Empathetic as a mother, Queen Hwa-ryeong earns herself new allies in Under The Queen’s Umbrella.
After the incident with Prince Sim-so, Consort Ko lets go of her ill feelings towards the Queen. Prince Seong-nam, Bo-geom, and Ui-seong progress toward the next level of the selection. Meanwhile, Consort Hwang gets demoted after failing to show proof of Prince Gye-seong’s secret.
Marcie Line watched Under The Queen’s Umbrella on Netflix
Episode Recaps: 01 & 02 | 03 & 04 | 05 & 06 | 07 & 08 | 09 & 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Finale + Review
“Under The Queen’s Umbrella” Is Shot At The Largest Historical Drama Set In Korea
Under The Queen’s Umbrella Episodes 9 and 10 Highlights
“Are you willing to punish your mother?”
Confronted by the King for attempting to murder Prince Seong-nam, the Queen Dowager pretends to be sick, blaming the cuckoo pint gifted by the Queen.
Dismissing the Dowager’s act, the Queen senses the remaining confidence left in her mother-in-law. She then talks to Consort Tae, frankly telling her that she needs one of the grand princes to become the crown prince.
Bringing in the surviving bandit hired, Queen Hwa-ryeong makes the Chief State Councilor realize he was being framed by the Dowager, suggesting an alliance.
Hearing that the Dowager is unwell, Consort Tae visits her. There, she hears shocking information and receives a ring. Given that she is favored by the Dowager for being simple-minded, she proudly passes by Consort Hwang.
Supposed to have tea together, Consort Hwang and the Chief State Councilor ruin their relationship with Queen Dowager after the Chief State Councilor resists the Dowager’s command and calls her disgraceful for being greedy at an old age.
“So why should you be ashamed? To force yourself to do something you do not want. That is shameful.”
Prince Ui-seong watches Seo Ham-deok being bashed by the man whose wife had an affair with him as a monk. Meanwhile, Prince Gye-seong discovers military strategies hidden in religious texts, monks mobilized, and maps of the palace in Seo Ham-deok’s chambers.
Starved and nearly lifeless after being robbed, Prince Sim-so goes back to the palace, but Consort Ko forces him to continue in the contest. She turns her back on her son and leaves him a norigae.
The Queen feeds Prince Sim-so who clasps on the ornament from his mother. Consort Ko flips the table and argues with the Queen for interfering with her. Leaving the room, she angrily calls her son a disgrace.
Out of anger, Consort Ko brings to Consort Hwang the portrait of Prince Gye-seong as a woman to ruin the Queen. The next day, the Queen revives Prince Sim-so who hanged himself, and asks everyone involved to keep it a secret.
As a mother herself, the Queen shows empathy to Consort Ko. She shares a drink with Prince Sim-so, showering him with words of encouragement.
Prince Gye-seong confronts Seo Ham-deok for his treason plans, and the monk suddenly gets arrested and publicly tried for killing the civilian bashing him the other day. Prince Ui-seong then uses the opportunity to present him with the edict in prison.
“Just resent me instead. When it comes to my children, I am only a selfish woman who speaks empty words.”
Discussing with Consort Hwang about Physician Kwon, the Queen seeks her idea of the physician’s whereabouts after discovering the consort was treated by him before for a stomach ulcer.
Physician Kwon and Master Toji suspect that the edict may be a trap, but Seo Ham-deok still accepts it on one condition, which is to kill Prince Gye-seong who discovered his plans of treason.
Prince Gye-seong tries to warn Prince Ui-seong about Seo Ham-deok, but he gets ignored, so he sets forth on his own back to the palace.
Withdrawing from the contest, Prince Mu-an values his love for Cho-wol more than the contest, stating he’s willing to make her his concubine. The Queen discourages Cho-wol to continue her love, but Cho-wol stands up for it.
She believes that the Queen is different from other royalties since she created hyewolgak, which served as a shelter for women and children. A flashback shows the Queen protecting a woman raped by a nobleman. The Queen brings her to a shelter, and at present, Court Lady Shin suggests that the Queen’s fate must’ve been intertwined with Cho-wol’s since she was still in her mother’s womb.
Suspecting Park Gyeong-u for embezzling the earnings from Manwol Island, Princes Seong-nam and Bo-geom search through his chambers, and they get kicked out for doing so.
Exchanging records on hand, the two princes agree to collaborate, and Prince Bo-geom throws the bamboo case from his mother. Figuring out that it wasn’t embezzlement but an initiative of building economic independence for the residents, the two princes persuade Park Gyeong-u to accept the royal edict. They are praised for their wisdom as sons of the King.
“It is not that I cannot kill you. I choose not to”
Rumors begin to spread outside the palace questioning the legitimacy of Prince Seong-nam, and it reaches the palace, infuriating the Queen. In a flashback, the Dowager takes away the prince from the Queen calling him unlucky and undeserving to be in the genealogy.
Receiving a letter from Prince Ui-seong that he killed a civilian to bring Seo Ham-deok to the palace, the Chief State Councilor warns Consort Hwang about how risky their misdeeds are, but Consort Hwang remains confident of it.
Deploying a swordsman to attack Prince Gye-seong, Consort Hwang reveals to the King the secret of the prince. She secretly orders the prince to be hanged with a note as if he took his own life because of his secret.
She fails to prove her point to the King as Consort Ko exchanged the portraits when she and the Queen reconciled. Rescuing and reviving Prince Gye-seong, the Queen informs him that many know his secret, but he’s more consumed with the fact that Seo Ham-deok plans treason.
However, the King is already aware of it, and arrests Seo Ham-deok. He tells off Prince Ui-seong for ignoring that fact in the name of winning the contest.
As punishment for slandering Prince Gye-seong, the Queen demotes Consort Hwang as the fourth junior consort in front of the concubines. Also provoking the Dowager and repaying for framing the Chief State Councilor, the Queen frames Court Lady Nam for writing the fake note of Prince Gye-seong.
Sungkyunkwan scholars take part in the next part of the selection as the Chief State Councilor agrees to the King’s decision. The Queen also agrees with it as these scholars are the next subjects of the next king.
Under The Queen’s Umbrella Episodes 9 and 10 Musings
Different types of mothers can then again be witnessed in the recent episodes of Under The Queen’s Umbrella. Consort Ko and the Queen Dowager have similarities in terms of pressuring their children for their own greed, but what separates them is Consort Ko’s character development after her son’s incident.
Like any mother, Queen Hwa-ryeong has flaws, but her genuineness and accepting attitude as a mother to all the princes prove how deserving she is to be the mother of a kingdom. Instead of pointing out the negative, life lessons can be appreciated through the Queen’s encouraging words to Prince Sim-so.
While the contest is ongoing, it also shows that Physician Kwon, Master Toji, and Seo Ham-deok collude for a rebellion. Likewise, destructive mother and son Consort Hwang and Prince Ui-seong dig themselves up a deeper pit after committing atrocities one after another during the contest.
Knowing that Consort Hwang has a grip on Physician Kwon, the extent of their plans together should be further elaborated in the following episodes. Moreover, clarifying which side Master Toji is on could also shed light on his connection with treating the deceased Crown Prince.
Shuffling the alliances inside the palace, the outcome of the taekhyeon is yet to be revealed. Though Prince Seong-nam possesses great potential, the truth of his birth story, which is yet to be known, could be a crucial factor in his eligibility for the selection.
Watch new episodes of Under The Queen’s Umbrella every Saturday and Sunday on Netflix.
Photos: tvN Drama
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