Empress Ki (2013)

Not bad; just not great

Right off the bad, I want to say this: the first 20-25 episodes or so of this drama are nothing short of spectacular. The story is absolutely riveting and takes no time to draw you in. From the first second, you're immediately plopped into the mesmerizing and eventful world of Seungnyang, a.k.a., Empress Ki. The very beginning of the drama starts out with an immense orchestral piece that shows Empress Ki marrying the Yuan Emperor and Wang Yu, the King of Goryeo (Korea), looking off into the distance with immense disappointment and melancholy. That scene alone is one of the most powerful scenes I have ever witnessed in a drama; what a way to start! The following episodes then revert back several decades to how it all started (how Seungnyang was born, how she became the way she is, how Wang Yu took the Goryeo throne, how the Yuan Emperor fell in love with Seungnyang, etc etc). It's all done tastefully and with excellent pacing.

Then, things start to hit the sh*tter.

I don't know what happened, but somewhere around episodes 20-25, it felt like the writers just gave up on the story. I get it, this is first and foremost a drama and it's not looking for anything "realistic" or "historically accurate"; however, the absurd meter goes beyond the charts in the latter half of this drama. There is just so much stupid stuff that happens in the story that is becomes a parody of itself; beyond comical! It's really sad because all the actors in this drama are just doing an incredible job with their roles, and there was a lot of heavy buildup to the climax, but it all falls apart as the story progresses beyond episode 25. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, but just know that some of "schemes" that occur in the latter half are just ridiculous and reach peak melodrama. It's like the writers couldn't decide whether it wanted to be a palace harem drama, a "Mary Sue"-type story, or a "forbidden love" situation. Oh what the hell, just lump them all in together and somehow squeeze it into 50 episodes or so.

The music is godly; easily 10/10. I'm not a fan of K-Pop music, but the melodies and singers are really just out of this world. Don't even get me started on the orchestral pieces; some of the greatest music to come out of a K-Drama, and I really mean it.

Overall, I give it a 6.0/10. It's a drama that you can tell a lot of work was put into, and there's just so much effort that was put from everyone (except the writers lol) that I must rate it above average. However, because of the absurdity of the show in the latter half thanks to the writers simply giving up on making any logical sense, I cannot recommend it anything higher than "above average".

I recommend you watch the drama, but just know what you will be getting yourself into. The first 20-25 episodes alone are worth watching, maybe skip ahead / fast-forward after that.

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OVERALL
Bipolar drama, which could have been great, but ended up average. Watch if 1) You're looking for a historical drama with something different (this one happens mostly in China, so the entire décor and environment is different), 2) You like strong female leads, 3) You're satisfied as long as a drama has intrigue from beginning to end. Don't watch if 1) You can't stand when characters or plot elements make no sense, 2) You're vulnerable to the 2nd-lead syndrome, 3) You like fairy-tale endings.

THE STORY
The drama can be divided into two, very distinct, very opposite parts. The first one, roughly 3/4 of the show, is quite good and well written. There's a steady evolution in characters and relationship, and an omnipresent intrigue (at times more prominent than others but always there). Towards the middle of the show an element emerges that begins to make the drama lose credibility, but everything else is great, so it's okay. Then comes the last fourth of the drama, and all hell breaks loose. The plot takes a 180-degree turn, faults and loopholes appear, characters regress or lose coherence, relationships become too ambiguous, unnecessary deaths pile up...in short, you have a very disappointing, overly dramatic show that seems completely disconnected to the rest of the drama except for the enduring intrigue. Expect a rushed and dissatisfying ending.

THE ACTING
The story is one thing, but the acting is a completely different matter. Superb acting from the entire cast, at least from where I'm standing. The one that particularly impressed me was Ji Chang Wook, probably because his challenging role gave more opportunity to see his skills.

THE MUSIC
Good fit with the show and usually appropriate with each scene's mood, but I personally didn't like it. Lots of screaming. Watch out for Ji Chang Wook's song though. It's cute.

REWATCH VALUE
Until around episode 37-38, yes, after that, no.

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really really really ! i can't describe how amazing this drama ! it's just a great work ! from a great writer ! and a great cast !
i can't even say one bad word about it .. becouse it's a real history ! real story !
it's a story describe a hero women .
just when i see the drama the first thing come to my mind how imagine was Empress Ki . and i start looking here and there about her real story before the ending of the drama . It's something that can't be described .. i watched first because of "Ha Ji-won,"but at the end of the drama, I found myself fall in love with "Ji Chang Wook" ! Also "Jin Yi Han" Tal Tal! This drama was already one of the greatest productions in 2013
if you read mu words i think you gonna say it's too much ..
but what can i do ? i fall really for this drama .. and i found it amazing like you find your best drama amazing ..
thankyou for reading ^^ have a good day
Love you guys ^^

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I think the first about 35 episodes were really good. I really enjoyed the gender-bender tropes in the beginning with Ki being a warrior and a rebel and all that. But then that was completely taken out of the plot, which I wasn't terribly upset about, but at the same time, I missed it (gender-benders are a guilty pleasure of mine haha). And then around episode 35, things started to slow down a lot and a lot of the plot devices started to be reused (for example, poisoning, assassins, characters dying, but surprise!, they miraculously survive!, etc). And I think what made the whole drama completely unsatisfying in the end was the fact that the Emperor of Yuan (played by Ji Chang Wook) was a complete coward and extremely unlikable as a person. And while the Emperor of Koryo had his flaws, it was tragic that he and Ki couldn't be together due to the shitty circumstances.

~~~~~~~~SPOILER AHEAD~~~~~~~~~Read with caution!!!

Before starting this drama, I spoiled the ending for myself because I saw the "tragedy" tag; originally I was okay with the ending where Emperor of Yuan dies because then I figured that Ki could then have her chance with the Emperor of Koryo now that he was out of the way, but THEY KILLED OFF THE EMPEROR OF KORYO IN LITERALLY THE LAST 1.5 HOURS OF THE DRAMA. WHAT IS THIS SHIT?! They also killed off Yon Feisu, who I thought was a complete bad ass - her death really ticks me off just based on principle. And they also killed off Tal Tal who I adored - I'm kinda salty about that too. ???? (I really think that Tal Tal and Ki could have had something special between them if given the opportunity...)

And let's just be honest - the Emperor of Yuan was a piece of crap. He wasn't a man, his character had no true development, and he was just a pain to watch. All the decisions he made were foolish and self-serving, with no regard to what was best for his people and/or his reign. He didn't *love* Ki. He was obsessed like a psychotic person and literally made decisions to mess things up based on spite and jealously. How pitiful, childish, and annoying. I saw clips of Empress Ki that got me interested in watching it and honestly, they were completely misleading. There's nothing cute or loving about the romance between Ki and the Emperor of Yuan. This story truly is a tragedy, so if you're thinking about watching it, bear that in mind.

I know I'm harping on some stuff really hard, but it *was* a decent drama, but I just wasn't happy with how the writers handled the characters in the last 20 episodes or so and the ending. I was okay with there being sadness, but I don't think the tragedy was expertly written and so it left me feeling very unsatisfied and bitter. Definitely not a rewatch for me.

The actors in this drama were truly great -
Ji Chang Wook has always played quirky characters and he really did well portraying such an insecure and petty character.
I've tried to watch Secret Garden and Kings2Heart with Ha Ji Won and I wasn't impressed with her acting very much, but I think she did a really good job here. Not enough to make me an avid fan, but truly surprised at her performance.
Kim Ji Han grew on me. He's not conventional handsome, but man oh man did his acting grow on me. I think I'll try to pick up another drama with him to see how his acting is in another role. His voice is soooo sexy and he has definitely mastered the smolder. XD

I will also say that the OST was very good. I didn't get annoyed with any of the songs and the song selections for each scene were very well placed.

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All right. To start, I have to say that I had to drag myself through the first few episodes. Bad subtitles made it difficult to understand and the plot was rather boring. Then things started getting good and I felt like I had not spent $30 on the entire drama for nothing but a bunch of yawn-eliciting mush after all. This drama has arcs where it just makes me want to roll my eyes every five minutes through. But it also had arcs where I would not leave the room until I had made sure I paused the DVD.

SOME PROBLEMS:
1. Around the late beginning and middle part of Empress Ki with all the angsty maidservants and angry queens and jealous concubines was a pain in the butt. It was like watching one of those clique high school girls drama, except it takes place several hundred years ago in a setting where noblewomen wore impossible hairdos, and the process of bickering and competing with each other literally can kill you. Sungnyang (I don't even think I spelled her name right) had to go through SO much repeating bullsh*t from those ladies. I only looked forward to Wang Yu's parts, where action and swords, all that good stuff, took place.


2. Sungnyang's perfection. I liked her character at first. She was tough, flawed, and unless you have a reputation of outwitting people or you're a black belt in karate, you would not mess with her. But then she became a figure of just...the perfect human. She was greatly kindhearted, she was immensely enduring, she was really beautiful, she was greatly intelligent, she was outright bold, she was extremely patient, she was a skilled fighter, she was wonderfully loving, she was undeniably brave and she was (insert any other good adjective). I could hardly find a flaw in her, except for the fact that she was too perfect.

3. The drama needs to. slow. it. down. It was always conflict after conflict. Once you thought the main character(s) succeeded, someone makes them fall flat on their face again. How the drama consistently had so many things happening keeps you from falling asleep or stare at the screen listlessly. However, it ruins the overall flow of the drama. If a story line could flow like water, this drama was like Rapids Water Park. But for this flaw, I could forgive.

AS FOR THE POSITIVE SIDES
1. Each character was wonderfully written. Sungnyang's and Wang Yu's characters became as flat as a scrawny 12-year-old boy's chest, but the other characters were wow-worthy-ingly complex. How each character developed, from good to bad, from bad to still bad, from bad to good then bad again, was awesome. I especially loved Ta Hwan's character. He changed a lot throughout the story, and his many flaws and controversial choices makes him very interesting. Other noteworthy characters were Dowager and Bayan. They were a perfect mixture of good and bad. Then there's Tal Tal, oh Tal Tal whose name at first was the only I could actually spell. I loved his internal conflict as he was median between two sides. His intelligent quiet and noble treacheries were intriguing.

2. Complex interaction between characters. Ah. One of the greatest prospects of the story. Each unique character's ambitions and loyalties clash and intertwine in incredible ways. You are never afraid of not seeing your favorite character for too long because each character is connected with each other. Thus each character gets an appropriate and consistent amount of screen time.

3. Technical stuff: costumes, osts, setting, casting. Ornamental costume designs, excellent cinematography, and the background music was touching and graceful. The casting was not perfect, but I want to give awards to almost all the actors/actresses. Honestly, I expected better from Joo Jin Mo since he became Stoneface McGee in the last half of the drama. Ha Ji Wan was owning it like usual. Ji Chang-wok carried out his role just about perfectly. All those components (costumes, music, setting, casting) combined into a mass of BEAUTIFUL.

4. Smart story and nice plot elements. I've seen dozens too many of cheesy and flat-as-a-board plot elements and stories that try to be smart but end up being a tangled mess. Empress Ki is not one of them. Though the pacing was rushed, the components of the plot made up for it. In a less biased view, story turns in unexpected and intelligent ways that average kdrama viewers like us could not hope to think of. And the ending was satisfying and tastefully unsatisfying at the same time.

Empress Ki had it eye-rolling downs and breathtaking ups for me.This drama also makes me wish that I was more emotional so I can have the full experience. I actually teared up when [this character] killed [this character]. Ah...so sad. Overall, this is the best Asian-made historical dramas I have ever seen; I recommend Empress Ki for people who want a ride of interesting characters, feels, and clever plot, and oh, a bittersweet ending.

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I LOVED THIS!

I still can’t move on with the drama, I really loved Empress Ki!! At first, I thought I would get bored watching it bec it was super long, it contains 52 episodes. Plus. I don’t really like historical dramas, i prefer modernized. But I was overly hooked with the story, as well as with the actors and actresses! Because of this drama I started to love historical dramas and was searching for what historical drama to watch next after I finished it. It was perfect for me, the only con is it was too long. Because of this drama, I started watching Ji Chang Wook dramas, I fell inlove with Ji Chang Wook with this drama! I loved Empress Ki, she was such a strong and influencial woman, she became big. I loved how the actress portrayed Empress Ki, it totally suited her!

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Why I dropped it, then got dragged back after skipping a bit

Empress Ki captured my attention because of the two lead actors. (Huge fan) The music, scenery, acting and costumes are amazing, as is the characterization and humour. AND the leads are fantastic.

Yes, I first though it was a bit long, and I think that had they dropped a little of the wash, rinse, repeat back at square one it cold have been shortened and it wouldn't have drained me so much to watch.

It's true when reviews say that you never get a break, and I'm so in love with Ki Yang, a super strong woman who is capable and true to herself.
What I didn't like about this, and what made me nearly drop it, is the strange way in which the romance is written, to the point where the couple I loved (main couple, lead couple) just didn't seem to develop properly and there were too many dramatic plot points that happened earlier on for me to be able to see it so believingly. Thankfully, when I just had to skip a bit, it seemed to have been well repaired and I got what I wanted to see.

There are characters you'll want nothing more than to go away, but not because they're annoying or fake, but because of their performance, their writing which makes you actually hate them.

There is a moment about halfway through the drama that is quite epic and powerful, and I was really impressed, but then the writers chose to go with a dramatic, so much of a coincidence it's not really believable, trope, or cliche really, and that was when I started to lose steam with my enthusiasm for the story. (((Empress' Son)))
This was a personal choice and, as a writer, I found it a little too unbearable to entertain, and when the cycle of defeat a plot by the evil man just kept going I found I couldn't watch any more. But I loved the drama, and the main characters that I just had to see the end.

So, although it turns out this drama can make you feel bogged down, it's definitely a well made, impressive and captivating drama, just ignore the little bit around the 2/3 way point.

So see if you like it, and you'll probably find, if this is your genre, that you will.

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Where are my anti-colonial babes at??

Given there are already 100+ reviews of Empress Ki, I'll focus on the colonial power politics of the show, as that's what drew me in. But like, did no one else watch this show because of it's anti-colonial themes??

This Kdrama is the first historical one I've watched in a long time. Usually, I watch Chinese palace dramas, but dealing with Chinese censorship rules limits the exploration of history and I don't enjoy analysing propaganda that much. In contrast, Empress Ki is unfettered.

toxicbybritneyspears's review mentioned "national identity" as a key theme of Empress Ki. I agree but would extend that further by arguing that the drama examines the complexities of national identity as it intersects with colonial politics. While watching Empress Ki, I automatically started comparing it to Mr. Sunshine (South Korea, 2018), which features anti-colonial resistance during Japan's colonisation of Korea. Mr. Sunshine attempts to grapple with classism clashing with resistance efforts led by nobility and aristocracy, but ultimately fails. Empress Ki, despite also falling short in a similar grappling, does provide a wider range of characters portraying the difficulties of unified anti-colonial resistance.

For context, the drama is set during the 1300s when Korea (then known as Goryeo) is under Yuan dynasty rule (Mongol empire). From the drama's start, Goryean characters have starkly different experiences of colonization. There's a king (Wang Yoo) dealing with powerlessness. A surviving daughter (Seung Nyang) navigating the death of her mother at Yuan hands. An ambitious man of poor background (Byung Soo) betraying Goryeo for survival. Other Goryeo citizens live in Yuan, either in the Goryeo ghetto or in the Yuan Imperial Palace as staff. These experiences result in a wide range of actions, from outright defiance of Yuan rule to willing collusion with the Yuan regime.

Circumstances suggest there's no hope for Goryeo to achieve complete autonomy from the Yuan empire (or so the drama implies). Wang Yoo's ambition is to reclaim his throne, implying that under his control, collusion with the Yuan dynasty can end, and he will strengthen the country for the sake of his people. Seung Nyang takes a different approach: high-level infiltration. Climbing the ranks, she eventually becomes Yuan Empress with considerable political influence, claiming to use it for the benefit of the Yuan people and those from Goryeo living in Yuan. They both execute these strategies better than expected given the stakes.

However, my main frustration is that while these characters make grandiose statements about improving the lives of ordinary citizens, these everyday folks are given meagre screen time. We don't see much of everyday Goryeo people beyond Seung Nyang's early gang days. The people in the Goryeo ghetto seem to lack agency, relying on the whims of Seung Nyang or Wang Yoo. The drama even depicts the villagers as ungrateful when Wang Yoo visits the town (for his own political aims). Palace staff who won't support Seung Nyang's schemes receive similar dismissive treatment.

And that brings me to Byung Soo. Early on, he explains his betrayal of Goryeo, stating Goryeo did nothing to protect him as his family struggled to survive in a poverty-stricken country. Someone, perhaps one of Wang Yoo's men (or Wang Yoo himself, I can't remember), remarks that the Yuan dynasty is to blame. True, but not the whole story. Byung Soo articulates the struggle of the working class and poor who can't afford to think beyond day-to-day survival. What's the point in fighting for a kingdom that forces its people to serve another nation and rejects those who manage to return to Goryeo soil?

For me, that should have been the crux of the drama. Yet, it's not until the final few episodes that Empress Ki turns its attention in that direction. Seung Nyang and Eunuch Dok Man express their internal conflict of national identity, suspended between Yuan and Goryeo. Seung Nyang, focused on personal revenge, hasn't grappled with this conflict until then. Dok Man must choose who to back, his choice bound up in which nation he wants to support. Yet, his character isn't fleshed out to bring that discussion to the fore, and he is seemingly rewarded for choosing to back Seung Nyang, while Byung Soo is killed for betraying her.

I wonder whether Byung Soo's character represents some laziness from the writers, perhaps due to the drama biting off more than it can chew. When Seung Nyang looks down on Byung Soo's corpse and expresses remorse for how Goryeo's abandonment of him led to his actions, one wonders why he was condemned for actions seemingly deterministic.

And on a similar note, why aren't the villagers given their own chance to contribute to resistance? Surely, they have the ability to organise collectively and take some power, even if small, into their own hands?

In the end, I think Empress Ki was onto something by drawing out ambiguities. Initially, I worried it might end up oversimplified like Mr. Sunshine or with a Stockholm syndrome-y assimilationist tale, as in The King's Woman (Chinese, 2017). However, given the extensive screen-time, there was a missed opportunity to delve into the trickier elements of colonial power politics.

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The Loathful Emperor

It started off on a fast pace with big cuts, jumps and gaps. We were thrown right into it with little to no explanation or a breathing room. Sure thing that was attractive enough to hold onto the viewers' attention but that was only for a brief period before the drama hit the brakes at full force yanking the viewers from the realm of existence. Halting its momentum to an irrecoverable state which affected the set up we were given, negatively. Not only the momentum but the story as a whole took a shift for the worse. That shift happened to early to be forgiven, after 7-9 episodes I think? If the writers intent was to write Ta Hwan as an unbearably pathetic whimp then they have achieved an outstanding success! Upon a second look, there were too many males to count who were obsessed with the female lead, this drama was a complicated reverse harem in disguise. Some characters had cool story arcs, while others were just stuck being one-dimensional, making it hard to care about them while the drama kept giving them more screen time. Even worse, most of the characters that died were given a cheap death, even important ones. Anyway, the drama had an enjoyable start despite the chaos but it never managed to recover after slamming the brakes.

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Scholar/Warrior TalTal steals the show

Empress Ki is one of the best historical K-drama series and stunning scenery cinematography and also extraordinary costumes.
The dramatic impressive performance by Sungnyang (Ms. Ha Ji-won) when she is giving birth to her first born son is profoundly significant.
Also the horrific end of Tanashiri "Danashiri" (Ms. Baek Jin-hee) is remarkable. Ms. Baek Jin-hee performance in the episode 38 is indeed compelling.
Batoru "Yeon Bi Su" (Ms. Yoo In Young)'s appearance is eye catching and so striking. She has that unique/exotic look that melts your young heart.
I love the student-teacher on-screen chemistry between Sungnyang (Ms. Ha Ji-won) and charismatic TalTal (Mr. Jin Yi-han) in Empress Ki. Scholar/Warrior TalTal steals the show.

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