Believe the Hype: “The Remarried Empress” Is the Royal Obsession Disney+ Didn’t Know It Needed
If Bridgerton, Ladyhawke, The Princess Diaries 2, and Sailor Moon had a baby, it would be The Remarried Empress. Based on one of Asia's most popular web novels, Disney+ and Hulu dropped the first four episodes a day early after the show’s trailer surpassed 13 million views in 48 hours. Naturally, I had to see what the fuss was all about.
A fairytale with decidedly adult themes, The Remarried Empress follows Empress Navier (Shin Mina) of the Eastern Kingdom, who seems to live a picture-perfect life as the strong wife of Emperor Sovieshu (Ju Jihoon), joining him on hunting excursions while trying to bear him an heir. Having known each other since childhood, Navier and Sovieshu’s relationship is built on friendship, and unlike his father, Sovieshu promised his bride he would never take a mistress.
That hunting trip forms the centerpiece of the premiere episode, which finds Navier and Sovieshu split up when a ground-dwelling predator attacks. It’s some kind of monstrous creature that isn’t explained in the first four episodes, but presumably recurs later in the series. For now, Navier's fateful moment comes in the form of a mysterious white bird with purple eyes that has been watching her and helps her slay the creature. Meanwhile, Sovieshu happens upon a gang of men abusing an enslaved young woman named Rashta (Lee Seyoung), whom he gallantly rescues. Something about her draws him in, and he has her brought to the palace without telling Navier.
The show’s title hints at the unraveling marriage, but the way it unfolds makes it enticing to watch. Secrets withheld, Regency-era expectations of status and decorum, and the intersection of European and South Korean cultures provide the real entertainment value. Just as Bridgerton melds period fashions with contemporary sensibilities, the set and costume design of The Remarried Empress feels like a union of contemporary Eastern and Western fashion ideals through a period lens.
Filmed across Prague and elsewhere in the Czech Republic and Germany, this South Korean production further emphasizes the clash of cultures, which is part of its allure. I watched Disney’s English dub, and it's so excellently matched and timed that I often forgot it wasn’t the original language. Produced by VSI London, the British voice cast (Jess Nesling as Navier, Adam Rhys Dee as Sovieshu, April Hughes as Rashta, Matt Canny as Heinrey) all pair perfectly with the live-action actors, with Gemma Hoare serving as both a script adapter and dubbing director.
In the U.S., the show is Hulu-branded, and while it’s not overtly sexual, there is a surprising amount of sex appeal for a show that, at its core, is a fairy tale. From the opening, where we find a shirtless Sovieshu lounging in bed with Navier, to Crown Prince Heinrey (Lee Jongsuk) of the Western Kingdom being a shapeshifter who can’t take his clothes with him, there’s plenty of male eye candy. Similarly, talk of fertility and the Dulcinea-esque Rashta (at least in the first two episodes) yield a decent amount of feminine prowess for a show that largely feels aimed at women. In short, The Remarried Empress is kinda sexy regardless of who you’re attracted to.
The first four episodes, available at launch, chronicle the separation that begins as Rashta and Heinrey enter Navier and Sovieshu’s life. After my four-hour binge of the live-action series, I started reading the Webtoon vertical-scroll source material by Alphatart, illustrated by Sumpul. What instantly struck me was how much more expansive the live-action adaptation is, with series writers Yeoh Geena and Hyun Choongyeol really fleshing out the world and characters, and letting the story breathe a bit more. The show lingers in drama and scandal while also leaning heavily into romance and fantasy.
I’ve already justified my Bridgerton comparison, and Ladyhawke, for the unfamiliar, is a 1980s fantasy film about a cursed pair of lovers forced to shapeshift by day or night so they can never be together as humans, one of whom is named Navarre (sounds similar to Navier). Given Heinrey’s ability to transform, and the watchful eye he keeps on Navier without her knowing his identity, the story has an element of star-crossed lovers.
As for The Princess Diaries 2, one of Mia’s suitors was related to a family scheming for the throne. Here, decorum decrees that an Emperor’s mistress must belong to a noble family if their children are to be entitled to the throne. The only one willing to adopt Rashta is Lady Albani (Jung Young-joo), wife of Sovieshu’s imprisoned uncle, who schemes to use Rashta like a puppet in a quest for power.
The Sailor Moon comparison is more stylistic. From the orchestral music and romantic establishing shots to the way it uses light, The Remarried Empress borrows visual cues from shōjo anime. Fittingly, Crunchyroll is also producing an anime adaptation of The Remarried Empress, though I can’t imagine anything better than this live-action treatment.
This is a long-winded way of saying I understand the hype. I'm obsessed too. With double-episode releases on Wednesdays through November 25th, I’ll fill the gaps by reading the Webtoon comic, which has over 200 “episodes”(!). You can see what the fuss is about right now on Disney+.