Queen of Tears

A good but infuriating show

Starting off, I really likes the show. Yeah, it's cliche a d such but most dramas are. Its cast and such made it worth watching. However, once the villains started started doing their thing, it became mode infuriating. Their machinations were just way too perfect. They had an answer for everything. An important plot point was being talked about, someone who shouldn't hear ot ALWAYS does. Something can be done to help the hero/heroine? Nah, the most competent villains ever have already figured it out. "I'll trust the first person I aee?' Of course it means the greatest mastermind in Korean srama history will be there thanka to yet another wonderful scheme he waa able to dream up. Its tiring and maddening. And since the show is almost over with, I hate myself for wanting to see it reach its conclusion..And there's also a small amnesia subplot, because of course there is.

Ranting aside, I would recommend watching it. I do like the main couple and even some of the side characters. I'll never watch it again but I so think its worth giving a chance.

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no tears for Queen of Tears

shockingly, this drama is unwatchable. the two main leads are prominent actors in kdramaland and i had such high hopes, but the writing and plot are so juvenile. it feels like its trying to be complex with hidden plot twists and secrecy, but each episode is mostly filler and a jumbled mess. you cannot possibly understand what is going on in this show, much less in the minds of the characters. from the beginning i felt apathetic towards the two main leads and nearly half way through the drama i feel the same- i simply do not care if they end up together.
taking away the big names in the show, this kdrama is much like any other with a cliche terminal illness plot, rich family and scheming villains, and a couple that consistently misunderstands each other.
disappointing, but not surprising given the quality of kdramas nowadays. my review doesnt matter as people will obviously watch this drama just for the two main actors, but i found myself skipping even past their scenes together. why they even chose to do this drama is beyond me.

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Great Cast, Disappointing Story

Wow, where do I start? The cast are all magnificent actors. I've been following them for years. But the material they've been given, in spite of their talent, is disappointing. They could have wrapped this up in 6-8 episodes. I don't know how they're going to keep it going for 16.

The story is the same old, tired trope: rich Chaebol heir/heiress falls for poor but cute woman/man. Conflicts from within both families and antagonism between the two leads. But all of that plays out in the first two episodes. Flashbacks only do so much. How can a couple that was so in love three years prior be so distanced and bitter in such a short amount of time? Oh, and throw in a terminal illness as another tired trope.

The music, hair, makeup, clothing, locations...are all beautiful. That cannot make up for the total want of a story. I will continue to see this out, but it is definitely not a re-watch.

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The more you watch the less you'll know

After watching 3 episodes it just feels to me way overrated. You can tell the production and the casting are pretty good from a get go.
1st episode was pretty hooking and it felt so refreshing, relationship between Main leads felt so mysterious and I was actually wondering what really happened between them whole time, because they were introduced in a way that you didn't really care about others that much. Comedy also felt pretty fine, not overused and not forced. It felt like you've skipped 10 episodes from this drama and lost in the middle, that mysterious introduction actually made me want to know more about them and their relationship. I'd say this was actually pretty good idea and hooked a lot of people with it but sadly it just got worse from there.
Basically this drama has no Prologue but we only get to know Main Leads in the overly repeated flashbacks which felt so random and unnatural. It only leads to more and more confusion and just like salt on the wound, we get the toxic amount of cliches: sudden terminal illness, a love triangle that is pretty questionable, struggle of power. It just feels frustrating when something makes no sense and the more you watch it makes no sense even more, that's how it felt watching this drama. Episodes just felt longer more you watch, feels dragged too much. I don't know, I'm just not buying circle jerking between side characters, they look more important than main leads. These 16 episodes will probably feel like 60.

I can be wrong and I just hope this drama will prove me wrong.

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Tough life for the rich. What a bummer to be rich. It can't be easy having all that dough, can it ? I feel like telling them to use all that dough for useful things if their lives are so miserable, instead of wallowing in their pitiful little love woes. It'll give a little meaning to their indecent existence. That's what I said to myself at the start of the first episode. And then the Korean capitalist propaganda got me, again. What a sad life I lead. The flesh is weak, alas.
Even if their thing of torturing themselves over a divorce that the gentleman never asked for and even : abandoned ! it pisses me off. He literally did nothing, but he's going to get rotten as if he'd strangled kittens anyway.

In any case, it's clear how the rich use progressivism to their advantage. They still exert their domination, but we have to thank them because deep down they think that women too can be tyrants like the others. What great values... damned rich. I want the money and your power to go. And your good intentions, keep them to yourself or let them be translated into action. Despite all this, I fall for these damned kdramas every time. Every single time ! God, that was good. The scriptwriter had already ripped me off with Crash Landing on You, I'm going to lodge a complaint. You can't make me love rich people with impunity, you have to pay for it !

Kim Soo Hyun, there's nothing you can do, he looks like a little boy. Throughout the series, I hesitated to denounce Kim Ji-won, but in reality, she's even younger than he is.
I must confess I stopped watching at episode 8 because of the revelation that the actor dated an underage girl who has since committed suicide. If she hadn't taken her own life, he would never have admitted it or apologized. It disgusts me too much.

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This story is Wild!

Many may not fully grasp the depth of this drama upon first viewing, but "Queen of Tears" encapsulates a poignant message: love means protecting those dear to us, regardless of their nature or station in life. This theme resonates powerfully throughout the narrative, particularly in the portrayal of a mother who forsakes her son in pursuit of wealth and influence which causes a problem for Baek Hyun Woo. The series serves as a poignant reminder that while wealth may be sought after, insatiable greed for it can exact a heavy toll, endangering not only one's own life but also the lives of those cherished.

Kim Soo Hyun's return to the screen as Baek Hyun Woo, the Attorney, marks a stellar performance, showcasing his acting prowess since his last appearance that I viewed him in 2020. As a dedicated follower of his work since his early guest roles in 2012, I've consistently admired his talent, and he doesn't disappoint in this role. Likewise, Kimin Ji Won, whom I adored as Tan Ya in the "Articles of Chronicles" series, delivers another remarkable performance as Hong Hai In, seamlessly embodying her character with echoes of her previous roles. Their contributions elevate the drama, leaving a lasting impression on viewers.

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Oddly fatiguing

The Good:
✅ The extraordinarily good acting performances by everyone in the important roles
✅ The leads & the second couple (FL's brother + wife) too had good chemistry.
✅ There were a few really fun episodes. (e7 especially)
✅ The fluffy & bickery parts were good & briefly excellent even.
✅ Yoon Bomi is still amazing.

The Average:
🟡 Beom Ja & her beau
🟡 The elderly
🟡 The ending (could have been worse, but I'm not amazed)
🟡 While the character rewrites made the drama more enjoyable, it's never good when the writer is unwilling to do characterization sanely.
🟡 The OST is really on the boring side.

The Bad:
❌ The drama is much too long. (the average episode length is 1h25m & getting through some of the episodes really had been a slog)
❌ The second ML is a 2005 era cartoon villain. (you know those teary eyed Makjang roaches)
❌ "That" woman is also a 2005 era cartoon villainess.
❌ The triangle (at least FL rejected most of the advances, so could've been worse)
❌ The worst kind of amnesia trope (second ML takes advantage)
❌ All the corporate plots..
❌ .. and the plot in general (There is an immersion breaking amount of unhinged in the final 3rd of the show)
❌ Both leads were really bad apples early on before their character rewrites. (ML's actions are positively awful)
❌ I felt relieved when it was finally over.

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What a perfect K-Drama!

It wasn't just a drama; it was a rollercoaster of emotions with just the right amount of humor and a perfect cast.

Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won were the perfect leads for the drama and the best couple; they deserve an award for their acting. I wouldn't even be surprised if they announced that they were a couple because their chemistry was soooo good.
Park Sung Hoon perfectly portrayed THE anti-hero; I think everybody hated him just because his character was so detestable (It just proves that his acting is good and I agree).
QOT was so well-written; every little thing had consequences, and the screenwriters really played with us!
And the OST... even after finishing the drama, I just want to rewatch it; please take me back to Queens Mall!

There's nothing negative to say about this drama; I completely understand why it had such a large audience.

I might have wanted a bit more explanation on certain things (such as Mo Seul Hee's origins and motivations on the Queens family, etc...) and especially more scenes on the different couples like Hong Beom Ja and Young Song, or even on the spouses of the ML’s brother and sister...

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the best K-Drama of 2024

It's definitely the best K-Drama of 2024.
Talking about the character of the villain Yoon Eun-Seong. It was a very well-developed historical construction. A villain who, in essence, is not created to be hated but pitied. From the beginning to the end of the drama, Eun-Seong dedicated himself to doing the best he could, the best he knew and learned how to do. A character who grew up with a very strong trauma of abandonment and rejection, always on the margins and forgotten, living in the shadows, praying to be remembered by his mother figure. He spent his life developing a very strong identity crisis, basing himself on a perfect image in order to be recognized by his obsession, our dear protagonist Hong Hae-In, and also by his mother. In addition, he has had to confront his greatest enemy, not the protagonist Baek Hyun-Woo, but himself. And every time Eun-Seong had to face the fact that Hyun-Woo was ahead, he felt even more inferior and lost. In the end, the story of our villain himself is a real drama. The result of an accumulation of childhood traumas and distorted self-image. Yoon Eun-Seong, you should never have felt so inferior, you never lacked anything that was left over in your classmate, you just lacked therapy (k).
The script for the main couple Hong Hae-in and Baek Hyun-Woo is designed to be relatable. If, for a moment, we put aside all the ramifications of the story and focus only on the couple, we spend the whole drama identifying with one context or another of the moment they lived through

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the best of 2024 and one of the best of all time

this is the kind of drama that will forever be marked on me. being anxious of waiting each episode, the crazyness in the fanbase, the attachment to these characters. im very grateful to have lived through all of this. i cant put in words what i felt & feel abt everything involved in this drama. the 8 week journey ended & i said goodbye with sadness but still with a heart full of love. queen of tears & baekhong will forever be in my heart.

kim jiwon & kim soohyun have once again proven to be one of the best in the industry. their performance here is PHENOMENAL, breathtaking, worthy of many awards. it was a privilege to be able to watch these two together on screen.

it was definitely worth watching.

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