when love is loaded with life baggage's ..
"what if we we broke up that time ? If we hadn't got married ..we would have cherished the little happy memories we had ..there would've been no need for wounds to fester or scars to form" —Heain .This drama made me dream about it for 4 weeks ...
the amount of real emotions I received from the two main leads was unbelievable ..
the story is real demonstration of the old saying "'We don't truly appreciate what we have until it's gone" ..
the cold-hearted cheabol daughter Heain who were deprived from affection fell in love with the soft-hearted kind Hyunwoo ..
Hyunwoo with his provider instinct fell in love with a beautiful Heain who seems has no means to survive this world and zero social skills .. (not knowing she is cheabol)
the two got married and were put in a situation were they have absolutely no skills to survive ... a lot of interesting topics were explored in the show of why marriage fails .. bad in-laws pressure , bad communication , emotional partner getting overwhelmed , emotionally-unavailable partner not being able to support , facing trauma individually instead of facing it together , silently resenting each other thinking they are suffering alone ...
there is a lot of subtle details in this show that is very interesting in the perspective of married relationship ..
what makes the show solid is the established relationship concept .. the love here is not the romantic one but the dirty painful one ... its when I respect your mother and tolerate your gossiping siblings .... its when I protect you even when I resent you / or even hate you... its when I forgive you and trust you even after disappointment ...the intimacy here was as simple as holding hands in bad times but it meant a'lot .
my only issue with this show is the plot progression .. the story at some points was progressing very slowly and other times was rushed and too many serious elements was pushed fast ..
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Clichés after clichés
To summarise this drama, Park Ji-eun just took a semi-interesting characterisation and ran with it. The romance was okay, but the plot points were outrageous.Hae-in is a likeable female lead. Rich, gorgeous, capable, straight talking, with a dash of childhood drama. The sulky and haughty heiress is actually a very popular characterisation that is tried and tested. It's no surprise that viewers love her. With the contrasting male lead Hyun-woo (just money-wise though because a male lead cannot be imperfect), we have the perfect setup for a typical Korean romcom with the gender roles sorta reversed. "Sorta" is important here, because eventually the story went from finding love after marriage to saving the damsel in distress repeatedly.
Like I mentioned, the romance was fine. I don't think there was sizzling chemistry, but there was definitely some temperature. The part where they were falling in love all over again is pretty much the best part of the drama, though the lovey dovey bits had me cringe a little. I do agree with most that the acting is good, though personally I thought it was also accentuated by the horrendous script.
The reason why I'm writing this review is because I am amused at how bad the writing was. I'm not even upset, I'm genuinely confused how the drama lost steam so quickly.
Hae-in's family were a failure of a chaebol family, billions in net worth but they have the combined intelligence of a high-school student. At the beginning it was funny, but towards the end it became ridiculous. It also undermined Hae-in's characterisation a little, because she should have put up a respectable fight if she was as capable as the writer wanted her to be.
I don't understand the second male lead as well. He has an inexplicable obsession with Hae-in which is creepy. I get that he's only supposed to be the catalyst for the relationship, but it needs to be interesting at the very least. Instead, he feels like a writer's cop out to introduce convenient obstacles in the story, and it's incredibly frustrating to watch.
Don't be fooled by my rating; this is a negative review. This belongs to the I-don't-know-why-I-stuck-with-it camp. I think the drama is engaging for the first eight episodes or so, and some might find it sufficiently palatable if they are just looking for a light drama to watch. But do lower your expectations.
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Overrated and Disappointing
I thought it was going to be really good because i got so many recommendations but for me it was really boring. I forced myself to watch until the end because of the cast and acting.. The show was really overrated and disappointing.Even though i was disappointed by the story, i really loved the character hong hae-in played by the actress kim ji-won. I think the show became popular because of the cast and acting.
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STUPIDLY OVERLONG
Soo-chul a waste of space: Da-Hye had a more meaningful arc & his dead brother had more impact on the story by the way his mother reacted to his deathThe last 2 eps were a makjang meltdown. Clichéd & lazy. Makjang is fine in a makjang Drama, not here.Better as 14 60 minute episodes, with a different end.
BUT, some outstanding TRUE romcom - lol & sweet. The OTP worked, both of them. Lots of thoughtful and intelligent conversations between them, which was a delight And they dampened my eyes even when I knew how it ended, which is a tribute to the power of their acting.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Tale of Sympathetic Distance, Not Deep Love
Despite its romantic label, Queen of Tears lacks genuine emotional connection between its leads. From the start, their marriage feels more contractual than loving — the wife is cold and business-driven, while the husband is emotionally worn out. Even after her illness is revealed, the shift in their relationship feels rooted in sympathy, not rekindled love. The frequent tears may justify the title, but the drama ultimately explores emotional distance more than romance.Was this review helpful to you?
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A Perfect Start Met its Perfect Failure - At the End
The show had me hooked from the start with the main leads' love-hate chemistry. Watching them hate each other so intensely gave me life—like, "I hate you, but also, let's have epic slow-burn romance" vibes. The pacing was amazing in the first 8 episodes, and honestly, I was laughing way more than I expected. But somehow, they managed to fumble a seemingly perfect story, as if they saw greatness and thought, "Nah, let's add chaos."The Good Stuff:
Perfect chemistry from the leads (they could probably hate-flirt their way out of a hostage situation).
First few episodes? Chef’s kiss. I replayed the first two episodes three times—who needs new content when you have those?
The songs slap hard. They set the mood so well that I’m now emotionally dependent on them.
The “Why Did They Do That?” Stuff:
The songs only worked when the leads were on screen. For everyone else? Meh. Except Grandpa—he carried the emotional weight of a Marvel superhero.
The villain? No rhyme, no reason—just villain-ing for the sake of it, which, in true drama fashion, is somehow the norm.
Side characters? Forgettable. I swear they were just standing there as furniture most of the time. And the female side characters... oof. Their acting was so bad it felt like watching an AI-generated soap opera.
And don't get me started on how the plot went from "lighthearted fun" to “political drama nobody asked for.” They had a perfect rom-com setup! All they had to do was ride that wave and give us more of their school life and pre-marriage shenanigans. Instead, they opted for... politics. WHY.
I’m not usually this serious over dramas, but those first two episodes were so good they made me believe again—for a hot minute. But then the pacing took a nosedive, and the whole thing became cheap, forgettable, and un-rewatchable. Like, I’ll maybe rewatch those first two episodes for old time’s sake, but beyond that? Nah.
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Typically, I watch dramas like this for the main characters' dynamics. However, despite any appealing side stories, they tend to become excessively tedious over time. While I used to push through such moments 5-10 years ago, now I find myself fast-forwarding through them. Yet, in this drama, the standout feature is the superior casting and the chemistry among the actors, which surpasses the shortcomings of the script. The lead actors excel in their roles, making the series compelling to watch. Kim Ji-Won shines in aggressive, affluent, and glamorous characters, while Kim Soo Hyun effortlessly embodies humble and emotive roles.
One downside of the series is the character portrayed by Park Sung-hoon, whose portrayal was so off-putting that I felt the urge to punch the screen in every scene. Such one-dimensional characters, written solely to provoke viewer frustration, fail to engage me and come across as a version of "rage bait" tailored for tv dramas.
Nevertheless, despite its flaws, I found Queen of Tears enjoyable, evoking a reminiscent feel of dramas from 2015.
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starts strong with refreshing role reversals but fizzles out with clichéd tropes
Queen of tears started strong with its plot mainly because of its role reversal on the most common tropes of kdrams the rich CEO and the poor female lead. It was refreshing to see Hong Hae in as the rich heiress and Baek Hyun Woo as Hae In husband who could no longer survive the enormous pressure put on him by his in-laws. While the plot and the plot- twists were surprising and unexpected, the last few episodes could no longer keep up with the excitement and its engaging plot. I personally felt that the writers had given up mid-way and added every trope possible to complete the drama.There were a good amount of comical moments and the side stories of the aunt Beom Ja, Soo Cheol, Da Hye, and Hyun Woo’s family kept the series interesting throughout…..however none of them, nor the plot could save the last few episodes… Overall the series is a good watch and refreshing even. I would rate it 7.5/10
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Great acting, storyline doesn’t make sense
Then again, most things in drama land doesn’t make sense ;);)It’s the kind of drama where the bad guy will win win win all the way to the last episode, then he will fall or get justice in just 10mins! Yeah, I hate dramas like this. There’s so much more could be done, build and focus on, but unfortunately the writing did not support the hype it’s receiving.
First 3 episodes I found annoying; 4-12 were riveting, interesting and intense; last 4 episodes were a bummer. This is mostly where a lot of scenes didn’t make sense. Both lead actors did a great job though! And the ending was wrapped up quite nicely. I didn’t really care for the other side couples and other storylines. Found them redundant and boring.
Watch if you must, just don’t get your expectations too high.
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This review may contain spoilers
Probably the only drama I regret finishing
There is too much happening in this drama all at once.I don't feel the chemistry and I kinda agree with so many reviews here about the actors, especially the villains acting well.
What pulled the drama down for me were surprising the acting of the Male lead and the Female lead. Its surprising because I watched it only for these two.
The script is not up to the mark. Where do I even start? The chemistry of leads is soo lacklusture. Maybe them getting divorced and moving separate ways might have been the best for them.
I got bored half way through but watched it anyway. I regret it.
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Cathartic, but a bittersweet ending
Queen of Tears is a K-drama of two halves. The first, composed of its early episodes, is an innovative take on K-drama romance. The other is a chaotic second half that squanders much of the potential of its beginning. The Netflix hit ended Sunday with a global audience that exceeded the wildly popular Crash Landing on You.In terms of chemistry, the leads were a perfect pair. It’s like they were crafted from the cosmic dust of perfect on-screen couples. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for other characters and sub-plots on the show, which are more disconcerting than fascinating.
Plotwise, the series started losing its charm in the second half as well. The amount of scenes that felt repetitive and the back and forth between the main leads only showed the lack of creativity of the writer. While the show we ended up with remains compelling, even fun, to the end, the decision to dispense with its profoundly tragic and emotional core makes the endeavor more rote and, at times, even boring. The series never recaptures the rare thrill of its early episodes, but nevertheless had a sweet ending that will surely be a satisfactory element.
My Rating : 7.5/10
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