With TV ratings often lagging lately, SBS’s new supernatural historical drama The Haunted Palace kicked off unexpectedly strong, with a nationwide viewership rating of 9.2% for its premiere episode. Its second episode saw a slight drop to 8.3%, but there’s no denying the show’s off to a decent start.
Plot
Set in the Joseon era, the story follows a dragon that was about to ascend to heaven but fails to do so. In order to have a second chance, he seeks to use Yeo Ri, a shaman’s granddaughter as a medium—but she resists. Circumstances lead the dragon to possess Yun Gap, a court official who also happens to be her first love, except now the dragon is stuck in his body!
Probably the best thing I like here is that it feels new. It’s a historical fantasy romance, a genre we don’t see as often in Korean dramas, and it’s refreshing to see how it’s all done. It looks like in the next episodes, the Haunted Palace truly comes in, as the story takes them back to a setting filled with a blend of mystery and ghostly suspense—so let’s see how the ratings fare.
Cast
Yook Sung Jae may not be a household name, but he’s certainly a recognizable face. In fact, there’s no better choice than him, especially remembering his supporting role in Goblin. Just like Yook Sung Jae, who started out as an idol in the boy group BTOB, his leading lady Bona from WJSN has been steadily building up her acting career—being part of hit dramas like Twenty Five Twenty One. Last but not the least, I wonder if we’ll see more of Kim Young Kwang who plays the dragon Kang Cheol or if that’s the end of his cameo now that he’s stuck in another body.
Photo: sbsdrama.official / Instagram
