Why there will be four episodes of Captivating the King this weekend
Korean broadcaster tvN has announced it will not air the usual two episodes of Captivating the King this coming Saturday and Sunday, but will air four new episodes of the historical drama instead.
Those episodes will be Episodes 7, 8, 9 and 10, with Captivating the King, Episode 7 airing on Friday, February 9th, followed by Episode 8 on Saturday, and Episodes 9 and 10 releasing back-to-back on Sunday evening.
TvN says this is due to the Lunar New Year taking place over the weekend so, rather than cancel the popular K-drama due to the festivities, the network has decided to make the weekend truly special by airing double its usual number of episodes.
What is Captivating the King about?
The ongoing Korean drama Captivating the King follows Crown Prince Jinhan (aka Lee In), who arrives back in his home country after having been taken hostage by the Qing Dynasty.
His brother the King, who initially sent him as a hostage, now loathes the younger brother he used to love as he mistakenly believes he holds more allegiance to the Qing than to his own people.
Lee In then meets baduk player Kang Hee Soo (aka Kang Mong Woo) who, although she is a woman, has everyone around her convinced she is a man.
As the two play baduk together, they become closer, only for a tragedy to befall Mong Woo. A tragedy she blames Prince Jinhan for causing.
Now, rather than act on the feelings she had for him, she decides she must do everything in her power to exact revenge. The problem is… the feelings she still has for him.
Who stars in Captivating the King?
The tvN drama stars Jo Jung Suk as Prince Jinhan/Lee In, Shin Se Kyung as Kang Hee Soo/Kang Mong Woo, and Lee Shin Young as Kim Myung Ha, a nobleman who becomes involved in a treason plot.
Since its premiere on January 21st, the Korean drama has seen its ratings increase in South Korea, even hitting the #1 most-watched show on cable TV three times.
Outside Korea, however, Captivating the King has performed even better, hitting the Netflix Top 10 Most-Watched TV Shows chart both weeks since its premiere.
The Korean drama normally airs two episodes every weekend — one on Saturday evening and the second on Sunday — but this week, four episodes will air instead.
There is no word yet if Netflix, who is streaming the Korean drama for its international subscribers, will also air the four episodes, but it is likely they will.