so I was watching when the phone rings and was planning to do a post on it but then the last episode was just……… so much bullshit. I can’t believe I have to say this on a kdrama blog but like, don’t tell us to keep politics out of shit when the shit comes to us bc really??? if I had known earlier, like most people with common sense, I too would have boycotted it bc of it’s not lowkey pro-israeli propo. even if I wasn’t pro-Palestine, IT MADE NO SENSE FOR THE PLOT LINE. if you watched it, give it a low rating bc that’s what I’ll be doing this evening apparently—if you didn’t watch it, don’t even bother
Synopsis: Hong Hae-In is a third generation chaebol of the Queens group that married Baek Hyunwoo, son of farmers turned lawyer that works for the group underneath the Hong family. After three years of marriage, Hyunwoo is ready for a divorce, only to find out Hae-In has a disease that gives her only three months left to live. Queen of Tears is about the crisis/hardships of marriage as to what will rekindle them, along with the threat of those who want to get rid of the Hong family.
Overall Main Plot: Rating - 9 out of 10
I think this is one of the kdramas that I would love to rewatch over and over again. I just wanna say that this rating is predominantly due to the actors and their chemistry. I was really invested into the plot and the romance. I really loved the idea of the stereotypical "gender roles" in these dramas being swapped because watching a female lead who is more career driven and a male lead who is more in touch with his emotions was genuinely so refreshing. I was initially worried about how the plot would portray their relationships because a lot of these chaebol dramas are the same; however, I really liked watching the Hong family struggle for a bit and essentially be reliant on the Baek family. There was some genuine character growth that I loved to watch. Not only was I interested in how the romance would play out, but watching these families bond like actual in-laws was really nice, especially since they eventually did come towards the plot and showed a reflection of the characters themselves. As for the plot with the Sol-Hee and Eunseung, I was interested to see how their relationship was playing out, especially as the drama went, they kept turning on one another, which showed how unreliable the alliance was for the group that went against the Hongs. Obviously this is not a 10 out of 10 due to certain things I wished I could have seen.
The Miscarriage - I really wish they had an actual conversation about the miscarriage and patch that part of their relationship together. This was the big thing that drew them apart and I think it would have been beautiful to have that moment for them to directly communicate and address why things went the way that they did. I think if there was something more about this in particular, I would have given it a 10/10.
Moh Seul-Hee's Motivations - maybe it's because I've watched them for so long, she immediately stuck out to me because she felt like she's a part of the antagonist group. I know some people would disagree with me, but I wish we got some actual background from her about what essentially pushed her to do all of this. It was explained away as her wanting better for her son, but then she did not show that consistently. I wish there was just more about her and specifically why she was so comfortable getting rid of him and the complete greed as to why she wanted everything.
Characters: Rating - 10 out of 10
↣ Baek Hyunwoo (played by Kim Soo Hyun) - I want to reiterate that I love these characters, especially this man right here. He was such a consistent character. He was just such a cutie pie and he clearly showed his love for Hae-In. Each time he cried, he CRIED. He was just clearly written by a woman because there was so much love and devotion and he never lost that motivation, especially with the threat of Eunseung. I understood his previous motivations of wanting a divorce, how the family was treating him prior, and then a wife that he didn't feel supported by. My only complaint of him though is that I didn't like him liking the thought of her dying, granted their situation was very particular. But it passed quicker than I thought and, eventually, he came to his senses and began to fight for the love of his life. I genuinely loved his character and I will miss him the most.
↣ Hong Hae-In (played by Kim Jiwon) - first of all, Hong Hae-In is such a QUEEN. Jiwon played her so well; obviously, she was supposed to be very chaebol-esque. I know it's a double standard and all, but I absolutely loved her and how fierce she was in her career. She was clearly a respectable business woman that had goals she was working towards and, honestly, she was very relatable as time went due to her lack of time. I felt so bad for her when she started to space out and her illness started to get to her; I felt even more bad realizing how bad her family dynamics are and she really felt so lonely and she did not stop loving her husband. Obviously, Hyunwoo was different about the situation, but she told him about the illness which counts for a lot I think. I really hate that they took her memory away, but those are writing problems not a character problem.
↣ Yoon Eunseung (played by Park Sunghoon) - Oh. My. God. Park Sunghoon did such an excellent job OF PLAYING SUCH A BITCH. I think this was one love triangle that was not a triangle. From what I observed, there was no one really rooting for him. He was clearly just obsessed with Hae-In and that was due to his mommy issues, which is not his fault but does provide context. Eunseung was so Annoying; I understand why he's important to the plot, but he had me screaming at the screen whenever he showed up like OH BROTHER THIS GUY STINKS. I actually did hate that he ended up dying; I wanted him to suffer behind bars like what he had done to Hyunwoo, but realistically, he wouldn't have been in there long I'm guessing and he would never leave Hae-In alone. I found his background interesting though; he just wanted to be loved and thought Hae-In would give that to him, but she kept showing that she did not like him, even with her damned memory gone. Overall, he was just an interesting case because he was someone you could definitely sympathize with but the way that he acts makes it hard to root for him.
Romance: Rating - 10 out of 10
Romance is real, no notes. Just kidding, but I'm serious. It's funny how I was sobbing and was incredibly invested, only for me to realize that this is not a real man. This is fiction and that's clear from the way that Hyunwoo shows up for Hae-In. Hae-In showed love in her own ways, but let's be real: 1. he was a broken man when he thought she had died in the car 2. he RAN out of the hospital bed to make sure he can rescue his woman and 3. he took a whole bullet for her and continued to work to help protect the Hong family. I love these two so much; they have such great chemistry and their acting was great. I just loved this as a romance, especially since they were rekindling love rather than just starting out and it was nice to see those flashbacks of them when they did initially fall in love.
Secondary Characters/B-Plot: Rating - 8 out of 10
As I previously mentioned, I really loved seeing the families coming together and working together. I think that was the most that Ioved from the secondary plot. The villagers weren't super interesting and there were some plots I did not care about, especially the ones they just threw in on the end, like how Hyunwoo's sister was worried about her husband having an affair, who we haven't even seen on the screen so I was confused for a second. I did really like the love line for BeomJa - I love that she's the one who confessed and made the moves on him. The confession scene was so funny. As for Soocheol, I was also interested in his relationship with Da-Hye but I hate how she's left him multiple times and probably has given him trauma; the first time was enough like ma'am. I also do appreciate the dive they did into the Hong's family relationship with one another because there was clear problems, especially with Hae-In due to her brother dying and the strain/favoritism due to her younger brother. I did appreciate the character growth of it all and it was so wonderful to watch these people become better.
Additional Notes:
I wanna take this time to highlight the in-laws' new relationship together. I know I've brought it up a lot, but I really liked their scenes together, especially when the Hong parents were struggling with how to handle things that kept coming one after another. On top of when Hyunwoo was shot and that scene of them all coming together was so beautiful.
I don't think people talk enough about the comedic aspect in this drama. Jiwon and Soohyun, separately and together, they were hilarious. When Hyunwoo was crying at the table and saying how he didn't wanna go home and even the dramatics of being a male in-law that has to cook for the ritual/memorial thing, super funny. Hae-In is also super hilarious, especially the scene where she thought he was pulling her bag and just walked away in silence with a hand on her face. Again, the comedy and drama and romance was balanced out so well.
Older Brother - I wish there was more clarification on what happened with the oldest brother who got kicked out. I would have liked to have had him do more with the group to really solidify the union of the family and how he was going to run the Queens group.
I will give them credit for giving us a good drama with a decent ending. It was bittersweet but it's better than some of the nonsense that other dramas have given us. I love that we got glimpses of their family together, both with the kid and actual in-laws via pictures. I really loved this drama and will definitely be watching it again sometime.
Overall Rating: 9 out of 10
I really liked this drama. They have high ratings for a reason; they did keep up well along with the plot and the romance. There were some frustrating times, but it makes sense for the most part. I feel like there was a lot I already said, but yeah this is a great drama.
Recommended?
↣ Yes: this has it all - romance, comedy, drama, it's great. It's also very satisfactory because they do get a happy ending. There's a lot of focus on family, both as a married couple but also in regards to in-laws and the complicated relationships that come with marriage. There are some moments that you will just sob but it's so worth it.
↣ No: if you are triggered by miscarriages, obviously do not watch it. There is also a suicide that occurs. There are some frustrating beats where the characters act stupid but there's always something like that with these.
- ji-ung is in fact the second lead which i’m not very happy about but it seems like he’s never planning to reveal his feelings so it’s okay ig
- both choi ung and yeon so still have feelings for each other. i especially liked how this was revealed; ji-ung explaining choi ung’s feelings and yeon so having to explain her side herself showed the stark difference in their lives. choi ung had community, a loving family, financial stability whereas yeon so was alone and struggling with debt.
- the reason of their break up: i liked this as well. it’s insanely difficult to stay and invest in a healthy relationship while you yourself are on the verge of a breakdown. yeon so says the reason they broke up was her pride but it was also that she was struggling hard and didn’t want to pull him down with her. there’s no way to judge if this is right or not. choi ung would’ve obviously wanted to help and maybe that would’ve made it easier for yeon so. but she didn’t want to be more vulnerable with him than she already is because everytime she lets her walls down something goes wrong.
- choi ung sleeps better with yeon so. i have nothing to say about this. except [LOUD SCREAMING]
okay but like i’m sure someone else has already pointed this out but the fact these two kissed in the pouring rain as adults sort of symbolizing that despite all of life’s challenges thrown at you, you’re willing to embrace that with someone you care deeply about vs. them as teenagers kissing for the first time sheltered from the rain, showing their innocence and the sacred nature of their relationship as first loves. like the fact that it’s so much more messy as adults doesn’t take away from how beautiful their connection/love is for each other and idk i’m just a goner for that ending
Choi woong is so unlike any kdrama male lead in a romcom. Like he’s so sincere and lovely and warm and wears his heart on his sleeve but he’s also so petty and holds grudges for literal years (so relatable btw) and gets so emotionally invested in things that aren’t healthy for him. That man be way too relatable sometimes
Also I love love love that Yeon Su’s jujubes not only lead to his house but he also found one inside, while NJ’s wine was left outside. Similar to how Yeon su is the one inside Ung’s heart while NJ wasn’t able to get through his walls
I know a little dramatic but come on don’t tell me the idea doesn’t write itself
Some details I really like from Our Beloved Summer:
Yeon-su not telling her only closest friend that Ung is a a famous artist after learning how private he is about his identity
Their shoes being different colors in each of the retellings of that day, it was very clever to me and really fit with how they both viewed it so differently that even a little detail like that was different. In Ung’s version he wears white shoes while she wears black and yellow shoes. In hers he wears blue shoes and she wears white ones. In the epilogue they both wear white shoes.
there’s something so easily captivating about our beloved summer. about choi woong and kook yeonsoo.
it may be that they don’t have the craziest or the most astounding backgrounds. choi woong was raised by the most loving parents in the world who own a restaurant. kook yeonsoo struggled with debt, but grew up with her grandmother. the two of them were young when they met, they didn’t have all the exaggerated and wild stories that usually come along in a kdrama storyline. they were simply high schoolers who lived their own lives.
so when they finally did stumble into each other’s lives, we saw the progression of them falling for each other. i don’t even know if it was a crush, but more like a subconscious one. one of those moments when you glance back one again and realize that you have fallen for them. that’s what kook yeonsoo and choi woong captured under the rain. it was so simple, yet beautifully written.
then comes the smaller moments. the ones that are built on top of each other. the way that choi woong carried yeonsoo’s backpack for her as they walked to school. the way that yeonsoo kept woong’s little note that wrote “let’s go outside” on it. the way that woong packed dinner for yeonsoo while she worked at the convenience store. the way that yeonsoo would touch woong’s forehead because he frowned in his sleep. the way that they always promise to make their way back to each other. the way that “let’s go eat” means that they have made up to the both of them. these are the moments, the type of love that we crave to experience. so simple, so small, but the most meaningful.
we can relate to these characters because they embody the different feelings and emotions that we experience when we are in love, whether it’s how woong is the kindest and softest character ever, yet he can also be so petty and hold a grudge for years. it could also be the way yeonsoo’s walls are always so high and she always is on guard, but once she lets someone in, she becomes one of the most loving people ever. take the cherry blossom scene for example, it’s those little moments.
the way the two of them intertwine is very endearing and warms my heart. from the outside, it looks like they just find joy in pushing each other around, messing with each other and all. they like to say they hate each other, but you see, love and hate walks a thin line. when they meet each other in the middle, they click perfectly. like one never existed without the other. they help each other become better people, not in an unattainable way, but in a realistic, step by step kind of way.
so when they break up, we automatically try to figure out who to blame it on. it’s natural for us to do that because it makes us feel better. in the beginning it was yeonsoo’s fault, she was the one who had broken up with woong, left him alone to deal with the aftermath, and walk away from it all. then, for the first time, we heard yeonsoo’s point of view. we saw her struggle, her reason, and the pain she endured and hid away. so then, we blamed woong for not being able to see through her.
the truth is,
they struggled within themselves. woong and yeonsoo needed a redo. a second try. and i think that within themselves, they secretly knew it then too. because they are the only ones for each other: soulmates i would say. but not in the star crossed lovers type of way, because we saw that love couldn’t hold them together forever. soulmates in more of a “i promise i will always run back to you” type of way. but through that, they also need to acknowledge each other’s inner feelings, grow, and communicate together.
it all feels so real.
it’s heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time.
choi ung is perhaps the loveliest and the most wholesome boy simply because he makes people’s lives better just by being in it. yeon su realises that what she forgot was not just how much she loved ung, but why she loved him, and it was because he doesn’t pretend to be someone else or hide his feelings, he straight up shows up to her meeting and tells her that he can’t wait till the weekend to see her again because the weekend’s too far away and he missed her. ji ung realises he needs to stop being such a jerk to ung because even though he’s been in love with ung’s girlfriend this whole time, ung never expresses that he’d taken even the slightest bit of offence when he found out, and instead looks after ji ung when he’s home alone lying sick on his sofa. it’s so sweet and inspiring because ung doesn’t go the extra mile to impress people, he’s just honest and kind to the people in his life, never taking them for granted and making sure they know it, seeing if they’re doing well and taking care of them when they need it.
