Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 18 of Mr. Queen, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Kim So-yong, Kim Jyung-hun as King Cheoljong, Seol In-ah as Jo Hwa-jin, Na In-woo as Kim Byeong-in, and Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan. 

We discuss:

• The songs we feature during the recap: Here I Am by Jo Hyun-ah and Conspiracy by Kim Deuk-su.
• How the episode starts and ends at the cliff and both the king and queen are pursued by Kim Byeong-in.
• How the king has an epic fight with Kim Byeong-in, then he evades being killed or captured by jumping off the cliff!
• The king is found by an herb gatherer, who we suspect is one of the Donghak rebels.
• The queen is upset and confused by the king’s departure; she sees the king everywhere in the palace through her memories.
• The queen embroiders CJ on a silk scarf; this wouldn’t make any sense to anyone in the palace since CJ is in English and the name Cheoljong wasn’t given to the king until after his death.
• How the queen figures out that the dead body that is supposedly the king is NOT the king. Now the queen knows that the king is alive!
• How Prince Yeongpyeong goes to see the queen, threatens her, and ends up imprisoned by Kim Byeong-in.
• How the queen, Court Lady Choi and Hong Yeon leave the palace to search for the king.
• Kim Byeong-in traps Kim and Jo family elders into signing a document that admits to their joint intentions to dethrone the king and enthrone a new one. This document is meant to force the two families to continue working together.
• The queen and her companions are discovered by Kim Byeong-in and his men. Court Lady Choi and Hong Yeon sacrifice themselves to try and save the queen.
• At the end of the episode, Kim Byeong-in traps the queen at the cliff and demands to show who she is and what she’s done with Kim So-yong.
• More hats from the Joseon dynasty.
• The ceremony called "a spirit on the roof," which is when the dead king’s eunuch climbs up on the roof of the palace and shouts three times while waving the king’s robe, "High majesty, please come back!"

References

• A Guide to Joseon Hairstyles and Headgear
• Visiting Joseon Royal Tombs and Funeral Customs