The first historical Korean drama of the Tving platform "Queen Woo" was released, but did not meet expectations, despite gathering an all-star cast including Jeon Jong Seo, Ji Chang Wook, Kim Mu Yeol, Jung Yu Mi, Lee Soo Hyuk...
After its first season (consisting of 4 episodes) premiered on August 29, “Queen Woo” faced harsh criticism, and in the end, only the R-rated 19+ sex scenes attracted attention.
“Queen Woo” is a historical action chase drama that tells the story of Queen Woohee, who becomes the target of five power-seeking tribes and princes fighting for the throne after the sudden death of King Go Nam Moo (Ji Chang Wook). She struggles to establish a new king within 24 hours.
Jeon Jong Seo is the main protagonist. She plays Queen Woohee of the Goguryeo Kingdom. When the king dies, Woohee leaves the palace and personally selects the next king to take the throne, in order to protect her position as queen. She is a strong and independent woman.
According to Ten Asia, in fact, even if the film only focuses on this content, it will probably become an excellent and groundbreaking historical work. We will probably see a never-before-seen empress character.
However, “Queen Woo” focuses more on things other than Woohee's urgent 24 hours. In the first 4 episodes, nudity and bed scenes appear in every episode except episode 3.
Unlike the usual historical dramas that have brief sex scenes or are just for expressing emotions, in “Queen Woo” there are sex scenes that are longer and more detailed than in romantic dramas.
Almost all the main and secondary characters in the movie have hot scenes, from Ji Chang Wook, Jeon Jong Seo, Jung Yu Mi, Lee Soo Hyuk, Park Bo Kyung...
In episode 1, the scene where the king ( Ji Chang Wook ) returns from the battlefield, while being treated for his wounds, has 3 maids serving him. This scene is shown for a whopping 3 minutes and 23 seconds.
In episode 2, there is a scene where the character Woo Sun (Jung Yu Mi) - Queen Woo's older sister - has a lesbian relationship with a woman, while imagining herself having sex with the king. This scene lasts 1 minute and 54 seconds.
In episode 4, the scene of the third cruel prince, Go Bal Gi (played by Lee Soo Hyuk), having sex with his wife was also shown for about 47 seconds.
The camera angles even revealed the actresses' bare breasts.
Ten Asia commented: “Leaving aside artistic quality, the film is just blatant exposure. If the purpose was to attract attention with sexy scenes, it succeeded.”
Actress Jung Yu Mi once said about the nude scene at the press conference: "I felt pressured. But it was a scene that was completely necessary for the story." However, Ten Asia said that the film had too many explicit scenes, and questioned the director's intention when continuously using sensitive content.
The newspaper cited "My Dearest" (starring Nam Goong Min and Ahn Eun Jin) as a standard for period dramas that skillfully built their plots, delicately blending historical elements and romantic feelings. "Queen Woo" also had the potential to create a good drama without flaunting sensitive content.
Part 2 of "Queen Woo" including the remaining 4 episodes will air on September 12.
