2024 Show
South Korea · Korean
A queen brokers power in this stunning, though superficial, historical drama
Given the premise, Queen Woo seemed to be a promising historical drama– the costumes are great, the cast is stacked, and because it was set before the Joseon Dynasty, there’s much more room for the showrunners to play in, since many of the records were lost to history. However, while we can forgive some historical inaccuracies, Queen Woo unfortunately struggles to introduce these real-life figures in a compelling way. It tosses its viewers into a wall of text, then delays introducing the characters that it wants us to root for, for scenes that establish their status, but not their principles. Given the map-like animation that comes along with it, the stunning production design, and of course, the nudity, it seemed like Queen Woo aimed to be somewhat like a Korean Game of Thrones, but it’s hard to say that the show was genuinely more interested in what the queen’s real life has to say about power, rather than treading the usual melodrama that comes with it.
Upon the announcement of the king's death in Goguryeo, a fierce battle ensues among tribes. Queen Woo, who immediately becomes the target of princes and five tribes vying for the throne, struggles to crown a new king within 24 hours. Will Queen Woo be able to transcend the constraints of gender and era to carve out her own destiny?
Goguryeo, around 190s AD. When King Gogukcheon dies without an heir, Queen Woo must decide between one of the remaining prince brothers in order to protect her life from the five tribes seeking power.
It’s pretty rare to see nudity in K-dramas, so understandably, it was rather shocking for some viewers. Given that the real queen did have to choose between princes, and that her fertility did have consequences with the real king’s reign, I’ll have to say that it does make sense to include this element because of the stakes it had on the kingdom. That being said, the way the drama uses it was rather ineffectual.
At least it might spark some interest in the history before the Joseon Dynasty, even if that's because it's not quite historically accurate.
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
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