This review may contain spoilers
A true love story
One of my favorite dramas from the last five years has been Queen of Tears. This drama is based on a true love story. It tells the emotional love story of Baek Hyun-woo, a man from a small village who works for the powerful Queens Group as a lawyer, and Hong Hae-in, the heiress to a luxury department store empire. Their relationship is filled with love, heartbreak, misunderstandings, and sacrifices, but no matter what challenges they face, they continue to fight for each other.At the beginning of the drama, we see a couple whose marriage appears completely broken. They sleep in separate beds, rarely talk, and when they do, it usually ends in an argument or is about the business and money. Yet through flashbacks, we see how deeply Baek Hyun-woo once loved Hae-in. He would do anything for her, and although Hae-in often appeared cold and distant, she showed a softer and gentler side whenever she was with him. Their was a cute scene while she is sitting in back of a car and asking her driver to follow up to admire Baek from a distance. Their wedding felt like a fairy tale, and Baek even promised that he would never make Hae-in cry. Everything seemed perfect until we slowly discover what drove them apart.
The turning point in their marriage was the loss of their baby. Hae-in shut herself off emotionally, while both of them buried their grief instead of communicating. Now Baek decides he wants a divorce, even though he fears the reaction of Hae-in’s powerful family. Just as he finally works up the courage to tell her, she reveals that she has a brain tumor and needs surgery. Baek is shocked, and although his initial reaction is relief that he won’t have to divorce her if she dies, he quickly begins treating her with more kindness and care.
As the story progresses, Hae-in’s former classmate enters the picture, creating tension and jealousy. Baek’s feelings for Hae-in become impossible to ignore, and moments like him saving her from a wild boar attack show just how much he still loves her. Hae-in was taken back that he would risk his life for her. Slowly, the feelings they buried begin to resurface, she even catches him researching places to help with her cancer treatments.
The most emotional part of the drama is Hae-in’s illness. Her health deteriorates, she suffers memory problems, and she sometimes collapses unexpectedly. We had an emotional moment where she forgets she is sick and that Baek and her aren’t on good terms and she’s happy, but it breaks Baek. During this time, she also discovers that Baek had planned to divorce her, which causes even more pain and distance between them. Despite this, the story beautifully portrays two people falling in love with each other all over again.
There are so many unforgettable moments: their passionate kisses, emotional embraces, and the devastating car crash scene where Baek believes Hae-in has died. That moment perfectly captures the depth of his love. Another powerful scene is when Hae-in says she no longer wants to live because of her suffering, followed later by her decision that she wants to keep living and experience life with Baek by her side. “All I ever wanted you was by my side”
The drama was already emotional because of the promises they made to each other and the admiration they shared. However, once Hae-in’s condition worsened, the emotions became overwhelming. Whenever they cried together, it felt impossible not to cry along with them.
My favorite moment comes after Hae-in’s surgery when she can no longer remember Baek. Watching her read the journal she had written and slowly regain her memories of him was heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. The amount of crying, longing, and love throughout this drama made every emotional scene hit even harder. The ending was perfect of them having a kid and showing many tears later when they are old of baek at Hae-in grave. A memorable moment in the drama is when he said ""If you die before I do, I'm going to live one more day and then follow you. How will I ever live without you?"Hae-in responds with an equally touching promise: "Let's say a lot of time passed, and you died. Then I'll become an angel to pick you up. If I show up, it'll be less scary for you."
While I loved most of the drama, the murder and villain storyline wasn’t my favorite part and I do wish we had 1 or 2 episodes of them 10-20 years later in life. I was much more invested in the romance and emotional healing between the main couple, even though all characters brought something to this drama. What stood out most to me was how deeply Baek loved Hae-in. He consistently sacrificed everything for her, and I have rarely seen a male lead portrayed with that level of devotion. His emotional breakdowns, drunken scenes, and moments of vulnerability were heartbreaking but also provided some of the show’s funniest moments.
Overall, Queen of Tears is one of the most emotional romance dramas I have ever watched. It is a story about grief, forgiveness, healing, and finding your way back to the person you love. Despite a few plot elements that didn’t work for me, the love story between Baek Hyun-woo and Hong Hae-in is one that I will not forget anytime soon
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This review may contain spoilers
Queen of Fillers
I had high hopes for this drama after watching the first 7/8 episodes. I was hoping it would be almost as good as Crash Landing on You but unfortunately it didn’t deliver.I’ll give it credit for the good things first: the acting was top notch across the board. Some of the emotional scenes did make me cry. The storyline in the first half of the show was really engaging and they set up a great premise.
But a few things made it fall short:
- I think the story about the MLs marriage could have been handled better but it was done in a superficial way, mostly through flashbacks. They focused mainly on the romance, in both the past and present. But this was not enough to really tell the story about how and why their marriage fell apart, and really flesh out the main characters. They should have used episodes 1-4 for this purpose but they didn’t.
- there were a few too many filler scenes/episodes in the second half of the show, up until the last 2 episodes where they quickly wrapped all the storyline’s up in a convenient way. There were a few things that didn’t make logical sense especially around the FL’s memory loss (it was very inconsistent). This made it hard to suspend disbelief. It would have been much better if they used more time in the final episodes to develop the plot, rather than for filler. There were too many romantic scenes that seemed almost repetitive in the second half.
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What are 10 good things about this series?
1. *Fresh pairing of the leads and their extraordinary performance...*I didn't have a good impression of the male lead Kim so hyun ..as he always makes a straight face...and it feels very boring...but this time I witnessed an improvement in his performance...he was pretty expressive in delivery of emotions....the female lead Kim ji won has always been in my good books and she retained her impression this time too with her out of ordinary performance...
2. *Female lead's character and it's development ...*
The character development in story though was below satisfactory overall but it was pretty good in case of female lead's character...she is shown to be a girl with cold posture but a warm heart ....she has got strong nerves ... pretty inspiring how she carries herself even in the direst of the situations... there's no paradox and throughout the drama she justified her character outline... even after losing her memory and stuff...
Also she loved the male lead throughout the drama... unlike male lead who was initially shown to be very selfish and later become a saint for reason never disclosed to audience..
3. *Touch of Humor from beginning to end*
For me humor is the highlight of this drama...
Of course not denying it to be an emotional rollercoaster...as there is pretty good amount of sadness and tragedy...But it carries a very good proportion of humor...and this lifted the heavyweight of many dark scenes...and this humor starts from the very1st epi and goes all the way till last epi.... unlike many dramas that start on a light note and become darker taking even the slightest humor left...
4. *Family love and reality*
In comparison to other subjects of this series...this theme has been presented more realistically...no matter the apparent manifestation of expressions and meanness in behavior and conduct..you r always together in adversity.. support each other...love and care for each other...this is what defines a family...
5. *Pretty entertaining Supporting characters*
The character of aunt...who married 3 times...her temper nd stuff...
The character of brothers and sisters...their competition... jealousy...and fights
Villagers .. ( the gossip monger ladies)
secretaries (particularly the female secretary)..
parents...
And even villains everyone performed really well
6. *Scenery, style, shooting and stuff*
Scenes have been choreographed really well ..nature... beautiful landscapes...and the styling of the cast... particularly the wardrobe of ji won is amazing...and gives an aesthetic touch to the screen
7. *Emotional stuff and tear load*
Power struggle... poverty... deception... disease... breakup... Jealousy and even love including many other things one can't control becoming victim of...and the ensuing helplessness that lingers in such situations...brings the scenes where you can't hold back your tears and they are quite many... however thanks to the intermittent humor the air gets less heavier...
8. * Happy conclusion *
Though this series is loaded with tragic turns but somehow everything concluded on a positive note...just like in fairy tales...
Family feuds... terminal disease... misunderstandings... selfishness.... revenge...hate and love everything has been shown in a smoothest and most dramatic way it can be presented... there's no tragedy as such... script is made Happy to the point it looks unnatural and unreal...
9. *Mixture of genres*
It caters to the interests of different kind of audiences as it has family...friendship... Money ...marriage... divorce...revenge...power struggle... business...city-village life...broken families... childhood traumas and much more...
10. *Unrealistically hopeful story*
Good for those who prefer touch of fantasy in dramas...
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Watchable if you are ready to skip a lot
I was very puzzled by the reviews of this show, because most were either very high or very low. I think I get it now. There are probably two types of viewers. Those who are utterly charmed by the main couple, and their story line, so that they ignore all else, and those who can't overlook all the major flaws. I might have been in the later category, but I addressed that by fast forwarding a lot.So what works? The main couple. That's pretty much it. But that made the show enjoyable to me. Aside from both of them being ridiculously photogenic, their romantic arc is very well done. A beuatiful story with some nice ups and downs. There was one other couple storyline that surprisingly caught my attention towards the end (a redemption story), but that was really it.
What didn't work? Everything else. The villains in the story, and the storyline around them was so exaggerated, they might as well be a Disney villain. After a while, whenever i saw them, I just skipped ahead.
There was also the typical "dumb goofy people from the countryside". I admit i dont know a lot about the real Korea, but is everyone outside the big cities dumb and goofy? If not, and assume that's the case, someone should tell these writers to stop portraying them that way. So when they popped up, and started withthe goofy slapstick comedy, I skipped.
All in all, 6 was a charitable grade. But if you're ready to use the power of your fast forward button, the romantic storyline is beautiful.
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Yet another kdrama with hyped up actors
The drama was overall good and it can entertain you when you feel like you want to watch a drama,but thats where you draw the line. Dont expect a very interesting stiryline with a very well exec Story development things like that. This is just a normal dramas with all the typical korean drama essence in it. The comedy scenes,the childhood connection, secondlead being the villian and main lead saving the female main lead. Thats it. Its overall a good drama. If you love kim soo hyun or kim ji won u can watch it. Do not expect it to be like its ok to not be ok. That drama had everything.This is just a overall well marketed drama thats it.
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This Drama Came at the Right Time
The way I wait every week just for this drama's episodes to come out. I rarely write reviews, and ESPECIALLY before I have even finished the drama. But PLEASE I am OBSESSED with this drama. The whole cast is doing so well, and of course the main leads are stealing the show!! Their acting and expressions are so on point that I get absorbed in it. The way Kim Soo Hyun has such a variety of expressions!! I will update this review after I finish it, but this drama came at such a perfect time. I fee like there weren't too many interesting dramas airing right now but I finally have one I can enjoy each week. Also props to the cinematography, it makes me want to rewind just to see the camera angles/edits. It's so pretty. And I have been listening tp the posts religiously!! Highly recommend this drama, it truly put me in tears with the mixture of bittersweet romance. Episode 11 was the best one so far! You all should watch it and give it a chance if you haven't already!!!Was this review helpful to you?
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THE GUY IS NOT IT
First I want to uncover this fl to really explain how trash the ml isOur female lead is a business driven girl who has the pressure of upholding her family's business while recently suffering from a miscarriage that led her husband to stop talking to her because she removed the baby furniture and didn't explain why like BOY SHE JUST HAD A MISCARRIAGE. Also out ml first presented himself as understanding the fl has a hard time expressing emotions then suddenly he didn't like that for the same exact reason????
Another thing is that when the female lead was dying he was happy since he didn't have file a divorce, cause either the writers are psychopaths or they were very sleep deprived because the I would never wish death or be happy to my greatest enemies , I would probably feel sad that the only time they can have fun and not be stressed about something was when they got diagnosed with a terminal illness.
Plus when she found the divorce contract and got that whole horrendous speech from our ml about how he hates her and wishes death. And it took him being drunk and a ' I actually love her' to clear up that all is crazy.
Also the writers using the female lead's family becoming broke and having to stay with the ml is crazy. Like isn't he also a top lawyer who rose up because of his wife :/
And also childhood trope shit annoys me so fucking much!
Bye Bye lovely people!
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Drama of the Year 2024
Certamente o Drama of the Year 2024! Tudo ali é maravilhoso! A trilha sonora é marcante, a história é bem desenvolvida e bem amarrada, e a atuação dos protagonistas interpretados por Kim Ji-won é Kim So-hyun beira a perfeição. A química entre os dois então nem se fala, não conseguiria pensar em atores melhores para o papel. Os personagens secundários também contribuíram para o desenrolar da trama de maneira maravilhosa. Desde “Reply 1988” e “Tudo Bem Não Ser Normal” (que não coincidentemente o protagonista também é o Kim So-hyun) que eu não me emocionava tanto. Qualquer nota diferente de 10 seria um erro!Was this review helpful to you?
Dislikable FL, another toxic KDrama Chebol Family
I´ve began watching this drama because everyone liked it. I myself can´t swallow another episode. The FL is so dislikable! A woman so selfsentered, selfish, narcissistic and with tamper tantrums. Nothing on this woman for me to emphacise! Well, hopefully the actress does her job very well in depicting this character. I myself wouldn´t want to play such a narcissistic human! I got also heavily triggerd, but that´s my personal problem. The ML is this very sensitive man, I did like him very much. I can not watch any more, because I wish for the ML to get a divorce or that the FL dies. But that´s not going to happen, it´s a romantic drama after all! Her family it the steriotipical toxic KDrama Chebol Family. That´s not a new concept at all. For real, it´s getting old! Everyone is against each other. I can depict the ending in my head, and I´m going to be dissapointed, so I´m not going to watch any more.It´s just my opinion, but I don´t understand, why everyone likes this Drama.
Story: nothing new, the chebol family is toxic, the FL and ML struggle through their difficulties for a happy ending, while hurting each other along the way. So much I find it hard to understand, why they endure all this suffering!
Acting: very good cast. All of the acters so long play their roles belivable. Good actors after all! Side note: I find, that the FL and ML have no chemistry, but that´s probably because of the story. The actor of the ML has this cold, distand demenear in every one of his roles I watched so far, but can appear very sensitive and lovable.
Musik: appropriate sad soft balads. fits the drama
Rewatch Value: none for me
Overall: 5,5/10
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Happy to watch it!
Good to see the understandings, love between both leads. I'm surprised after reading the article "5 Unknown Facts About 'Queen of Tears'". Female lead more elegant for the role and this is having good scenes. Female lead got noted in mind for her excellent acting in dramas The Heirs, Descendants of the Sun, and Fight for My Way.Was this review helpful to you?
"Queen of Tears: A Heartfelt Journey of Love, Resilience, and Emotion"
Review of Queen of TearsQueen of Tears is a beautifully crafted K-drama that blends romance, emotion, and heartfelt storytelling. With its captivating plot and deep emotional moments, it takes viewers on a rollercoaster of love, resilience, and personal growth.
The drama stands out due to its outstanding performances, with the lead actors delivering raw and heartfelt portrayals that make every scene feel genuine. Their chemistry enhances the emotional impact, making the story even more engaging.
Visually, Queen of Tears is stunning, with breathtaking cinematography and a moving soundtrack that perfectly complements the drama’s mood. The storytelling balances emotional depth with moments of warmth, keeping the narrative compelling without feeling overwhelming.
Overall, Queen of Tears is a must-watch for those who love intense and meaningful romance dramas. With its powerful performances and beautifully woven story, it leaves a lasting impression on the heart.
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value of life.??? maybe
IF U GOING TO WATCH GO AHEAD....HER HUSBAND 😂😭 i don't know what to say since my review doesn't contains spoiler....but yaa i can assure drama will not disappointment you...but might you in the end..😭😂why they had plots till last..? watched last few episode on2x 😁😍😭..actors have done a great job to...learnt few lessons from drama also......i m busy typing but i would recommend this cause it's watchable till 13 i would say u can 2x on otherWas this review helpful to you?
