[Drama 2013/2014] ♚ Empress Ki (기황후) ♚

[Guest Geumchi]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but he's already quite famous in Korea, Japan and China (I'm working my hardest for him to be famous in America too).  He was one of the first stars approached for this drama, but turned down the Ta Hwan role twice before finally capitulating.  I heard the rumours all the way back in June at his Fan Meeting that he was still considering, but having an insane musical and modelling schedule didn't help with the timing either.  At least it all worked out in the end -- this is the role of a lifetime for My Precious! RAWR. :X

I heard too that they're having problem looking for a male actor to play ta hwan. Do you happen to know why many actors refused to take the role? I mean, obviously from the plot itself this drama is going to be a hit. Having ha ji won and the "giant" writers is enough. I heard jang geun suk was the first one but refused becuase he have already accepted pretty boy. I was wondering what is ji chang wook's reason he refused the role before along with other actors..

[tessieroo]

Oh, I love all the discussion here! 
@blckp - Good point but I'm not sure at this point SN is aware of the hierarchy in Yeon. (all she knows is that Ta Hwan is now the Emperor) She might not be aware that El Temur is actually the one in charge. And he didn't murder her Father (although he ordered it) Byung-Soo is the one who blinded him & cut out his tongue but it was on El Temur's orders. 
@sara1117 - Yes, there's no way King Wang Yoo and SN would have been set free if Ta Hwan had told the truth - there's no way El Temur would let them live but you are correct: from SN's perspective - he's the Emperor so he should have told the truth and been able to order their freedom plus saved her Father. She has no idea he's only a "puppet" Emperor. 
@orangegummybear - I think Commander Ki left SN's mom (or she ran off on her own) Either way, no one was aware of any family connection between them that might have prevented them being sent to Yuan as a concubune. I don't think SN even knew her Father was alive. 
You made a great point about SN's parents being murdered indirectly due to actions by one of the lead men. Her Mom - because Wang Yoo tried to free them. Her Dad - because Ta Hwan lied. BUT in both cases, it was El Temur and his creepy sons or Byung-Soo who did the actual killing. (and I'm not sure yet that SN is aware of what exactly happened in either case?) 
@lyaarisa - Great post! And I agree - I think SN's "great love" will be Wang Yoo but we know she ends up married to Ta Hwan. This drama will be one of those that's hard to pick a ship since both are awesome and both men seem to love her very much. :-S  I'm holding off on deciding until I see more of both. [-(   =))  Especially kisses. Bwahahahaha
@CherKell - I wondered if you would show up to refute that! :-bd  
Thanks for all the great insights and discussion here! It certainly makes this drama more enjoyable for me, I love to read what others are thinking. I can't wait for next week too! 

[chrissydiva]

tessieroo said: I'm holding off on deciding until I see more of both. [-(   =))  Especially kisses. Bwahahahaha

[tessieroo]

@chrissydiva - 
I know, right? *kekeke* The kisses on another-drama-that-I-won't-name have completely ruined it for me. MEH - horrible. I agree about HJW and I know both actors do well on kisses too. (Joo Jin Mo from...Frozen Flower - although that was with a guy) And did you see JCW's kiss on "Bachelor Vegetable Store? Here's the clip: 

There's head movement, lip movement and closed eyes! SHOCKER! So yea, I'm happily looking forward to romantic kiss scenes.  I'm really looking forward to the reactions from both men to her being a woman. 

[chrissydiva]

@tessieroo I watched BVS, but totally blocked out any kisses since I hated that show and the lead female left me cold. I only finished it pretty much for JCW and some of the guys. I know JJM can kiss from the stuffs I saw, like with LBY in Queen of the Game. So since we established all 3 leads can kiss without looking constipated, the PD has no excuses lol

[Guest kaeruchan]

Yeay, more people and more insights! .....and that also means more time to be spent here instead of doing my work. Yay or nay?

I've been thinking about them all week long and then it hit me: I feel like I can relate more to TH compared to SN and and WY. His character is fleshed out well and JCW is doing a great job in portraying multiple facets of TH. We are given the chance to get to know his innermost thoughts, his strengths, and his weaknesses, thus it is easy to root for him (and to love him. Yes, I LOVE my Baby Prince/Emperor!). SN is still a mysterious figure to me but I don't have any worry since we have another 44 episodes to get to know her, and I'm curious to see more of her deepest thoughts. Same goes to WY, but we'll get to know more of them soon.

I keep replaying the first 5 minutes of episode 1 because it's one of my favourite scene and I can't help but to notice that SN didn't say anything. No words at all. Her eyes and expressions were speaking for her and she had an array of emotions plastered on her face. She's indeed mysterious!

So far, my favourite character is TH and just like what @larus said, we're going to see him growing up through the course of the drama. I'm looking forward to more of SN (because I adore and respect her!) and WY. In fact, I can't wait to see WY protecting SN, because I want to see him being successful in protecting someone he cherishes.

Did anyone realize that TH cared so much about the Goryeo otters' well-being rather than those tribute women and men sent to Yuan as concubines and eunuchs? SN asked him to abolish the tribute once he ascended the throne but ironically, that's his first decree when he became the emperor.

As for the side characters, we're getting to know more of the Yuan side and I like the Empress Dowager. She looks so kind (and stunning! and pretty!) and hopefully her character will be a good one until the end, unlike Kim Seo-hyung's Mo Ga-bi in History of the Salaryman. Man, that was a twist and I don't want to hate her again this time! But then, she's listed under SN's rivals in the character description...hmmm

It's funny how Baek Ahn/ Bayan kept mentioning about his beautiful niece to TH and then refusing to make her TH's concubine because he doesn't want to see her being killed by Tanashiri. I wonder if the niece he's talking about will be TH's primary empress after Tanashiri's death because in history, Emperor Huizhong/Hyejong married a girl from Bayan's clan after Bayan helped to get rid of El Temur's family while Empress Ki was the secondary empress. Not sure if they would portray that part in this drama.

TH, Baek Ahn & Taltal...looking forward to this trio too!

Sorry for the incoherent and jumbled up ramblings. Had to get them out of my system right after I woke up

[Guest lamome]

http://iam-catchy.tumblr.com

[Olaisa]

Love has many faces. When person careful and worried about someone inevitably there is affection. And SN/TH's relationship are very interesting and promising. While SN/WY's relationship can be called a classic. So we often see in historical dramas. He is a worthy and brave ruler, she is also a positive character. This is boring for me. Too perfect. I prefer the controversial characters in order to observe their development. How TH will be a real emperor and a man... How will revenge for the father's death. It will be a long way.

[Kathy]

Hi #larus good to see you posting on this one :-h 

I've just finished the first six episodes and am definitely bitten.  Terrific production values and acting has been superior.  I also find the villains riveting and look forward to seeing where they go in the plot.

However, I find besides Sung Nyang, the one figure I most love seeing is Huizong, the actor is so good he just fills the screen and has been so terrific at portraying this character with all the conflicts he has to experience in trying to live let alone rule.  He really has quite a gift for comedy, his timing is incredible.  Love seeing him interacting with Sung Nyang, I bet they are having fun filming together.

I'm also enjoying the fact that while we know the ultimate outcome, it is hard to foresee how everyone gets there and all the characters are well written, no one has been one dimensional.

Looking forward to this ride
 

[Guest niknokdagu425]

cr http://star.mk.co.kr/new/view.php?mc=ST&no=1142104&year=2013


:x :x :x

[Guest niknokdagu425]

cr Baidu
:x :x :x

[Guest katie_nguyen85]

Oh my God, may I just say - Ji Chang Wook is really doing a great job here. Even acting along with two talented sunbaes, he hasn't been outshined but instead shined in his own right. It's not an easy job to make people love a character with so much flaws like Ta Hwan. He is weak, coward and sometimes just like a pain in the a** but Ji Chang Wook somehow made me love and root for his character so much. I can feel his pain, his frustration and his thirst for vengeance so even though I was really disappointed with his betrayal, which indirectly caused Seung Nyang's father death **sob sob**, I can't help but still love him.

And as some of chingus have pointed out, the character Ta Hwan/Huizong has a lot of potential and I am looking forward to his development from a Baby Prince to a hopefully-great Emperor. I know we should respect such righteous, brave character like Wang Yoo and indeed we need those in real life but the world we are living isn't just black and white, and neither we are. I found "gray" character is more intriguing and more related. How many of us could place other people above ourselves? Let alone a life and death circumstance our Baby Prince had to face. Poor Baby, you will have to pay for this decision soon!! It may take you a lifetime to win her heart back, or not. Huhu, be brave my heart!!

And I really love all your insightful and funny comments. Beautiful Sunday, chingus!!

[Guest Lyly1430292245]

Yeay, more people and more insights! .....and that also means more time to be spent here instead of doing my work. Yay or nay?

I've been thinking about them all week long and then it hit me: I feel like I can relate more to TH compared to SN and and WY. His character is fleshed out well and JCW is doing a great job in portraying multiple facets of TH. We are given the chance to get to know his innermost thoughts, his strengths, and his weaknesses, thus it is easy to root for him (and to love him. Yes, I LOVE my Baby Prince/Emperor!). SN is still a mysterious figure to me but I don't have any worry since we have another 44 episodes to get to know her, and I'm curious to see more of her deepest thoughts. Same goes to WY, but we'll get to know more of them soon.

I keep replaying the first 5 minutes of episode 1 because it's one of my favourite scene and I can't help but to notice that SN didn't say anything. No words at all. Her eyes and expressions were speaking for her and she had an array of emotions plastered on her face. She's indeed mysterious!

So far, my favourite character is TH and just like what @larus said, we're going to see him growing up through the course of the drama. I'm looking forward to more of SN (because I adore and respect her!) and WY. In fact, I can't wait to see WY protecting SN, because I want to see him being successful in protecting someone he cherishes.

Did anyone realize that TH cared so much about the Goryeo otters' well-being rather than those tribute women and men sent to Yuan as concubines and eunuchs? SN asked him to abolish the tribute once he ascended the throne but ironically, that's his first decree when he became the emperor.

As for the side characters, we're getting to know more of the Yuan side and I like the Empress Dowager. She looks so kind (and stunning! and pretty!) and hopefully her character will be a good one until the end, unlike Kim Seo-hyung's Mo Ga-bi in History of the Salaryman. Man, that was a twist and I don't want to hate her again this time! But then, she's listed under SN's rivals in the character description...hmmm

It's funny how Baek Ahn/ Bayan kept mentioning about his beautiful niece to TH and then refusing to make her TH's concubine because he doesn't want to see her being killed by Tanashiri. I wonder if the niece he's talking about will be TH's primary empress after Tanashiri's death because in history, Emperor Huizhong/Hyejong married a girl from Bayan's clan after Bayan helped to get rid of El Temur's family while Empress Ki was the secondary empress. Not sure if they would portray that part in this drama.

TH, Baek Ahn & Taltal...looking forward to this trio too!

Sorry for the incoherent and jumbled up ramblings. Had to get them out of my system right after I woke up

[Guest Lyly1430292245]

I'm curious about the queen, TH's mother, too. Is she his real mother, or only the mother of the dead king? She seems like a strong-willed, smart woman and I like that. Women in this drama seem very strong haha (including the spoiled daughter of the evil old man). 

[Libera]

Credit to: DC HJW

[larus]

irilight said:@churasan...I feel similarly...... I am shipping WY and SN couple, but I have a feeling it may not happen.... Just so far I like WY so much better...He is a man, not a boy... He is sincere... He is brave..

And as you pointed out, how can SN forgive TH?  I could understand why he lied to save himself, so that he be crowned and maybe have his revenge... but  the fact that he had let them take SN to Yuan for a eunuch is not excusable..  I feel he should have prevented that... That's in fact - is the very least he could have done after all she did for him...

Even his own people saw how she saved him jumping from the cliff...So even in his own people's mind he registers as an ungrateful coward and a fool....

Having said that, I think JCW acting is fabulous....

[larus]

yoonmi66 said:

This character has so much potential, he has so much to grow like no other character. I want to see his evolution. Huizong ruled 37 years of a great empire. He could never accomplished that without good sense of politics, intelligence and determination.

I am curious what period of their life this drama will describe. The early years of Huizon`s rule, Empress Danashiri`s overthrown, Empress Ki`s coronation or we`ll see beyond that?

[larus]

Kathy said:

Hi #larus good to see you posting on this one :-h 

I've just finished the first six episodes and am definitely bitten.  Terrific production values and acting has been superior.  I also find the villains riveting and look forward to seeing where they go in the plot.

However, I find besides Sung Nyang, the one figure I most love seeing is Huizong, the actor is so good he just fills the screen and has been so terrific at portraying this character with all the conflicts he has to experience in trying to live let alone rule.  He really has quite a gift for comedy, his timing is incredible.  Love seeing him interacting with Sung Nyang, I bet they are having fun filming together.

I'm also enjoying the fact that while we know the ultimate outcome, it is hard to foresee how everyone gets there and all the characters are well written, no one has been one dimensional.

Looking forward to this ride
 

[larus]

Lyly said: I'm curious about the queen, TH's mother, too. Is she his real mother, or only the mother of the dead king? She seems like a strong-willed, smart woman and I like that. Women in this drama seem very strong haha (including the spoiled daughter of the evil old man). 

[Guest blckp]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budashiri


id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading" lang="en"Budashiri
Budashiri Khatun, or in Sinicized form Putashali (born c. 13th century) was a regent of the Yuan Dynasty between 1332 and 1333. She was the wife of Tugh Temur Khan, or Emperor Wenzong of Yuan, and came from the Khunggirat clan. The Guide to Women Leaders ambiguously appears to list her full name as Khanum Regnant Putashali of The Khagans, with a reference to Yuan in China.

Budashiri accused Kusala's wife, Babukhan, of the coup, and had her executed. In addition, she sent Toghan Temur to Korea and then to Henan. Although Tugh Temür had a son named El Tegüs when he died in 1332, it is said that on his deathbed the Khagan expressed remorse for what he had done to his elder brother and his intention to pass the throne to Toghan Temur, Kusala's eldest son, instead of his own son. The grand councilor El Temür resisted letting Kuśala's eldest son Toghun Temür accede to the throne since he was suspected of having poisoned his father Kuśala. When Tugh Temur's widow and El Tegüs's mother Budashiri Khatun respected Tugh Temür's will of making Kuśala's son succeed the throne, the 6 year old Rinchinbal was chosen. While Toghun Temür was kept far away from the capital Dadu, Rinchinbal was in Dadu and had become favored by Tugh Temür. Rinchinbal enthroned as the new emperor on 13 October 1332, but he died two months or 53 days later. El Temur again asked Budashiri to enthrone El Tegus, but she refused.




Togon appointed his cousin El Tegüs Crown Prince, as he was ward of El Tegüs' mother Budashiri. But he was controlled by warlords even after El Temür's death. Among them, Bayan became as powerful as El Temür had been. He served as minister of the Secretariat and crushed a rebellion by El Temür's son. During his despotic rule, he made several purges and also suspended the imperial examination system. As Togon-temür grew, he came to disfavor Bayan's autocratic rule. In 1340 he allied Bayan's nephew Toghtogha, who was in discord with Bayan, and banished Bayan by coup. He also kicked El Tegüs and Budashiri out of the court. He managed to purge officials that had dominated the administration with the help of Toghtogha