Captivating the King Episode 8 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 Episode 8 Review Contains Spoilers –
Captivating the King Plot
Lee In is a prince with a caring older brother, King Lee Sun. Pledging loyalty to his brother, Lee In is taken hostage by the Qing Dynasty. Unfortunately, King Lee Sun misinterprets this loyalty as betrayal, leading to a strained relationship. Lee In suffers emotionally due to his brother’s resentment.
During his time as a hostage, Lee In encounters an unknown baduk player who captivates him with her skills. Eventually, circumstances unfold, and Lee In ascends to the throne as the king. Despite holding a powerful position, he grapples with internal sadness and vulnerability.
Kang Hee Soo, previously known as a skilled but unknown baduk player, crosses paths with Prince Lee In and falls in love with him. However, fate takes a twist as she becomes a spy with a mission for revenge. Her journey involves approaching King Lee In, adding complexities to their intertwined destinies.
Captivating the King Episode 7 Recap
Here’s a quick recap of what happened in the 7th episode. Basically, Mong-woo makes the Grand Prince request the King to accompany him along their journey and the King agrees. Though everyone is against the order, the King believes it is the only way people will believe that he didn’t really kill his elder brother and is in good terms with his brother’s son. All court officials get pissed at Mong-woo as they know he’s the one behind all the chaos.
Moreover, Hyun-bo is back with his evil plans and wants to destroy Mong-woo. So he tries to get the principal director by his side. The more Mong-woo and the King spend time, the more the latter starts to trust him. One day when it drizzles, the King says to Mong-woo that he likes him and is simply expressing how he is feeling. A servant overhears this and soon the rumour regarding the King liking men spreads, causing stress amidst the court officials.
Captivating the King Episode 8 Recap
Despite the rumours going on about, the King still spends time with Mong-woo and takes care of him. Myung-ha asks Mong-woo about the rumour and he/she states that it’s all working out in the perfect time. Meanwhile, the senior court lady asks the Queen Dowager to grant her wish of allowing her to spend one night with the king so she can provide offspring. The Principal director meets the King and says that all the court officials have raised a petition to expel Mong-woo.
The principal director states that if the King agrees to sleep with the court lady, the petition will be cancelled. Hence the King agrees though he doesn’t want to. This news traumatises the King’s wife who is extremely sick. She feels terrible after learning a court lady is going to spend the night with her husband while she hasn’t even sat close to him. This news also troubles Mong-woo/Hee-soo’s heart as she still has feelings for the King.
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One day, the King and Mong-woo go around the town to see whether the rumour is spreading. During the small outing, the King dearly watches Mong-woo, making his right hand, Sang-hwa disturbed. Since he is very loyal to the King, he tries his best to protect his King and keep all the rumours away. When Mong-woo and the King get a small private moment, he tells to Mong-woo that if he had been a woman, he’d have married him. This makes Mong-woo/Hee-soo feel extremely sad as he/she knows she has feelings and wrath on the King.
That night when the King prepares unwillingly to sleep with the court lady, news regarding Mong-woo and Hyun-bo missing comes. This disturbs the King. However since he cannot cancel the order, he goes inside the room and doesn’t do anything with the court lady and leaves soonly to start searching for Mong-woo.
Mong-woo on the other hand gets drunk and sleeps under a tree. When the King and his men find Mong-woo, Sang-hwa says that the best place for privacy is Sang-hoon’s home, which is indeed Mong-woo’s place as they’re not aware of the real identity. At Sang-hoon’s place, the King puts down Mong-woo to sleep. Sang-hwa leaves them two inside the room and orders his men that not a single word about the King and this spot should go out.
When the King prepares to undress Mong-woo so he can sleep comfortably, Mong-woo wakes up and realises what’s going on. Mong-woo yells in the real female voice and this startles the King. With disbelief, the King looks at the breast binder and gets shocked. Tearfully he says to Mong-woo, that is Hee-soo, how she could deceit him. Hee-soo asks for her final wish and the King, tearfully demands her to ask it.
Hee-soo goes closer to the King and kisses him. He gets startled and wonders what’s going on. After a few seconds, he kisses her back and realises his feelings. The two then share an intimate kiss and the episode ends, showing us that the two are going to spend the night together.
Captivating the King Episode 8 Review
Jo Jung-suk never fails when it comes to passionate scenes. Be it being goofy, angry or extremely romantic, this man is super versatile and we’re here for it. The eighth episode is by far the best episode in the entire series because it had so many emotions packed in it. We got the long-awaited revelation of Hee-soo and the most anticipated kiss. Moreover, the King definitely is a person who falls for the soul and not the gender. Portraying an LGBT+ theme is such a wonderful move made by the director so kudos to him.
The humour aspect was highly present in this episode especially when the King caressed Sang-hwa to check whether he is into men. That scene was absolutely hilarious followed by the cute leap of the King and Sang-hwa. Everything about this episode is just what we needed and thanks for that. Let’s hope in the next few episodes, Hee-soo will learn the truth about the King and forgive him.
Captivating the King is streaming on Netflix. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
Also read: All Reviews of Captivating the King!