Queenmaker

Too cartoonish for my liking but the actors are good, the production value is good and enjoyed the story. I love political intrigue but as usual the activistic leftwing party is the good guy (like in almost 100% of the political dramas, it's so predictabe) and the endless virute signalling (woman are good, men are bad, employer bad, employee victim) have been done a trillion times before.

When I write cartoonish I mean especially the villains, no redeeming qualities whatsoever. So you get the gist early on.

Although I would have loved a series with more depth, more (believable) twists and originality (played by the same crew because -again- the actors can act and the director can direct) and perhaps a bit less emotioning so common in many Korean productions, a better, possibly more neutral and/or clever storywriter could have taken this series to another level.

6,5 (first part is definitely better and deserves perhaps an eight)

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.

Another outstanding Korean Drama! The best political revenge drama with interesting storyline n a brilliant execution. It's a treat to watch fierce, complex, strong female characters. Definitely worth a watch, available on Netflix!

My ratings 9/10!

Another outstanding Korean Drama! The best political revenge drama with interesting storyline n a brilliant execution. It's a treat to watch fierce, complex, strong female characters. Definitely worth a watch, available on Netflix!

My ratings 9/10!

Another outstanding Korean Drama! The best political revenge drama with interesting storyline n a brilliant execution. It's a treat to watch fierce, complex, strong female characters. Definitely worth a watch, available on Netflix!

My ratings 9/10!

While it may have had a gripping introduction and an attractive selection of cast, however, it couldn't maintain its momentum later on. It started off as a fully fledged political drama then added a mix of other genres and cliches with an overpowering flavor of Netflix-esque type of production. Within a few episodes, it quickly lost its creative edge and began to recycle and re-skin the same attacks and counter-attacks between the involved parties. It made the scoop of the drama quite limited for its +11 hours runtime. It's a female centered plot so naturally the spotlight was on them. Each received decent characterization, good introductions, showcased interesting dynamics, and donned fashionable attire. However, by the end of the drama, all of them blended into a bland and vexing mix, losing their initial allure. The drama may have been alright but it's not quite there. At least it didn't stretch for the typical 16 episodes so that's a small win. On another note, the superheroes slo-mo walking shots were cringe. And the brief teaser at the end for a potential 2nd season was tasteless.

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.