Queenmaker is about Hwang Dohee (Kim Hee Ae), the Corporate Strategy Team Director in Eunsung Group who is the fixer for the chaebol family who owns Eunsung, who ends up becoming the Campaign Manager to make Oh Kyung Sook (Moon Sori) the Mayor of Seoul, against Eunsung's chosen candidate.
I haven't watched a k-drama in a long time (Netflix subscription going to waste), but finally decided I was in the mood for one, and picked Queenmaker cos Kim Hee Ae my queen is in it. Been a fan ever since the sublime Secret Love Affair. I've mostly seen Moon Sori in smaller parts like The Handmaiden and Little Forest, but I know she's got an impressive filmography as well.
The show is a revenge turned political race drama, which made for a fun and addictive watch. Just don't think too much and try to poke holes in the story. Dohee begins as the go-to person for everyone and everything in Eunsung. Baek Jae Min (Ryu Soo Young), the son-in-law of Eunsung's chairwoman, accuses his secretary of blackmailing him and Dohee fires her, but later ends up witnessing the secretary falling to her death. Dohee realises that it was a false accusation by Jae Min, who is 1) a monster, and 2) running for Seoul mayor to fulfil the Chairwoman's ambitions for Eunsung group. Dohee is determined to stop Jae Min from being mayor, and decides to quit Eunsung and make someone else mayor. Who better than Oh Kyung Sook, who had been protesting for workers' rights on the top of Eunsung's building and became known as an icon of justice and righteousness after she fell from the rooftop while protesting (mostly cause she was pushed, heh). The first part was mostly set-up for the political drama, and Kyung Sook's first adversary was Seo Min Jung (Jin Kyung, another kdrama familiar face), whom she has to beat in a primary election before facing Jae Min in the main election. We get lots of machinations and plotting on all 3 sides to get the upper hand, some frankly beyond incredulous, but it's all always fun trying to see how Dohee will outsmart the opponents or solve the crisis.
Kim Hee Ae is just wonderful as the incredibly smart and cunning Hwang Dohee who has never lost. The role reminded me a lot of her role in SLA, which I promptly rewatched after finished Queenmaker. In both, her character is a super elegant and well-dressed high ranking person in the institution/company who rose to her position by being at the beck and call of the chaebols she serve. Of course, SLA's focus was more about her relationship with a man half her age, while in this show, there is no romance, but plenty of womance. Her burgeoning friendship with Kyung Sook was so cute to watch.
Oh Kyung Sook, the overly passionate lawyer turned mayor candidate was equally well-acted by Moon Sori, and I love how she imbued so much warmth into her character, the total opposite of Dohee's coldness.
The whole cast is full of incredible female actresses, with Ok Ja Yeon as the secretary plus mistress of the sleazy Jae Min, and Seo Yi Sook as the Chairwoman of Eunsung, which she played with so much charisma. Kim Saebyuk and Yoon Jihye were her two chaebol daughters who are much less capable. I was especially amazed by Kim Saebyuk as Chaeryung. In the beginning, she was portrayed as completely unhinged, but over the series, so many layers were peeled back, and she ended up being such a complex character.
The directing of the show was solid, with some particularly gorgeous frames. I especially liked this one during the post-victory conference, with Dohee's silhouette on the banner, showing that she really was the one behind it all
At 11 one-hour episodes, I think it's definitely worth watching Queenmaker. Fun storyline, incredible acting, solid directing. No wonder I couldn't stop watching and finished it in less than a week.