Empress Ki – Full Review
Welcome to Empress Ki – Full Review. This drama one woman’s rise to power during the Yuan Dynasty. If you haven’t watched this drama yet, I recommend checking out my unspoiled review here.
Empress Ki
♥ Aired: October 28, 2013 – April 29, 2014
♥# of Episodes: 51
♥Where to Watch: Viki
♥Genre: Historical Drama
♥Starring: Ha Ji Won and Ji Chang Wook
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The Story
Welcome to my Empress Ki – Unspoiled Review. During the Yuan dynasty, the Mongols ruled a large portion of Asia, including Goryeo (modern day Korea). Empress Ki follows the story of one woman who was brought from Goryeo as a slave, and through perserverance and ingenuity, gains the love and trust of the emperor. Fighting her way through the ranks, she dreams of becoming the foreign-born Empress of the Yuan dynasty.
The Leads
Ha Ji Won as Ki Seung Nyang
Ki Seung Nyang starts out as a rebel warrior disguised as a boy. Even as a boy, she manages to earn the affection of 2 powerful men. One is the King of the small kingdom of Goryeo, who hires her to do some errands for him. The other is the song of the Emperor, who has been exiled by the Prime Minister, to keep him out of power. Through an unlucky set of circumstances, she is captured and sent to the capital as a slave. Unfortunately, on the journey to Daedo, it is exposed that she is actually not a boy, and she ends up becoming a palace maid serving the royal court. The Emperor is shocked when he sees her, first of all because she is a female and second because he was unaware that she had been captured. He commands her to be assigned to him as a personal assistant. With his favor, she eventually becomes a royal concubine and becomes indispensable as a lover and advisor to the Emperor.
Ha Ji Won is an amazing actress and this role gives her the opportunity to show off the many facets of her talent. First as the rough and savvy rebel leader and later as the refined and elegant high court official. As a character, I was rooting for Yang all the way through, but I do wish that she hadn’t become so greedy and selfish toward the end. It was obvious that she really did love the Emperor, but she put her own desires for power ahead of him and his feelings for her. On the positive side, all of this showed the complexity of her character and the development she had to go through to achieve her goals.
Ji Chang Wook as Emperor Toghan
Toghan is the oldest son of the Emperor, who has been passed over and sent into exile because his younger brother is still young enough to be controlled by the Prime Minister and Empress Dowager. While in exile, he learns that his father is on his death bed and his younger brother is frail and ill. So, he prepares to return and take his rightful place as the ruler. Once he is home and enthroned, he faces many enemies. From the Prime Minister who has already managed to divide the empire and gain the majority of the power to the Empress Dowager who seeks to quietly pull the strings of power in the back ground. Toghan wants to shake off the people trying to steal his authority and become a great leader, but it will require a lot of work and growth on his part. Yang is the only person who is willing to help him achieve these goals and he both loves and depends on her because of this. In the end, his ability to become the Emperor who he want to be will require him to sacrifice everything, including his life.
Toghan’s character is flawed from beginning to end. During his time in exile he is naive and immature, which is pretty adorable, but not the traits of a future leader of an empire. His naivety does give him a tendancy to be selfish in the way that children can be. But as he becomes determined to become a great ruler, he steps into more mature role. He is dedicated and driven to learn all the skills he will need. This is truly the best version of him. And as he gains confidence, his successes start to pile up. But all power comes with a price. For Toghan, his weaknesses and insecurites drive him to drink, which erodes his mental capacity and opens the door for his enemies to begin poisoning him. Ji Chang Wook does a terrific job of showing each of these gradual shifts in his character. There is nothing jarring or surprising. Each shift makes sense to the audience and it’s easy to understand how and why he is reacting the way he is. I’ve always been a Ji Chang Wook fan, but this rold made me appreciate him even more. From the playful innocence to the tortured fear, he took us all along for the ride and made us both love and pity him.
Supporting Characters
Joo Jin Mo as Wang Yoo
Wang Yoo is a truly admirable character. He is in turn either the king or the deposed king of Goryeo. He falls in love with Seung Nyang and though they are briefly engaged, circumstances and choices led her to chose the Emperor instead of him. His need to defend both his kingdom and his loved one continuously put him at a disadvantage, but he always seems to show up in the nick of time to save the day.
Kim Seo Hyung as Empress Dowager Hwang
In the beginning, the Empress Dowager seems to be on Toghon’s side, but it doesn’t take long for her to show her true colors. She wants power and control in any way she can get it. While the Prime Minister is alive, she lets him do the dirty work while she patiently stays in the background. But she is working the whole time, placing her people near the Emperor and slowly gathering the authority she needs. While the younger crown prince, Toghon’s brother, was her birth son, Toghon’s mother was actually a royal concubine. Because of this, the Empress Dowager has no real love for Toghon himself; only his power.
Things I Liked
♥ Visual Beauty
There is no denying that one of the best things about Empress Ki is how visually appealing it is. The costumes are intricate and ornate, the scenary is sweeping, and the battle scenes are intense and suspenseful. Especially taking into account that this drama was filmed 7 years ago, in 2013, it really accomplished something amazing in it’s cinematography. The use of bold and bright colors also helped to capture your attention and bring life to each and every scene.
♥Villains
This is a drama so big that it needed a whole crew of villains, and each one of them was deliciously hateable in their own right. Just when we finally get rid of the Prime Minister, the evil Queen Dowager steps up to take her turn. And when the Emperor finally gets wise to her, the head of Hawk House comes out of the wood work to swing a crushing blow. And that doesn’t even take into effect the minor villains like Yeom Byung Soo and Jo Cham. There is an endless array of them and they were all phenomenal at making us hate them!
♥Tal Tal
I had no idea what a fan favorite the character of Tal Tal is but I am definitely in agreement. He is selfless in the way he helps his uncle, Bayan, and Yang. He obviously loves Yang but keeps his feelings to himself and helps her achieve her dreams, even when they take her farther away from him. He is smart and patient and certainly a joy to look at. My favorite thing about his character was that he saw Yang as more than just a beautiful helper. Her potential ran deeper than anyone else ever gave her credit for, but he saw all of it and trusted her judgement unswervingly.
Things I Didn’t Like
Unnecessarily Long
While I certainly was never bored watching Empress Ki, 51 episdodes is an awful lot. And there was no shortage of character betrayals. I think that the drama could have been shorter and cut out some of the more redundant plots. It’s interesting that most current historicals follow the same 16 episode format that other genres do. Maybe that was a lesson they have learned over time. I just think the same story could have been told in less time.
Not Much of a Triangle
Maybe I just really like Ji Chng Wook, but the love triangle in Empress Ki didn’t feel much like a triangle to me. Wang Yoo and Yang had a bit of a story arc toward the beginning, but honestly I never felt much chemistry between the two. And after that, they were living on those few memories to keep the romantic tension alive. It did seem like Yang herself wasn’t really aware of her feelings for Toghan until much later, but for me their love story was obvious.
Wait…Tal Tal is what??
Even if Tal Tal was not my favorite character, surely his death deserved more than a passing by the way. If you weren’t paying attention, you might have actually missed it. No fanfare, no brief scene to get a chance to say goodbye, just “oh yeah, he died in battle”. At least he died as valiantly as he lived, and while we didn’t get a goodbye, at least Yang did. I just would have liked a little more respect paid to his wonderful character.
The Ending
After 51 episodes, you might think they would reward us for sticking with them by giving us a happy ending, but that was not to be. Empress Ki’s ending is as tragic as the rest of the drama. Aside from the Empress and crown prince there really aren’t many left. The Emperor kills Wang Yoo to protect Yang from the secret of their son. Then he kills all the ministers who support the Empress Dowager in her efforts to crown a new Emperor. The Empress Dowager is sentenced to the cold palace, but drinks poison before they can send her away. And lastly, Toghan finally succombs to the massive amounts of poison he was fed by Golta and dies in Yang’s arms. Even her mentor and confidant Tal Tal is killed in battle. Yang has become the Empress but she is left all alone.
Should I Watch
If you are a tried and true historical fiction fan, Empress Ki is a classic must-see. The costumes and scenary are of epic proportions, and the stories of love and betrayal are exactly what we would expect from this style of drama. The cast is amazing and the plot lines will keep you guessing until the very end. If you are new to the genre or just don’t enjoy long, drawn-out, meoldramatic plots, this is probably not for you. It is not lighthearted or a quick fix, but for those of you looking for a beautiful story you can immerse yourselves in, you will not be disappointed. I give Empress Ki a 9 out of 10 ramen.
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The breath and scope of Empress Ki is impressive. I actually disagree with review here….the sweeping melodrama the stunning vistas, beautiful costumes suggest that this is more than just your ‘run of the mill’ historical K Drama. In actuality, the really impressive aspect to Empress Ki is that it conveys the murderous intrigue and scandalous antics within the secret, closed world of the Yuan Imperial Court – a telling scene with a Court Eunuch and Lady Ki offers a perfect insight. The Eunuch explains to her that life/death behind the walls of the Forbidden Palace for most courtiers hangs by a thread….even the slightest gossip and suspicion could mean death. That said, the actors are outstanding, the lead actress is simply beautiful….There is everything within this drama, romance, war/action, melodrama and tragedy, often in equal measure….ENJOY!
Thanks for your comment! Your description of the scope and purpose of this drama are so insightful. It is true that Lady Ki’s actions are completely justifiable against the idea that her life and the life of all those she has come to care about does indeed “hang by a thread”. This drama is such a beautiful story. I’m so glad that you enjoyed it as much as I did.
The series captured us all, initially I watched it because it was so visually beautiful, then you get into the story and that’s when it’s all complete,
It was a bit too long, and the ending unexpected, but nevertheless worth while watching
You are so right! Yes it was long and a bit heartbreaking, but what an incredible journey it was. This remains a favorite for me!
It didn’t matter how many episodes. I wish there was more. Wang Yu was a King. He is murdered and left outside his palace like a stray animal. There should have been a befitting funeral. He had a wife, after all. They didn’t bring Tal Tal’s body home; after years of service. The Emperor died and no acknowledgement of it if there were a few more episodes to show what happened; Ayu taking the throne.
This is true! They did leave us dangling on several issues that I would have liked more closure for. It is funny that we come to the end of so many episodes still wanting more. Maybe that is just the sign of a good, worthwhile drama. But I can’t disagree that each of those characters deserved more than they got.
I just finished the series. The acting was spot on from the characters including the crazy empress who fed poison. The transformation of the emperor from a timid crown prince to a commanding man who eventually ordered the murder of the traitors was awesome! There were several notable excellent characters played by amazing actors.
I have no problem with the ending. We got closure. They didn’t have to make episodes showing funerals of Wang Gu and the emperor or Aru’s ascendance to the throne. The main story was told in full in the 51 episodes.
This was my very first long historical drama and it remains a favorite for me. The cast was wonderful. It sounds like you liked this one start to finish. I’m glad to hear others are enjoying it as much as me.
The twist of the story and the acting were quite captivating till the end however the death of Wang Yoo left me with heartache. With all the sacrifices Seung Nyang and Wang Yoo made I assumed it will bring them together.
Exactly — I shed oceans of tears but always kept hope alive for Suang & Wang Yu. I felt that her final words of love to the Emperor were more of a love for a close companion than a true love.
I saw differently. To me Yang was in love with the Emperor for a long, long time she simply didn’t recognize it until it was too late, and that’s because the memory of all the pain she suffered because of his country was so vivid. Her love for Wang Yoo was more respect and admiration than passion and that was the case during her whole life.
Everyone here,I mean every single cast played their role so well e.g the eunuchs,the maids especially the maid assigned to tanashiri,the guys around Wang Yu,Yom fei Su, Yom byong su, and so much more delivered so well.it makes one glued to the screen then talk about the visuals and the grand regal colours and clothing’s. I’d rate it 10 ramen♥️
No, wangyu was her close companion bcus she said it one time that he was her lord and lord forever, so he is just someone she respect while
the emperor was her true love
Having watched at least 100+ KDramas and TDramas (plus a smattering of JDramas), I feel confident to say that this was truly an epic drama that could have used a little tighter editing and maybe 1 more episode to cover the rise of the Red Turban rebels (aka South Song loyalists) and the end of Toghan’s reign just to complete the arc of the love story. Because the story is about the Empress and her first love Wang Yu and mature love Toghan, it would have been nice to see her care of him at the end when he was struggling. Historically, Toghan withdrew from politics toward the end of his life, and she ran into later problems with others viewing Ayu as the crown prince. It would have been nice to see their relationship evolve given his choices and her decision given the turbulence of the times at the end of the Yuan Dynasty.
Also, I found the historical thread very enlightening and I thought the drama occasionally left out an explainer. The detail of the intricacies of the Yuan Dynasty Imperial Court and its differences from the preceding Qin/Song and post Ming/Qing Dynasties could be missed in the pageantry of the drama. I often paused to read (and reread) the court intrigue of the real-life characters in the story’s historical context. Obviously, this is a dramatization of historical figures but the writers tried to fill in the blanks about the why things happened with stretching of the time-frame to match the historical events. I also paused frequently to read about the use of different titles (i.e., 5th Rank Consort, Imperial Consort, Magistrates, etc. in the Yuan Dynasty + the consort/concubine differences with Mongol/Yuan vs. Han Chinese dynasties).
As I’ve told others, truth is better than fiction and the real-life insanity of the Yuan Dynasty politics and the equivalent craziness of the other Dynasties is breathtaking. I thought the drama did a great job of portraying the mundane aspects of court life along with the extravagant pageantry. This is foremost a love story but it is also a story about what love means. For example, love between individuals (all of the different characters), love of country (Goryeo), love of community (Goreyo villagers), platonic love (Tal Tal), and filial love (Ayu and Maha). The drama touched on all parts, and I think this is where it shines. If viewed from a Confucius (Imperial China) or Neo-Confucious (post-Goreyo Korea to present), I thought the writers tried to answer the question of love in the context of both world views. I think the proof of this is with the modern epilogue.
The writers answer which love was stronger and why the different loves matter. This was never about a love triangle in the KDrama/TDrama sense. I think it was always about what love means at different times in our lives. Everyone has a first love and first intimate relationship. The question is what happens if you meet someone else. Is the first love paramount, even if you have a child with him/her? Or can other love(s) be as important or more important? The writers answered by showing only the modern Ki and Toghan. In other words, their love was the “epic” love and a more meaningful relationship. This answers that we can have new loves without denigrating the prior loves. In our context, we can meet, fall in love with, marry/have children, and still find love again with someone else. It also answers that true love doesn’t mean your first love. It is the love that stands the test of time and adversity.
Digressing some more, Ovid’s Ars Amatoria is perhaps the analogue to the drama in a non-Confucius context. Ovid address the issue of love within the Roman Empire context and sought to “modernize” love between individuals toward more equality not unlike how the love (and total hierarchical control) played out between Ki and Toghan. The writers took a stance on “true love” and “monogamy” in complete contradiction to the then Yuan/Confucian concepts of polygamy and filial duty to hierarchical structures. It should be added that historically, the relationship between Toghan and Ki also suggested a more monogamous relationship, given there were so few offspring from other concubines and consorts. Historically, Toghan did appear to love and spend much more time with Ki (as reported) and this itself was unusual, given the imperative of having many Imperial offspring. Thus, both historically and in the modern times, we would expect that only Ki’s and Toghan’s love to be reincarnated.