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

[larus]

“The Last Empress” Sees Its Best Ratings Yet, “Encounter” Continues Steadily

by E. Kang

SBS’s “The Last Empress” was the favorite drama of this past Wednesday night!

According to Nielsen Korea, the drama scored its highest viewership ratings yet of 8.2 percent and 11.5 percent during its December 12 broadcast. This is a 1.0 percent increase from its previous highest personal record of 10.5 percent. The broadcast also hit a peak of 12.3 percent in viewership this night, and came in first in its time slot.

 

https://www.soompi.com/article/1277503wpp/last-empress-sees-best-ratings-yet-encounter-continues-steadily

[nikki7]

Finally finished watching episode 13-14 and I simply forgot to breathe the whole time.
 

There are crooks in every corner. No wonder the emperor seems psychotic. 

 

I hate Min Yura even more now.

 

I like that we're seeing so many different sides of Oh Sunny in this episode. And now I'm intrigued as to how Woo Bin will "kill" the Empress. Hey, maybe the corpse we see at the beginning of the drama is them staging the Empress' death.

 

Can't wait for tonight!

[nakatsubebe]

Cut scenes of the "musical" and Nara's full performance. My reaction is woah, they seriously made a musical and only showed 5 minutes of it on screen.

 

 

 

[wannammj]

The Nanny is like MYR. Both fighting for the same goal, to be the Empress for power and money. The previous empress was just like Sunny, being betrayed and killed (but Sunny will fight and win the war). 

In my opinion, the mummy they found is the late empress, as the autopsy done found she was pregnant with the twin. I think somehow the nanny making the scheme and frame the late empress as she was having affair with (presume) the prev guard who died also 7 years ago ( i cant remember his name) and said pregnant with other man instead, causing the crazy emperor LH went berserk. I just want to wait and see who killed the late empress. But i know for sure, even the emperor is angry/hate the late empress, she is the one in his heart. 

[Kimchi Sweet Potato]

I'm watching this before encounter so you know which one I like better.

 

Gutted a bit but if this is what makes Sunny stronger then I'm all for it. The romance between Wang shik and Sunny will be so good later on.

 

[Lmangla]

ooh, congrats to . @booha  @stella77  @Matilda_Anne  @alekaonu  @nakatsubebe @at2005 @ChewyChocolate

for correctly guessing that sunny put yura in jail.. however, none of us would have predicted rocky bear's back stab. my, was it good! he really has super fangs!!!

 

aside, we know the emperor is evil and all but dang, he looks so good with that bomber jacket and motorbike! (must not get swayed! ) hahahahha...

 

back to our story -- @wannammj ~ even I have my doubts whether ari is actually the emperor's child as the nanny really comes across as diabolical. for all we know, she may not even the mother and just popped up with a random baby and claimed it as hers...

 

2 hours ago, nikki7 said:

There are crooks in every corner. No wonder the emperor seems psychotic. 

seriously! he seems one step closer to madness but in one way, can you blame him? he can't even trust his own mother and is not free to make any decisions... and everyone in the palace from the nanny to his sister to everyone who works for him are all wrangling for power... no wonder, he is obsessed with yura who seems to be someone not only on his level, trustworthy and getting things done for him.

 

@lumibear @at2005 ~ it seems to be easier for sunny to blame yura than to accept that the emperor was never hers and was just putting on an act. had to laugh when she said "I know him. I have been his fangirl for years!" ... if anything, this drama should teach fangirls to be wary that their idol might have feet of clay. hahahaha...

 

but I had to shake my head like rocky bear when she insisted on checking for herself. what exactly did she want to check? she already knows they are having an affair and the emperor favours yura. what exactly was she hoping to do by going to the condo? catch them in the act and then what?

 

rocky bear almost seemed to be warning her not to go but not that she listened. but must say it was a master stroke on his part. so he has to prove his loyalty by getting rid of her but at the same time remain in the palace. so he figuratively kills her by smirching her reputation and suggesting sexual harassment which is super hard to prove or disprove.

 

@Kimchi Sweet Potato ~ am also looking forward to the romance between wang sik and sunny. given this roadblock, how will their romance play out? it will certainly be unexpected...

 

and can we expect a romance between hello and lee yoon as well? @booha ~ any idea why we have two different english titles for this drama "last empress" "empress dignity"? -- am wondering if these titles are clues to how the story will play out...

[ktcjdrama]

1 hour ago, wannammj said:

The Nanny is like MYR. Both fighting for the same goal, to be the Empress for power and money. The previous empress was just like Sunny, being betrayed and killed (but Sunny will fight and win the war). 

In my opinion, the mummy they found is the late empress, as the autopsy done found she was pregnant with the twin. I think somehow the nanny making the scheme and frame the late empress as she was having affair with (presume) the prev guard who died also 7 years ago ( i cant remember his name) and said pregnant with other man instead, causing the crazy emperor LH went berserk. I just want to wait and see who killed the late empress. But i know for sure, even the emperor is angry/hate the late empress, she is the one in his heart. 

I like your speculation.... It is a dangerous place to be in the palace when you're with an heir (or pregnant even). So yes, it is very likely the corpse was of the first empress. But why is the necklace there though. Unless, the one given to Sunny was fake. Otherwise, this is probably a new corpse, not 7 years old corpse.

[gilaswan]

So many questions for which answers we are waiting...

1. Who was in the body bag?

2. Is the necklace that Sunny has fake (maybe making it easy then for the Emperor to lie to Sunny when she asked him to swear upon the necklace that represented all Empresses before, including his first wife whom he obviously loved a lot)?

3. How did the first Empress to Lee Hyuk die?

4. Why is the Dowager so power hungry? What's in it for her in a constitutional monarchy?

5. Is the Princess as ditzy as she is acting now?

6. Nanny had an affair with Lee Hyuk - before or after his marriage to first wife? Cos he seemed so enamoured with that first wife which was (as the story progresses) clearly killed off, yes?

7. Is Ari really Lee Hyuk's daughter? And does he know that?

 

As of the end of the last episode, I'm thinking there will be a twist to it. Maybe they will make it seem like this was a surprise thrown by Sunny for the Emperor. She won't be taken down so easily. There was dramatic irony when the Dowager said that the Empress was not smart and therefore easily dealt with. 

[blademan]

How is WS gonna earn Sunny's trust again...?!!

I just LOVE that we can't anticipate anything in this show! It is completely un-cliché 

Tonight gonna be another crazy roller coaster too I presume...can't wait!

[violette00]

Watched episodes 13-14! Omigod!! This drama is making me nuts seriously. My points:-

- I don't know why but I'm getting a feeling that rocky bear broke sunny's trust ro save her directly from emperor. Otherwise; he would hire another person to kill her//.

-He did that media thing to bring sunny in front of the world both times (when she saved someone; i guess that too was his plan and when he accused her of being love)

- yes! I agree with most of peeps here about ari; could she be that dead guard's daughter? And that nanny staged him and empress sohyun as lovers?//a guess im making lmao.

- and maybe empress dowager also know that or maybe not. But she surely had a hand in killing former empress.

- prince yoon is mighty and fair but still he is hiding truth about so hyun? (A possible past love triangle b/w yoon-sohyun-hyuk?? )

-okay wait! Everyone saying if bag body of empress so hyun;; but how come she had that sapphire necklace? And sunny too. Or maybe someone put fake necklace on either of the places.

- high possibility that further nanny and yura will fight lol and maybe yura dies and nanny+ prime minister (internal affairs leader) frames lee hyuk.

- if you all remember episode preview for epi13-14- woobin said something like "i need to save you empress"..i guess what he meant by was this way. 

 

//I'm looking forward of how WS will eliminate yura- maybe by using Sunny? It will be fun to watch. But i really like how Sunny actually evolved through many stages in yday's episode. Good to see her in action finally.

[gm4queen]

Just watched yesterday's ep with eng sub... So many questions popping in my mind!

 

1. The mummy with the necklace is the present time! But we are witnessing now is the past when Sunny fell for Lee Hyuk & his 1st wife is already dead! Then what about the necklace..?! Oh Sunny is currently wearing it, but then there must be someone else to have it!
2. Who killed the ex-wife of Lee Hyuk..?! Min Yu Ra? Ari's mom/nanny? or someone else that's not in my radar?
3. Who exactly is the mummy..?! Oh Sunny? Min Yu Ra? or Ari's mom/nanny?
4. Is Wang Sik is really on Lee Hyuk's side or he's sincerely helping Oh Sunny to get revenge..?!
5. Who's Ari's father..??!! Lee Hyuk or the Prime Minister.?! (Mostly I think that the Prime Minister must be Ari's dad since her mom seems to have a hidden motivation for the palace)
6. What happened to Lee Hyuk's father..?! Am I missing something.?!

 

SOOOOOOOOO many questions... Anyway, looking forward for tonight.!!

 

I really hope @ktcjdrama  @Matilda_Anne  @nakatsubebe do live recaps tonight as well!! It's very helpful since I have no live streaming for SBS!! And you three chingus should know that your live recapping forced me to watch yesterday's eps with eng sub even though I dropped the series so earlier & that's why I am here!!!! Thank you so much guys!! You three are doing a great job!!!

 

And dear @Lmangla - Is The Last Empress the English title of the series..?!! When there's a major plot twist ahead, they always go with the English title!!! Then Oh Sunny really is The Last Empress..??!! I dislike to think that the mummy with the necklace is Oh Sunny from the 1st ep! And I hope you do a poll again for Na Wang Sik! This guy looks like a thief among the Loyals now!! hehehehe...

 

 

[ktcjdrama]

12 minutes ago, gm4queen said:

Is Wang Sik is really on Lee Hyuk's side or he's sincerely helping Oh Sunny to get revenge..?!

I can answer the first part very confidently that he is definitely not on LH's  side. But whether or not he's helping Sunny to get revenge, that still remains to be seen. Maybe he doesn't even care about Sunny getting revenge, as long as he gets his revenge on LH and YR, since he knows for sure those two are the ones responsible in killing his mother.

[at2005]

@Lmanglaahhh...she refused to believe he was actually someone different other than the illusional image he portrayed and she created about him. 

 

@ktcjdrama i somehow dont feel like the body they found a year later is the late empress, especially after the latest ep. I have to do a research to see what a body would look like after it being in water and after 7 years of decomposition. I think the body is new but it is not Yu Ra or Sunny either as the body will be found a year later. Well unless the writer is crazy to think all craziness could happen in a year time frame. 

 

[nakatsubebe]

No worries @gm4queen  I'm gonna try tonight as well to recap when I have time and if I understood the scene because often I don't 

 

I think this is the cameraman's ig account. He shared a behind the scenes of the car chase. Seriously, it made me laugh but they worked really hard to spin that car and make it believable that it is a car chase.

 

[violette00]

@gm4queen eventually; i was thinking if the dad was killed by LH? Like; if you watched that scene where he stares at his father in childhood memory?

I don't think min yura killed former empress (at that time she was busy with her own problems). I'm betting on empress dowager/nanny. Otherwise; why would she is favouring so much to ari?

[gm4queen]

10 minutes ago, nakatsubebe said:

 

No worries @gm4queen  I'm gonna try tonight as well to recap when I have time and if I understood the scene because often I don't 

 

I think this is the cameraman's ig account. He shared a behind the scenes of the car chase. Seriously, it made me laugh but they worked really hard to spin that car and make it believable that it is a car chase.

 

Oh.. no worries dear!! You are so doing a great job by recapping a Korean series!! I am not good at Korean at all!! hehehehe...!!

And yeah.. they are doing an extremely hard work for the series!! Great work, everyone!!

 

8 minutes ago, violette00 said:

@gm4queen eventually; i was thinking if the dad was killed by LH? Like; if you watched that scene where he stares at his father in childhood memory?

I don't think min yura killed former empress (at that time she was busy with her own problems). I'm betting on empress dowager/nanny. Otherwise; why would she is favouring so much to ari?

 

Same here.. I think that too.. The look on Lee Hyuk's face for his dad wasn't good at all! And looks like he hates his mom, dad & bro that they ignored him in his childhood!!!

[ktcjdrama]

1 hour ago, at2005 said:

 

@ktcjdrama i somehow dont feel like the body they found a year later is the late empress, especially after the latest ep. I have to do a research to see what a body would look like after it being in water and after 7 years of decomposition. I think the body is new but it is not Yu Ra or Sunny either as the body will be found a year later. Well unless the writer is crazy to think all craziness could happen in a year time frame. 

 

I shared previously about the stages of decomposition... the thing is, if her body is embalmed, it will take longer time. But still, 7 years is a long time. In fact, it is 8 years since we're going back a year before the corpse was discovered. I'd like to think it's a new body, but who would be pregnant with twins? It is not possible to be Sunny since she is our heroine, I just can't imagine the writer writing off her main lead as dead (still possible though given this is makjang genre). Who has been sleeping around to have the possibility of becoming pregnant? We have 3 candidates as of now ~Sunny, YR, Nanny... 

 

My next question is will we actually come back to the present time line when corpse was discovered and continue the story from there? Then I doubt it is YR because it would be less interesting not to have her around. Unless, that is the first part of the revenge by WS, and next is about taking down LH. But then again, WS said he wanted to get to YR the last in his revenge. It is still possible to be YR. My imagination is that she was finally given the necklace (unofficially) by LH to be his empress, maybe because she is pregnant, then got killed by whomever while wearing it, so was buried with it. 

[Lmangla]

1 hour ago, nakatsubebe said:

I think this is the cameraman's ig account. He shared a behind the scenes of the car chase. Seriously, it made me laugh but they worked really hard to spin that car and make it believable that it is a car chase.

LOL... those fellows running around... waaah, they are strong. but it is creative in a way that they remove the headache of trying to create something dangerous and maintain safety at the same time..  good BTS find!

 

@gm4queen ~ ah the title is last empress? yea, it does make me wonder if it is the story of  the end of monarchy.... it may not mean sunny is dead

[Matilda_Anne]

@gm4queen if my wifi is good i’ll do the recap tonight.. but im really sucks at writing lol so u guys will probably be frustrated with my recaps hahahaha

[Matilda_Anne]

Spoiler

start. lee hyuk came to the hotel room and confessed to sunny about his relationship with yura.. sunny asked since when.. talk talk (i dont understand).. sunny started to cry and tried to hit lee hyuk but cjh stopped her. i missed some parts but suddenly sunny was running down the stairs and cjh followed after her. he trapped her. 

 

omo cjh pushed sunny into deep water.. lee hyuk and yura watched from distance.