'Queen Of Tears' Breaks Rating Records; Last Episode Gets The Happy Ending It Deserves

tvN & Netflix's K-drama Queen Of Tears has officially become the highest rated cable TV drama in the history of the network. Starring Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won, the series has surpassed the ratings of the popular 2020 drama Crash Landing on You, which starred Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin.

Photo from tvN

The record-breaking moment came with the airing of the 16th and final episode of Queen of Tears on 28 April. According to Nielsen Korea, the episode achieved a nationwide rating of 24.85 percent, making it the highest-rated episode of the series. It was watched by an impressive 6.39 million people. This rating exceeded the previous record set by Crash Landing on You, which received a rating of 21.683 percent for its final episode.

Photo from Netflix

Spoiler alert! If you haven't watched the finale yet, look away now.

The finale picks up from the events of Episode 15, where Hae-in has been kidnapped and Hyun-woo has been injured in a car accident caused by Eun-sung. However, neither Hae-in nor Hyun-woo are willing to give up. Despite his injuries, Hyun-woo checks himself out of the hospital, while Hae-in attempts to escape from Eun-sung.

Seul-hee orchestrated the accident that killed Hae-in's brother

Photo from Netflix

While trying to escape, Hae-in overhears a conversation between Suel-hee and Eun-sung, revealing that Seul-hee was responsible for her brother's death. Eun-sung, who believes his mother cares about him but is actually driven by profit, holds Hae-in captive in a hunting cabin. Meanwhile, Hyun-woo discovers the cabin's location and sets out to rescue Hae-in. When they try to escape, Eun-sung catches up with them and attempts to shoot Hae-in. In a heroic act, Hyun-woo jumps in front of the bullet, saving her life. The police then shoot and kill Eun-sung.

Photo from Netflix

A fan praised Kim Ji-won's acting in X, particularly during the scene when Hyun-woo was shot, saying that she deserves an award for her genuine performance.

haeins scream for hyunwoo at the end, the voice crack—pure desperation. you can feel her whole world was falling apart. jiwon all the awards possible, please.#queenoftears • #queenoftearsep16 pic.twitter.com/RVJB6vNa0r

— e ⛈️ *qot era* (@barxspel) April 29, 2024

Hyun-woo who brings together the Hong and Baek families. His near-death experience serves as a reality check for both families leading them to understand their differences better. When Hyun-woo wakes up from surgery, the united families rejoice, and Hae-in finally gets a chance to know her husband with the support of both their families.

What happens to Seul-hee?

Seul-hee, after briefly mourning her son, focuses on reclaiming her position as Chairman and disposing of incriminating evidence against herself. However, Hae-in's entire family, with Hyun-woo as their lawyer, takes her to court. With Hyun-woo providing evidence of a dodgy land deal, Da-hye testifying against Seul-hee's manipulation, and even convincing Grace to switch sides, Seul-hee, Da-hye, and Grace are all convicted.

Photo from Netflix

The Hong family regains control of Queens Group, and Hae-in works to improve the department store, making it more customer-friendly. Hyun-woo and Hae-in end up together, despite Hae-in not remembering everything. They promise to stay together forever, and soon they were blessed with a child.

Photo from Netflix

The series concludes with an emotional epilogue where an elderly Hyun-woo places flowers on Hae-in's grave, and in the afterlife, Hae-in waits for him in a lavender field. They have kept their promise to continue their love story forever.

just thinking about how delighted hyunwoo must've felt to finally be greeted by haein again after months, years, or even a decade of waiting — that finally, he's going home with his home now 🥹#QueenOfTears #QueenOfTearsEp16 pic.twitter.com/KAEL1bbFkM

— ris 🍀| queen of tears (@allforgeewonii) April 29, 2024

Overall, the drama delivers a satisfying conclusion with a happy ending. It has successfully combines compelling performances and well-developed characters to captivate audiences. Now that Queen of Tears has officially ended, where do we go from here? :')