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

[xprosperity]

4 hours ago, 0timelost said:

Absolutely agree with you. 

 

Although I find LH interesting and I do somewhat pity his upbringing, he must pay for his crime and admit to his deed. He had committed too many crimes to get off with just a slap to his wrist.

 

And it's interesting that you pointed out that LH said he wanted to conquer Sunny, because I originally thought he was falling for Sunny (when he smiled at her image in the camera), but after he witnessed WB's hug with Sunny, I knew his interest was stemmed from his competitive nature. Now...guilt came into play.

 

There's no doubt that LH's willingness to protect Sunny stemmed from his guilt. When he confronted his mother about the bombing incident, the first thing he said was that he couldn't believe his mother would try to kill Sunny after what had Yoon told them...indicating, that reason was his primary reason. And when his mother confronted him about his own murder attempt against Sunny, echoing Sunny's rebuke, it finally hit home for him (why Sunny wasn't willing to forgive him, why Sunny was so mad at him) that he had committed the same error that he was criticizing his mother for. That's why, when he made the declaration that he was going to protect Sunny, I find that scene an interesting growth for his character. 

 

However, I would never agree to pair him up with Sunny. Like Sunny indicated, who's crazy enough to be on a good relationship with the person who tried to kill you? I want to see LH chastened...I want to see him learning how to say "sorry" like Ari...but I do not want to see him in a romantic relationship with Sunny. I'll flip the table if that occurred.

 

 

I agree that guilt and the feeling of perhaps even pity washed over Hyuk. He felt guilty for what his mother did to her family and to her (trying to kill her with the bomb) and was seeing how his family was doing all of the devastation, hence trying to "protect her." But for strange reason, because maybe Hyuk was raised with the mentality that HE is the Emperor and HE will get EVERYTHING that he wishes (thanks to his mother), he doesn't seem to be guilty in the heat of the moment that he was the reason why Sunny's mom died. You could see that he's a bit disorganized in terms of personality too; that he'd be pitiful toward her as she's screaming at him and Hyuk saying things like: "Who do you think the blood donor would want to donate to, me or your mom?" Or "It's obvious who wants to live, lives." (or at least to my translation) In some sentiment, it was interesting seeing Hyuk's character grow that way BUT he quickly changes. 

 

I would say that I liked his character for a brief five minutes there but he gave me a sense of abnormality.

2 hours ago, newreul said:

I never read the synopsis and just watch the drama cause I really like Jang Nara and SSR and thought they look good together. I thought they will be together in this drama. I was a fool for hoping this drama is about SSR and Jang  Nara. This is my mistake for not reading the synopsis. I just saw the ads and start watching it. Now that Sunny hates Hyuk so much and even Bin has confessed his feelings. Feel so sad cause Hyuk tried to be nice and all went wrong. Nothing goes well. I know how evil Hyuk is but I think every1 deserve a 2nd chance. After they showed Hyuk starting to become nice, I support him but its just sad that I think I know what will happened already. I was hoping Bin will forgive him since he didnt kill his mother intentionally. But the way this goes is not going there. I think the ending would be Hyuk die just to save Sunny. Even though the OTP shows progress the ratings went upside down. I hate how they make Hyuk trying to become nice just to be destroyed in the end. I regret watching this drama. I think I will not watch it anymore. Ending for sure is Hyuk dying so His brother Yoon, Bin, and Sunny can laugh out loud and Bin got his revenge. Bin and Sunny together in the end. 

I personally have never watched the two together before, but I also really like JNR and SSR together in a drama (not these two characters though, Hyuk is a psycho). They seem to have great chemistry and I personally love seeing the sparks between the three (tossing CJH in there.) I support the statement that everyone deserves a second chance, but I think that there are many instances where it goes too far to give Lee Hyuk chances. He tried to kill Sunny multiple times, got Woo Bin to fall in love with her to try and get her out of the palace, and schemed in lots of instances to remove Sunny.

 

As much as I love seeing JNR and SSR together as a pair, I don't think this drama will give me that but I'm not giving up on this drama yet because of the great plot and the acting that it steams off from the actors and actresses. I desperately want to see the Mother Dowager get dragged down from her seat and get exposed to the public about her evil deeds. I'm not persuading you to keep watching because you, of course, have the right to not continue- but it'd be interesting to watch it for the plot and to see how the Empress "wiggles" and struggles out of her situations and hardships.

1 hour ago, lebritneeey said:

when crazy hyuk appears, i'm like "damn back to crazy hyuk", was enjoying his cuteness for a while in the last few eps lol.

 

i feel kinda bad for the princess sojin when she saw wb and sunny's hot pack moment, like her expression looked so heartbroken omg but kudos to her when she quickly saved wb from ed's questioning!!! guess love makes you do crazy things heh.

 

AND that ending tho??? i was like woah woah wb finally confessed?? but is it really telling the truth tho.. 

I too was enjoying Hyuk's cutesy moments! When he hammered the microwave and dirtied the clothes... That was adorable... But then... NOPE. I should've seen that coming though. 

 

I also felt bad for Princess Sojin... She was extremely heartbroken being a divorcee (as she mentions it all the time), she thought she really found love in Woo Bin, who was only using her... She helped Woo Bin big time- without her, I think he would've been dead by the middle of the episode... 

 

Love makes you do crazy things... Like using a wish to have the Emperor release the Empress.. that was insane! I think Woo Bin truly likes Sunny, but wants to protect her more so love her because of all the crazy things she's been through.

1 hour ago, mrsj3n said:

 

My take for his declaration is actually not love.

It's more like a fierce protection he has for Sunny.

 

But then.. he did stupid thing like looking for his mum's body and crying with MYR on the loose. 

HA. I feel the same way. He was crying and crying and crying and I'm just kind of like, "Na Wang Shik = Chun Woo Bin... I think everyone knows now. Thanks."

 

I also agree that Woo Bin's declaration toward the Emperor is almost a step toward his need for revenge. As much as he wants to protect Sunny, he can't forget his mom's death. It may be a stepping stone toward his revenge too. I feel like because Sunny has "relied" on Woo Bin so much, he may be opening up to her and he may feel some type of complex to protect her from further harm from the Emperor. Who knows? Maybe next episode, he'll be like "In addition, I hope you will not bother her any longer."

 

But I definitely don't see the Emperor letting these two get together. Because Hyuk "loves" (wants to conquer/own) Sunny, he'll now have to get rid of Woo Bin to "be with" (conquer/have) Sunny. Just my take on it.

[0timelost]

13 minutes ago, butterflyempress said:

@stroppyse Thanks, I tend to get really invested when I come across shows I really enjoy XD.

 

Oh thank god, I'm glad I wasn't the only one who went dude?! srsly?! at what LH was implying. I said before and I'll say it again, no amount of pity points is going to make me jump ship or root for LH to change because he takes one step forward, several steps back. I never saw his love as real love for Sunny but as an obsession and I predicted that in order for love line to happen between Sunny and Wang Shik, Lee Hyuk was going to order his bodyguard to get close to her while the two plot together to take that family down.  And as soon as LH started to see Yu Ra's true colors he was going to get jealous and start finding someone else to fill the void, that person of course being Sunny. 

 

It was the only thing that made sense to me, writing wise...I just never thought the writer would actually go in this drama XD

 

At least the writer is staying consistent with LH's character in showing how he goes from one extreme to the next, so kudos for that. I know people want to see him redeemed but...his character has never tried to be remorseful since ep.1 his solution to the ever widening divide between him and sunny is not wanting to take blame or wanting the truth to be hidden. And it'll be really cheap and a sad cop out if he's suddenly remorseful at the end. Nah ah, If he had been upfront about the car accident from jump street he would've been absolved and we would be dealing with a different kind of character, one who knows and understands morals and ethics and one I would really feel sorry for, for being surrounded by people who use him. 

 

 

 

I would have to politely partially disagree with you. 

 

I agree that his method of dealing with issue or blame is by escaping or hiding the truth. Even now, he has been trying to shift the blame on others and hide the fact about Sunny's mom death. 

 

But I do believe he felt remorse for his action. If one had to compare his reaction from the beginning of the drama to the current episode, the past LH would have never stood there and allowed Sunny's dad to hit him not once, but several times...and most important of all, not reporting it and throwing the person into jail. The only time LH didn't retaliate against someone who hit him was either 1. the person is the abuser, 2. sparring, 3. Sunny's kick and punchs (because he's trying to win her over) and 4. his grandmother's hit (primarily for comedy reason). Furthermore, LH willingly agreed to be his mother's puppet to win Sunny's father and sister's freedom, whereas he had been trying to break away from her control. Also, when Sunny confronted him about her mother's death--what she said to him and his memory of her family crying--his expression showed that it had an impact on him. 

 

That's why I think he is capable of being redeemed. I see his case similar to Ari, but more severe. When Sunny spanked Ari and demanded Ari to contemplate over her errors, Ari honestly replied she didn't know how to apologize properly because nobody taught her how to apologize. In a way, I see that with LH. He doesn't know how to apologize properly because he was never taught how to apologize properly. When he was young, he knew how to apologize, but his apologies were made out of fear and every time he apologize, it was either associated with further punishment (whipped and burning birds) or it never made any impact (meaning, that the apologize never served its purpose). This is a man who was taught that he was above others hence he needed to act and perform beyond others. It would be practically impossible to  immediately expect him to suddenly repent and admit to his error, and it would take time for him to change from his current mindset and behavior.

 

Anyways, I agree with Sunny's viewpoint. During her confrontation with ED, she said that she felt a little bit of pity for LH for having to grow up with a mother like ED (something similar to that concept..). Sunny's perception was supposed to ground the viewers to the reality of the situation. She serves to remind the viewer that we can feel some sort of pity for LH's upbringing, but we can't ignored everything he had done (hence Sunny continues to find him repulsive) and we aren't supposed to ignore them. We were supposed to feel appall when LH demanded Sunny to spend the evening with him and tried to forcefully drag her with him at the end of episode. It's undeniably inexcusable even though he was desperate for her to listen to him since she was ignoring him when he was trying to explain himself. His action, no matter what reason it was for, is physical and s**** harassment...and to be honest, none of us are not supposed to feel heart fluttering during that part. Just imagine being dragged off by someone you despised while told you are going to spend the night with that person. It's a frightening and dreadful thought.  

 

None the less, I still find LH an interesting character, and I would love to see his character continued to develop. I'm glad WB and Sunny's romance is starting, but I can't help but feel sorry for the princess because she's really not a bad person. Also, I love Hello...she's definitely the best sister that one could ever ask for. I was rooting for her when she threw trash on ED and her ballsy answer to ED in the cell. 

[katakwasabi]

I'm sad nice-hyuk is kinda gone in the last 2 episodes. I was rooting for him to be nicer. But he is a consistent baddie so far. He still says ridiculous self-centered lines. I hope he is able to be nice and redeem himself before its too late. I dont want him to be bad till the end.

 

I blame SSR for my fondness for Hyuk. He's riveting as a villain. He's charming when he's nice. And he's also very charismatic~ hahaha

[kaoriharang]

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

29 minutes ago, triplem said:

About spanking I get the differing views , and understand the discomfort some viewers may have given we are from different parts of the world . I think here in Asia or for those of us with Asian heritage - we have no issues with a little spanking as long as not done in excess or abusive. But in many western countries , I believe it is against the law to use any physical punishment. So there is a clash of culture. I’m Asian of Chinese descent but with a rather “western” upbringing. So I personally don’t like the idea of it shown on tv but growing up , it was normal for parents to use it as part of the disciplining process . 

 

And i probably sound like a broken record by now , but reading k netz response , caused some alarm on my part . LH’s redemption does not need to come in the form of a love line with Sunny. I won’t ever date someone who tried to murder me ...ever ...

 

I agree with you.

I too come from Asia as well and the culture of spanking was not something unusual. @triplem said it perfectly, as long as it is not in excess or abusive. I was spanked as a child as well, but my parents only used it when it was extreme and other punishments did not work on me.

I think there is a difference between what is seen as punishment in different culture. I think ultimately different things work for a child. Some parents dont wish to and some parents feel it is necessary.

It is hard to say what is better or not.

 

And you are right, LH's redemption shouldnt be in the form of love. True maybe Sunny will be the one who opens his eyes but she is not the one that will bring redemption to him.

He has been wrecking chaos long before Sunny. His redemption is his own self awareness and realisation that what he is doing is wrong. Right now, rather than repenting thing, he keeps deflecting the blame. True he is stunned in his emotional growth, and maybe he is on the path to really becoming 'human' but i dont think a love line with Sunny is the way to 'save' him so to speak.

 

i keep wondering if LH really does 'love' Sunny or that because she keeps flat out rejecting him (from the moment she came back to the Palace) that now he wants something he clearly cant have.

 

 

[Lmangla]

45 minutes ago, triplem said:

And i probably sound like a broken record by now , but reading k netz response , caused some alarm on my part . LH’s redemption does not need to come in the form of a love line with Sunny. I won’t ever date someone who tried to murder me ...ever ...

kekeke.... maybe it is because of my familiarity with this writer's previous works as well as watching lots of makjang, that I see zero possibility of a love line appearing again with sunny and lee hyuk. one of the awesomeness of makjang is that evil people get their punishment and it is super fun to watch. yea, they have their sob story and how they ended up on this path but the key lesson of makjang dramas is that actions have consequences. so if you do something bad, no matter how justified you think you are and how sad your sob story is, you will reap punishment. maybe after punishment, they can get redeemed but not before the characters are wrung through the mill for dishing up such atrocious behaviour.

 

so make no mistake about it --- lee hyuk will see and understand the consequences of his actions. if he does fall in love with sunny, then his punishment is in realizing that his own actions are the reason that he has lost love. but I don't think it will be as melo as that. makjang by genre likes rather extreme punishments which satisfy the viewers and so we may get something more inventive. like the emperor in a mental hospital or getting shot. something along those lines...

 

and in terms of the writer's previous works, in one drama  "temptation of angel" -- the lead ended up alone!!! thats right -- alone! so his ex does a number on him and he wrecks havoc and revenge only to find that part of the reason she betrayed him is because of what his mother did to her family. and he falls in love with his ex's sister (they don't know she is related as she grew up in an orphanage) and this girl helps him so much that you assume that these two are end game. however, the writer really surprised me by giving a realistic kind of ending in that the girl acknowledged that she loves him but she can never be with him as his ex was her sister and because of what his mother did. and he also acknowledges that it is too big a divide and so they wish each other well and move on. yup, that is the lead's story. not the secondary OTP. but the lead who ends up single and more or less content.

 

so no worries, sunny and rocky bear are end game. this writer has her own distinct style and I can recognize them in this drama...

[katakwasabi]

@triplem it will be 2 hours of TLE on next Thursday, right?

[blademan]

Dang they are REALLY going there huh?? 

 

Can’t help but feel bad for LH now BUT I had to rewatch the first few episode just to remind myself that he has a dark and wicked side to himself that we should never forget. A selfish mother and bad upbringing should never be a valid excuse for murder and just evil behaviour! Also let’s not forget that he still doesn’t feel bad for Sunny’s mum’s death...

 

YES he seems to be genuinely falling for Sunny at this point in time. But like others have pointed out, it started with him being competitive with WB but now I think he actually cares for her. (I believe the things and words he’s said about her with his mum and general things he’s done for her without her knowing proves it.) ALSO he has to pay for his sins of the past. Dude killed people and seems to be nonchalant about it. He’s either gonna die or gonna go to jail. That’s the only plausible ending I see for him as a character. But then again. The writers will definitely surprise us!

 

Is it weird that I can’t really trust WB’s feelings for her now? I don’t know if it’s genuine or just to irk the Emperor! UGH but then Sunny seems to be really falling for him! Them writes confusing me so much! And the Emperor’s cute, goofy side is not helping the case

 

[ktcjdrama]

I think I know now why Empress SH fell in love with LH.... She fell for his cute dorky side....

 

I wonder, when did LH started getting paranoid... When ED fed him the lies about SH and guard KJS, he was still not believing her and assured her that they're just good friends. It wasn't until ED produced the photos (which I now suspect photo-shopped) that LH lost his marbles, and maybe from then on he kept spiraling down? Does anyone remember how many years ago he got into the near-death accident?

[katakwasabi]

31 minutes ago, ktcjdrama said:

I think I know now why Empress SH fell in love with LH.... She fell for his cute dorky side....

 

I wonder, when did LH started getting paranoid... When ED fed him the lies about SH and guard KJS, he was still not believing her and assured her that they're just good friends. It wasn't until ED produced the photos (which I now suspect photo-shopped) that LH lost his marbles, and maybe from then on he kept spiraling down? Does anyone remember how many years ago he got into the near-death accident?

 

I think its the same year as Empress Sohyun's death, maybe 7 years ago? I think she died 7 years ago. Please correct me if i'm wrong  

[ktcjdrama]

5 minutes ago, katakwasabi said:

 

I think its the same year as Empress Sohyun's death, maybe 7 years ago? I think she died 7 years ago. Please correct me if i'm wrong  

Maybe need to do a little rewatching... which I don't really have time to for now...

Reason I want to know is ~ did LH go racing on his bike because he was in despair after SH's death?

[Lmangla]

watching the latest episode and laughing at helro's smackdown of the empress dowager -- "you old witch!" hahahah.... the mention of the word "old" really rattled her... perhaps, a good punishment is to somehow make ED super old? too bad there's no magic portion for that!

[dulcinea1]

1 hour ago, triplem said:

Special broadcast next Wednesday. No new episodes then . 

 

It was published in soompi too.

 

 

I suppose they need some more time between they film and the episode is aired. 

It's ok for me, but I only hope episodes 33-34 will be good and show us what I was waiting for a long time...if you know what i mean 

 

[rubie]

January 10, 2019

 

"The Last Empress" Jang Nara Promises Shin Eun-kyung Revenge

 

Source: Asiae via HanCinema.net

 

 

On the latest episode of the SBS drama "The Last Empress", Oh Sunny (Jang Nara) barely survived a bomb and went to see the Queen Mother (Shin Eun-kyung).

 

Oh Sunny said, "I knew you were a frightening person, but I didn't know you'd be this revolting. How did you think of planting a bomb in your son's belonging? If you want to kill me then you should kill me in the name of the Queen Mother and not try to frame it on your son. That's pathetic".

 

The Queen Mother said, "Watch what you're saying. It's ruthless of you to speak about me that way. Your father is fearless enough to punch the emperor in the face and your brother is so shameful he almost shamed my face away".

 

Oh Sunny said, "So you're not ashamed of using your son to kill your daughter-in-law? The emperor is no good, but who can blame him for having a mother like you". The Queen Mother told her to sign the divorce papers right away.

 

Oh Sunny said, "I won't. I'll see this through the end. I won't die like Empress So-hyun (Shin Go-eun). I will show you what it's like to be hit in the back of the head by the empress that you handpicked yourself".

[mrsj3n]

25 minutes ago, ktcjdrama said:

Maybe need to do a little rewatching... which I don't really have time to for now...

Reason I want to know is ~ did LH go racing on his bike because he was in despair after SH's death?

Was it not 10 years ago?

Because if he is married, I don't think Sunny will dream of marrying him. 

But I might be wrong.

Too much dramas. So I might be confused. Lol

[katakwasabi]

@ktcjdrama and @mrsj3n. I did a bit of digging and now i also think the accident was before his marriage to SH. Because Byun was with him at that time. If i recall correctly when SH died, Byun also left the palace.

 

Ref: https://www.dramamilk.com/the-last-empress-episode-27-and-28-live-recap/

[mrsj3n]

4 minutes ago, katakwasabi said:

@ktcjdrama and @mrsj3n. I did a bit of digging and now i also think the accident was before his marriage to SH. Because Byun was with him at that time. If i recall correctly when SH died, Byun also left the palace.

 

Ref: https://www.dramamilk.com/the-last-empress-episode-27-and-28-live-recap/

 

Ok, I just rewatched the latest episode whereby Yoon confronted the doctor.

It's 10 years ago.

[gm4queen]

Just watched yesterday's eng subbed eps...

 

Yoon is the dumbest character I've ever seen in any drama... He just destroyed a main evidence there was to prove Empress Dowager's evilness.. Dunno how many people are gonna deceased b'cause of his childish mind!

 

And 10 yrs ago, lee Hyuk survived in an accident. 7 yrs ago, Empress So Hyun died by drowning in the lake & 1 yr ago, a mummy was found with a necklace on it!

 

And I was so right about Empress Dowager... She wants to be immortal. And by chance, the oddly smelled flowers in her garden have the key ingredient for it..??!! I am curious...

 

And I really want both Sunny & Wang Sik to be alive at the end of the series.. But "I will protect you, even if I must give my life" is leaving some negative vibes on me!! I hope not though... And he said that he likes Sunny. Yes, the ship has officially sailed on its own

 

 

[Sarang21]

Some thoughts about this week´s episode

 

- I find it somewhat disturbing that some people are really shipping her with LH and want the writer to change the loveline. Yikes....the guy is unstable and can switch from nice to bad faster than you can blink.

- I read that next week there is going to be a special where they show a summary of all the aired episode. Even tho I´m sad that we won´t get the usual 2h maybe this special will remind all those people that are shipping her with LH of all the bad things he had done. 

- About the princess scolding Sunny about Ari...imo she wasn´t exactly nice to Ari when she was pretending to be her mother.

- Apart from what I said about the princess above I feel bad for her that she is being used by WB. Like she said she may be stupid but she is not evil....so she doesn´t deserve to be used like that. It will really crush her when she finds out the truth. 

 

- I initialy thought that YR had something to do with the previous head of guard surviving since she was the only person present at that moment...After watching ep 16 I´m not sure how to interpret her surprised look if it was more of a "what are you doing her"? or "You are alive?"

 

- When WB declared to LH that he like Sunny I think that he did that to protect her from the emperor....feelings are starting to develop between them but I don´t think it´s love yet. 

 

-I always wonder what the father of the last empress had been doing all those years....he has all those people working for him with all those high tech equipment and in all of those 7 years he wasn´t able to find any clue about the death of his daughter? What has those guys doing been doing all of the time? What is the purpose of that place?

 

- I find so hilarious that ED decided to put Hello in a prison after she called her old. She seems to be quite obssesed with staying young.

 

- About the controversial topic of Ari´s punishment: I don´t have a problem with it because Sunny did it the right way. She first gave Ari the chance to correct her mistake....and after she didn´t that´s when she decide to punished her (even tho it wasn´t technically her fault since she didn´t learnt any moral values at that messed up place). But afterwards she took time to consol her and explained things to her. She didn´t do it out of malicious intent. Comparing it to the flahsback of LH and his father...the reason why LH got beaten was the father loosing face in front of the people...the punishment was all about him and his image. 

 

- Sunny need to learn how to be a better spy because how in the world are you going to sneak into a place while wearing  shoes loud enough to wake up all the dead people that ED has burried in that Island. 

 

- I know this is a makjang drama but I really hope that the writer wouldn´t go the pregnancy route....that would just overcomplicate things more than they already are. 

[mrsj3n]

@gm4queen I'm a little confused.

During the first episode, I thought what we are watching now is the flashback of what happened 1 year ago after the corpse was found? Because that necklace belongs to Sunny. Hmmm

 

Yoon is actually not the dumbest because he is not alone.

He has the late empress and sunny with him. 

 

@Sarang21 I agree with what you said.

But regarding Ari's punishment.. I'm not saying Sunny did not discipline her properly, I'm just not sure why she has to be caned so many times on her leg. But that is definitely not abuse.

Gosh.. what type of kids are we trying to raise nowadays?

Strawberry generation?

[blademan]

DANG 

I dare you guys to watch this and NOT root for Sunny and Lee Hyuk