The East Palace Review: Netflix’s newest Korean dark fantasy series, directed by Choi Jung-kyu, showcases a ghost slayer and a court lady teaming up to get rid of a dangerous spirit that threatens to destroy the royal bloodline. However, their investigation into this surprising mystery reveals many layered problems in the royal family that expose many different problems. With Joseon-era political intrigue in the mix, the series creates an ambitious mystery that is haunting and visually captivating.
The series, also known as 동궁, stars Nam Joo-hyuk, Roh Yoon-seo, and Cho Seung-woo in lead roles. Leaning heavily into folklore while not letting the tension be lost in the supernatural mystery, The East Palace is for anyone who likes their horror with a side of politics, elevating the series from a conventional action thriller to one steeped in ghost mythology and palace conspiracy.
The East Palace Review
A Palace Where Every Shadow Hides Another Secret
The concept of facing consequences for your actions is having a moment in media right now, with every other movie and show trying to showcase what happens in the future when you do bad in the past. Netflix’s The East Palace is one such drama that showcases how wretched politics and a blood-soaked past slowly eat away at the very soul of a Joseon-era royal family and, thus, a young & uninterested spirit slayer and a court woman who can hear spirits have to team up to save the young prince of the family.
The series builds tension through its atmosphere as, from early on, it’s implied that every corner within the palace walls holds some secret rooted in the royal family’s misdeeds. While spirits haunting the family are scary, it’s the humans who leave viewers shocked with some of their choices. The kingdom’s unresolved guilt is shown through these entities, giving emotional weight to the horrors that we witness. Much like the expansive palace, there are a lot of layers to their spirits that showcase the worst of humanity, and the series accumulates these slowly quite well.
The Supernatural World Feels Rich Without Losing Its Human Core
The series, featuring two characters who are opposite in many ways but sharing the common characteristic of being able to interact with spirits, gives the series a lot of leeway to be enjoyed. The characters are extremely watchable, and both actors do a great job of holding on to their characters’ souls even during the most extreme situations. The characters are created well and hold on to their humanity for most of the runtime, as a result of which it’s easy to be drawn to their missions, however absurd they may be.
Moreover, Nam Joo-hyuk and Roh Yoon-seo are fantastic in every scene and have a magnetic screen presence that captures the peril that they are in. Their characters’ positivity and drive make the episodes feel watchable, even when the story starts to go haywire.
Gorgeous Production Design Creates an Unforgettable Atmosphere
Every episode looks fantastic, and the Joseon-era world is rich with vibrant colours and beautiful costumes. On the flip side, the darker moments are full of anticipation as viewers will find themselves facing a danger that clearly lurks within the walls. However, I must mention here that the other world that the series brings forth doesn’t look new or exciting, and certain scenes will take viewers back to other historical dramas and, surprisingly, the vibes of Stranger Things!
Fans of gore or violence will be disappointed, however, as the series is more concerned with tension and supernatural effects rather than blood and guts. The sound design also elevates the tension, although, after a while, the creatures start to lose the effect that one would expect.
A Slow Burn That Occasionally Tests Your Patience
However, the biggest problem with The East Palace is that it’s far too convoluted to actually be enjoyable. At 8 episodes, the series has far too much going on for viewers to genuinely feel engaged with the plot. It isn’t able to maintain a balance between its expansive mythology and clear storytelling, which becomes muddled after a while. Every other character is plotting someone’s demise; everyone who dies becomes a spirit; Gu-cheon’s character is apparently able to do everything under the sun when it comes to the spirit realm – there’s just so much that things start to get far too convoluted.
As a result, we aren’t able to focus on the emotional undertone and the devastation of the huge betrayals for long enough. The chemistry between Gu-cheon and Saeng-gang remains unfulfilled, although there was scope to explore it further. The pacing falters a lot as well, as the expositions and the constant addition of different spirits take away from the mystery surrounding the investigation. The ending is a satisfying ordeal, but getting to the end is the real test of patience.
Final Verdict
In the end, The East Palace series is an intriguing and ambitious watch that has a lot going on. While the payoff is interesting, it’s the journey to the end that really tests your patience, as the series simply has too many moving parts to truly be a tight and engaging fantasy mystery. It’s not a bad show, but it didn’t meet my expectations.
The East Palace is streaming right now on Netflix. Did you enjoy watching the fantasy thriller? Let us know in the comments below!
Also Read:
