Review: A Tedious Watch, `Queen Of Tears` Is Saved By Its Actors Kim Soo Hyun And Kim Ji Som

New Delhi: Queen of Tears starring Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won hit a sweet spot with viewers and its spectacular 16-episode run on an all-time high.

The drama surpassed the 2020 fan favourite Crash Landing On You’s ratings by scoring a smashing 24.850 per cent nationwide rating and holding the No. 1 spot on Netflix.

The story of Baek Hyun Woo ( Kim Soo Hyun) a bright advocate and super rich heiress Hong Hae In ( Kim Ji Won) who has been married for three years, but it seems the honeymoon period has been long over. It is obvious the couple have grown apart, and have little or nothing left to say to each other. Hyun Woo who is a country boy and simpleton at heart also cannot adjust to his new life as Hae In’s husband, and a puppet of sorts for her influential family the Hong's who own mega retail business Queens.

Suffocated Hyun Woo wants out and a divorce from Hae In, but before he can serve her the divorce papers she is detected with a life-threatening disease and given three months to live, which keeps a secret from the rest of her family.

As he thinks that he will get a clean break after her death, her illness brings them close, and Hyun Woo loses his desire to separate and in turn, becomes her knight in shining armour, and her human shield to protect her from all danger. Danger in this case is the conniving and calculating investor Yoo Eung Sung ( Park Sung Hoon). Eun Sung wants to take over the Queen’s Group and possess Hae In, having been in love with her all along.

Picking up the vibe between both husband and wife, Eun Sung puts his plan in motion to woo Hae In, just as he also cracks fraudulent deals to overthrow Queens. Eun Sung has several moles planted at the Hong home, and the mastermind is Moh Seul Hee (Lee Mi Sook) the mistress of the Chairman of Queens, Hae In’s grandfather.  But little do the Hongs know that Eun Sung and Sul Hee are heated.

Written by Park Ji Eun who has had to her credit hit shows such as My Love From the Star and Crash Landing on You treads on familiar territory. Star-crossed lovers would need to overcome severe obstacles including attempts at murder and loss to get a happily ever after. Like Park Ji Eun’s previous female characters, Yoon Se Ri( Son Ye Jin)  of Crash Landing on You and  Cheon Song Yi ( Jun Ji Hyun) of My Love from the Star, we once again get a female lead from a dysfunctional family and harbouring severe mother issues, craving for the love and attention of an unemotionally unavailable mother figure. 

As Hyun Woo takes Hae In to  Germany for her to get treatment, the couple warms up towards each other and the old sparks begin to fly, until Eun Sung plays with his dirty hand.

However, the drama which had audiences invested and riveted by the twists and turns and hoping for a miraculous happily after, became a stretched and tedious fare by the end of its finale. 

Writer  Park Ji Eun who let a free hand to her imagination brought in every possible situation, scenario and set-up involving her characters in their journey of love, loss and heartbreak. At times it felt like watching one of the tropey farfetched 80’s Bollywood films which had everything from class divides, revenge, ill-fated lovers, vicious villains and the works. 

We get plenty of tried and tested elements, including the funny side characters bringing in comic relief in the tense scenario. Queen of Tears banked heavily on its star cast, especially the insane popularity of its lead actors Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won.

Kim Soo Hyun one of South Korea’s top-billed and mega-popular stars’ endears as the self-sacrificing Hyun Woo. A caring and heroic man who can take a bullet for love, he tugs at your heart with his commitment and love for the woman for whom he can give it all.

An underrated talent, kim ji won finally gets the canvas to shine in her portrayal of the astute yet caring Hae In, who is looking out to protect herself.

The scorching chemistry between Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won is what perhaps Queen of Tears will be best remembered for, though it does not have a high recall value like the writer’s previous works.