Queenmaker

I hesitated for a long time before seeing this South Korean drama series, then I took the plunge and what a nice surprise I was able to discover. A splendid series full of twists and a rare intelligence, gave me incredible pleasure with each episode. Moreover this series owes its value to its actresses and actors of an extraordinary veracity, to arrive at the end with an unforgettable series. The wonderful interpretation of: Moon So-ri, Kim Hee-ae and Ryu Soo-young, for me these two actresses and actors were really exceptional. Of course, the entire cast was also of high quality. To end my feelings on this series, the direction of Oh Jin-seok was also magnificent and finally the superb screenplay was by Moon Ji-young. A very great Netflix series.

I have to admit: after watching episode one I thought this would be one more on my list of Korean turn-offs. How wrong I was. The second episode really grabbed me and it did not disappoint. What a great, well executed drama on corruption, human evil and the struggle to have honesty, righteousness and justice prevail. It has some weak moments, but overall this series is outstanding and approaches for instance House of Cards. Acting and dialogues are generally top notch. This series will keep you on the edge of your seat while the storyline develops with an absurd mix of strikes and counterstrikes between political opponents. The good should prevail of course, but right into the last episode it is unclear if it will. Can't spoil yet, as I'm currently watching the last (11th) episode. See for yourself.

So far Korean cinema has not been able to make me a fan because of overacting, hysteria and poor storylines in many series and movies. Queenmaker however is a true gem. Definitely recommended and hoping for more of this in the future.

Kim Hee-ah plays Hwang Do-Hee who is a fixer for the Eunsung group and is labelled as an attack dog with the lengths she will go to defending the family behind the company. In carrying out her role a young girl seems to commit suicide and then the companies employees go after Oh Kyung-Sook (Moon So-Ri) an activist lawyer who is causing the company embarrassment. Do-Hee realises she has been lied to and to honour the young girls memory she encourages Kyung-Sook to run as mayor of Seoul against against the husband of the daughter of the Eunsung group played by Ryu Soo-young. It is a predictable drama with pantomime villains but does enough to keep you interested in the drama. My favourite characters were the daughter and adopted daughter of the Chaebol family who were completely messed up but because of this the most entertaining.

The actresses in this movie were superb. Bingeworthy, and not a typical story. It's complex, dark, sad, but also full of hope, redemption, loyalty, and justice. Who doesn't love a good underdog story? The villains played their characters to a T, but also were complex. Character development for some characters were good, but wished there was a bit more background on the heros. Nevertheless this is worthy of a high rating and was definitely gripping. I would almost characterize this a political drama, but it's so much more than that. It's got depth, grit and no nonsense fillers...meaning in 9 episodes they cover enough and give you closure vs unnecessarily keeping the storyline going.

The drama started off on a good note with an interesting plot and well-developed characters. The pacing was just right, and the audience was quickly hooked. As the story progressed, the tension built up, and the climax was decently executed.

However, the ending of the drama fell short and left many me disappointed. The resolution felt rushed and unsatisfying, with loose ends left untied. Overall, the drama had a good start and a decent climax, but the bad ending overshadowed the earlier positive aspects.

You can stop watch till eps 6, if you have time in your hands continue until the end but know your risk.