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Pierce Conran

2/5 stars
Lead cast: Jeon Jong-seo, Ji Chang-wook, Kim Moo-yul
When Part I of the big-budget historical Korean drama Queen Woo dropped late last month, it was not the lavish sets that drew the notice of viewers.
The costumes were mentioned quite frequently but, rather than their ornate design, they were noted for their resemblance to historical Chinese outfits, which caused some viewers in South Korea to take umbrage.


As well, people talked about the show’s parallels to the hit HBO series Game of Thrones and the incongruously salacious scenes that were partly responsible for inviting those comparisons.
Part II, which concludes the series (for now – more on that later), has quickly invited the same complaints. Given that these are two halves of the same pre-produced series, this feels like flogging a dead horse. The story largely takes place over 24 hours – of course the costumes are the same.
Given that we now know what to expect from the show, does Part II justify the elements which preceded it and provoked so much opprobrium? In some ways it does, but for the most part the answer is: no.
The violent and vile sex scenes in Part I were employed partly as a device to outline the power dynamics between the various factions wrestling for control of the throne made vacant by the fatal poisoning of King Go Nam-mu (Ji Chang-wook).

Although it has not gone away, the show’s prurient side is downplayed in Part II, and viewers are left asking why.
Part II leans far more into action to provide the entertainment, and piles all its pieces into one corner for a grand finale.
Queen Woo Hee (Jeon Jung-seo) is on the run with a small retinue of fighters and constantly firing arrows at her pursuers in a series of breathless action scenes.
These call to mind the modern action-adventure classic War of the Arrows, starring Park Hae-il, which makes sense since Queen Woo director Jung Se-kyo served as an assistant director on the hit 2011 film.

Among these set pieces is a particularly effective one that takes place on a hill at night, with arrows slicing backwards and forwards through thick fog.
Other action sequences are less effective, including an extended chase on a carriage which is almost entirely threaded together with shots of people on mechanical saddles galloping in front of green screens.
Despite their unevenness, these action scenes are invested with more purpose than what came before, which makes it feel as though these moments were what the show was riding towards.
In retrospect, the behind-the-scenes shuffling amid a yawning power vacuum was a means to an end. But since there was so much of it to get through, perhaps the gratuitous sex scenes were included to liven up the dreary prelude to the action that followed.
It isn’t just the convoluted palace intrigue that lacks gravitas; with is threadbare characters, the narrative is fundamentally flawed.

Most of the power players are schemers typical of Korean period dramas, while some of the more colourful side characters are eccentric for the sake of it – just look at any one of the many shamanistic or cult-like figures.
Yet the greatest problem is with Queen Woo herself, who never threatens to become a compelling protagonist. She may not be a conniving character like some of the others with ambitions to the throne, but she lacks charisma and a rich back story, which makes it hard for us to become invested in her plight.
This is very much the fault of the scripts, which are superficial, but also of Jeon, who feels miscast in the leading role. The actress has been magnetic in films such as Burning and The Call, but those roles imbued her with an air of mystery and authenticity, traits which Queen Woo possesses no trace of.
The various chess pieces eventually converge for a big showdown. Battle lines are drawn, armour is donned and war cries are bellowed, yet the show brings down the curtain just as Queen Woo opens the palace gates to sally forth and into battle.

Queen Woo Part II may have been a slight improvement, but to get there one would still need to muck through Part I.
Given the bad reception Part I has had, this all feels like a prelude to something that will never materialise. Our lasting impression is thus of fragments of an ambiguous, clunky and occasionally nasty little show – and an expensive one at that.
Queen Woo is streaming on Viu.


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Part I of this big-budget show was a stinker and Part II is not much better, a threadbare narrative setting up a season 2 that’s unlikely


Part I of this big-budget show was a stinker and Part II is not much better, a threadbare narrative setting up a season 2 that’s unlikely.


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Review | K-drama Queen Woo Part II review: Jeon Jung-seo-led period drama switches to action

Part I of this big-budget show was a stinker and Part II is not much better, a threadbare narrative setting up a season 2 that’s unlikely