On April 28th, the final episode of tvN’s Sat-Sun drama “Queen of Tears”aired, concluding its journey after 16 episodes. The unexpected accident of Baek Hyun-woo (Kim Soo-hyun) in episode 15 left viewers stunned and raised their anticipation for the last episode.
Given that writer Park Ji-eun has consistently avoided writing sad endings in her past works such as “Queen of Reversals”, “Queen of Housewives”, “The Producers”, “My Love From The Star”, “The Legend of the Blue Sea”, and “Crash Landing on You”, fans were anticipating a happy ending for her latest drama “Queen of Tears”. This was especially expected since Hong Hae-in (Kim Ji-won) had already been cured of her rare brain tumor.
Despite the happy ending of the drama, episode 16 left some viewers feeling disappointed as it concluded with the reveal of the female lead’s death in 2074. While it may be an unconventional way to end a drama, it was nonetheless unexpected for the main character to die.
Baek Hyun-woo and Hong Hae-in had a daughter together, and later in 2074, Hong Hae-in passed away at the age of 84. As he grew older, Baek Hyun-woo would often visit the cemetery in Germany, where Hong Hae-in had expressed her wish to be buried. In the final moments, a young Hong Hae-in appears and takes Baek Hyun-woo’s hand.
Reviews from viewers about the ending were varied, with some expressing surprise at its tightly closed happy conclusion, while others questioned the fate of the characters, such as Hyun-woo and Hae-in’s daughter being the only survivor. Some even speculated on the timeline of the world’s end, with one reviewing stating it wouldn’t happen until 2074. The unexpected grave in the ending also drew mixed reactions from viewers.
As the drama progressed, it reminded some viewers of KBS 2TV’s 2013 hit series “Wang’s Family”. With a time jump of 30 years and the story set in 2044, the show surprised many by featuring the 60th birthday celebration of Wang Kwang-pak (Lee Yoon-ji). Netizens compared the two dramas, with some commenting, “This is even better than ‘Wang’s Family’,””Doesn’t it feel like another version of ‘Wang’s Family’?”and “After ‘Wang’s Family’, this has the longest time jump in its ending.”
The last episode of “Queen of Tears” became the highest-rated drama on tvN, possibly due to its shocking ending. According to Nielsen Korea, it surpassed the 21.6% rating of Park Ji-eun’s previous series “Crash Landing on You” and recorded 24.9% nationwide. Even now, online communities are still filled with heated discussions about the ending of “Queen of Tears” .
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