7 Totally Absurd Moments From "The Last Empress" Episodes 13-16

“The Last Empress” continues to captivate us with its wildly dramatic plot, and Episodes 13-16 gave us even more unexpected betrayals, shocking deaths, and emerging schemes. True to the drama’s over-the-top style, these surprises were all delivered with the characteristic scandalous flair that we can’t get enough of! From the wildly humorous to the ridiculously dramatic, here are seven moments from this week’s episodes that were completely, fantastically, wonderfully absurd!

Warning: spoilers for Episodes 13-16 below!

1. When Prince Yoon went pants-less

Most characters in “The Last Empress” are fighting for the throne, but Crown Prince Yoon (Oh Seung Yoon) is determined to run far, far away from it. In a desperate attempt to escape from his mother’s guards, Yoon deters the men from following him into the bathroom by leaving his pants with them. The prince definitely wouldn’t leave the building in nothing but his underwear, right?

Right….

2. When Hyuk started to lose it

We don’t blame Yoon for trying to escape the madness of the palace, especially when not everyone within wants him back. As Crown Prince, Yoon is next in line for the throne, which poses a major threat to Emperor Lee Hyuk (Shin Sung Rok), especially now that Hyuk has made an enemy out of his mother.

Under all these different pressures, Hyuk is finally starting to show cracks — most notably in this creepy scene where he smashes a TV that had been playing a video of his mother, and then maniacally laughs in front of it for a full minute.

All aboard the crazy train!

3. When we learned what Kang Hee is up to

Last week we discovered that Seo Kang Hee (Yoon So Yi) is the real mother of Princess Ari, who is secretly the emperor’s daughter. But we now know even more about this already shocking reveal: Kang Hee has been scheming behind everyone’s back this whole time in order to get Ari on the throne. But rather than deal with the mess of the royal family, Kang Hee has been quietly making her way around them through the Prime Minister:

Kang Hee might just be the most cunning of them all, and the more we learn about her, the more absurdly dramatic things become: we also found out that she had seduced Hyuk while he was married to the late Empress So Hyun, who was allegedly Kang Hee’s best friend.

Kang Hee’s scheme also adds a whole new level to the power dynamics of the palace: Min Yoo Ra (Lee Elijah) thinks she’s running the show, but she’s not the only one who has seduced the emperor — and unlike Yoo Ra, Kang Hee has a daughter to show for it. It’s a delightful little secret against Yoo Ra, and we’re looking forward to that smug look being wiped off her face once she finally finds out!

4. When Wang Sik betrayed Sunny

When Empress Sunny (Jang Nara) goes to a hotel to catch Hyuk and Yoo Ra in the act of infidelity, she has no idea that it’s a setup to frame her as being in an adulterous relationship with Na Wang Sik (Choi Jin Hyuk).

But we were shocked right along with Sunny to find that Wang Sik was actually in on this ridiculously scandalous plot, too!

His betrayal is quite a surprise, since we’ve watched him treat Sunny with kindness and sympathize with her from afar. Wang Sik is still prioritizing his revenge motives, and we can’t help but wonder how he and Sunny are going to fall in love after this massive breach of trust.

5. This dramatic “murder”

Hyuk tries once again to have his wife murdered, this time in an exaggeratedly dramatic scene that features Wang Sik pushing her off a cliff and into the river below.

Unsurprisingly, Sunny is saved, and we suspect Wang Sik had a hand in this, given that Sunny’s rescuer is none other than Wang Sik’s former teacher — who, of course, turns out to be not only the former head of the palace guard, but also the deceased empress’s father.

6. All the times Sunny was savage

Sunny is now out for revenge, and we are here for it.

Especially when it involves scenes of her throwing things at her horrible husband, shoving Yoo Ra to the ground, and slapping people across the face — all of which are equal parts ridiculous and satisfying to watch.

8. When the Grand Empress Dowager showed Hyuk who’s boss

The Grand Empress Dowager (Park Won Sook) snatched our wigs when she threw down hers to teach Hyuk a lesson. It was about time we saw someone try to put the emperor in his place, and this scene was both absurdly hilarious and incredibly satisfying.

Unfortunately, it looks like the Grand Empress Dowager has paid for it with her life, because we have an inkling that Hyuk had something to do with this:

The Grand Empress Dowager’s death means one fewer morally upright character in the palace, and we’re dying to know how this is going to shake things up. Will Yoon return to avenge his grandmother? Will the Empress Dowager’s power now be completely unchecked? Will Wang Sik and Sunny finally realize they’re on the same side?

Share your predictions in the comments below! And be sure to catch this week’s episodes of “The Last Empress” here:

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hgordon stays up way too late on weeknights marathoning K-dramas and trying to keep up with the latest K-pop releases.

Currently watching: “The Last Empress,” “Mama Fairy and the Woodcutter,” and “Clean with Passion for Now,” and “My Strange Hero.”
All-time favorite dramas: “Scarlet Heart: Goryeo,” “Goblin,” and “Hwayugi.”