Captivating the King Episodes 1 and 2 Recap and Review: Famous director, Jo Nam-gook known for his top hit series The Good Detective is back with a historical romance drama with a spoonful of twists and turns, Starring top-notch actors like Jo Jung-suk, Shin Sae-kyeong, and Lee Shin-young, Captivating the King (세작, 매혹된 자들) has all the fun and spice in it to make the viewers sit back and watch throughout. Both Netflix and TV are distributing the series, meaning its potential is global.
The three main roles are done by Jo Jung-suk as Lee In, Shin Sae-kyeong as Kang Hee-soo/ Kang Mong-woo and Lee Shin-young as Kim Myung-ha. Jo Jung-suk’s previous hit was Hospital Playlist (2020 – 2021), Shin Sae-kyeong’s last venture was Run On (2020 – 2021) and Lee Shin-young was last seen in CEO-dol Mart (2023).
Captivating the King Episodes 1 and 2 Recap
The Joseon Dynasty falls apart and the King decides to surrender to the Qing dynasty. The Great Qing orders that they send him the Grand Prince Lee In and some people as captives/slaves for two years. People cry as their favourite Prince leaves the palace, not knowing whether he will return safely and be killed.
However Lee In befriends the Emperor Qing’s favourite brother and always plays Baduk, a board game, with him. Lee In seeks the emperor’s brother’s help and somehow aids his people who are captives there. After years, the Grand Prince returns along with some captives as he demanded them as a gift from the Qing dynasty. When he tries to meet the King of Joseon, who is his elder brother, we learn that many have manipulated him. This leads to the King hating Lee In and believing he is a spy now.
The Queen wants her Prince Royal to ascend the throne while the Queen Dowager wishes the Grand Prince to become the next king. Amidst this chaos, the present King’s illness worsens and so does his hate for everyone around him. Lee In is asked to leave the palace and stay outside. During his stay outside the palace, the Minister of War appoints a soldier to tail Lee In.
Minister of War and the Queen wish to make the Prince Royal the next King and so they try their best to make the King despise Lee In. Lee In on the other hand has no interest in becoming the King but simply wants to stay beside his loving brother. One day, Lee In sees a Baduk player and gets fascinated by him. The Baduk player, not knowing that he is near the Grand Prince, supports his motives and praises him. This makes Lee In emotional and he follows the Baduk player.
The stranger gets mad at Lee In following him. Just then the bad men harass the comfort woman, Hong Jang, asking about the missing Grand Prince. The Baduk player hits the bad men and Lee In gets furious at the men and orders them to leave. The Baduk player realises that the man who followed him is none other than the Grand Prince, with whom he has been dreaming of playing Baduk.
We then learn that the Baduk player is the daughter of Lee In’s master, who tends to disguise herself as a man and earn through winning Baduk. Her main reason is to save up money and bring back the captives from the Qing dynasty by paying them the ransom. Her real name is Kang Hee-soo but she doesn’t reveal her identity or her name to anyone except Hong Jang and a few others. The Queen’s nephew Myung-ha likes Hee-soo and wishes to marry her but despite her telling him she doesn’t want to, he presses her. Her father simply states that he can’t go against his daughter’s will.
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Days pass and Lee In’s friendship with Hee-soo increases. He still doesn’t know that she is a woman and also has no idea about her name. He gives her the nickname Mong-woo and calls her with that name. Mong-woo and Lee In promise they will play Baduk whenever it drizzles. While their friendship blooms, Mong-woo/Hee-soo starts to fall for Lee In. At the same time, so many people plot against Lee In and Mong-woo.
The King asks the Master to arrange a spy to check the Qing dynasty knowing that if caught, it will cost their nation. One day when Myung-ha visits the woods with his friend, he finds the disguised Hee-soo and feels upset. When he spots her with Lee In, he confronts her and the episode ends, making the viewers wonder whether Lee In will find out about her real gender and name or if will Myung-ha let it go.
Captivating the King Episodes 1 and 2 Review
Both the episodes had good progress and so far the story is alluring and clear. There is a terrible war going on and a serious threat against a possible good King. The current King is a kind man too but the ministers make use of his illness and brainwash him. Though he knows they are trying to bring a fight between him and his younger brother, in the end, he gives in and agrees to their vile plans.
It’s nice to see how back in those days courtships worked and how the important people of the palace plotted against each other. The actors are so far doing a great job and it’s lovely to see Jong-suk back on screen after three years. The chemistry is slowly stirring up and I am feeling sure that the series is going to do a great job. Hopefully, it will!
Captivating the King is streaming on Netflix. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
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Esta serie me atrapa cada vez mas. La quimica aumenta en cada episodio, hace que aguarde con ansia los nuevos episodios semanales.