Queen of Tears

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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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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The execution was all over the place!

The only saving grace for this drama is the phenomenal delivery by our leads and the OSTs.
These 2 reasons are why I picked this drama up after I dropped it after ep 13. I just had to see the end of it.

The love story between Haein and Hyunwoo is beautiful. I find it lacking in the overall execution just like the rest of the drama. Even though the feelings that we needed to see were beautifully conveyed by the acting of Ji Won and Soo Hyun, there were a lot of misses in the direction and writing.

The side plots weren't interesting enough for me tbh, I could have done without some of them. They needed to be properly developed and woven into the main story seamlessly!

The villains, Eun Sang and his mother didn't get the ending they deserved! It was rushed
I think giving Dahye and Grace redemption arcs was a poor decision. Not everybody needed to sing "Kumbayah"

I understand this is fiction, but some choices and decisions that Soo Cheol made were unrealistic and made zero sense. They were just written as part of "a great love story" that failed to hit the mark. It was plain idiocy!

The dramatic effects in this drama were more prioritised than making a great drama that made sense and followed a natural progression. It was just one bad decision after the other.

I could list everything wrong with this drama but frankly, I'm too disappointed and over everything that could have been better done in this drama.
The anticipation I felt for this drama from the moment the leads and main plot were announced was completely let down. If I were to rate it based on my disappointment, I would rate it a 5/10.

It's getting an overall 7.5/10 score because the acting from our leads needs to be praised and the OSTs were so beautiful!

And lastly, the hype this drama received is due to the acting of the main leads, and their unbelievable chemistry and because of that I can't in good conscience say the drama was totally overhyped.

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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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It will bring you to tears

I can not believe that this kdrama has gotten such a high rating. It was average at best. I wanted to enjoy it, mainly because the actor is considered Keora's highest-paid actor, and this is the first movie I have seen him in. However, the movie was flat. I suffered through it, hoping it would get better. Come to think of it that is what it was missing: "hope" (well, besides the emotional draw between the main characters). Time after time, the main character tried to save the day, and the rug kept being pulled out from under him. I wanted to cry, too. He was finally the hero in the last episode; then they made him out to be supper human (hit by a car, back up running across miles of snow, saves his women, to track back down the hill, and gets shot). I don't blame the actors; I blame the script. It is too far bad that they did not see the script as lacking. Maybe they thought because they had him as the actor, it would help the script out. It did not work. This was not a good comeback role for Kim Soo-hyun. Tears alone are not enough to take away the Best Actor award, and that was his only strength in this show (his tears).

Amidst the disappointment, there were a few bright spots. The female villain, portrayed by Lee Mi-suk, was a standout. I found myself wishing for more of her presence on screen. She gave passion! So did Kim Jung-nan's character. It was a delightful addition. They inject some much-needed levity into the otherwise somber narrative.

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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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Doom at Your Tears

I must admit that beyond the commendable acting and the occasional heart-touching moments, the show failed to redeem itself from its mediocre scriptwriting. My lack of strong emotional investment in the unfolding events, compared to other viewers, was a clear sign that the show was on a downward trajectory from the start of its second half.

It's an interesting premise but needs way, way better execution. The acting was superb by both leads, but I can't say they saved the show; it wasn't that terrible either, yet the premise promised something above-average yet was subdued to cliches, underdeveloped characters, and unnecessary plot twists to hook the viewer still when, in fact, did the opposite. Due to its genre, we shouldn't expect an entirely logical story, but that isn't the problem that is pointed out. The problem is that I need help seeing where the writers wanted to make me feel for the characters. Still, I couldn't, as much as I wanted to, not being able to oversee where potential arcs and events could have impacted characterization properly and give depth and understanding to other characters and subplots when needed. However, that's just something I value. I was bored and uninterested in the secondary characters and their subplots. I wish the writer could have focused on the leads and navigating their marriage crisis, and I wonder what exciting commentary and unique character arcs could have at least developed.

Similar to a top review, Hae-in was a character that had potential with a given backstory and from the perspective of Hyun-woo, it made me even more interested, yet she was also wasted. Kim Jiwon did a great job playing her character, yet I still needed to be impressed with the scriptwriting...which was even more frustrating, especially for the cast. Hyun-woo, however, was a character who deserved better. Whether you think of what he had to experience in the latter half of the drama or the writing of his character, which is still annoying, I see myself leaning toward the latter. At first, I did not mind him being the guy who was up to save everyone else, which the writer wrote him to be, but unfortunately, she could not get the memo on what is best for character writing and development and how it dries out very fast. I do not need to say much about Soo-hyuns acting, either. When they delved more into how Hae-in (with her illness) made Hyun-woo want to care for her more, I found it something worth touching on to at least develop his character, but his motives were unclear. It was more complicated for me to be attached to his character when he fought so many demons in the last few episodes, and I was just sick of it.

Although his interactions were based on the writing of his character and his helping the families, many explanations regarding the secondary characters' actions (Hae-ins mom that still relates to the underdeveloped character of Hong Hae-in, Moh Seul-hee) were never explained to fuel Eunseongs power over the plot, for no reason whatsoever. It could have just stuck to being more slice-of-life and ending these sorts of conflicts in a better way, developing these characters properly through mature conversations rather than rushing it through and focusing on Eunseong (a rather dull villain) to make me feel sad enough so that I would automatically miss them enough again after a happy ending; very formulaic. I admit that the ending was beautiful enough. Still, its message did not reflect what the drama seemed to me by trying to be so much all at once, ending up as a makjang (commendable from the writer's efforts to kill the character's arcs that the potential was understandable enough, spelled in big, bold words in front of you, mind you... I wasn't even as invested, yet I was still disappointed because of what could have been when paired with such a golden cast).

By not being able to connect to the characters with barely passable arcs and romance (regardless of it being a romcom or a melodrama) that barely had crumbs with the already beautifully written epilogues and the more minor details in their relationship that weren't as impactful but worthy enough to see how they would end up, with most being unsatisfying or unresolved. It was a struggle.

The music was fine enough for me. I especially liked the intro track, but I don't know if I could find it anywhere. 10CM and Crush tracks were already in my head each week, saving me from the brain rot I have experienced from questioning actions and motives. The cinematography, although attractive, wasn't as unique to me.

I would not see any point in calling it overrated because it wouldn't be a word that would describe the amount of wasted potential Queen of Tears had, yet I appreciated it for the somewhat enjoyable moments and well-thought-out epilogues with great performances that can appeal to any viewer. I honestly have more things to comment on, but there are almost 200 reviews here and possibly a text limit I would not rather see myself end up at, as you can see from the length of the entire review. However, the narration and storytelling quality trajectory became just as predictable as the other dramas I have watched, which I am not always mad at. I still think it's worth a watch. It could have been a better watch, but it's not badly written. It tried to be something and could have improved exponentially. Still, alas, it falls hard to do messy scriptwriting with decent enough writing in the first half that built up enough potential with the actors' work but failed to become anything above an average watch overall.

Of course, this is just how I felt about it; nothing too biased from other people's responses but from what I saw on my screen; maybe some things didn't make enough sense to me to comprehend. And as much as it looked like I barely tolerated it, there were still redeeming elements to make it an okay one-time watch. Nothing too extraordinary, which is still fine for me.

One last comment: the ending for the main couple was great, and the acting and cinematography elevated it more for me, but it was not so much a great saving grace.

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Was It Worth It?

I was beyond excited to start this drama. It had an amazing cast lined up, the trailer looked interesting, and the synopsis sounded unique. But the only thing that held up well was the casting. Friends, our lead actor and actress are probably the only reason I finished this soapy and overly drawn out love story. KSH and KJW nailed every emotional and comedic scene. They had amazing chemstry and I would 100% LOVE to see them in a future drama together. The rest of the cast did the best they could with the material available to them, particularly Kwak Dong Yeon and Kim Jung Nan. The cinematography was also just wonderful with some amazing dreamy shots and beautiful locations.

It's the plot, the bloated cast of characters, and the overly long episode length that truly kept it from reaching its potential. It never quite knew what it wanted to be. Was it a romance? A makjang? A comedy? A satirical drama? A fantasy (considering some of the plot points were unrealistically tied into a bow by the end)? Some shows can effortlessly combine these various elements together, but this was not one of them. If this story had focused on one of these elements with half the characters and half the length, I think we would have something truly memorable. Because embedded in the sloppy plot are truly some beautiful and unique moments. I just wish we could have focused on those moments rather smashing them together with cliched plot points over and over again.

Was it worth it? In the end, it was worth it to me. I enjoyed watching this live and I adored the main leads. But if I were being honest with myself, I would have dropped this after the second episode if not for the main cast. I recommend people give this a shot, but be willing to drop it if it doesn't hold your interest after the first initial episodes. If you want to know how the love story goes, there are some amazing YouTube videos showing just their story.

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