful so as not to rile her people. The King gives in and frees all the shamans. However, he orders his inner circle to secretly look for the Blind Yapper. While discussing with Yeo-ri, the King is sad to learn that Neop-deok died in the Year of the Water Rabbit. As for Yeo-ri, she realises that she has been cosying up to her grandmother's killer and feels guilty. She is suddenly cold to Gangcheori who is confused by her mood swing. Having taken a liking to Yeo-ri, the kid ghost reveals the truth. He was there when Neop-deok was hired to exorcise the 8-foot ghost 13 years ago. Did the 8-foot ghost kill Neop-deok as revenge? Shocked, Yeo-ri runs out. Gangcheori is busy ranting about Yeo-ri's sudden coldness to Bibi. Bibi asks if he regrets lying that he killed Neop-deok. It cuts to Yeo-ri asking the King what happened 13 years ago, in the Year of the Water Rabbit. The 8-foot ghost possessed his father. Neop-deok was brought in to exorcise him. He died. Lee Sung married and became the King. Neop-deok died a month later by accidentally being set on fire and falling into the sea. They realise that the 8-foot ghost's master is behind the deaths of the previous king and Neop-deok. At the end of The Haunted Palace Episode 8, Minister Kim kills the 8-foot ghost's fire and beats up Pung-san, calling him a yapper. He is the one who hired the shaman to kill the Crown Prince. Pung-san promises to keep the deal and also reveals that Yeo-ri is related to Neop-deok. The 8-foot ghost has a plan and his fire burns brighter. The Episode Review The Haunted Palace Episode 8 finally connects everything that seemed random and ends the first half of the K-drama on a high and satisfying note. Most of the mystery is resolved, allowing viewers some sense of satisfaction as the questions kept piling up. Yeo-ri is no ordinary shaman and being related to Neop-deok adds to her power. Neop-deok was brought in to exorcise the 8-foot ghost possessing the late king. And in retaliation, Pung-san used the ghost to kill her. Minister Kim is the big bad baddie despite being the King's maternal grandfather. We can probably guess that he wants revenge on the previous King for replacing his daughter with the Queen Mother. Meanwhile, Choi Won-u just seems to be a red herring. He comes off cranky and spiteful but it looks like whatever his storyline is, it belongs to the slave reform conflict. As for Gangcheori, he gets a huge redemption arc, which honestly was needed. As evident with Yeo-ri's reality check, we doubt she would have ever been able to get together with her grandmother's killer. It also felt out of character for Gangcheori to kill Neop-deok when he feels protective of her granddaughter. All in all, a strong mid-season finale that sets up for an exciting second half as well. Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!