Queen of Tears (2024)

Brilliant in its own right, but..

Queen of Tears is a brilliant drama in its own right. While it may not be as original as I would have liked, it more than makes up for it with stellar performances by the main leads. Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won are exceptional as Beak Hyun Woo and Hong Hae In, respectively, bringing depth and emotion to their characters that kept me thoroughly engaged.

The storyline, though familiar, is well-executed, blending emotion, intrigue, and suspense. The character development, particularly within Hae In's family, adds richness and diversity to the narrative. The soundtrack is amazing, perfectly complementing the mood and enhancing the overall experience.

Despite its many strengths, the drama felt like it was missing a little something to make it truly outstanding and to add, episodes felt longer than they actually were which made drama feel slow at times. Nonetheless, Queen of Tears is enjoyable, with breathtaking cinematography and a good plot that will keep you hooked if you're patient.

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And they cried, and they cried and they cried some more.

So I just finished it.
I watched this because of Kim Soo Hyun from It's Ok Not to Be OK, Kim Ji Won in My Liberation Notes and Park sung Hoon Into The Ring. All fantastic actors in these three excellent series.

I don't know what to say about Queen of Tears.

It was tearfully sentimental, lots and lots of flashbacks, the acting was so-so and the music was depressing.
Lots of "white truck" instances, and I think the main actors lost their acting charm toward the end.
It must have been so tiresome to do that acting - not because it was good but because it was all over the place.

The best actor of the Tears was the 2ML - he held his evil all together - was consistently evil and his facial expressions reflected that evil the more evil he got.

What the ML found attractive about the FL, I have no idea.
She was disrespectful toward him long after she woke up from her cancer cure - although the 2ML made sure that the ML went to prison and so was out of the way when she woke up. It took a miracle from the part of the ML to wake her up to reality.

Mostly throughout, FL was drippy and certainly not lovable.

The writer did all it could to try to make the viewers cry - and I'm sure it worked for most of the viewers.
The OST was even more miserable - especially toward the end. Also there were many holes in the story.

Ok, I can now check that off and NEVER WATCHED IT AGAIN.!!!!

I guess an 8.0/10 is my grade.

Thanks for reading this.

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It's all over the place kinda mess

When my guts told me this drama trying to put too many on their plate, i should've trust it. I was so invested till i realized i just wasted it all. My emotion, time, mostly emotion.
When SML started to disgust me with his delulu mind and action (bless PSH), it was a sign a big big sign that yes, i can and allowed to drop this drama.

But here i am, after finishing ep 16. Honestly, it's not news when you fully invested at the beginning and hate a drama after certain episodes. It happens a lot. However, this drama is "expensive", from quality, actor, marketing, budget, etc... Even the writer. Yup. Everything feels like wasted potential, they have it all why can they just make it right? Just a decent plot from famous kdrama screenwriter, is that a lot to ask?
The acting save this drama, for real. The fact that most of us hate the villain and love the leads and their family is the biggest proof.

At last, they shouldn't be greedy and put so many tropes and you can watch it for the actors and the actors only. You also need enough patience, like A LOT of its.

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Such a roller coaster, but I enjoy the ride

This drama has many genres, and the genre keep changes as the story goes.

We begin the drama with dark comedy, then progress into romance, these two is the main genre. The progress is good, sometimes funny, other time is melodrama, little bit of trill, some heart fluttering moments, some family moments, pleasant plot twist here and there.

After 13 episode, the genre kind of sifted to makjang. The shift is kind of rough in term of storyline and editing, but the cast shining in this part. Emotional part tackled so well. The angst, the complex emotions of all characters. Especially the main couple, their acting play a big role here. Episode 15 is makjang peak. It will make you angry, it can make you anxious.

Then the last episode is heavy on melodrama. This episode is crafted so well. The cinematography, acting, editing, set and prop, lighting, grading. The team must be pour all their hard works on this episode. It's beautiful. Not easy to wrap that much plot gap and unfinish business from earlier episodes. But they do it right, the pace is also good on this episode. It also have a tone of slice of life, which is I love.

Overall, this is a great drama. There is some part that can be too tropey and cliché, but if you see in big picture, it's a great drama. But the highest regards goes to the cast. There are a lot of good actors in this drama. Actually most of them are seasoned one, and we can see that. They giving flesh to all character into a complex and unique being. Most of my rating come from the acting department. They give 12/10.

But let me give even higher praise to our FL and ML. They definitely carry this show. They are stole our heart. Jiwon and Soohyun give their all in this role. Their acting are stellar. And their acting is... having conversation(?) Like it's good separately but together, their acting speak to each other. Maybe this is what they called chemistry? At least acting chemistry, it's exist between them. Thank you for giving lives to Haein and Hyunwoo!

This drama is quite a roller coaster. But it's a pleasant journey. Not lie kinda make me angry on episode 15, but it's end in a very good note :) Thank you for cast and production team. It's a success drama for sure :) ❤️

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Quite good but was a little draggy and slow

My Rating: 9.2

Ep 1 ~ 6: Loved it!
Ep 7 ~ 8: ARGHH NOT AGAIN🤦‍♀️
Ep 9 ~ 14: 😍
Ep 15 ~ 16: 😒 WHAT THE 🤨 😑😡

What I liked about QOT:
- The leads
- Aunt and Soo-Cheol
- OSTs

The Dislikes:
- Pace (It was too slow draggy and kept repeating itself like WHAT?!!)
- Plot (A bit not logical)
- The grandfather (He’s So Dumb and naive)
- Too much plot twist (Im tired of it)
- The villain
It was overall not bad, considering the great acting from the cast, but seriously the HUNDREDS of plot twists are making me very tired tbh. I feel like the writer gave the villains too much spotlight and they almost ALWAYS had the upper hand, its like is the villains were much of the main leads than the actual real leads.

Reason for 9/10: Made me quite happy for sometime, Loved the OSTs and Leads, The chemistry between all of the main leads was AWESOME! I like how Hae-In became much more open throughout the story, I liked the backstory for Eun sung as he didn’t have a loving family when he was young which is what made him to be so obsessed on getting Hae-in (Poor thing).

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A drama that was saved by Kim Soo Hyun - Kim Jin Won 's amazing chemistry (& their tears)

Having two of my favorite actors in a drama was enough for me to tune into this drama. This drama has a love hate relationship for me...

What I LOVED:

The drama had me just from the initial episodes of how we got a couple that had already dated, married, coworkers and in a love-hate relationship. It's was rare to see a couple in a brink of divorce but still in love and denial, making you just wanting to root for them and solve their martial issues for them. When Hae In announces she is sick and Hyun Woo decides to get a divorce at the same time, there I was on the brink of my sofa watching them onscreen and worried about their marriage and life, than my own. LOL!

I wanted to smack Hyun Woo when he was initially happy about his wife's impending death. I disliked his nonchalant response. I remember writing here on MDL saying how I am team Hae In till the end and wanted Hyun Woo to cry buckets of tears non stop for this treachery. And boy did he cry or what and make me cry along with him? Hahahaha... I learned my lesson for wishing ill for him later on the episodes... But then its amazing looking back that how much his character developed and had come along to win me back over and root for him to fight for their lives together and that's what he did. He cried, fought, sulked, schemed, loved and got back into my good graces and I found myself to being Team Baek-Hong.

I loved them onscreen. The characters they were, their personalities... and And the CHEMISTRY!!!!! omg... I could write sonnets about just the chemistry. It was tuned into max since episode 1 and there was never a moment onscreen where it was toned down... not even a single screen till the end.

This drama till Episode 12 is perfection. I don't have a single complain nor irk towards a single scene that was in there. I loved it and ate all the crumbs the drama delivered... And then the unthinkable happened... The last 4 episodes... which so often in dramaland, where the writer just loses their mind and make us lose our mind along with them!!!!!

WHAT I HATED:

The last 4 episodes.... Episode 13 had me like stop halfway through towards the end and seriously question if it was the same drama I was watching... It was so frustrating mainly because I found myself guessing how this was going to turn out and I hate it when I not surprise or when it becomes so predictable. Especially with all the cliches... which is so tiring and frustrating after some time.

I took a leave of absence and waited for all the last 3 episodes to air and watch it together so my frustration and anxiety could handle it. And I am glad that I did this.

The writer had to bring in all the cliches and drama tropes and she did and delivered. It was irritating but then I think the theme of those last 4 episode was that it was going to be super melodramatic and makjang. Clearly the main aim wasn't the writing anymore. It was the rating and being dramatic. But I have to grudgingly acknowledge that, no matter what it was done in style.

I wanted more scenes between Hae In and Hyun Woo... were once everything was resolved towards the end, I hoped the last few minutes would be scenes of them together and rebuilding again... I didn't like how it was closed scenes where we assume and guess about their progress in love and doesn't get to see Hae In fall in love with Hyun Woo all over again... AND WHERE IS A KISS SCENE? I mean for a drama that delivered more kisses in one single episode than a whole kdrama combined, I was expecting to see a kiss scene towards the end.... AND WHAT DO WE GET? Nothing... Ahh.... the disappointment I felt is astonishing...

Also... that ending broke me. I never saw it coming... I mean its a happy ending but still... seeing death of your loved one is inevitable even in a fictional world just hit me in my feeling and broke me. I didn't expect that. I cried a lot over that scene. A long life of 84 years is amazing... but still it was so bittersweet. I want to live ignorance that once a characters that I love and cherish get their HEA in the end, they go on to live on forever. I don't want a reality check that they are mere mortals like us. It's like breaking the 4th wall and bringing them into the real world, where us mortals live.

IN CONCLUSION:

This drama is all about the chemistry between Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won. My god, what terrific actors. The emotional scenes where they were crying... I found myself mesmerized thinking, how can they act so damn well and look so beautiful at the same time.

I have always loved Kim Soo Hyun's acting. Especially when he cried. He is the prettiest actor in kdrama land who cries so beautifully... considering the female actors too... He is always my top pick. But then Kim Ji Won came along and she delivered those scenes along with KSH and I was like, how are these two so talented and beautiful....

The writing may have gone off in the end but this drama is only saved because of KSH and KJW. They single handedly carried this drama... and kudos to the duo for such a great job.... I can't wait to see their future projects... Until then! x

Would've rated it a perfect 10 if not for the last quarter.

Rating : 9/10

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I'm terrified because i don't know if ill just lose my memory or who I am entirely. But i don't want to lose you

Great storyline, and to think one of the directors was also involved in the making of another drama, which I am fond of, Little Women, I expect it to be this grand in terms of scale. It is a story about a third-generation heiress, a "chaebol," caught in an infatuation with a regular employee. It started with just pure love. All twists and turns unfold as they handle work-related conflicts and family pressure to the point of a relationship with no return. The couple finds their way back to each other as they go through even more overwhelming problems. Getting in love and even getting married for the "third time," as they say.

The common question comes in again: is the storyline predictable? I beg to differ just on some parts. The genres and themes like this are entertaining, and they capture my interest. If you like Korean drama OGs or G.O.A.Ts such as Sky Castle, The World of the Married, and Mine, you would love this one. War on places and roles in a corporation, sucking out money from all sides, greed with power and influence—if you are looking for themes like this, this drama would satisfy your needs. I enjoyed every episode. The characters were diverse; some had undergone character changes, and some were loyal to what they stood for. They executed their roles very well, especially how they maneuvered "Amazing Grace," Private Secretary Ko Jeong-A, played by Kim Joo-ryoung, the Ajhumma we all have an ick for. She was switching sides so fast that we couldn't help but curse her every time she appeared on screen. But then again, humanity prevailed, and we see her being accepted back into the Hong family. Moreover, I could not stress enough how both Kim Soohyun and Kim Jiwoon excellently played their characters; I certainly felt warmth and joy every time they interacted. You could feel shifts in emotions from anger to periods of intense love. If I were to have a conversation with them in real-time, I would ask how they managed to pull out those crying and passionate scenes so well that not a single scene felt dry or better than the others.

The drama was so good, that it left me with a question to ponder for myself: given that I am young and have never been in a real-deal relationship before, would "lady luck" or even God let me experience the same sweet feelings of love as Ms. Hong Hae-in and Baek Hyun-woo showed in the drama?.

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진짜 이상하지? 사랑해서 결혼하는데, 결혼하면 왜 사랑은 안 하지?

Here goes the most viewed tvN drama in history, and I still can't take it seriously because I just watched Kim Soo Hyeon dance in trash bags in Dream High. Whatever way you look at it, the drama was bound to succeed because of the stellar cast, the two fantastic Kims who acted their souls out, the top crew, and the huge budget of ₩56 billion that allowed shooting in actual Germany and detailed portrayal of the luxurious life of the elite.

I find it curious that this type of K-dramas about millionaires and their inconceivable affairs seem to dominate the viewership ratings, e.g. Sky Castle, The Heirs, The World of the Married, Reborn Rich, Sandglass. It's obvious that tired working class people on weekends want to immerse themselves in the lives of those who knock on no doors. That explains why Twinkling Watermelon and Lovely Runner struggle on cable TV. But compared to the 2022 Reborn Rich, Queen of Tears is also a hundred times better in writing and production quality.

The most memorable character for me is Hong Soo Cheol. Not usually found in dramas, a big character transformation is assigned once again to the actor Kwak Dong Yeon by the director Kim Hee Won (as was Jang Han Seo in Vincenzo). His character is a vivid and adorable illustration to the change of mindset that the Hong family goes through in the story. This is the best part of the drama made with good humor and inventive situations that place the spoiled Hong heirs in a challenging unfamiliar setting. Kwak Dong Yeon is an amazing actor and needs to be protected at all costs!

Many viewers complain about the uninspired ending, but I think due to the genre and popularity it had to end this way and play safe. The story is also filled with sentimental distractions that bear no significance, e.g. Hyeon Woo saving Hae In in the water when they were kids. She might as well have been saved by anyone else and nothing would've change between them.

Of course I couldn't miss the light homage to the Cassano family and THE VINCENZO CAMEO HOLY SHIT. Thank you Kim Hee Won for letting us know he's doing well!

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It started with sarcasm ...

...and jokes that keep me interested and watched till ep. 8, where there is a plot twist, which is the peak of the drama.

Afterwards, it goes downhill esp. ep 13 onwards where there are too many flashbacks and romantic conversations btw the main leads, which bores me and reluctant to continue watching.

However, there are still many meaningful and funny portions, e.g. the aunt and her bf made up the most hilarious parts.

Eun Seong, a cool psychopath from the 'Psychopath Diary' plays a cold-hearted person too in this drama; except that, he falls in love with FL, which made him vulnerable and looked unconvincing, which is a pity.

Hence, I rated it 8/10. Overall, it is still a good watch and writing.

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Potencial desperdiçado mas amei mesmo assim

Concordo com muitos comentários que vi sobre como a história poderia ter sido bem melhor, porém como me envolvi com o drama e com o casal principal estarei defendendo que é sim um drama que vale a pena ser assistido, principalmente pelos dois atores principais que são incríveis e tiveram uma química maravilhosa.
O que mais senti falta é que o foco fosse os problemas internos do casal, pois achei o vilão cansativo e desnecessário, senti que faltou ter uma conversa sobre a questão que os afastou (a perda do bebê) e mais cenas de casal íntimas (não necessariamente cenas de beijo) mas cenas de afeto que demonstrasse que um dia eles já foram casal.
Gostei tanto das personalidades trocada dos protagonistas, o clichê invertido, a CEO fria e o "pobre" sentimental, o casal do irmão bobão esforçado e a mulher trambiqueira.
A sinergia e a química deles é o ponto alto da história e o que cativa o telespectador.

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First Half was good then a sudden downturn on the second half

Another series, that got us hook on the first half of the series, I don't know what happened but during the last stretch of the show except the last 15 mins of the series, is a repeat of the other series.

A good story on the first half even brought in a strong cameo roles, but after the cameo role and after the surgery, the series sudden downturn in story is not what seems to be planned, if you remember an angry jealous suitor trying to get your wife then suddenly plotted a car accident, no context, the last 2 episode seems rushed, they could have extended it to 20 episode to give context on the accident, but it is what it is, series is over moving on

Cast is power house, can't say anything on the cast

Music, not so much, this is where i think the missing part of the series, a well composed OST that will ride the context of the story. even BGM is just ok.

Rewatch, May be episode 8 will be a rewatch that 10 min scene alone can be a rewatch value
another rewatch scene is the wife suddenly goes back to his husband and scolded by the parents,
this one scene just gets you.

Overall, its a good series, if you like the cast, but that's it.
story wise, it should have ended in 12 episodes instead of 16, or it should have been extended to 20.

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