Queen of Ambition (2013)

Don't watch this if you have heart problems.

This show blew me away with its intense melodrama and emotion. Not only were the emotions overwhelming, they were really poignant. For example, this tragic relationship between Do Hoon and his sister/mother Do Kyung was really touching but had weird hints of incest and regret, as well as the strongest of maternal/filial bonds. It was really haunting. Same thing with the heartbreaking relationship between Soo Jung and Ha Ryu, in which you feel so sad for this innocent, good-hearted girl who's in love with a dead man. The way this drama was able to manipulate your emotions was at the highest level of skill.

Unfortunately, the plot was completely ludicrous and made no sense whatsoever. For instance, Ha Ryu was able to easily take over his brother's complicated life and difficult job with no problems at all, while spending all his time hounding Da Hae. Didn't Jae Woong have ongoing cases and projects that needed expert attention? Also, doesn't Jae Woong have any friends or colleagues who would have noticed that he suddenly didn't know anything? But clearly, a logical and believable plot was the lowest priority for the writer and director, and they knew that the audience would just get too swept up in the emotions and melodrama to care about plot holes.

As for the all-important role of Da Hae, I think Park Soo Ae did an excellent job, but maybe her casting wasn't perfect. She seems too cold and refined and upper-class to have been an orphan girl who grew up in poverty. I can imagine an actress with a little bit more earthiness fitting the role a little better.

Another minor complaint is that I wish they didn't preview the ending of the show at the very beginning. I know they do this to try to capture the audience's attention, but it gives away too much. It would have been amazing to have watched this totally cold from the chronological beginning of the story and be shocked at the twists and turns and the ludicrous heights that the situation eventually reaches.

Despite these little quibbles, I couldn't stop watching this, and it pushed all my buttons. Also, I thought this was very similar to another 2013 drama, Secret. That one was also an intense, emotional rollercoaster full of angst, and the key event there again was a murder in which the protagonist makes the huge mistake of taking the blame for a lover who turns evil and betrays the person who made a huge sacrifice for his/her sake. It also featured the main couple's child dying (supposedly), an attempt to murder a beloved father with health problems, a prison friendship that start on the wrong foot, obsessive longing for a dead loved one, chaebol boardroom intrigue, people from humble backgrounds using their ruthlessness and hard work to rise up in society, etc. I didn't notice any staff members in common, so I wonder which one copied the other. Or maybe they both copied some older drama that I haven't watched yet. Anyway, I thought Secret was a little more believable and realistic and more competently put together, but Queen of Ambition maybe had slightly more emotional depth. But they were equally entertaining and worth watching.

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Lies, deceit, murder, revenge, retribution, redemption, if this is your cup of tea and have not seen this, than look no further. I am not usually a big melodrama fan and hate torturing myself watching as evil overpowers good and my patience usually doesn't last, but I was determined to get through this drama and I was pleasantly surprised. No pun intended.

First I definitely must give credit to where it is due. The writers were the stars. If I read the script of what was to happen which I won't do because it would be a spoiler, but if I did, that alone would make me laugh on how ridiculous, outrageous and over the top the plot and the storyline is. It's just too much for it to be believable and enjoyable. Well, I was sooo wrong it totally worked. As I looked back. now...I laugh at how I was totally taken in by the writers and just engaged in the story.

Okay, besides the writers you needed a good cast to pull it off. I think the cast did a excellent job.

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A generous helping of all the makjang essentials - plenty of angst, good looking male leads, and gray characters galore. If someone loved you like Ha Ryu loved the female lead life would be perfect. I came for Yunho but was enamored by Kwon Sang Woo! He did all the scenarios so well, I cried and cried for him. It's not perfect by any means but definitely worth a watch. The script is full of dramatic plot twists and keeps you guessing and entertained. I personally liked the "noona" and the female lead was obviously the point of most of the angst so I can't say I liked her but I liked the way her character was unpredictable.

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