The Last Empress Cast and Release Date?
The Last Empress also known as 황후의 품격 (Hwanghuui Pumgyeok) in Korean directed by Kim Soon-Ok and the screenwriter is Joo Dong-Min. It’s an action-packed thriller, mystery K-drama. This drama was aired from November 2018-February 2019.
The Main Cast is as follows
- Jang Na-Ra as Oh Sunny: She played the role of a bright and cheerful personality who is aspiring to be a musical actress. When she marries the Emperor she becomes overnight Cinderella. She even uncovers the murder mystery of Grand Empress Dowager and the corrupt imperial family.
- Choi Ji-Hyuk as Na Wang-sik / Chun Woo-bin: Played the role of revenge seeker from the imperial family for his mother’s death. He infiltrates the imperial household, changes his identity to Chun Woo-bin, and becomes the most trusted imperial bodyguard of the Emperor with his fighting skills.
- Shin Sung-Rok as Emperor Lee Hyuk: Played the role of Emperor of the Korean Empire. Very powerful yet ugly personality beneath his pleasant appearance.
- Lee Elijah as Min Yoo-Ra: She is the imperial head secretary who is greedy, decisive, and quick-witted. She is the most trusted secretary of the Emperor and also his mistress.
- Shin Eun-Kyung as Empress Dowager Kang: The Emperor Mother, a fearless and powerful woman in the palace holds absolute authority and is fierce to her status.
Where to watch The Last Empress?
Viki, Netflix, SBS World, iQIYI, Kocowa, MX PLAYER (Hindi Dubbed)
How many Episodes are there in The Last Empress?
- Episodes: 52
- Duration: 35 min each
The Last Empress Story Explained?
The Drama is set in an alternate universe, and Korea is a constitutional monarchy in 2018. When ‘Oh Sunny‘ the musical actress marries Emperor ‘Lee Hyuk‘ of the Korean Empire, while searching for true love and happiness she gets involved in the palace power struggle and a mysterious murder which sets several events that threaten the monarchy itself. And from there, she teams up with Na Wang Shik who is the bodyguard of the imperial family, and is also on the same route to take revenge for his mother’s death.
The Last Empress Ending Explained?
The drama with so many twists and turns where anyone can lose track, the ending surprisingly tied the loose ends and gave closure to viewers by ensuring that all villains pay for their evil actions.
Na Wang Shik- Choi Jin Hyuk, who is supposed to be the male lead, is getting killed off and was not seen in the last two episodes. He got very few scenes in the last and first few episodes, like 20% only of the drama. The episodes were extended and Choi Jin Hyuk wasn’t able to fit in the additional days of episodes and hence ended his character getting killed off.
Shin Sung-Rok as Emperor Lee Hyuk: as much we like our dear Emperor as he becomes cuter and cuter in the coming episode, but there is no denying that he did terrible things in the past which caused too many deaths and his mistakes cannot be forgiven.
So in the end he is left with either paying for his mistakes in jail or death. And as we see that he dies a tragic death, killed by his own mother. And in the end, he realized his mistakes.
Shin Eun-Kyung as Empress Dowager Kang: the evil queen gets exposed, the biggest baddie Empress Dowager who is behind manipulating everyone in the palace so she can maintain her power.
Empress Dowager ends up in jail.
Grand Empress Dowager: her mystery death is revealed in an anti-climactic fashion.
Jang Na-Ra as Oh Sunny: she ends up becoming the “THE LAST EMPRESS” Thanks to Oh Sunny the monarchy is dissolved and she again becomes a civilian, then she adopts Princess Ari as her daughter.
Also read: Marry My Husband Cast, Story, Ending Explanation, Review, Episodes and more
Is The Last Empress a happy ending?
As we all know revenge is Bittersweet. The Last Empress has so many twists and turns which make us go through every possible theory as the drama is full of suspense, AND not a happy ending to all the characters.
Will there be The Last Empress Season 2?
While an official release date for The Last Empress Season 2 is not announced yet.
The Last Empress Review
Cinematography: The drama is full of mystery, thriller, and “revenge”, it will give you an experience of roller–a coaster ride full of emotions and plot twists. Till the end, you will enjoy it, as we see Oh Sunny life change when she marries the Emperor and so many ups and downs she has to go through. Every episode leaves you desiring more. We get to see how the Imperial family is exposed. This drama will not keep you handing for long any twist, you will get it on time.
Acting and Script: Some Characters were not given importance like Choi Jin-Hyuk whose role got burned in the last episodes, which was a poor decision by the production team. Also, weakness emerged in the writings. Shin Sung Rok as Emperor Lee Hyuk has a complex character. Initially he portrays as a charming and charismatic ruler of imperial family with significant power in the palace. But under the polished exterior lies a conflicted and troubled individual. He has his own demons, a traumatic past and a strained relationship with his mother. In the end, he was able to recognize Sunny and what a purely good person she was. Jang Na Ra once again proved that she is the rom-com queen she just nailed her character.
The extension in drama caused a bit lag before the finale where we see Empress Dowager hated Oh Sunny; Kang Hee is threatening the Empress Dowager. Oh Sunny takes a pledge that she will uncover the truth and rip rotten imperial family.
Min Yoo Ra has her own revenge storyline, which was more compelling, and how she came into the palaces in the first place. She took the blow on her head to save Oh Sunny was a touching sacrifice.
The romance between Oh Sunny and Wang Sik was half-backed, as we see they didn’t confess to each other.
Should you Watch or Not?
In the end, we see everyone deserves according to their sins. So it’s a much watch if you are a fan of mystery and suspense or Jang Na Ra Fan.
