TVING’s first foray into sageuk brings us back to the Goguryeo era, dramatizing the tumultuous life of historical figure Queen Woo. When the king loses his life, his widow must navigate the political fallout and place a new sovereign on the throne, in order to preserve the royal lineage and protect her own power.
The teaser opens on the front lines, as the austere ruler Go Nam-mu — played by Ji Chang-wook (Welcome to Samdalri) — draws his sword. An arrow is shot, its whistle signaling the start of battle. Go Nam-mu’s troops rush forth with a rallying cry, charging valiantly into the thick of combat — and then, the slice of a blade. A helmet falls to the ground, and it’s Go Nam-mu’s. Bloody and disheveled, Go Nam-mu glances up at his attackers, but he fails to parry their swords in time. The king is dead.
Back in the palace, the titular queen Woo Hee — played by Jeon Jong-seo (Wedding Impossible) — is informed of her husband’s death. Yet this bereaved widow is afforded no time for grief. Since Go Nam-mu passed before he could sire an heir, the courtesy of mourning is instead replaced with the conflict of a power struggle. All eyes are on the throne, and those who crave it will stop at nothing to usurp it.
An impeccably polished blade. Bodies dangling from the rafters. The queen’s sister Woo Sun, played by Jung Yumi (Celebrity), wails in despair at her reflection. Conspiracies and cabals are forming within the palace walls, and their poison is concocted for none other than Woo Hee. “Don’t you think a new queen is needed?” whispers the court of ministers. After all, this is the golden opportunity for change.
A time of turbulence and danger is imminent, solidifying Woo Hee’s resolve to take the reins of her own destiny. In the next twenty-four hours, she must crown a new king — or risk losing everything and everyone she cherishes. “Now, you must protect yourself,” Go Nam-mu urges his queen. The ensuing chyron echoes his sentiment — Woo Hee must survive, on her own.
With that, Woo Hee bravely takes up the sword, stepping out of her palanquin and brandishing her blade against her attackers. Alas, even if she fends them off, there are more foes lurking within the palace. Kim Mu-yeol (No Way Out: The Roulette) cuts an imposing figure as the prime minister Eul Pa-so, who yearns for more beyond his position as the royal advisor, and it’s hard to tell whether his brows are furrowed from concern or condescension. Then there’s Lee Soo-hyuk (Tomorrow) as the vicious prince Go Bal-ki, whose repressed ambition has him thirsting for the opportunity to finally step out of his older brother’s shadow.
It seems Queen Woo may only have one person on her side — the head of the royal guard Mu Gol, played by Park Ji-hwan (Gyeongseong Creature), who pledged his loyalty to the late king. Alas, Mu Gol’s allegiance is no secret, and he finds himself faced with the tip of a blade. If Woo Hee wants to defend her position, she’ll have to rely on herself. Alone in a forest, shrouded in shadows, Woo Hee steels herself. Her life is her own to forge. “Do you wish to hear of my destiny?”
Helmed by PD Jung Se-gyo with scripts penned by Lee Byung-hak, Queen Woo is slated for an August 29 release.