Empress Ki ended on a high note for me. Maybe I am biased when it comes to a drama centered around a strong female lead, but I throughly enjoyed the amazing twists and turns of the politics in the palace, which is very unlikely for me. I liked that there were no ‘definite’ male lead. Even until the end she was torn between the two men that she loved equally. We all know her soulmate was Wang Yoo but circumstances and the Emperor’s weakness proved how much she was needed in the Emperor’s life. She needed to be there for him.

Compared to Wang Yoo, Te Hwan was weak and timid and he never really became the fierce warrior that you would think you would see in a drama. His character was deeply flawed and I absolutely hated him but now that I have finished it, I am glad he didn’t really have a ‘redemption’ arc. He was not evil but he was not good either. Basically his every immature decision centered around his obsession with Nyang and I really applaud her ability to stand by his side. Please don’t think I support an abusive relationship because under no circumstances was our Nyang repressed or abused. The girl held her ground and was her own person.

The ‘villain’ Tanishiri will probably go down in history as one of the most wounded characters ever. I could never really hate her even with all her evil deeds. I understood where is all stemmed from and at times I felt like all she needed as a ‘hug’.

General Taltal was the other shining character that I ended up admiring. Sometimes I wanted him to run away with Nyang and forget everything else.

For a 50 plus sageuk, Empress Ki was a good one time watch. It kept me at the edge of my seat with the nail biting conspiracies and back stabbing. And how can you not admire Ha Ji Won? That girl is a badass.
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    Which ending did u watch? You know there was 2?

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      What?!?! Netflix has just one!!! The one where *spoilers* Te Hwan dies in her arms and she escapes with her son to the North, which is the start of the north yuan dynasty or something. Taltal is dead. What is the other ending??

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        If you saw her deciding if she wanted to ride with WY or TH, that’s the unfinished but originally broadcasted ending. If you saw her riding on the beach with TH, that’s the corrected rebroadcasted version.

        Here’s a comparison: http://couch-kimchi.com/2014/05/07/empress-ki-mbc-makes-changes-in-rebroadcast/

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          Netflix has the ride with TH only version.

          I am searching to see the other ending because I think that ending would have been better. Her deciding who to choose.

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            Nah, it reduced her life to a love triangle. The new ending is better IMO. Love was no longer the topic, which shouldn’t be since she confessed her love to TH at the end. If she was still swaying back and forth, then her confession is lie said out of pity.

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          But she did love them both though. I am sure she thought of ‘what if’ if she had ended up with Wang Yoo. It is probably possible to love two men at the same time. I don’t know

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            I believe the story was she loved them equally but not simultaneously, because then it’s two-timing, not how writers in SK would depict their heroine.

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    when I first finished the show I absolutely hated TH too, mainly because I felt that WY had such an unfair treatment (I remember ranting about this on every kdrama site possible), and after a few years now I still hate him too (I tried not to, I really tried)

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      Yeah I never loved him. He seemed like a coward who was sitting on the throne and did not deserve the respect and reverence bestowed on him on a daily basis. Plus his ‘love’ for Nyang was borderline obsession. But I liked that that’s how they portrayed him.

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    Imo Nyang loved both men in different ways: Wang Yu as her first love and Tae Hwan as a slow burn on her part.

    Tanashiri forged my forever love for Baek Jin Hee. People who weren’t satisfied with the love triangle became Team Taltal. I personally admired his loyalty.

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