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

[chubby^green^]

8 hours ago, gm4queen said:

But how can anyone explain the theory of a fat guy suddenly turn out to be a handsome hunk..!?

i dont see a problem for a fat guy to be handsome when he lose weight (he can still be handsome even when he is fat also) 

i've seen more than once that happen irl

lor

 

the problem is that we cant see cjh features in tae hang ho

that is all

but since this is drama, i dont want to dwell on that

when cjh be nws, he will be nws or cwb (whatever his name would be)

no need to get too caught up in why the ugly fat guy can be changed into the handsome cjh

if plastic surgery is the answer then so be it, he done some plastic surgery to change his feature into good looking cjh

simple as that...

 

2 hours ago, ktcjdrama said:

I actually can't wait for the next episode too... Does that mean the drama is good then? that viewers are anticipating it?

it's only two eps, so still cannot decide whether it's good or not

to judge something this early would be premature imo

but if you are anticipating the next ep, like i do, like i really really do 

at least it means that it has caught your attention isnt it?

 

4 hours ago, Matilda_Anne said:

i honestly dont know how on earth the fat wang shik was able to find the accident place just by walking around in the dark.. meanwhile i cant even find my cats in my house..

i have to say cats are magical or just plain evil

it's all up to them whether to let us please them or just torture us for fun

my cats like to hide under the heap of dirty clothes in the laundry basket just to jump out whenever me or my mom wanted to wash the laundry

scares us everytime...

pretty sure they did that on purpose

 

i have no complain with any of the leads

i am enjoying the ones who is already making their appearances, and looking forward for the one who haven't

if there is one thing i would to comment about jang nara is she needs to change that curly hair

curly hair is nice and lovely, just not the one on her head, hers is so flat and limp 

it just makes it look like she haven't taken a bath or wash her hair for a few days at least

hahaha

[booha]

Wow many many lively comments  Thank you everybody.  

 

** CJH is returning to film 11/23.

https://entertain.v.daum.net/v/20181123184403577

 

 Maybe TLE knew what they were doing.  The absence of CJH  made  everybody get curious.  His name appeared on the search net and some portal site chat room asked ‘Why doesn’t CJH appear?   According to the article, though at the beginning CJH was interested doing 140kg NWS by himself with special makeup, TLE decided to use THH for various reasons.   TLE said THH’s NWS was kept in secret as a spoiler.  Now they are asking for patience.   
** wonder why now viewers are very excited about seeing new makeover NWS( CWB)   haha  Sorry to admit that we are very selfish when it comes to kdrama. Handsome/dashing is a must.  lol

(11/22)

"Where's Choi Jin-hyuk?"  curious about ‘TLE’ which climbed on #1 W/Th drama

 

SBS 'TLE' (writer Kim Soon-ok) had a good start in the W/Th market.

 

The ratings of ‘TLE’, are (EP1) 7.6%/ (EP2) 7.2%  for the nationwide ratings of Nielsen Korea,  (EP1)8.6% /(EP2) 7.7% for the metropolitan area.    ‘TLE’ showed a good start against MBC "Red Moon Blue Sea", which came after 'Terius' (which had the ratings more than 10%).

 

‘TLE’ has captivated the viewers with their unconventional set-up and rapid development unique to Kim Sun-ok.  On the other hand, CJH who got more popularity for his previous drama ’DJ’ didn’t appear in EP1.   There were many inquiries on ' Portal site Naver TV chat room, "Why doesn’t CJH appear?"

 

CJH plays NWS who appears as a royal security guard after changing his appearance while experiencing an unexpected situation. For this reason, THH was selected to play the role of NWS, 'a big 140kg man' rather than CJH. Initially, CJH showed his intention to take on the role of a big man part through special makeup. However, the production team decided to bring in THH at the last minute after considering the risk about a special makeup completion and its affect on CJH. ((*special makeup requires a long time to prepare & like in a fighting scene, it might be difficult to film with CJH wearing a balloon suit ))

 

It was reported that TLE knew many home/abroad fans were interested in the appearances of CJH, but TLE didn’t publicize the appearance of THH/NWS in the part because it could become a spoiler that exposed the plot in advance.   TLE said, "We know that the fans who waited for CJH are highly engaged" However, they asked, "But for a more dramatic appearance and development, please wait a little while."

https://entertain.v.daum.net/v/20181122142046981

cr to DC

 

[celebrianna]

@booha, will CJH be okay filming with his injury? I was wondering if he’ll have to wear a band-aide for a while during filming. Poor guy. I hope he recovers soon.

[crystaltears]

who is the corpse in the beginning of the first ep? how come the police won't take the broken badge as evidence? are they scared of dealing with the Royal family or they're just really incompetent police?  I get that Wang Shik is upset over his mom but he shouldn't have flipped a table in the police station, it just makes him look bad. 

Sunny is annoying to watch though, I can see why they had to make her naive enough to fall for the evil prince.

I look forward to this drama and CJH's appearance  the identity change and entering the enemy's home reminds me a bit of Let Me Introduce Her.

[nakatsubebe]

 

52 minutes ago, crystaltears said:

who is the corpse in the beginning of the first ep? how come the police won't take the broken badge as evidence? are they scared of dealing with the Royal family or they're just really incompetent police?  I get that Wang Shik is upset over his mom but he shouldn't have flipped a table in the police station, it just makes him look bad. 

Sunny is annoying to watch though, I can see why they had to make her naive enough to fall for the evil prince.

I look forward to this drama and CJH's appearance  the identity change and entering the enemy's home reminds me a bit of Let Me Introduce Her.

 

Jang Nara’s character had to be like that. She is naive in the audience’s eyes because she doesn’t know she is falling into a snakepit but she is also a plain “fangirl” who suddenly had her most crazy dream turned into reality. For sure, a lot of people can relate to her, when you have pin-ups of your “idol” who you think is unreachable then for some miraculous reason asks you out for a date...you just might do the same thing. If you feel annoyed with that...well fangirls can be really annoying.

The corpse at the beginning of the episode is still a mystery so we really have to see what happened a year before they discovered the remains which is the whole 24 episodes of The Last Empress.

The police are also scared of the imperial family. They have the absolute power over Korea and even the prime minister who is supposed to be the one dealing with political issues is scared of them. So it’s like nobody is above them even the law. 

And for Wang Shik, I agree with some commenters here that he needs self control. But from the teasers we saw, CJH had scenes where he is pointing his gun to Ma Pil Joo and even to Lee hyuk. If you are the most trusted imperial guard, how could you point a gun to the person you are supposed to protect...this I wanna see what the real scenario is. 

He flips tables, well that’s also part of the writer’s makjang scenes. Her frustrated characters always flips tables, slaps other people’s faces or throws water in their faces 

 

@gm4queen hope you won’t give up on Nara as a fan. You can give up on this drama but maybe not her. She is just portaying a character which I think she will do well. She always wanted a different genre. She has been attached with rom-com ever since her debut and as an actor, she wants to explore. This drama, I think, will show her range. She even said on her interview that the character makes her greedy as an actor, meaning the role really would challenge her skills. A lot criticizes her for just being a rom com actress but when she explores other genres, she’s also criticized. It’s like damned if you do, damned if you don’t. As fans, we just have to support her. I also dropped her other dramas like OMHE. But still continued to check out her succeeding dramas.

[ktcjdrama]

6 hours ago, chubby^green^ said:

it's only two eps, so still cannot decide whether it's good or not

to judge something this early would be premature imo

but if you are anticipating the next ep, like i do, like i really really do 

at least it means that it has caught your attention isnt it?

 thanks for entertaining my question. It was just a wondering out loud thought. I know better than to judge a drama based on only two episodes and would definitely not dare to make recommendations to other people having only watched two episodes. Trust me, I have been burnt by a mystery/fantasy drama that went wrong in their last 5-10 minutes, nulling all the great episodes before that, which I am still sour about. Some might know what drama I'm talking about. 

 

@gm4queen it seems that this genre of drama isn't your cup of tea. Same goes for the wed-thurs drama on KBS that you're not enjoying. Instead of these, why don't you try check out other dramas that is less "over-the-top" acting/directing. For me, I'd like my fave actors/actresses to try all kinds of roles, even as baddies, because that can really stretch their acting range. I wish that SSR will soon act in a rom-com. I like him but I'm kinda tired seeing him playing the bad guy. 

[gm4queen]

Thank you so much for all the chingus here for commenting on my previous post!

 

I've so many Jang Na Ra dramas & I've never got disappointed at her! But this is so weird! I just can't put myself in to her & her character needs a lot of developments as a strong woman b'cause you can't fight with the society of bad people with being too much naive.. And she's so dumb that she falls for the jerk - Lee Hyuk.. (Lee Hyuk is the most hottest villain I've ever seen though )

 

And AsianWiki says that "Due to death of Emperor Lee Hyuk’s grandmother, Oh Ssu-Ni breaks down the royal family with the help of Na Wang-Sik and finds true love."  Then grandma is the mummy with the necklace from the 1st ep.?! Or is it Lee Hyuk ex-wife..?! I am confused!

 

And just searched through the net for the viewers' reactions for the series! Majority of the viewers are criticizing the dirty scenes of Lee Hyuk & Min Yu Ra! And I really hope the writer won't do the same nature with Oh Sunny & Na Wang Sik! Dirty scenes seem unsuitable for Jang Na Ra & Choi Jin Hyuk!

 

And hopefully we'll have Choi Jin Hyuk next week! Somehow now, he's the only beautiful thing for me of this series!

 

This drama may be high in ratings and, it's the only nice thing this series has got so far! Despite the highest & nice ratings, viewers' reactions are lowest & bad

[Kim Yunmi]

Is it me or are the cuts and cutting really weird on this drama? The acting is pretty good, and the writing is OK, but the directing is kinda leaving me a bit dizzy in terms of cuts. Both internally, within the scene and also between scenes, it feels a lot choppier than I'd expect. Some of the cuts also don't seem to enhance the story and the order of the cuts is a bit confusing at least first the first two episodes.

*shrugs* I know most people don't pay attention to this, but I just got off of watching Beauty Inside and 100 Days My Prince, which both have really, really nice cinematography and nice camera angles and seamless cuts (Also are cable shows). So I might just be a bit spoiled, but this feels a bit choppier than usual.

[gm4queen]

10 minutes ago, stargazer187 said:

 

I fast forward that scenes of the two. They disgust me the most. Ughhh... 

Wait... if the OTP will have a kiss scene, I guess it won't be that kind of thing. I mean they supposed to be like each other and we were told that their chemistry is the best here. Let's keep our fingers crossed. I want something like he did in devilish joy. 

 

Yes... I am also expecting something short & sweet between Oh Sunny & Na Wang Sik!!!! And we can see their chemistry in BTS stills & videos so, I am waiting!!! But it's a 48eps drama. Then we'll have a lot of twists & turns before we can get something sweet! And it's a must among all the bad jerks here.! And I really want Oh Sunny to develop her character as well! She's too naive...

[ktcjdrama]

With a 24-hours episode drama, I am sure we'll see a tremendous growth in Sunny's character. Just that I am keeping my hope low for any skinship between Sunny and NWS because as long as she is still married to LH, kdrama production will never allow kisses between them. 

[ktcjdrama]

1 hour ago, Kim Yunmi said:

*shrugs* I know most people don't pay attention to this, but I just got off of watching Beauty Inside and 100 Days My Prince, which both have really, really nice cinematography and nice camera angles and seamless cuts (Also are cable shows). So I might just be a bit spoiled, but this feels a bit choppier than usual.

Many many people complained about 100D Prince editing though.... Personally, I think this drama is better in the editing (so far) compared to 100D. But 100D definitely won in terms of the cinematography and angles. 

[booha]

5 hours ago, celebrianna said:

@booha, will CJH be okay filming with his injury? I was wondering if he’ll have to wear a band-aide for a while during filming. Poor guy. I hope he recovers soon.

 

CJH still has stitches so he has to use a bandage and makeup for filming.  His agency says he tries to be very careful to prevent the seams from breaking or reopening the wound. The production team is also careful about how to arrange any fighting scene.   For live shooting there is no break.  The show must go on.  Still acting is all about the facial expression??  Hopefully we won’t hear any more surprises.

 

3 hours ago, nakatsubebe said:

Jang Nara’s character had to be like that. She is naive in the audience’s eyes because she doesn’t know she is falling into a snakepit but she is also a plain “fangirl” who suddenly had her most crazy dream turned into reality. For sure, a lot of people can relate to her, when you have pin-ups of your “idol” who you think is unreachable then for some miraculous reason asks you out for a date...you just might do the same thing. If you feel annoyed with that...well fangirls can be really annoying.

Spoiler

The corpse at the beginning of the episode is still a mystery so we really have to see what happened a year before they discovered the remains which is the whole 24 episodes of The Last Empress.

The police are also scared of the imperial family. They have the absolute power over Korea and even the prime minister who is supposed to be the one dealing with political issues is scared of them. So it’s like nobody is above them even the law. 

And for Wang Shik, I agree with some commenters here that he needs self control. But from the teasers we saw, CJH had scenes where he is pointing his gun to Ma Pil Joo and even to Lee hyuk. If you are the most trusted imperial guard, how could you point a gun to the person you are supposed to protect...this I wanna see what the real scenario is. 

He flips tables, well that’s also part of the writer’s makjang scenes. Her frustrated characters always flips tables, slaps other people’s faces or throws water in their faces 

 

@gm4queen hope you won’t give up on Nara as a fan. You can give up on this drama but maybe not her. She is just portaying a character which I think she will do well. She always wanted a different genre. She has been attached with rom-com ever since her debut and as an actor, she wants to explore. This drama, I think, will show her range. She even said on her interview that the character makes her greedy as an actor, meaning the role really would challenge her skills. A lot criticizes her for just being a rom com actress but when she explores other genres, she’s also criticized. It’s like damned if you do, damned if you don’t. As fans, we just have to support her. I also dropped her other dramas like OMHE. But still continued to check out her succeeding dramas.

 

I like your view of JNR and Sunny. Here is mine.
I like JNR’s Sunny. JNR has enough acting experience to show nuance in Sunny’s personality.  
JNR’s character is supposed to be a commoner/ an ordinary girl.  Her family barely stays afloat. Her dad is a fool gambler and her sis works  at the department store and Sunny is struggling to survive in show business.  Despite her circumstance she has a sweet, cheerful, caring heart.(sorry it sounds too kdrama-ish  hehe It’s the fault of my limitation)  When her dad’s loan shark money was known,  she reacted with frustration and compassion unlike her sis. Sunny knows her dad is a good person who has a weak spot and is gullible.

Nonetheless she is not naïve or vain enough to know when LH, the emperor, said he came for her show, she had a puzzled expression like really?/then delighted mixed with a surprise look etc..  She did the same when he returned later and asked for a date. In the park she asked him to tell the real reason about the date.  She had enough a common sense to feel skeptical about his behavior.   She fumbles rather comically and pitifully and helplessly because LH is the emperor.   It was funny to see how she fought back against her temptation in front of the money tray which the empress dowager pretended to offer as compensation.  That’s how any ordinary girl in reality would react albeit in less exaggerated form.   

However later Sunny will transform after the death of granny dowager just like NWS does. Slowly she will learn about the royal family’s ugliness and fight against it.  Sunny has another trait which shows she is not a pushover in certain circumstances.  She confronted the rich girl when she thought the girl went over the line.   

I would like to imagine JNR will show Sunny as a real empress with a fighting sword.  However it’s JNR’s part so she will decide how Sunny will be transformed and topple the empire.  Hopefully  Sunny will keep her caring heart to the end for her true love.   whahaa

 

[Kim Yunmi]

15 minutes ago, ktcjdrama said:

Many many people complained about 100D Prince editing though.... Personally, I think this drama is better in the editing (so far) compared to 100D. But 100D definitely won in terms of the cinematography and angles. 

I think with 100D it was more that people didn't like the politics, which is more writing side while he was off being a commoner, which isn't so much on the head of the director, but on the head of the writer. Most people didn't want to hear all the palace stuff and wanted more of him being a commoner. But the cutting itself, as in the transitions used, how the story was cut together was pretty good, technically. Story-wise it could have been shored up on the political side since most of the time the prince was away from that action, meaning you had a split in investment--which is on the writer, not the director. The director chose nice camera angles and scene transitions for the script he was given. Also it improved as the story went along. Some of those long cut scenes in 10-14 were really good, even when the prince said nothing. The cuts showed trust in the actor, especially as he upped his game. (It also ranked third overall in TVN History)

Most of my objections to the cuts in this drama are that it breaks up, rather than enhances much of the acting with poor choice of camera angles, and the 3-4 second cuts. It's as if the director is either shooting on a really tight schedule, which shouldn't be the case for episodes 1 and 2, or he doesn't trust the actors, which I don't see evidence for doing to them. I'd like the camera to trust the actors slightly more by resting on them. I know they can act, but the camera doesn't trust them at all to hold a monologue, and chooses to cut as they are saying their lines. And by far, the best part is the acting, so shouldn't the camera reflect that in the work by trusting the actors to remember their lines, instead of panning away from them or cutting away as they are saying their lines?

All the actors are much more veteran, so I'd trust them to be able to do their work and hold on them to try to up the emotional stakes, rather than cut away every few seconds. (Tighter schedules call for tighter cuts because you don't know if the actors know their lines yet, so you need to do swifter cuts to minimize NG fails.) There are times I think the camera should HOLD on an actor because they are building dramatic tension and then just when I'm connecting, CUT different angle which doesn't enhance anything... which is harder to connect when they are acting their heart out. *shrugs* Maybe he's trying to make it out with shorter cuts because of the whole suspense storyline, but I think like writers choose shorter or longer sentences to punch up action or description, he should be allowing some places to have longer cuts than others so there is emphasis and difference.

But from the resume, he's a younger director, so maybe he hasn't figured exactly when the hold, when to cut, etc. Plus it's not cable, so there is less oversight, as well, from what I understand. (JTBC and TvN do a lot more oversight to make sure their brand is consistent.) So I'm guessing I'm just spoiled.

[nakatsubebe]

2 hours ago, gm4queen said:

Thank you so much for all the chingus here for commenting on my previous post!

 

I've so many Jang Na Ra dramas & I've never got disappointed at her! But this is so weird! I just can't put myself in to her & her character needs a lot of developments as a strong woman b'cause you can't fight with the society of bad people with being too much naive.. And she's so dumb that she falls for the jerk - Lee Hyuk.. (Lee Hyuk is the most hottest villain I've ever seen though )

 

And just searched through the net for the viewers' reactions for the series! Majority of the viewers are criticizing the dirty scenes of Lee Hyuk & Min Yu Ra! And I really hope the writer won't do the same nature with Oh Sunny & Na Wang Sik! Dirty scenes seem unsuitable for Jang Na Ra & Choi Jin Hyuk!

 

 

Don't worry chingu...in Jang Nara we trust  Her transformation to a strong perhaps vengeful woman is something that I look forward to. But she also has a heart that can perhaps soften the very angry and vengeful Na Wang Shik. We are only 4 episodes in and there are 44 episodes left to see her growth and transformation. In my opinion, she is not dumb to fall for Lee Hyuk. The drama wants us to imagine that Lee Hyuk is the most sought after bachelor in the whole of Korea. He is beyond any public figure (that includes even the kpop idols ) in terms of looks, power, and money. Even Min Yu Ra is after him. So it is just natural for Sunny to fall for him. She is the cinderella who naturally falls for prince charming but prince charming is in a relationship with the witch  and as evil as the witch. 

 

Koreans are pretty conservative with explicit scenes but the scenes are necessary to show that Min Yu Ra and Lee hyuk's relationship is pure lust. There is no love between them. They actually want to kill each other if possible. This would differ with Oh Sunny and Na Wang Shik which I think will be based on love. But don't expect a lovey-dovey typical k drama rom com type of scenes. It's not a teenage drama anyway. 

[qqbr21]

I have read the synopsis of ep 1 of this drama
The drama opens with the finding of the corpse wearing the same necklace that Sunny wears, does that mean Sunny will die at the end of the story? But in the beginning there was a little princess who played with a bodyguard, had the king been married to another woman? Quite curious

 

For Yura and Wangsik, they are not only in a special relationship but also have children. Oh, she tried to get rid of the past with the family of wangsik, she was too confident that the king loved her

 

I know hope stories like "Princess Hours" are a dreams. But I was a little hoping the Evil King who initially only wanted to use Sunny ended up falling in love with Sunny. I know they are married, but that doesn't seem to make a sweet scene from their relationship. Huh is really regrettable

 

Well this is still the first episode, let's follow this drama
After seeing The Beauty Inside drama that very sweet, seeing this drama is like getting a new challenge hahaha

[ladolcekdrama]

Who made the first page? The main lead is not Yura but Ssu Ni. thank you

[chubby^green^]

you guys are very active in the weekend (i think some of you guys its weekend already rite?)

 

saturday is family day for me

writing while waiting for family lunch gathering now

i can almost hear my mom shouting to get me off my lappie, saying that i am spending too much time in front of it

 

it seems that people are curious about when cjh will appear, great promotion i think

can we expect higher ratings for next ep then since it is shown in preview that he will appear now

hahaha

 

44 minutes ago, qqbr21 said:

I know hope stories like "Princess Hours" are a dreams. But I was a little hoping the Evil King who initially only wanted to use Sunny ended up falling in love with Sunny. I know they are married, but that doesn't seem to make a sweet scene from their relationship. Huh is really regrettable

it does written in description of lee hyuk translated by @booha, you can about it, posted at page 10 in this thread (hahaha i know since i always go back to check my facts )

anyway, that in the end lee hyuk did falls for sunny, though i doubt his kind of love would be sweet and lovely

maybe he will try in the beginning, but if sunny rejected him, i am afraid of what would he do to sunny

and if he finds out that sunny has fallen for wang shik, that would be even scarier

*shudder

 

 

[gm4queen]

Since I am not so touched with The Last Empress at the moment, discussing about the series with you guys makes me feel better!!!! THANK YOU EVERY ONE!!   Hopefully I'll bare this series & continue watching!

 

I most likely think that the mummy could be Lee Hyuk's ex-wife.. In that case, who's it.?! She's not in the frame at the moment! I hope we'll see her in future eps. I am also curious to know what's there ahead for Min Yu Ra that she's leaving her kid & husband just for a jerk! Shin Sung Rok is outstanding as Lee Hyuk! That's why we hate him this much! And why's he always playing the bad guy?!

 

And guess what, when "It's bad" is your first impression, then the rest is blah blah blah  So far, public reactions are mostly negative for this series... So I'm having high hopes that Choi Jin Hyuk will make an impactful difference to the plot as it is that more viewers can get touched with the story, SPECIALLY ME!

[Matilda_Anne]

6 hours ago, gm4queen said:

Majority of the viewers are criticizing the dirty scenes of Lee Hyuk & Min Yu Ra! And I really hope the writer won't do the same nature with Oh Sunny & Na Wang Sik! Dirty scenes seem unsuitable for Jang Na Ra & Choi Jin Hyuk!

 

 

i hate whenever i watch drama with my mom and some dirty/love scenes pop up..  she would turn that moment into a sex education session. i remember watching the love scene in ‘whats wrong with sec kim’ with my mom + sister and my mom kept lecturing us about the importance of contraceptives lol.. she said ..’sec kim better use condom or else she’s gonna get pregnant’ .. bla bla.. it was so awkward....what a way to ruin the moment for me and my sister lol..

 

this time, i didnt watch the dirty scene in TLE togther with her.. thank god coz it ws too dirty and not pleasant to watch at all.

 

 

[Guest]

On 11/23/2018 at 3:39 PM, ChewyChocolate said:

 

 

 

@triplem  The emperor falls for her, but he's evil....I was hoping he'd be the lead. Do you feel that there's something ew about the mother's obsession with the son? It's just unsettling.

So many trucks of doom squeezed into two episodes  it's mindboggling.

 

23 hours ago, chubby^green^ said:

 

 

anyway talking about bedroom scene reminds me that the empress dowager has cctv all over her son's bedroom

so after sunny and lee hyk is married

will we get a scene of min yura shares the popcorn with the empress dowager for a bonding of evil while watching what the emperor is doing with the new empress?

Since I have only watched one eps..i will comment based on that. She definitely has an unhealthy obsession over him. In the first eps when he got into the car , the way she touched his hand made me uncomfortable  ...aahahahaahha....but jokes aside, this being SBS, I would say the drama won't go there. But she's extremely controlling. Our emperor here I am sure has had many one night stands in that chamber of his and good golly, mum must have seen them all....yucks isn't it ?  

 

Also I would advise everyone to manage their expectations with cinematography and editing... SBS has never impressed me .