Ah, it’s a shame the closing song changes after a few episodes of a K-drama; the first one is so fun and pumping to match the atmosphere of the show’s strong female characters. “Queenmaker” definitely feels like a product of its time, bringing female characters to the center of a political drama. All actresses give compelling performances that keep one on the edge of their seat, even in a fully political show. Leave it up to Hallyu to make a political drama so entertaining.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens In ‘Queenmaker’ Episodes 7 & 8?
Kyung-Sook’s sincerity to her followers, friends, and fellow citizens is shocking, to say the least. After everything she’s been through because of Hwa-Soo’s fake statement, Kyung-Sook continues to want to speak to her first before making any decisions. When she tries to visit her, the security stops her from entering, and Kyung-Sook begins to sing a dear song to both women from when they worked hard to fight the Eunsung company together. Hwa-Soo begins to cry in her room but never shows up outside for Kyung-Sook. She’s been singing for so long that she’s the only one kneeling in the corridor, whereas before, there was security and her team. She’s told by Cha-Sun that she is needed by another friend and sister, Do-Hee. Kyung-Sook reaches Do-Hee’s father’s funeral and can’t believe she’s managed to pull through it all by herself. Kyung-Sook reminds Do-Hee that she shouldn’t be alone and that she is there for her.
Finally, Hwa-Soo is allowed to go home by Assemblywoman Seo’s team, and Kyung-Sook waits for her in front of her home. Hwa-Soo, who initially pretends to be stone-cold and tries to hurt Kyung-Sook’s feelings with her words, gives in and tells her the whole truth. She admits that it was she who took the money for her son’s tuition. Hwa-Soo is apologetic, but Kyung-Sook now knows the real reason for her lies and tells her that the only thing that matters is that Hwa-Soo knows Kyung-Sook’s true feelings. Kyung-Sook has already forgiven Hwa-Soo, of course.
Kyung-Sook’s Will To Quit
Do-Hee returns to the office just as she leaves, making sure no one knows how hurt she is actually feeling. She is using the campaign to distract herself from her father’s sudden death. Her big idea is to use Hwa-Soo by getting her to join Kyung-Sook in a press conference and admit the truth. This is the fastest way they can regain the momentum they lost after news of the embezzlement got out. It is okay for a bad person’s bad habits to be brought out into the world, but the second someone good is shown in a bad light, it is the end of them. Kyung-Sook is terribly upset by everything that has happened with Hwa-Soo and blames herself. She believes it is her fault that Hwa-Soo had to take such desperate measures, so she instigated Hwa-Soo to join her team and start this whole thing. Do-Hee is in disbelief and can’t see why Kyung-Sook would contemplate quitting the whole race just because of this one incident, but for Kyung-Sook, if people close to her are hurt, is it worth a better world for the masses?
Jae-Min’s Performance Skills
In the meanwhile, as Kyung-Sook’s prospects plummet, Jae-Min continues to rise through his popularity among middle-aged women. A loving husband, father, and son-in-law, he is able to convey these “fake” notions to the public with ease through campaigns and now radio shows. At one such radio show, he is handed some gifts by some of his fans. The woman also hands him a basket of persimmons, which changes Jae-Min’s demeanor. When the radio host asks him about it, Jae-Min talks about a fond childhood memory of when his father and grandfather used to pick persimmons with him. She’s confused because that sounds like a happy memory, but then Jae-Min says that on one such day, when he was promised persimmon picking, his father died. In a flashback, we see that his father had committed suicide by hanging himself on the same persimmon tree. In rare instances, we see Chae-Ryoung also sympathize with Jae-Min. She is also surprised by this story, and after returning home, she comforts him genuinely. Of course, this entire story helps his case win more support too. In the middle of all this, as we can imagine, is Ji-Yeon, who is pregnant with Jae-Min’s child.
Kyung-Sook’s Breaking Point
At the same time, Hwa-Soo attempts suicide, and Kyung-Sook is devastated. Even Do-Hee, who was ready to do anything to get Hwa-Soo to tell the truth, decides to give up on the run. Finally, they’re on the same page, and Do-Hee even gives up on avenging I-Seul’s death. Kyung-Sook decides to hold a press conference to announce that she’s dropping out of the race. To everyone’s astonishment, a recording begins to play in the hall. It is a conversation between Joong-Seok and Assemblywoman Seo. In the audio, Seo hopes for Hwa-Soo to die and make it look like Kyung-Sook really did the embezzlement. Joong-Seok is surprised by her audacity after someone almost died because of her. Of course, this means the fight is still on, and Kyung-Sook doesn’t lose a breath before reminding the citizens that she will be their next mayor and will fight for them!
Carl Yoon And Jae-Min’s Feud
We have been aware that Jae-Min doesn’t get along very well with Carl, but it looks like the feeling is mutual. Carl is angry with Jae-Min for hiding I-Seul’s crucial story from him, and now he’s going to be in the soup because Do-Hee will be sure to come after that. Later, in a flashback, we see that Jae-Min had spoken to I-Seul before her imminent death. He had asked her to quit, “understanding her feelings,” but I-Seul had stood her ground and told him that if she received a public apology from Jae-Min, she would leave as he was requesting. After that, she walks away from him. Ji-Yeon arrives at the scene and confirms to Jae-Min that she has made sure the CCTV footage is erased and all the staff involved are also gone. It isn’t entirely clear if it was Jae-Min or Ji-Yeon who can be blamed for I-Seul’s “murder,” but we believe both of them may be involved, and Jae-Min is oblivious to this fact. Additionally, it looks like Carl Yoon had something to do with Jae-Min’s father’s death and “trampled on his name” to get to the position he is in, and Jae-Min has vowed to get revenge. I wonder how that is going to play out.
Do-Hee’s Comeback
To answer for the embezzlement, which Do-Hee is sure now came from Yoon’s mind, she attacks Chae-Ryoung. Do-Hee used to hire international nannies for Chae-Ryoung to nurse her babies, and one such nanny was fired for accidentally speaking Korean to the baby. Seeing that this ruined her life, the nanny is willing to help Do-Hee and come forward with the story publicly. This obviously helps in bringing down Jae-Min’s popularity again, and so he goes to rally in the streets and tries to convince locals through his “charisma.” At the same time, Kyung-Sook retorts to Jae-Min’s propositions of redevelopment by claiming they are all false ideas that Jae-Min is stating in order to be elected. Before Jae-Min’s speech is over, a young man from the street attacks him and scratches his head with a knife. Jae-Min is quickly taken away.
Everything Is Fake
Jae-Min is in the hospital, and Chae-Ryoung worries for him, but to her surprise, Ji-Yeon is closer to him than ever before, and this irks Chae-Ryoung. At the same time, when the attacker is examined, he appears to be a follower of Kyung-Sook, making it appear like she called the hit on Jae-Min. Additionally, Yoon uses Photoshop to make it look like Kyung-Sook may have been close to the assassin beforehand. Do-Hee is sure of this fabrication, but Kyung-Sook wants to be sure that this was not a coincidence just days before the election. Kyung-Sook visits Jae-Min in the hospital and isn’t surprised to see his nonchalant response to her. It is clear that he is faking it now, and Kyung-Sook is ready to bite back. At the same time, Do-Hee visits the man who attempted the assassination in prison, only to be met with Yoon instead. Yoon is cocky and unhinged regarding Do-Hee’s father’s death, which makes her more flustered by the second. She vows to kill Yoon before storming off. Kyung-Sook and Do-Hee meet in front of the campaign office and become each other’s pillars after having met such terrible men. Kyung-Sook wants to treat Do-Hee to some food, but Do-Hee insists that she buy her alcohol after they have won the election.
Ji-Yeon Is Walking The Rope
We understand that Ji-Yeon is power-hungry, but making it so clear is a little bit embarrassing. Chae-Ryoung finds out that Ji-Yeon is six months pregnant as she becomes more and more open about her closeness to Jae-Min in public. It is surprising that Chae-Ryoung hasn’t burst a vein yet, but it may be so that her mother doesn’t get upset with her until the election is done. At the same time, Do-Hee and the team try to contact all the women who worked with Jae-Min in the past. If even one of them is able to speak up about his inappropriate behavior, Jae-Min is done for. Unfortunately, none of the women are able to say anything and appear to already know that Do-Hee’s team will be speaking to them.
Yoon And His Tactics, And Kyung-sook’s Got Some Tricks Up Her Sleeve Too
With everything that is going on with Chae-Ryoung, Yoon’s new idea is to collaborate with another party to secure Jae-Min’s seat. The leader of the religious party is convinced once Yoon speaks about the new development plan by Chairperson Son, which will include more places of worship in the middle of the city of Seoul. With the two strong parties and the Eunsung company’s money, Jae-Min is sure to win. Do-Hee can’t come up with any plans and takes Kyung-Sook to a meeting with her new party leader (as she has replaced Assemblywoman Seo as their candidate) and a member of a different conglomerate. To Kyung-Sook’s surprise, Do-Hee isn’t against her taking money from this conglomerate if it means helping her campaign. Kyung-Sook is disappointed and points out that she had promised not to use her old ways for Kyung-Sook’s campaign. Do-Hee has no option but to walk away empty-handed and trust Kyung-Sook’s ethical ideas. Unfortunately, she is worried that the people will never see Kyung-Sook’s earnest ways. Kyung-Sook’s big idea is to get Joong-Seok on her team because he has the exact amount of righteousness she needs on her side at a time like this. She doesn’t trust the party and implores him to join her as “her person,” along with Do-Hee and the rest of her team. Joong-Seok apologizes and refuses, but Kyung-Sook brings up Do-Hee’s father’s death. She wonders why he wasn’t at the funeral, and it is clear that she knows what she’s doing by telling Joong-Seok that his ex-father-in-law has now passed.
‘Queenmaker’ Episode 8: Ending Explained – What Is Yoon’s Biggest Weapon? Or Rather, ‘Who is?’
We see Joong-Seok visit Do-Hee’s father’s grave and see the picture of the three of them together there. This might be a sign that he will be joining Do-Hee’s team after all. Just as Do-Hee is giving up, Cha-Sun is able to point out to her that she may have missed out on some important facts while being guilty of I-Seul’s death. Do-Hee figures out about the erased CCTV, and they also find that it was Ji-Yeon who collected all of I-Seul’s things after her death. This is surprising to Do-Hee, who goes to see her. There, she comes to know rather quickly that Ji-Yeon is pregnant. This changes everything for them because if Chairperson Son finds out about this, then their only source for the truth about I-Seul’s death will be lost. Ji-Yeon is naive and doesn’t realize how disposable she is, but Do-Hee sees it very clearly, so even though they have evidence of an affair between Jae-Min and Ji-Yeon, they cannot publicize it anywhere.
Later, we find out that one of the ladies working under Do-Hee was a spy for Carl Yoon and had told him about the search for a woman to talk about Jae-Min’s mistreatment of them. The woman is only doing so because she has a young son, and Yoon promises a high-paying job in return for the favor. Simultaneously, he has found his final weapon to completely destroy Kyung-Sook once and for all. Her son, who Yoon has been spying on has found some bad habits, such as smoking and beating up the kids who talked against his mother. How far will Yoon go to make Jae-Min the mayor? It looks like he will not stop until he is president of the country.
