Papel de Rainha (2022)

I love this drama.

I finished watching this drama and the scenery, costumes, acting, plot were just perfect. One of the best dramas I've ever watched. It took a place in my heart next to Moon Lovers. I highly recommend watching it.

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I love this drama. This really is one of the best dramas of 2022.

The queen will do anything for her sons. The queen will do anything for her sons. I also like that the king seems to respect the queen and her opinions. He seems to be fair and is not easily influenced by the scholars and the dowager queen. I'm curious to see what will happen to Grand Prince Sung Nam and Cheong Ha. Will they fall in love and be together?

I love Queen Im Hwa Ryung. The title of the drama really fits the plot. The queen protects the grand princes under an umbrella and I really like references to that. She is understanding and her support for Grand Prince Gye Sung was touching.

Great plot, actors, acting, costumes and cinematography. 10/10 for me.

Leia Mais

Mother of the Kingdom? Nonsense! Life of a Queen is really Hard

• Reasons to Watch:
- You like Historical Dramas that has equal amounts of suspense, slow-burn politics with a pinch of comedy
- Banter and Political games between the daughter-in-law and mother-in-law a.k.a Queen and Queen Dowager
- Amazing acting by all, the cinematography, costumes and overall vibe
- Handsome Princes!

• Things that became "meh" as episodes progressed
- Story premise seemed to make it like a competition between the Princes (think Hunger Games/Maze Runner, but Royal)
- But it unfolded as past secrets/wrong-doings and how corruption snow-balled to affect the present characters
- The role of the Princes was shadowed by Queen and Queen Dowager - so some might lose interest in the constant back and forth, on who was more cunning/sharp and gets the winning point

• Things that could be better [MILD SPOILERS]
- While there is an underlying theme of who is the main antagonist, some plots (like the rebellion) was dealt very lightly. It ended before it began when the time for showdown came. It would have been a good point to show case how a Crown Prince defends his kingdom, but seemed fizzled out to me.
- Avoiding the whole romantic plotline for the Grand Prince - it seemed completely unnecessary, forced and CRINGE!

The series stays true to its title. Throughout the series, we saw how the Queen nurtures as the Mother of the Kingdom, not only towards her sons - but also step-sons and those in need. She protects them when she takes them under her wing, but does not coddle them but rather allows them to grow - so that they may take flight when the time is right.

Even though the last 2 episodes seem highly rushed, it is definitely a good watch for those who like such plots and enjoy great acting, the star cast will not disappoint. Minus the meh moments, it would definitely be one of the best series to end 2022 on.

Leia Mais

The palace is full of monsters and everyone is trying to bring you down, take your position is not a completely new concept for the genre or this type of story. But when it’s done right, when all the pieces of the puzzle come together in a cohesive way and the narratives is full of well-calculated, fun political moves and clever twists with some very interesting characters and tense moments is sure a recipe for a good time. But it’s not so easily done.

Under the Queens Umbrella seems to have got this mostly right with some lighthearted quirks thrown in there to keep the tone never too heavy or dark. The tension and emotional beat of the story is never too high or too low most of the time, but just moderate. I would have really liked to see more humor with maybe a bit of a darker side to it, but that’s just me.

Although I think the tone of Under the Queens Umbrella is fun and the un-seriousness that is present within the story works well there is still a good amount of dramatics and intensity there as well. There is a balance to it that the drama achieves really well. The tone is never too hasty or inappropriate, but flows well with the scenes each time.

I would personally not call this drama a satire or a comedy with a gloomy undertone, which is what I thought the drama advertised itself as, but more just a light-hearted approach to palace life and the world there as well as the status of the women in there. A theme that has come up in various historical kdramas in recent years. But it’s a take that I enjoy quite a lot.

The plot is a little predictable at time, especially if you are very familiar with these kind of historical dramas. It knocks a bit of a wind from the story, especially towards the middle, and there never seems to be any particular point that the story truly gets at, or leads us to. The plot doesn’t truly matter; its all about the characters and how are they handling these obstacles that the plot provides.

Many of the characters are well written and interesting and I’m talking especially about the female characters in the drama (because most of the princes blend into one for me) who pull you in so you don’t really think too much about the actual plot but just how interesting they are. The cast is awesome. It’s like one big empire of great female character and there’s a nice contrast between them all, with a few other interesting characters in between.

But the main and most interesting characters are the queen herself, the concubines that wants to be queen and the queen dowager for me. And sometimes when the story moves away from their story, the central story, it became less interesting. They are the ones who are playing the main game in the story after all and shine the most. I would liked to see a little more intensity and depth from the women who work under them. I don’t think this story gets me as well as e.g. The Red Sleeve when it comes to this power struggle within the male-dominated palace in a very male dominating society.

I really didn’t care about some of the side stories about who will be the crown prince and everything else that the narrative brought, but it almost didn’t matter that much because I was enjoying the characters and their moments so much. This was a slow-burn character study to me. The goal of the story was to allow the characters to shine and not be pulled by the story, but to control the flow.

I just liked seeing these actresses being great at what they do, in these kinds of roles and this kind of environment.

Some stories are really driven by plot twists and fast-paced narratives, while others let the characters just pace the story themselves and have their movements. The Queens Umbrella is very much the latter of those stories, to me at least, and for the most part it succeeds in that. Although in The Queens Umbrella has perhaps a little too many supporting characters that perhaps distract a bit from the storylines of some of the more interesting characters.

Leia Mais

The great mother vs. one-note villains

A story about the effort and sacrifices of Queen Im Hwa Ryeong to protect her royal family in the middle of palace intrigues

So, first of all, the good: I’m really happy to see a sageuk representing a strong female lead in the Joseon Dynasty. The acting is phenomenal. Kim Hye-soo portrays the Queen as a warm-hearted mother yet a strong woman who can stand up for herself and her loved ones well.

The story is so good up until episode 7. This drama is really compelling, and I’m already attached to the characters. Hwa Ryeong really takes action to protect her sons. She storms through the palace at a breakneck pace. The palace intrigue develops as fast-paced as her footsteps and I’m on the edge of my seat! I love how it highlights the claustrophobia of the royal court.

Afterward, I was severely disappointed with the very monotonous conflict resolution: all about survival in a cutthroat court. Although it makes an interesting premise, the plot is not satisfyingly executed. There's really not much to tell than the usual jealousy between Hwa Ryeong and the villain characters, it wasn't an equal match. They do not give threats to our heroes. Another thing, I don't understand what message they want to tell regarding the story of the prince who seems to be a transgender.

If you're not a fan of sageuk, this drama might catch your interest. For me, the conflict resolution is a bit lackluster, but the pacing is great. The side characters have their own unique stories. The political intrigue wasn't complicated; the writer does well showing what's going on.

Leia Mais

|| OVERALL ||

A unique historical drama with a competent queen that takes matters into her own hands. As such, the story could get quite unrealistic as it defies the usual perceptions of what a queen embodies, but nonetheless an entertaining drama to watch.

**I recommend this drama to those that like unorthodox historical dramas. A mixture of lighthearted scenes and the usual political turmoil in palace dramas.


|| DETAILS ||

= Story =
*Premise - The story of how a competent queen navigates the usual palace politics, reveals hidden truths, and takes care of her sons.
*Genre - A historical drama with some focus on comedy and romance.
*Main plot - The main plot of deciding the heir, the king's legitimacy and the palace politics was nothing special as most historical dramas have that type of thing. The highlight of the story was really the queen not being the usual quiet, reserved, minds her own business, gets taken advantage of type of person. To be honest it was quite satisfying to have a queen this competent that can sleuth and scheme, while being so caring and wholesome. However, her flawlessness and invincibility felt like she was just smoothly sailing through everything. She always had countermeasures and always seemed to have the upperhand, which just didn't seem too realistic. I guess it had to be this way to save plot time for other story arches. Either way, I was entertained throughout and really liked the character of the queen. Another part of the plot I enjoyed was the competition for the grand princes which was fun to watch. On another note, it is very rare that both the king and queen are reasonable righteous people, not to mention majority of the secondary characters are "good" compared to "bad". Those that are meant to be antagonists just seemed very inadequate - as if after enthroning the current king the way they did, they lost their ability to do effective bad deeds. It's quite new and fresh, but again, unrealistic.
*Side plot - There are lots of side plots with the concubines and their sons, each of the grand princes' problems, and the whole Consort Hwang situation. It was a bit here and there, each taking part of an episode. It was nice to give them screen time but I felt like it didn't add much to the plot, and some might've even taken away from the story of the crown prince and crown princess which I'm sure the audience wanted to see more of. The whole Consort Hwang love situation and son plotting treason was a bit random, as it was just mentioned and nothing really came of it.
*Ending - Just like how everything seemed to go smoothly for the queen, everyone in the end just seemed happy, and everything seemed solved. Summarized the drama cleanly.

= Cast =
*Acting - Kim Hye Soo. That's basically it.
*Chemistry - Nobody can beat the chemistry between the queen and her thoughts. She just overpowers everyone and everything it seems. Joking aside, for the supposed main love line between the crown prince and crown princess I felt like it could've been a lot more if there were more scenes, also if the crown prince had more expression (sorry but his acting fell a bit short and was a bit dead).

= OST =
There weren't many songs, nothing really stood out.


|| A LESSON ABOUT GROWING UP ||

For children with loving parents / guardians, it feels safe and sheltered to be cared for. However, there comes a time when you move away from the umbrella and let the rain fall on you. That way, you can learn how to prevent the raindrops yourself. At some point, you grab the handle and can then shelter your parents / guardian or your own children. Alternatively, there also comes a time to let go of the handle and let the one you've always cared for learn to care for themselves or let them care for you.

Leia Mais

This show was a political drama - but it was also about Motherhood

I think for traditional Sageuk fans - this story may not be what they are expecting. Yes - the political elements were a key part of the story - but they were not the main part. This shows strength comes from diving deeply into the absolutely batsh!t things mothers will do for their children. Or what they ‘think’ is ‘best’ for their children.

We get to see this play out in multiple ways throughout the drama - because this show covers the many consorts of the King. This part is usually glossed over or romantized in most historical dramas. In UTQU, it is at the forefront, as each mother is putting her child in the running for being the next King.I cannot emphasize how important these depictions of different kinds of mothers - the good, bad and ugly - was to me. I felt for each and every character - even those I hated - in this show. It will stay with me for a very long time, and I really would recommend it.

Firstly, we have Kim Hye-soo who excellently portrays Queen Im Hwa-ryeong, a dedicated, loving, and absolutely spitfire of a Mother. In the beginning, her goal is to turn her four unabashedly troublesome sons - the Grand Princes - into dutiful, filial children. Her eldest son - the Crown Prince - is for all purposes perfect - studious, produced an heir, and heavily involved in Royal politics. Queen Im Hwa-ryeong has her hands full of very boisterous and mischievous sons - but I love each of them, and so does she. She went to desperate ends to protect each of those boys, her biological sons and their half-brothers as well. On top of that, she also truly wants to help them live as happily and authentically themselves as possible. She did this without sacrificing a shred of her morals either! However, the misbehaviour of her sons, is pulling the attention from the Queen Dowager - played by the absolute legend Kim Hae-sook - and not the good kind of attention. The conflict between these two mothers - the mother of the current King, and the mother of the future King, is the strong undercurrent of the show.

I think the best part of Queen In Hwa-ryeong's methods - in comparison to the other mothers on the show - is that she did not resort to backhanded tactics. Yes, she uses information and she manipulates situations, but never does she resort to harm. In fact, she spends a lot of her energy trying to find a solution that benefits the most number of people. This is in stark comparison to the Queen Dowager - Kim Hae-sook is a veteran actress, and she’s excellent in everything. Her portrayal of the Queen Dowager was so devilishly wicked. She used others - even her own son and grandchildren - to get what she wanted. She was the definition of a manipulative witch, caring only for her own wants.

I cannot talk in detail about the boys - the sons of the king - without giving major spoilers. Their individual narratives were fullfilling and heartfelt. My personal favourite was Prince Seongnam (Moon Sang-min) - for obvious reasons - I love a stoic boy with a hidden warm heart (a tsundere, if you will). He also does have the most involvement with the plot.

I liked Grand Prince Muan (Yoon Sang-hyun) and Grand Prince Gyeseong (Yoo Seon-ho) getting properly developed storylines as well, although I didn’t find them as grounded in the setting of the story as the rest of the brothers. I could see the intention - but I doubt that their stories could happen in history as happily.

I felt bad for the remaining Princes - especially Prince Bogum (Kim Min-gi) and Prince Simso (Moon Seong-hyun) - they definitely had the worst luck. How their respective mothers approached them and their upbringing was so interesting to me - they both cared so deeply about their children, but it showed up in the most misguided ways. What an excellent narrative choice as a comparison point for our MVP mother Queen Hwa-ryeong herself.


10/10 would recommend.

Leia Mais

Beautifully written and told!

This historical drama starts off strong and ends even stronger. The title of the drama is very apt in so many ways and when you’ve finished this drama, there is a lot of positive reflection when you think about what “Under the Queen’s Umbrella” means to all the different characters.

It’s not just who she is to her sons but also to the King, her daughters-in-law, her grandchildren, the consorts, the consorts’ sons and even the deposed queen. She was their shelter and it was heartwarming to see some characters change for the better under her care.

Sets and costumes were gorgeous. Cinematography was mostly good but I wasn’t a fan of the side ways angles. The story had the usual palace drama elements but with a fresh story and some interesting twists, it was extremely entertaining.

Leia Mais

get under the umbrella

WOW. What a breathtaking roller coaster of fun and intrigue. I'm partial to Sageuk dramas so I have watched my fair share and I have to say this is definitely one of the most unique ones I've ever watched.

A lot of times my frustrations lie with the cheesy left state minister and all the politics, but this was done fantastically written and woven with plot twists that you couldn't help but be captivated from the beginning to the end.

You won't be bored the whole 16 episodes.

Sure do I have unanswered questions like why are there no daughters out of this many wives etc but at the same time that would be nitpicky of such a masterpiece.

What I also loved is that it showed us a layer of the palace that we rarely see- the competition between wives and their children, as well as the real intense mothering that must be happening when you have nothing else to live for, but your prince.

The brotherhood was also the ultimate bromance!

The queen really stole the show. She was dimensional- loving, kind, shrewd, brilliant, defensive- every single thing you would ever want in female lead.

That being said- the rest of the cast was incredible from the princes to even the king. This show had heart, emotion and a lot of love.

DON'T miss this one!

Leia Mais