Drama
Mystery Queen producers explain ending, hopes for Season 2
May 28, 2017
I’m sure that all of you who watched the
Mystery Queen finale this past Thursday were with me as I started to panic
counting down the minutes and the show STILL hadn’t resolved the main mystery
connecting our two leads, Choi Kang-hee and Kwon Sang-woo. And then they go
ahead and bring back Kwon Sang-woo’s not-so-dead girlfriend with 3 minutes to
spare. When it ended, I stared at my screen, thinking, That’s it? That’s your
ending? It felt like an American mid-season finale, except there wasn’t going
to be another half season to, you know, solve the mystery.
Thankfully, the producers behind Mystery
Queen released a statement the day after the finale aired, explaining that they
had planned this ending with a second season in mind. That’s a step up from my
conjectures, which ranged from thinking the director/writer had run out of
episodes to tell their story or that they were giving a big middle finger to
its viewers and the station. At this point, though, the key takeaway is that
the producers want a second season, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll get it.
Mystery Queen pulled in decent ratings for
KBS, but they weren’t in “smash hit” territory: The ratings ranged from 8-11%
in its run, which isn’t terrible, but there was definitely a slight downward
trend throughout the series. The producers said themselves that if Mystery
Queen had pulled in better numbers, they could have given a firmer answer on
whether the second season is a go, but as of now, they’re still in talks with
KBS about it. If all the stars do align, we could see Mystery Queen 2 on the
airwaves as early as next year.I have to admit, I feel torn about this whole
situation in general. I grew pretty attached to our ragtag Scooby gang, and
it’s a format that could easily work as a multi-season show, with its
semi-procedural elements and one overarching mystery. And there were promising
developments revealed in the finale that I would be happy to see play out
onscreen, like Choi Kang-hee gaining her autonomy (sort of) and studying for
the police exam, the secret HQ paid for by Kwon Sang-woo’s watches, and the
tiny, fleeting moments of the ajumma and gruff detective maybe developing
romantic feelings for each other. The show was such a tease with that last one.
However, there’s also a part of me that
kind of feels cheated by the producers, because I got invested in these
storylines and characters over these 16 episodes, and I didn’t get the closure
I was expecting in the finale. If they were planning for a second season, they
really should have announced that beforehand, instead of blindsiding the viewers
like this. It almost seems like the producers planned that unresolved ending to
arm-wrestle a second season out of the station, which leaves me with a vaguely
uncomfortable feeling.
At the end of the day, I’m glad that
there’s a possibility we might get a whole second season’s worth of episodes to
continue the adventures of the ajumma detective and the grumpy teddy bear that
is Kwon Sang-woo. On my wishlist for the new season is Choi Kang-hee as a
divorcee rookie detective getting into a love triangle with Kwon Sang-woo and
puppy Lee Won-geun. Anyone else have any wishes for the new season? Let us
begin a prayer circle to the drama gods!
Given the new season only remains a
possibility as of now, I just hope this doesn’t end like Vampire Prosecutor, with
that cliffhanger ending at the close of its second season, and no new season in
sight even though it’s going on five years now. I need closure, people!Source-http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/05/mystery-queen-producers-explain-ending-hopes-for-season-2/