The Last Empress

An unexpectedly well-done series

I rode The Last Empress bus thinking that all I’d get is comedy and absurd plot to go with it. But ohhh la la, this series was wayyyy more than that. The series looked so expensive! Every detail screams “high budget!” The props, set, cinematography, color grading, OSTs, and writing definitely weren’t just whisked together purely for fun. That surprisingly, the screenwriters had an an amazing and well-executed plot prepared for all the people who decided to hop on. And the acting? Wow, the leads definitely did not just come to play. They came to slay.

Unlike what the trailers promised, I’ve had my own moments of tears, especially at the finale episode. There were several tear jerkers here and there but surprisingly, only a few comedic scenes actually— and most of them were Shin Sung Rok’s who, I can confidently say, owned the show. Ohh I’ll talk more about him later.

Writing wasn’t perfect but the “WTF” moments can pass as comedic relief or could easily be forgiven for the drama’s fast pacing. The 26 episodes went by so quickly for the writers did not unnecessarily latch on any specific issue. Yes, the central issue loomed over the minor ones but at least the minor details didn’t drag on and end up being pointless like in some dramas.

Despite its facade of a fun drama, the issues they tackled could trigger several emotions especially aiming at personal values. The moral lessons on true love, family, and human dignity were too spot on that they’d keep moving your moral compass. Thankfully, we have a protagonist whose morals are intact and cannot be easily swayed with a little shower of affection, yet knows when and how to forgive. Traits that we could all try to emulate.

There was also no unnecessary romance (although that Hello and Prince Yoon stint somehow came out of nowhere. Definitely needed more build up for their love’s depth to be understandable) but admittedly this drama offered a lot of rooms for debate on who likes who or who truly loves who. However, the writers were smart enough not to dwell on any of those. It’s up to the viewers to read between the lines and to take the depicted scenes with a grain of salt. They just played with ambiguity with a dose that I can tolerate.

And now comes acting:
1. JANG NA RA— Let’s not compare her depiction here with her previous roles for it could spark issues that I refuse to discuss. What matters is that she really brought all her cards to the table in portraying Oh Sunny. Her moods were infectious—- she’s happy, we feel happy too; she’s sad, we feel broken too; she’s ready to wreak havoc, we’re on her boat too. Writing-wise, however, I just felt like her almost seamless adjustment into the Empress role was way too... convenient and unrealistic? Or did I just assume that she’s supposed to have a hard time adjusting considering she lived in poverty and had a regular commoner education?

Well, the thing is, we weren’t shown a Sunny who was struggling to fit in the palace. What we got instead was a ray of sunshine and regal Sunny who seemed to have the palace customs and protocols already ingrained in her system—- a case that we don’t often see in dramas with similar story of a commoner marrying into a royalty. That threw me off several times. She seemed to always know what to do next and is well-versed in surviving in the palace, as if she’s been living there for years. But props to the writer on how Sunny was made to deal with Lee Hyeok’s death. She was neither unnecessarily distraught nor shamelessly apathetic. She’s just sad. She felt the loss of a husband she once held dear and has accepted to have genuinely loved her in his remaining days. She was sad for the what-could-have-beens had he survived to live a much better life... with her.

2. CHOI JIN HYUK—- Gotta be honest, I’ve had the loudest laugh in the entire series at that scene where it panned out from original Na Wang Shik to Chon Woo Bin. Gosh! I did not pay attention to the trailers of who CJH is going to be that that the above-mentioned transition really made me burst out laughing. Writing-wise, there were a looot of unrealistic things brewed into building the character of Chon Woo Bin that I encourage you to no longer process much to avoid headache. Take them as this drama’s offer to the comedy deities. So, don’t dwell on them any longer for your own sake please.

While CJH definitely carried the role well almost seamlessly, his end was totally anticlimactic. It was such a non-deserved exit to the main narrative that I had to look for clues as to why the production did that. I found out that the drama got extended to four more episodes and CJH could not continue filming the extension due to conflicting filming schedules with his other project. While it was a not-so beautiful exit to the hero of the series, well, I must say, the writers did an amazing shift of focus from him to the Emperor that the viewers had no time to protest about Na Wang Shik’s departure style.

And that leaves us with 3. SHIN SUNG ROK—- He started out as the scariest villain and left the series as the beloved Pyeha. If there’s one character in the series that the writer tediously worked on making it greatly developed, then that would be Emperor Lee Hyeok. His childhood scars were shown well to make a clear connection with his personality disorder. And his insecurities were well-written that you’d understand why he’s turned into a monster. All of these could have been overlooked if not for SSR’ brilliant portrayal of the many layers of Emperor Lee Hyeok. He was a psycho when he had to, and was cute as that giant affectionate baby whom we couldn’t help but adore.

Moreover, his effortless power dressing really made us all believe he’s a real Emperor. He just looked sooooo good in the entire series that I began questioning my style in men. Before the show, I did not even consider SSR as my type of handsome but boom! The first episode made me grow a crush on him that gradually blossomed into love as the series finished. Truly, we all came for Choi Jin Hyuk but ended up leaving with a big Shin Sung Rok placard stuck on our foreheads.

4. The rest of the supporting cast did great. Almost everyone was excellent and stayed true to their character. Standouts, however, were Crown Princess Ari, Chief Assistant Min Yura, and also the villainess Empress Dowager Eun Ran who was annoying when needed to be, and funny when the script called for it. I just can’t unsee her stark resemblance though to Kim Sung Kyun [of Reply 1988 (Junghwan’s father) and The Fiery Priest fame].


In conclusion, the series had redefined our standards of dramas “on crack”. This was a rare fast-paced comedic and revenge themed drama with a VERY expensive production. You’re surely in for a treat. Just come with zero expectations and standards so you’ll understand what I mean.

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Not My Favorite Genre, But WOW!

I was having trouble sleeping while being sick, and watching this did NOT help!
I don't usually like dark thriller or crime dramas, but this is one I couldn't stop watching. It was a little more drawn out than it needed to be, but it still kept me up at night wondering what would happen next. I loved how the evil characters were not one dimensional bad guys and there was more to the events than meets the eye. While this isn't my usual happy ever after fantasy or romcom, and I doubt I'll ever rewatch it, I can't deny that it was extremely well written (despite a few plot holes) and one of the best dramas I've seen in a while. I'm surprised it's not recommended often or more highly rated. The ending was sad but satisfying, and the acting (especially Shin Sung Rok. How he can he go back and forth from the extreme of bone chilling evil villian that I can barely stand to look at to so innocentand cute I'm trying not to smile, I'll never know!) was amazing. 10/10 binged it in 2 days.

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Drama started with lots of potential and somehow digressed along the way BUT BUT BUT it wasn’t that bad. The story plot has its loopholes but are compensated with its very crazy and excitable plots. I’m a distracted person in general and it is different to keep my attention too long and I have given up on so many dramas I have lost count lol. The drama isn’t perfect but it is definitely worth your time. It started off serious but half way through the script writer decided to make it comedic but I did appreciate it as the focus is switched to mostly shin sung rok. Choi Jin hyuk was meant to be the lead but his screen time is pathetic and I honestly I don’t feel bad because he is a pain to watch as with all his dramas. He is good looking and nothing more. The female lead was quite disappointing.

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Applause, applause.. I started watching this to fill up the void after finishing Penthouse 2 and waiting for Season 3, knowing that this was another makjang drama written by the same Kim Sun Ok, I had great expectations while binging on this drama. YES this was a great drama, don't let the historical / king-queen concept fool you, this was set in 2019 as a constitutional monarchy like The King: Eternal Monarch so it is modern ! Everything was good, from start to the end, it was total makjang and the plot is crazy, the Empress Dowager is crazy-crazy evil , even going out to kill her loved ones for herself. Lee Hyuk's character switches on and off between evil, good and comical especially towards the end. Even though this was makjang, it had comedic elements here and there so it doesn't get all too dramatic. However though, as it reaches towards the last few episodes of the drama, I could tell the concept and storyline of the drama was starting to shift towards another focus, at first It started off with Na Wang-sik's revenge plot towards Lee Hyuk but then towards the end, we couldn't even see much of Wang-sik's story as the story started to shift towards other things. And unfortunately, Choi Jin-hyuk who played Na Wang-sik couldn't attend the filming for the last 4 episodes due to schedule conflicts so it was quite sad and till the end we could only see a stuntman or replacement acting in place for him, that's why this drama lost my 0.5 star LOL because HE NEEDED TO BE THERE, the whole show started because of his plot !!! Other than that, everything was good. Jang Na-ra's acting KYAAA doesn't disappoint. Don't let the low ratings on MDL fool you, I personally think this was a good worth of time, but it's a bit lengthy.

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This is a not good shit

It was going really well. The male lead is a total son of a bitch, and his mistress is cold and calculating—an interesting villain. The female lead is the typical naive, idiotic character who believes the male lead is a good person, right up until she discovers the truth about the imperial family and becomes more perceptive and intelligent. However, halfway through the drama, the narrative shifted and started to really frustrate me. The male lead was bordering on being a villain himself—committing murders and even attempting to kill his own mistress. Then, all of a sudden, he takes an interest in the female lead and starts falling for her. Like ???????? Wtf that's ridiculous

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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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