Abhiroop Das
Helmed by Choi Jung-kyu, Netflix’s ‘The East Palace,’ also known as ‘Tonggung,’ tells the story of a dynastic curse that targets the scions of a royal family, leaving the king in shambles. As he looks for a way out, he comes across a shaman named Gu-cheon, who is known to have the ability to see spirits. However, arrogant and perpetually listless, Gu-cheon becomes particularly hard to tame, even when the king’s banished daughter, Saeng-gang, is tasked with supervising him. By the end of this Korean dark fantasy horror series, however, Gu-cheon travels over to the spirit realm and discovers that the pond spirit is none other than the dead crown prince, whose actions are nothing but the culmination of several generations of human sins manifesting as supernatural phenomena. While Netflix hasn’t greenlit a second season yet, there is still a lot of story left to unpack in this mysterious world. In the best-case scenario, fans can expect a second season to be released sometime around 2029.
The East Palace Season 2 Might Expand on Gu-cheon’s Link to the Spirit World
While ‘The East Palace’ has not been renewed for a second season as of writing, the seeds for a potential sequel have already been planted. After definitively wrapping up the central mystery in the finale, the show leaves us with one confusing cliffhanger, where a chain from the spiritual world ties Gu-cheon to the palace as he walks out. Though he is technically back in his human body, the deal he made with the Supreme Gwi-mae is likely still in place, which means that he can be tugged at and dragged back to the mirror world at any point, and is no longer a man of his free will. Contrasting this is the story of Saeng-gang, who leaves the palace for good and starts a new life as a spiritual medium and Gu-cheon’s partner. While she is not chained like him, her fate is nonetheless now connected to the mirror world, and that is bound to haunt her in unexpected ways.
When greenlighting a show for a new season, producers usually gauge how much demand there is among fans and then consider whether the cost-to-profit ratio is favorable. In the case of ‘The East Palace,’ it is evident that a lot of effort has gone into perfecting the production design, with many of the high-octane action scenes being filmed over the course of several days. With it come extensive CGI work, practical effects, and intricate set designs, all of which can easily lead to substantial production costs. While the show has clearly resonated with fans all over the world, crafting a second season can still be a challenge. The cliffhanger finish might be the creators’ way of exploring what the fans want, and then incorporating it into a potential next chapter for the series.
The East Palace Season 2 Will Likely Continue Without Some Familiar Faces
If ‘The East Palace’ is to have a potential second installment, fans can expect a number of shakeups in the cast. While actors Nam Joo-hyuk and Roh Yoon-seo are almost certain to reprise the roles of Gu-cheon and Saeng-gang, respectively, we might get comparatively less screentime for actor Cho Seung-woo, who plays the King, Ju-sang. There is a very slim chance of actor Jang Young-nam returning to play Queen Dowager, as the last we hear of the character is that she’s been sent to live in the countryside, away from the politics and royalty of the day. The same can be said about actor Choi Hyuk-Joo, whose character, Lady Jang, is also cast out of the narrative sphere after her granddaughter discovers her malicious side. However, given how these characters are deeply connected to the political side of the story, a surprise return is always in the cards.
With the trio of Gu-cheon, Saeng-gang, and ggeomeoksali stepping out of the palace, we will likely be bidding most of the characters goodbye. Thus, actors Hong Seo-Jun, Kim Ji-Yul, Jo Dan, and Hwang Young-Hee aren’t likely to step back into the roles of Chief Eunuch Kim, Ji-Yul, Prince Yeongan, and Consort Sukbin, respectively. Actor Kwak Dong-Yeon, who steals the show as the surprise antagonist, the crown prince, also won’t be returning for a potential sequel, given his character’s death at the end of the season. At the same time, actor Tae In-Ho might get a more prominent role going forward, as he clearly has no plans of letting go of the battle to become king, one way or another. Just as likely is the arrival of many fresh faces into the cast, as Gu-cheon and company travel to new lands and encounter new people along the way.
The East Palace Season 2 Can Bring in More Supernatural Creatures
Despite Gu-cheon and Saeng-gang solving the mystery of the pond spirit, the origin point of the East Palace’s horrors still remains. King Ju-sang still sits at the helm, having participated in the ruthless series of murders that led the story up to this point. Thus, the axis of evil is still concentrated within the palatial borders, which is perhaps why Gu-cheon is still chained to the Supreme Gwi-mae, who rests somewhere around there, deep in the spirit world. For Gu-cheon and Saeng-gang’s journey to truly begin, they must purge the kingdom of all its evils one after another, ultimately making their way back to the kingdom. King Ju-sang has made it quite clear that he isn’t letting Gu-cheon walk away for free, which means that their hostile reunion is all but inevitable.
Gu-cheon and Saeng-gang’s potential love story is also something that the story can explore if a sequel is greenlit, as both characters already seem to have forged a bond unlike any other. They also happen to have a third member in the group, the adorable ggeomeoksali, whose true, terrifying form has saved Gu-cheon from certain death more than once. Together, the trio might encounter many more creatures from Korean mythology, as that has very clearly been a narrative highlight of the show so far. Be it vengeful or guardian spirits, beasts from folklore, or even Korean deities, the potential for integrating the supernatural into the mundane is nigh-endless as far as this world is concerned.
Read More: The East Palace Ending Explained: Is Gu-cheon Dead or Alive? Who is the Pond Spirit?
