Ratings Rise For "Empress Ki" With The Death Of A Villain

At long last! That's what many viewers said when they saw this week's episodes of "Empress Ki."

These episodes spelled the end of a villain that everyone loved to hate. That villain was El Temur, played by actor Jeon Gook Hwan.

The mark of a good actor is that he can create such a powerful villain that viewers truly hate him. And that's what Jeon Gook Hwan accomplished when he created the character of El Temur. Despite having seen this actor before in dramas such as "Nine: Nine Time Travels," "Bridal Mask" and "The Chaser," it was so easy to unreservedly hate his "Empress Ki" character and his whole despicable family.

Ratings rose to almost 30 percent when it seemed likely that he would finally die and end his family's stranglehold on imperial power. This week's second episode reached 29.2 percent in the ratings, which is 2.3 percent higher than the previous episode. It's the highest rating the show has ever seen and that is due perhaps to viewers wanting to see El Temur pay for what he has done.

Even on his deathbed El Temur tried to cause trouble between Seungnyang, played by Ha Ji Won, and Emperor Ta Hwan, played by Ji Chang Wook.

"You should keep away from that girl you adore so much," he told the emperor and he also said that she would fill the palace with Koreans who would be loyal to her. He tried to create issues between her and the Queen Mother too, saying that Seungnyang would be after her next. He said he was not afraid of death but more afraid that the empire would be under Seungnyang's authority.

By saying these things he set in play the next conflicts Seungnyang will face. With El Temur out of the way, her former allies may plot against her for more power.

And it was not just El Temur who was vanquished but also his sons and his evil daughter, the Empress Tanashiri. Her awful deeds, including the murder of Lady Park, are finally revealed and punished. Revenge is sweet but the 50-episode drama still has a dozen episodes to go in which Seungnyang will make new enemies as she becomes more powerful.

It is unusual for a drama to lose its primary villains with so many episodes left to go, but that was the reality of court intrigue in that a person who was one day your ally could the next day become your enemy.

We know Seungnyang will succeed because history tells us she becomes Empress Ki but at what cost?