The TVing original series “Queen Woo” (written by Lee Byung-hak, directed by Jeong Se-kyo) dropped all episodes on September 12th. In Part 1, Queen Woo (Jeon Jong-seo) chases after princes for her wedding, and in Part 2, she races to reach her goal.
Part 1 already upset viewers with too many revealing scenes, and over-the-top violent moments raised eyebrows. Part 2 keeps this going. Although there were fewer scenes of undressing and objectifying women compared to Part 1, the drama’s overtly exploitative vibe never let up, and scenes of people hurting each other with weapons were shown in full, making viewers even more uncomfortable.
The visually appealing aspects from Part 1 lost their charm when the setting moved outdoors. Despite the carefully made sets, action scenes in bushes and trees made it harder to get into the story. Boring political fights were also a problem. The prolonged, tension-free confrontations felt unnecessarily dragged out. Since Parts 1 and 2 tell a story that happens in just 24 hours, it feels like a brief story was stretched into an 8-part series.
Even Queen Woo, who should be a strong character, became weak. Jeon Jong seo’s wobbly walk and shaky voice didn’t make her seem like a real queen. Her attempt to use her own speaking style instead of traditional historical drama accent felt out of place and did not capture the genre’s charm.
While Jeon Jongseo might have thought only rumors about school bullying would hold the series back, her inability to own the screen was a bigger problem. With Jeon Jongseo struggling, it’s no surprise that even the other actors couldn’t show their best. Awkward scenes kept breaking viewers’ focus.
In the end, the 8 episodes left viewers feeling empty. Queen Woo’s story ends with plans for a fight between former princes Go Pal Ki (Lee Soo-hyuk) and Go Pae (Song Jae-rim), which seems pointless. After such a long and drawn-out story, the finale doesn’t provide closure. Even if TVing planned a second season, it’s doubtful that anyone will want to watch it after being so let down by the first one.
But TVing seems to think that any buzz is good buzz. “Queen Woo is getting great responses every day, with strong characters, story, beautiful visuals, and overall look,” TVing said. “Queen Woo is super popular, ranking No. 1 for paid female subscribers per week for three weeks in a row, and is the second most-watched original series after ‘Work Later, Drink Now 2′.“
