MBN's Wednesday-Thursday miniseries First Lady stunned viewers from its first broadcast with an unprecedented "divorce declaration ending," in which Yujin's character demands a divorce at the ecstatic moment when Ji Hyun-woo is elected president.
On the 24th, the first episode of MBN's Wednesday-Thursday miniseries First Lady (written by Kim Hyung-wan, directed by Lee Ho-hyun) recorded a nationwide rating of 2.2% and a peak minute rating of 2.5% on Nielsen Korea, marking a blockbuster start.
Episode 1 of First Lady opened with a shocking scene in which Hyun Min-chul (played by Ji Hyun-woo), who rose from an obscure activist to run for the National Assembly, and Cha Soo-yeon (played by Yujin) were at H Chemical mediating a labor dispute when a fire caused a disaster that left him gravely injured and his survival uncertain. Later, Cha Soo-yeon, who went out on the campaign trail in place of her husband on the verge of death, shouted through tears, "My husband said you must change yourself first to change the world. He was sincere. He showed it through actions, not words," and, receiving enthusiastic applause from the crowd, rose as a political partner.
Fifteen years later, Hyun Min-chul ran for president, and at the moment party staff at the headquarters of the Participatory People's Party were all awaiting the election results, he suddenly disappeared, casting doubt. Moreover, at the moment Shin Hae-rin (played by Lee Min-young) was desperately searching for Hyun Min-chul, he checked a body in the morgue labeled "Eom Soon-jung" and deliberately suppressed the rising emotions, increasing unease. Returning to the party, Hyun Min-chul thanked his wife Cha Soo-yeon in a speech to reporters and then stunned everyone by unexpectedly proposing to his rival Bae Young-seon (played by Son Ji-na), "Please join in the prompt passage of the special law for investigating the cause of the H Chemical fire and building a safe society, the so-called Do Tae-hoon Act."
With the anchor's line, "Participatory People's Party candidate Hyun Min-chul has been confirmed as the 23rd president of the Republic of Korea!," Cha Soo-yeon's fan club "Iron Lady" members and Hyun Min-chul's supporters gathered in Gwanghwamun Square erupted in ecstatic cheers. Hyun Min-chul raised both arms in joy at his presidential victory, and Shin Hae-rin handed him a bouquet as she wiped her eyes.
When Cha Soo-yeon arrived at the scene crowded with many people celebrating Hyun Min-chul's presidential victory, a stone-faced Hyun Min-chul appeared. But as the crowd cheered and the press flashed their cameras, when Cha Soo-yeon and Hyun Min-chul clasped hands, Yoon Ki-joo (played by Kim Ki-bang) suddenly appeared and hurled tomatoes at them, staining Cha Soo-yeon's pristine white dress red. Yoon Ki-joo shouted, "Tae-hoon hyung! You killed him," and when Cha Soo-yeon approached him she said, "I won't let your sacrifice be in vain," but Yoon Ki-joo spat in Cha Soo-yeon's face, saying, "Tae-hoon hyung didn't sacrifice himself! You killed him." After Yoon Ki-joo was dragged away, the two went up on stage amid chants from supporters, raised their joined hands high and kissed. Just as Cha Soo-yeon was on the verge of tears, Hyun Min-chul shocked everyone by declaring, "Let's divorce. I said let's divorce."
The day before the presidential election, Cha Soo-yeon attended her daughter Hyun Ji-yu's (played by Park Seo-kyung) school entrance ceremony, where Ji-yu, who had been moody about studying abroad, dropped a bombshell: "Dad has a woman. I saw it." Cha Soo-yeon calmly replied, "That's dad's private life. Just forget it," revealing a cold, pragmatic side that shocked Ji-yu. With Cha Soo-yeon and Hyun Min-chul standing at the core of power as the president-elect, the announcement foreshadowed cracks in their once-happy family and cast a precarious, uneasy shadow.
Episode 1 of First Lady combined Yujin, Ji Hyun-woo and Lee Min-young's daring acting transformations with a gripping, twist-filled storyline and bold, stylish direction to create a distinctive genre work. Yujin displayed masterful acting in the role of Cha Soo-yeon, the calculated kingmaker who politically and domestically supported her husband Hyun Min-chul to the presidency, conveying joy and despair, coldness and rage through her eyes and expressions. Ji Hyun-woo portrayed Hyun Min-chul, the president-elect, as flawless before the public but delivering a cold divorce notice to his wife, portraying a nuanced emotional arc with precision. Lee Min-young heightened tension as Shin Hae-rin, the chief secretary to the president-elect, with a chilly gaze and secretive demeanor who firmly refused Cha Soo-yeon's demand to find out Hyun Min-chul's whereabouts.
Writer Kim Hyung-wan demonstrated the density of a narrative crafted over six years of deep thought. He blended political maneuvers struggling to gain power, layers of fraught family history and a meticulous psychological thriller all at once, delivering strong immersion. Director Lee Ho-hyun realized spectacular scenes such as the massive crowd of Hyun Min-chul supporters filling the square and the celebratory stage for the president-elect with vivid camera work that enhanced realism and completed striking visuals.
[Photo] Capture from MBN's First Lady broadcast
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