Queen of Tears (2024)

Textbook kdrama

As the title suggests, this show is a textbook example of how a kdrama looks.

The story started great, showing the realistic money/power hungry family members going at each other. It also showed some, but not a lot of cutesy romance scenes, as well as some comedy bits, both very typical I might add.

CHARACTERS STORIES: They did not delve deeper into any of the characters stories (you could say the ML and FL had enough of their story being told, be it through flashbacks and whatnot, but I disagree — they had almost no character, one is cold faced but warm-hearted and the other is a puppy). Only what was essential to understand the story was included, nothing more, nothing less. That would have made every person feel a much more powerful connection to the characters and the storyline. They never really got to explain the whole divorce and unhappiness that the two main characters were experiencing in their relationship in depth. They only skimmed through the most important points of interest and moved on to something else, be it family or business struggles.

ACTING: Very good. Loved the male and female leads' acting and emotion expression, but the romantic vibe was somehow not as present as I thought it would be. It wasn't awkward at all, but was not so romantic either. That was a bit of a bummer. It was more sad than romantic, given the entire situation the characters were in, but that doesn't excuse the fact that the spark was not there between the ML and FL. The others were fine.

Would I watch this again? — Probably, if I forget about it after some time (It really isn't such a complicated storyline).
Would I recommend it? — Yes, I would. While it does seem like a very surface level covered drama, depending on the person, you could find yourself quite attached, and if you are a little bit soft-hearted, you could shed some tears.

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Phenomenal acting

There is no words to describe the beauty of Queen of Tears. Although my experience watching it has been simply the most draining, heart-wrenching, emotional time of my life, my eyes have been opened once again as I’ve experienced love at its rawest. Was it the well-thought dialogue or the pristine scenery, maybe the accurate casting that made me obsessed with this k-drama? I do not know. I didn’t know that 8 weeks ago, when I started this drama…I clicked on it simply because I saw some of my favourite actors and actresses.
Truly, I believe no one could foresee the true impact this kdrama would have except the Park Ji-eun, the queen of writing scripts! This show she created overtook my life like a storm, as it became the only thing a hopeless romantic (like myself) could dream of. Let’s say it’s no surprise Kim Soo-Hyun received this script; as evident as it is by his acting, in Queen of Tears, My Love from a Star and It’s Okay Not To Be Okay, he is extremely talented. And my girl Kim Ji-won has been so underrated in the industry. She’s never really had her moment to internationally shine, even though her performances have been exceptional since Descendants of the Sun. I knew her potential since day one so I am ever so grateful that this production gave her the opportunity.
Each and every actress and actor did not slack when it came to their performance; every side character has made me feel emotional at some point. However, this drama wasn’t just all tears; the balance between humour and melancholy in this drama was amazing. The funniest moments always had something to do with Soo-cheol and his antics- and let me not get started on how they humorously turned around all the kdrama cliches. It was the perfect medicine for the depressive scenes.
Overall, I will deeply miss this kdrama. I’m glad that’s it’s already met great success, especially becoming tvN first k-drama with one billion views! I also wish it future success, and hope all the actors and actresses get the awards they deserve- especially Kim Soo Hyun. Everyone I knew was going through a kdrama slumber, we were tired of seeing the same love stories with mediocre ending; I’m glad to say my passion has officially reawakened. This was the best ending I could have dreamed of.

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The acting and production > the plot

the plot kinda went off the rails but the cinematography and acting was so beautiful that I will just forget about the writing 😭 that ending was so bitter sweet but beautiful till death do us part.
I kinda lowkey was hoping for more of their child’s story I wanted to know how their parenting is like now after dealing with the whole miscarriage 😭


Throughout the series I was a bit bored with some parts since tbh it seemed like the revenge/fight for the company were never going to properly be disclosed but I suppose it did end up working out for them. All of the roles were so beautifully done as well (I still lowkey don’t like grace she switched up so fast). I loved all the family characters the character development of both hyun woo’s and hae in’s family was beautiful to see and the bond they had created compared to when they were first stuck together 😭
anyways hyunwoo and hae in’s story was beautiful it was very cold business woman type love lmao the way she still called him mr baek (unless translations are wrong haha) but both actors were great in their roles and their chemistry was amazing together. people are hating on it too hard ngl it wasn’t as bad as people say it is. only part that I didn’t like was eunsung’s entire stupid existence GOSH HE ACTUALLY ANNOYED ME SO MUCH AND HIS STUPID PSYCHO MOM TOO 😭 the writer was definitely either on ao3 or wattpad in her childhood cause this was so all over the place maybe she was drunk when writing the last 5 episodes idk. 💀

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What is the sense to show the year 2074?

Only for the dialogue that stated ,if anyone of the two leave then other one wil reach to them .
There were several scenes that touched the audience deeply. For instance, when the husband, after deciding to divorce his wife, discovers she is dying, he chooses not to divorce her out of pity. He realizes the depth of his annoyance with her but decides to stay by her side during her final moments, which secretly brings him happiness.

Additionally, I found the chemistry between the second leads more captivating than that of the main leads. Especially, Hong Soo Cheol's performance was exceptional; he was truly outstanding.

Another memorable moment was when their love story finally began to unfold.

The subplot involving the female lead, who was the owner of a shopping mall, and her struggles to save it, added depth to the story.

Despite many engaging scenes, something felt lacking in the overall storytelling.

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Queen of Tears Is Yet Another K-Drama That Doesn’t Stick the Landi

✅It's A Below Average Drama With Amazing Performances and Decent To Good Cinematography With A Generic RichA$$ Makjang K-Drama Plot.. But Bruhh I Wasn't Expecting This Sh!t At All.. See It Was A Most Anticipated Drama From Makers Of CRASH LANDING ON, VINCENZO and MY LOVE FROM THE STAR.. + It Was Comeback Drama Of One Of My Favourite Actor Kim Soo Hyun.. So Obviously I Had Very High Expectations.. But It Turned Out Hell Boring Drama With A Bland, Lazy, Draggy Yet A Predictable Screenplay and Direction.. With Dead And Cliched Chemistry Of Main Leads.. + There Is Hardly Even 10 Mins Of Plot In Every 1h30mins Episodes.. I Can Point Out Much More But Let's Not Go There.. It's My Opinion And You Guys Might Have Different Opinion, I Totally Respect That.. But For Me It Was Biggest Let Down.. I'M DISAPPOINTED, DISHEARTENED, DISPLEASED and Uh.. That's It, Goodbye Queen Of Trash

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All the nagetive review forced me to put a review to do justice for the drama.

This story is not everyone's cup of tea. The thought and message that convey the storyline is bigger then anything. I'm really thankful to the writer and all the cast and crews for making 'Queen of Tears'. It's a story of our daily life the problem we face in our family in our relationship and more. The story will mske you rethink about you family, relationship, friendships and make you inspired to make your relationship stronger. And the cast line is amaizing. Maybe my words will be less for their acting skills. Their acting is superb that will make you the problems and solutions more realistic. The music is awesome. All the songs are refreshing and nostalgic. I don't know why people are putting nagetive review for this drama, there again people afraid to accept reality and love to live in fantasy. But It's a must watch drama for all.

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Round of Applause!!! BRILLIANT!

Everyone knows how the main leads are going to end up together and kdramas always start out with that sort of introduction - however, I LOVE how this drama started out!
Caught me off guard - and how they were able to integrate the plot and piece each of the flashbacks/storyline together.

I cannot be more impressed by EACH and EVERY single cast member chosen for THEIR roles!! Everyone did an AMAZING job; really played out their character to the CORE.

Loved every moment of emotion and feels this drama has put me through... literally cried or got teary every episode.

I loved all the meanings and unique epilogues at the end of each episode (DON'T MISS THEM!). These added great additional information, insight, and plot to the story/characters.

I think the ONLY thing was; as much as unrealistic kdramas are (SNIFF, UNFORTUNATELY T-T) - some violent portions - seemed really unreal but it did play into the plot well...

Some side items - absolutely amazing OSTS/soundtracks; visuals were OFF the charts (outfits, scenery, backgrounds, make up etc etc).

Overall, AMAZING. DEFINITELY worth the watch; no drama is perfect so I give it a 9.9999 out of 10 !

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It was almost perfect

My thoughts about this drama: “what a valiant roar, what a bland goodbye”

I loved the first episodes, how complex their dynamic was and how well Soohyun and Jiwon brought them to life with their micro expressions. The way the pacing felt realistic, since a lot of things have passed between them and they're relearning each other. For me the drama took a bad turn when they lost focus of the main characters and expanded so much on the Queen’s drama. Especially the villains, they had so much screen time and were not really nuanced. Or the aunt, like yes, she was a nice character, but ???? why would they think I wanted so much screen time with her and that bland guy? At first it was cute, but when they gave them so much screen time the last episodes it turned out really annoying for me.

I feel like the car crash was unnecessary and something the writer included because she felt like the audience had not forgiven Hyun Woo enough for the way he acted at the beginning of the drama. That we needed to see him have this big gesture and go rescue her as proof of his love, but it was unnecessary and redundant by this point. We’ve already seen how much he loves her ever since the reality of losing her was on the table and he realized it (when she gets lost on his hometown and she admits it and he hugs her and cries).

In episode 1 and 2 we see how distant and resentful they’ve grown of each other, how they’ve built walls between each other (like when she says he is acting out of character by siding with her and taking her hand) but the moment she is honest and vulnerable (probably it’s been years since that) it dawns on him that she is sick and loosing herself. And it breaks him, because it turns real, that maybe she won’t be saved, that they’ve lost years of companionship they took for granted and both of them could’ve done something to fix things (their talk outside of the supermarket). Him recognizing he forgot that love (while she didn’t) and that scene in episode 6 in Germany was top notch, and staying by her side with Queen’s take over and also recognizing his own mistakes (like how Haein tells him she never wanted to be alone, and both understand she is talking about their baby; or him saying that he wishes he would’ve asked her about her day back then instead of acting as strangers) for me was enough. Him egging her on to have a reaction out of her, bringing her family to his hometown, being vulnerable with her and recognizing his faults, listening to her and caring, were reasons enough to forgive him.

I was also not a fan of her losing her memory. I think they chose way too many conflicts and they overlapped and we didn’t have enough scenes of them being happy without the threat of her disease. I would’ve either picked the Queen’s take over or her amnesia, both was too much. Especially when the pacing by the end was so bad and they chose to keep her amnesia instead of her remembering. We didn’t have scenes of “them” but of HyunWoo and a HaeIn that didn’t feel like HaeIn at times and did not know their past. Like, yes, their past wasn’t perfect, but it was what gave their relationship depth. And then they chose to skip her falling in love with him or any life milestones between them!!! Like them finding out about her being pregnant again and this time supporting each other and facing the uncertainty together. Their child’s first birthday! We got like a few seconds of them on the steps and then were clubbed with old HyunWoo facing her death and meeting each other again as “souls”. I think it would’ve been a little less shocking if we’d had at least more scenes of them spending their life together before that scene. Especially after most of the drama they made us bawl our eyes out.

One of the worst things they chose to do was that the reason they both grew distant and started to resent the other was not addressed with the depth and care that it should’ve been. They both hurt each other. HyunWoo felt that his feelings were not taken into consideration by HaeIn and that she did not care as much as him (shown by his surprise by the date being her passcode) and that he was not given space to grief. Like he grew up in a family in which they talk things together and support each other, that’s the way he is able to bear sadness, and HaeIn closing off emotionally and being defensive made him feel isolated. Meanwhile, HaeIn has already suffered the loss of a family member and she was blamed and resented by her mother for it, so it makes sense that because of that experience and the guilt and trauma of the miscarriage she was going through she thought HyunWoo would do the same, especially after seeing that he moved his things out of their bedroom. He did it because he felt hurt by her breaking down the nursery and not giving him space to grief, but it was how she was taught to grief: walk around it, pretend it did not happen and don’t talk about it (like how her father was going to turn the page of the family album when there was a photo of her older brother). I feel like the way they started to approach it was on track: HyunWoo seeing the birthdate being her passcode, HaeIn admitting she never wanted to be alone and HyunWoo understanding she is talking about the miscarriage and realizing he misinterpreted her back then and the look of regret when he apologizes and hugs her. But I think they should’ve talked about it sooner (like when they’re in his apartment, when she sees the birthdate being his passcode as well) instead of the gloss over they did on the final episode when she still does not remember a lot of what they went through.

The drama started out great but I feel like the writers didn’t understand the characters enough and thought we needed big action scenes to be impressed and hooked. Instead, it would’ve been better if it stayed as more of a character study on how for love to be kept alive it needs to be nourished, it needs work and communication and respect between each other. Jiwon and Soohyun are amazing actors and have the range to bring those scenes to life, so it’s a shame that the writers chose to sideline them (like I think the villains have almost more screen time than HaeIn in the final episodes...). Tbh, Soohyun and Jiwon were the reason I kept watching, especially by the end, I can say that the last two episodes are some of the worst episodes of the drama.

I love HyunWoo and HaeIn, and it’s been a while since I’ve been so hooked with a drama and the actors had the ability to make me care so deeply about their characters. “Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new” by Ursula K. LeGuin reminds me of their relationship.

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A tropey, tear-filled soap opera with solid acting that tugs at the heart strings

If you've seen Perfect Marriage Revenge or Marry My Husband, then you have an idea of what's in store here (without the rebirth/time travel element): This is a soap opera, no question, with its requisite checklist of a wealthy family, succession conflicts and rivalry, scheming interlopers, over-the-top (yet predictable) plot developments, and of course, unexpected childhood connections. In that sense, there isn't too much that's "new" here. All three dramas are somewhat over-rated, but what sets Queen of Tears apart from the other two are the acting, production quality, heartfelt relationships, and a lovely soundtrack.

Like many Asian dramas, Queen of Tears almost feels like a story in two different acts. The first is light, filled with dark humour and family dynamics that are amusingly bananas as we meet the characters and familiarize ourselves with the setting. The pacing and execution are pretty solid and I found myself cackling out loud multiple times. The cast of characters are not especially likable, frankly, but that's okay, because we're here for the great storytelling.

The second act takes a much darker tone, as wild plots, evil schemes, angst, and endless tears take centre stage. Much of the humour is gone. Characters hit rock bottom and grow. They are tested by adversity and overcome them. The show is keenly aware of its melodramatic turn, however, as even the characters themselves discuss and compare events to K-drama plots.

Overall, the first half felt more fresh and entertaining, but I personally enjoyed the back half more for the angst and significantly warmer and more empathetic characters, even as the story dipped into Makjang territory and some plot elements (like Hyun Woo's siblings, the miscarriage, etc.) were not as flushed out as I would have liked.

Given the amount of tears shed in this drama, I was curiously not bawling alongside the characters, especially for our heroine, Hong Hae In, played by Kim Ji Won. The earlier unlikability factor comes at a cost. Hae In is so scarred by life experiences that she hides behind a cold and indifferent mask. But even when the mask finally cracks in the second half, I struggled to warm up to her. Still, as someone who is forgetful yet overly sentimental, I did find Hae In's fears and personal story powerfully poignant. With a warmer character, I would have wept an ocean of tears. Ultimately it was Kim Soo Hyun's portrayal of Baek Hyun Woo that finally made my eyes water and my heart ache near the end. While Kim Soo Hyun lacks a certain "swoon factor" for me, his immense likability and solid acting comes through in Hyun Woo.

Another particular acting highlight was Kwak Dong Yeon, who plays Hong Soo Cheol. The actor already stood out for me in a number of his previous roles, and I initially found him almost unrecognizable here as the annoying jerk brother. When we first meet Soo Cheol, he is the stereotypical baffoon - the incompetent, spoiled family embarrassment and mama's boy with no self-awareness out to beat his sister. But surprisingly, he ends up being the warmest and most passionate member of the Queens family. In the hands of another actor, Soo Cheol could simply be a supremely annoying wealthy idiot sibling. Instead I found myself feeling sorry and rooting for him.

Elsewhere, Park Sung Hoon was very effective in his incredibly unsettling portrayal of Yoon Eun Seong, especially in early episodes. Some of that chilling effect felt diluted later on, however, overshadowed by melodramatic plot developments. Even so, Eun Seong's gaslighting and truth-filled lies remained extremely disturbing and uncomfortable to watch, particularly in the way it reminded me of the misinformation and disinformation we face in the real world today.

Queen of Tears started off as a respectable 8.5 for me, but the strong emotional notes struck in the last three episodes and especially the ending, pushed it into a high 8.

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JUST FINISHED IT AND MAN I LOVE IT!!???

I don't know why people are coming for the story and the cliche parts or coming for literally anything in that drama!! ...like are my standards low or was that just such a good drama!!!??!

I've read some review where they were like "the last scene did nothing for me " like brooo no hate but howww ???!?😭😭 you gotta work on your emotions because that scene was sad as fuck and I just realised that that ending scene was supposed to be "heaven"

I was really not going to watch it because of how much I've seen it everywhere and I felt like it was a cliché but I gave in and thank god I did ...maybe how you get affected by this drama depends on how you have lived your life or the things you might currently be dealing with...but this drama deeply resonated with me, because I've watched it during a depressive time and it just became my consolation even though it is just a drama, it was really comforting watching a whole life pan out in front of me from the beginning till the end ...through the pain and struggles till the love. It was comforting knowing that there is hope to live life like that and to experience all those emotions it felt great seeing them struggle and suffer for their loved ones, baek hyunwoo was really out there doing the most!😭

I loved when haein's family came to live with hyunwoo's family. They clearly all needed that and they bonded so well. They all put borders between eachother just because they are different class and thought they were so different from eachother that they wouldn't be able to understand one another but in the end through their shared tragedies they became one big family and that was so satisfying to see(especially the bond between haein's and hyunwoo's moms) Really loved those episodes!

It was beautifully executed, from the acting to the music everything just went well together.

I get the people who are frustrated that they didn't get enough screen time (the leads) and that most scenes were focused on the rivalry with eunsung and his mother but I feel like things were balanced...like if all they talked about were the main lead martial issues then that would truly be a cliché and it would get repetitive.

If you are one of the people who did not like this drama for whatever reason, I won't be able to change your mind of course, but you know what? If we don't focus too much on the details this drama fulfills everything. It's just human beings trying to survive, which is literally what we do everyday and it makes you think that time really does fly and we should really make decisions that we don't regret later because once it's done it will be too late to undo them and then it creates all sorts of after effects like people being hurt and misunderstandings. But it also lets you know that life is so fucking beautiful!

I am honestly satisfied, I've bawled my eyes so many times and I have to watch the behind the scenes to satisfy this fire that was left from watching this drama and to get over it lol😭😭

Thank you for reading! 🙏☺️

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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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