Empress Ki (2013)

Plot Doesn't Hold Up After First Arc

I had mixed feelings about Empress Ki. I nearly abandoned it twice before episode 19. But now, after watching it up until this point, I can confidently assert that this drama is made of little other than idiot plots.

Acting/Cast
Let's start with the good. The acting is superb - in particular, the Emperor is played extremely well. I despised the character with a passion, but that was partially because of how well he was acted. Seung Nyang is acted fairly well, although the particular acting style - somewhat more rough - works much better during the first few episodes before the plot entirely devolves into attempts at courtly intrigue. The minor characters are often a bit overacted, but that actually works - it adds to the comedy in the smaller scenes fairly well, and characters like Eunuch Bang really help to bring together Woo's other retainers.
Even the character voices are good - characters have a certain style of speaking or acting that stays consistent throughout, and you can really feel their personalities shining through during the series.

Music
The music is nothing special. There are fewer than ten tracks that play with little variety starting from the same point, so it gets to feeling quite repetitive, especially when watching several episodes and hearing the exact same song from start to finish several times.

Story
I will admit, I don't watch TV for the characters. They're nice, but ultimately, I watch for the conflict and the plot threads that slowly unravel across the course of a show. And... my goodness, but Empress Ki had some of the most poignant idiot plots I've seen in live action.
SPOILERS FOLLOW
An "idiot plot," as referenced by TVTropes, is any plot that could be resolved in a matter of minutes if everyone in the story were not an idiot. For a brief basis, Seong Nyang - a woman hiding as a man and serving the King of Goryeo as a warrior - is tasked with protecting the Crown Prince of Yuan, as those who control Yuan wish to use his death in Goryeo as an excuse to re-conquer the nation. She successfully protects him, and then - in Goryeo's court - The Crown Prince betrays her, siding with the Prime Minister, the man who wanted him dead. In the middle of Goryeo's court. Where the Goryeo military outnumbered the Prime Minister's men, and they could have killed him and sent the Crown Prince back as soon as he became the Emperor.
Okay, so he's an fool. But that's fine - he was already immature and pompous, so that's quite in-character for him.

Fast-forward a bit, and Seong Nyang has been sold into slavery and, her true sex revealed, is working as a maid in the new Emperor (former Crown Prince)'s court. Understandably, she wants to kill the Emperor for betraying her, getting her father and hundreds of other Goryeoans enslaved and killed, and separating her from her crush, the King of Goryeo. She gets right up to him and is convinced by another Goreyo maid that, if she killed him, everyone else from Goryeo there would be killed. That's honestly pretty reasonable, and after a brief conflict, she decides to accept that. Her next goal is to leave the palace, since she's still loyal to the King of Goryeo.
Here's where things go downhill for her too.
See, Seong Nyang is a seasoned warrior. She can go toe-to-toe with the best trained members of either country's armies. But it's as though putting on a maid's uniform has caused her to forget all her skills, or the far more risky maneuverers she pulled to keep the former Crown Prince alive. Leaving the heavily-guarded palace wouldn't be easy, but she has years of experience acting like a man, fighting, and infiltrating groups. Apparently, we are expected to believe that she is not able, or has deemed it "too risky," to try to escape the palace itself.
So that's a bit out of character, I'd argue, for a rogue who's utterly loyal to the King of Goryeo, but it's not strictly foolish.
And then it gets worse.
The Emperor (former Crown Prince) notices her. See, he developed a bit of a crush on her back when she was dressed as a man and protecting him in Goryeo. So now that she's miraculously turned into a woman, everything's looking up for him! Ignore the fact that he's a puppet controlled by the man who killed his father - he has a crush.
What follows is some of the most frustrating television I have had to watch in a long, long time. The Emperor proceeds to favor Seong Nyang while forcing her to care for him in increasingly creepy and intimate ways. And Nyang, a seasoned warrior who has topped a king before (King Simyang), just goes along with it. He acts magnanimous while refusing the few things she wants, and demands that she care for him like a child, taking up most of her time. He makes it utterly clear that he will never allow her to leave, even burning a letter of exit that she painstakingly obtained in front of her. I cannot properly explain how utterly frustrating it is to watch a warrior "trapped" - because she will not try to escape and she refuses to kill him - by such an arrogant narcissist, who himself is supposedly powerless.
And then there's the Prime Minister plot.
See, the Prime Minister - mentioned earlier - killed the new Emperor's father and brother. For some reason I still don't understand, he decided to let the new Emperor live just because he begged for his life (the Prime Minister presumably could have otherwise just installed himself as emperor). And now, since he's the antagonist for this part of the series, he's doing Bad Things and Stuff. He needs to be stopped. He also meets in private with the emperor almost constantly, in a secluded room where only the Emperor's personal guards are allowed. In the palace. With only the Emperor's allies.
Wait... couldn't the Emperor (or any one of his allies, really) just... stab him? The Prime Minister derives most of his power from threats and violence, but if he's dead, there's only his questionably-competent relatives behind him. But he's unquestionably committed crimes that - while hard to prove - are far from secret in the inner court. Emperors have rarely ever needed justification to kill underlings, and the Prime Minister commits capitol offenses almost daily. Literally, anyone with a competent assassin could have just killed him during one of these meetings, and I doubt any ministers - even those formally on the Prime Minster's side - would have shed a tear.
But unfortunately, nobody seems to consider this idea. He's this utterly impenetrable threat in the form of a weak old man who's constantly alone when he meets with the Emperor, a weak young man.

Honestly, it begs the question: who's running this country while everyone in the court is focused on either deposing the Prime Minister, finding a MacGuffin (bloodletter), or chasing after Seong Nyang, the most and least eligible bachelorette in the inner court?

ENDING
I will admit that I looked up the ending while deciding for the final time whether to drop this show or not, and it does *not* get better. The Emperor doubles down on abuse and combines narcissism with murder, Seong Nyang ends up turning villainess-ish somehow, and remaining few characters who I respected as relatively logical decision makers jumped the shark. If only the series had ended as it began, it might have been worth it to tolerate another thirty episodes; but upon reading how it turned out, I couldn't give it another chance.

SUMMARY
What started as a promising drama with interesting characters quickly spiraled downward after the first arc, with characters ignoring obvious solutions and focusing more on abusing or romancing Seong Nyang than doing anything actually useful. If you're watching more for characters and forlorn glances than plot, you might like this, but if you need a solid plot to enjoy a story, I'd advise you to give this one a pass.
I give Empress Ki a rating of one out of ten.

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A must-watch k-drama

I would describe this k-drama as a classic in the industry. From the production, plot, actors/actresses, and everything, it's definitely worthy to watch. Although it has 51 episodes, it will definitely get you hooked with the story and the acting.

This was one of the dramas I watched when I was a child, then I recently rewatch it as an adult. But it definitely didn't waste my time because it was worth it. Maybe it was the whole concept that got me hooked with the story, since I've always loved an independent woman.

The plot was impressive, it was well-written and delivered well by the actors/actresses. This drama has its different plot twists which made the story more exciting. You'll begin to think what will happen next. It surely doesn't disappoint the watchers.

The people who did the casting did a really great job, since they've casted the most deserving actors and actresses for the drama. The emotions was intense and it was felt off-screen. I loved how it seemed all natural and how the main cast (Ha Ji-Won) portrayed her character really well. I also loved to see how Ji Chang-Wook did an excellent job acting as the emperor with a child-like mind. His character was a breathe of fresh air for the main cast's character.

When I was a child, I thought that it had the greatest video quality but I realized now that it doesn't. Which is also fine since it was made before when technologies weren't really that exemplary.

Overall, I think it is an impeccable k-drama. It deserves multiple awards. All I can say is that job well done to all the staffs that was included in this drama.

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One of the best historical Korean dramas

Another review I'm writing from a second viewing perspective. It must be about 6 years since I first watched it and seeing it was airing on my national channel, I had to watch it again. It's in my top 3 all-time Korean dramas, that's how good it is to me.

Even at second watch, it was amazing! Firstly, the episode length shouldn't be a hurdle to anyone: there are so many things happening! The fast pacing is one of the strengths of this show, yes, one of it! 99% of the drama is about the road to becoming an empress. There are so many obstacles until she gets there that you are about to throw a party once that happens.

Let's talk about the acting: Ha Ji Won was absolutely magnificent, she never disappoints! I like so much the fact that she was at first presented as a very strong woman with fighting skills and then you could see her vulnerability. But still, what a strong character interpreted by one of the finest actresses of South Korea! Ji Chang Wook was so good, his character was alone and used like a puppet by almost everyone! Joo Jin Mo was great too, felt so bad for his character. My favourite character from the entire drama has to be Tal Tal, one of the smartest characters ever, always taking the right decisions, so calculated in everything he did.

Beautiful OST!

For sure, one of the best historical Korean dramas and one of the best Korean dramas ever!

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Tras haber pasado unos dos años leyendo muy buenas críticas sobre esta serie, por fin me decidí a verla. Era el momento perfecto puesto que como muchos otros países, estamos confinados en casa, y Netflix la proponía.
La verdad es que no la había visto antes porque no me atraía nada la actriz. No sé por qué, puesto que solo la había visto en Secret Garden, pero claro, esta serie (a pesar de la fama del drama) no me hizo mucha gracia, a lo mejor fue por eso. Pero realmente no esperaba que me gustase tanto, me ha parecido una serie fantástica.
Historia: está bien desarrollada. No hay un momento de aburrimiento (ni de paz). Las acciones y la trama cambia continuamente lo que hace que no puedas parar de ver los capítulos uno tras otro sin parar.
Me alegró bastante que aunque haya la(s) historia(s) de amor, no son ni mucho menos la trama principal. Pasan tantas cosas que esta parte está bien introducida con el resto de las historias y tramas.
Es cierto que el final (sobre todo los dos últimos capítulos) tendrían que haberse desarrollado con más detalle (total, después de 51 capítulos uno más uno menos...), pero al menos para mi la historia está bien cerrada. Y que a veces tanta venganza y tantas malas pécoras en el palacio era agotador y se repetía, pero no me molestó demasiado, la verdad.
En cuanto al final, polémico para muchos, solo puedo decir que el karma es lo que tiene, que en algunos momentos es instantáneo. Y aunque pueda ser triste, me parece que es lo más lógico con lo que pasa en la historia.
Actuación: todos los actores lo hacen bien. La actriz que interpreta a Yang, es fabulosa. Siento haber tenido prejuicios sobre esta actriz, la verdad. Encuanto a los dos actores principales, tanto Ji Chang Wook como Jo Jin Moo están fantásticos, pero admito que, al contrario que sus personajes, me parece que la actuación del 1º (al que había visto en Healer y me había encantado) es impresionante. Por el contrario, a su personaje le querría matar. No dudo que existan personas así, pero pasa de ser un cobarde a un loco... en fin, el rey de Gorgeo estaba bien, era perfecto, valiente, (casi) honesto, con las mismas ideas de principio a fin y protegiendo en todo momento lo que merecía ser protegido... pero, no resultaba muy expresivo, lo admito.
¡Ah! y olvidaba a Taltal... uno de mis personajes favoritos. Tenía muchas esperanzas de que estuviese en el futuro de la emperadora Ki de una u otra forma, porque era evidente que él sentía algo... ¿el qué? vete tú a saber, con lo lacónico que era. Quizás esa parte en la que se sabe qué pasa con él en el futuro es la que menos me gustó, demasiadas esperanzas en que estuviera bien rodeada la protagonista...
Música: ya la conocía (y apreciaba) de ver videos en youtube. Hay canciones muy chulas.
Rewatch... ¡ay! no, es demasiado larga, y como ya se saben los giros de la trama, pues no tiene ya gracia.
Comentario final: sí, sé que son muchos capítulos, pero se pasa en un instante. En cuanto comienzas a ver los capítulos, te das cuenta de que estás tan enganchado que los episodios pasan prácticamente sin que te des cuenta. Y de repente, has terminado de verla y lamentas que no haya más capítulos.
En fin, aprovechad... estas próximas semanas tendremos que pasar mucho tiempo en casa, es el momento de engancharse a un drama adictivo. ¡Disfrutadlo

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best love triangle ever

Only drama that i am giving this 9.5/10 rating out of all i have seen

Ha Ji Won and Ji chang wook acting was best thing in whole drama
struggle that shown by ha ji won to choose King over the emperor not because she loves him but because she can't be with empress, cause she blame him for her fathers death, how empress Ki give up her love for her fathers revenge and started to love king over Ji chang wook
those who says king was her first love
think about it who she was true to herself it was ji chang wook character
with king she has to behave like a lady but with ji chang wook she can be herself, And the love ji chang wook shows for empress ki was so incredible
how empress ki accept her feelings towards Emperor at end,
at end she admit to love the man that was reason for her fathers death and was one who killed her ex lover with his own hand, she still loves him knowing all that was great
it is only drama where you can believe her genuine feelings for both of man she love both of them. and most impressive was that it was hard to say if she love one more then other because she shows her love for both of them...was genuine

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Quando la sceneggiatura non funziona.

Premetto che di solito non affronto drama con più di 16 episodi, ma il cast, la storia e il consiglio di molti mi hanno convinta.
Il drama si può dividere in 3 parti, che corrispondono alla trasformazione di Nyang: la giovinezza a Goryeo, la schiavitù a Palazzo e l'ascesa a Gran Consorte/ Imperatrice. È l'unico personaggio che ha un' evoluzione, gli altri rimangono gli stessi.
Man mano che procede si ripetono sempre gli stessi colpi di scena, inganni e situazioni, in un loop che mi ha stancata. Era proprio necessario allungare il brodo fino a 51 episodi? A mia opinione già al 30˚ poteva concludersi il tutto. Invece ho avuto come l'impressione che si cercasse di continuare a attirare l'attenzione degli spettatori, con magri risultati.
La sceneggiatura è l'elemento peggiore. Sempre le stesse battute per riempire i vuoti.
Ma non tutto è da buttare. L'interpretazione degli attori è notevole tanto da convincermi a farmi arrivare fino alla fine.

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Waste of potential

A drama about a powerful woman who can kick ass? Love it. This drama? Hated it.

Empress Ki had me singing praises until episode 6. The actions of the characters made no sense, all because the writers were too lazy to write a decent plot. Why couldn't the heroes simply kill the villains within the first 3 episodes? Why let them live and continue to wreak havoc?

This drama simply made no sense, and it was draining to see the protagonists suffer while the antagonists continued to thrive all because the writers were too weak to have them killed off.

I was promised this would be like Yona of the Dawn. If you want a well-written historical fiction narrative with a strong female protagonist, watch/read Yona of the Dawn instead.

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Historical drama is not my cup of tea because I know how twisted the story of a historical drama. I tried to watched this because I miss Ji chang wook but oh my gosh I am so dissapointed in this drama..I have no complain about the acting of the artists. I knew this drama was very popular and loved by so many but not for me I guess.I didn't liked the development of the three main lead.

Empress ki started with a good storyline but after episode 8 I started to get bored and lost my interest. Empress ki getting on my nerves honestly. Haha... I just hate the idea that because the empress ki was the main lead what she done were right and what the others done were wrong because you're the main lead. For me all of them are selfish even the empress ki.

Empress ki-started with a strong character and ended with a twisted character and her unclear feeling was really annoying.

King-goody-goody character.no more no less

Emperor-he is my favorite among the main lead he is selfish and childish but he know what he wants. I just hoping that he became a strong and terror character in the end but I am still satisfied to his actions to the people betrayed him but I am against that he killed the king. In my opinion if he killed the king he should killed the empress ki. Hehe... But I liked the punishment he gave to the empress ki when bayan killed, the emperor exiled the  empress ki, that's the best decision of the emperor that ever done because he stand to his belief. He proof that even he was just a puppet of regent, to his mother and also to the empress ki he still the emperor and no one's can opposed him..
Honestly I didn't liked the empress ki character because of her twisted feeling of the two male lead. In my opinion she both loved them in different way but less in romantic. She loved the king more on admiration and she loved the emperor more on sympathy thats why her feeling with the king and the emperor always unclear because the truth they were not her true love. Haha..

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