POWERFUL!!!
It's been a good minute since I ventured to watch a K-Historical drama. However, where do I start with this Incredible drama?This was unique in so many ways. The many dramas I've watched whether Chinese or Korean historical dramas .. it was always expected for the queen to be vindictive and the dowager on the same path.
This was pretty expected when it came to certain plots between the dowager and queen .. HOWEVER, the maturity on how these two Bulls came at each other head on ... was nothing to trifle at.
The actress who played the Queen Kim Hye Soo, definitely showed us her worth as a gold star actress among the Veteran cast such as; Kim Hae Sook; Kim Eui Sung; Jang Hyun Sung and of course Choi Won Young.
Let's not forget the younger cast members ... who by all means deserved their gold star with their performances.
This drama was not only refreshing, but definitely left an impression of admiration for what the queen accomplished throughout.
I think what touched my heart most, was .. this was a Queen who not just embraced her own children, but also the other princes and their mothers (aka concubines). She taught and punished with a firm hand, but not allowing these concubines or their sons lose face.
Incredible and out of the box, a character that we don't expect for a Queen to do.
I know that this will be a drama I'll go back to watch. I can't remember the last K-historical drama that entertained me enough to keep my full attention (other than Empress Ki).
Was this review helpful to you?
get under the umbrella
WOW. What a breathtaking roller coaster of fun and intrigue. I'm partial to Sageuk dramas so I have watched my fair share and I have to say this is definitely one of the most unique ones I've ever watched.A lot of times my frustrations lie with the cheesy left state minister and all the politics, but this was done fantastically written and woven with plot twists that you couldn't help but be captivated from the beginning to the end.
You won't be bored the whole 16 episodes.
Sure do I have unanswered questions like why are there no daughters out of this many wives etc but at the same time that would be nitpicky of such a masterpiece.
What I also loved is that it showed us a layer of the palace that we rarely see- the competition between wives and their children, as well as the real intense mothering that must be happening when you have nothing else to live for, but your prince.
The brotherhood was also the ultimate bromance!
The queen really stole the show. She was dimensional- loving, kind, shrewd, brilliant, defensive- every single thing you would ever want in female lead.
That being said- the rest of the cast was incredible from the princes to even the king. This show had heart, emotion and a lot of love.
DON'T miss this one!
Was this review helpful to you?
Wall to wall hard-core intrigue and girl-power
I’m not in general a great fan of historical dramas centred around court intrigue, but if that’s your thing then this one is pretty good. Kim Hye Soo makes it so in her desperation of Queen Im Ha Ryung. Add to that beautiful performances by other female actors, in particular, Ok Ja Yeon as Royal Consort Hwang and Kim Hae Sook whose cold calculation as Queen Dowager Cho is chilling and believable, and you have a strong women drama par excellence. This is a drama that examines how and why women take power and exploit it.The writer, Park Ba Ra, has no other dramas listed against her name on MDL. If she is new to drama-land she is definitely someone to watch. Her ability with female characters is reminiscent of Kwon Do Eun (Search WWW, 25/21) a writer whom I always watch out for. However, they share the same propensity to under-deliver on male characters. Whether that’s a weakness or a deliberate strategy so as not to bring competition into the mix is unclear. But the result is disappointing male characters. They are likeable but lack depth and contrast, or in the case of antagonists, are fairly one-dimensional. The male characters here are lightweights in comparison to the women and are merely the pawns shunted around the board in an effort to reach the goal of becoming a court piece.
The first three episodes had me enthralled but then it started to become a long political power struggle and very little else, with no real character interactions and developments and I found myself enduring it rather than enjoying it. But Kim Hye Soo is such a compelling watch that I had to continue.
With so many characters the plot was way too complicated and unwieldy. It often introduced minor characters as a convenience. Also, characters with vital information conveniently disappeared for long periods of time and failed to pass on that information even to their allies. This had an undermining effect on the credibility of the action and increased the perception that the characters are merely there to serve the plot. This drama contains a handful of really strong characters and imo it would have been much improved with far less characters (particularly the princes and consorts/concubines) and the time saved spent on developing core characters. This would have streamlined the action and given it more way more depth and credibility.
In amongst the wall to wall intrigue are a few lighter moments of quasi romance that sit uncomfortably alongside the wailing wall of desperation. They were also totally unbelievable in terms of the expected behaviour of noble, unmarried girls.
The mainstay of this drama is the towering presence of Kim Hye Soo, whose intensity doesn’t drop below deep saturation from start to finish. Impressive? Yes, very. But a little shade in the blinding light helps you to endure the intensity for longer. By half way through I felt like I’d been enduring questioning by the secret service for eight hours and all I wanted to do was curl up and sleep. However, even though this is not my type of drama, I recognise that in its genre it is outstanding, hence the generous rating.
What my rating means: 8+ A great drama with interesting content and good writing, direction, acting, OST, cinematography. But didn’t quite have the requisite sparkle to bump it into my all-time fave list. Worth watching.
Was this review helpful to you?
I love this drama.
I finished watching this drama and the scenery, costumes, acting, plot were just perfect. One of the best dramas I've ever watched. It took a place in my heart next to Moon Lovers. I highly recommend watching it.-----------------------------------------
I love this drama. This really is one of the best dramas of 2022.
The queen will do anything for her sons. The queen will do anything for her sons. I also like that the king seems to respect the queen and her opinions. He seems to be fair and is not easily influenced by the scholars and the dowager queen. I'm curious to see what will happen to Grand Prince Sung Nam and Cheong Ha. Will they fall in love and be together?
I love Queen Im Hwa Ryung. The title of the drama really fits the plot. The queen protects the grand princes under an umbrella and I really like references to that. She is understanding and her support for Grand Prince Gye Sung was touching.
Great plot, actors, acting, costumes and cinematography. 10/10 for me.
Was this review helpful to you?
Can't figure out who's who in UTQU? Maybe this will help!
This is not a review (suffice it to say this is my favorite sageuk of all time), but an attempt to help viewers not get scared off by this very large Royal Family with an endless number of concubines and princes. I want to help you know who's who!Even with all my exposure to Kdramas and sageuks, I was hopelessly lost and confused in Episodes 1 and 2 because there were so many characters to navigate! I kept having to pause the episode to decipher who everyone was and how they were related to each other (even despite all the helpful descriptive labels provided at the beginning for each character you meet).
So, here's a CHEAT SHEET that might help you keep everyone straight. The following is a description of important titles and names of prominent characters in the drama and their significance and importance in the court/royal family:
***Don't worry, there are NO SPOILERS below, but if you want to figure everything out on your own, don't read any further.***
The Queen is the King's "head" wife and the concubines/consorts (the king has about 10 of them!) are his other wives with a lesser status than the Queen.
The Queen has five sons with the King (from oldest to youngest): the Crown Prince (the word "Crown" designates that he will be the next king) (the perfect son), Grand Prince Seongnam (the mysterious wild child), Grand Prince Gyeseong (gentle and kind), Grand Prince Muan (sweet and charming but obsessed with girls), and Grand Prince Ilyeong (into math and astronomy and "still just a kid").
Any other princes without "Grand" in front of their title are sons the king had with one of his concubines (aka Prince Ui Seong (actually the oldest of all the king's sons, even older than the Crown Prince, and a BAD EGG), Prince Bogeom (the most intellectually promising of the brothers after the Crown Prince), Prince Simso (good-hearted but struggles to measure up), etc.). There are more princes, but these are the only ones featured heavily.
The "Grand Heir" refers to the son of the Crown Prince (he's about 4 or 5 years old in this), who is next in the line of succession to inherit the throne. He will become Crown Prince when his father (the current Crown Prince) becomes king, and is technically 3rd in line for the throne.
The oldest son of the King and Queen is traditionally chosen as the Crown Prince, and is given preference over the concubines' sons in the line of succession (which is why Prince Ui Seong, despite being the oldest son of the king, is not the Crown Prince since he's only the son of a concubine).
The "Queen Dowager" refers to the mother of the current King, though interestingly, she was just one of the previous king's concubines... so, how did the current king rise to the throne despite being the son of a concubine?
I will let you figure out the rest. :)
I hope this was helpful!
NOTE for those who haven't seen many sageuks (aka historical Kdramas): I will add something here about costumes in case it helps:
The "hanbok" is the name for the traditional Korean attire worn by men and women alike. The style of each is different, but they're referred to by the same name.The King always wears a bright red hanbok, with a gold circle embroidered on his chest, as well as gold circular patches on his shoulders. The Queen will have the gold patches on her torso and shoulders, like the king, but her hanbok will be different colors. The Crown Prince traditionally wears a dark blue hanbok with silver circles embroidered on his chest and shoulders.
If a character has a top-knot (a bun on the top of their head), then it's a guy. Sometimes it's hard to tell because the guys look so beautiful and they could pass for a girl, but this drama has no cross-dressing, so it's always going to be a guy. Guys with beards and dark red, purple or green hanboks with a square embroidery pattern on their chest with a square belt that protrudes out in front of their waist as well as hats that look like they have wings coming off the sides (I think they're called a samo) are going to be the princes' tutors and/or ministers who hold power in court and advise the King.
Maidens (unmarried women) have their hair slicked back into a braid that rests tightly against their neck. Married women (so, the Queen and concubines) have their hair slicked back into a bun that sits at the base of their neck. Most of the time in this drama if you see a woman with her hair in a bun and a bright, gaudy hanbok of various colors with fabric that covers her hands resting at waist-level, you're looking at a concubine or the Queen (though her hanboks are usually darker, deeper colors and less gaudy). If she's old and stern, haha, it's the Queen Dowager.
Was this review helpful to you?
Mother of the Kingdom? Nonsense! Life of a Queen is really Hard
• Reasons to Watch:- You like Historical Dramas that has equal amounts of suspense, slow-burn politics with a pinch of comedy
- Banter and Political games between the daughter-in-law and mother-in-law a.k.a Queen and Queen Dowager
- Amazing acting by all, the cinematography, costumes and overall vibe
- Handsome Princes!
• Things that became "meh" as episodes progressed
- Story premise seemed to make it like a competition between the Princes (think Hunger Games/Maze Runner, but Royal)
- But it unfolded as past secrets/wrong-doings and how corruption snow-balled to affect the present characters
- The role of the Princes was shadowed by Queen and Queen Dowager - so some might lose interest in the constant back and forth, on who was more cunning/sharp and gets the winning point
• Things that could be better [MILD SPOILERS]
- While there is an underlying theme of who is the main antagonist, some plots (like the rebellion) was dealt very lightly. It ended before it began when the time for showdown came. It would have been a good point to show case how a Crown Prince defends his kingdom, but seemed fizzled out to me.
- Avoiding the whole romantic plotline for the Grand Prince - it seemed completely unnecessary, forced and CRINGE!
The series stays true to its title. Throughout the series, we saw how the Queen nurtures as the Mother of the Kingdom, not only towards her sons - but also step-sons and those in need. She protects them when she takes them under her wing, but does not coddle them but rather allows them to grow - so that they may take flight when the time is right.
Even though the last 2 episodes seem highly rushed, it is definitely a good watch for those who like such plots and enjoy great acting, the star cast will not disappoint. Minus the meh moments, it would definitely be one of the best series to end 2022 on.
Was this review helpful to you?
Rule by compassion, not by fear.
One woman show filled with schemes, betrayal, twists and turns that kept me entertained till the last second. With a rather large set of villains and antagonists, you never know who will be the next target and how the dynamics will change. And in the center of that was Queen Im Hwa Ryung with her dedication to keep her sons safe.It’s honestly a strange drama. The same aspects I love, I also thought were flaws. For example - the villains/antagonists. I actually liked many of them, found their motivations and reactions to everchanging circumstances entertaining. That said, they never truly felt like a threat. Which is strange because the stakes were high, people were actually dying. And yet, none of the bad guys felt intimidating - entertaining sure, but not intimidating.
I also loved Queen Im Hwa Ryung and how smart she was. She was great at reading the situations, knowing who works with whom and how to use that information. At the same time, she also knew that showing compassion can form better loyalty and actually set the person to a proper path, compared to fighting them with power and fear alone. But I wished her judgement was at least once wrong. That someone whom she gave a second chance stabbed her in the back.
Then we have the princes - all fun, all lacking depth. Each one of them presented a completely different story, be it being related to taboo subjects of the era, their relationships with their mothers, ambition or lack of it. But at the end of the day the only two princes that actually touched me on an emotional level were Grand Prince Gye Sung finding his identity and Prince Sim So about his relationship with his mother. All the rest was fun, but flat.
Touching on the plot, I feel like this is one of the better paced historical Korean dramas I have seen - it’s fast, but even and digestible. Every episode brought something new to the table, there were no filler plot lines - at the end everything connected, everything was used to create a larger and fuller picture. No actions and decisions existed in the vacuum - they all had a smaller or bigger impact on all the characters. Every time I thought a certain chapter was closed, new information kicked the door open for new possibilities to explain the past event, direct present time and shape the future of the characters.
The drama is listed as historical, comedy, drama, and politics. I am not so sure about the comedy here. It had amazing comedic timing and some of the better jokes I have seen in quite some time, but the overall tone and plot do not truly match the comedy genre. Just because there are good jokes in a show does not necessarily mean it is comedy. On Korean websites it’s listed as a black comedy and I would probably agree that’s a better description.
Acting wise, Kim Hye Soo delivered a phenomenal performance. Saying she carried the show seems unfair to the rest of the cast, since everyone did a great job, but it’s undeniable she stood out so much with her portrayal of Queen Queen Im Hwa Ryung. My second favorite performance probably goes to Kim Eui Sung as Hwang Won Hyung. I don't know why, but his reactions to everything that was happening was so expressive and funny to watch, even though I knew I should not side with him, he was so fun to watch I wanted to just see more scenes of him.
Visually stunning, but not overstimulating. Sometimes I honestly get tired when dramas try to look like a beautiful painting at every frame - it’s distracting. This show knew exactly when and what to highlight to create amazing pictures.
Overall, I just feel like the drama failed to evoke any negative feelings in me, which is strange with how many on paper awful and frustrating assholes we had in the cast of the characters. But I was kind of vibing with them, and found them more entertaining than threatening.
Was this review helpful to you?
One of the best!
One of the best Korean historical drama I’ve watched. I love how different it is from your typical K-drama. The acting was superb, especially I love Kim Hye-Soo’s acting in this drama. I never really watched any of Kim Hye-Soo’s drama or movies but this one really made me to become one of her fans. The only thing I wish was more interactions between the King and the Queen but even better some backstory when they were young. Having some character backstory would’ve been cherry on the top but overall, great and amazing. I definitely recommend this one!Was this review helpful to you?
Under the Queen's Stares
The drama really needed a better introduction to establish itself properly, it took me a while before it captured my interest. Others may not have the patience. By the time the drama finished, I had no idea how many princes were there. Most of them barely got any screen time, yet had some small side stories. While the prominent ones didn't develop enough. Quality over quantity would've been the right approach. I found the ending to be too subdued, soft, and tame after spending 16 very long episodes of building tension through countless slow-mo shots, mean stares, and passive-aggressive empty threats. This was another area that was lacking, the drama needed more ways to build tension. The drama had some unjustifiable, unwarranted, and under-delivered preachy moments that yanked the viewers out and ruined the atmosphere. This seems to be a common trend with modern titles. Anyway, I see that "Comedy" is one of its listed genres, although it had relatively lighter moments every now and then but these didn't adhere to the comedy genre in any shape or form. I would remove the tag as it's misleading. Speaking of misleading, the synopsis's description of the queen's character was mostly wrong and didn't translate as such into the screen.Was this review helpful to you?
Offered a fresh perspective to an overused royal politics-type sageuk
Was instantly hooked after the tension-filled episode 1, and was looking forward for what it has to offer. From that moment, I knew that this will not be a typical sageuk despite having the same cliche-filled elements.The first few episodes tackled on stories that were not even present on previous sageuks. Not only that it was refreshing to watch, but it made me curious what would happen next. Each episode on the 1st half really ended on a high note, making the endless plot-scheming, dirty tactics, and 3D chess by the Queen worth it.
Speaking of the Queen (Kim Hye-soo), she really was the star of this show. There was no other actress who could've matched the tenacity, bluntness, and boldness all at the same time, gradually showcasing the queenly mother vibe that she flawlessly portrayed. The Queen was really atypical for Joseon and maybe eccentric for the time period, but her progressive views and her deep understanding on her children, and later, towards the other princes and their concubine mothers, maybe the reason why the umbrella was constantly expanding, keeping everyone safe under her umbrella. Not to forget, the eyebrows were just phenonemal, as if it was another actor. The eyebrows alone were enough for her to be nominated for Baeksang.
Moreover, Queen Dowager Cho (Kim Hae-sook) was also a force to be reckoned with. She certainly was as dirty as a typical sageuk antagonist, but one thing certain for her was that it was all for her son, the King (Choi Won-young), or was actually for herself? Anyhow, she really pulled all the strings to stop the Queen from being her obstacle, and the two of them was almost yin and yang in terms of their energies. It was very gratifying to see them Queens bickering with each other upfront, rather than the subtle and silent "war" previous sageuks portrayed in terms of queen and queen dowager relationship.
On the other hand, I was not so sure with how it handled the "rebellion." It was mildly disappointing as the ones behind it planned it meticuluously and the build-up was greatly done, as if it would succeed. Its resolution was more on the anticlimactic side, and it was rushly wrapped. Because of that, it also rushed this show's ending in terms of its political aspect. However, the other subplots were given appropriate, sometimes fluffy but not cringe endings. Basically, this was my only complaint to an otherwise great kdrama, almost a masterpiece. Other than that, no pacing and direction problems. Topnotch.
The cinematography was another highlight. Its camerawork (most notably the first 2 episodes) was just masterpiece. It was very cinematic and it really captured the essence of the emotions and mood on those particular scenes well. The music scoring was great as well.
Overall, what an exhilarating watch! This might be the best Kdrama for 2022, and will just wait for it to garner awards. It deserves so since Under the Queen's Umbrella offered a fresh perspective to an overused royal politics-type sageuk.
Was this review helpful to you?
Under the Queens Umbrella seems to have got this mostly right with some lighthearted quirks thrown in there to keep the tone never too heavy or dark. The tension and emotional beat of the story is never too high or too low most of the time, but just moderate. I would have really liked to see more humor with maybe a bit of a darker side to it, but that’s just me.
Although I think the tone of Under the Queens Umbrella is fun and the un-seriousness that is present within the story works well there is still a good amount of dramatics and intensity there as well. There is a balance to it that the drama achieves really well. The tone is never too hasty or inappropriate, but flows well with the scenes each time.
I would personally not call this drama a satire or a comedy with a gloomy undertone, which is what I thought the drama advertised itself as, but more just a light-hearted approach to palace life and the world there as well as the status of the women in there. A theme that has come up in various historical kdramas in recent years. But it’s a take that I enjoy quite a lot.
The plot is a little predictable at time, especially if you are very familiar with these kind of historical dramas. It knocks a bit of a wind from the story, especially towards the middle, and there never seems to be any particular point that the story truly gets at, or leads us to. The plot doesn’t truly matter; its all about the characters and how are they handling these obstacles that the plot provides.
Many of the characters are well written and interesting and I’m talking especially about the female characters in the drama (because most of the princes blend into one for me) who pull you in so you don’t really think too much about the actual plot but just how interesting they are. The cast is awesome. It’s like one big empire of great female character and there’s a nice contrast between them all, with a few other interesting characters in between.
But the main and most interesting characters are the queen herself, the concubines that wants to be queen and the queen dowager for me. And sometimes when the story moves away from their story, the central story, it became less interesting. They are the ones who are playing the main game in the story after all and shine the most. I would liked to see a little more intensity and depth from the women who work under them. I don’t think this story gets me as well as e.g. The Red Sleeve when it comes to this power struggle within the male-dominated palace in a very male dominating society.
I really didn’t care about some of the side stories about who will be the crown prince and everything else that the narrative brought, but it almost didn’t matter that much because I was enjoying the characters and their moments so much. This was a slow-burn character study to me. The goal of the story was to allow the characters to shine and not be pulled by the story, but to control the flow.
I just liked seeing these actresses being great at what they do, in these kinds of roles and this kind of environment.
Some stories are really driven by plot twists and fast-paced narratives, while others let the characters just pace the story themselves and have their movements. The Queens Umbrella is very much the latter of those stories, to me at least, and for the most part it succeeds in that. Although in The Queens Umbrella has perhaps a little too many supporting characters that perhaps distract a bit from the storylines of some of the more interesting characters.
Was this review helpful to you?
The great mother vs. one-note villains
A story about the effort and sacrifices of Queen Im Hwa Ryeong to protect her royal family in the middle of palace intriguesSo, first of all, the good: I’m really happy to see a sageuk representing a strong female lead in the Joseon Dynasty. The acting is phenomenal. Kim Hye-soo portrays the Queen as a warm-hearted mother yet a strong woman who can stand up for herself and her loved ones well.
The story is so good up until episode 7. This drama is really compelling, and I’m already attached to the characters. Hwa Ryeong really takes action to protect her sons. She storms through the palace at a breakneck pace. The palace intrigue develops as fast-paced as her footsteps and I’m on the edge of my seat! I love how it highlights the claustrophobia of the royal court.
Afterward, I was severely disappointed with the very monotonous conflict resolution: all about survival in a cutthroat court. Although it makes an interesting premise, the plot is not satisfyingly executed. There's really not much to tell than the usual jealousy between Hwa Ryeong and the villain characters, it wasn't an equal match. They do not give threats to our heroes. Another thing, I don't understand what message they want to tell regarding the story of the prince who seems to be a transgender.
If you're not a fan of sageuk, this drama might catch your interest. For me, the conflict resolution is a bit lackluster, but the pacing is great. The side characters have their own unique stories. The political intrigue wasn't complicated; the writer does well showing what's going on.
Was this review helpful to you?
