I would say i rooted for the King. As evil as he was, he still had moments where his humanity showed through. He killed his own son because he didnt want another person to sit on the throne after killing his own brothers to get there. He realized the curse had already consumed him and he didnt want his children to continue the same cycle of bloodshed and atrocities. In his own twisted way, he wanted to put an end to it. That doesnt excuse his actions, he still massacred innocent villagers and committed countless unforgivable crimes, including killing his own brothers to seize the throne. But at least there was some inner conflict within him.
The Queen Dowager, on the other hand, didnt have a single redeeming quality. She was driven solely by her obsession with power and had no remorse or humanity whatsoever. If anything, had she been even more intelligent or capable than the King, she probably would have committed even worse crimes to get what she wanted.
So, between the two, i rooted for the King. Not because he was a good person (Imean he absolutely wasnt) but because he still retained a small part of his humanity, whereas the Queen Dowager was evil through and through.
The king seemed more sympathetic by the end because it seems as if he at least appreciates his kin more. He always wanted Saeng-Gang to survive and he didn't kill his nephew, only drugged him to make him wake up outside the palace. Meanwhile the Queen Dowager still had her hands in killing the youngest of her grandchildren. Though maybe she didn't know the Shaman was making it worse.
But, among the four villains - King, Queen Dowager, Consort Dowager and the King's brother - I think the latter two are worse than the two we are comparing.
Details
- Title: The East Palace
- Type: Drama
- Format: Standard Series
- Country: South Korea
- Episodes: 8
- Aired: Jul 17, 2026
- Aired On: Friday
- Original Network: Netflix
- Duration: 50 min.
- Genres: Action, Historical, Horror, Fantasy
- Tags: Ghost-seeing Male Lead, Supernatural Being, Ghost, Princess Female Lead, Investigation, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Eccentric Male Lead, Power Struggle
- Content Rating: 15+ - Teens 15 or older
Statistics
- Score: 8.4 (scored by 15,845 users)
- Ranked: #804
- Popularity: #742
- Watchers: 32,941
- Favorites: 0
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