Applaud the show for what it did right, and this won't be a dissapointing watch.
In my personal opinion, the latter half of the show fell victim to haphazard pacing and overuse of deux ex machinas. There were too much "gotcha!" moments to the point the tension lost its purpose because the viewer was reaffirmed that things will turn out well no matter what. In a fluffy romcom this kind of reassurance is exactly what you need, but I felt like it didn't fit right with the initial vibe of *this* show.Also it had little bit too many characters (at least 2 concubine characters could've easily been cut off) and as much as I love our Queen, I felt like her demeanour was over-dramatized so the credibility of her character leaned a lil bit much to the wrong side. And the villains were quite one-dimensional.
BUT
From beginning to the end, Under the Queen's Umbrella had its heart at the right place.
It did a number of things a lot of sageuks failed at doing for literally ages after the end of the proper long sageuk era about 10 years ago. Such as;
1. Not portraying the palace women as helpless flowers waiting for the king in their rooms all day long. They had STUFF to do. They were capable and intelligent individuals of their own right. They were constricted in lots of ways than not, yes. But it did not mean they always kept their heads down and laid low.
2. Making the harem ladies care about things other than being jealous with each other all the time. Women aren't so narrow minded, yknow? In a society where polygamy was the norm, I'd believe a majority of them had other priorities than hating on another woman who is no less of a victim of circumstances than they are.
3. Not pretending like the King was monogamous with one true love even though the guy literally had a harem, AND not pretending like he'd be an evil person otherwise.
The King of Under the Queen's Umbrella was refreshing in the sense he had a harem, yes. But also he was a nice and fair guy. He and the Queen had deep mutual understanding and respect towards each other. I do wish that the drama showed more scenes of him with other concubines as well tho.
4. Not repeating the trope of overbearing mistrustful Royal Father and the Crown Prince who is always under too much pressure + other Princes feeling neglected. This King (and also the Queen) cared for their children first and foremost, and would listen and give them benefit of the doubt before blindly believing what outsiders have to say. This drama had some of the most wholesome parent-child scenes in Sageuk history in my opinion. Regardless the child was a legitimate Prince or not, their treatment was all the same.
So yeah, if you think you'd love seeing the above 4 points in a Sageuk, Under the Queen's Umbrella is a must watch in many ways than not. Do give it a chance!
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Twists and turns
This was an interesting story. The Crown Prince died under mysterious circumstance. The royal physicians attributed it to a blood disease. But the Queen believed that he had been murdered. Defiant against all forces trying to stop her, she was determined to investigate. His death sparked off a fight for the crown prince position now out for grabs. The Queen hoped that one of her four grand princes would succeed the Crown Prince. However, the Queen Dowager, Chief State Councilor and other royal consorts especially Consort Hwang, the birth mother of the King's eldest son, were not going to make it easy.What I like about this drama?
1. The story had a lot of twists and turns, shrouded in mystery. The investigation led to the uncovering of a similar mysterious death of Crown Prince Taein, the brother of the current King. So what was the connection? The sons of the Queen, the grand princes were all underdogs - with skeletons in their closets, unambitious or disadvantaged. The power-hungry, scheming and wicked Queen Dowager was against her as well. It all seemed a losing game for the Queen.
2. Mix of humour. The drama was quite intense. However, there were moments of humorous relief.
3. The cast was good, not to leave out good looking as well. The leads were outstanding.
What I do not like about this drama?
1. It was based on yet another theme of fighting for the throne; a theme that was beaten to death.
2. Very intense and stressful to watch.
3. Not much chemistry between the male and female leads. They were not given much chance to demonstrate their chemistry either.
Overall, I rated this a 9.5 with not much else to nitpick on. Enjoy it...
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What a good k-drama.
I definitely loved this k-drama. It is the first historical k-drama I watched and it was very enjoyable. The story grabs you and makes you want to watch more and more. I love how the characters were built and the dynamic between everyone. The character of the queen is just great, I'm not a mother but I could feel what she felt and I was deeply touched by the way she always tried to protect her children. I would probably watch it again sometime. I fell in love with prince Seongnam, he was my favorite character. 💗Was this review helpful to you?
One of the best kdramas ever no cap
Kim Hye Soo, aka the Queen, her character might be one of my all-time FAVORITE characters in the history of K-drama land. I personally am not the biggest fan of historical dramas, I always end up dropping them because they're not my cup of tea. However, I decided to check UTQU out when I saw a picture of this drama on Twitter. It was a side by side photo of the Queen holding the umbrella for her son when he was young and then again when he was old.I love this drama so much, it is SO well written and the actors are so phenomenal. The queen's unconditional love for her children is what made everything. There were so many moments that were so touching. I learned a lot of wisdom about moms and their relationship with their children through the queen. It made me reflect back on my relationship with my parents as well.
Overall, I can not stress this enough - it is worth the watch. Truly a drama that I think everyone should watch at least once in their life because we all have a mom or guardian and I think this drama is relatable to everyone.
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A masterpiece; a work of art. It's simply DEABAK!!
Out of all the historical dramas that I’ve watched in which the main character is the queen, I personally think this one has the best queen.Kim Hye-soo did a fantastic job portraying the Queen. She’s the perfect actress for the role. She is simply outstanding throughout the entire series. Her gesture, her facial expression, her emotion, the way she conveys her lines – everything is on point. I really like how the Queen is presented as a strong-willed, fierce and hot-tempered woman who is also a compassionate, doting, and thoughtful mother - traits that is uncommon in most historical series.
Unlike other historical dramas, this one shows a diversity of parent-child relationships. The King, Queen, and Grand Princes demonstrate how strong family ties may persist in the face of difficulties.
Even though the resolution for some villains isn’t very satisfying, I love how the ending concludes the meaning behind ‘under the queen’s umbrella’.
The supporting characters are also good, especially the Grand Princes and the concubines. Each of their roles complements the plot perfectly. Other than the Queen Hwa-ryeong, I personally like Consort Hwang (Ok Jayeon). I’ve watched other of Ok Jayeon’s projects, but it seems like she’s being typecast with similar villain character. But she nailed it anyway.
The series is sooooo good that I even watch the behind-the-scene clips and enjoy every bit of it, just like I did with the series.
Brilliant acting ✅
Emotion rollercoaster ✅
Intense conflict ✅
Pure evil villains ✅
Potential young actors ✅
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NOTE: Suicide ratings were very high in the historical era as well as it is in the present day in South Korea which is #4 in the world ratings. If you know someone who is having a problem... the worldwide number to prevent suicide is 988. Children are raised with honorifics and what is formal and informal. Suicide is none of them... we need to start protecting family members, friends, or those we don't know. The suicide cycle needs to be broken. Recognize the signs! Talk to your children, and teach in schools that bullying is not allowed on the world wide web. Don't become a Netizen who bullies others online.
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magnifique
Dans le palais existent des princes fauteurs de trouble qui ne causent que des maux de tête à la famille royale et sont sur le point d'être transformés en véritables princes héritiers. Leur mère, Im Hwa Ryeong, est l'épouse d'un grand roi. Mais au lieu d'avoir une aura d'élégance et de grâce, elle est une reine piquante, sensible et colérique. Une fois de plus sereine, elle a changé car les gens n'arrêtaient pas d'appuyer sur ses boutons. C'est une reine qui abandonne parfois sa fierté et est même connue pour jurer ! Chaque jour de sa vie est rempli d'épreuves, mais elle les surmonte toutes, pour le bien de ses enfants.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?
This review may contain spoilers
A modern storyline under the pretext of a historical sageuk, which it is not.
If you want a drama true to its period, thus deserving the title of historical, even if a period fiction, don’t watch this one…the weight of customs, laws and traditions is purely and simply blown up here, to only keep a minimum.That’s what partnering with Netflix does. Even if under the wings of Studio Dragon.
This being said, this is a quite a gripping and entertaining drama.
The modern fiction storyline is mixed within a sageuk, the sageuk being the pretence to succession schemes, palace plotting, murder, revenge and pardon, or not….
I loved that the queen character is a truly unconditionally motherly mother, and that her sons are all warm-hearted without a hint of wickedness. That is the reason for my 10. The title says it all. She makes the drama, supported by an outstanding cast.
It is fast paced with hardly any dull moment.
There are a lot of topics that are addressed by the drama.
Spoilers:
Why a modern fiction? because the Queen will not only accept and protect her transvestite son, but also harbour and hide the baby another of her sons has out of wedlock with a gisaeng - brought to the palace by her - to be raised in secret by that son in the palace, the gisaeng being hired as a wet nurse in the palace …or when the future crown princess, the daughter of the war minister, is able to travel for many days on her own, to follow her love interest, without safety consideration, not shy in the least, speaking also freely, expressing her feeling and interest in an extremely bold manner, without any serious blame in the end.
A thousand situations that have no historical credibility in the past, but that nonetheless make it entertaining if you consider that this is after all a fiction.
What I didn’t like at all.
1. The very poor filming /production by the night crew, with shaky images when filming close up scenes that will make you uncomfortable.
The quality and beauty of the production just doesn’t stand the comparison with dramas such as The red sleeve, Yanxi palace, Love like the galaxy or Ming Lan, which is too bad because the costumes are beautiful. It makes me wonder about the director’s choice.
2. Big spoiler: and the reason for my -1, because the drama lets down here: The unraveling of the revenge plots in ep. 14 and esp. 15, is really a bit too far fetched with the twists and turns that don’t stand to close scrutiny (I watched the end after ep. 3, so I was very attentive during the unfolding of drama) - esp. with the 2 doctors storyline / one being the son of the former deposed queen and mastermind, having had a son with a concubine passed as one of the king’s sons , or the older doctor who is curing in a plagued village at the beginning of the drama, and who ends up being another revenge mastermind…. But since this is a drama to reflect on motherhood and entertain,, and not aiming at being true to the customs of that period….
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One of the best. Like literally.
This drama has a very special place in my heart for real. It is SO SOSOO GOOD. One of the very few K-dramas that don't have forgotten plotholes that aren't actually forgotten, it gave us everything we needed so it's safe to say it had a satisfying end. The acting was on spot, the actors did what they had to do, and they matched the characters so well too, so it's safe to say it was a perfect cast. ESPECIALLY Kim Hye Soo, I genuinley believe I wouldn't love it as much if she didn't have this role. And for once in a blue moon, they showed what an actual mother is like in a K-drama. She was harsh when she needed to be and soft when she needed to be, but she was still a loving mother thinking of her kids in all of the situations.Everyone really needs to watch it's so underrated T-T. Even my mom who's not a fan of K-dramas really enjoyed it (She was the one that introduced me to it LMAO, a bit ironic I think)
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Heartwarming and family-centric
ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ Dramabeans' review-recaps summarized everything I might have wanted to say, especially the ones covering the last episodes: www.dramabeans.com/2022/12/under-the-queens-umbrella-episodes-15-16/I think the main cast just really stayed with me: their poignant moments, their warm and rich relationships, and their complex characterizations. IMO one of the best uses of death of a loved one as a motivating force. The flashbacks of the previous Crown Prince's warm and playful moments with his mother and his brother that are flashed to the audience at just the right moments never fail to make me feel emotional. I do also love the complexity of the revenge political plot in the ending, although the ending was rushed. Not without its flaws but I LOVE a middle-aged woman as a protagonist (like EEAO), and the focus on mother-son relationships. More please ðŸ˜
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WOMEN!!!!
Absolutely going in as one of the best historical dramas have to offer. Half murder mystery and half court intrigue, I think every part of this is very well-crafted and if there were small flaws, it is very hard to remember (or acknowledge that) personally in the full context of the show. It has everything: emotional moments, lighthearted moments, well-written characters, women supporting (and destroying) other women in equal measure, and the age old question of, how far would you go for (maternal) love?Kim Hyesoo stars in a truly once in a lifetime performance -- the writer really took great care into writing her character and portraying it a very multifaceted way, and Kim Hyesoo had shown up every day in that set embodying every quirk of expression, every pitch of voice that I truly felt Im Hwaryung was truly alive in these scenes. I'd also say this is one of all-time best female acting performance, and the best this year.
But to talk about Queen Hwaryung without mentioning the Queen Dowager Cho is discounting the core of the show. While I stumble the criticism of the Queen Dowager as a one-dimensional evil, I personally think that her character is the perfect antagonist -- especially in regards of Queen Hwaryung: she is, after all, a mother who, instead of taking her child under her umbrella, instead had given him the brunt of the guilt of her past sins. And she treats her subjects the same. She is the perfect opposite of Queen Hwaryung.
This is, at the end, a show about the intricacies of motherhood; and in the palace, a queen is also mother to her subjects.
Do give it a try especially if you're new to sageuk! I feel like this is a perfect gateway drama if you want to delve into something historical -- the story is light enough not to be too complicated. How they portray the story and the character takes the centerpiece in this :)
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