Great drama, great acting. An all-time fave!

It's a pity it's over. For me it was the best drama I have seen this year.

At the end, the queen dowager actually managed to bring a few tears to my eyes and make me feel a little sorry for her.

Could it be that Consort Hwang has lost her mind? She seemed to be living in another world.

This drama was great! Those episodes had so many good moments.

I'm sad for Prince Uiseong, he was lied and manipulated by his greedy mother and grand-father. He became a villain because of them. He killed his own father.

We could see how Queen Im Hwa-Ryeong's love and care helped so many people, her own sons, but the sons of the concubines too, the women in need, it was really a greatest qualities. I liked the fact the drama was focused on motherly love with very different ends for each of them.

I was disapointed by Seongnam and Cheong-Ha's story after the wedding... It was so confusing did they consummate or not? Is she pregnant or not? If their awkwardness was cute at the beginning, after it looked like it was more the actors than the characters who were feeling awkward.

The Prince's bond was really cute, their separation was touching. It's nice they got a conclusion too.

Kim Hye-Soo really embodied the Queen's spirit!
The scenes with the umbrella were beautiful.

A 2022 kdrama that stuck its landing 👏🏾👏🏾.

I loved it and it has definitely made it to my short list of 2022 favourites

Ps: I wouldn't mind a spin-off of our Crown prince, his wife, nephew, brothers and the grand princes 🤭

Thank you, @alathe, for the weecap! No one loves you as a mother would - a famous mother's day quote that I really love. This drama goes to show how a mother will go to great lengths to protect her children - to keep them safe from the rain under her umbrella. It also showed the dowager queen doing the same thing for her son, the king, and the concubines for their sons, the princes.
Seeing a drawing of Gye-seong's back wearing a hanbok walking outside the palace makes me think he/she will have a better life outside. Love the show!

Thanks for the recap @alathe. This was an all-around great show. It ended as well as it began and always kept things pacy and exciting. Really impressed with the writer - especially considering it's their first work.
What a lovely moment to see Seongnam provide shelter to the Queen under his umbrella now.

A great kdrama that I got hooked to this year. It's light yet thrilling. I give the show a robust 8/10. What happened to the two missing points? Well...

I wish that they showed the Queen Dowager consuming the cuckoo pint in the finale. Remember how the Queen I'm Hwa-Ryeong gifted her with that plant? She said she can choose to use it as a either medicine or a poison. It would've been so satisfying to see her take it to end her life instead of just showing that she died. Even if they showed the box on her table indicating that she's taken the poison would've been a great ending for her. However, I did like the fact towards the end when the narrator said that the old king passed away the following day she was crowned queen. She stepped down a day after her crowing- a clear indication that she paved the way for the current king to take over.

Another thing is, where is the justice for Queen Yoon's family? Her family is the rightful royal family but they weren't given the chance at all to rectify the mistakes of the past. They reinstated her back probably as Queen Dowager but how about the true heir to the throne who happens to be Prince Uiseong? True, Physician Kwon/ Prince Yi-Ikyeon plotted rebellion/treason against the current king BUT isn't it fair to say that his actions were justifiable? They killed his older brother the Crown Prince along with their other siblings. Isn't or fair that he plotted a rebellion to get back what was rightfully his to start with? And poor Prince Uiseong, the rightful owner of the throne is spending the rest of his life as an exile. His life would've been better had justice been served.

I would've liked to see an ending like this:

The current king and his family keeps the throne while they train Prince Uiseong to become the future king through an intensive program. After 2 years, Prince Uiseong gets to ascend as the Crown Prince since he's really the one true heir. His mom gets exiled along with the Queen Dowager.

That's my preferred ending but really, it's all but a wishful thinking. The show's ending is more realistic though. No matter how sage the current king might have been all those 20 years before the rebellion plot, it still shows how greedy he is with power. He tried to be sage but he's not. A true king gives justice to those who were treated unfairly yet, he didn't. He, a concubines son, kept the throne. He's no different than his mom the QD. Their plan is to pass the CP position once the grand heir who happens to be his grandson, grows up. The same thing could've been done to Prince Uisyeong. His grandfather was the king, his dad was the last remaining Grand Prince, and he's the Grand Heir. But no... At the end of the day, it's all about power. No matter how much the current royal family is good, justice still has not been served. They're still thieves of the Crown. There's no difference
between a person stealing one dollar and a person who...

A great drama that stuck the landing. I'm really impressed with the writer who created a well-paced drama that didn't fall into the trap of having the good guys underdogs until the very end: The Queen was smart and after her son's death, kept a couple steps ahead of the villains.

The Queen Dowager was diabolical, manipulating Uiseong to kill his father. Poor Queen Yoon never did get a win. Yes, the truth of Crown Prince Taein's death was revealed, but she lost her remaining son and only had her exiled grandson to stay alive for.

This drama was about the Queen, but I did like the glimpses of her relationship with the King.

I liked seeing the princes again and their relationships with their mothers.

The Queen's scene with Grand Prince Gyeseong was touching. I'm glad Gyeseong spread their wings and left the palace.

The umbrella scenes at the end were lovely.

This drama was compelling and consistent from beginning to end. It really had everything - heart, humor, mystery, melodrama. Big on emotions! Great cast, great cinematography. The theme of a mother and her love & protection was very strong.

The casting was SO important! Honestly, if the actor who played Physician Kwon had been well-known, then it would have ruined the element of surprise. I would have been immediately wary of him. The actor's name is Kim Jae Bum btw. He was great. I suspected that he was shady, but not to the extent that he was one of the prominent players in the game.

The show did a wonderful job with Gyeseong's arc. It was a shock that they even included his kind of story in the first place. In the beginning and a few times after, I was worried that they used him as a simple plot device. But the fact that they finished his story in the best way made me so happy!

I'm glad we got more explanations to a few things like I was wrong about the gansu used on Crown Prince... (I thought it could have been used orally in small amounts, but dismissed that and went with topical use in the previous recap thread.)

So the Dowager Queen had been the queen for only a day. I briefly thought her motivation was an inferiority complex or greed or something. But either way, she was the worst and her actions were unforgivable. She remained consistent to the end. I knew she would commit suicide.

The subtle, touching moments between the Queen & King were sweet and uncommon. The cute and lightly funny romance between Seongnam & Cheong Ha were also a pleasure to watch. I love that he found her to-do list and was checking off each task, hehe.

One quibble would be maybe Hwa Ryeong did not have major setbacks. I guess I'm used to seeing struggling protagonists and/or frustrating, dumb obstacles. It was nice to see her acting and behaving like a good, decent person. I would want someone like her on my side. So fierce and clever. Kind and compassionate.

This drama ended on a feel-good note. The finale wrapped up things well, bringing back past details like Hwa Ryeong taking a moment to feel the wind, as if feeling the Crown Prince's presence. Seongnam asking Master Toji about the prescription. His guilt finally dissolving. Seongnam sheltering his mother with the umbrella this time. ♥♥♥

I really like this ending. In fact, I would go so far as to say it was pretty perfect for me. Apart from the Chief State Counsellor and Physician Kwon (who got their dramatic deaths) I liked the “understated-ness” of it all: each character ended up in a place that felt somewhat fair to what they done or experienced, but there weren’t huge fanfares.

I’m making the assumption that the DQ took her own life, but chose to die in full regalia. She was consistent to the last – it was all about her image and not at all about repentance. Her death managed to sit right on the line of dignified and pathetic and refused to give any hints as to which side we should come down on.

Prince Uiseong and Consort Hwang were involved in treason and arguably should have had a harsher punishment, but I felt their desserts were just. They having to live out their days in obscurity without prospects, and possibly Uiseong has a huge burden in caring for a mother who won’t let him, or the notion that she’s still a consort, go.

I loved that Gyeseong got to leave the palace and experience the freedom that he craved. The tiny section when the four brothers said goodbye was beautifully bittersweet – the youngest wanting him to come back each year, the oldest knowing that that would never happen. They all played this scene so well. I loved the way the drama gave the princes individual personalities and passions and allowed us to cheer for them, even if Ilyeong’s came at the 11th hour.

Beautiful ending for the Seongnam and his princess. I loved the way that he, in his quiet understated way, took it upon himself to work his way through her wishes book and show her that he really cared. When he took her hand during their walk it was so satisfying, even more so than their kiss or the knowledge that both of them remembered their first sex. And Seongnam promising the Grand Heir that he would be king and Seongnam would protect his kingdom for him was a satisfying way of recognising Seongnam as warrior not ruler.

And the Queen! So perfect that she got to see her husband – and I believe real friend – choose to do the right thing and right the record. Superb moments when she got to “see off” the original Crown Prince in her heart and mind with the knowledge that she had kept her promise, that she got to keep Gyeseong’s portrait and receive his paintings regularly, and that, finally, she was under her son’s umbrella rather than holding it for them all.

I genuinely loved this drama, for its style, its intelligence, its cast, and its absolute belief that it had a great story to tell without having to resorts to histrionics. A compelling watch that will stay in my memory.

This is one of the biggest surprises of the year for me because I did not expect to love this so much. Sageuk dramas are rarely my favorite kind of drama but this one, it has managed to capture both my interest and my heart. Kim Hyesoo is such a wonderful gem in the industry and will surely be nominated in the next year's Baeksang once again. Wonderful performances as well from Kim Haesook (as Queen Dowager) and Choi Wonyoung (as the King). The princes are not the best actors yet but surely have the potential though Moon Sangmin is charming as the crown prince, tbh. His chemistry with Oh Yeju (Yoon Cheongh) is such a delight to watch.

It's been a great ride, UTQU! Thank you for being amazing until the end.

The drama will remain as one of my all-time favorite historical dramas ever. I loved almost all the characters Each was unique on their own, treating us to various mini storylines. I loved Seongnam from the beginning. He was portrayed as someone smart who masks all of that under being reckless. His love for his brothers and genuine care for others won me. It is no wonder that Cheong-ha fell in love with him at first sight despite his cold exterior.
Muan was the one who kept me laughing all along. His story was a breath of fresh air in the other heavier plotlines. Both Simso, Bogeom, and II-young found peace in their life and chose to do what they want best.
As for Gyeseong, I am sad that he left his family but it was inevitable as he can't live in hiding forever.
I was not too fond of Uiseong but fell for him slightly after the harsh truth he came to find out. He will live in guilt throughout his life for killing his father although he didn't know anything back then.
I really admire the queen. She pulls off the balance between being a compassionate person and a strong monarch who is in charge of the inner court. She shielded literally everyone under her umbrella.
I loathed the queen dowager and every time she was on screen, it made my blood boil but that is all thanks to Kim Hae-sook who really nailed her role as expected of such a highly experienced veteran.
I wish we got to see more of what happened in the past between the queen dowager and queen Yoon, Taein's murder, and how the late king handled the situation. However, it is okay as the show did great in other aspects.
Under the queen's umbrella will be one of the great shows that I will return to occasionally to rewatch some of my favorite scenes.

Among the few kdramas of 2022 that completely stuck the landing for me. While it had its shortcomings from time to time, it was truly an impressive work of television overall. Queen Im Hwa-ryeong is yet another iconic character to remember from Kim Hye-soo’s incredible career and one of my favourite kdrama protagonists of the year. I will definitely be on the lookout for future works by the screenwriter, I am truly impressed that it’s their first endeavour.

Screenwriter Park Ba-ra's credits aren't long (a few movies beginning from 2006 and a drama: 'The Idle Mermaid') BUT the quality of her research and the ability to finely-layer the multiverse of her characters is exemplary. For example, she shows us the petty side of our naive Consort Tae, Bogum's mother, as she tries but fails to fight her inferiority complex around being an ex-palace maid to Queen Hwa Ryeyoung. Yet, even after succumbing to the the Queen Dowager's manipulation to come to the dark side, the writer invokes our empathy for her by drawing on the innocent heart she began with at the start . Same with the Consort who bullies her starving, weak-hearted son, refusing to let him back into the palace until the battle for Crown Prince is over . She too, soon becomes an ally of the Queen, but not for power or prestige in the court, but gratefulness. I loved how these small victories Hwa Ryeong has with the consorts underscores Hwa Ryeong's patience, empathy and wisdom. There's great writing happening when you don't have to 'tell' the audience how understanding a character is...you just show it in the relationship she forges around her. Same with her relationship/friendship with the King. She always gives him her understanding yet honest opinions with loyalty & respect. Their connection also hints at a deeper love than their formal exchange of words allowed. We saw Hwa-ryeong's intelligence and endurance in the way she tackled her 'boys' education, staying up nights to the books she wanted them to know. Above all, she had shrewdness and a great ability to reason out her problems, not jump to conclusions or accusations when she felt her son's death was suspicious. BUT what I love about our writer's mastery, is her ability to show us Hwa Ryeong's flaws as well. Our Queen was often contemptuous of bad behavior, leaning towards harshness in disciplining her 'boys' (yet thinking better of her outbursts after she had one and then showing them warmth after). She also seemed a touch narcissistic, as if she was the ONLY one who could solve the problem and often stormed into confront and accuse, even without the facts or someone beside her for support. Of course these are strengths when it goes in her favour, but I was thinking that if I had to choose a friend to hang out with today, likely she wouldn't be my first choice. Too high maintenance, manipulative and over-bearing even with a big heart. But when you need to stand under someone's umbrella, this is your girl! In the end, she's a very strong likeable lead because under all that gritty iron is a heart of gold. As for the Crown Prince and his brothers, they were the only ones who drew tears from me in this drama. Their easy friendship, loyalty and support for each other in that last good-bye hug for Gyesong opened the floodgates. The acting in this series was a feast for the heart, the writing a treasure box of jewelled characters and mystery, and this drama, for me,...

This is the second Saguek I'm watching this year whose central characters remained central from start to almost finish, and I trusted it'll be to finish and I wasn't disappointed.
Seeing less of the ministers politicking and the Queen and King moving on the chess board and never letting the light shine off her (the Queen) or the other women of the Internal Court is good writing.

Quick note to say I loved UNDER THE QUEEN’S UMBRELLA. A wonderful production: acting, directing, writing, and the look of the drama. It was a first rate total package.
Special note has to be made of the tour de force performance of Kim Hye-soo as Queen Im Hwa-ryeong. I will never forget the scenes of her sitting with her left leg propped up under he robes while trying to stay ahead of those plots to harm her boys. Thank you KHS!

I thought they really wrapped up the story well. I'm glad the princes are well, and the king's power didn't seem to have been affected by his coming clean. The Queen Dowager was a heavyweight, but Kim Hye-soo managed to hold her own in their scenes together. These are characters I won't forget for a long time.

There was a lot to love about this drama. The historical genre in Kdramas is not my favorite because I don't have a lot of knowledge about Korea's history, but this show did it right. I really enjoyed it!!

One aspect that I appreciated, among many!, was the strength and leadership of the women in this show. The women, from powerful to evil to innocent, they were all strong characters who were not reliant on men for their success. Super!!

Speaking of women though, the one thing I wondered about was where were all of the princesses? Did the king really sire 11 princes and no princesses? Seems odd. The only princess we met was Seongnam's baby niece. Just a minor quibble and if they had had princesses they would have needed actresses and storylines etc.

Overall a wonderful drama with some meaningful messages about strong women, mothers, family relationships, gender identity acceptance, leadership that can be kind and caring while also effective and strong, and facing your past to move on to your future.

After watching EP 15... I’M SO CONFUSED! Please help! Is PHYSICIAN KWON the real PRINCE YI IK-HYEON? Or is he PRINCE YEONGWON? Or are those two names one and the same person?

Isn’t the one living with QUEEN YOON not her real son (therefore not a prince) but the son of MASTER TOJI (YOO SANG-UK)? This is what that EP 14 flashback showed us, right?

Just finished it. Very complex but it held together well. I felt that the last time we see Consort Hwang, her mind has snapped as she asks if the tutors are acceptable, the same way she did in the first episode and Uiseong complains about the math tutor and she replies she will replace him. I think she is in a fantasy world now where she may still be a court lady. I wish they showed a bit of how Consort Hwang and Ik-hyeon got together.

Now... onto the next one!! :)