The ruthless politics begin in Netflix’s Queenmaker

by missvictrix

So many queens, so little time! Although an entirely different ballgame than Channel A’s upcoming revenge melo Queen of the Mask, both that drama and Netflix’s Queenmaker are not only titled with “queen,” but star queen Kims, so they’ll forever be attached in my brain. Okay, moving on.

Netflix’s latest series stars the fantabulous Kim Hee-ae (A Couple’s World) as Hwang Do-hee, a branding expert and (nearly) literal queenmaker. This time, she’s not making a queen but Seoul’s next mayor… that is, if the political opposition doesn’t squash them first.

Her chosen underdog to transform into mayor is Oh Seung-sook, played by Moon Sori (On the Verge of Insanity). Do-hee sees potential in her, but the trailer makes it clear that it’s going to be a rocky road to victory. If they make it. And if they make it in one piece.

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Much like the drama’s earlier teaser, we see tons of footage from the show, giving us choice moments of rivalry, back-stabbing, campaign speeches, and various tense moments — basically, we’re getting a look at the political puppeteers behind the scenes. Starting at D-100 to the election, we get a peek at the campaign Do-hee is masterminding. In quick cuts, we see her coaching and transforming Seung-sook into a candidate that can stand up to political pros (and her rivals in the election): Jin Kyung (Love in Contract) and Ryu Soo-young (Here’s My Plan).

However, our heroines don’t have an easy go of it, and they’re soon faced with PR stunts, netizen rage, and unadulterated chaos. But just how much is Do-hee in control of? I’m definitely getting the sense that she is not only the queen of queenmakers, but that she’s one heck of a mastermind. Kim Hee-ae brings the intensity (as always), and while politics and power aren’t my usual go-to storytelling themes, I’m already half sold just to see her performance.

Written by Moon Ji-young (Who Are You) and directed by Oh Jin-seok (People With Flaws), Queenmaker drops its 12 episodes on April 14.