In episode 10 of Under the Queen’s Umbrella, the contest to select the crown prince moves on to the final stage and the Queen gets the upper hand on her enemies. The episode is now streaming on Netflix.
Recap
The Queen invites consort Hwang for a chat and asks about physician Kwon because she wants to bring him back to the palace. Consort Hwang admits that he treated a stomach ulcer of hers years ago but doesn’t know much else about him.
Master Toji and physician Kwon are also part of the rebellion along with Seo Ham-deok which is why they visit him in jail. They worry that prince Gyeseong will ruin their plans since he has the evidence.
Court lady Shin rushes to the Queen’s chamber and tells her that prince Muan is in Hanseong. She immediately goes there and finds her son laying with Cho-wol.
She goes back to her quarters and waits for Muan. Once he arrives, she scolds him but he says that he’s in love with her and isn’t interested in becoming the crown prince.
The Queen speaks to Cho-wol too and tells her that Muan cannot be depended upon in the long run. Cho-wol says that she still loves him and expected the Queen to understand better because of her humble origins.
Cho-wol lives in Hyewolgok, a place the Queen established where women can live peacefully with their children. She remembers a few years ago when she rescued a rape victim who was being denounced in public and took her to Hyewolgok.
Bogeom and Seongnam decide to search Gyeong-u’s quarters to find evidence of his embezzlement and they find some records, but they get caught and Gyeong-u banishes them from the island.
They get their hands on the records before leaving and decide to get to the bottom of the mystery. They learn that Gyeong-u used the money he embezzled to pay off the people’s debts and make them financially independent.
Gyeong-u is pleased that they figured it out and agrees to go back to the palace with them. It is then revealed that the king reached out to him beforehand to become a teacher to the crown prince.
The rumour that Seongnam is not of royal blood spreads across the palace and the King orders that all the sheets be removed immediately. The Queen realizes that this is why the queen dowager was so confident about her chances.
Cheong-ha tells Seongnam that she likes him and he seems to feel the same way even if he doesn’t say it.
Ham-deok agrees to go with Uiseong but only on the condition that Gyeseong is killed. He sends a message to his grandfather about this while Gyeseong warns Uiseong that Ham-deok is planning treason.
Consort Hwang wants to use this opportunity to bring down Gyeseong and the queen. They order some men to kidnap Gyeseong and stage his death as a suicide while consort Hwang reveals his secret to the King.
She meets the king with consort Ko. She asks Ko to reveal the portrait to the king but the queen arrives to stop them. Consort Hwang claims that Gyeseong is a woman in a man’s shell but the portrait turns out to be a different one altogether.
Consort Ko felt indebted to the queen after she took care of Simso so she warned her as soon as consort Hwang came up with the plan. They also switched out the portrait and had a guard head out to save Gyeseong.
When Gyeseong awakes, he says that he has to warn the king but the queen says that he already knows. Uiseong brings Ham-deok in front of the king and then accuses him of being a rebel and finding out about his plot.
The king has Ham-deok arrested and then tells Uiseong that he made a mistake by bringing him in front of the king if he had learned about the treason earlier.
Gyeong-u selects both princes as the winner for his trial, while Gyeseong drops out at his mother’s request. Seongnam, Uiseong and Bogeom move on to the final round where they will be judged by young scholars from Sungkyunkwan.
The king believes that this method will be the most impartial. The queen demotes consort Hwang to fourth junior consort after her allegation proved false. She also forges the suicide letter placed by councillor Hwang’s men to match the handwriting of the queen dowager’s court lady.
Now the queen has the upper hand on her rivals.
Review
- The episodes are longer and there is so much information that fits into each of them. So many subplots are explored and it does get a little overwhelming at times.
- The intelligence of the king is showcased in the decision to select Gyeong-u and Ham-deok. One was a trusted advisor while the other was planning a rebellion that the king was aware of.
- There is also an exploration into the Queen’s past and Hyewolgok, the place that she set up. There are still many unanswered questions that remain such as how Master Toji and Physician Kwon are involved in the rebellion and the truth behind Seongnam’s birth among a few others.
Under the Queen's Umbrella season 1 episode 10
Director: Kim Hyung-sik
Date Created: 2022-11-13 19:30
3.5
Also Read: Under the Queen’s Umbrella season 1 episode 9 recap & review