Queen of Tears (2024)

Disappointing !

I watched this drama with great expectation . The ratings were high , it ranked high on Netflix global top 10 .
But I am afraid to say I did not find it so . It is watchable , but I will not watch it again and I am pleased to know that there won't be a second series because we ended up in 2074 !
I agree with the first two comments on this page . The first 8/9 episodes were interesting but I could not place this drama , was it a black comedy , was it meant to be serious , or not . The characters did not grip me . Hae-In is cold , stony , intransigent, her family not any better . Baek Hyun-woo is not only clever , good looking , but perfect in every way . His family more ordinary .What could have been an emotional journey to reconciliation between the two main characters became a not so believable story and the writers seem to have lost their way . Come on , being hit by a car at full speed and taken to hospital with severe bleeding and injuries to the head , , and on the same day being shot in the shoulder and back in ER after losing consciousness and much blood again . Ridiculous . To emerge from these traumas with not so much as a scratch or scar , or side effect is pushing it into the ridiculous and then I lost all interest and emotion. The twisted plot , the villain and his long lost mother , just not gripping . It had to end , and the ending left me cold . It had been a hell of a journey .

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A Perfect Start Met its Perfect Failure - At the End

The show had me hooked from the start with the main leads' love-hate chemistry. Watching them hate each other so intensely gave me life—like, "I hate you, but also, let's have epic slow-burn romance" vibes. The pacing was amazing in the first 8 episodes, and honestly, I was laughing way more than I expected. But somehow, they managed to fumble a seemingly perfect story, as if they saw greatness and thought, "Nah, let's add chaos."

The Good Stuff:
Perfect chemistry from the leads (they could probably hate-flirt their way out of a hostage situation).
First few episodes? Chef’s kiss. I replayed the first two episodes three times—who needs new content when you have those?
The songs slap hard. They set the mood so well that I’m now emotionally dependent on them.
The “Why Did They Do That?” Stuff:
The songs only worked when the leads were on screen. For everyone else? Meh. Except Grandpa—he carried the emotional weight of a Marvel superhero.
The villain? No rhyme, no reason—just villain-ing for the sake of it, which, in true drama fashion, is somehow the norm.
Side characters? Forgettable. I swear they were just standing there as furniture most of the time. And the female side characters... oof. Their acting was so bad it felt like watching an AI-generated soap opera.
And don't get me started on how the plot went from "lighthearted fun" to “political drama nobody asked for.” They had a perfect rom-com setup! All they had to do was ride that wave and give us more of their school life and pre-marriage shenanigans. Instead, they opted for... politics. WHY.

I’m not usually this serious over dramas, but those first two episodes were so good they made me believe again—for a hot minute. But then the pacing took a nosedive, and the whole thing became cheap, forgettable, and un-rewatchable. Like, I’ll maybe rewatch those first two episodes for old time’s sake, but beyond that? Nah.

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The execution was all over the place!

The only saving grace for this drama is the phenomenal delivery by our leads and the OSTs.
These 2 reasons are why I picked this drama up after I dropped it after ep 13. I just had to see the end of it.

The love story between Haein and Hyunwoo is beautiful. I find it lacking in the overall execution just like the rest of the drama. Even though the feelings that we needed to see were beautifully conveyed by the acting of Ji Won and Soo Hyun, there were a lot of misses in the direction and writing.

The side plots weren't interesting enough for me tbh, I could have done without some of them. They needed to be properly developed and woven into the main story seamlessly!

The villains, Eun Sang and his mother didn't get the ending they deserved! It was rushed
I think giving Dahye and Grace redemption arcs was a poor decision. Not everybody needed to sing "Kumbayah"

I understand this is fiction, but some choices and decisions that Soo Cheol made were unrealistic and made zero sense. They were just written as part of "a great love story" that failed to hit the mark. It was plain idiocy!

The dramatic effects in this drama were more prioritised than making a great drama that made sense and followed a natural progression. It was just one bad decision after the other.

I could list everything wrong with this drama but frankly, I'm too disappointed and over everything that could have been better done in this drama.
The anticipation I felt for this drama from the moment the leads and main plot were announced was completely let down. If I were to rate it based on my disappointment, I would rate it a 5/10.

It's getting an overall 7.5/10 score because the acting from our leads needs to be praised and the OSTs were so beautiful!

And lastly, the hype this drama received is due to the acting of the main leads, and their unbelievable chemistry and because of that I can't in good conscience say the drama was totally overhyped.

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The bar is on the floor...

It takes a lot for me to say something is truly overhyped...but this is overhyped.

The BAD:

I THOUGHT it was going to be a moving story that deals with the ups and downs of marriage and divorce, but everytime it got close to a scene that could've been a deep insight into why the love between the ML and FL fell apart, it becomes a stupid, surface level, cheesy conversation. No depth, no real, believable development. Genuinely. If you truly want me to believe that that man was so miserable he was almost relieved to hear his wife was going to possibly die...you better show exactly why he suddenly starts loving his wife again, or show a gradual change as he learns to love his wife again, and have them have a real conversation and build their trust again, and their needs to be an actual reason for them to fall in love again...

Soo Cheol and Da Hye were really interesting at first...I THOUGHT, once again, that they were going to work through their issues and they would discuss why Da Hye kept running away, the abusive ex, yada yada, but what actually happened was, Soo Cheol becomes the manly man not a boy anymore man protector, Da Hye's problems disappear, and it's happily ever after? Ok...

Now don't get me started on Hyein's relationship with her mom. I don't wanna talk about it...or the cheesy predictable villain and his predictable evil plan I've seen only one billion times before.

Ok now.

The good...

The acting is very good. Everyone was really truly good.

Soo-Hyun, Jiwon, Kwak Dong Yeon, Kim Sunghoon.

They all did an amazing job with the cheesy, tropey, predictable, seen before writing they were given.

❤️

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Park Ji Eun does it again.

Queen of Tears strongest point are the performances, directing and cinematography, there's no doubt about this. Scriptwriter Park Ji Eun has a talent for teaming up with great talents, particular actors, and that's in my opinion the main reason why her drama are usually so successful. She manages to write really interesting and endearing characters, and put them in entertaining situations that grasp the attention of the viewer.

The casting director did a particular excellent job on this one because every single character was cast to perfection, every actor and actress fitting into the role as if it was written for them.

I am fascinated by the way scriptwriter Park Ji Eun has managed to mix genres in one drama, because Queen of Tears is a dark comedy, makjang, comedy, romance and melodrama all in one. This screenwriter is not stranger to making a successful and entertaining kdrama, but if you are looking for something that will dwell into the deeper reasons as to why the leads' marriage crumble, logic and cohesive editing, this story might not be for you.

Queen of Tears strongest point is the way both families come together, learning to respect and love each other but apart from that the drama is developed at a surface level. The scripts lean hard on the other genres which is perfectly fine but there were times when I was frustrated at the desiciones being made, the complete waste of time when the families are running against the clock to save one of their own AND the family's business, etc. This is when I think Queen of Tears is a lot like other Park Si Eun's kdramas: they start strong but run out of material towards the second half of the episode, almost as if she introduce a bunch of plotlines with proper solutions to a few of them.

Overall, I found Queen of Tears to be a really entertaining watch to disconnect from reality.

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Kim Soo Hyun & Kim Ji Won’s Unmatched Chemistry!

At the time of writing this, it’s been six months since Queen of Tears aired its finale, but I still find myself thinking about this drama, especially because of the phenomenal on-screen pairing of Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won.

I have to admit, I may be a little biased—I've been a long-time fan of Soo Hyun and have followed his career closely. But I’ll try to stay objective! As for Ji Won, I first noticed her in DOTS, and while I liked her back then, her performance in Queen of Tears really made me a fan.

This drama took me on an emotional roller coaster from start to finish. Every episode tugged at my heartstrings—I was constantly moved by the incredible chemistry between Soo Hyun and Ji Won. Their connection on-screen was magnetic, and I found myself laughing, crying, and getting frustrated along with them. The weekly wait for each new episode just made the anticipation even stronger. Out of all the K-dramas I’ve watched, this one stands out for its excellent chemistry, stellar performances from the entire cast, and impressive visuals. Despite the use of green screen in some scenes, everything looked seamless and natural. While the storyline was solid, I felt that some of the scenes in the few episodes before the finale could have been streamlined a bit. With a few tweaks, it could have been flawless.

And the OST? Absolutely unforgettable. Nearly all the tracks are still in my regular playlist, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

In short, Queen of Tears is a gem of a drama. Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won were perfectly cast, and the emotions they portrayed felt raw and genuine. If you haven’t watched it yet, you’re missing out on something truly special.

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Doom at Your Tears

I must admit that beyond the commendable acting and the occasional heart-touching moments, the show failed to redeem itself from its mediocre scriptwriting. My lack of strong emotional investment in the unfolding events, compared to other viewers, was a clear sign that the show was on a downward trajectory from the start of its second half.

It's an interesting premise but needs way, way better execution. The acting was superb by both leads, but I can't say they saved the show; it wasn't that terrible either, yet the premise promised something above-average yet was subdued to cliches, underdeveloped characters, and unnecessary plot twists to hook the viewer still when, in fact, did the opposite. Due to its genre, we shouldn't expect an entirely logical story, but that isn't the problem that is pointed out. The problem is that I need help seeing where the writers wanted to make me feel for the characters. Still, I couldn't, as much as I wanted to, not being able to oversee where potential arcs and events could have impacted characterization properly and give depth and understanding to other characters and subplots when needed. However, that's just something I value. I was bored and uninterested in the secondary characters and their subplots. I wish the writer could have focused on the leads and navigating their marriage crisis, and I wonder what exciting commentary and unique character arcs could have at least developed.

Similar to a top review, Hae-in was a character that had potential with a given backstory and from the perspective of Hyun-woo, it made me even more interested, yet she was also wasted. Kim Jiwon did a great job playing her character, yet I still needed to be impressed with the scriptwriting...which was even more frustrating, especially for the cast. Hyun-woo, however, was a character who deserved better. Whether you think of what he had to experience in the latter half of the drama or the writing of his character, which is still annoying, I see myself leaning toward the latter. At first, I did not mind him being the guy who was up to save everyone else, which the writer wrote him to be, but unfortunately, she could not get the memo on what is best for character writing and development and how it dries out very fast. I do not need to say much about Soo-hyuns acting, either. When they delved more into how Hae-in (with her illness) made Hyun-woo want to care for her more, I found it something worth touching on to at least develop his character, but his motives were unclear. It was more complicated for me to be attached to his character when he fought so many demons in the last few episodes, and I was just sick of it.

Although his interactions were based on the writing of his character and his helping the families, many explanations regarding the secondary characters' actions (Hae-ins mom that still relates to the underdeveloped character of Hong Hae-in, Moh Seul-hee) were never explained to fuel Eunseongs power over the plot, for no reason whatsoever. It could have just stuck to being more slice-of-life and ending these sorts of conflicts in a better way, developing these characters properly through mature conversations rather than rushing it through and focusing on Eunseong (a rather dull villain) to make me feel sad enough so that I would automatically miss them enough again after a happy ending; very formulaic. I admit that the ending was beautiful enough. Still, its message did not reflect what the drama seemed to me by trying to be so much all at once, ending up as a makjang (commendable from the writer's efforts to kill the character's arcs that the potential was understandable enough, spelled in big, bold words in front of you, mind you... I wasn't even as invested, yet I was still disappointed because of what could have been when paired with such a golden cast).

By not being able to connect to the characters with barely passable arcs and romance (regardless of it being a romcom or a melodrama) that barely had crumbs with the already beautifully written epilogues and the more minor details in their relationship that weren't as impactful but worthy enough to see how they would end up, with most being unsatisfying or unresolved. It was a struggle.

The music was fine enough for me. I especially liked the intro track, but I don't know if I could find it anywhere. 10CM and Crush tracks were already in my head each week, saving me from the brain rot I have experienced from questioning actions and motives. The cinematography, although attractive, wasn't as unique to me.

I would not see any point in calling it overrated because it wouldn't be a word that would describe the amount of wasted potential Queen of Tears had, yet I appreciated it for the somewhat enjoyable moments and well-thought-out epilogues with great performances that can appeal to any viewer. I honestly have more things to comment on, but there are almost 200 reviews here and possibly a text limit I would not rather see myself end up at, as you can see from the length of the entire review. However, the narration and storytelling quality trajectory became just as predictable as the other dramas I have watched, which I am not always mad at. I still think it's worth a watch. It could have been a better watch, but it's not badly written. It tried to be something and could have improved exponentially. Still, alas, it falls hard to do messy scriptwriting with decent enough writing in the first half that built up enough potential with the actors' work but failed to become anything above an average watch overall.

Of course, this is just how I felt about it; nothing too biased from other people's responses but from what I saw on my screen; maybe some things didn't make enough sense to me to comprehend. And as much as it looked like I barely tolerated it, there were still redeeming elements to make it an okay one-time watch. Nothing too extraordinary, which is still fine for me.

One last comment: the ending for the main couple was great, and the acting and cinematography elevated it more for me, but it was not so much a great saving grace.

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Kim Soohyun and Kim Jiwon are the real definition of powerhouses of acting

Didn't really believe in "less is more" until the last two episodes of this drama because what the hell? I'm thinking the writers had some sort of animosity towards Baek Hyunwoo because why was bro hit by a high speed car and then shot in the back all in the span of a couple hours?
All that aside, I can understand why this drama blew up, because god were Kim Soohyun and Kim Jiwon absolutely AMAZING in it. I was genuinely blown away by their performances. I knew Kim Jiwon had it in her after watching her as Choi Aera in Fight For My Way, but she still surprised me. I just wish the stylists did more with her beautiful hair instead of giving us the straight blowout every time but oh well.
I think award shows should now introduce a best hug category because man those hugs that Hyunwoo and Haein shared were truly sensational. I will always think about the ones they shared on the steps of Berlin Cathedral and the church before Haien's surgery.
Besides that, I was planning to give this show full stars before the last half, when the villians started to seem very cartoonish with no real depth to their evil motives, and Hyunwoo and Haein never had a real conversation about why they fell apart in the first place, and they just started dating again when it would have been more enjoyable to see them fall for each other again. I understand that the thriller aspect of this show was just a subgenre, but if you're going to include it in your story, you should do it well. Seeing as this was directed by the director of Vincenzo, I had high hopes for it all, and while it was doing pretty good in the beginning, it fell through soon after because of how unrealistic it was getting.
I also enjoyed the representation of family in this drama. The character development that the Hong family went though was very nice to witness, but Hyunwoo's family was just so exceptional.

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Extremely overrated - riddled with bad writing.

The narrative began with promise, but as the episodes progress, the flaws in the writing become increasingly apparent. Thankfully, KSH's performance injects vitality into the drama, salvaging its appeal. While many commend KJW's suitability for her role, I struggle to perceive it; perhaps it's the writers failing to flesh out her character adequately. Her contribution to the protagonist's journey seems minimal compared to how the ML helped her, which becomes irksome. Furthermore, her constant facade of toughness feels unwarranted in various situations, detracting from the authenticity of her character.

The shift from intense hatred to deep love between the main characters feels rushed and hard to believe. It happens too quickly, so it's tough to really get into their romance.

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I wish more dramas were this riveting! Hate waiting for the new episodes... But I will.

When I first heard about the drama, I liked everything about it. The title, the description, the cast, so, I was looking forward to the drama. I knew that it would hold my interest from the first episode. A lot of spoilers down below, so avoid reading it if you don't like spoilers.

Based on the the 1 episode I have seen, I love it! I can't wait to see how this one unfolds. Its so good to see Kim Soo Hyun be so emotional in his role. Before this, all the characters he has portrayed were so stoic. The drunk scene was so adorable! The distance between the ML and FL just makes me curious as to what caused it? Can it even be bridged?

With what little information we have at hand, I currently don't mind if they get divorced. In fact, one of my most prominent thought throughout the first episode was, "I hope he gets a divorce." He was so damn stressed! I have seen and read countless stories where it is the submissive FL that marries into a family that thinks she is not good for their son. And the son won't even stand up to them or speak for her. Here, while she defends him behind his back, she still lets them talk to him that way as if he owes them.

The FL looks kind of unrecognizable in the wedding scene in the beginning. I kept questioning, was that even Kim Ji Won?

At the end of the episode 2, we could all see how relieved he was when she told him that she only had 3 months to live. We could all hear the gears in his head. So, no need to file for divorce anymore, just endure for 3 months. Just started 2nd episode, which only confirms his feelings. I'm honesty not surprised though, throughout the episode we can see how hard he is trying to control his happiness. One would think, that it is not possible to salvage this at all. So far, the FL seems a bit heartless, so I'm wondering what she can do to convince us that there is more to her.

Episode 3 started out pretty boring, but we do have two interesting developments, our SML (Yoon Eun Seong) might be harboring some serial killer fantasies. I think, Mo Seul Hee [Man Dae's girlfriend], is behind the boar attack. I might definitely be suspecting someone is innocent, but she seems pretty suspicious at this point. At least in this episode we get to see that FL does have some feelings for the ML, my favorite dialogue so far, "You'd be the biggest waste." Never thought this could be said in romantic context with such possessiveness. One thing I find a bit hilarious about the FL is that she is delusional about her illness, arguing with the doctors that she will experience a miracle.

Episode 4 did not disappoint. The FL kind of reminded me of the Lee Young-joon from What's wrong with secretary Kim and Min-Min from Strong Woman, with her over-the-top self-praising shenanigans. It was quite fun to watch. What I liked the most was the ending, it was the first time the ML displayed genuine feelings for the FL (Most of the time he just wants to run away, which actually seems like a good idea for him in this setting) With the memory loss angle, I wonder if the FL is going to be cured and then loose the memory of falling in love with him again and mistreat the guy in future.

Okay. After watching episode 5, I'm sure that she is going to die and make us cry. Since we have only seen the FLs horrible side with a dash of niceness here and there, it was hard to like her in the first 2-3 episodes. But since then, we get to see more and more of her struggles and while not completely a decent character, its easy to identify her coping mechanism. She dealt with everything alone when she should have relied on her partner. Loosing a child can be a terrible blow to the parents, so it is not uncommon that they lived separately since then, relying on their own. I am starting to like the FL somewhat and like the ML, its going to be a bitter ending. Also, can't believe we have such a interesting cameo: Sebastian Roche! I thought my eyes were playing trick on me, so I had to google and it was confirmed!

Ep 6: Damn, she found out. I get that she is hurt, but once I want her to put herself in his shoes and think about all he has been through to take that extreme measure. Also, what the hell is wrong with the Hong family, is everyone crooked, except for the weirdo aunt that I very much enjoy watching. She seems to be the only other person who cares about people in that family!

Ep 7 & 8: Okay, the drams is called queen of tears because it is making us all cry. One thing you have to say about the makers of the show, they gave us such great cameos! First we had Oh Jung Se, then Sebastian Roche, and now Vincenzo. Who are we going to see next? The Vincenzo arc was too short for my liking it just ended abruptly, at least Oh Jung Se got a decent arc. I finally have started liking the FL, more so because she accepted that the reason for divorce was her. Can't believe that we are only halfway through, I just want them to drop all the episodes right now.

Ep 9 & 10: Gotta love Hyun Woo's mom, she treats Hae In so well, which can be readily seen in front of her treatment from her poor excuse of a mother. She even calls him a scumbag, calling him out on his behavior when he found out that Hae In was going to die. The epilogues are so good. I see many people comparing this one to Uncontrollably Fond, but I disagree. Apart from the terminally ill lead there's not a lot in common so far. Hae In is a lot better than Joon Yeong who was abominable to Noh Eul for the majority of their relationship. The bad times between that couple were a lot more with only a handful of good times, that as we can see is not the case with our Royal Couple Of Tears. I like how we get to see little tidbits from their past, the epilogues are always appreciated. Okay, while I'm not a big fan of Eun Seong, it was easy to see his devastation when Hae In sold him out in front of the people. He did deserved it, after all, who told him to threaten the Queen? He found out that the woman he loves is going to die, so the best he could come up with was threatening her? What an idiot.

Ep 11 & 12: Okay so much happens in this episode. Everyone's reaction was as expected when they found out about Hae In's condition. I'm not a fan of her mom's so what she said still doesn't get her off the hook for me. I'm a bit upset about the amnesia trope, it is one trope that I never want to see again. So damn convenient to use but just doesn't make for a good story. Poor Hae In, the tumor is slowly taking away her abilities to recognize people. The last part of ep 11 was so heartbreaking. Glad, there was an epilogue featuring cute Hyun Woo. Ep 12 was a bit slow. I enjoyed the scenes with the leads and skipped most of the other scenes with Eun Seong and his mother. I didn't much like Soo Cheol in the beginning, but he has grown on me. While he may not seem like smartest of the bunch, he is so damn good to Da Hye and their child.

Ep 13: The part about the Baek asking for snow for rehearsal was a bit confusing why was he so excited? The later excitement I get that he found out about being Hae In's first love. That was great scene. With Eun Seong also living for Germany, it is clear that he plans to take advantage of Hae In's memory loss and might claim that he is her husband or boyfriend. We'll find out tomorrow.

Ep 14: Called it! It was such an obvious route to go with the writing. But you do feel for Eun Seong, despite his character traits, in any other drama he might have been the ML who ends up with the FL. Here, his love is just unrequited. Why does the poor bear, Soo Cheol, keeps suffering. I hope he lives happily and stops with all the blunders.

Ep 15 & 16: I didn't enjoy the final two episodes as much as the rest of the series. To me, it was all a bit over the top, but the with the way the story was set, it was bound to end up like that. I never really hated Eun Seong's character, the same couldn't be said for his mother. I was a bit surprised to hear that Hae In did clue in Baek about her family before they married. (I didn't' like how she treated him in the beginning) But I'm glad that they have rediscovered each other.

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