Belladonna

The basic premise of this supernatural fantasy drama (evil spirits haunt the palace and a shaman must resolve it) seems pretty similar to a drama that I bailed on after a few episodes last year (The Haunted Palace), but this one was just done SO MUCH BETTER. There were so many twists and turns but the twists didn't feel like they came out of left field. When things were revealed it was an "oh! this makes sense!" rather than a "what the fuck? where did that come from?" The story felt complex but not overly complicated. You could easily follow along with what what was happening, but it wasn't so easy to guess exactly what would happen next. A good story that was executed PERFECTLY.

The story revolves around a fictional king in the Joseon era and a spirit that has been haunting the palace, killing crown princes. It happened 30 years ago and has begun again. To resolve this, the king brings in Gu-cheon, a man who can see spirits and enter the spirit realm. To assist Gu-cheon, the king recalls his estranged daughter Saeng-gang, who can hear spirits, to the palace. Together they unravel decades of royal family secrets and ill deeds to understand why the royal family is being harmed so they can stop it. Because if they can't, as a member of the royal family, Saeng-gang will be next on the spirit's hit list.

That is very kind of you to say! 💖