Under the Queen's Umbrella (2022)

I have to give this a 10 rating, I am also a mother of 3 sons... I will also protect them with my life no matter how old they are. I can understand the story behind the Queen who is protecting her sons. She protected one of her sons who is a homophile. Homophobia runs deep in Korea. There are no protections in their laws to protect the LGBTQ communities in the present day. This Historical drama brought another side of history. It didn't show how brothers in killing each other for the thrown. It only shows how Queen Dowager is a danger to everyone who is part of the court. But like the historical part of Korea is similar to those in England, Rome, etc. I applaud Kim Hye Soo (Queen Im Hwa Ryung) for bringing a mother's pain, worry, protection, love, and support to her sons (grand princes) in this story, her acting was very believable. Kim Hae Sook (Queen Dowager Cho) was very believable that I threw my shoe at the TV. Choi Won Young (King Lee Ho) became a puppet for his mother but resisted in the end. He played a hard part to play. Moon Sang Min (Grand Prince Sung Nam) The things he had to do and go through to become Crown Prince that I cried for him. I thank all the other actors and actresses for an awesome job.

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.

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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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A história mais tocante de um kdrama

Eu nunca tinha sentindo um misto de sentimentos assistindo um drama, pois sou uma pessoa difícil de chorar assistindo algo, mas nesse dorama chorei muito. O sentimento da rainha com seus filhos é a coisa mais pura que existe, uma mãe extremamente forte protegendo seus filhos das artimanhas do palácio. Primeiro dorama histórico que eu assisto que a protagonista é uma rainha adulta, mostra as fraquezas dos filhos e como os príncipes são humanos, concorrência para ser o próximo rei e como nenhuma pessoa é totalmente do bem, sempre tem o lado mal dentro de si. Perfeito, assistam!!

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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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Hunger Games - Joseon version

TLDR
The dark comedy tag probably comes from the irony and discrepancies found in series. The funniest thing in this kdrama are the court officials labeling actions as treasonous and recommending to resolve it with actual treasonous solutions - and all the king does is glare 😂

The show was hinged on the lack of information sharing - a trope less used in kdramas compared to the worn out "misunderstanding" trope. And why da peck do they keep on discussing their secrets just loud enough for eavesdroppers to hear? 😅 😂

This entire series would have been a lot shorter if the mother just told her sons their entire line would be annihilated if someone else becomes the crown prince. Because of the lack of information sharing, they remained petulant, unmotivated, and just overall childish.

The Characters
Old granny who hungers for the "Queen" privileges she never experienced decides it was time for her main character era so she flexes and show who is boss.

The queen consort who tries her hand at being authoritarian after years of permissive/neglectful parenting but gets pushed back by her sons in spite of her efforts to shield them from the realities of palace life.

The grand princes who live a life of the idle rich and couldn't wait to leave the palace. Shielded from the realities of palace life, they remain ignorant of how their lives were already in danger just by misbehaving.

Background
Prince Sado did a lot worse than what the grand princes were portrayed to have done in the series and was not punished for a long time in spite of the atrocities and body count he left behind so I was not expecting the Queen to actively put in effort to rein them in.

Inconsistencies
I am surprised at the corporal punishment shown given how by court rules a royal body could not be defiled - but then again, it is fiction so let's shrug it off.

Considering how the kdrama wanted to portray the queen as having switched to authoritarian/authoritative parenting, it didn't make sense that she was not forthright about what would happen if they did not start behaving. One would expect a mother to be honest to her sons about the possibility of their lives being in mortal danger.

Ultimately, this is a story about women in the background pitting their sons against each other for the sake of status, pride and survival while the men strut about in their robes thinking they were actually the ones in power. A true Confucian masterpiece.

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Heartwarming and family-centric

😭😭😭 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 😭

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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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I wanna rewatch it again for the first time

I mean just wow. The performances, the music, the story is just on point. I absolutely adored every moment of it, especially the strong subplots. However, the environment and the music really take this up a notch, with the deeply moving tracks used at key moments and how rain/umbrellas are used throughout it.

Now for the spoilery part, read at your own discretion (but I'd recommend waiting until at least a third of the way through the series).

I didn't expect it to have a trans character and so it was absolutely awesome to see that. I loved how wonderfully they executed the whole thing, even with the last credit scene. It felt so genuine and raw seeing such a nice parent-child relationship with an actual happy ending. I hope more kdramas can show off queer characters this well and more often, in subplots or main plots.

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Best of this year!

I rarely rate drama's 10/10 but this was it!
No drawn-out plotlines, characters with clear motives, alliances, and personalities. Queen was truly one of the best characters I have seen on television, the perfect blend of loving and badass. She wasn't a pushover, nor was she a bulldozer in palace affairs. Queen was incredibly true to her character and protected her children with unconditional love- actually, she loved other people's children equally, especially with how well she treated the other princes, her daughters-in-law, and co-wives.
I loved how each son got his own plot line, but none overshadowed the main plot for too long. The plot was clear, protect her family, or who is left of it. and it was delivered.
As any saeguk goes, this one also did not disappoint in terms of costuming, set and visuals. The music aligned well with the story and added more emotion to every scene.
I was hooked from ep 1 till 16, never a dull moment (which is rare nowadays).
1000000/10 recommend for everyone.



P.S. I loved the Transgender plot line so much and it made my heart warm that it was a happy ending!

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