REVIEW: ‘The Remarried Empress’ Episodes 1-4

Power is a dangerous tool. In the right hands, it can protect and serve others. In The Remarried Empress, directed by Jo Soo-won, audiences are shown exactly how devastating power can be in the wrong hands. Based on the novel by Alphatart and the webtoon by HereLee, The Remarried Empress Episodes 1-4 explore the complicated relationship between love, authority, and the responsibilities that come with both.

Set in a European-inspired fantasy world known as the Eastern Empire, the KDrama features Emperor Sovieshu Vict (Ju Ji-hoon) and Empress Navier Ellie Trovi (Shin Min-a). Initially, Sovieshu is a caring husband, deeply in love with his wife. He seeks her counsel, looks for ways to spend time with her, and simply can’t get enough of her.

That is, until one fateful trip to go hunting, when Sovieshu comes across three men beating a woman in his hunting grounds. After fighting off her attackers, Sovieshu falls in love with the runaway slave, Rashta (Lee Se-yeong), whom they were attacking.

Rashta’s introduction kickstarts the breakdown of Sovieshu and Navier’s relationship.

Of course, it starts with whispers. Ladies-in-waiting and members of high society fill the Palace walls with gossip about the slave girl brought in from the hunt. Navier doesn’t pay it much attention until Sovieshu finally asks her to approve his taking of a mistress.

In this society, an emperor may take as many mistresses as he’d like with the approval of his empress. There are a few rules, however, and Rashta being a slave complicates that. With that in mind, Sovieshu accepts an offer from Lady Albani (Jung Young-joo), his aunt and his uncle’s wife, who attempted a coup and now sits in prison. In exchange for land that Sovieshu seized after his uncle’s failed coup, Lady Albani will adopt Rashta, legitimizing her in high society.

Knowing that her husband can manipulate the law in his favor, Navier chooses to accept the mistress. Still, Navier is an incredibly captivating character because, even as her husband’s scandal becomes a formally recognized union, she maintains her dignity and composure and continues to lead her people with elegance and grace.

The Remarried Empress Episodes 1-4 set up the dynamics, the stakes, and Navier’s future.

What makes her so compelling is that she is emotionally intelligent. She understands the political and personal ramifications of her husband’s actions. Still, Navier refuses to let her personal humiliation compromise her judgment. She carries out her duties as empress in spite of it all. She doesn’t merely lie down and endure. She makes calculated decisions within the framework of what she has to work with and maintains control through her decorum.

Her husband becomes cold and cruel overnight. He simply doesn’t love her and realizes that he never really did. Everything he does is to stroke his own ego and protect his beloved Rashta. Rashta, for her part, starts out very naive and innocent. It doesn’t take long, though, for her to settle into being the favored female in the emperor’s life.

Meanwhile, Navier begins receiving secret correspondence by bird from an unknown writer. What she doesn’t know is that the bird is actually Prince Heinrey (Lee Jong-suk) from the Western Kingdom. In fact, he and his cousin, McKenna, can both perform the magical transformation. Heinrey uses it to pick up women and has cultivated a notorious reputation as a womanizer.

Shin Min-a is absolutely fantastic as Navier.

The Remarried Empress Episodes 1-4 are a great launching point for all these storylines. With the expansive premiere, plenty of information goes out to set in motion a spectacular series. The series blends fantasy elements like magical barriers, monsters, and shape-shifting royalty with political intrigue and romance.

So far, the series explores themes like jealousy, honesty, dignity, and leadership. In The Remarried Empress Episodes 1-4, Navier never stops being the leader her people need. She plans events and meets with guests and other dignitaries. While her husband becomes preoccupied with his new mistress, Navier chooses to rise above the scandal and gossip and simply be the leader she always is.

While totally typical of KDramas, The Remarried Empress Episodes 1-4 certainly suffer from a long setup. The series has only 10 episodes, but by the end of Episode 4, Navier isn’t divorced yet, much less remarried. We learn that Heinrey’s father is gravely ill, and all the pieces are put in place to allow him to ascend to the throne, perhaps with a divorcee on his arm, but the word “divorce” hasn’t even come out of anyone’s mouth yet.

While Heinrey may not be the best choice on paper, time will tell whether he is the right partner for Navier.

On the other hand, the casting is absolutely incredible. Shin Min-a as Navier truly shines as the picture of regal elegance. In two different scenes in The Remarried Empress Episodes 1-4, she delivers speeches that may go down as some of the most memorable moments ever in a KDrama.

There’s something intensely satisfying about watching her look the emperor in the face, draw a line in the air, and tell him she’s drawn a line and there will be no further discussion. Ju Ji-hoon and Shin Min-a have excellent on-screen chemistry in these moments. This isn’t the kind of chemistry that makes them compatible in a romantic setting. Rather, this chemistry is about how well they work together as a couple full of vile contempt.

What’s truly amazing about how The Remarried Empress Episodes 1-4 handle the on-screen chemistry between its two main couples is that there is certainly a feeling that one budding relationship feels intentionally more pleasant than the other.

The developing relationship between Sovieshu and Rashta highlights a toxic dynamic.

There’s something toxic about Sovieshu and Rashta’s on-screen romance. Sovieshu acts as a protector, but ultimately he comes off as controlling and angry with anyone who says even the slightest thing against Rashta. He saves every ounce of gentleness for Rashta, something Navier and her staff become the unwitting victims of Sovieshu’s wrath when one of Navier’s ladies-in-waiting, the daughter of a noble, is imprisoned by the emperor for defending her empress.  

By contrast, Prince Heinrey comes in during a great New Year celebration that also serves as a celebration of the Eastern Empire’s 100th birthday. Although he arrives as a guest of Sovieshu and Navier and could certainly be considered inferior to them, he treats Navier as though she were his equal. Likewise, Navier never treats Heinrey as beneath her.

The deliberate contrast between the two pairs adds to the tension as Sovieshu grows more wary and jealous of Navier’s time with Heinrey, despite having just taken a mistress for himself. When it comes time for the empress to become the titular remarried empress, it will likely come with outbursts, anger, and a lot of emotion.

There’s a lot to take in with The Remarried Empress Episodes 1-4, but it’s well worth it.

The music set to nearly every scene by composer Kim Tae-seung is majestic and takes every ounce of extra space the scene allows for and then some. There’s no way to hear the score, see the costume and set design, and not be immediately immersed in this high-society, regal world. The Remarried Empress Episodes 1-4 have a very Bridgerton vibe to it.

As far as premieres go, The Remarried Empress Episodes 1-4 deliver a lot for viewers to take in, but it’s worth every moment. When Navier finally finds her way to a man who knows how to treat her, there will be drama, deeply felt consequences, and yes, there will be love; perhaps in a way that Navier has never experienced before. The Remarried Empress Episode 4 ends on quite the cliffhanger, but even without that, it would be good enough to warrant coming back for more.

The Remarried Empress Episodes 1-4 are streaming now on Hulu and Disney+, with new episodes airing Wednesdays.