When Goguryeo’s monarch (Ji Chang Wook) dies mysteriously, Queen Woo (Jeon Jong Seo) must defend herself and her throne, amidst the adversaries that want her gone.

Queen Woo starts with a great balance of drama, action, intrigue and mystery. It's aesthetically pleasing, great costumes, direction, vibe, cinematography, and acting. The cast have done great performances. However, it's sooo hard for me to get on board with the story. I didn't feel any attachment to anyone, nor that I care about the stake and players involved. Even after rewatching, it feels like watching a chess game without any drama, no emotion. It's hard to pinpoint why... maybe the writing, maybe the characters aren’t gripping enough. It also didn't end conclusively as there are several lose ends, creating a potential for a second season. This is not the type of endings I like, but others might find excitement from this.

Side note, I’m not bothered by the explicit intimacy scenes. Rather, they're the only memorable scenes for me. I find those scenes were hot and well-acted. The women play were powerful despite it's dubious consent. I think this drama has a great potential to be epic, but it didn't captivate me.