This review may contain spoilers
A Beautiful Setup Undermined by Scattered Execution
Queen of Tears had all the ingredients for a deep, emotionally rich romance: a broken marriage, lingering love, painful misunderstandings, and two incredibly talented leads — Kim Soo-hyun as Baek Hyun-woo and Kim Ji-won as Hong Hae-in. But sadly, the final product feels like a missed opportunity.
📉 Too Many Side Stories, Too Little Depth
The biggest issue? The lack of narrative focus. The drama tries to juggle too many storylines — corporate family feuds, sibling issues, second leads, side romances — and in doing so, fails to develop any of them fully.
The romance between Hae-in’s aunt and her new boyfriend, for example, felt completely unnecessary and took up valuable screen time. Their arc had little emotional weight and often pulled attention away from what should have been the core: Hyun-woo and Hae-in’s relationship.
💔 A Love Story That Lacked Warmth
While the setup of Hyun-woo and Hae-in's failing marriage was compelling, I wish we had seen more genuine happy moments between them — not just in flashbacks, but in the present. Their emotional reconnection was undercooked, and the romance often felt overshadowed by external chaos.
⚖️ Out-of-Character Writing for Hyun-woo
One of the most disappointing narrative choices was how the drama undermined Baek Hyun-woo’s character. In Episode 1, he's established as a kind, morally upright man — someone who helps others and tries to do the right thing.
So to suddenly suggest that Hyun-woo was willing to fake love and wait for Hae-in to die — just to avoid a messy divorce — felt shockingly out of character. It seemed like the writers were trying to “balance” the emotional weight between Hae-in and Hyun-woo, but it came at the cost of logic and believability.
😠 Hae-in’s Treatment of Hyun-woo
Another frustrating element was how Hae-in consistently humiliated Hyun-woo in front of others, especially in the earlier episodes. Yet when someone else tried to manipulate or insult him, suddenly she felt protective. This double standard made her arc harder to empathize with.
And while the drama does explore her emotional growth, I still feel that Hong Hae-in never truly apologized for making Hyun-woo’s life miserable for years. That emotional accountability was missing.
😕 Scattered Writing and Missed Payoffs
Throughout the drama, I wanted to root for both leads — but the storytelling kept pulling me out. Important emotional beats were skipped or delayed. Storylines were dropped. And some moments that should have hit hard were softened by inconsistent pacing or weak buildup.
One emotional moment that never got its proper payoff: Hae-in never finds out that Hyun-woo saved her from drowning as a child — not Eun-sung. Her mother knows. The audience knows. But Hae-in doesn’t. A reveal like that could’ve added much-needed emotional weight near the end.
✅ What Worked
Despite all the messiness, there were still redeeming aspects:
Hyun-woo and Hae-in both remained loyal, no matter how strained things got.
Even after Hae-in lost her memory, she didn’t fall for the villain’s manipulations.
And of course, the drama ends with a happy, satisfying resolution.
The lead actors — Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won — gave it their all. Their performances carried the drama even when the writing faltered.
❤️🔥 Conclusion: A Love-Hate Experience
I really wanted to root for both Baek Hyun-woo and Hong Hae-in — and at times, I genuinely did. Despite the flaws in the writing, I still liked both characters and stayed emotionally invested in their journey. They had undeniable chemistry, and their performances brought warmth to an otherwise uneven story.
In the end, Queen of Tears left me with a love-hate relationship:
A drama with great potential and stunning performances, but one that lost its heart chasing too many side plots and emotional shortcuts.
I just wish it had trusted its leads — and their story — a little more.
📉 Too Many Side Stories, Too Little Depth
The biggest issue? The lack of narrative focus. The drama tries to juggle too many storylines — corporate family feuds, sibling issues, second leads, side romances — and in doing so, fails to develop any of them fully.
The romance between Hae-in’s aunt and her new boyfriend, for example, felt completely unnecessary and took up valuable screen time. Their arc had little emotional weight and often pulled attention away from what should have been the core: Hyun-woo and Hae-in’s relationship.
💔 A Love Story That Lacked Warmth
While the setup of Hyun-woo and Hae-in's failing marriage was compelling, I wish we had seen more genuine happy moments between them — not just in flashbacks, but in the present. Their emotional reconnection was undercooked, and the romance often felt overshadowed by external chaos.
⚖️ Out-of-Character Writing for Hyun-woo
One of the most disappointing narrative choices was how the drama undermined Baek Hyun-woo’s character. In Episode 1, he's established as a kind, morally upright man — someone who helps others and tries to do the right thing.
So to suddenly suggest that Hyun-woo was willing to fake love and wait for Hae-in to die — just to avoid a messy divorce — felt shockingly out of character. It seemed like the writers were trying to “balance” the emotional weight between Hae-in and Hyun-woo, but it came at the cost of logic and believability.
😠 Hae-in’s Treatment of Hyun-woo
Another frustrating element was how Hae-in consistently humiliated Hyun-woo in front of others, especially in the earlier episodes. Yet when someone else tried to manipulate or insult him, suddenly she felt protective. This double standard made her arc harder to empathize with.
And while the drama does explore her emotional growth, I still feel that Hong Hae-in never truly apologized for making Hyun-woo’s life miserable for years. That emotional accountability was missing.
😕 Scattered Writing and Missed Payoffs
Throughout the drama, I wanted to root for both leads — but the storytelling kept pulling me out. Important emotional beats were skipped or delayed. Storylines were dropped. And some moments that should have hit hard were softened by inconsistent pacing or weak buildup.
One emotional moment that never got its proper payoff: Hae-in never finds out that Hyun-woo saved her from drowning as a child — not Eun-sung. Her mother knows. The audience knows. But Hae-in doesn’t. A reveal like that could’ve added much-needed emotional weight near the end.
✅ What Worked
Despite all the messiness, there were still redeeming aspects:
Hyun-woo and Hae-in both remained loyal, no matter how strained things got.
Even after Hae-in lost her memory, she didn’t fall for the villain’s manipulations.
And of course, the drama ends with a happy, satisfying resolution.
The lead actors — Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won — gave it their all. Their performances carried the drama even when the writing faltered.
❤️🔥 Conclusion: A Love-Hate Experience
I really wanted to root for both Baek Hyun-woo and Hong Hae-in — and at times, I genuinely did. Despite the flaws in the writing, I still liked both characters and stayed emotionally invested in their journey. They had undeniable chemistry, and their performances brought warmth to an otherwise uneven story.
In the end, Queen of Tears left me with a love-hate relationship:
A drama with great potential and stunning performances, but one that lost its heart chasing too many side plots and emotional shortcuts.
I just wish it had trusted its leads — and their story — a little more.
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