Summary
A jam-packed episode with plenty of twists and major occurrences.
We recap the Netflix K-Drama series Under the Queen’s Umbrella season 1, episode 15 contains spoilers.
In the penultimate instalment, Under the Queen’s Umbrella ramped up the stakes even further. Queen Dowager Cho (Kim Hae-sook) has returned to having the upper hand, Hwa-ryeong (Kim Hye-soo) appears almost helpless in her pursuit of protecting her family, and Prince Uiseong (Kang Chan-hee) has been caught up in all the drama in a way which could leave him either correcting his wrongdoings or going completely off the rails. No matter what, though, the finale promises excitement.
Under the Queen’s Umbrella season 1, episode 15 recap – what happens to Physician Kwon?
Picking up where we left off, the Queen asks Physician Kwon if revenge was always on his agenda. It wasn’t, with the doctor admitting he initially just wanted to know the details of his brother’s death before plans changed “a long time ago.” Subsequently, the Queen asks for information on the passing of her own son and finds out that Kwon thought of the late Crown Prince’s hyeolheogwol diagnosis as “destiny,” as well as the perfect way to find out how his sibling was killed.
Once the Queen hears of how Kwon killed her son, she gets irate, so the doctor apologises for playing a part in the death of an innocent royal. “But don’t forget, none of this would have happened if the current king had not usurped the throne,” he then adds, prior to an explanation of the life of fear he has lived in getting revenge. Yet Hwa-ryeong has none of it, simply labelling her as a murderer. “The death of the Crown Prince is only the beginning, Your Majesty,” Kwon responds, outlining how he is putting things in their “rightful place.” Again, the Queen refuses to entertain this idea and claims she will end everything.
After Physician Kwon finds himself pursued, we cut to Master Toji. Here, he is telling his group the rebellion is imminent, reminding his allies to check where they should be when His Majesty finds out his son was poisoned. However, they are duly interrupted by palace guards seeking to arrest the treason plotters.
While the King accepts the Queen may have evidence their son was poisoned, he doesn’t acknowledge that Physician Kwon is actually Yi Ik-hyeon. Later, His Majesty angrily asks someone to find the man who killed his child “at any cost.” Elsewhere, Prince Uiseong finds Kwon hiding at his residence, and Consort Hwang worries about what’s happening.
Continuing, Ik-hyeon tries to convince Uiseong he shouldn’t withdraw, stating that the rebels still have a chance at their aims by exposing what the King did. Consort Hwang’s son seems somewhat sceptical but accepts that no matter what, the autopsy report of Crown Prince Taein is needed for any execution of the grand plan. Meanwhile, we see the Queen actually has this coveted document in her possession, which she intends to guard until Physician Kwon comes to visit her in his bid to take it.
As the King hears from Master Toji that his “greed” killed Taein, meaning he will never be free, His Majesty gets uncharacteristically furious. “For 20 whole years, the death of my brother has held me back,” His Majesty details, elaborating by stating it made him work harder to make a “prosperous” kingdom to prove he deserved to be where he was. Toji rejects this hypothesis, though, wondering if the anxiety the King lives in is worth it and if “prosperous” is the right word to use given history could remember the man on the throne differently when the truth of Taein’s death is revealed. Following this, we watch the King tell a guard to find the autopsy report once Physician Kwon is arrested, then murder the doctor when it is obtained.
When the Queen is brought up to speed, she and Crown Prince Seongnam acknowledge they need to find Ik-hyeon first or risk the confession they require to bring the Grand Heir back to the palace. First, though, Hwa-ryeong visits Queen Dowager Cho to tell the swiftly shaken elder exactly who Physician Kwon is and how she plans to reveal the contents of Crown Prince Taein’s autopsy report. Then, a shocking request comes. “I want you to find Physician Kwon before His Majesty does,” the Queen says, promising the coveted document in return for her adversary being brought to her alive. Unsurprisingly, Cho agrees to this sudden appeal.
As news of the Crown Princess’s pregnancy spreads, Cheong-ha herself appears confused, and Seongnam is instructed to focus on his duties as Crown Prince as opposed to helping the Queen find the truth about his late brother. Concurrently, Consort Hwang is left to drink alone by other concubines, and Queen Dowager Cho’s status looks to be increasingly dwindling despite her brazen wishes to make her foes suffer when hearing of Physician Kwon’s whereabouts.
After Physician Kwon begins to vaguely allude directly to Prince Uiseong about him being his son (the royal is none the wiser at the moment, however), he informs the child of Consort Hwang that the rebellion will take place when the palace is at peace, to catch the King off guard. Meanwhile, Seongnam reads to his wife so she can sleep peacefully, then peeks inside her diary to find all the things she has learnt about him, as well as what she would like to do alongside him.
The next day, Crown Prince Seongnam visits His Grand Heir, reuniting with the small child he hasn’t visited in a while. There, the youngster is warmly told he can return to the palace when he is seven. In the meantime, rumours of the Crown Princess not being pregnant wildly spread, causing Queen Dowager Cho to directly confront Hwa-ryeong.
With the Crown Prince and Princess gathered, the Queen and Queen Dowager witness a doctor give the verdict that the royal heir’s wife is indeed not pregnant. Shocked, Hwa-ryeong wants to know why there was an initial misdiagnosis, which coincidentally allows Cho to put on a front of being newly aware of Cheong-ha’s heart disease. As such, Minister Yoon is summoned to give an explanation of why his ill daughter was allowed into the palace. Yet Her Majesty unflinchingly exposes what the Queen Dowager is attempting to do here and doubles down on her personal backing of the potential future “bold and progressive” Queen, who she will ensure gets treated.
Citing her concerns about potential miscarriages arising due to Cheong-ha’s heart disease, Queen Dowager Cho expresses her wish to have the Crown Princess deposed. Of course, the Queen knows this is a plot to have the elder acquire the autopsy report, something quickly confirmed by the coy, manipulative elder. Nevertheless, a flashback does show the doctor lied about Cheong-ha not being pregnant, meaning the Crown Princess is unknowingly with child. Concurrently, Seongnam is busy embracing his wife, assuring her they don’t need to have a kid.
When the Queen is told Queen Dowager Cho has made Cheong-ha’s heart disease an issue to the King, she hands over the autopsy report. The elder is smugly surprised, stating she thought her adversary would hold on to the document “until the end,” but soon finds herself taken aback by the suggestion there could be more records from that day in existence. We do see Her Majesty is on the back foot though, given the gajangsacho she was hoping to receive was already given to the King to be disposed of in the name of the “greater good.”
As the Queen sends people to look for the deposed Queen Yoon, knowing it will likely lead her to Ik-hyeon, Won-hyeong is asked by Queen Dowager Cho to explain why Prince Uiseong hasn’t reported Physician Kwon yet. “He must know who his real father is,” the elder smilingly exclaims, before claiming Uiseong will face death along with Consort Hwang for their tricks. Then, unbothered by suggestions there isn’t any proof, Cho reminds Won-hyeong “evidence can always be created.” Yet the Queen Dowager does provide one option to have the lives of Consort Hwang and Prince Uiseong saved: the Chief State Councillor can hand over Physician Kwon.
While the deposed Queen Yoon is promised by Hwa-ryeong Ik-hyeon‘s life will be spared if he is handed over to her, because of her need for his confession, we see the man living as Physician Kwon is already being lured into arrest by Won-hyeong. However, this is not going as the Chief State Councillor planned, given he is quickly threatened by the man now recognised as Grand Prince Yeongwon, then stabbed to death in a bitter act of revenge.
After the Queen is informed of Won-hyeong’s death, she realises Ik-hyeon’s next target will be Queen Dowager Cho. She’s right, given he’s already at her chamber, but the sneaky elder knows how to deal with the impending threat. She had her grounds surrounded, leaving Court Lady Nam to declare the man posing as Physician Kwon will not leave alive.
When the Queen belatedly arrives, she sees Queen Dowager Cho has set fire to the autopsy report, with the elder contently declaring that everything is over. In her chamber is where the real drama is happening, though. At first, Consort Hwang is told she was used by Ik-hyeon as part of his revenge plan and is presented with the blood of her father, before Prince Uiseong arrives to kill the man who has lived as Physician Kwon for so long.
Under the Queen’s Umbrella season 1, episode 15 ending
Continuing, Ik-hyeon subsequently falls to his knees, stating that he has failed, but Uiseong must “survive no matter what.” Following this, the dying man informs his son of his identity as his real father, calling him the true heir to the throne as he passes away. Shocked, Prince Uiseong drops his sword and simply stares at Ik-hyeon. Outside, the Queen is told of what will have happened, and the context of Queen Dowager Cho’s shady plan to have Uiseong kill his own father in exchange for the prevention of his treason plotting being exposed brings an end to the episode.
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