[Drama 2018-2019] Empress Dignity / The Last Empress, 황후의 품격

[butterflyempress]

I'm always surprised with every new episode.  I can no longer try to predict what will happen!

 

The torture scenes didn't bother me too much, it seems fitting when you remember the royal family is supposed to be a bit archaic in it's ways, even if their practices are outdated in the modern era. And I think people tend to forget that this show plays out in a lot of ways like a historical drama just in the present era.

 

I get the feeling, it's not so much the torture scenes themselves that bother people but rather how it casts Woo Bin's character. Being extremely cruel when he feels betrayed or throwing a tantrum is just another Tuesday for Lee Hyuk, but WB seemingly looking unaffected at Yu Ra's torture makes him seem too cruel for his revenge and feeling he might become too involved with his revenge it consumes him, making him unredeemable, thus leaves no room for romance...XD People are thirsty for the love line XD

 

...But...like, he does seem put off with the extreme methods LH's using to torture Yu Ra and showing concern or even suggesting the Emperor tone it down, might make LH suspicious??? Yea, he also wants her to suffer (this is a revenge drama) too...IDK, i suppose it's a matter of perspective in this regard.

 

For me, Woo Bin is being fueled by his anger right now but he hasn't gone too far...yet. I want romance as much as the next person but, I knew from ep 1 it would take a back seat to everything else. And even if it becomes more prominent later on, depending on where the writer is going with this story, they might have to keep it on the low to avoid another scandal???

 

And then there's Lee Hyuk...*sighs* who seems hellbent on acting like a child who complains over another kid liking the toy he discarded but now wants back. XD 

 

His facial expressions I can't! Dude doesn't even realize he likes Sunny XD, it's hilarious and sad. 

 

Though I hope Sunny exposing ED too soon doesn't end up foiling her plans, like, I don't want ED getting any headway in trying to weasel her way out of paying for her misdeeds. With how this show has been written and the pacing of things getting revealed, I do feel confident that writernim has something bigger in store.

 

Again, whatever happens I'm here for it! Just hope Yu Ra doesn't reveal WB is WS if she does find out in tonight's/tomorrow's episode. O.o

 

[0timelost]

SSR's scene with the instant coffee made me thought of PPL at its best. 

 

Right now, I am just worry about CWB or NWS because I think YuRa sets him up so she could be back in LH's favor. From the preview, it seems she figured out CWB is NWS. 

 

Also, I think Sunny would bring back some humanity back to LH. LH might be crazy, and I don't feel sorry for him, but I don't think he is as bad as his mother. The best revenge is to let a person see the errors in his or her way and to know that there is nothing you can do to rectify the error you have made toward the victim. 

[jbeanie1709]

I re watched the MYR torture scene again. I would agree with what  @butterflyempress mentioned. I didn’t think he like that YR was tortured that way.. it was there in his eyes for a split second. But it disappeared when LH came into the room. Actually I really feel for him. He is so consumed with hatred now and though he hates LH to the bones yet he is not able to just kill him off.  All he wants is to find his mom’s body before he finishes off LH and YR. when he first entered the palace, he did not expect Sunni to be part of the plan.. I recalled a scene where teacher Byun asked him whether he wanted revenge or to finish off this corrupted imperial family. Hence things have gone bigger now especially with the emergence of Sunni.

 

 I do not think there is room for romance yet. That could be his character development in this show. I am hoping that finding his mon’s body will give him closure so that he can focus helping Sunny to topple the monarchy. Then probably the romance will kick off.. 

anither 11 more episodes to go..

 

hehe.. I know I wrote a lot today but I really like the layers in each character esp WB/WS.. he was WILD and crude but have to keep his anger in and plot his revenge slowly.. one small error from him would just undo all his efforts .

[ktcjdrama]

So it seems that the island is where ED threw and buried all her enemies....? And is no one going to comment on how disgusting she is trying to seduce the young scholarship recipient? Yuck and double ewws....

 

[knuts]

I wished there would be more fluffy and funny scenes. I did not know Shin Sun Rok could be so funny. And did not know he was so good. He is so spot on with his facial expressions.

 

Is Woo Bin not taking too many risks to have his revenge? It feels like he will be found out anytime soon. 

[Lmangla]

30 minutes ago, ktcjdrama said:

So it seems that the island is where ED threw and buried all her enemies....? And is no one going to comment on how disgusting she is trying to seduce the young scholarship recipient? Yuck and double ewws....

 

kekeke... was prepared for the ewws as she seemed like she was trying to seduce the scholarship student... but then, had to laugh when he turned down her drink and then went on to describe the book and how it was similar to the royal family. .. vincent lee!! no wonder he is a popular author. with a story like that?

[butterflyempress]

I know I said I feel confident that the writer knows what they're doing...but it's bugging me how Sunny went about revealing who poisoned Grandmama. 

 

I'm sure ED just can't outright try to kill her since it'll def raise suspicion if Sunny misses her morning live broadcast with the public (and god its the smartest thing I've ever seen a character do in a revenge drama) but why would you not informed the police??? I'm hoping it's one of those, she already handled it with Byun and his lil organization off camera and we just aren't aware yet XD. I sometimes forget about his headquarters when there's so much going on.

 

The love triangle...oh god, it truly is a hot awkward, hilarious mess. If the preview for ep14 is anything to go by, I knew LH was going to start making himself the uncomfortable 3rd wheel nobody asked for.

 

I guess his thing now is stalking Sunny with WB, to her rooms, while trying to justify his reasons for seeing her in the 1st place. While also trying to find a reason to continue hating her XD.

 

He knows without a reason, Sunny ain't trying to see or visit him and her no longer fawning over him is driving him mad lol. The best part is, Sunny is being herself and has no idea he's being annoying because he's tottes crushing on her. XD

 

However, I get the feeling Woo Bin is picking up on that and going to take advantage, he, himself is interested in Sunny. I keep replaying that catch scene, and you cannot tell me, WB didn't purposely push the Emperor out the way, dude was perfectly in place to catch Sunny. But then the expression on WB's face...LMAO

 

 But I still worry for Sunny cause LH's...interest in his Empress will likely escalate the more he thinks she's into WB or deluding himself into thinking she's playing hard to get.*sighs*

 

Sunny's choices are a hot-headed Tsundere fueled by wrathful vengeance and a Yandere with a WELL bucket of issues...

 

Ehh, a positive to take from this? They're both sexy XD

 

 

[gm4queen]

Just watched eng subbed eps of 25-26!!

 

Min Yu Ra DESERVES that punishment! I can't blame Lee Hyuk for it. But I think Lee Hyuk is becoming a better person (may be not) with his crush on Sunny! And he's been used by another people so far... Hence his aggressive behavior is some what understandable.

 

And I don't know what exactly to say about Woo Bin.. But I hope him & Sunny will success in their plan. And of course, Sunny has to keep So Hyun's diary away from Lee Hyuk & his mom! Otherwise Prince Lee Yoon might also be in danger.

 

Now, we are already done with 13 eps & only 11 are left! But I don't see any love line between Sunny & Woo Bin May be love is the least to expect in this drama since it's mainly on revenge side... But still, if there is something between them ahead, I would love to see!

 

And dear @ktcjdrama - I just want to tell you something!! Every Wed & Thu, I happily read & like your live recaps... But I couldn't do it yesterday b'cause I totally forgot that it's Wednesday! I sincerely apologize. And I am waiting for your live recaps today!! You are doing a great job... Keep it all up since now we only have 11 days with this drama!!!

[jbeanie1709]

Think I will cry buckets tonite

Cr. choijinhyuk_baidu_fan_club

 

[ktcjdrama]

50 minutes ago, gm4queen said:

And dear @ktcjdrama - I just want to tell you something!! Every Wed & Thu, I happily read & like your live recaps... But I couldn't do it yesterday b'cause I totally forgot that it's Wednesday! I sincerely apologize. And I am waiting for your live recaps today!! You are doing a great job... Keep it all up since now we only have 11 days with this drama!!!

Thank you for your encouragement... Last night I missed a lot because of the poor streaming connection. I will try to standby again tonight for live streaming, but unfortunately, I probably will have difficulties doing any live recaps during this series final 3 weeks as I will have very irregular schedules then, and the finale week coinciding with Chinese New Year celebration....

[juju84]

9 hours ago, ktcjdrama said:

So almost everyone in Korea is concerned about the torture scenes... I have no issues with it because I thought it is in tune with the cruelty in the palace and this drama likes to do things in extremity, but yeah, I guess they should probably tone it down so as not to be banned from continuing production. 

 

I personally am okay without the romance line. I think the main theme of the drama is revenge and justice, so it is natural that romance will take a back seat... This drama is not the best place to find fluffy romantic scenes.

But the romantic line between WS and Sunni is not even at the back seat level here. For all I've seen I found no indication whatsoever that WS has any romantic feelings for Sunni. Sure he cares for her but I don't feel like he cares for her in *that* way.

No one talks about fluffy romantic scenes here but a lot of revenge dramas and even war theamed ones had a very well written subttle  *romantic* subplot that only adds to the story (Secret & Mr. Sunshine f.e.) Especially since the screenwriter is famous for her family dramas so she sure should be able to integrate some *romance* and make it look suitable and plausible. It would also help tone down all the cruelty around.

Personally I think the constant  tenseness of the plot is getting a tad bit exhausting. Everyone needs a little emotional outlet. And especially it's needed for WS's character development. He is totally focused on his revenge and has nothing to live/look for beyond it. Let's be frank, he doesn't plan to live nor he wants to and all prepared to die. Thus romantic feelings for Sunni would serve as a lifeline for him. He needs it for his own sanity.

p.s.But also like a lot of others I'm starting to seriously doubt there would be any romantic line between these two. Which in my opinion is a let down and a minus to the integrality of the story.

 

 

@booha, thank you very much for the translation!

[rubie]

January 2, 2019

 

"The Last Empress" Shin Sung-rok Envies Jang Nara and Choi Jin-hyuk's Hug

 

Source: AsiaToday via HanCinema.net

 

 

On the latest episode of the SBS drama "The Last Empress", Lee Hyeok (Shin Sung-rok) witnessed Cheon Woo-bin (Choi Jin-hyuk) and Oh Sunny (Jang Nara).

 

To provoke Lee Hyeok, Cheon Woo-bin hugged Oh Sunny in front of him to make him want her back.

 

Oh Sunny said, "Don't be ridiculous I'm not a woman to him. I'm only here to find out the truth, not to win him back. That makes me sick".

 

However, unlike her expectation, Lee Hyeok witnessed them hug and started thinking about her.

 

He scoffed at them, but he asked Cheon Woo-bin about Oh Sunny. Cheon Woo-bin said, "The Empress is grateful for you saving her life. She thinks you didn't have a choice and understands".

 

Lee Hyeok said, "She's very easy. I need to kick her out of here by creating a scandal. I can only breathe when she's out of my sight".

[butterflyempress]

3 hours ago, ktcjdrama said:

So it seems that the island is where ED threw and buried all her enemies....? And is no one going to comment on how disgusting she is trying to seduce the young scholarship recipient? Yuck and double ewws....

 

Empress Dowager, this woman is something else, i swear she's annoying me. Was it really necessary to belittle Sunny's upbringing because of how she's living inside her chambers?? 

 

Uhh, 1. It's still her room, she can do whatever the hell she wants and 2. You basically told her to fend for herself...what do you want from her?!

 

Yeah i can't wait to know what's up with that Island. It does sound like a place she sends the unwanted...hmm, that human trafficking mother's for breastmilk might not be so farfetched. *gross*

 

And that scene totally took me by surprise, i was like...girlfriend really trying to get the D! It's the modern era, I'm sure no one's checking to see if the ED, who is single and widowed is trying to get some play but did she really have to be all weird about it?

 

See, its weird stuff like this that made me question if Lee Hyuk was her biological child in the very beginning. 

 

Yeah, I really thought she was a clingy overbearing step mom into younger guys at first because of the way they portrayed her relationship with LH. 

 

I know some mothers can be smothering but her whole vibe was hella odd to me. She never seemed to want her son to remarry either. (LH could've found a woman of 'proper breeding' and i bet she still would find something wrong with the girl)

 

And now I'm back to wondering if there's a darn birth secret or what type of relationship she had with her husband. 

 

God this drama has me thinking of so many crazy scenarios.

 

Okay I'm done writing essays until ep 14 XD

[ktcjdrama]

23 minutes ago, juju84 said:

p.s.But also like a lot of others I'm starting to seriously doubt there would be any romantic line between these two. Which in my opinion is a let down and a minus to the integrality of the story.

I am sure there will be a romantic line down the road... because if the description of Sunny's character out there is correct, she is supposed to find true love in the end. And actually there have been hints of them developing good feelings and admiration towards each other. I believe there will be more bonding as they interact more, but again, it's not something that I would focus on while watching this. I agree with you that there will usually be subtle romantic lines within even a revenge or war themed dramas. I'm only sharing my pov so that people won't have too high expectation for it from this drama as one can probably be disappointed.

[dramaninja]

2 minutes ago, ktcjdrama said:

I am sure there will be a romantic line down the road... because if the description of Sunny's character out there is correct, she is supposed to find true love in the end. And actually there have been hints of them developing good feelings and admiration towards each other. I believe there will be more bonding as they interact more, but again, it's not something that I would focus on while watching this. I agree with you that there will usually be subtle romantic lines within even a revenge or war themed dramas. I'm only sharing my pov so that people won't have too high expectation for it from this drama as one can probably be disappointed.

Yep they obviously care for each other alot more then they want to admit.

All the nasty business with his mother is going to bring them mcuh closer together too.

[juju84]

3 hours ago, ktcjdrama said:

So it seems that the island is where ED threw and buried all her enemies....? And is no one going to comment on how disgusting she is trying to seduce the young scholarship recipient? Yuck and double ewws....

 

LOL, looks like DW thinks she is Korean Cleopatra  I half expected that young lad to be beheaded not long after.

 

1 hour ago, jbeanie1709 said:

Think I will cry buckets tonite

Cr. choijinhyuk_baidu_fan_club

 

 

Why do I have a feeling YR lied about the place where she buried WS's mother just to lure him out. I bet she won't be as quick to open WB's true identity. She can't rely on the Emperor anymore. So this time she would be smarter and wait for the right moment so the reveal would make a bigger impact. Also this would give her some time to find WS's weakness and prepare her own revenge.

[RanM]

Can anyone pm me the link for thr ls. Thanks!!!

 

 

Happy new year minna!

[ktcjdrama]

2 minutes ago, RanM said:

Can anyone pm me the link for thr ls. Thanks!!!

 

 

Happy new year minna!

check your pm...

[ktcjdrama]

Live stream start...

Spoiler

Continue with the confrontation of ED.

YR insisted that she saw everything. Sunny took out the leftover piece of blanket that she burned. ED pleaded with LH not to believe the accusation. LH asked what about the video then? Sojin also said that it's unbeliveable. LH suggested an investigation. CWB took MYR away. Sunny walked away with the servant, but intercepted by ED who scolded her further.

In Sunny's room, the servant grew faint and told her more stuff that get her thinking.

 

CWB and MYR waited for LH in his chamber, the moment he walked in, MYR knelt on her knees begging for forgiveness. She told him she could find NWS when LH demanded her to spill the truth. MYR is a bit going crazy, I think.

 

[ktcjdrama]

Spoiler

CWB took MYR away and asked the guards to take her away. As he walked out of the building, he met Sunny and told her that it was LH's instruction.

 

LH met with ED, told her he would take care of MYR. ED reminded him that he isn't innocent himself. Flashback to LH and ED having a talk, he was so upset that when ED came near him, he took her hairpin, and walked out angrily. He went to GED's room, and read the piece of paper on her table, got alarmed, then took out the hairpin and stab into the blanket, but GED isn't under the blanket, he was shocked. Just then GED walked in, asking him what he's doing, they got into a struggle as LH begged her to cancel her decision. That's when the button from his jacket fell off and found by YR.

Back to present, they're shouting and accusing each other back and forth.

Flashback again, LH came out of the room, seen by ED. She said, this can't do. She went to get some poison, put it in front of GED, threatening that she will kill herself. GED got angry and the poison got splashed onto ED's skirt. They have argument, then not clear what happened but ED got up and left the chamber like we saw in video.

Back to present, both are still arguing who is the true killer, since both insist they didn't kill..... Oh my... don't tell me it's the Nanny's doing after all??