Queenmaker (2023)

The title truly captures the essence of the drama.

I finished the drama in two days, and there wasn’t one bad episode. Each episode has such a smooth flow and satisfying arc that it makes it hard for me to stop watching.

I was skeptical at first, especially when most political dramas are usually heavy, slow-paced and draggy. But I was wrong. Although this drama revolves around dirty politics, corrupted people, and revenge, which is not far from other political dramas, it’s centered on how public relations plays its role in crisis management, narrative control, and image shaping.

Kim Hee-ae, as Hwang Do-hee, is unquestionably the best character. She, being the mastermind, had carried the story brilliantly, with great emotional effect in each episode.

This drama has well-crafted main plots and subplots that weave all characters into a nicely woven storyline, including the revenge plot. I’ve watched many revenge dramas, but sometimes the revenge plotting gets dull towards the end. This drama, however, keeps evoking exciting and unexpected retaliation from both sides.

The villains – there’s none of them that you don’t hate, which means the actors did a good job portraying them. Even the least hated or evil one (in my opinion, it’s Seo-jin) is also good. You hate every single one of them to bits, but at the same time, you can’t help but anticipate the wicked things they'll do next and how they’re going to get burned. Watching the revenge games between the protagonists and the antagonists is like watching a Grand Slam match. One side hit a big serve, another side returned it with a strong smash, and the game continues with suspense about who and how they are going to win.

This drama’s only shortcoming was that some plots involving certain characters were left unresolved. The ending was ambiguous, as if hinting at a second season. But overall, it’s one of the most satisfying revenge dramas I’ve ever watched. Even with no romance whatsoever in this drama (well, there’s an affair, but it didn’t count as romance), it managed to make you hooked.

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Unoriginal, annoying MC

First couple of episodes were rather strong.
Then it devolved into unoriginality. All tropes of the genre are here.

Bad guys turning on each other. Bad guys using bigger crime to cover smaller one. Mc pushed into corner by bad guys, it backfires. Mcs never compromising on their ideals, winning through deus ex machina. Ex husband saves the day. Hidden recording ex machina. Hiding evidence for own crimes instead of destroying it, it backfires. Bad guys can kill everyone except the mcs. Threatening wealthy officials always works (when it's done by good guys, bad guys need to bribe them). Good guys win and take responsibility for smallest crimes, bad guys are ruined, justice wins blah blah.

All of that is rather digestible, if you like this kinda storylines. But the character of the mc, Hawng Do Hee, is insufferable. Her motivation makes no sense, she was doing dirty work for corp for a decade, yet sudden suicide of one of the workers sents her rebelling and crying her eyes out. Then eventually winning through a combination of plot convenience, deus ex machina and plot induced stupidity (she's quite dull, although narrative paints her as brilliant).
And gosh, she cries a lot. When she isn't being cocky or laughing like an old witch, she's either crying on on the verge of crying.

She also look 20 years older then her character is supposed to be, really funny when matriarch of chaebol calls her an adoptive daughter when they look the same age.

If this was the story about a corrupt fixer fixing rich people's fuck up, it would have been better. If this was a story about Oh Kyong Sook's inspiring rise to power from activist, it would have been better(her character was far more likeable). But with narrative focusing on Hwang Do Hee so hard, I found it really hard to enjoy this one.

On the side note, all villains were well acted and decently written, so it was a shame to see them lose. Especially Kim Se Byeok as Eun Chae Ryung(the inheritor daughter of chaebol) and Seo Yi Sook as Son Yong Shim (the matriarch).

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Predictable so far…

Three episodes in, it’s a standard bad rich people vs. the normal people show. There’s a small twist that reveals the son-in-law to be a bad guy as well. Big surprise! The biggest problem I have so far is the way the writers handled the main character’s change of heart. After years of cleaning up after her employers’ illegal and heartless activities, why was she so shocked to believe they didn’t take the girl’s death seriously? Maybe she was still in shock from seeing someone's death in front of her but she was supposed to be not only super smart and resourceful but ruthless and heartless herself. If she was more shrewd and calculating when she found out her employers would just cover up the girl’s death, it would’ve been more in line with her established character and believable. Instead, she just marched in and told the main evil boss how she really felt!!! Then she was surprised to find out she was fired and all her company issued stuff taken away!!! What!?!?

And another character surviving after falling off of a skyscraper? Like I said, it’s a typical K-drama.

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