Queen Woo

The Queen's enthralling battle of the throne---all done in 24 hrs

Set in the late 100s and early 200s, everything in this show happens in 24 hours.

Starting from the death of the King, to the gripping chase for which prince is the "most morally correct" decision to take over the throne, all the way to the fully-waged war of the entire country. Amidst it all, the Queen loses none of her composure---and remains very, much badass.

I will keep this review short and sweet for those debating whether to watch the show or not. FIRST: A CONTENT warning, there are sex and nudity scenes. If you're here for the historical drama but very much wanna skip on those, I advise you to look for the timestamps and avoid them. Now that that's out of the way, I will say that Queen Woo does a compelling and excellent job at keeping you tied to your screen as you constantly wonder, and wonder, WHO will she choose? Which prince can protect the future of Goguryeo? How will she survive when everyone wants to skin her alive?

And who the hell killed the King?

A war of politics, as even her own people conspire to force her off the throne.
A war of mindgame and deception, as she carefully formulates her plans while tricking her enemies and spies in the shadows.
A war of intelligence, as she learns to fight smart and think 5 steps ahead of the game.
A war of chess, as she quite literally embodies the Queen chess piece, demonstrating her expansive reach, power, and elegance in battle. Queen Woo is NOT here to play. She is there to stand on the frontlines and fight alongside her soldiers.

And because all of this happens in 24 hours....the show is very action-packed and fast-paced. There might be some pieces of the puzzle glanced over or missing, such as the ending that leaves us on the biggest cliffhanger of the century (I say cliffhanger because even though history has already been made---we still want to see what happened!).

If you enjoy a strong female lead, can handle mature and heavy content, and love a good retelling of Korean history, this show is probably for you. Personally.....I think Queen Woo is a good enough reason to stay. Such a powerful and steadfast character who demonstrates that she is unwilling to let her people live as pawns in this chess game for the rest of their lives.

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A Queen's epic of existence

I want to start by saying that I liked the series. But just because I liked it doesn't mean that there are no aspects to criticize. First of all, I can say that it was very meticulous, no expense was spared, everything was done perfectly in the production, be it the costumes, the casting, the crowded cast, the locations, the scenes. The action scenes were amazing. However, there was a kind of imitation. I especially sensed an imitation of the Game of Thrones series. There are many similar scenes. I even compared the clothing and images. These are not at all similar to the clothing and cabinet member styles in other Korean series. You will say that these are the early days, when the tribes were at the forefront. There will be differences. I understand, I say. There are deep differences. For example, shamanism is very prominent. Nudity and sex scenes are interspersed, there were many especially in the beginning episodes. It was cut later. Maybe one was necessary, I think the others were unnecessary. The aim here is, yes, there are those, war, turmoil, fights, ambitions, jealousies, a lot of things, of course there was sex too. It seemed like they were shoved in our faces as if they had a sex life. It could be. The writer and director must have known something of course. But some of it was unnecessary. I liked the actors. Especially our queen Jun Jong Seo is very successful, she made a great effort to make herself felt in that attitude despite her body and youth, I congratulate her. I also found Ji Jang Wook successful. Especially her image suits her very well, she was shown differently than she is. She was quite majestic. I liked it. Kim Moo Yul is one of the rare actors who can achieve this with his calmness, I found him extremely successful. He showed this in every scene. He maintained the same style for a long time. Well done. Jung Yu Mi, Jo Han Chul, Lee So Hyuk, Park Ji Hwan, Lee Hae Woo were the actors who caught my eye. I also congratulate Park Bo Youn for his courage. Someone who says that role is his cannot and would not play it. As far as I know, her husband is also an actor and they did a hard job. I especially congratulate this actor. Bravo. I think there will be a sequel to the series. Because the war ended instead of starting. What happened, what ended. We don't know. We are waiting for the next season to find out. I recommend it to those who haven't watched it.

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WHAT IS GOGURYEO? STEALING GAOGOULI FROM CHINESE TERRITORY

Dramas like these are the reason that makes me totally distrust, and laugh, at those who watch Korean dramas, and it will always be that way. I may be polite, but I don't trust them at all.
Because they say to know about history, but it's not the reality. This drama is the proof of that.
A drama that steals Chinese history from the Liaodong peninsula region, but also cultural appropriation of Chinese hanfu, instead of Chinese hanbok. The proof is that the tombs of Gaogouli, what they, NOT others, call Goguryeo, are in China.
They prove themselves to be the famous cultural thieves that they are worldwide.
The area that extends into Chinese territory such as Gaogouli (Goguryeo) and Balhae (Bohai), instead of acknowledging that they are part of Chinese history, they have the nerve of the interpretation of Korean historians, they work so hard to create "fantasy history" to save their pathetic ego and their inferiority complex.
Liaoning belonged to Northern Wei, Sui and Tang of Yingzhou governor and tax registry office, the upper northern reaches of Western Liao River belonged to Khitan, Gaogouli never ruled Western Liaoning, he was afraid of these empires, the red line of Western Liao River had no government organization of official population registry. There are cultural relics and historical documents to prove that Koreans fabricated maps of "Goguryeo" (which does not exist in Korean history) to increase their national confidence in a pathetic way.
Korea was considered part of China. The definition of Korea today should be a rebel state expelled from the Chinese Sinosphere.
The northern comrade brothers do not want reunification, while the other side wants to represent and inherit all the history and culture of the Korean Peninsula by itself, a little too shamelessly.
The drama is considered a "faction drama", which blends historical facts with creative fiction (so they are openly stealing), because there is little historical information available about Queen Woo (Queen Yu is her real historical name) . Questionable historical accuracy, especially regarding the depiction of costumes.
Director Jung explained that some creative liberties were taken due to the scarcity of historical materials, so the director admits to stealing from China. The armors are based on the Shanmun, the typical Chinese armor.
The drama is a Western-style representation, with random gore and explicit scenes, as well as homosexuality. Although it was real, it is depicted in a fetish and vulgar way.
How can the king wear yellow hanfu when he is a king of a tributary vassal state and not an emperor?
Kings were not allowed to wear yellow clothes.
If they don't like Chinese culture and don't want to be Chinese, why do they still have the symbol of Daoism on their flag, as well as wearing Ming Dynasty hanfu and stealing Han Dynasty hairstyles and hanfu?
This is essentially a Hollywood series with Korean actors who have become too Westernised ( and not well casted at all).
Show it to a true historian and they will think it's about the Three Kingdoms or Warring States. "Some parts are artistically created, because there are few of them." So it's obvious theft.
The events of the drama take place in just 24 hours, the plot moves quickly without any room for depth, and with unnecessary gore and nudity that compromises the overall quality of the drama,
Korea should stop stealing from China, because Gaogouli is Chinese, and Chinese dynasties like historical wuxia are both tangible and intangible cultural heritage of China.
The drama basically cuts historical events in half.
Historians tend to disagree on whether there were even five princes, or whether there were four. This means that the writer has more leeway in what he wants to do, but what he chooses to do with his creative freedom is lacking and most importantly illogical and unhistorical. A historical drama does NOT need fantasy. For example, portraying the Fourth Prince as a coward and a pervert obsessed with the queen seems strange when we should be supporting him.
But this is a drama for perverts. Because watching people engaging in s*x is NOT normal at all.
And they should be ashamed of being on the side of those who steal.

https://www.mymusictaste.com/news/upcoming-historical-drama-queen-woo-heavily-under-fire-for-chinese-style-costumes,10414/
https://weibo.com/2012349682/OubGOiYAl

PS. I wont' answer to any criticism about my review, and i will block everyone criticise it. I recommend to learn more rather than blabbering.

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Queen Woo draws parallel to British film Elizabeth (1998)

I was intrigued by Queen Woo after seeing two versions of the series on Viu - "Why is there a censored version?". Read article and viewers' opinion on the explicit content which further led me to watch this series. Glad that I did!

I understand if the series creator and writer wants to dramatise the tale of Queen Woo as this technique has been done in Hollywood many times. I don't understand the fuss about its historical inaccuracies - if viewers wants Queen Woo's story to be true to history, then they should search for documentary not a tv drama.

What I liked:
1) Plot - I don't watch Game of Thrones so can't comment on the similarities with that series. However when I watched Queen Woo, I got this Elizabeth (1998 British film starring Cate Blanchett) vibe. That character growth, dynamics with prime minister and stance on political marriage (or in Queen Woo's case, remarriage) in particular.
2) Queen Woo characterisation - Queen Woo started off as a chess piece in the kingdom of Goguryeo and the 5 tribes. It's great to see her character acquired certain skills (fight training, military strategy/analytical thinking) before the untimely death of the King and used those skills confidently to revamp the top management of her nation. Jeon Jong Seo was excellent as Queen Woo. Her emotions were expressed in her eyes, mouth and body posture.
3) Prime Minister Eul Pa So - What a compelling character! He was cunning even from episode 1 I was suspicious already! I was drawn to Kim Mu Yeol - he was magnetic on screen.
4) Dynamics - I enjoy watching different dynamics between King Gu and Queen Woo and between Queen Woo and Eul Pa So. Ji Chang Wook did great in expressing different feelings of King Gu for his Queen - the gentle gaze, soft smiles and later part, indifference and Queen Woo's reactions to those feelings. I also like the chemistry between Queen Woo and Eul Pa So. The battle of wits, either through military strategy discussion or chess games, seemed like foreplay between them. Though it is not implied, I would not be surprised if he is attracted to her. I want them to be romantically together!
5) Battle scenes - Those scenes were thrilling & done well - - good choreograph and amount of gore.
6) Supporting characters - I enjoyed watching these characters on screen: Moo Gul, Mo Chi, Woo Sun, Bal Gi, Mil Woo. They enrich the series with their intent, motivations and actions.

What I disliked:
1) Explicit sex and nudity scenes - I was bothered by the explicit sex and nudity scenes because I feel that most scenes were unnecessary. The only ones that add value to the storytelling are Woo Sun / Shaman Sa Bi / King Go Nam Moo (she was drugged which led to that fantasy) and Third Prince and his wife (she was forced/coerced to have sex with him and overall that scene just showed how vicious he was) .
2) Side characters - I find some side characters were overdeveloped (too much screentime) e.g. Yeon Bi while others were underdeveloped e.g. Crown Prince, the clan in black robes. I would love to see more backstory from those characters / clans so me / viewers understand the importance of that tribe to Queen Woo's alliance and eventual ruling.

Favourite scene:
When Queen Woo confronted her sister. I didn't expect it would go down in that manner.

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"Power, Passion, and Politics: A Masterful Journey Through Queen Woo"

Queen Woo is a masterfully crafted historical drama that takes viewers on a thrilling journey of power, loyalty, and betrayal within the intricate world of a royal court. From its stunning production design to its exceptional cast performances, the drama stands out as a benchmark in Korean period storytelling.

The Strengths
One of the most striking aspects of Queen Woo is its intricate narrative. The story of Queen Woo’s rise to power is layered with political intrigue and emotional depth, making it impossible to look away. The writing seamlessly blends the personal and political, showing how private desires can shape public decisions. The pacing is taut, with every episode leaving viewers on the edge of their seats.

The performances are another undeniable highlight. Ji Chang-wook, as the King, delivers an exceptional portrayal, perfectly balancing the vulnerability of a man caught in a web of deceit and the authority of a ruler burdened by the weight of his crown. His acting is truly 10/10—he brings gravitas to moments of royal command and raw emotion to his private struggles.

Queen Woo herself is a powerhouse of a character, depicted with nuance and strength. Her journey is one of resilience and intelligence, as she navigates the treacherous waters of court politics. The chemistry between the leads adds another layer of complexity, as their relationship oscillates between trust, ambition, and desire.

The production quality deserves praise as well. The set design and costumes are both stunning and historically evocative, immersing the audience in the era without feeling overly stylized. The cinematography captures the grandeur and intimacy of court life, while the music heightens the drama without overpowering the story.

The Flaws
However, even a masterpiece like Queen Woo is not without its flaws. One of the most puzzling aspects of the story is the King’s blind trust in Prime Minister Eul Pa-so. While it’s understandable that the King would rely on a close advisor, his unquestioning faith borders on naivety, particularly given the political machinations happening around him. It sometimes makes the King appear overly gullible, which can be frustrating for viewers who expect a more discerning ruler.

Similarly, Queen Woo’s trust in Eul Pa-so feels problematic at times. Her reliance on him, seemingly influenced by personal feelings or even latent desire, occasionally undermines her portrayal as a sharp and calculated figure. While this humanizes her character, showing that even the most powerful individuals can be swayed by emotion, it also leaves the audience questioning her judgment in crucial moments.

Final Thoughts
Despite these minor criticisms, Queen Woo is a triumph in historical storytelling. It captivates with its rich characters, high-stakes drama, and outstanding performances. Ji Chang-wook’s portrayal of the King is a career highlight, while the Queen herself stands as one of the most compelling female leads in recent memory.

If there’s one takeaway from Queen Woo, it’s that power is never simple, and those who seek it must navigate a labyrinth of desire, betrayal, and ambition. For anyone looking for a drama that combines breathtaking visuals with a deeply engaging story, Queen Woo is not to be missed. It’s a testament to the heights that Korean historical dramas can reach when all the elements align

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Not for many

BEWARE this contains lot of nudity.

Cinematography is amazing. Great character demonstration. The plot has potential and powerful. It's more of a feminist type story but in a more realistic way. I think most females don't like the series because main female lead rely on male characters but in my opinion It's more realistic. Each male characters screams greatness and danger. Usually in drama they say how cool or powerful the king or kingdom is but you never feel it. But here you feel their presence and how powerful they are. The main female lead know this too. Instead of defeating everyone single handedly and dissing male leads like usual female centric drama and become powerful like a magic. Here she understands her weakness, strength, she is good at learning, understandvothers, treat everyone equally and very courageous. Everytime she steps up against dominating male characters we will believe it. We can feel her aura and potential and she tells us she born to be a queen.

Great watch

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Palace Struggle of a Warrior Queen

Usually I have a problem with tv shows that are too long with draggy unnecessary sideplots and scenes thrown in senselessly, this time I feel that this tv show needs more episodes to really give proper narrative and adequate closure to the audience.

Basically it’s about the historical Queen Woo’s struggle to manoeuvre against palace conspiracy right after the King dies out of the blue due to poisoning. The show spans about 24-36hours but with up to 28years of flashbacks that reveals the background of each key characters especially the couple the King and Queen. Queen Woo was born to a tribe in the North, was raised like a boy with military and martial prowess, aspired to be a great general, but ended up sacrificing for the tribe to be wedded off to one of the kingdom’s princes guarding the border with no chance for the throne. The original bride had been her sister, Woo Soon, but she was adamant on marrying the Crown Prince (she wanted to be the Queen so badly) and would rather die if she couldnt. So to avoid the tribe from rejecting the marriage decree, Woo Hee stepped up and volunteered to wed and live in the treacherous North border with the second prince, Go Nammoo. Much to their surprise, before the King died, the second Prince was appointed as the successor instead of the Crown Prince due to his military might and merit, for the late King entrusted for the second prince to repossess the land conquered by Han. When the second prince (now King) died after being poisoned, thereforth starts the Queen’s struggle to maintain her late husband’s reign legacy and to fight for her own survival. At the same time, the palace’s ministers struggle to find the real culprit behind the King’s demise.

The FL, Queen Woo Hee was the perfect Warrior Queen who is both intelligent and profound in military & political strategy, and possess significant physical and martial prowess, enough to fend for herself and others around her. During the less than 24 hours chase to select the King’s successor among her brother-in-laws by marrying them, she showed how a leader should decide and act during emergency, and upon her return with future King, showed how a general should lead her troops in facing the crown prince’s and the third prince’s rebellion. FL was resolute, firm and brave. She doesnt second guess herself, and most importantly she trusted her subordinates enough to lay her life for them. A true warrior queen.

The ML, i consider Eulpaso as the ML although not paired with FL romantically, is a key figure during her reign. She spends most time with this Prime Minister than her own husband since the King is frequently away for war all year round, this the Prime Minister had become her confidant, discussing military/political strategy with each other and guessing the King’s move on the battlefield, while playing huge-axx chess. As the Queen ventures out to acquire the successor right after the King died, ML held the fort in the palace as he tread the dangerous waters of palace intrigue to find the one behind the King’s assassination. He also became the Queen’s lifeline when the Queen was about to be caught up by assassins sent by the Third Prince.

The SML, the King, who looked messy and haggard in the first episode as he was shown to fight the Hans for years, i almost couldnt recognize the actor Ji Chang Wook, turned to be so dang smashing when he finally trims the beard and dons the dragon robe once he finally returns to the palace. Too bad it turned out that palace conspiracy proves to be much more fatal than the heinous battlefield he grew up in. No sword, spear or arrow could take his life, but a mere cup of wine did when he finally returns to the comfort of his own palace. The King died right in Episode 1, though he made a comeback in later episodes as numerous flashbacks detailing his origin and rise to the throne. And although he loved his wife so very dearly, he knew his responsibility to the kingdom outweighs everything else. He even gave the Queen a vial of poison, telling her to either kill herself or the enemy with it if there comes a time she is in danger/held hostage
, because he would never waver and give up the throne for her life. It was cruel, but that is just how the monarchs had to live their lives, as pawns to power. Just like how the Queen didnt take much time to decide to marry one of her brother-in-laws upon her husband’s death to ensure her survival and to ensure her control over the kingdom her late husband had painstakingly built.

Being a show with only 24 hours span, the writers made sure there is enough action to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. The Queen’s carriage chase by assassins sent by numerous tribes and prince was epic and it showed how formidable the Queen is as a fighter. The chase for the King’s poisoning case is pretty much engaging too, with riddles to whom it really was. At one point i even suspected the Queen because she was about to get deposed due to ministers’ pressure, but they never revealed who it really had been even towards the end. What a bummer.

The ending is anticlimax too because they ended it right after she yelled for the gates of the fortress to open, as she leads the troops to clash with the rebels, just like her late husband wouldve done. Although they did slide in snippets of the Queen’s victory, it was just too short and not quite satisfying. We the audience needs moreee! Historically Queen Woo reigned for more than 40 years as Queen and Queen Dowager, couldn’t they extend the episode up to the new King’s enthronement? 😭 it’s such a bummer!

The rating coould’ve been higher had they made a proper plot with satisfying ending, maybe up to 12-14 episodes instead of just 8. 😒

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Badass Woman in The Lost Time

Queen Woo, is a drama about a woman who does her filial piety to her family in marriage and luckily found love there, but it's all being cut short because all of the BS happens in the palace. So, the only thing she can do is surviving, but she'd eventually done more than that, she is thriving in the midst of the chaos. Basically, story of a strong woman in the era of crazies. Not white, not black, but got the layers of the greys. Set in the Goguryeo era, based on a true historic moment, film with good quality actors, settings, props, camera angle, costumes, and acting from the actors, I really have no complain about what my eyes can see.
Buttttt,
After I read few of the reviews above, I have to agree, the story line and the depth of the character is too shallow (maybe it's caused by their plan it to be an 8 episodes drama). And I think I could live with a little less nude scene. I will add one more flaw in the drama, which is for as story from a strong woman who go against the current I don't think showing too much parts of women body throughout the show is not a good image to build. I mean, I never against nudity or s3x scene, at least they are shown for a reason. If I have to compare it with GOT, I must say that the nude scenes and s3x scenes there really are happened within reasoning, because with it we can understand the characters, the story-line, the feelings and the dramas more. I must say that the Queen Woo's story is so interesting, I really love it, but well............. it has flaws too. Not trying to compare the two countries (hahaha) but I guess I get used to experience some crappy colossal C-drama, and found this daring-try-to be-dark K-drama to be refreshing. I think some people judge dramas based on the controversies to be not fair, I meannnnn, I know this drama has flaws, but I don't think the rating and the real flaws are in match. Maybe we need to learn to judge more objective, take a step back, calm your mind and see the view from a broader perspective.

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" All Hail the Queen "

The brilliance of this show was overwhelming. It tells again the conflict of betrayal, hunger for power, revenge, and jealousy among the royal blood and the families associated with the royal court as what we normally see in historical and period dramas, but centers on a different figurehead, a woman. We are accustomed to regard women in the past as inferior to men whose only purpose is to bear children and are denied to participate in political matters. This show bends the notion of women as being weak by bringing a female protagonist who is equally capable as a man. Her mind is her greatest strength apart from her fighting prowess in sword and arrow. A queen who cares less glamorous indulges but strongly stands armored in front of her people and soldiers ready to fight for her nation.

Another masterpiece that is worth your time!!!
1. Story-wise
2. Stellar performances of all the cast
3. Director's execution
4. Camera shots
5. The bloody effects, and
6. The entire production

Warning!!!
With content of excessive gore and acceptable nudity

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Enthralled

I loved how fast paced the show really is. I also LOVE strong female leads and not only is Queen Woo depicted as a good warrior but also great strategically. She is a true leader and she learnt from the best. If you like such characters, you would definitely enjoy this show. However, it is not for the weak-hearted. There is nudity, sex scenes (even assault) and gore. Some have even compared this to Game Of Thrones. However, I would classify this series as mild in that context.

The cinematography is good but like GOT, there are some scenes that need one to adjust their screen brightness. I wish directors figured out the right balance for such scenarios. However, it still doesn't affect our enjoyment too much.

The characters are definitely interesting and everyone did a fantastic job. There is some criticism regarding the female lead not having a wider range of emotions. The show is actually set in a very critical time frame where she doesn't have time to emote. She knows what her position as a leader is and the urgency of the situation. But we do get flashbacks of happy times. The actors portraying the king and his brothers performed exceptionally to depict the complex situation and era.

Although, I genuinely enjoyed every aspect of the show, there is one question that doesn't really get answered. I am not sure why. Perhaps it doesn't affect the situation so it wasn't addressed. So this and the assault scene are the only reasons why I am not giving this a perfect 10. This series can have a second season but I don't believe there will be one.

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