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This drama is seriously a roller coaster ride and definitely one of my favorite dramas! Binge-watched the whole drama in 2 days because it was seriously that good. Every episode had something new happening or a problem that needed to be resolved, nothing dragged but rather things started falling into place as I kept watching. I think the rating should be higher than 8.0 on here however it was the ending that was not it for me and I think everyone got disappointed which led to a lower rating. Going to list the pros and cons of the drama overall, the main cast and the ending:Overall aspects of drama:
- Although classified as a "makjang" which I never knew what it was until I discovered this drama, I really enjoyed the uniqueness of the story/plot as it wasn't some cliché story like many dramas nowadays.
- Some plot holes here and there but I think at this point all k-dramas have plot holes.
- Considering the room walls in the palace are so damn thin that anyone could listen to the empress talking to Woo Bin while they were discussing their plans annoyed and stress me out. I think it would've been more realistic if they had a meetup spot or at least discussed somewhere not near the entrance of her room.
- Comedic/humorous parts were a advantage and disadvantage. I say that because it helped calm things down when there was so much drama and had a bit of cute scenes but it also led to a really bad ending. It made things seem not as serious as it was with the empress dowager's sins she'd committed. Idk but it just felt like because there was some humor to the drama it drifted a bit and I think that led to the unsatisfying ending for me.
- The island secret was underwhelming to me? I understand the human testing part was bad etc but I was expecting something really bad or extreme considering how much the empress dowager wanted to keep it a secret. I feel like if it involved a darker topic like human trafficking with drugs then it would've made more sense and made the plot better.
Sunny:
- I loved the transition of her from being a naïve person to have developed courage and becoming smarter in order to survive in the palace and take down the empress dowager
- I love Jang Nara's personality as she seems really kind and genuine but I personally don't like her acting too much. I found her happy naïve personality in the beginning somewhat annoying but really stayed for the drama overall. I feel like she has this childish vibe (when acting) that makes me not like her acting but I'm glad she's starting to get "boss lady" roles for her new dramas. I've imagined other actresses in her spot and think that would've been a better choice.
- I was so hooked with the drama that at first I thought that Sunny's chemistry with both Woo bin and Lee Hyeok were great but after finishing the drama I realized she didn't have much chemistry with both the male leads. For Woo Bin they definitely had something going on and started to fall in love but it was so weird with Woo Bin's death because it didn't show Sunny mourning his death, almost like she forgot about him. As for Lee Hyeok, he started to fall in love with Sunny through mostly jealousy and when he started to change which by then Sunny didn't have much feelings for him. Somehow after Lee Hyeok's death it shows Sunny mourning his death and flashback scenes of them together. It makes sense since he was her first love but disregarding Woo Bin ruined everything. With the way the writers planned the love relationships at the end didn't make any sense to me and was a big factor of why the ending fell through.
Woo Bin:
- Glad that he was able to see Yura's true self early on in the drama rather than him blindly still in love with her when he entered the palace. Also liked how he wasn't wavering when finding out that Yura had killed his mom
- Some say his character is dry but I didn't find it to be as it made sense with the plot since he was after revenge for his mothers death. If anything this drama made me see Jin Hyuk's charms. I like his character development and his love for his mother.
- I think if they were going to make him fall for Sunny, there should've been more scenes where they developed more chemistry as it was a bit lacking.
Lee Hyeok:
- This man has seriously made everyone that hated him to loving his character. His acting is phenomenal and I will definitely check out his other dramas.
- Liked seeing his character development of being a vicious and cold emperor to knowing how to love and empathize with others (especially Sunny).
- I felt his ending was rushed. Somehow he wanted to carry out the deed by disguising as Woo Bin and going to his mother's island was weird to me.
- The writers made it so that we pity him for how he was brought up by his mother, shaped him into a bad human being which led to his actions etc but seeing his change made everyone not hate him as much lmao
Yura:
- Lee Elijah is such a great actress that I preferred watching her more than Jang Nara even though she's the mistress lol she really portrayed her character so well to make us hate her and her expressions were well executed. Such a great actress I love her now haha
- We later learn how she was trying to avenge for her life being ripped apart by the imperial family which is why she became a secretary and used Lee Hyeok however, I find it weird that she went to the extent of killing Woo Bin's mother which is also her mother as she raised her and cared for her. Like if she was after the imperial family she should've just been honest and told Woo Bin and his mother about what happened to her fiancé. It wasn't necessary to kill her mother when she could've explained everything. In the beginning I didn't question much as I just thought she was a horrible person wanting to live the lavish life being with Lee Hyeok. Until her real intentions were revealed that's when things got confusing with her character because of what she did to WB's mother but it also helped develop the plot in why she was trying so hard to win Lee Hyeok's heart. So somewhat of a positive and negative with that.
- I can't justify how she didn't die but Woo Bin did after killing his mother and the other acts she committed. Near the end we were made to pity her for what she went through and not hate her as much as she allied with the empress but I still think her life should've been traded with Woo Bin.
- I'm assuming that after being struck on the head she somehow has amnesia or a mental illness as shown from her personality at the end but if they made Woo Bin die then it would've made more sense to have her dead as well, sorry but I still think its not right with what happened with Woo Bin.
Ending:
- Woo Bin's ending was horrible and I'm just speechless with how they didn't have closure for him. I find it weird how he was suddenly being chased by Head Pyo, tied up to be bombed at the celebratory event. Not even that but the way he flew out from the corner and then it just focused on Lee Hyeok and Sunny. I really thought that the burnt body was fake, that he somehow didn't die and would show up in the last episode but he didn't.
- Not sure if I missed it but at the end it just shows Team Leader Choi and the empress dowager's interactions in prison which made me confused because empress dowager was sentenced to a death penalty like Seo Kang Hee, so that part was unsatisfying.
- The scene where Woo Bin, Sunny and Yura go to the island to figure out the secret was not done right. It should've involved them finding the "lab building" that Lee Hyeok came across in the last episode. The 3 of them should've discovered that instead of Lee Hyeok disguising as Woo Bin and then later being killed by his mother. Imo the empress dowager should've died in place of Lee Hyeok, so he would redeem himself at the end for his sins and be a better person in the future.
Repeated this many times but Woo Bin really should've not died & ended up with Sunny at the end. PERIODT.
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This drama struck me from different points of view, an explosion of twists, episode after episode. The characterization of the characters is almost perfect, a mixture of self-irony, and psychological catharsis. The whole cast has been able to get into the parts, and the characters are the result of an excellent interpretation. Mainly Min Yoo-ra masterfully interpreted by Lee Elijah, has given proof of a nearly perfect acting. The plot twist is a mixture of emotions, and in recent episodes, there has been a crescendo of feeling, until the dramatically more devastating epilogue I've ever seen. In conclusion, I can promote the drama with flying colors, even if with some uncertainty, has been able to keep the charismatic verve for 52 episodes, without losing a beat.
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I am after the end of the drama. The series promises to be amazing. The first dozen or so episodes brought with them a great dose of emotions, conspiracy, love and revenge. In truth, I set myself up for something wonderful after them. However, the drama started to run apart. It was as if the writers had no idea how to end it. Some additional threads started to appear as if they wanted to justify the characters. From the beginning, Min Yu Ra has been depicted as a nasty, intelligent lover who does not see the world outside the Emperor. But at the end of the screenplay, the scriptwriters came up with an affectionate story about a difficult past and, at the moment, they whitewashed the character into a lost angel.
Where is the division into Wang Shik? Nobody knows. One of the leading figures. First set for revenge. The killing of the Emperor was his only aim.
Then the theme of love appears. Where we already hope that this guy found his beloved after the passages. But what turns out nothing like this has a place because our great empress does not feel anything to him. Although the earlier behaviour of the character seemed to wriggle in the direction of the love thread. And so in general, where is the division into Wang Shik? In the last episodes, he is not present at all, and thus a silly explanation of his death. The killing machine, trained to kill the emperor is suddenly
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Not that the story is weak per se but the acting is solid throughout despite the storylines somewhat deteriorating. That said, I enjoyed this series a lot and it's definitely one I'd recommend to anyone who likes stories revolving around scandals. Certain arcs and scenes directly parallel that of ABC's Revenge.Now there are a lot of issues here and there I take issue with and I'm gonna start with what I think is the biggest for me personally: Na Wang Shik.
The foremost problem is his appeareance. When he suddenly changed to Choi Jin Hyuk I had to scoff because it was way too drastic and unconvincing. I dont blame him, the actor, for this in any way but his casting is really questionable. Add that to his personality change and it was basically a whole new character to me and I had a hard time adjusting to him as Na Wang Shik. I did root for him though because of Choi's performance, hence my first and primary thought about the series.
Something that did particularly bother me, at least at first was Emperor's New Crush. They spent a lot of time basically sinking that ship only for Hyuk to suddenly take an interest. It was out of nowhere but when you think about it not really? Because he is such an unhinged irrational maniac, it kinda make sense that he'd also flip in terms of his feelings, at least to me. It actually emphasized how much of a lunatic Hyuk was. Again, performance was vital to either making or breaking this character and Sung Rok made it.
As much as I had a bone to pick with Wang Shik's transformation, I still think he was done really dirty in the end. Even if they couldnt get CJH for the ending Wang Shik deserved a better send off than that.
Let me say something I did enjoy a lot was the dynamic between Bin and Hyuk especially knowing what we did. I would like to see these two have a real bromance in another drama tbh because I think they vibed well here. Tbh, I would love to see all three actors in a RomCom setting at any rate.
As for Oh Sunny, her development was great. I was somehow both annoyed and endeared by her tropey dopey personality before but then she evolved well for her setting. I lowkey or thought as the show progressed, she'd evolve into Evil, like the royal family would twist and corrupt her completely but I'm glad she didn't. She grew a spine but not thorns.
I probably have a few other likes and dislikes but Im just gonna end this here. Overall, I was very entertained and will definitely recommend to other folks.
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When complex drama have comedy genre in it
Are you a fan of historical (Sageuk) kdramas?If not, did you not watch it because you can't stand the costume and the way they talk? (It's ok btw^^)
But are you curious why some of us really enjoy that genre?
Well good news, because this show has every aspect of a Sageuk drama pact in a present storyline!!!!
This show was well put together and had a grand scale, it was even bigger (for me) than Princess Hour or The King 2 Hearts who had a similar plot where Korea is a constitutional monarchy country. Everything about this drama was intense, the family storyline, the romance, the political views, and even the crimes. YET, while I was watching, I was not surprised with any of the story, then I realized....... This show basically had almost every plot twist a historical period drama used to give us. So..... enjoy the ride for the newcomers!! And let's have fun for us veterans lol^^
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This is my 2nd time watching
Am writing this review after rewatching it for a second time after a year.First time I Started to watch this show because of the lead cast. Jang Na Ra and choi jin hyuk whom loved in fated to love you, To my surprise shin sung rok was a really surprising element who turns from devil to lover. He totally stealed the show with his amazing performance. I really did came for JNR and CJH but ended up admiring shin sung rok.
And second time I watched the show due to SSR.
Story- monarchy korean empire running for more than 100 years. Well only thing i guessed that ending would be that it will end up as democratic country. Show was very fast pacing.I liked modern monarchy drama and seen a few more before.
Acting- without a pinch of doubt shin sung rok. What is a good villain.some1 whom who hate with every scene when you see and resent him.CJH and JNR were incredible. I have been following JNR for quite a bit and she surprises me with each of her performance.she was absolutely marvellous a empress from a middle class background. CJH as bodyguard was very awesome, I felt bad when he was not there for the last few epi, because of his prior engagement but still he made a mark for on the show. I loved how he cared for empress.
Music- its nice and had made to my playlist
Rewatch- yes I already did twice and then am writing this review
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This is a drama that really impressed me. At first I thought that it’s about a love story, then about a love triangle between the two male and one female leads. I have watched a lot of dramas and I completely thought that the lead male and female will get together one day in the end. But no. The authors gave us none of this. Part of me really wanted them to be more than just friends. I had a lot of mood swings for Yu Ra and the emperor. Like I both liked and hated them. We saw a character development. The plot was amazing - true only crime. Anyways I still wanted a happy end for Na Wang Shik and the Emperor. Despite that fact the series was amazing and they will have a special part in my heart. Was this review helpful to you?
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Intentionally high octane crazy draaaama.
Know this is intentionally crazy and you will have a fun time of it! I guarantee it.The Last Empress is a bold , riveting bat crazy drama that still manages to be intricate and with emotional gravitas.
Its spins a tale of a fictional monarchy in modern times and brilliantly touches on the familial mayhem that could entail in such a family. If you are a student of Shakespeare, you will find the Macbeth -esque villainy in here artistic and very fun.As a K Drama fan, you will find that K CHARM brilliantly woven in by Shin Sun Rok and Jang Na Ra. If you like a brooding male lead too - Choi Jin Hyuk and his deep voice has you sorted and if you like a spunky spicy female lead - they ALL have that covered !
I also liked how involved the drama was . The viewer was in tandem with the drama and was never left behind for a minute . Making the viewer feel like an actual cast member is a lost art these days but Last Empress heartily inserted that .
It scores an 8.5 for two reasons though. The first being that I found components of the female cast particularly grating at times . The face acting on Lee Elijah and Shin Eun Kyung was really annoying and the director faltered heavilly there . The second being that the ending was found very wanting in some aspects for certain characters whilst others got brilliant ends . Inconsistency is the bane of any viewing experience so I had to shave points for that .
However , other than that- its an original story that does not hold back all. With all its melo dramatic madness , a schizy beauty truly emerged !
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I mean at the start of the drama around the first 35 episodes it was really good but originally it was meant to be 48 episodes but they had extended it to 52 which i felt was very uneccesary i mean the last four episodes were a total joke. We could see throughout the drama that Na Wang sik and the empress did have something special but he Na wang sik was in every episode up until then which made me very mad as they had decided to kill him off- and he died in the most unreasonable way possible and worst times i mean i think his death wouldv'e been better even if the emporer had him shot earlier- i mean his character was strong in the sense the way he had the grudge against he emporer because of his mum and he even mentioned that he wouldn't die unless he had killed the emperor and then he just ends up dying with that grudge with the emporer-with a stupid bomb (if u get what i mean). I think that they should've got another person instead to be him but i mean i didn't really like the bittersweet ending as no one not even the empress or the late empress so Hyuns father didn't even really mourn for him. And wow but what happened to Min yu-ra i thought she had died but it turns out that she had only lost her memory. Overall, i say i liked it and that it was really good its just it did spiral down near the end and the last few episodes didn't really amuse me.Was this review helpful to you?
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I love the writer of this drama! This is one of the kdramas that I really enjoyed watching. Every episode is exciting.I enjoyed Jang Na-ra's character and I loved her acting. I really enjoyed watching her on "Go Back Couple", but she was also stunning and amazing in this drama. I love how her personality changed. I love the character of the Empress, and it was greatly portrayed by Jang Na-ra.
Shin Sung-rok really surprised me in this drama! When I first saw him in Ep.1, I thought this drama will be so serious, but I was wrong. I find this drama more entertaining because of him. I love the twist on his character. I never have imagined that he could be a very great comedian. He's very charismatic!!
Aside from the main story, what I always wait for is the scene of Stephanie Lee and Oh Seung-yoon. I really enjoyed their love story. They really made me laugh. I love how things turned out for them.
Choi Jin-hyuk is so handsome, and his acting is really great. However, I'm quite disappointed on what happen to him in the end. I mean, I didn't get to see him much. I was expecting that there will be more action scene as he was chased, but nothing happened, it's like his character was ended hurriedly...I don't know why. Anyway, he's great over all.This is a must watched kdrama. I never regretted watching this.
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