In episode 8 of Under the Queen’s Umbrella, the contest to select the next Crown Prince heats up as the consorts look for ways to bend the rules and help their sons gain an advantage. The episode is now streaming on Netflix.
Recap
The consorts are discussing the contest to choose the next crown prince that has taken them all by surprise and the Queen tells them that if they’re worried about their sons or have an issue with the nature of the selection, they should withdraw their sons from the running.
The princes have to run up a hill through a forest and are then tested in archery. They are then provided with inspector’s uniforms and tasked with bringing two former officials, Seo Ham-deok and Park Gyeong-u, to the court under the king’s orders.
The former officials were competent members of the court who left because they didn’t agree with the way the king was enthroned. The King believes that they will be helping teachers to the new crown prince.
Each of the princes has their own way of going about the contest while some of them are also receiving help from their mothers. Prince Muan visits a fortune teller who tells him that he’s about to meet the woman of his fate.
The Queen calls all the consorts to her quarters and gives them the task of embroidering an entire piece of cloth to gain peace and not worry about their sons. She’s actually keeping them occupied so that they do not cheat.
Prince Hodong and Prince Ilyeong aren’t interested in the competition and are more focused on enjoying themselves. Seongnam and Bogeom have to find Gyeong-u while Uiseong and Gyeseong have to find Ham-deok. Uiseong receives information from his mother.
As Seongnam is travelling through the forest, he is attacked by some bandits and he tries to fight back while also receiving some help from palace guards. The guards get rid of most of the bandits and take back any evidence to the king.
The king and Queen are enraged by the fact that Seongnam was attacked but the King can’t move further with an investigation because the court officials suggest that it will look like he’s playing favourites.
The queen takes matters into her own hands and tasks the guards with finding the remaining members of the bandits who escaped. Meanwhile, Seongnam and Bogoem manage to locate Gyeong-u but he refuses to go back with them.
The king’s proclamation states that Gyeong-u is to be made the minister of taxation but Gyeong-u says that his blindness will prevent him from doing a good job. Seongnam says he can prove that Gyeong-u isn’t blind and ask for 3 days to convince him if he succeeds.
He points a sword in Gyeong-u’s face but the man doesn’t flinch. Seongnam agrees to leave and leaps off the clip making Gyeong-u reveal that he can see.
The Queen takes the arrow of the bandits and tells the other consorts that her son was attacked and she’ll be questioning the captured survivors to find out who’s behind the attack.
She does this to spook the culprit into revealing themselves and learns that Councillor Hwang is also searching for the surviving member of the bandits. She tells the palace guards to tail the councillor’s men and find their target.
They eventually find the bandit and the Queen questions him. The bandit says that a man paid them to simply rob the prince but he was followed by another woman who gave the order to kill Seongnam and that the woman smelled like Peony and had a frog pin.
The Queen recognizes these traits as those of the Queen Dowager’s personal court lady so she pays her mother-in-law a visit. She lets her know what she has learnt and gives the Queen Dowager a not-so-subtle threat that she must not harm any of the grand princes.
Review
- The test created to select the crown prince is quite intriguing and it shows the creativity and calibre of the king because he knows exactly what kind of heir he’s looking for.
- At the halfway point, there is a lot of built-up drama and the series has been consistent with its tone. There’s been murder, suspense, plotting and scheming, childish antics and a blend of humour as well.
- The prince riding along the coast on a horse is a great bit of cinematography. It truly captures the action in all its glory.
Under the Queen's Umbrella season 1 episode 8
Director: Kim Hyung-sik
Date Created: 2022-11-06 19:30
2.5
Also Read: Under the Queen’s Umbrella season 1 episode 7 recap and review