Actor Lim Ji-yeon and Heo Nam-jun's My Royal Nemesis reached the 5% range in just two episodes.
On SBS My Royal Nemesis, it was revealed that Lim Ji-yeon, Heo Nam-jun and Jang Seung-jo had been entangled since 300 years ago, sending shivers down viewers' spines.
On Friday the 9th, episode 2 of the SBS Friday-Saturday drama My Royal Nemesis (directed by Han Tae-seop / written by Kang Hyun-joo / produced by StudioS, Gil Pictures) showcased the full-scale 21st-century survival story of 'Joseon villainess' Shin Seori (played by Lim Ji-yeon), creating high interest. At the same time, it was revealed that Seori, Cha Segye (played by Heo Nam-jun) and Choi Mundo (played by Jang Seung-jo) had been entangled since 300 years ago, amplifying curiosity about what kind of fate bound them in a past life. Episode 2 of My Royal Nemesis recorded a peak rating of 6.9%, nationwide 5.4%, metropolitan area 5.3%, and a 2049 peak of 2.72%. This rise in ratings has proven the show's hot word-of-mouth power by sweeping various online communities in just two episodes. My Royal Nemesis opened its first week with a vertical rise in ratings, properly launching its box-office momentum. (Nielsen Korea)
The episode began with Seori's briefly fainting dream, drawing attention. In the dream, Seori shared a tender moment with the king, but upon seeing the restorative soup the king had bestowed, she recalled the poison that had driven her to death and trembled in fear. Waking from the dream, Seori proposed to Segye that he keep her by his side as a means of surviving in her newly gained life. But Segye could not shake his suspicion of Seori and judged her proposal to be of no use, rejecting it outright.
Seori was surprised when her maternal grandmother Nam Ok-soon (played by Kim Hae-sook) appeared in front of the boarding-house room. Seori, moved, experienced unconditional love for the first time from Ok-soon, who doted on her granddaughter without conditions. Meanwhile, at the Cha Il Group family gathering, a tense power play full of desire unfolded. Segye showed aversion to the aunts who schemed only to curry favor with Cha Dal-su (played by Yoon Joo-sang), chairman of Cha Il Group, and to Mando, his fifth cousin. After meeting his family and returning home, Segye recalled Seori's proposal, I want you by my side. I will protect your precarious life, and dismissed the idea thinking, Who would promise to protect whose life?
Meanwhile, Segye's ominous dream increased curiosity. He dreamed of waking in the palace yard to the sound of a woman's crying, and the dream in particular seemed to overlap with Seori's appearance during the time-swap period, creating interest.
Seori then began to adapt seriously to the 21st century. Through a diary she learned about her difficult years as an unknown actress and decided to use her survival skills to live a proper life. Seori's intense immersion as she rapidly studied Korea's major history provoked laughter, and in the spirit that once ruled Joseon she fought off a thief filming illegally and sternly punished the boarding-house villain in the next room, Baek Gwang-nam (played by Kim Min-seok), delivering cathartic laughs with her bold side.
Seori went to find Segye, who had not answered her proposal. Segye coldly drove Seori away, saying, Don't spout nonsense about protecting me; ask for money instead, but Seori stomped hard on Segye's foot and, shouting, You ungrateful rake who doesn't even know this kindness! displayed the spirit of the Joseon villainess and elicited laughs. As she was dragged away by security, she poured out anguished warnings, If you do not value life, you will die young! The assassins will not let a once-missed target go!, causing viewers to laugh out loud.
Then a twist turned Seori's life 180 degrees. A staff member of the drama in which Seori had a bit part posted a video exposing abusive behavior that went viral as the 'Hee-bin possession meme,' creating an enormous SNS syndrome. Seeing Seori's rising buzz, Segye decided to team up with her. At the same time, Seori again made her presence felt. Her survival skills honed in the royal kitchen shone during a home-shopping part-time job. Using the dazzling knife skills she honed in the suragan, she sold out kitchen knives, and with fluent Chinese cultivated from mastering Romance of the Three Kingdoms she dominated textbook sales. On top of that, her flawless martial arts demonstration even swept up vitamin drinks, and she reborn as the home-shopping sell-out ace, delivering thrilling catharsis.
But near the end of the episode an unexpected crisis befell Seori. Seeing black goat soup triggered her poison-trauma. In particular, Segye saved Seori from an imminent assault by a home-shopping staffer, creating a flutter. After punishing the staffer, Segye approached Seori and said, I found you, Shin Seori, generating a heart-fluttering moment. Just then, Seori, terrified at the appearance of Mando who looked exactly like An Jong (played by Jang Seung-jo), the man who once drove her to death, ran to the rooftop. Segye followed her and proposed a deal, saying, I need you. Desperately. At that moment, Seori, who spotted Mando following the two, clung to Segye, saying, You rake, you will briefly be my shield, sending viewers' heart rates soaring.
Most of all, the ending revealed to viewers that Segye, too, had a connection with Seori 300 years ago, shocking them. The man who saved Seori from the grain chest in the past was a man with a face identical to Segye's. As the past ties among Seori, Segye and Mando surfaced, curiosity about future developments shot up sharply.
Thus, episode 2 of My Royal Nemesis began the full-scale second act of 'Joseon villainess' Shin Seori's life, offering rich visuals that spanned comedy, romance and action, while also activating the 300-year-old threads that bind Seori, Cha Segye and Choi Mando to heighten immersion to a peak. In particular, Lim Ji-yeon's all-out comic performance hard-carried the episode, raising expectations for the tumultuous 21st-century adaptation of the 'Joseon villainess' to come.
Earlier, the first episode of My Royal Nemesis, which premiered on the 8th, started at 4.1%. Although it launched into a relatively disadvantageous situation against the current strong competitor MBC's Perfect Crown, which is recording double digits and soaring, the solid scenario and the actors' passionate performances have earned praise.
The rating of 4.1% in episode 1 rose to 5.4% in episode 2, a 1.4 percentage point increase, showing an upward trend against the hit Perfect Crown. Attention is focused on what developments and ratings will follow.
[Photo] SBS My Royal Nemesis
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