Under the Queen's Umbrella (2022)

Gratifying drama

This is one of those dramas that has a really complete story. The plot, ending especially, does not really leave much room for subjective interpretation and it basically gives you the answers to the questions you might have.

From an overview, it does look like your typical palace drama - plotting, treason, betrayal, fight for power - but the details and plot progression are quite unique and interesting to follow. The focus is mainly on the Queen who essentially is the "mother" of the palace. I love how the story brings out the different personalities of the princes, the difficulties they go through and you have the Queen who swoops in and guide them on the right path.

However, there are some parts which I don't quite like. For one, the evil people suck at being evil. I think the Kdrama industry is kind of running out of ideas when it comes to evil plots. Or perhaps we have watched too many dramas and became immune to evil tricks. I like some of the plot twists but they drag it out a bit too much so the revelation doesn't really give a big impact.

All in all, I have enjoyed the drama, though it's not the kind of drama I would be feeling the anticipation or excitement over when the next episode would release.

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Great FL / Character

I did feel that aspects of this drama were too drawn out (for example, the prescription, death of the previous Crown Prince, some of the lessons), which took away from the feelings of anxiety and threat a little. Old ground was covered once too often, instead of enlarging on other parts of the story, like the shocking (for the time) revelation about one of the princes.
At odd times, I also felt the Queen's decisions were out of character and naive, when she wasn't at all (like being too trusting and leaving things too open to opportunity for their enemies).
If not for that, I'd have given a 10/10.
Everything else I loved. Kim Hye-soo as Queen Im Hwa-ryung was brilliant. Certainly not a typical Queen, she was very intelligent, opinionated, witty, feisty and compassionate. Even if she felt it, she never showed jealousy or was unnecessarily bitchy to the King's concubines, but did exert her authority when needed.
The concubines were a proper mixed bunch too.
I loved that whilst tough, the Queen was warm as a mother and didn't push her sons for her own benefit, but for their survival.
The other characters were really mixed and some of the ministers, whilst involved with plots and schemes, were taking sides to protect more than themselves and were not all power crazy; that gave this sageuk a different edge.
Kim Hae-sook (a favourite actress) as the Queen Dowager, with her poker face and fake laughs, was brilliant... the first time I've absolutely loathed her! 😄
One character I felt so sorry for, but they ultimately became their own worst enemy, so full of hate and revenge.
The plot twists, humour, shocks, moving scenes and ending, all combined to make this a really good watch. One I'd happily see again.

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The overarching issue is the plot itself which is fundamentally flawed and laughable, the only way I could stop from rolling my eyes every 5 minutes was by playing it at 2x speed. I had so many questions.

1. Why didn't the Queen have a palace support system in place? After all, she's been TQ for almost 20 years.

2. How could she have been so complacent about the history of the palace that she didn't even know how her husband (the King) ascended the throne?

3. As a mother, what was she doing while her first son was fainting all over the place and the other Grand Princes played truant? Did she not have caretakers who reported to her? And if she didn't, what exactly was she doing with her day? Arrrrrghhh...I'm so mad that these writers imagined everyone would swallow their BS just because they snagged Kim Hye-soo to play the Queen. In addition, if the writers want us to believe that this is a take-charge-no-nonsense Queen then they should show us her antecedents or at the least, her sphere of influence. Is it the Concubines, courtiers, ladies-in-waiting, etc? What power does she wield?

4. What is her relationship with her husband and how on earth do you sit aside and allow him to acquire nine concubines and other companions? More importantly, why didn't she just tell the King that the Crown Prince was ill, and for that matter, why didn't she simply tell her sons their lives were in danger and they needed to shape up and be on alert?

5. With each episode we're drip-fed new info with hardly any forward momentum which I suspect is a consequence of the scriptwriter's attempt at some sort of psych-thriller; however, the story is particularly cruel and vicious in that the lives of these fictional Princes hold little value to the palace machinations. Personally, I feel nothing but disgust that the writer couldn't or wouldn't choose an intelligent method to introduce shock and intrigue without losing its soul.

Finally, I know these gripes might be addressed in time, still, I feel like fewer episodes, a tighter plot, and fast-paced storytelling would have been better.

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Must watch

Cause everyone done their role greatly..
Kim Hye Soo as Queen Im Hwa Ryung, her acting was speechless.. done very well, I loved her role and every role has unique personality and this drama gives many good massage as a mother and queen how a women lead her role it explains well...
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I usually don't prefer historical drama but this one got my interest cause I'm a big fan of moon sang min. I love his acting and his acting attracts my attention...
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Now I prefer watching this drama with full excitement and hope this show gets it welcome from everyone who watch this one.. if you start to watch this drama you won't drop it you'll drag it to your lost and prefer watching every weekends and try to support them..
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then it's interesting every ep gives me excitement to watch it with eagerness... give it a shot♡

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Worthwhile scripting

Just like any historical kdrama, there’s that element of royal betrayal within the royal household but the execution of acting is fun and well worth watching. I fervently wait for each episode as it unfolds the progress of each scenario.
Kim Hye soo does well as the queen and the princes seem to do well in their acting. The odd thing is which was quite unusual is the discovery of a queer prince. Despite it though, the queen has accepted it and supports her son. This scene is something that was quite impossible to be portrayed in older kdrama as it was still a taboo back them. The kdrama has come a long way especially for the international audience.
I do recommend it as a light hearted family show to watch. However, there are gory scenes that may not be suitable for toddlers to watch.

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Under the queen's umbrella

It was very very beautiful…
I don't know when we will see the creation of such a special and wonderful thing again. How beautifully he had depicted informative and pleasant concepts; So that you are full of good feelings. Really, the most horrible king and queen of my life and I saw in this series; One enjoys their harmony, being behind each other, the respect they have for each other, and their goodness, wisdom and knowledge.I was very impressed by the wound on the crown prince's chest, which was caused by a nail scratch due to pain; My oppressed crown prince
Somewhere, my patience ran out of the usual nonsense rules and customs of that time;

Spoiler
If the Crown Prince till gets sick, they are looking for his dismissal 😑 unfairly, wait a little bit, maybe he will get better 😂 or because the Crown Prince's wife has a heart disease and may not be able to have children, they want to dismiss again; Another one is that the one who betrays should be punished and in addition to himself, his family and future generations should also pay ♀️ 🤦 Or if he becomes a crown prince, he will exile or kill other princes because they are considered a threat to him.

I just got my attention on Choi Won yung's ajusih; Recently, I watched two or three serials from him almost back to back, and he has become one of my favorite ajoshis.
And finally, "Under the queen's umbrella", my dear, you are one of the series that will remain in my heart forever

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Love this K-drama

This drama is entertaining.

I love the queen who would do everything to protect her remaining four sons, the Grand Princes, and her deceased Crown Prince's family following the death of her eldest son, the Crown Prince.

The main protaganist, the Queen, who was happily married to her king, never bothered her four sons so the boys were let to do their own things which affected their studies. When her eldest son fell ill, she sought out help from the previous deposed Queen who was deposed from her position following the death of her eldest son. She also learnt from the deposed Queen that the latter's remaining three sons were murdered by the killer.

From that moment onwards, the current Queen decided to train her sons to be eligible for the position of the Crown Prince in order to safeguard her family.

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One of the BEST Historical K-DRAMA I have ever watched. The QUEEN 👑 was the most badass character playing the role of mother as well as her duty as the Queen of the nation was outstanding. The character development of all the characters from major to side characters was really mind blowing. The story progression and the plot twist of this K-Drama was top notch. Loved the romance of the main lead too. The brotherhood in this drama was really a tearjerker. The undying love and affection of a mother for her child was the real highlight of the story. Loved the K-Drama ❤️❤️❤️

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Imagine the most predictably unpredictable main character. Yeah.

I love dramas where the main character is in peril (character development! high emotion! fun!), and I definitely started this show absolutely knowing that this main character is going to be put through the wringer every second of her screentime. I was ready. I was so ready.

But...she, supposedly, saw it all coming. What? All the lying, the scheming, the action, the nail-baiting tension...she was always, ALWAYS, one step ahead of everybody else. And that's just unbelievable.

Therefore, this character had zero growth and zero flaws. Her only "flaw" was loving her sons too much? Give me a break! All the other characters, including the Queen Dowager and the concubines, are given well-fleshed out, thoughtful arcs where they grow as characters, but our main character is born so perfect that from start to finish, every decision she makes, every word she speaks, every punishment she mettles out, is thought through with the world's most elaborate game of 3D chess playing in her head.

Acting wise, while everyone was okay, the Queen Dowager and First Consort really stole EVERY scene they were part of! And with characters as rich, deep and well-rounded as them, it's a real treat to see how these talented actors make them come alive so incredibly. Which brings me back to the conversation about the Queen's character because this is, after all, an entire 16 episode TV show about the Queen protecting her children from certain death. The slight overacting aside, I really don't think the Queen's character really made me feel anything for her except, "Damn, she thought of this too?" Some of the "logical deductions" she made were absolutely insane given how shoddy, incomplete and limited the evidence for it was, and yet, with an eyebrow twitch and run-walking, she managed to outsmart some really, really smart people/plans.

Which is just boring, in my opinion.

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