[Feb 25] “Captivating the King” Episode 14: Rating & Recap

tvN’s “Captivating the King” increased its average rating to 6.7% as it approaches its final week.

“Captivating the King” episode 14 recap

The King’s confrontation with the principal director 

The King has uncovered the truth and is determined to take down the principal director. However, the official is not willing to surrender and devises a scheme to escape the situation. The King summons Je-nam to the court and reveals his suspicion that the principal director is behind his late brother’s murder, the spy operation and other acts of treason. Je-nam pledges to assist the King in gathering proof to convict the culprit.

In the meantime, the court lady ridicules Sang-hwa for his negligence and putting the King in danger. Hee-soo, who is recuperating at Sang-hoon’s house, feels sorry for Dal-ha’s imprisonment, unaware of the King’s hidden agenda. She is also heartbroken that the King departed without a word to her. The following day at the assembly, the officials object to the questioning of Dal-ha about the spy incident that occurred three years ago. The King is furious and scolds them all, ending the assembly.

Myung-ha’s discovery and betrayal 

Myung-ha and 3 other ministers who aren't allied with the principal director have a secret meeting. They question Myung-ha why his late father claimed that Lee In was the one who orchestrated the spy. Myung-ha recalls Hyun-bo informing his father that Dal-ha and Lee In frequently visit the courtesan house. Myung-ha connects the dots and realizes that the King only encountered Dal-ha recently, which means they had no connection three years ago. Myung-ha dashes out and confronts Hyun-bo. He intimidates him to death and understands how a single life caused so much turmoil.

The principal director visits Queen Dowager and confesses to her that he was the mastermind of the spy case that happened three years ago. He also implies to the Queen Dowager that he will ruin the King if he tries to expel him. This angers the Queen Dowager. Hee-soo learns of the King’s plans through Je-nam and decides to see him. During their meeting, he reveals to her the actual truth about his late brother’s final words and how he ascended the throne by deception.

Hee-soo embraces the King and assures him that he did what’s best to protect his loved ones and that she’ll be with him no matter what. The same day, Hee-soo meets Myung-ha and assures him that the King is working for their sake but he is angry at her for siding with the King when she’s the one who plots a revenge plan. That night when Hee-soo meets Dal-ha, he remembers the time when the principal director’s servant Mok-dong identified him. They figure out that it was Mok-dong who informed the Qing officials about the spy, Dal-ha.

When Sang-hwa attempts to arrest Mok-dong they discover he’s out of town. The principal director gives Mok-dong some money and tells him to leave town. When he departs, Sang-hwa and his team find him and try to capture him. However, an assassin kills Mok-dong and we learn that it was the principal director who hired a person to execute the crime. The King is enraged at how his uncle is creating the chaos and calls him to warn him.

During their tense conversation, he gives him 2 choices: to admit the crimes and get a minimal punishment or to be interrogated in public and be humiliated. The principal director asks for a day and leaves. Using this as an opportunity, Hyun-bo convinces the principal director and promises to make Myung-ha cooperate with them. He then leaves to talk to Myung-ha and makes him agree to their plan.

The lip tint or the poison?

The next day, the principal director announces his crimes to the assembly. The King vows to find the evidence and the guilty party. The only person who can testify for the King is the court lady, but she receives a box and a threat from the principal director before she sees the King. We discover that she was the one who listened to Sang-hoon and the former king talk about sending a spy and telling the principal director. He then leaked the spy’s identity to the Qing envoy to tarnish the King of Joseon’s reputation.

The court lady is afraid for her life and accepts the box. She gets ready for the night and opens it. Inside, there is a red lip tint that she puts on her lips. The King summons her to his room and asks her to reveal the truth about the principal director. He assures her that he will spare her from the punishment. She agrees, but with a condition and a final wish. The King wonders what she wants and she approaches him to kiss him. The episode ends there.

Review 

The reason why the former king died was a simple kiss. The court lady never wore any lip tint, but that was how she poisoned the former king. Now, she wants to end it all and decides to kiss the King and make him ingest the poison so he can die slowly. We don’t know yet if he kissed her back, but it’s a very inventive way to kill someone (not that I’m endorsing it, absolutely not!)

At last, everyone who despised the King learned the truth and realized that some wicked people made the innocent King Lee In suffer all kinds of hardships when he could have enjoyed a happy life as the Grand Prince. Myung-ha realized that Hyun-bo deceived his father into thinking that Lee In was the villain. If that hadn’t happened, his father would have been alive. Likewise, Je-nam grasped the true character of the King. Most importantly, Hee-soo regrets her decisions and feels sorry for not letting Lee In explain himself.

(Source: naver.com)