Full of twists and turns, Queenmaker is a corporate turned political K-drama where a corporate fixer plays campaign chess against her former employers and retail conglomerate the Eunsung Group. Centered on her and the earnest human rights lawyer she’s trying to get elected, the show has Do-hee mentoring Kyung-sook in the art of PR, this time for the good. Even as the show reuses the genre’s classic tropes, the series’ plot points are entertaining, with each new twist naturally occurring as each side tries to dig dirt on the other and use it for political clout. It’s one of the most intriguing K-dramas we’ve seen this year.

With few roles for middle aged women, much more so leading roles, Queenmaker is one of the rare shows headed by middle aged women, set in a domain conventionally occupied by men. In fact, most of the main players here are women, with Baek Jae-min as the only leading male role. And these roles are excellent. Hwang Do-hee, a corporate fixer, had to have the calculated personality able to take down enemies against her. Oh Kyung-sook, human rights lawyer, had to have the friendly, yet no holds barred brazenness that people can follow into battle. Even Son Young-sim, conglomerate matriarch, had to have the commanding presence of someone used to exerting their power, no matter the cost. Queenmaker’s roles are three-dimensional, and the female cast, Kim Hee-ae, Moon So-ri and Seo Yi-sook have the performances strong enough to meet these roles.