I rode The Last Empress bus thinking that all I’d get is comedy and absurd plot to go with it. But ohhh la la, this series was wayyyy more than that. The series looked so expensive! Every detail screams “high budget!” The props, set, cinematography, color grading, OSTs, and writing definitely weren’t just whisked together purely for fun. That surprisingly, the screenwriters had an an amazing and well-executed plot prepared for all the people who decided to hop on. And the acting? Wow, the leads definitely did not just come to play. They came to slay.

Unlike what the trailers promised, I’ve had my own moments of tears, especially at the finale episode. There were several tear jerkers here and there but surprisingly, only a few comedic scenes actually— and most of them were Shin Sung Rok’s who, I can confidently say, owned the show. Ohh I’ll talk more about him later.

Writing wasn’t perfect but the “WTF” moments can pass as comedic relief or could easily be forgiven for the drama’s fast pacing. The 26 episodes went by so quickly for the writers did not unnecessarily latch on any specific issue. Yes, the central issue loomed over the minor ones but at least the minor details didn’t drag on and end up being pointless like in some dramas.

Despite its facade of a fun drama, the issues they tackled could trigger several emotions especially aiming at personal values. The moral lessons on true love, family, and human dignity were too spot on that they’d keep moving your moral compass. Thankfully, we have a protagonist whose morals are intact and cannot be easily swayed with a little shower of affection, yet knows when and how to forgive. Traits that we could all try to emulate.

There was also no unnecessary romance (although that Hello and Prince Yoon stint somehow came out of nowhere. Definitely needed more build up for their love’s depth to be understandable) but admittedly this drama offered a lot of rooms for debate on who likes who or who truly loves who. However, the writers were smart enough not to dwell on any of those. It’s up to the viewers to read between the lines and to take the depicted scenes with a grain of salt. They just played with ambiguity with a dose that I can tolerate.

And now comes acting:
1. JANG NA RA— Let’s not compare her depiction here with her previous roles for it could spark issues that I refuse to discuss. What matters is that she really brought all her cards to the table in portraying Oh Sunny. Her moods were infectious—- she’s happy, we feel happy too; she’s sad, we feel broken too; she’s ready to wreak havoc, we’re on her boat too. Writing-wise, however, I just felt like her almost seamless adjustment into the Empress role was way too... convenient and unrealistic? Or did I just assume that she’s supposed to have a hard time adjusting considering she lived in poverty and had a regular commoner education?

Well, the thing is, we weren’t shown a Sunny who was struggling to fit in the palace. What we got instead was a ray of sunshine and regal Sunny who seemed to have the palace customs and protocols already ingrained in her system—- a case that we don’t often see in dramas with similar story of a commoner marrying into a royalty. That threw me off several times. She seemed to always know what to do next and is well-versed in surviving in the palace, as if she’s been living there for years. But props to the writer on how Sunny was made to deal with Lee Hyeok’s death. She was neither unnecessarily distraught nor shamelessly apathetic. She’s just sad. She felt the loss of a husband she once held dear and has accepted to have genuinely loved her in his remaining days. She was sad for the what-could-have-beens had he survived to live a much better life... with her.

2. CHOI JIN HYUK—- Gotta be honest, I’ve had the loudest laugh in the entire series at that scene where it panned out from original Na Wang Shik to Chon Woo Bin. Gosh! I did not pay attention to the trailers of who CJH is going to be that that the above-mentioned transition really made me burst out laughing. Writing-wise, there were a looot of unrealistic things brewed into building the character of Chon Woo Bin that I encourage you to no longer process much to avoid headache. Take them as this drama’s offer to the comedy deities. So, don’t dwell on them any longer for your own sake please.

While CJH definitely carried the role well almost seamlessly, his end was totally anticlimactic. It was such a non-deserved exit to the main narrative that I had to look for clues as to why the production did that. I found out that the drama got extended to four more episodes and CJH could not continue filming the extension due to conflicting filming schedules with his other project. While it was a not-so beautiful exit to the hero of the series, well, I must say, the writers did an amazing shift of focus from him to the Emperor that the viewers had no time to protest about Na Wang Shik’s departure style.

And that leaves us with 3. SHIN SUNG ROK—- He started out as the scariest villain and left the series as the beloved Pyeha. If there’s one character in the series that the writer tediously worked on making it greatly developed, then that would be Emperor Lee Hyeok. His childhood scars were shown well to make a clear connection with his personality disorder. And his insecurities were well-written that you’d understand why he’s turned into a monster. All of these could have been overlooked if not for SSR’ brilliant portrayal of the many layers of Emperor Lee Hyeok. He was a psycho when he had to, and was cute as that giant affectionate baby whom we couldn’t help but adore.

Moreover, his effortless power dressing really made us all believe he’s a real Emperor. He just looked sooooo good in the entire series that I began questioning my style in men. Before the show, I did not even consider SSR as my type of handsome but boom! The first episode made me grow a crush on him that gradually blossomed into love as the series finished. Truly, we all came for Choi Jin Hyuk but ended up leaving with a big Shin Sung Rok placard stuck on our foreheads.

4. The rest of the supporting cast did great. Almost everyone was excellent and stayed true to their character. Standouts, however, were Crown Princess Ari, Chief Assistant Min Yura, and also the villainess Empress Dowager Eun Ran who was annoying when needed to be, and funny when the script called for it. I just can’t unsee her stark resemblance though to Kim Sung Kyun [of Reply 1988 (Junghwan’s father) and The Fiery Priest fame].


In conclusion, the series had redefined our standards of dramas “on crack”. This was a rare fast-paced comedic and revenge themed drama with a VERY expensive production. You’re surely in for a treat. Just come with zero expectations and standards so you’ll understand what I mean.