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The Review Geek
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
The Haunted Palace – K-drama Episode 13 Recap & Review
Episode 13 Episode 13 of The Haunted Palace begins with a 100-year-old flashback. The enemies are getting close and King Yeon-jong makes a run for it. With nowhere to hide, Escort Officer Cheon Geum-hwi suggests his hometown, Yongdam Village. Unfortunately, on the way over, the enemies find out their location. King Yeon-jong decides to send a decoy to Yongdam so the enemies don't find his new safehouse. Cheon asks for time to evacuate the villagers but the King refuses as it would give away the ruse. With Choi Gil-song's signal, an officer ties Cheon to a tree and they all leave. The enemies slaughter everyone in Yongdam while searching for the King. At present, King Lee Sung is ashamed by his ancestor's cowardice and selfishness. Yeo-ri feels Cheon's guilt as he blames himself for the massacre. But he is not alone. As the 8-foot ghost, he has absorbed the grudge of all the murdered villagers. Gangcheori reveals that the villagers who survived turned bitter and vile. It is why he believes all mortals are loathsome beings. Meanwhile, the 8-foot ghost attacks the Crown Prince. However, the ghostbane stone keeps him away and Ga-seop comforts the prince. Back in the village, Yeo-ri spots Yoon Gap's soul. Gangcheori realises the ghost is scheming something but Yeo-ri has other problems. She wonders what will happen to Gangcheori after Yoon Gap takes back his body. Gangcheori is playful with her and Yoon Gap watches them from afar. In-seon is curious about them too and Yeo-ri flexes their relationship. Gangcheori teases her but he is surprised by the caragana plant suddenly blooming. A flashback shows Ga-seop explaining that caragana flowers have water energy which can help Gangcheori defeat the ghost. It seems to be a necessity as the Imugi's powers are getting weaker and weaker. Elsewhere, the King learns of Kim Bong-in's death and is upset. Paired with the shame of his ancestor's doing, he mopes. However, he does attend the one-legged ghost's ritual. Choi Won-u hesitates but ends up profusely apologising to the ghost which helps him cross over to the afterlife. As for the punishment, the King fines Choi and orders 50 lashings. While the retinue returns to the capital, Pung-san targets Minister Ahn, Kwak's peer and the one who had introduced the talismans. The blind shaman wins him over by promising to make him Chief State Councillor. Yoon Gap continues to watch as Mrs. Yoon dotes over Gangcheori. He is also upset when it is Gangcheori who cheers up a sulking King Lee Sung with some tough love. Gap is hurt that Gangcheori has taken everything important to him. We finally learn that Pung-san hopes Gap's bitterness will fester into an evil grudge. Onto the showdown prep, the King procures an identification tablet for Cheon Geum-hwi. Inspired by the one-legged ghost's resolution, he hopes to share his regret and apologise to the 8-foot ghost which should allow it to cross over to the afterlife. Yeo-ri agrees to hold a ritual 10 days later, on Cheon's 100th death anniversary. She does try to exclude Gangcheori out of concern but he refuses. Meanwhile, the Queen Mother tries to find closure. She is heartbroken when Yeo-ri reveals that Prince Yeong-in has been devoured by the 8-foot ghost. However, Yeo-ri lies that praying with his precious belongings shall set him free. The kid ghost calls her out but she points out the tenacity of a mother's prayer. The kid misses his mother and Yeo-ri helps him cross over as well. Pung-san's next phase is put into motion as Lord Ahn invites Gangcheori for a meal. The Imugi realises it is a trap but it is too late as he faints. He is taken home and he seems to be burning up. At the end of The Haunted Palace Episode 13, Yoon Gap wakes up in his own body. Mrs. Yoon is delighted to see that he is back to his old self. But Yeo-ri is worried by Gangcheori's disappearance. The Episode Review As the penultimate week, this K-drama is off to an exciting start. The Haunted Palace Episode 13 unravels all the remaining mysteries such as what happened in Yongdam Village and why the ghost is targeting one particular royal bloodline. Yoon Gap finally returns but is leaning towards the misguided villain role rather than the hero we all thought he would be. Gangcheori and Yeo-ri's romance is still pretty sweet even though the focus is largely on wrapping up the ghost conflict. And while it is quite sad how Yoon Gap feels replaced, the moments between Gangcheori and the King, Yeo-ri and Mrs. Yoon were quite heartwarming. It highlights just how much Gangcheori has changed from the beginning of the show. And finally, a shoutout to Sung-jae for portraying two distinct characters so well that we could identify Yoon Gap the moment he woke up in his body. Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
The Review Geek
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
The Haunted Palace – K-drama Episode 12 Recap & Review
Episode 12 Episode 12 of The Haunted Palace begins with Gangcheori mourning his brother. Yeo-ri comforts him and blames herself for Bibi's death. Unfortunately, Kim Bong-in arrests them for trespassing. The King defends them and has them freed. Throughout the whole ordeal, Gangcheori is listless. It falls on Yeo-ri to tell the King about Kim being the mastermind. Shocked, the King gives Kim the benefit of the doubt and has Royal Guard Seo follow him. Kim confronts Pung-san for letting Gangcheori and Yeo-ri leave. However, Pung-san doesn't care as the 8-foot ghost has become much stronger after devouring Bibi's pearl. Yeo-ri brings Ga-seop to the palace to protect the Queen and Crown Prince while the gang travels to Yongdam Village to question Choi Won-u. However, everyone notices Gangcheori hurting and they worry for him. Even Head Eunuch Kim sends yugwa candy for him. As for Mrs. Yoon, she sneaks him snacks when Gangcheori has no appetite. He looks touched and promises to eat later. Back to the familial betrayal, the Queen Mother visits the King. From her own investigation, she has learned that Kim threatened Yeong-in's nanny into introducing Pung-san to the Queen Mother. She regrets everything and apologises for indirectly hurting the King's unborn child. On top of that, Seo confirms that Kim met with Pung-san's assistant, Se-wan. The King looks sad as he calls for Kim. After the previous king had died, a teary-eyed Kim had cleaned his bloody tonggae, his bow and arrow case, and offered it to the current king. The King believed it was a sign of Kim's protection. The King cries as he accuses Kim of treason. However, Kim smirks and claims the King is to blame with his absurd anti-slavery and anti-corruption reforms. Kim only backed him as long as he didn't change the 'natural order' of the nation. He is further gleeful that the King has no proof and he will have to arrest Yeo-ri, an illegal shaman should she procure one. However, the King has been hiding the court who all hear Kim's confession. Kim is exiled for treason but his assassins easily free him. He storms over to the shrine and threatens the ghost to kill the King. The ghost doesn't take kindly to threats and reveals he doesn't need the minister anymore. He possesses Pung-san and kills Kim. Gangcheori is back in commission as he assures Yeo-ri that he doesn't hate her. He only blames the ghost and is ready to destroy him. The gang arrive at Yongdam and so as not to spook Choi Won-u, they claim it is a retreat. Gangcheori wonders about In-seon's whereabouts and Yeo-ri is jealous. Head Eunuch Kim finds out that it has been 100 years since a king (King Yeon-jong) visited the village. While Choi hosts them, the gang share an inner joke as the King jests about Gangcheori's 'perfect manners.' Gangcheori finally tries the yugwa candy and even shares it with Head Eunuch Kim. The eunuch talks about how he too lost a sibling, hinting that he knows Gangcheori is mourning someone important to him. The King's plan is thwarted from the beginning when Choi Won-u shuts down on the mention of his 100-year-old ancestor, Choi Gil-sang. Then they are interrupted by In-seon who has again been possessed by the one-legged ghost. The King wants answers and Choi spins a tale that the ghost is Jang Eon-su, a book merchant who stole some important books 5 years ago. While punishing him, Choi accidentally killed Jang. Feeling guilty, he retired. Yeo-ri and Gangcheori exorcise the ghost and their usual antics follow. But this time, the ghost agrees to be captured, but with a condition. He wants a scandalous book about the Chois exposed; that has been his revenge plan all along. Yeo-ri tells Choi this, and also how Jang hid the book in the place where he died. Choi claims it is all lies. A flashback shows Choi Won-u actually selling all the books to Jang. It includes the scandalous 100-year-old book, The Anthology of Light and Darkness. It has royal state secrets and can ruin the reputation of the Chois. It also tells the story of King Yeon-jong and a military officer. Once Choi hears it, he offers to buy it back. Before the transaction, a greedy Jang hides it in Choi's granary and asks for more money. Enraged, Choi attacks Jang who falls on a rake, slicing up his leg. Choi hesitates before killing Jang. At present, he finds the book and is about to burn it when Gangcheori saves it. He tells the King that the book has the origin story of the ghost. At the end of The Haunted Palace Episode 12, the ghost seethes over the King's words. He expels Yoon Gap's soul and Pung-san laughs. The Episode Review With The Hauned Palace having such a strong run so far, it seems that Episode 12 has decided to mess things up a bit. It is primarily Kim Bong-in's character who is portrayed as this manipulative, scheming grandfather who has not an ounce of love or loyalty for his grandson. While we had grand ideas of why he may choose to betray his only family, the reality is quite disappointing. Had it been any other K-drama, we would have chalked off Kim as a secondary, flat character whose only purpose is to be the villain. But The Haunted Palace is abundant with three-dimensional grey characters such as Gangcheori, Yoon Gap, Bibi, the Queen Mother, Choi Won-u and the 8-foot ghost himself. Yep, even the main antagonist has a tragic backstory that hints that circumstances out of his control turned him into a malevolent spirit. Yet, here we have Kim Bong-in laughing while his grandson cries at his betrayal. It undermines Kim Ji-hoon's heartbreaking portrayal of the King in what is supposed to be a bitter reality check. It doesn't help that Kim decides to betray him and summon the ghost when the King is just a teenager and has yet to voice his 'unconventional' political ideals. The timeline doesn't back Kim's loathing for his own family. And like his weak characterization, he simply gets an unsatisfying off-screen death. This storyline overshadows an integral character development for Gangcheori in this chapter, as he bonds with humans, other than Yeo-ri, while mourning his brother. Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
The Review Geek
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
The Haunted Palace – K-drama Episode 9 Recap & Review
Episode 9 Episode 9 of The Haunted Palace begins with a flashback. King Lee Sung is a princely teen and is witnessing his grandfather, Minister Kim Bong-in punishing Pung-san for illegal shamanic rituals. The shaman sees the 8-foot ghost follow the prince and warns Kim. However, Kim wants him to summon the ghost. At present, Pung-san tells Kim how Yeo-ri is behind their recent failures and that she is protected by an Imugi. We also learn that on Kim's order, Pung-san helped the 8-foot ghost kill and devour Neop-deok. The King tells Yeo-ri how Neop-deok helped his possessed father temporarily regain control. He has been in denial for too long and asks Yeo-ri's help in dealing with the ghost. She is still in shock by the truth of her grandmother's death. Meanwhile, Gangcheori confesses to Bibi that he wanted to warn Neop-deok when the 8-foot ghost arrived in Yongdam Village. However, he was bitter about Yeo-ri rejecting him which is why he kept quiet. He now regrets it. He runs into Yeo-ri and she confronts him. He lied to her as he didn't want her to go after the 8-foot ghost. Surprised by his concern, she starts crying. He is worried for her and enlists Bibi to babysit her. The younger Imugi agrees only so he can try and turn Yeo-ri against Gangcheori. However, Yeo-ri cannot stop thinking about him. She confesses to Ok-im that she doesn't know how to feel, as she spent years hating Gangcheori for a murder he didn't commit. Ok-im teases her that she has fallen for the Imugi. Bibi overhears and is annoyed as he wants his brother to focus on ascending. Onto the court politics, we learn that the previous king planned to implement anti-slavery reforms with Choi Won-u. King Lee Sung begs Choi to help fulfil his father's wishes and the former minister gives in. The King confides in his grandfather about it and declares that he is making Choi the Left State Councillor. Minister Kim is clearly against it and claims it is a bad idea. However, the King is adamant and Kim pretends to acquiesce. As he leaves, he notes Gangcheori barging in to rant about Yeo-ri. Alone, the Imugi berates the King for revealing the truth of Neop-deok's murder. The King points out that Yeo-ri figured it out. Gangcheori rambles and the King teases him that he cares for her. Gangcheori claims he simply doesn't know how to handle a crying woman and the King advises him to offer hugs and a listening ear. At home, Gangcheori is awkward around Yeo-ri and both Bibi and Mrs. Yoon notice. Bibi tries to enact his scheme of separating them but Yeo-ri sees through it. Annoyed, he heads out to devour someone and notices the anti-Imugi talismans. He tells Gangcheori how all noblemen over age 60 have it. Meanwhile, Minister Kim and Kwak meet and we learn they led a rebellion against the previous king to stop the anti-slave reforms. Kwak is obsessed with Yoon Gap and Kim hints that his weakness is Mrs. Yoon. Kim knows that Gangcheori cares for Yeo-ri and will try to rescue Mrs. Yoon for her sake. While he is busy, Kim's men will kidnap Yeo-ri. As for Choi Won-u, Kim has Pung-san spin a tale to Queen Mother that the King will become invincible with Choi at his side. And then she won't be able to avenge Prince Yeong-in's death. Turns out, Choi is her uncle and she threatens him to stay away from the King. Afraid for his family, he gives in and rejects the King's offer via a note. The next day is quite tumultuous. Mrs. Yoon is kidnapped. In-seon shows up with sweets to bid Gangcheori farewell and is rude to Yeo-ri. Yeo-ri gets jealous and ignores Gangcheori. He gets annoyed and pretends to indulge In-seon. Right then, Minister Kim asks for Yeo-ri's optician services and she leaves. Assassins show up and try to kidnap her. Bibi hesitates but gives in and helps her run. Back home, Gangcheori gets a note about Mrs. Yoon's kidnapping. He reasons that he would miss her cooking and decides to rescue her. In-seon tries to shoot her shot but he bluntly rejects her and calls her out for being rude to Yeo-ri. Onto the rescue, Gangcheori is tired of Kwak's games and is about to introduce himself as the infamous Imugi. On seeing Mrs. Yoon crying for him, he stops and gets to rescuing her. However, Kwak's talisman weakens him and he is unable to call his wind power. Mrs. Yoon tries to help but Kwak knocks her out. Bibi shows up in his Imugi glory and Kwak runs off. Unfortunately, the assassins catch up with Yeo-ri. The King is on his way back from trying to find Choi Won-u when he spots her. He jumps into the fray and saves her. Yeo-ri comes home to find a beaten-up Gangcheori and Mrs. Yoon. She is flustered as he retrieves her lost optician kit and tries to nurse her injuries. Confused by his kindness, she lashes out. She should be worried about her grandma. Instead, she feels relieved that she doesn't have to feel guilty about liking him. He wipes her tears and kisses her at the end of The Haunted Palace Episode 9. The Episode Review The Haunted Palace Episode 9 is a strong start to the second half of the K-drama. Secrets are out, feelings are confessed and backstories are revealed. The comedy is still spot-on as Gangcheori would rather claim he saved Mrs. Yoon for her cooking instead of the fact that he has started liking her. The King and Ok-im teasing our couple is pretty hilarious as well. The build-up is been sweet and funny and it is about time Yeo-ri and Gangcheori confessed their feelings. After binge-watching the historical K-drama, Dear Hongrang, The Haunted Palace feels like a breath of fresh air with its slower pace and longer duration. The 8-12 episode format truly is affecting epic stories by cramming in way too many subplots and plot twists for sensationalism. What used to be the usual style of 16 to 20 episodes, allowing a slow but steady plot development, has now become quite rare, and we wonder why. The Haunted Palace is doing well (so far) because it has the time to flesh out characters, chart out different acts, and thoroughly unravel convoluted subplots. There are no plot holes or hasty conclusions or speedy showdowns. OTTs are anyway ruining the TVsphere with short seasons, large time gaps between seasons, cancellations and oversaturation. Let K-dramas stay in their little bubble, with the standardised formula, meant for K-drama fans, please! Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
