Queen of Tears review: Intense drama, swoonworthy romance and a whole lot of tears makes this drama an unforgettable experience!

Unconventional family dynamics, one of the most hated antagonists this year and a love story like no other, there’s a lot to unfold about in our Queen of Tears review!

Queen of Tears review: There are K-dramas and then there are K-dramas written by Park Ji-Eun. The ones that’ll keep you on your toes throughout the 16 episodes and the thought of the leads ending up together will take over your daily life; these are also the ones that the whole K-drama world watches together with bated breath. The last time something like this happened was infact, again, a K-drama written by Park Ji-Eun. Crash Landing on You walked so Queen of Tears could run. There are so many similarities between both the dramas that it hits your nostalgic spots and makes you teary eyed. 

Queen of Tears revolves around Baek Hyun-Woo (Kim Soo-Hyun) and Hong Hae-In (Park Ji-Won), a married couple who have fallen out of love because of the many misunderstandings that surround them. The day when a frustrated Baek Hyun-Woo decides to finally divorce his wife is when he comes to know she has a rare brain tumor and only 3 months to live. Here’s when life gives them a second chance at love and the two rekindle their romance. But they also have to deal with Hong Hae-In’s problematic family and two villains Yoon Eun-Sung (Park Sung-Hoon) and Moh Seul-Hee (Lee Mi-Seok) who have found their way into the Queens group which is owned by her family and want to take over their empire by hook or by crook. How Baek Hyun-Woo and Hong Hae-In survive the test of time and get rid of all their problems is the crux of the story.

Also Read: Queen of Tears: Initial episodes surprise with easter eggs and crossovers!

Every single character in this story is important and each of their arcs are written with such attention to detail. But most of all, Park Ji-Eun’s protagonists are such strong and level headed people. It was so good to see the role reversal for once. K-dramas rarely show us a woman CEO but Hong Hae-In plays such a good one at that. She is also the one who calls the shots in her relationship. In episode 2, during the memorial service of their grandmother, it was the men of the household cooking in the kitchen while the women sat outside and did nothing. It was absurd to see at first but you realize it feels absurd because for years women in K-dramas have been shown as the one who balance work and their household chores. This story challenges that thought throughout. Especially with Park-Ji Won playing a character who is ice cold on the outside but soft on the inside only for Baek Hyun-Woo, which is something that the men have been doing in K-dramas since forever.

Baek Hyun-Woo, on the other hand, is the hero who saves the day. The way he falls in love with Hong Hae-In again and takes care of her is going to make you sob badly in every episode. The gaze with which he looked at her is when I, as an audience, just melted and wanted them to have the world. It is also as if Baek Hyun-Woo as a character was made only to look after Hae-In all his life, knowingly or unknowingly. One moment you feel heartbroken for everything he has to go through and the other you are mesmerized by his forearms and his chic suits. He is the quintessential K-drama male lead we crave for. He will literally be going through the worst but still look at Hae-In and say that he is fine. He always puts others before him and tries to see the good in people, even the ones who don’t deserve it. He is shown to be this epitome of selfless love and goodwill and Kim Soo-Hyun hits it out of the park with his portrayal of Baek Hyun-Woo.

The K-drama started with them hating each other and ended with them not being able to live without one another. That in itself has been a journey of its own. The chemistry between the leads is truly one for the books and you just pray for a happy ending. Kim Ji-Won and Kim Soo-Hyun are the new on-screen pair who just happened to work so well together. The OSTs in the show elevate so many scenes between the two and I would say it was fifty percent OST and fifty percent chemistry between them which made the drama so viral around the world. There was a song for every mood! If it was a cute romantic scene then ‘The Reasons of My Smiles’ by BSS of Seventeen used to come on. For an intense romantic scene where the leads are falling in love in slow motion,‘Hold Me Back’ by Heize or ‘Fallin’ by Isaac Hong played on-screen. But above all, we knew if ‘Love With You All My Heart’ by Crush was playing in the background, we better brace ourselves for a lot of tears. 

Queen of Tears also shows two extreme opposite families coming together. Hyun-Woo’s middle class but close knit family and Hae-In’s rich but broken family have zero compatibility. The way Hyun-Woo’s family loves and cares for each other is what Hae-In craves in her life. But her family’s tragic past makes her mother shut her off completely. It is endearing to see when both the families are forced to live together under unforeseen circumstances and unlearn a lot of things from scratch. Best is when you see them becoming a team instead of being at cross with each other. Park Ji-Eun does an impeccable job at showing family dynamics in K-dramas. Crash Landing on You also had broken families that eventually came together after clearing unresolved issues and Queen of Tears reminds you so much of that. I also loved Hae-In's aunt, Beom-Ja's (Kim Jung-Nan) storyline. Her character added so much humour to an intense drama like this one. She was fierce, straightforward and immediately put people in their right place. Her romance with Hyun-Woo's neighbor was wholesome and portrayed that finding true love really has no age limit.

In the end, all the arcs are beautifully wrapped. All questions are answered. And without revealing much, I would say that the antagonists get exactly what they deserve. I mean you know a drama is good when the villain has to request the fans not to hate on him in real life.  Queen of Tears has drama written all over it and whether or not you are a fan, you will get sucked into the story. There’s redemption, revenge and a whole lot of romance that you simply will not get over for a good amount of time. It has you decoding theories and future predictions with your friends; it’s the kind of drama that makes you look forward to the weekends and stay in watching the episodes. This series creates that magial world that you can escape to. Directed by Jang Young-Woo and Kim Hee-Won, Queen of Tears is the effort and collaboration of the top cast and crew in the K-drama industry. It will either make you fall in love with K-dramas for the first time or remind you of why you started watching them in the first place. 

Queen of Tears is currently streaming on Netflix!

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