Tia

Empire of Gold is truly an underrated gem in k-dramas. It's a dazzling tale (and ultimately a tragic story) about family legacies, ambition, power, and greed. The three protagonists, Jang Tae-Ju, Choi Seo-Yun, and Choi Min-Jae were all so complex and layered throughout the series. You loved them, hated them, cried for them, cursed at them, supported them (or didn't), and cheered for them. Plot-wise, this was very complex. For the entire first third of the drama, I had no idea WHO to root for. But by episode 9, I began to shift towards Seo-Yun's side. She ended up being my favorite character in the drama. Overall, the character development was excellent in this drama, for everyone (for the most part.) And the acting was excellent. Go Su overacted occassionally (I didn't mind it), but Lee Yo-Won and Son Hyun-Joo did a FANTASTIC job with their roles. Yes, I loved Yo-Won's acting. She was SUPPOSED to be cold-hearted and ruthless (k-drama fans, stop being sexist.)

Some of my other favorite aspects of the drama were the dialogue and the soundtrack (mainly the BGM.) The dialogue was very rich. The drama itself was pretty dialogue-heavy, a true business thriller through and through. Lots of scenes consisted of sitting and talking. Or standing and talking. There was a lot of metaphors and historical references, which I liked. It was almost poetic in a way. As for the soundtrack? Divine. The BGM might actually be one of my all-time favorites in any k-drama- I loved how dramatic, grand, and orchestral it was. Especially the ending theme, "The Dance of Blood". This one and "Age of Gold" are my favorites right now.

I think this drama depicts some things very well... how greed can corrupt someone, the true definition of legacy, how ambition can turn you into your worst self, and how power is used as a weapon (or a tool.) EVERYONE exemplified this last theme. Too well, especially in Seo-Yun and Tae-Ju's arcs. Some of my other favorite characters include Park Jin-Tae, Choi Dong-Jin (after Dong-Sung died, my heart broke for him!), Jo Pil-Du (a true ride-or-die! Also I loved how he was seeking redemption for most of the drama), Min-Jae (his ruthlessness is incredible) and even Choi Won-Jae and Yoo-Jin (Min-Jae's 2nd wife) grew on me towards the end. Ironically I hated Won-Jae for most of the drama till the last episodes. I didn't care much about Sung-Jae and mostly found him to be weak. Han Jung-Hee was a greedy hypocrite who got EXACTLY what she deserved at the end. I loved Dong-Sung's relationship with Seo-Yun. I didn't care about the rest of the Choi family, Tae-Ju's family, and Yoon Seol-Hee eventually became annoying. I LOVED HER at first, she was selfish, ruthless, and conniving. Then she was reduced to fawning over Tae-Ju (even AFTER he betrayed her- which, in my opinion, was deserved after what she did to him in the past.)

The timeline was slightly confusing, but easy to follow. After episode 17, it took me a while to figure out where the storyline was setting-wise. Also, this is a rare k-drama where I had to Google stuff as I was watching it. 😂 So many complex business, financial & medical terms and historical events were used/mentioned. Contrary to most people, I liked the ending! Seo-Yun won and became the "Empress" of the "Empire of Gold", but had a pyrrhic victory where she was completely alone. Tae-Ju lost his soul, everyone abandoned him (mirroring Seo-Yun's fate), and returned to the sea (his ending was slightly ambiguous), and Min-Jae got punished, but vowed to return. Never give up, man, never give up.

Ultimately, I really enjoyed this drama. I'd recommend it if you're looking for historical dramas or k-dramas without any romance (this quite literally had NO ROMANCE at all. None.) Another 10/10 drama for me. I don't think I'd rewatch it, but I highly recommend it regardless if you love villain protagonists. Not a single good person here. The winner takes it all... including the golden empire.