Recap Korean Drama "Under the Queen’s Umbrella" Episode 1

Beginning with an ominous score in the background, the Queen’s entourage is headed somewhere early in the morning. Stopping at the arrive destination, Queen Hwa-ryeong steps out and goes after rowdy son, who slept with one of his women friends over the night. Upon pulling him back to order, the Queen is met retaliation as the young prince mentions his father, the King, having ten wives, then why it’s wrong for him to have one consort by his side.

Switching up the scene to a rather concerning issue, the Majesty discusses the case of the village’s starvation and that the people must be provided with relief of some sort. However, his ministers disagree, fearing transmission of the prevalent infection in the kingdom, which would eventually make way for the plague. Despite their contradictory stances, the King finalizes upon helping the help, but while keeping up with the preventive measures and helping them without coming in direct contact with anyone.

Meanwhile another one of the Grand Princes (Queen Hwa-ryeong’s sons) goes missing and she must find him before it’s too late as the particular day will be welcoming the presence of the King and Queen Dowager at ‘Jonghak’, i.e. the “educational institution for the princes and those of royal descent”. Each of the mothers of the various princes in the palace are running up a conquest of their own to win over the Majesties.

At Jonghak, the princes’ lesson of the day is all about a “wise man’s duty” and how his actions impact the kingdom. While everyone is seated in a discplined fashion, Grand Prince Seongnam, the second son of the Queen, barges in the middle of the lesson, and is late as always, becoming a subject of gossip among the other mothers.

A visible formality reigns over the Royal family, distancing Queen Dowager from her grandsons. Her sole concern is the King, i.e. her son and the matters of throne. Rebuking Queen Hwa-ryeong of her incapable “troublemaking” sons, Queen Dowager claims that the Crown Prince’s (also Hwa-ryeong’s son) reputation help them get far. In a parallel scene, the Crown Prince is being tutored at Sigangwon, a place where leading scholars of the kingdom teach potential future kings.

Later, Prince Seongnam beats up Prince Uiseong, his half-brother and Consort Hwang’s son, for slandering his mother but doesn’t reveal the same to Queen Dowager even after being reprimanded. All the four brother (Hwa-ryeong’s sons) are punished for the entire day to sit on their knees, despite the likeliness of heavy rainfall. Meanwhile, Queen Hwa-ryeong, who takes pride in what the scholars at Sigangwon have to say about the Crown Prince, accompanies him on a walk, during which he faints and collapses.

On the other hand, Consort Hwang also punishes her son for passing shameful comments about the Queen. Their exchange ends up revealing that he’s the first son of the King and envies the Crown Prince and his merit, in hopes of his mother becoming the Queen instead.

A physician checks the Crown Prince’s health condition in the Queen’s quarters and diagnoses him with ‘hyeolheogwol’, “a disease caused by blood deficiency and fatigue”. Co-incidentally, one of the former Crown Princes, Taein (Queen Yoon’s son) had suffered from the same ailment and ultimately died. His physician at the time, Cho Huk-yeong still has the remedy he used for the Prince’s treatment and should help Hwa-ryeong’s son as well.

As the new day approaches, a new announcement made by the King reaches everyone’s ears. As per his decision, an equal chance would be forwarded to each Prince in the kingdom to join the Crown Prince at Sigangwon as his cohort. Only those will be eligible, who will apply for the opportunity.

Spreading like wildfire, the talks about Queen Dowager’s own trade secrets in making her son the King are passed among the consorts. They’re told that she too was a mere concubine but succeeded in attaining the royal stature, and all her secrets are recorded in a book. Hwa-ryeong on the other hand is more concerned about her son’s health and seeks permission from the King to let the Royal physician Cho Guk-yeong treat her son. Revealing that the physician is not curently residing in the kingdom as per Queen Dowager’s orders, the Queen is let down by her husband, while also intrigued by her mother-in-law’s schemes as it is disclosed that she was responsible for the new rule of a cohort joining the Crown Prince at Sigangwon too.

Queen Dowager is met by Consort Tae first and she gives her the book of secrets about raising a king. She also finds out that the Crown Prince is not keeping well, despite Queen Hwa-ryeong having given her all to keep it under wraps.

Hwa-ryeong starts losing hope and resorts to questioning her main lady-in-waiting, who once served Queen Dowager as well in the past. However, she fails to help her since the secrets of the King’s ascension to the throne and Queen Yoon’s banishment after the death of the former Crown Prince were shared only between Queens Dowager and Yoon.

Under the Queen’s Umbrella Episode 1 Ending

Procuring several copies of her secret book, Queen Dowager plots to hand over a copy to each consort in confidence in a manner that they all believe to be in possession of the one and only copy. By doing so, she seeks to establish her authority further as all the consort would end up pledging their allegiance and loyalty to her, unlike Queen Hwa-ryeong, who has a mind of her own and won’t bow down to any of the her mother-in-law’s tactics.

However, she in a fix and vulnerable due to her son, the Crown Prince’s fragile health. After having sought her leading lady-in-waiting’s intel and failed to figure out Queen Dowager’s plotting schemes, she decides to turn to the sole site harbouring these secrets other than the Queen herself, former Queen Yoon, whose son surrendered to the same malady.

Turning up at her hut’s door at untimely hour (located on the outskirts of the kingdom), Queen Hwa-ryeong beseeches her to advice her on the matter. Old Queen Yon, who is living their in-hiding, admonishes her to return back as speaking to her is no lesser than an act of treason in the kingdom.

Hwa-ryeong lets go of her queenly prestige and falls on her knees, begging her to guide her though her predicament. After much consideration, the banished queen acknowledges her plight, recalling her desperate urge in her own time and agrees upon telling her everything about the secrets shared between her and Queen Dowager regarding the matters of the throne and her son’s death as well.

Under the Queen’s Umbrella Episode 1 Review

Although the series may have been presented with slight comic reliefs as shown in the trailer, the first episode mostly takes on a serious and tense demeanour. Kim Hye-soo’s performance as Queen Hwa-ryeong is a commanding force to reckon with and leads by example, instantly capturing one’s attention.

As ascertained, the women are indeed the show’s heart and soul. Their dynamics with each other as wives constesting against each other may position them as steretypical rivlas, but the series immediately humanizes their roles. Ultimately, all of them are riding in the same boat when it comes to grasping the King’s attention, even if you’re the leading Queen. It focuses on their struggle and the onus of their responsibility to their sons’ upbringing, which they mostly have to look after on their own.

The palace hardens their conscience, as is most aptly reflected in Queen Dowager’s character. Plus, the rising tension between her and Queen Hwa-ryeong will only heighten the politics of the court, enhancing our viewing experience. Pathetic Fallacy is employed in the thematic visuals of the environment, mirroring the intensifying unrest among the characters and anticipation among the audience.

With the first episode itself, the series has settled down as a grounded approach to historical politics, with people’s emotions driving the narrative, thereby fuelling the drama that is yet to unfold.