Queenmaker Helps Rookie Politician Win the Race for Mayor

Queenmaker is a 2023 Korean drama series, with 11 episodes, currently streaming on Netflix. Don’t you just love dirty politics? NO! The only people who love dirty politics are the people in politics who love to play dirty.

Truth be told, voters would love to have an honest candidate who will do what is good for the people. In politics, a queenmaker is a person who helps elect women to political offices. Hwang Do-hee is a queenmaker who helps rookie politician Oh Kyung-sook get elected as mayor of Seoul.

♦ A Lawyer Changes Her Path in Life Accidentally

“Queenmaker,” tells the story of Oh Kyung-sook, who never thought she needed the services of a “queenmaker” because she never planned to become “queen”. She is a human rights lawyer who was protesting the unfair firing of several workers by Eunsung Group, a powerful and corrupt Korean conglomerate. When it comes to politics, she’s a rookie who never intended to run for mayor of Seoul.  But her path in life changed accidentally.

~ Accident #1:  Why won’t anybody listen? I didn’t jump!

Oh Kyung-sook accidentally fell off the rooftop of the building where she was camping out in protest. Refusing to leave, the owners sent in “the muscle” to physically remove her. In the scuffle, she fell off the rooftop, clearly thinking that her life was about to end. But she survived.

When she woke up in the hospital bed, they told her that she was a hero! WHAT?? But it was an accident! She wanted the story of her self-sacrifice corrected. But nobody would listen. The public wanted to believe that she was brave, noble, and true, and willing to sacrifice her life for the cause.

~ Accident #2:  Why did I say that out loud in front of people?

Oh Kyung-sook naively made an agreement with Baek Jae-min to rehire the workers, not realizing he had a sinister ulterior motive. The photo published in the newspapers of them holding hands high in triumph was just a political photo opp for him. He had decided to run for mayor of Seoul and the photo of the two of them made it look like he was a man who cared about the people.

She was invited to attend one of his campaigning events. When she realized what his true intentions were, she confronted him very loudly. The people who heard what she said interpreted her statements as an indirect declaration of her intention to run for mayor. Specifically, she intended to run against Baek Jae-min. WHAT?? She wanted to clarify that her words were spoken in anger and not meant to be an announcement to run for mayor. But nobody believed that wasn’t her plan.

♦ A Fixer Changes Her Path in Life Intentionally

Hwang Do-hee once had a job as a “fixer”. She cleaned up the scandalous messes caused by members of the Eunsung family. Truth be told, some of her actions “in the line of duty” were downright criminal. Baek Jae-min was a member of the Eunsung family. Hwang Do-hee threatened one of his employee who said that he had sexually assaulted her. After hearing her threats, that employee committed suicide. She intentionally jumped off the rooftop of the Eunsung business headquarters, In the hand of the dead woman was a piece of incriminating evidence that proved Baek Jae-min had raped her.

Hwang Do-hee was shocked that Baek Jae-min was guilty and that she had helped cover up his crime. The chairperson, Baek Jae-min’s mother-in-law, fired her because she refused to continue being Eunsong’s “loyal lapdog”. After her threats had caused an innocent person to commit suicide, she developed a conscience and changed her path in life. There was no way she could continue on that path and allow a womanizing rapist like Baek Jae-min to become mayor.

Hwang Do-hee approached Oh Kyung-sook and offered to be her political campaign manager. Oh Kyung-sook agreed to allow Hwang Do-hee to be her campaign manager on one condition: NO DIRTY TRICKS! Even though Hwang Do-hee was a “fixer” who built her career using dirty tricks, she agreed to run an honest political campaign. She was a political strategist with the experience, the knowledge, the skills, and the tools needed to get her elected as the first female mayor of Seoul. In short, she was a Queenmaker.

Main Characters:

• Oh Kyung-sook (played by Moon So-ri, “Seoul Vibe”)
• Hwang Do-hee (played by Kim Hee-ae)
• Baek Jae-min, (played by Ryu Soo-young, “Bloodhounds”)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb Rating: 7.5 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 8.2 out of 10 stars
• Common Sense Media: 4 out of 5 stars

My personal rating aligns with My Drama List. The series was very entertaining with a top-notch cast.

But … Queenmaker is a typical storyline. Corrupt politicians serve as puppet leaders for leaders of corrupt Korean conglomerates, who control the purse and pull all the strings. To be a successful corrupt politician you have to be a greedy self-serving idiot with no backbone or integrity, adept at making promises you never intend to keep. How do people like that get elected?

Per Queenmaker Hwang Do-Hee said: the candidates have Manpower, Money, and Star Quality. The conglomerates pick a person with Star Quality and then provide all the Manpower and Money.  Oh Kyung-sook only has Star Quality, but Hwang Do-Hee is skilled enough to use that to get her elected.  Queenmaker is a work of fiction that sadly mirrors politics in the real world, all around the world.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

• REVIEW: ‘Queenmaker’ Pushes Political Drama Expectations | But Why Tho?
• ‘Queenmaker’ was most watched non-English show on Netflix last week | Korea JoongAng Daily
• ‘Queenmaker’ Netflix Review: Stream It Or Skip It? | Decider

TRAILERS/TEASERS:

Netflix K-Content. “Queenmaker | Now Streaming | Netflix.” YouTube, 14 Apr. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=txym4PvT6aU.‌