[Drama 2024] The Queen of Tears / 눈물의 여왕 - Kim Soo Hyun, Kim Ji Won

[shaselai]

Love this drama and surprised there's not much discussion...

I am surprised they showed us "all" the villains, at least some:

1. the male villain friend/ex - maybe child of a sidepiece holding grudge? Thought about *maybe* haein's "dead" brother then it gets a little incesty if he's trying to woo her...

2. The matchmaker - why is she with the family? It is kind of weird unless she's doubling as a maid/secretary?

3. The stepmom - super sus with the shaman and now the food stuff. Maybe male villain's "mom"?

 

I do hate MC being materialistic though and seems weird going from worrying about divorce and facing retribution to letting her die and collect $$$. I know it has to be there for there to be drama..

 

Do feel the ending will be bittersweet and he will have to take care of her or something. I mean tumors don't just disappear? She could've been poisoned too i suppose but even then it would take a lot to make her all better. 

[jayakris]

The striking final scene of Ep 4 that Netflix Philippines posted:

 

 

It looks like a lot of people were struck by how well that scene was done, based on all the comments below, there.

 

On re-watching, I am even more impressed at how well both of them acted.  All the emotions on their faces.  Whoa...

[nubianlegalmind]

A few thoughts,

 

I get the impression that early on, ML was truly in love with the female lead. That is why he approached her and told her out of the gate that he could take care of her, if need be. He even married her, when he found out she was an heir. But then he entered the Addams family and realized that things were not as they seem. While she wasn't the nicest, her family is insufferable to me. They look down on the ML, but yet, need him all at the same time.

 

This introduction of the friend/ex has been intriguing. He is clearly there to mess things up. I wouldn't be surprised if he was in cahoots with the matchmaker lady. However, he is clearly a sociopath. Attempting to kill a dog that you can't have is next level psychotic. And when that older couple mused, he reminded them of the troubled little boy they took in and fed, who'd killed a dog back then, I knew we were dealing with a real evil villain. I get that the ML is jealous of him, but he also needs to be cautious. He has seen enough to know that this guy is dangerous.

 

I was so annoyed with the ML's siblings when they showed up to talk her out of the divorce. Not only did that reek of selfish greed on their part, but it's literally none of their business. While her family is no cake walk, the ML's family has some holes too. His family forcing him to stay miserable so that they will be financially taken care of, is wack. 

 

I get the feeling that something happened to the female lead that we haven't been privy to yet. I don't think this is just stress from loss of a brother. And I feel like it may be tied to the psychopath. It has gotten enjoyable watching them fall in love all over again. I will keep watching. 

[jayakris]

52 minutes ago, nubianlegalmind said:

I wouldn't be surprised if he was in cahoots with the matchmaker lady

 

He is, as we saw in Ep. 4... It surprised me though.  The matchmaker is a lightweight character.  Not the type we would expect a high-profile hedge fund manager from abroad would be working with.

 

 

52 minutes ago, nubianlegalmind said:

I get the feeling that something happened to the female lead that we haven't been privy to yet. I don't think this is just stress from loss of a brother

 

She was pregnant and something happened, as in Ep.4... But that may not be all there is to it.  There may indeed be more stuff that we are not privy to, yet.  By now, it is clear that her "tough lady" act was always a protective mechanism of some sort, and that she is actually quite a vulnerable person.

[backstreetboysfan]

New updates  3-19-2024

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/C4po79QyImO/

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/C4r__ZZSRZn/?img_index=1

[Valhad]

11 hours ago, jayakris said:

 

She was pregnant and something happened, as in Ep.4... But that may not be all there is to it.  There may indeed be more stuff that we are not privy to, yet.  By now, it is clear that her "tough lady" act was always a protective mechanism of some sort, and that she is actually quite a vulnerable person.

 

Yep, a miscarriage is heavily implied since she was pregnant at some point. Probably the reason why they distanced as much as anything else.

 

Ep. 4 was so much better, but I still feel like they are trying to do/be too many things at the same time.

 

[jayakris]

8 hours ago, Valhad said:

Ep. 4 was so much better, but I still feel like they are trying to do/be too many things at the same time.

 

You are right.  This is why I said I got an occasional vibe like this is a 50-episode weekend drama.  Like setting up some elaborate story lines, with much of the family dysfunction details quite unclear even after 4 episodes.  I don't mind it though.  Nothing has looked too boring, except that matchmaker lady scenes.  I hate that character.  Just take her out of the show, please!!

 

But the drama has had a really impressive rise in viewership.  5.9 to 8.6 to 9.7 to 13.0 in four episodes is about as steep a rise as I have ever seen for a drama!

[agenth]

I haven't seen Episode 4 yet.

 

I like the drama, despite it's flaws, because it's entertaining.

 

First time I see a guy having to work off like a slave, usually that's what married women have to do in dramas or real life. so I liked this new angle. and clearly he loved her before he married her, he wasn't always money hungry.

 

Even now I don't think he's that much caring about money, even though he lives in luxury, he got used to it, but he isn't hungry for it. If his family wouldn't be mean, he could go back to them - but it's them who enjoy all the perks without all the work.

 

I think he is calculating due to his sufferings - like money could pay for his troubles.

 

as for her actions: she defends him in his absence only (like she chastised her brother) and probably only her juniors (and not her dad or grandfather). that's why he fell out of love with her. she probably didn't fell out of love with him, but is still suffering from losing her

baby - which is why she is so cold and detached and numb to everything, especially him.

 

He seems to have gotten over it and moved on and didn't realise that his wife is in pain and being incommunicando, which is why her neglect and aggression has left him falling out of love.

 

22 hours ago, nubianlegalmind said:

then he entered the Addams family and realized that things were not as they seem.

i like how you chracterised them as Addams family lol

 

22 hours ago, nubianlegalmind said:

This introduction of the friend/ex has been intriguing. He is clearly there to mess things up. I wouldn't be surprised if he was in cahoots with the matchmaker lady. However, he is clearly a sociopath. Attempting to kill a dog that you can't have is next level psychotic.

 

when was that dog scene? in ep 4?

 

honestly he had such a creepy look all the time, that i knew he was evil when he first showed up. his actions are just too malicious, the way he kept egging the ML on. 

 

5 hours ago, jayakris said:

Nothing has looked too boring, except that matchmaker lady scenes.  I hate that character.  Just take her out of the show, please!!

yea i dislike the way she keeps whining and pouting. she's a 50+ year old lady --- but behaving like a child whose toy was taken away

[partyon]

21 hours ago, agenth said:

I like the drama, despite it's flaws, because it's entertaining.

 

 

You always complain about all the things that annoy you in every drama you watch....But this drama DESPITE its flaws, you find it entertaining?

 

 

Heol @Sleepy Owl @confusedheart @sweetroad 

 

 

 

[hush puppy]

On 3/21/2024 at 2:35 AM, agenth said:

I haven't seen Episode 4 yet.

 

I like the drama, despite it's flaws, because it's entertaining.

 

First time I see a guy having to work off like a slave, usually that's what married women have to do in dramas or real life. so I liked this new angle. and clearly he loved her before he married her, he wasn't always money hungry.

 

Even now I don't think he's that much caring about money, even though he lives in luxury, he got used to it, but he isn't hungry for it. If his family wouldn't be mean, he could go back to them - but it's them who enjoy all the perks without all the work.

 

I think he is calculating due to his sufferings - like money could pay for his troubles.

 

as for her actions: she defends him in his absence only (like she chastised her brother) and probably only her juniors (and not her dad or grandfather). that's why he fell out of love with her. she probably didn't fell out of love with him, but is still suffering from losing her

baby - which is why she is so cold and detached and numb to everything, especially him.

 

He seems to have gotten over it and moved on and didn't realise that his wife is in pain and being incommunicando, which is why her neglect and aggression has left him falling out of love.

 

i like how you chracterised them as Addams family lol

 

 

 

I agree with you.  It sure is Entertaining.  It starts slow.  I kept pressing the "Forward Button" in Eps 1 & 2.   It steps up a few gears in Eps 3 & 4.

 

Now I am looking forward to it.  

 

Baek Hyun Woo & Hae Inn are obviously from 2 different worlds.  Thus the misunderstanding.

 

Hae Inn is a very insecure woman.   She is bursting with Love, but does not know how to give or receive it.  She maintains a Deceptive Facade.  Only letting out glimpses of her true self occasionally.

 

Hyun Woo is not a materialistic man.  He is just fed-up and wants her Money on his Way Out.  As a Punishment to her.   And a Compensation to himself.

 

The contrast between their interactions and individual selves are very striking.  But they obviously still have the "Soft Spot" for each other.  And I believe that "Soft Spot" is growing larger and larger with each ep.

 

Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won are definitely carrying the Show.

 

 

[jayakris]

An interesting article from the Korea Times newspaper

 

'Queen of Tears' challenges patriarchy, strikes chord globally

https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2024/03/398_370967.html

 

They talk about Hyun-woo preparing food with other sons-in-law, the reverse Cinderella story, etc.

 

Quote

"Queen of Tears" is not just a drama but a mirror held up to society, reflecting the absurdity of gender discrimination. It satirizes the remnants of the patriarchal culture by having men take on roles traditionally reserved for women in Korea, particularly during the preparation of jesa or ancestral rites. This task, historically the responsibility of women in the family, is portrayed with a twist, as the drama employs a "mirroring" technique to critique the expectations placed on women.

 

Quote

"Queen of Tears" also subverts the traditional rom-com formula by ditching the cliched "prince on a white horse." Instead, Hong Hae-in, played by Kim Ji-won, a woman executive of Queens Group, takes the lead in the relationship, reversing traditional gender roles and offering a new perspective on the Cinderella story. She takes the initiative in romance by flying a helicopter to the countryside to confess her love to Baek Hyun-woo.

 

Good reading.

[hush puppy]

On 3/20/2024 at 3:59 AM, nubianlegalmind said:

 

This introduction of the friend/ex has been intriguing. He is clearly there to mess things up. I wouldn't be surprised if he was in cahoots with the matchmaker lady. However, he is clearly a sociopath. Attempting to kill a dog that you can't have is next level psychotic. And when that older couple mused, he reminded them of the troubled little boy they took in and fed, who'd killed a dog back then, I knew we were dealing with a real evil villain. I get that the ML is jealous of him, but he also needs to be cautious. He has seen enough to know that this guy is dangerous.

 

 

I am not surprised that Yoon Eun Sang (FL's ex) tried to kill Hae Inn (FL) in the final moments of Ep 4.  After all, he is a Man who wants to kill  the Dog he could not have.

 

[backstreetboysfan]

Kim Soo Hyun Tenderly Takes Care Of Kim Ji Won In “Queen Of Tears”

 

https://www.soompi.com/article/1650641wpp/kim-soo-hyun-tenderly-takes-care-of-kim-ji-won-in-queen-of-tears

 

Kim Soo Hyun Is Driven Mad With Jealousy By Park Sung Hoon In “Queen Of Tears”

 

https://www.soompi.com/article/1650668wpp/kim-soo-hyun-is-driven-mad-with-jealousy-by-park-sung-hoon-in-queen-of-tears

[hush puppy]

Ep 7

1) I am so happy and relieved!   Our main couple are enjoying their Second Honeymoon.  And falling-in-love all over again.    Away from the dangerous psychopaths at home.  Looking forward to Ep 8

 

2) The .....shall I call her the "Step Grandma"?  She is another Psychopath.  So tame and gentle in front of her Chairman husband.  But so violent and arrogant in private.  Very difficult to deal with this kind of person.  Will requires  lot of Patience and Intelligence.

 

[ryanallright]

Prepare a box of tissue for the latest episode!

[jayakris]

I loved the scene at the cafe with the sister-in-law!  Hae-in saying "not the kind of money in the dramas"...  And then what she does when they leave!!  lol

 

This is turning into a really good romance story.  Who knew, after the first episode!  

 

Hyunoo aced the final scene emotions...  The best was the line "didn't you say you wouldn't make me cry?"  (yeah, the drama is taking this gender role reversal thing seriously!)

 

58 minutes ago, hush puppy said:

The .....shall I call her the "Step Grandma"?  She is another Psychopath.

She went batshit crazy in the kitchen!  What a manipulator.  She has the chairman by his you know what.  It looks like she was the orphanage director or something earlier, and probably not the mother of the detestable fellow (Hae-in's "male friend") like I wondered after the last episode.

 

[ryanallright]

16 minutes ago, jayakris said:

 

She went batshit crazy in the kitchen!  What a manipulator.  She has the chairman by his you know what.  It looks like she was the orphanage director or something earlier, and probably not the mother of the detestable fellow (Hae-in's "male friend") like I wondered after the last episode.

 

 

She is manipulating the grandfather for sure, I believe that haein's sister-in-law is also manipulating her brother.

 

Both of them are wearing a mask. I do agree with the theory that the sister-in-law is a former hostess and her background is fake. I just wondered how on earth the chaebol family not discovered it and trusted her so much. This type of chaebol family will ceased to exist in reality.

[jayakris]

5 hours ago, ryanallright said:

I believe that haein's sister-in-law is also manipulating her brother.

 

Yes she is, but she is not evil or anything.. Just a village-level small-scale manipulator.  That kind of interference in siblings' lives and even making use of them for money and selfish interests are all tolerated and even somewhat accepted in traditional close-knit village families in Korea and elsewhere around the world (not in places like US and Europe, of course).  Many people even think they have a right to make use of their richer siblings like that!  But often they do care for the siblings, and won't push it too far to an evil extent, unlike the higher-society dysfunctional family manipulators.  I am not justifying Hae-in's sister-in-law here.  Just saying that the drama's intention may not be to show her as a bad character, but rather more like a goofy lady for humor purposes.  Most Korean viewers might only take it that way too,  and would not think too much of her selfish manipulative acts, unlike we international viewers!   So don't think that the sister-in-law is going to deliberately do anything too nasty to give trouble to HaeIn and HyeonWoo.

 

EDIT:  I assumed you were not talking about the other sister-in-law (Kwakkie's wife) - she is more than manipulating Kwakkie.  I think she is evil.

[hush puppy]

12 hours ago, jayakris said:

 

She went batshit crazy in the kitchen!  What a manipulator.  She has the chairman by his you know what.  It looks like she was the orphanage director or something earlier, and probably not the mother of the detestable fellow (Hae-in's "male friend") like I wondered after the last episode.

 

 

Exactly!   

 

K-Dramas are good.  But they acted out their scenes too slowly. In slow-motions  Every actions,  mannerisms and speech of the artistes.  As a result I tend to push the Forward Buttons.  I do not have the patience. 

[backstreetboysfan]

Here are the ratings for Episode 5! .

 

“Queen Of Tears” Earns Its Highest Saturday Ratings Yet As “Hide” + “Beauty And Mr. Romantic” Premiere

 

tvN’s hit romance drama “Queen of Tears” remained first place in its time slot with a nationwide average of 11.0 percent, marking its highest ratings to date for a Saturday (when its ratings have typically been lower compared to Sundays).

 

https://www.soompi.com/article/1650745wpp/queen-of-tears-earns-its-highest-saturday-ratings-as-hide-beauty-and-mr-romantic-premiere