Queen of Tears

It is an ongoing South Korean TV series. Written by Park Ji eun & co-directed by Jang Young woo & Kim Hee won. It stars Kim Soo hyun & KIm Ji won.

The story depicts a married couple in crisis. After three years of marriage, the husband Baek Hyun woo, wants out. He feels his freedom has been compromised. The rich, royal family of his wife is now unbearable.

Brought up in the rural area of Yongdu-ri, he feels caged. His family of farmers dotes on him. But inside the mansion in Seoul he is claustrophobic. He is thinking of divorce when his wife declares she is sick. She has a tumour in her brain & doctor has given her only three months.

She is ambitious & optimistic. She wants to get treated & wants a miracle to happen. So, he plans to keep his divorce plan on hold.

The first two episodes are happening. Later the pace slackens. Entry of Hae in’s friend, Yoon Eun sang starts a string of events. The family hunt & the opening of a new store bring him closer to the Queens family.

As a fan said ‘it is Queen of his tears’. He faces humiliation & is up to clean their mess as a lawyer. Generally, Rich man poor girl is the norm. Here, he is not poor but her family is super rich. In hierarchy, she is his boss.

Kwak Dong yeon as her younger brother & his beautiful wife, Lee Joo bin are a source of relief. Sometimes, a bother.

Hong Hae -in’s huge family makes it tough for the new son-in-law to fit in. It reminded me of ‘Strong girl Nam soon’ where her rich family made her boyfriend, Gang Seong -wu, awkward. Here, he is an employee & the rest of the family members are his bosses.

Viewership soared after the 8th episode with Song joong -ki’s cameo as Vincenzo. From nearly 6% it went to almost 17%. It clinched the the top spot after it’s fourth week.

Forbes wrote that ‘many K dramas end with happily ever after , but ‘Queen of Tears’ starts that way. It has solid cast , talented screenwriter & two directors with a track record of drama success.

NME gave the series 3 out of 5 stars & described it as ‘a whirlwind office romance’ which is ‘buoyant & decidedly comic’.

Around the 5-6 episode, it slows. The story is good but I don’t feel it is gripping. Park Ji eun after ‘Crash landing on You’ or Lee Eung bok after ‘Guardian’ or ‘DOTS’. But we are just half way through. It’s a bit early to label it.

The expectations are sky high & it must live up to it.