Under the Queen’s Umbrella season 1 episode 16 recap & review

In the season finale of Under the Queen’s Umbrella, the King makes a major decision about the past and things settle down at the palace. The episode is streaming on Netflix.

Recap

The ministers plead with the king to execute the deposed queen Yoon, prince Uiseong and all the others involved in the rebellion but the King is having a hard time making up his mind.

The Queen tells queen Yoon that Yi Ik-hyeon died in the palace, which puts her life in danger but she says she has nothing to live for anymore. The queen says that his son still lives and queen Yoon asks her to ensure that he lives on.

The queen dowager tells the King to forget the past and listen to his ministers but the King says that he doesn’t want to continue in this cycle of violence that she started. He even asks Gyeong-u for advice on this matter.

Seongnam asks the queen to convince the king to reveal that crown prince Taein was poisoned but she tells him that it is not an easy decision to make. Meanwhile, the queen dowager has another roll of the dice to put down the queen.

Cheong-ha is given medicine to take care of her heart disease after which the physician visits the queen dowager and hands over the remaining herbs he was given. The herbs were meant to kill Cheong-ha’s baby and the physician states that it has already happened.

Next, the queen reveals that Prince Muan has a child with Cho-wol out of wedlock and the queen tries to stand up for him. Muan says that he’s willing to give up his position to marry Cho-wol and keep her safe.

The queen says that he could be the first one to marry a low-born and break tradition and the king says he will consider it. She then brings in the physician who admits that he avoided using the herbs that the queen dowager gave him because his sole purpose is to take care of people.

Cheong-ha is confirmed to be pregnant and the king is even more mad at his mother.

Seongnam and the queen ask Yoo Sang-uk to testify to the death of Taein so that they can prove the late crown prince was also poisoned.

The queen has a conversation with the king about his legacy and how he must right the wrongs of the past and fix this blemish on his reign by revealing that Taein was poisoned.

She gives him all the records about their late son and lets him know that what he does with them next is up to him. The King visits his mother first and tells her that he will be revealing the truth and undo her mistake because he cannot live with the guilt.

He tells his ministers of his decision to reveal everything and reinstate the former crown princess and her children as well as the deposed queen Yoon. He then orders that his mother be confined to her quarters and that no one is allowed to meet her personally.

His ministers request him to reconsider but he is firm in his decision to set the record straight. The former crown princess and her children are welcomed back to the palace as the queen feels relief because she fulfilled the promise she kept to her late son.

The queen dowager is found dead in her quarters as she insisted on going out on her own terms and refused to accept any kind of punishment. She killed herself after dressing up in her most majestic and traditional attire.

Three months later things have settled down within the palace and everyone seems to be thriving. The various princes are becoming independent and living their own lives.

Muan is intently focused on taking care of his daughter while Simso is married and his wife is with child. Consort Hwang and Uiseong are living in exile and it appears that consort Hwang suffered a stroke which has affected her mind in some way, leaving Uiseong to keep an eye on her.

Seongnam and Cheong-ha’s relationship grows stronger as the days progress. They eagerly await the arrival of their child. Cheong-ha is invited by the queen to see hyewolgak and asked to help with it.

Prince Gyeseong feels an emptiness in his life and visits his mother to let her know that he wishes to leave the palace and travel the world. He says that the day he got to have his portrait made was the happiest day of his life and he would like to experience that more often.

The queen reluctantly accepts that he is leaving and he tells her that it’s time to let him go. He has an emotional farewell with his brothers as they wish him good luck and embrace him.

With everything back to normal and no immediate worries in the near future, the queen goes back to her regular life, dealing with the shenanigans of her sons.

Review

• This was a pretty pleasant season finale that wrapped up all the plots in nice little bows with very little drama. It does feel a little tame but at the same time, it’s the fairytale ending that most audiences tend to enjoy.
• As mentioned, the stakes are rarely raised in this episode. Prince Muan’s indiscretion is revealed but doesn’t have any sort of consequences and is resolved quite quickly. The queen dowager trying to get rid of Cheong-ha’s baby is downright evil but also very questionable.
• The farewell between Gyeseong and his brothers is an intensely emotional moment bound to bring viewers to tears. It is quite heartwarming, especially when the more stoic Seongnam choose to showcase more emotion.

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Also Read: Under the Queen’s Umbrella season 1 episode 14 recap & review