Name: Under the Queen's Umbrella season 1 episode 3
Director: Kim Hyung-sik
Released: 2022-10-22T19:30:00

In episode 3 of Under the Queen’s Umbrella, the exam for the cohort selection gets underway and Prince Gyeseong’s secret is at risk of being revealed. The episode is now streaming on Netflix.

Recap

The consort who saw Prince Gyeseong goes to the Queen Dowager to report it. The Queen Dowager says she needs to be certain about such a grave accusation as whoever is wrong will be sentenced to death.

She tells the consort not to spread any rumours unless she’s absolutely sure. The Queen tells Prince Gyeseong not to go on his walks for some time but he says it’s the only time he can breathe.

All the consorts are getting ready to send their sons in for the first cohort exam. The Queen rushes to check on the Crown Prince. He collapsed once more but when he comes to, the Queen tells him to spend time on his recovery.

For the cohort test, the king reveals 3 questions, an arithmetic one, a composition one and then a third one completely out of the box that surprised even the instructors.

The instructors grade the answers and when the results come out, Prince Bogeom, Prince Uiseong, Prince Gyeseong and Prince Seongnam make it through.

The Queen visits the King and asks him for permission to take the Crown Prince to a hot spring to improve his condition. To the rest of the public, he is suffering from a skin disease.

The Crown Prince is taken away to the hot spring but it is revealed that this is a diverson for him to moved to the Queen’s quarters where he’ll be taken care of.

The Queen Dowager finds the chamber with Prince Gyeseong’s stuff and thinks of a way to expose him. She also speaks with Prince Bogeom’s mother as he came first in the first exam. She offers her support for the consort.

Court Lady Shin meets with the Queen Dowager and tells her that the Crown Prince is in the Queen’s quarters and that he’s recovering, even though it doesn’t look like it. When the Queen Dowager brings up rumours about Gyeseong, Lady Shin says she hasn’t heard anything.

Lady Shin rushes back to the Queen and tells her that the Queen Dowager knows about Gyeseong’s secret. They scramble to find the grand prince but he’s said to have left. The Queen Dowager’s Court Lady arrives and tells the Queen that he presence is requested.

The Queen leaves her quarters and runs into the King and the Queen Dowager who are going for a walk. The Queen is asked to join so she sends Court Lady Shin to find Gyeseong.

The Queen realises that the Queen Dowager is leading them to the secret chamber and she is called away by Lady Shin because the prince is on his way there too.

The prince reaches the chamber and finds it engulfed in flames. Immediately the fire suppression department arrives and he hides away. The Queen Dowager and the King arrive right then as well and the Queen Dowager accepts that her plan is foiled.

She confronts the Queen and tells her that it won’t be long before her fall and she’s deposed a queen and her sons before so there’s nothing stopping her from doing it again.

Gyeseong learns that his mother is the one who burnt down the chamber so he faces up to her. She takes him to place outside the place where he’s handed his robes and makeup so that he can have his portrait painted.

She’s accepting of his wishes which is why she had that painting done for him. She knows that things are only going to get harder for them going forward but Gyeseong will always be her child.

Review

The subplot involving Gyeseong is quite intriguing to follow. The topic of gender identity is very prominent in today’s world so to see it get some attention in a historical series was not expected.
The different reactions to Gyeseong’s actions are in stark contrast as the Queen Dowager says that he could be sentenced to death while the Queen is supportive and understanding of her child’s decision in a very heartwarming moment.
The game of chess being played by the Queen and the Queen Dowager is also heating up, especially since the Queen Dowager knows to major secrets of the Queen.