How did the royal family educate the future king? Weaving the answers to this question with novel imagination, Under the QueenŌĆÖs Umbrella depicts the struggle of the queen of Joseon who has entered the ŌĆ£war of educationŌĆØ for her troublemaking sons. The devotion that parents put into their childrenŌĆÖs education has always been the same, in the past and the present, so at first, the interest was in how the education of the princes would be portrayed. But the more I watch the show, my eyes are more drawn to the love of a mother who becomes an umbrella for her children, just as the title suggests ŌĆō Under the QueenŌĆÖs Umbrella. Queen Lim Hwaryeong (Kim Hye Soo) is the busiest person in the palace. She oversees the lives of all royal ladies, from the queen dowager to ten royal concubines, and takes care of all the big and small affairs within the palace. Her dependable first son ŌĆō the crown prince (Bae In Hyuk) ŌĆō faithfully commits himself to education, but her four other sons are troublemakers called ŌĆ£the only flaw of a sage kingŌĆØ or ŌĆ£the kingŌĆÖs hellions.ŌĆØ Her sons who always cause trouble only give Hwaryeong a headache. Meanwhile, when the position of the crown princeŌĆÖs baedong (a friend who studies with the prince) becomes absent, the king declares that heŌĆÖll choose the new baedong among the princes. With this unexpected decision, Hwaryeong suspects that the queen dowager (Kim Hae Sook) is scheming a plan to threaten her and her children. Around that time, itŌĆÖs revealed that the crown prince is sick, and Hwaryeong must save her eldest son while turning her four other sons into ŌĆ£reliable candidates,ŌĆØ just in case. Since Under the QueenŌĆÖs Umbrella centers around the passion of the queen and the royal concubines for their sonsŌĆÖ education, the dramaŌĆÖs description as ŌĆ£Joseon version SKY CastleŌĆØ is appropriate. Looking at these ladies going all out to hire famed teachers, get information on the test through all sorts of connections, and even use home remedies and praying to help with kidsŌĆÖ studying, it seems like thereŌĆÖs nothing that mothers wonŌĆÖt do for their childrenŌĆÖs education. However, because of when this drama is set, the princesŌĆÖ education is considered more than the ŌĆ£success of the childrenŌĆØ and ŌĆ£parents saving their faces.ŌĆØ The ŌĆ£qualitiesŌĆØ of the princes are closely linked to the survival of not only himself but also his mother and his wife and her family. In the series, the queen and the concubines make their sons compete for the position of baedong, thinking that itŌĆÖs the only way their sons could learn how to become the king. And seeing the crown princeŌĆÖs deteriorating health, their preparation was the right choice. But because of this very point, Under the QueenŌĆÖs Umbrella is receiving criticism. The Joseon throne was succeeded to the first-born son, and if that didnŌĆÖt work out, the queenŌĆÖs other sons and then the concubineŌĆÖs sons follow in the line of succession. ItŌĆÖs been pointed out several times that it doesnŌĆÖt make sense for HwaryeongŌĆÖs sons to compete with the concubineŌĆÖs sons. However, Under the QueenŌĆÖs Umbrella explains this setting by stating that ŌĆ£it had already happened before.ŌĆØ The current King Yi Ho (Choi Won Young) became the king, even as a concubineŌĆÖs son. The queen dowager, who made his son to be the king, hates her daughter-in-law Hwaryeong and her sons and repeatedly shows her willingness to repeat the history ŌĆ£for her son and the royal family.ŌĆØ While royal concubines who are also the daughters of prestigious families corner Hwaryeong, the queen must prove her four sonsŌĆÖ worth not only with a plausible cause but also with their talents. At this point, the two opinions ŌĆō ŌĆ£the ignored verisimilitudeŌĆØ and ŌĆ£acceptable imaginationŌĆØ ŌĆō clash. These controversies and small historical inaccuracies are unfortunate, but thereŌĆÖs one thing about Under the QueenŌĆÖs Umbrella that captivates the viewers. All the characters have solid narratives, and the relationship between the mothers whoŌĆÖll do anything for their babies and their children is intriguing. And of course, the actorsŌĆÖ performance is impressive. In particular, Kim Hye Soo completely dominates every episode, convincingly portraying the character thatŌĆÖs both a dignified queen of Joseon and a mother who canŌĆÖt sleep, worrying about her childrenŌĆÖs education and health. In the episode in which the secret of the fourth son Grand Prince Gyeseong (Yoo Seon Ho) is revealed, Hwaryeong moves the hearts of viewers as she soothes his pain after making a choice to save her child. In episode 5, the crown prince passed away. Now with the crown princeŌĆÖs position absent, the battle to become the next king will begin in earnest. Hwaryeong stepped up to protect her son and her dead sonŌĆÖs family, and the grand princes who lost his eldest brother will surely mature. Who will be the next king? Also, whatŌĆÖs the secret of HwaryeongŌĆÖs second son Grand Prince Seongnam (Moon Sang Min)? I wait for the story to come, with many questions in my mind. ┬Ā Editor Seo Hae Lan: IŌĆÖm not picky and like all genres. I am in constant search of a balance between criticism and a fanŌĆÖs heart ┬Ā
