Under the Queen's Umbrella

This is about a feisty but kindhearted queen, Im Hwa-ryeong (Kim Hye-soo), who would fight tooth and nail for her children. The mother of the Crown Prince and four grand princes, she has to protect her children from the Queen Dowager (Kim Hae-sook), court officials and other characters who are conspiring to depose her, the Crown Prince and her husband King Yi Ho (Choi Won-young) from power.

Aside from political intrigues, other parts I found interesting were the Queen's relationship with her children as well as their growing pains. The romance between swoon-worthy Grand Prince Seongnam (Moon Sang-min) and Yoon Cheong-ha (Oh Ye-ju) is charming.

I was not expecting such a good quality series when I started. It also destroys some cliches of the historical k-dramas. MUCH more realistic characters and dialogs than the other K-dramas. The character development is amazing. Some diverse touch in the event flow makes it also unique. I almost got the same pleasure with Mr. Sunshine and crash landing on you (which are my TOP 2 Korean series).

BUT especially..... the queen...... I mean who has done the casting? Is there an oscar for casting? Spectacular. Incredible queen character, great acting.

Only 4 episode left. I wish it was 24 episodes instead of 16.

An unconventional queen is faced with challenges on all side as she struggles to protect her sons who are all bought into play as factions within the palace try to gain power. The queen is played outstandingly by Kim Hye-soo who is captivating on the screen as she defends her family from many enemies mainly influenced by the queen mother played with convincing aplomb by Kim Hae-sook. I would have probably rated it an eight as it does get bogged down a little at the end but the extra point is for the two protagonists. If you enjoy court intrigue and like strong female characters this is worth a watch.

I can't wait until this show gets the views and celebrity that it deserves!! It was exceptional!! Definetly in my top 3 kdrama! The first episode doesn't give it justice but after that it's amazing! The pace is really good and the acting is fantastic! Such a great storyline and based on the few few episodes you don't expect it to toss and turn the way it does! Kept me excited! It's the first kdrama I have watched where I had to wait each week to watch each episode! I started getting really excited for the weekend to come. I strongly recommend this kdrama!! There isn't 1 episode that is filler. Hope you enjoy.

Only a few episodes have been released and I'm already stuck on this unusual sageuk! Great cast, a different view of the Joseon royal court, and some characters who are already catching my interest as to their futures.

I can't wait to see how the storyline develops, and am hoping for a happy ending for those who aren't looking so hopeful at the moment.

The casting is great, and as usual for Korean period dramas, the scenery, costumes and cinematography are outstanding.

I'm looking forward to many more episodes, but I wish that I hadn't found it so early in the screening process, since I really don't want to wait and would definitely binge watch this drama if they were all released! Recommended for sure!