REVIEW: ‘Queen Of Tears’ Episodes 3-4

Queen of Tears initially started its series focusing on rediscovering love between its leads, but now has added corporate intrigue and backstabbing into the mix on a grander scale. In Queen of Tears Episodes 3-4,  Baek Hyeon-Woo  (Kim Soo-Hyun) and Hong Hae-In (Kim Ji-Won) navigate their complicated feelings due to Hae-In’s terrifying diagnosis. Yoon Eun-Sung’s (Park Sung-Hoon) sinister nature is revealed surprisingly early. And greedy enemies look to be enacting plans to take down the Queens Group.

Queen of Tears Episode 3 starts after Hyeon-Woo shoots the boar. Hearing the gunshot, Eun-Sung is there, ready to save the day. But he is too late to pretend to be a hero. This tracks with his character development throughout Queen of Tears Episodes 3-4. Hyeon-Woo is not having any of Eun-Sung’s shenanigans and whisks Hae-In away. His actions surprise Hae-In’s family, who now have to eat crow over their years of teasing him. After an awkward family dinner, Hyeon-Woo leaves to revisit the incident scene. In the process, he discovers shocking evidence of someone tampering with the enclosure for the boars. Coupled with the fact that Hae-In’s grandfather was supposed to hunt the trail she took up, something is afoot.

Hae-In and Hyeon-Woo later spend the night together in the same bed. Both are in their feelings, remembering how their relationship was before marriage. There was an innocence where he aimed to reassure and provide for her. For a moment, she was like any other girl—at least before the truth of her background kicked in, dividing them rather than making them stronger. The socioeconomic differences and how they influence the power dynamics between Hyeon-Woo and his in-laws ultimately threaten the relationship.

What is also threatening the relationship at this point is Hyeon-Woo’s greedy family members. Much of the family’s livelihood is tied to the building Hae-In owns in their town. A divorce would ruin things. So, while endlessly hilarious to watch onscreen, Baek Hyeon-Tae (Kim Do-Hyun) and his wife, Baek Mi-Seon (Jang Yoon-Ju), take it upon themselves to drive to Seoul to convince Hae-In not to follow through with the divorce. If Hae-In divorces Hyeon-Woo, their access to funds will get cut off. Of course, they don’t warn Hyeon-Woo in advance that they’re doing this.

Back from the family hunt, Hae-In focuses on securing this deal with Mr. Hermann (Kaare Olsen). With the help of Eun-Sung, she organizes a dinner to discuss the terms of the deal. Her trust in Eun-Sung turns to backfire when Mr. Hermann doesn’t show up. But Eun-Sung takes advantage of the opportunity, turning off her phone and trying to get her to discuss her feelings for her husband. So many red flags pop up in this scene for the audience and Hyeon-Woo.

On Hyeon-Woo’s end, he learns his family met up with Hae-In to dissuade her from divorcing and that Mi-Seon sent a text to her phone. He panics and tries to reach Hae-In, but the phone is turned off. He waits hours before Eun-Sung rolls up to the home with a drunken Hae-In in tow. Of course, as if the red flags weren’t waving around all crazy like, the man encouraged Hae-In to drink too much. Despite his frustration at Eun-Sung, Hyeon-Woo has more important things on his mind. Covering his butt is at the top of his list.

Things escalate as he tries to secure the phone from Hae-In. Ultimately, Queen of Tears Episode 3 ends with a dramatic kiss that, while slightly romantic, can’t completely gloss over Hyeon-Woo’s less-than-stellar intentions. Queen of Tears Episode 4 picks up immediately after that. He’s doing everything he can to get the phone away from Hae-In. All of this reads comedic, and, for the most part, it keeps the tone light despite the truth of the matter. For Hyeon-Woo, though, things take a darker turn when he realizes the significance of Hae-In’s password to her phone – the original birth date of their miscarried child.

Sentimentality is a feeling that crops up a lot for Hae-In and Hyeon-Woo during Queen of Tears Episode 4. For Hae-In, she greatly empathizes with those struggling to take care of health issues. She undergoes a bit of a change between Queen of Tears Episodes 3-4. She starts cutting her employees slack when it comes to supporting their families. During Episode 4, Hae-In intervenes on behalf of an employee who is being bullied on the floor. She originally recognized the bully from a previous incident where the employee was struggling to figure out how to pay for a family member’s medical expenses. It seems this diagnosis is shaping her into being more thoughtful. At least for now.

Hae-In receives news of a potential cure, which has a 51% success rate. She relays this to Hyeon-Woo, who panics about how he’ll be back at square one. Things have slowly started to become less stressful for him with Hae-In’s diagnosis. His in-laws are slowly starting to treat him a bit better. If she recovers, won’t things be the same? This adds a further layer of confusion for him in his feelings surrounding the relationship. But regardless of any new developments, Hyeon-Woo can’t hide the fact that he still cares for her.

This becomes most apparent when Hae-In receives an SOS text from Mi-Seon. Hyeon-Woo’s father (Jeon Bae-Su) is struggling with his re-election campaign. If Hae-In visits, this could boost his chances of getting re-elected. Without informing Hyeon-Woo, she goes to pay the family a visit. Unfortunately, Hae-In has another disassociative episode where she is covered in mud in a field. She continues wandering until she somehow finds her way back to the village. The person to find her? A frantic Hyeon-Woo.This is where the episode ends.

Queen of Tears Episodes 3-4 make some intriguing story choices, which add further depth to the characters and situation we’re seeing play out. The decision to completely throw away any pretense surrounding Eun-Sung’s character is a fascinating one. By making Eun-Sung the villain from the get-go, it tells the viewer that this isn’t a normal love triangle. The added layer in Queen of Tears Episode 4 of him teaming up with people within the Queen Group to bring down the family reveals his intentions for Hae-In. She is a stepping stone to whatever goals he hopes to achieve. There’s no emotion there. Only cold artifice.

Writer Park Ji-Eun also plays around with the complicated emotions between our leading couple in Queen of Tears Episodes 3-4. Death brings up all sorts of feelings, rendering a person vulnerable in the process. Ji-Eun illustrates this through Hae-In, who finds herself to be feeling too much. The conversation she has with her doctor, wondering if the condition she has also impacts her emotions, is a relatable one. But it also highlights how long she’s had to close herself off from others. A moment with her mother in Episode 4 further emphasizes why. When family members are waiting to pounce on you, why would you allow yourself to show weakness?

Hyeon-Woo’s and Hae-In’s relationship is in this weird place. The reveal of their child’s death also marks a turning point in their relationship. It is also an understandable one. The pain a miscarriage causes is complex and is a taboo subject. It’s better to forget than to explore the pain the tragedy causes. Throughout Queen of Tears Episodes 3-4, Hyeon-Woo constantly oscillates between jealousy and care for Hae-In while trying to keep his eye on the price. He wants the will rewritten so his sacrifice won’t be in vain. Despite that goal, he can’t help but want to protect Hae-In.

Queen of Tears Episodes 3-4 continues to add fascinating layers to a couple that couldn’t be more different. While their relationship may be the primary focus, the vultures circling Hae-In and her family are getting their claws out and ready to tear everything apart. It’s just a matter of whether or not the couple tears each other apart first.

Queen of Tears Episodes 1-14 are now available on Netflix, with new episodes airing on Saturdays and Sundays.