All Sex And Boobs: Jeon Jong Seo’s New Historical K-Drama Disappoints

The show has since been called “Game of Thrones-coded.”
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Jenny Kang
Jenny Kang

Content Warning

This article includes descriptions of nudity that may disturb some readers.

Spoiler Alert

This article reveals plot details of a current movie or series.

Queen Woo, a TVING original historical K-Drama that captures a widowed queen’s most chilling 24 hours to protect her reign, premiered its first out of two parts on August 29, 2024 (KST).

“Queen Woo” | TVING

Following the four episodes, however, critics and viewers have expressed great disappointment in how Part 1 was directed. According to a TENASIA review, the first part of Queen Woo has been “all sex and boobs.”

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| TVING

Explicit sex scenes, lesbians, and boobs: Four terms that describe Queen Woo. TVING’s first-ever historical K-Drama has been unveiled, but it has fallen short of expectations. Was the pressure too much, given the star-studded cast, including Jeon Jong Seo, Ji Chang Wook, Kim Mu Yeol, and Jeong Yu Mi? Ever since its premiere on August 29, Queen Woo has faced harsh criticism, and ultimately, only the R-rated sex scenes have drawn attention.

— Reporter Ryu Ye Ji for TENASIA

TENASIA also slammed the K-Drama for failing to build on an empowering setting, and instead, churning out meaningless sex scenes for clout.

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Actress Jeon Jong Seo plays Queen Woo Hui of Goguryeo, the sole protagonist of the show. After the King’s death, Queen Woo leaves the palace to choose the next king and place him on the throne, securing her own position as queen. She is a strong and assertive female figure.

In fact, had Queen Woo focused on this aspect, it could have been a groundbreaking female-centric historical K-Drama. Jeon could have played an unprecedented queen character, who selects the king with her own hands.

But Queen Woo, at least in the episodes released so far, takes the spotlight away from the queen. With the exception of Episode 3, each episode features nudity and sex scenes. Unlike typical historical K-Dramas, Queen Woo includes extended explicit scenes that are even more detailed than those in romance dramas.

— Reporter Ryu Ye Ji for TENASIA

According to TENASIA, actress Jeong Yu Mi mentioned having felt burdened to go topless in a scene. While she claimed that the scene was essential to the plot, TENASIA commented otherwise and even questioned the director’s intentions for working in so much explicit content.

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Actress Jeong Yu Mi mentioned at the press conference that she felt burdened by a topless scene, but said, ‘It was crucial to the story.’ However, most of the nudity was excessive. Some of the sex scenes were so unnecessary that one could question the director’s choices.

— Reporter Ryu Ye Ji for TENASIA

A lot of K-Drama fans on Reddit also expressed disappointment at how “Game of Thrones-coded” Queen Woo seemed, especially with “the amount of nude/explicit scenes.”

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That said, Queen Woo has four more episodes in store. Will Part 2 offer more than “boobs out of nowhere” for the viewers? Tune in on September 12, 2024 for the unveiling.

Watch the official trailer here.

Source: TENASIA and r/KDRAMA
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