Summary
Do-hee and Kyung-sook firm up their arrangement as the latter formally enters the mayoral race. Things are getting nasty.
This recap of Netflix K-Drama Queenmaker Season 1 Episode 4 contains spoilers.
Picking up right where we left off in Episode 3 with Do-hee’s attempted assassination by Eunsung Group goons, we kick off with a bit of an action sequence when Dong-joo is able to corner one of the cars and beat up on a few of its occupants.
He eventually gets overwhelmed, but he does manage to grab an identification lanyard. Things are certainly heating up.
Queenmaker Season 1 Episode 4 Recap
Why does Kyung-sook decide to run for mayor?
This is all about stiffening Kyung-sook’s resolve. The attempt on Do-hee’s life makes it clear that the Eunsung Group are willing to go to great lengths to get the outcome they want, and that puts Kyung-sook in danger, which doesn’t go unremarked upon by her husband and son.
However, sometimes, principles are more important than anything else.
Do-hee is similarly incensed by the event. It’s the literal and figurative handshake moment between the two women as they both agree to team up in the race and take Jae-min down. Kyung-sook insists she won’t play by Do-hee’s dirty tactics if she feels they’re going too far, but Do-hee assures her that part of her life is behind her – but that Kyung-sook will nonetheless have to do as she says if she wants to win.
Kyung-sook initially announces her entry into the mayoral race right outside Eunsung HQ. Shots fired.
How does Jae-min respond?
Jae-min responds by calling a one-on-one debate, hoping that his on-camera experience will give him an edge over Kyung-sook.
As she’s a relative unknown, Kyung-sook is last in the race, which is being dominated not by Jae-min but by the established candidate, Seo Min-jung, who already has a strong voter base, a squeaky-clean public image, and agreeable politics.
Do-hee’s campaign strategy is a divide-and-conquer approach, pitting the other candidates against each other all while developing Kyung-sook’s image and amassing funding and support.
Kyung-sook isn’t thrilled about the image thing. She doesn’t think it should matter what hairstyle she wears, how she dresses, or how thin she is, but when the opposition starts circulating photos of her sweating intensely – a post-natal condition, she explains – she realizes that these are the battlegrounds on which is a political race is fought.
Who is Carl Yoon?
To help out with Jae-min’s campaign, Chairperson Son gives him a gift – a highly experienced and ruthless political campaign strategist named Carl Yoon, whose first bit of advice is for Jae-min to boycott the debate.
Yoon knows what he’s talking about. He also knows everything about Jae-min, from his affair with Ji-yeon to his history with I-seul. He demands complete honesty from him so he can best protect him, while also steering him away from his more natural attention-hogging instincts.
In the meantime, Chairperson Son takes Chae-ryoung’s responsibilities away from her so she can better focus on playing the part of a loving wife, which ironically only causes more friction between her and her husband, which at one point turns violent. One gets the sense that Jae-min is used to this kind of thing.
Queenmaker Season 1 Episode 4 Ending Explained
Episode 4 ends right on the cusp of the live debate, where Kyung-sook will take on Assemblywoman Seo in a televised debate.
Do-hee does her best to prepare for this by smartening up Kyung-sook’s image and throwing some threats around, using her history with Eunsung Group to call in a few favors. With Seo promising to destroy Kyung-sook as comprehensively as possible, Kyung-sook having a major point to prove about her candidacy, and Jae-min watching on from the sidelines, things are surely going to get nasty pretty quickly.
You can stream Queenmaker Season 1 Episode 4 exclusively on Netflix.
