This review may contain spoilers
I'm kinda in shock over how good this drama turned out to be considering how long I've been avoiding watching it. I knew the ratings were high, but because there were 51 episodes (which is enough to scare me away) it lived forever on my planning to watch cue. My advice is to not let episode-count-a-phobia stop you from watching this AMAZING drama. The impressive cast and the intriguing story make every episode worth watching, and before I knew it I was finished. By the end I even found myself oddly craving more, because I'd grown so attached to the world of "Empress Ki".First, this is definitely one of the best cast ensembles I have ever seen in drama. I admit that I didn't check the cast list at all before watching, so there were so many pleasant surprises as far as actors I've loved in other dramas. Ha Ji Won is one of my favorites ("Secret Garden" being my actual favorite drama of all time). She's the ultimate sweet but bad@ss leading lady, and this character is perfect for even her. The story follows her journey from gender-bending youth to Empress (not a spoiler, so don't worry). She goes through such a range in this story that I was impressed with her from beginning to end. She is matched with Joo Jin Mo, who charmed me in the mediocre drama "Woman with a Suitcase", and super impressive Ji Chang Wook from "Healer" (another favorite of mine). I think each of their performances, and the chemistry between these three characters, were flawless. Jin Mo is perfectly cast as charming and heroic. Chang Wook's character is so emotionally complicated that his performance was one of my favorites of all, and so different than his acting in "Healer". This is the kind of dramatic love story that takes you on an emotional rollercoaster... Flirtation, Mistrust, Passion, Betrayal, Obsession, Loyalty... and they made me believe every moment of it. What I love about all of the characters is that they were so developed, with flaws and vulnerabilities, that it all felt real, even when the plot got outrageous.
I get overwhelmed when I think of everyone in the cast who deserves to be mentioned for giving such excellent performances, but I will only mention a few. Jung Woong is so good at playing complicated villains, like the one I loved so much in "I Hear Your Voice". Sometimes he gave me chills he's so good in this. Jun Gook Hwan is also an impressive villain, the kind you sometimes secretly root for just so you can keep watching them be evil. His sons were hotties, but Kim Jung Hyun deserves a special shout out for being the Duracell Bunny of evil... (he kept going and going and going). Baek Jin Hee was so slapable she was perfect. The Empress Dowager frustrated me the most because she was so good at being duplicitous. Kim Ji Han, with his sexy Alan Richman-esque voice, was also a standout for me. But honestly, I could just run down the entire cast list and praise everyone, from the servants, to the soldiers, to the royals. I love the bromances between the heroes, the catty smirks between the ladies, the nail biting fight scenes between almost everyone, even the kids... This is a cast with not only no weak links, but so many memorable performances.
As far as the story, it is really hard to keep a drama with so many long episodes interesting, but this drama absolutely does. This is a shakespearean level saeguk, with so many twists it's impossible to see them all coming. I also loved that the the drama starts near the end point, so you see where everything will lead first and then are glued to the screen watching how everything will finally get to that point. It also covers a lot of genres. There's romance, and action, and of course revenge, with even a few supernatural moments. There are also comedic moments, but know that this drama is definitely more tragedy than comedy, and often times frustrating and depressing (in an entertaining way) the further along the story gets. I also like that after being less enthusiastic about some of the middle episodes, the pace starts to pick up again near the end so much that I literally could not stop watching.
My critiques of this drama are very few. One is that the circumstances are so unbelievable at times that I almost wanted to laugh inappropriately, but the actors always made the story work no matter how crazy the plot got. Another issue for me was that I was bored by certain parts of the story, towards the middle, although they added to the character development, and made sense to the story as a whole, I was just personally less interested in some of the political rivalries and wars (especially in Wang Yoo's storyline). There are also tropes you find in a lot of dramas, but the storytelling is so engaging that it never feels cliché.
As for the ending, I thought it was simple and perfect. The last 2 episodes pack so much in that it was a little overwhelming, but I felt like there were no loose ends at all, and the very last moment kinda ends with a haunting question... at least that's how I interpreted it, which made the whole story complete.
Would I watch this again? DEFINITELY! It's now tied for my favorite Saeguk with "The Princess' Man". I'd probably take my time with a rewatch, and enjoy the performances, instead of rushing to finish in order to know what happens.
Overall, The characters will haunt me for a while. Every villain was sympathetic, and every hero/heroine pissed me off, which made the power struggles so much more compelling. I love stories like these that make me actually curious about the real people that inspired them. I know very little about the actual history, so I can't reference what is real vs what was made up. I can only assume that there's only a small amount of this story that's based actual events. However, like every good makjang drama, the more unrealistic the better.
I definitely recommend this one as a must watch! I was addicted by episode one. It's certainly not a lighthearted drama, so arm yourself with enough tissues, and be ready to curse at the screen, and clutch at your broken heart. Trust the ratings and reviews on this one, it really is THAT good. If you're a big fan of anyone in the cast, you don't want to miss them in this. 51+ hours later I don't think you will regret it.
Wow, This drama may have finally cured my episode-count-a-phobia!
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First things first- don't be fooled by the opening sequence of this drama. I do believe it mislead me completely and I didn't get what I thought I would. It was rather a waste to have filmed that scene since it is one of the most attention-grabbing scenes in a drama EVER according to me.
While I appreciate the writer for taking chances to create a bold storyline, I would say it both did and didn't create the effect it intended to have. What started off as a brilliant narrative, got lost midway but picked up in the second half- only to lead to one of the most disappointing closing arcs ever. Till episode 41-42 I thought this drama was the best thing I have ever watched. I had never been this entertained by a drama before- the romance, humour, politics, scheming, tragedy was all a wonderful combination for enjoyment. Too bad it was a steep downward trend from then on and it couldn't just keep up with the quality of its previous episodes. The last 10 episodes totally distracted me from what the drama was before and that's just saddening.
Since no drama can be perfect, I tried my best to overlook its flaws. Although I was much too frustrated with the drama towards the end, I still give it a lot of credit for making me love its characters so much before its degradation began. Seung Nyang is one of the strongest characters in dramaland and the guys who vie for her affection were both likable in their own ways. I thought this drama has one of the most drawn-out and tiring love triangles ever. Not that I'm complaining since that was what drew me to it in the first place. The romance was quite fulfilling and I was satisfied with the moments we got although I didn't like what the writers did to my favourite couple towards the end.
While there are what I call as WTF moments in the drama, they are also the most exciting ones thanks to its awesome antagonists. Tanasiri was the woman I loved to hate! I in fact loved the actress a lot too. She was absolutely terrific. Her whole family was a family of psychos which was just funny. Then we also have good guys turning into bad and vice versa which is another interesting aspect of this drama. We constantly see the characters battling not just others but also themselves.
The cast did a great job of their characters and oh boy!- it introduced me to hotties like Ji Chang Wook and Jin Yi Yan. Ji Chang Wook is not only handsome but really gets under the skin of his character. His performance just blew me away. Ha Ji Won was good too but I always have trouble connecting with her acting in a lot of places- both in this and her previous dramas. The rest of the cast was fine too.
One reason to remember this drama fondly is the music. It's an absolute outstanding soundtrack and they always played the music at the right times. If I could, I would like to get my hands on the physical copy of the OST. I have listened to pretty much every song innumerable times and it never bores me. It's deep, emotional and powerful. Maybe it depends on one's taste too but I would recommend the OST to everyone.
So all in all, this drama is highly flawed. It's got a lot many flaws but the good parts are just as good. I think this drama is better seen at once since skipping the last arc and just getting to the end would be the best thing to do. Don't let the last few episodes keep you from watching this. It's worth a try at least. :)
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This review may contain spoilers
This review contains spoilers, as well as some slightly inflammatory opinions.This drama made me very angry.
It didn't make me angry because it was that bad. On the contrary, it was so good it could be perfect - if not for the little things, at first, and the bigger ones later, that started to add up, until I couldn't ignore them anymore.
1. Casting and acting. At least two of the main leads, Ha Ji Won and Ji Chang Wook, held up very well - I could rather call them exemplary. So did Kim Ji Han (Tal Tal) and Baek Jin Hee (Tanasili). I would actually say that the acting was very believable, if not for some over-dramatic moments that occured everytime a twist happened or new information was disclosed, but maybe that's common in "historical" dramas.
2. Music and costumes. The music was beautiful and well placed - except for, again, some over-dramatic drum banging. As for the costumes, their quality was good and I enjoyed seeing all that Yuan and Goryeo couture and skin routine. The choreography was also good, apart from the occasional kicks in the air and people falling without getting hit.
3. Story and characters. Now, this is what I had most trouble with. I'm pretty okay with watching period and pseudohistorical shows, but they've got to stay believable. If a writer really thought that women can give birth in a cave, with no support whatsoever, and are then able to go out and about shooting arrows, that writer outright insults my intelligence as a viewer. How can I take anything seriously after that? Not to mention the whole "curses and rabid dogs" storyline.
Extraordinary feats aside, the plot was dragged in the middle and then became too convoluted after 40 episodes. I'm actually pretty sure the only reason we saw about the vouchers was to satisfy anyone rooting for Wang Yoo - and I'd be fine with that, if only there were a more interesting setting. Never mind that, but after the first 40 episodes, the heroes' actions went from mildly thrilling to straight up unbelievable.
Which brings me to the worst part of my review, the characters. In my opinion, the characters weren't created with care and respected, at all. This has nothing to do with the historical aspect of the drama, as it concerns mostly minor characters. For example, Yeom Bi Soo, or else Batoru. Batoru had no agency, no personality. She could be such an interesting character, but was instead used as a plot tool, and a weak at that. Silk road? Bam! Vouchers? Bam! Convenient sacrifice? Bam! She essentialy existed to move the plot forward and had no other qualities. Also, after the 42nd episode, even the characters that were well-developed so far started falling apart. Nyang Ki goes from an intelligent and well-nuanced character to being the "bad guy" (as if we're suddenly watching this through the Dowager's POV), Ta Hwan takes 10 steps back on the maturity that we've seen growing in him, Kolta... don't get me started on Kolta. Kolta was the designated villain when it didn't even make sense - never in 47 episodes had we seen him express anything else but love and loyalty for the emperor, and then he makes a 180-degrees turn. Did that really happen? Is it a new addition? I don't really care, just build up to it through the episodes. I know it was meant to show that Ta Hwan couldn't trust anyone but Nyang, in the end, but the whole tragedy of it got lost down the drain. I think that's what happens when you only add conflict for the sake of conflict - I would have like to see more explanations, more of a background, but action got the better of it.
And let me get one more thing straight: when you continuously cut 5 years to the future, especially when there's a conflict unresolved, without much reason whatsoever, it's not good storytelling, it's a cop out.
That's all for a drama that I very much enjoyed watching but had many flaws as well. Extra points for badass Nyang, excellently executed conflicted Ta Hwan, and the last 2 scenes that brought me to tears.
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Don't get me wrong; it had its ups and downs as all dramas do. There are times you sometimes hate what's going on and you rant and rave (as I did many times) about the injustice of it all. But looking back on it, once it was over, I think this drama was amazing.
51 episodes for me is the longest drama I've ever tried but I was willing to do it for the plot and for Ha Ji Won who does not disappoint in the least. I followed it from the first week to its last week and I finally completed it today. And all I can say is: Wow.
Story: 8/10
I think, for a lot of people including me, the best of this story was in the beginning and was its strongest point. I loved the fact that it never dragged in the slightest. Like so many other historical dramas, this one didn't spend much time with the childhood actors which I was glad for. Everything was well-paced and the story pulled you in immediately.
While there were one or two questionable plot-points in the middle, despite the initial "Um, what now?" response, you learn to just go with it and the story went along quite well. This drama had feels, some palace drama, some tears, quite a few smiles and laughs. The characters make you cheer for them, make you care for them, make you hate them. The cute ones you adore, the horrid baddies you hate probably a little too much (and then relish their deaths with glee), the honourable and loyal ones who do what they must while you sob about the injustice of it all. Again, lots and lots of feels.
Acting/Cast: 10/10
While the characters' motives were questionable at times, the actors and actress in this drama were spectacular in their roles. From the main actors and actress to the secondary ones, everyone was brilliant. The male leads, Joo Jin Mo and Ji Chang Wook, really impressed me. Their roles were as different as night and day and for the few scenes they had together, they were epic. Ha Ji Won wows as the main protagonist. You find yourself cheering her on and shipping her with people you probably shouldn't in addition to both male leads (personal experience here talking). I have to commend Jin Yi Han who was a surprise in this drama, making me love a secondary character like Taltal who I never expected to like so much. The actors and actress who played the villains were really commendable since they had me hating them with a vehement passion from the expected evil like Kim Jun Hyun, Baek Jin Hee and Jung Woong In to the shocking and unanticipated turncoats towards the end. This is one cast that definitely deserves that 10.
Music: 9/10
I've downloaded all the music from this drama and listen to it probably a little too often. From the first episode to the last, the music has never disappointed in the least. I especially love when an actor sings for the OST as Ji Chang Wook did because it makes the scene it plays in that more genuine and the sadness palatable.
Rewatch Value: 7/10
At 51 episodes, I'm most likely never going to watch this entire drama from start to finish again. But I will, as I have already started doing, rewatch my favourite episodes and scenes. This drama had some hugely wonderful moments that are too great to watch once.
Overall: 9/10
I recommend that you try this drama if you like historical settings that have a little bit of everything - romance, action, drama, political intrigue and feels.
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The story was very complicated with many plot twists and turning points along the way, there was plenty of political drama coupled with betrayal and sacrifices. For someone who usually watches light hearted romantic comedies, the amount of drama in this whole series was actually very heart-wrenching to watch. However the strong themed romance in the series evened it out for me. I was always a TaNyang supporter right from the beginning, even though many comment on how the emperor was childish and useless throughout the whole drama, I must strongly disagree with that. Yes I believe he started off being a timid, useless crown prince, but it's an undeniable fact that in the later half he has developed to become a reliable and controlling emperor, as proven in the last episode, which blew me away.
After finishing the whole series, I believe she truly love the emperor, her feelings for Wangyu might have been extreme feelings of respect and admiration which she mistook for love. Just my opinion however others can argue that.
Acting and Cast, need less to say was absolutely amazing. I've always been a fan of Ha Ji Won since Secret Garden and as expected she did not disappoint, this has officially became my favourite drama from her.
This drama introduced me to 'Ji Chang Wook' and I really want to ask: "Where have you been my whole life?". Shockingly for a drama fanatic like myself, how have I not discovered him before. His performance in this drama amazed me to no end from the strong character development, to his heart-breaking love for Seungyang. The last episode just broke my heart, leaving a mark that'll never be smeared. I am now on a lookout for any of his other dramas.
I loved the soundtrack for this drama, it was fitting and emotionally moving. I have already downloaded it so its clear how much I love it.
Since its a 51 episode drama, I won't rewatch it in the short run, however ever since I finished I have already rewatched a few of my favourite episodes numerous times. Maybe half a year later I'll come back to it, depending on how much I remember it could mean rewatching the whole thing or skipping parts. However one thing for sure I will definitely watch it again.
Overall, this has to be one of the best historical k-dramas I've come upon. I miss the characters and the waterfall of emotions i felt while watching it. Despite it being long, I recommend anyone who loves historical dramas and romance to try this.
P.S For people who love chinese historical dramas, it was very interesting to see how the chinese history was played out through a korean drama. Worth the watch.
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If you are worried about the length of the drama, that is not a problem. It goes by so fast, because each episode has so much plot going on and you just have to keep watching the next episode and the next to see what happens. After the first 20 minutes the plot was well underway. It didn't take the first 3 hours or so like many other dramas to get going. I was thoroughly hooked after 20 minutes.
Having said all that, Empress Ki is heartbreakingly flawed. I don't have a problem with tragedy if it all makes sense. But the plot went crazy during the last third of the drama. I felt cheated because we were led to care for these characters in the first 30 episodes and in the last part we are just tortured by having to watch bad things happen to them over and over and over again. Character and relationship development came to a halt. Nyang's feelings and motives become ambiguous because we don't get to see her with the King or the Emperor anymore. She is just dealing with all the plot twists for most of the last part of the drama. Alliances keep shifting and the plot turns become almost repetitive. How many times can we see a character being tortured before it loses emotional resonance? The drama is no longer character driven at this point - but the characters we have fallen love with are now at the mercy of plot twists and evil characters. The over-arching revenge storyline felt rushed and anti-climactic. That was supposed to be the main conflict of the entire drama and it is treated as just another plot turn.
The thing I hate most is that the main characters aren't given enough screen time together to keep up with the relationships that were developed so well in the first half. The scenes where they are actually together and interacting are really sparse in the last part of the story. The actions of even the most beloved characters were frustrating and hard to swallow.
But still I Ioved the characters so much by this time I had to see it through. After watching it to the end, I feel like I have been strapped down in the imperial palace's torture chamber for the last several episodes and feel pummeled and depressed.
Reading all the other reviews I see that not everyone feels the same way about the last part of this drama, so there is a good chance you will really love Empress Ki if you like melodramatic action historical drama. It definitely will grab you in one way or other. For me, knowing how let down I was by the second half, would I prefer to have never met these characters or started this drama to begin with? Well, I think I would probably go back and do it again. That's how much I loved Empress Ki despite it's major flaws. But I think I need a romantic comedy now to give my heart a break.
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story/plot: freakin amazing. I loved how there were so many other key elements in it besides romance like courage, loyalty, duty, justice and a little bit of good ol' vengeance. Everything in the story progressed nicely and tied into each other beautifully. And the characters changed with the dramatic life events that take place as well so they were very dynamic and awesome. it was very realistic in that sense. I also liked how there were a lot of surprises in the plot.
characters: okay don't get too attached to the characters because more than likely...they'll probably end up dying. seriously though, I felt like I was watching the game of thrones all over again with all the dramatic deaths in this. I really loved the main girl in this though. She is probably the biggest boss ass bitch I've ever seen. That girl knows how to get stuff done. She was a very powerful and enticing character that made the overall story rich. And unlike some other dramas, the girl in this one knows exactly how to exact vengeance. she don't mess around.
music: what is it with historical drama soundtracks?!? I have yet to come across one that wasn't freakishly amazing. The songs in this were amazing. I would buy this soundtrack no lie. they had perfectly epic music for the super intense moments that made you want cheer. Overall, I want to hug the music guy.
I would definitely say I would rewatch some of the episodes on this in the future, not all of them because that would take at least another month of my life I could be spending watching another epic historical drama, but at least a few of the more bad ass episodes. Forget the length guys, go for it! its so worth it.
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Story: It was overly long and unnecessary, especially towards the end. There were so many time skips, I was left wondering if anything of importance was happening during the present. The drama started as sageuk and ended as makjang, which I disliked because I am a sageuk fan.
Characterization/Acting: Wang Yoo was the only character I felt had any development through out the drama. Wang Yoo showed the fragility of being human. The amount of pain Wang Yoo went through should have broken any human's spirit; but, because of his duty he was willing, at times too often, to set aside his own needs for the betterment of others. Joo Jin Mo did an excellent job as Wang Yoo, he has an ability to portray emotions with his eyes alone. I felt hurt when he was hurt and I also felt happy when he was happy. Emperor Huizhong on the other hand only had one moment of character development, which was closer to the beginning and after that his childish antics felt annoying. It would at times slow the plot of the drama. I am glad I saw Ji Chang Wook in Healer before Empress Ki, otherwise I would not have been a fan of his. Overall he did an excellent job. Ha Ji won always kills her role but the development of Empress Ki felt misplaced at times, especially at critically moments where it was important for the audience to understand the reason behind her actions. Of course, they were likable characters like Bang Shin Woo and Joem Bak Yi that kept the story going.
Music: Great music. I am not sure if they were original scores; but, the music fit perfectly with the drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
I desperately want to give this 20 out of 10 .....It was Great ....Perfection.... Almost !! -:((In the second half the writers really messed up w/ inconsistencies (read my Semi-Spoiler below...No details).
Nonetheless, every moment of this drama is Captivating !!!
---- Great pace... 51 episodes and I want more!!!
---- A good story w/ memorable, well developed characters....
---- Great acting ....especially Joo Jin-Mo and Ji Chang-Wook ... the great love these 2 men expressed was very palpable !!!
---- Excellent Casting all around .... the actors fit their roles perfectly ..... so many memorable and enjoyable characters ....
---- A perfect balance b/w Romance / Action / Intrigue / Melodrama / Comedy ...
---- Ep 1-22 were Perfection !!!
---- then, starting w/ ep 23 , I felt the writers really let me down ....too many inconsistencies!!!
.... If they want a certain outcome in the plot ---->>> then they should have come-up w/ a better way to get there ... Weak, weak, lazy writing ! ...
----->>>> Very disappointed w/ the writers for ruining what could have been a PERFECT DRAMA :
Directing.... Acting... Plot... Music... Cast... Costumes....etc....
I rate according to my personal enjoyment not necessarily about objective technical crafting .... BUT .... the disappointment in the 2nd half marred my 'Perfect enjoyment' ...so , I give it a 9/10 ....
********* Semi-Spoiler Alert ----- No Details ----**********
---- the one HUGE Disappointment is the secret person revealed in the last few episodes .... Utterly ridiculous !!! ... A huge flaw that cannot be overlooked like the others..... seems like a patch-up job... a last minute idea/change....Weak! ..... the biggest reason I could not give it a 10!
********** END of Semi-Spoiler *********
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Another credit goes to Ha Ji Won. She acted and showed many different side of her in the character Seung Nyang. She can pull it off as cross-dressing girl and also beautiful woman that makes all the men go crazy over her. She's not the typical damsel in distress but she made choice over herself and not afraid being involved in men's world.
To add it all, it has really great cinematography, costumes, background musics and has very high rewatch value. Why? Because even when I have to rewatch the same episode twice or more, we won't get bored. The drama suffered from bad writing in the second half of the drama because you can spot gaping plot holes and illogical characters development. But still, Empress Ki, managed to engage the hearts and minds of the viewers.
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What seemed to be an intense love story with one of those love triangles that I despise so much turned out to be a lot more complicated. There was a lot of political strife and this drama really portrayed how terrifying the palace could be. I would liken it to a battlefield except in this case, our main lead Nyang had to use her intellect and tactics to beat her opponents. Nyang was one of my favourite characters in this drama. At first I liked her for her strength but it wasn't only that she knew how to fight but she was also a character with a lot of wisdom. In my eyes she wasn't as power hungry as some of the other characters, she was someone that knew how to use her power to help others.
Another character that I admired was Wang Yu, to me he was the perfect king. He was wise, brave and loyal to his country. For me, he and Nyang were really similar in their ideas and beliefs. They also knew how to live for others rather than just for themselves, which really amazed me numerous times in this drama. The fight scenes were epic and there were many of them to enjoy!! This drama really had me on edge many times, when one villain would be eliminated we would get someone even worse and this really frustrated me to no end!! Many of the villains in this drama showed moments of humanity and I couldn't hate them as much as I wanted to, instead I would feel sorry for them. I came to find that not all of these villains were inherently evil but became like this as a result of their greed for power or because of their circumstances.
This drama was really thought provoking, fast paced and exciting. Before I knew it I was on the last episode! All the actors/actresses were perfect in their role. One actor that I am sure to keep my eye on is Jin Yi Han who played TAL TAL. He was a delight to watch throughout the drama and a character that I became more interested in with each episode. He was clever, brave and like Nyang knew the difference between right and wrong. Jin Yi Han will forever be TAL TAL to me XD.
The OSTs in this drama were amazing especially the instrumentals that played in the background during the action and sad scenes. It really made me feel a whole lot more emotional when watching these scenes.
As for rewatching this drama, I may rewatch certain episodes of this drama and possibly rewatch the whole drama when I have started to forget about it. This is a drama that I never want to fully forget, although it is a fictionalised account of Empress Ki there are many important lessons taught in this drama. It was a story of bravery, strength, Identity, greed and of course love. This drama was a long and heartbreaking journey but I shared many amazing moments with the characters and for that I was glad I watched it!
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