This was definitely one of those better late than never moments for us. I honestly don't know how we could've skipped watching something this huge. I've never felt like this about a Korean drama for a long time. You know, the one where you're looking forward to the next episode and you're seriously rooting for the leads.
Plot
Queen of Tears tells the story of married couple Baek Hyunwoo (Kim Soo Hyun of Secretly, Greatly, Crash Landing on You, Hotel Del Luna, The Producers, My Love from the Star, and Dream High), a self-made lawyer, and Hong Haein (Kim Jiwon of Lovestruck in the City, Mr. Sunshine, Fight for My Way, and Descendants of the Sun), an heiress of a rich conglomerate family running the Queens Group. The two used to be so in love with each other but the pressures of work and married life pulled them apart. Hyunwoo is on the verge of asking for a divorce but the diagnosis of Haein's terminal illness stops him. The drama takes us through how Hyunwoo and Haein find their way back into love and life.
This show is hugely about rekindling lost passion and love, and going back to your why for choosing that specific person. It's definitely a drama to watch if you want to fall in love with your spouse or partner again. But what makes it even more interesting is that it manages to blend in the corporate and family drama into the love story.
While watching this show, I couldn't help but compare it to Crash Landing on You (CLOY). And my research revealed that they share the same writer! I initially thought this was as good as CLOY. But after finishing Queen of Tears, I'd have to say it's so much better than CLOY because it goes through the nuances of marriages and relationships, unlike CLOY which presented a more political sort of challenge, that not all of us can relate to.
Kim Soohyun as Baek Hyunwoo
What endeared me to Hyunwoo was how naive but very well-meaning he was. He was so earnest in his love for Haein that he went to great lengths reassuring her that he will be the breadwinner of their family if she gets fired as an incompetent intern at Queens. That must have been so comforting for Haein to hear!
Then you'll feel pity seeing how Hyunwoo was trapped and how he was suffocating with Haein's family.
But what makes Hyunwoo really lovable is his humility about everything - his strengths, skills (shooting, boxing, swimming, military training), and his exceptional cleverness. His smarts saved himself and Haein and her family countless of times. Like how he thought of bringing in the rat Grace (Kim Jooryung of Twinkling Watermelon, Squid Game, SKY Castle, Mr. Sunshine, and Ms. Hammurabi) to spy on Ms. Moh (Lee Misook of You are the Best) because he knew they needed an insider to win. Or how he weaseled his way out when the scammer real estate agent (Kwak Jinseok of 1987: When the Day Comes) abducted him.
And Kim Soohyun's greatest strength? Drama, of course. He might not always be effective in comedy but drama is really his forte. He was so, so good in his breakdown scenes like when he was pleading with Haein to do the surgery, or when he thought Haein was in a car crash in Germany, or during Haein's surgery, or his frustration and desperation while incarcerated when Haein needed him the most.
I wonder if the reason why we skipped this drama initially was because of Kim Soohyun's "scandal." I don't possess all the information needed to make a judgment on this but I just wish for peace and justice for everyone involved. Yes, punishments should be meted out to those who deserve them but I hope we're all aware of the dangers of cancel culture too.
Kim Jiwon as Hong Haein
Kim Jiwon is perfect as the pretty, spunky, snooty, snob, and sometimes loony Hong Haein. A rich heiress character definitely suits her with her perfect features and her mastery of that nonchalant facial expression.
And she can do funny too. She does the aegyo so well. It's hilarious when she shows extreme attachment to her material possessions or when she showcases her rollercoaster of emotions, or when she's acting all jealous of Hyunwoo's admirers.
But Haein carries a lot of burdens too. Her main problem is that she's too independent and she seems to know what to do all the time. Thus, people, including her family, think she does not need help at all. She has no one to rely on and because of how she's been treated her entire life, she tends to push people away. But just like any woman, Haein also wants to be wooed, to have someone to depend on and one who's willing to break down her walls so she does not always need to be in charge. For a time, Hyunwoo was that person. But I'll talk more about that later.
Haein's illness was really unfortunate because it was the very antithesis of her personality. Imagine someone who always wants to be in control, losing her memory.
This show reminded us of how much we love Kim Jiwon. Should we check out her upcoming drama? Or should we finally revisit My Liberation Notes?
Park Sunghoon as Yoon Eunsung
We've seen Park Sunghoon in Squid Game 2 & 3 and The Glory 1 & 2. And yes, he seems to be really effective as a villain. I loathed him from the start. He was cunning even at a very young age when he killed a dog that almost attacked Haein. And he was such a credit grabber too, claiming that he saved Haein from drowning, when it was actually Hyunwoo who did it.
Park Sunghoon is a great actor and I wish to watch him in something where he's more likable. :D
Kim Jungnan as Aunt Beomja
During the finale's closing credits, Oppa wondered why Aunt Beomja was high up there. Well, this queen really deserves to be there. After all, she's played such memorable roles in Buried Hearts, Reborn Rich, Snowdrop, Crash Landing on You, SKY Castle, and What Happens to My Family.
Yes, she's crazy but you can see how she's really caring and kind hearted. I was very happy that after Hyunwoo, she was the first family member to learn about Haein's illness.
And I enjoyed her love story with Hyunwoo's neighbor, Yeongsong (Kim Youngmin of Our Blues, The World of the Married, Crash Landing on You, and My Mister). They were old but they acted like teenagers discovering love for the first time in their lives. He was so thoughtful giving her condolence money when her dad (Kim Kapsoo of Spin Kick, Jirisan, Hospital Playlist 1 & 2, Mr. Sunshine, You are the Best, and Worlds Within) died even if he knew she was very rich and probably didn't need it. That explanation about dad needing it in the after life was cute. And who can forget her very public proposal witnessed by the entire village!
Other Characters
At first, I felt that this show would suffer for having too many characters that you can't remember them all. But I actually ended up loving most of them since we had to be together for so long (16 episodes, with an average of 1.5 hours per episode).
You have Hyunwoo's mom (Hwang Younghee of May 18, Soundtrack 2, Youth of May, Hospital Playlist, and Hotel Del Luna) who was probably heaven-sent for her daughters in law because she was not traditional at all and she refused to turn them into slaves, both Haein and her other son's (Kim Dohyun of Gyeongseong Creature, Reborn Rich, Hot Stove League, and Guardian) wife (Kim Shinrok of Moving and Reborn Rich).
Then you have Hyunwoo's dad (Jeon Baesu of When Life Gives You Tangerines, Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Forecasting Love and Weather, and Fight for My Way) and his support group and the entire Yongduri village. I loved how everyone supported their family no matter what and how they rallied behind them when Hyunwoo was framed for murder.
I also loved Hyunwoo's lawyer friends who were always there to rescue him like when he was framed for malpractice and murder. Special mention to Yanggi (Moon Taeyoo of Resident Playbook, The Interest of Love, Forecasting Love and Weather, Hospital Playist 1 & 2, and Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol).
Then you have Haein's Secretary Na (Yoon Bomi of Reply 1997) who served as Haein's external memory drive after her return from surgery.
We also have the My Love from the Stars cameos who came in as private investigators dressed like Secretly, Greatly characters (Hong Jinkyung; Jo Seho; and Nam Changhie of Mr. Sunshine.
And the best cameo of all? Song Joongki (My Youth, Reborn Rich, Vincenzo, and Descendants of the Sun) appearing as Vincenzo himself, Haein's divorce lawyer.
Usually, I don't care about villains and I'd rather ignore them. But when you have super annoying ones like in this show, you can't help but notice them. Most of the side villains were just scheming but not evil, like Grace and Haein's sister-in-law, Dahye (Lee Joobin of Money Heist 1 & 2, Love in Contract, She Would Never Know, and Mr. Sunshine), who luckily had her husband Soocheol (Kwak Dongyeon of Our Beloved Summer, Big Mouth, Vincenzo, and Fight for My Way) who loved her unconditionally and who even chose to love her child as his own.
But Mr. Yoon and his mom, Ms. Moh, were the worst and the most evil. Especially Ms. Moh who had too much blood on her hands, having a hand in killing Mr. Yoon's adoptive parents, the orphanage director, Haein's brother, and Haein's grandpa.
My only problem with the villains was that their motives were not clearly laid out. Why target the Hongs specifically?
Execution
Although a modern day drama, Queen of Tears still incorporated your usual K drama stuff - cliches here and there, serendipity all over, excessive flashbacks of scenes that were just shown a few seconds ago. Or your usual flaws - a terminal illness that only manifests itself occasionally and manages to go away when convenient. And the usual corporate problem of slush funds. With how often they incorporate it into their dramas, you'd wonder if these are actually legal.
Pretty much like CLOY, the show manages to have a well-balanced story with great drama, some suspense/action, and comedy too. And everything seems to be done just right. The comedy might seem suspect in the beginning but it will grow on you. Like Aunt Beomja. Or Hyunwoo's siblings, especially when his sister (Jang Yoonju of Money Heist 1 & 2) tried to pay off Haein to stop their relationship, thinking she was poor. Or Hyunwoo's tails (Ko Kyupil of Crash Landing on You and Vagabond; and Lim Chulsoo of Perfect Crown, Can This Love be Translated, Our Unwritten Seoul, Gyeongseong Creature, Vincenzo, Crash Landing on You, Mr. Sunshine, and Reply 1988) who could only manage to report hilarious audit results, which actually even proved that Hyunwoo cared for Haein a lot (like how he was eating alone, playing coin baseball). And of course, you have the coward men in Haein's family like her brother and her dad (Jung Jinyoung of A Taxi Driver), who were asking for water from the Alps or Fiji when they first lived with Hyunwoo's family.
Of course, the show's strength lies in its beautiful love story telling. Those moments that make you feel giddy and make your heart flutter. And it really helped that our leads look so good together.
Haein and Hyunwoo's love story was cute. Hyunwoo was an employee who fell in love with Haein, whom he thought was a clueless and poor intern but who turns out to be the company's owner. I loved how Hyunwoo described Haein to his family as someone he wanted to protect and provide for. He promised to be by her side when he thought she had nothing and he even proudly announced that his family owned a farm and cows and he has a 2-year lease on an apartment in Seoul to prove that he can take care of her.
So where did they go wrong? Foremost reason would probably be the differences in their personalities. Haein was an alpha female go-getter who is used to always getting what she wants. She means business. Hyunwoo, on the other hand, was more compassionate, kind, and humane. Yes, they worked together but that also added to the tension. They argued in front of everyone. Their goals clashed. I can compare it to a situation where one party wants to be sweet and exert effort but the other party is not receptive. It's like enjoying writing and receiving love letters but the other person doesn't even bother reading or writing one and even criticizes the other for writing too lengthy letters. So the former holds back until that coldness becomes the norm.
Of course it didn't help that Haein's family was difficult and I don't think she did enough to protect Hyunwoo from them. Her family made him cover up their illegal stuff, while his family was so warm and loving.
With too many people and issues between them, Hyunwoo and Haein failed to compartmentalize and have their own "me" time to insulate their relationship from the "outside world." But I loved how the show tried to keep things real. These are actual issues that real life couples encounter. Once things get in between a couple, they often find it difficult to be humble enough to make the first move to fix things.
Was the loss of the baby the major game changer? Probably, judging by how happy and excited they were when they first found out about it. Their differences in dealing with the loss was likely the final nail in the coffin. But I must say that it was really wrong for Hyunwoo to move out of their shared room and leave Haein when she was most vulnerable.
Haein's illness was a blessing in disguise because it "suspended" the divorce and it paved the way for them to grow closer again. Yes, Hyunwoo originally intended to just wait it out and he couldn't wait for his impending freedom. But unknowingly, he did a lot of cute little and huge things that made them fall in love with each other again. Like when he saved her in a party with potential investors who valued family relations. Or when he bravely shot the bear that almost attacked her when they were hunting. Or when he tirelessly looked for her when she got lost in his village. Or when he followed her to Germany when she went there for treatment. Or extending her palm's life line with a pen when she complained that it seemed to be too short. Or when he threatened to sue the German facility that refused to treat Haein.
Yes, it was awkward for them to rediscover each other. But it was an important lesson that love is all about staying together through hard times and not running away. I wonder when it turned real for Hyunwoo.
I loved that powerful scene in Germany by the stairs where he scolded her for making him cry a lot in their marriage, despite promising not to do so when she proposed. And how she replied that she never wanted to be alone but she was probably too proud to ask maybe because she's tried before and she was rejected or she thought it could be a sign of weakness or being pathetic that would surely hurt her ego. And he probably thought she didn't need him. Ah, sometimes, men really need to be more sensitive and perceptive. But through it all, it was evident that they never really stopped caring for each other.
I wish Hyunwoo came clean about the divorce right away before it was blown out of proportion. But since I had no choice, I chose to suck it up as a usual part of K dramas. I know a happy ending will await the couple. And I trusted that Hyunwoo was a skilled lawyer who can get himself out of the false accusations.
I completely understood why Hyunwoo wanted to get a divorce. And he was not getting anything out of it anyway so he was not exploiting anyone. He even stood to lose a lot. And I'm pretty sure Haein felt that things have shifted and he was nothing but sincere when they started to patch things up.
But as expected of clever Hyunwoo, he used the divorce as a weapon to give Haein something to live for, even if it hurt and destroyed him. This problem also showcased how Hyunwoo was a great lawyer who kept receipts to cover his ass, as if anticipating that a demolition job would come his way.
It must have been extremely difficult for Hyunwoo to see Haein slowly losing it. Like that moment when she forgot about the divorce and she told him she loved him. I wish Hyunwoo had the power to erase the bad parts of her memory. It was heartbreaking to hear Hyunwoo say that even healthy people forget things too like how he forgot what he and Haein had and shared. And equally painful was Haein hearing Hyunwoo talk about how he really felt about her in the restaurant with Yanggi.
I loved how Hyunwoo kept on protecting Haein despite the divorce like when she stopped Mr. Yoon from following Haein to the hospital and how he threatened him when he figured out his connection with Ms. Moh.
I was relieved to see Grandpa cut off Hyunwoo so they can't use him as their fall guy and they'll realize Yoon's real motives. Aunt Beomja teaming up with Hyunwoo was enough for me.
Haein's family staying with Hyunwoo's family was hilarious and it was something I looked forward to. I loved how Hyunwoo swooped in to save Haein's family when they were evicted from their home.
And I loved how Hyunwoo did everything to ward off Yoon, whose obsession with Haein was getting out of hand. It was nice to see Yoon and Ms. Moh against each other too. And despite her illness, Haein never lost her touch. It was amazing how she deceived Yoon into thinking that she'll agree to marry him in a presscon when instead, she announced that he was threatening her and she revealed her illness.
I knew Dahye was not innately bad because her return proved to be pivotal in saving the Hong family. I loved how Soocheol stood up for her and Geonu. And how Dahye won over her mother in law (Na Younghee of Crash Landing on You, The Producers, What Happens to My Family, My Love from the Star, and Worlds Within) when she said that she was her first mother. I'm glad she never got swayed again and she allowed Soocheol to help her sort things out. I was so proud to see Soocheol save Dahye while riding his bike and using his boxing skills, which were all new to him.
Yes, it was unfortunate that Grandpa had to sacrifice himself but it was necessary to allow his family to come back and reclaim what was theirs. And yes, it was sad to see the Hongs leave Yongduri. And what a great parting gift it was for them to give the building to the Baeks.
The moments leading to Haein's surgery were heavy and bittersweet. I liked Hyunwoo's analogy about wounds and their relationship - how they should be remedied sooner with ointment and frequent bandage changes so as not to worsen things. And how he said he would still make the same choices to be with Haein despite knowing how things will end. And how she said she would still choose to marry him even if she's made to choose a hundred times. And that cute she loves me, she loves me not scene where he stopped in front of Haein's door, where Haein could hear everything from the inside. Or how he heroically chased her down when Yoon drove away with her. Or how he didn't care about his online bashers but he was so affected with Haein's.
The scenes where Haein's family found out about her illness were heartbreaking - dad breaking down in the elevator, Soocheol tearing up his talisman, etc. And the first thing Haein said when she woke up after fainting, telling Hyunwoo that she loved him. Yes, it was quite corny but it was nice to finally see the Hongs and Baeks getting along with each other.
And Hyunwoo's request for divorce withdrawal, which Haein rejected at first but agreed to eventually before her surgery. How she said that she can't wait to have a future with him. Although it was morbid to hear her say that Grandpa's funeral felt like a death rehearsal for her.
I liked the great plot twist about Haein's surgery where she can live but she can lose her memory, pretty much like in See You in My 19th Life. It was refreshing to see Haein have a renewed purpose in life - wanting to slow down and appreciate life more. That snow in the mall that Hyunwoo orchestrated was a perfect send off for Haein.
Of course it was expected that Haein would resist the surgery. She lamented how she'll lose memories she draws strength from like the smell of the field they visited on their honeymoon or him becoming a stranger. And how she wanted to cherish memories of loving and being loved back. And how Hyunwoo reassured her by promising that they will fall in love again and he will stay even if she disliked him. It was painful to see Hyunwoo asking her to just live. After all, even if she forgets and loses her memory, her heart will always remember and Hyunwoo would still be happy to love her from afar. That intro video he made for when she wakes up from surgery and promising to be her memory and be by her side was so sweet. It makes you want to trust the fate that brought the two of them together.
It was so powerful to see Haein agree to the surgery after seeing how broken Hyunwoo was when he thought she was involved in a car crash. And how she thoughtfully wrote down her memories in a diary to help her remember.
I hated the plot twist of framing Hyunwoo for murder so he can't be there when Haein wakes up and Yoon will take his place. But that bittersweet montage of Haein's memories burning away was a nice touch.
I wish I could skip the Yoon parts but I trusted that their love was so much stronger than her memories. Their first meeting in jail was sad, although Hyunwoo probably felt relieved that she was okay even if she hated him.
And the diary that survived a fire and winter and found its way back to Haein. It was a very tearful moment to see Haein reading it and recalling her past. And it was clever of her to book stuff like that Aquarium date before her surgery to help cross check her memory. And it was wise of him to tell her to doubt, that she did not need to believe him, but she should not believe Yoon either.
The finale was okay because it tied all loose ends. Although I hated the overextended conflict with Yoon. I felt that the show had sufficient conflicts all throughout that we no longer needed that. I think we deserved a happy and positive finale. Yoon should have been done in episode 15. And he was killed when he deserved to be in jail. Although what Haein said about being uncomfortable with and disliking him even if she didn't remember anything must have really hurt. And Ms. Moh finally paid for her crimes!
As I predicted, Dahye was instrumental in saving the Hongs. And I loved how Soocheol stayed with her and Geonu (Koo Seewoo of Perfect Crown) all throughout.
The family got Queens back. And Haein's dad chose to retire and let his brother (Park Yoonhee of Our Unwritten Seoul, Lovely Runner, The Glory 1 & 2, The Interest of Love, Extraordinary Attorney Woo, and Twenty Five Twenty One) take over. The family even forgave Grace. And Aunt Beomja getting loved for real this time and by a virgin no less haha.
Until the end, Hyunwoo fulfilled his promise of protecting Haein by taking a bullet for her. Yes, we see how things will end for them, they'll have a child and Haein will die in 2074 and be buried in Germany. It was comforting to know they'll live long together. But I honestly would have preferred a more extended look at their happy times at present with their families and their kid.
But I will not allow that finale to take anything away from this beautiful drama that is worth every second of your viewing time.
Oppa says...4.6.
Noona says...4.7.