Queen Woo – K-drama Episode 4 Recap & Review

The Enemy of My Enemy

Queen Woo episode 4 starts with a flashback to 18 years ago when the previous king summoned all of his sons to his deathbed. This was the first time Queen Woo visited the palace. Mil-woo welcomed them and led them to the King, where everyone was waiting. The King then declared Go Na-mu as his successor. No one was more shocked than Pa-eui by the King’s decision. 

In retrospect, we learn the King came to this decision because he knew only Go Na-mu could reclaim the land the Han Dynasty took from them. He also knew that Pa-eui and the Hae Clan were in cahoots to take the throne for their advantage. After the proclamation, an official ceremony was held and Go Nam-u was announced as the new king. It comes as no surprise that Pa-eui tried to take Go Na-mu down but lost.

We circle back to Bal-ki at his palace. He is plotting his next move, but Chang-heon warns him to be cautious. Even if he gets Queen Woo to forcefully marry him, he still has a wife from the Jwa family. The Jwa family will fight back and he needs to be on their good side, too. In a twisted and diabolical move, Bal-ki decides to kill his wife and her maids. His wife was already angry with him for refusing to save her dad when he was accused of treason.

According to Bal-ki, he can get away with killing his wife because her family is not that strong and there will be no barrier for him to marry Queen Woo once he captures her. He asks Chang-heon to head to the North and convince the mounted warriors to fight by his side.

Meanwhile, Myeong-rim sends a second group of assassins to go after the queen. He wants her dead and will stop at nothing to make sure she doesn’t return to the palace. Speaking of the place, things get tense as the guards continue ransacking the maids’ chambers, looking for evidence. The maid sent by Sa-bi tries to get information from Mi-ryu and fails. However, Mi-ryu takes note that Sa-bi is acting suspiciously when he spots her heading to Woo-sun’s room. He informs Eul Pa-so and they decide to keep an eye on the shaman. At the same time, Eul Pa-so reaches out to Yeon-bi from the Jolbon Authority. He informs her of the king’s death and asks for her help to protect the queen.

Back to Queen Woo, she and her entourage take a break to decide their next option. She has to choose between heading back to the palace or going to visit another prince. Mo-chi decides it is a great time to ask for more money for his services and is elated when the queen agrees to pay him double the previous amount. Woo-su tries to dissuade her sister from going to a different prince, but Queen Woo refuses. Soon the Myeong-rim assassins and the White Tiger warriors catch up to them. 

The White Tiger warriors execute the Myeong-rim assassins but fail to capture the queen. For whatever reason, the White Tiger leader is moved when Queen Woo protects Mo-chi with her body and they decide to pull back. Queen Woo convinces Mu-gol to take a different route after realising the White Tiger is after them. However, by taking the route, they seal their fate if they are caught, since they will have no way out.

In the meantime, the mounted warriors return home after the long battle. They are warmly welcomed and party all night to celebrate their victory. These are Go Na-mu’s men and he ordered one of his younger brothers to protect the Northern region. 

Another twist arises when Yeon-bi attacks Myeong-rim’s house and demands he call off the assassin. Myeong-rim refuses and she kills him without a second thought. She asks the next in line to call off the hit, but a message arrives, informing them that the assassins failed again. Yeon-bi is pleased that the queen survived and makes the family pledge allegiance to her. She demands to know the name of their spy, but only Myeong-rim knows his identity and he is dead. She sends word to Eul Pa-so that the Queen survived, but Mi-ryu takes the partially burnt message after Eul Pa-so throws it away.

At the palace, Sa-bi realised what Woo-sun had done after searching her room. She holds a ceremony to see the King and queen’s future. She is shocked to see a different prophecy from the usual one she sees. Sa-bi realises that she made a mistake and that Woo-sun was never meant to be a queen. This time, she sees Queen Woo staring at the crows on the throne.

The Episode Review

What went wrong? What did Sa-bi’s vision mean and will she pay for her part in this whole fiasco? We are also curious why the White Tiger leader pulled back. He went back to kill all the assassins, clearing the queen’s path, but will he go after her again? Will Queen Woo convince him to join her and abandon Bal-ki? 

Speaking of Bal-ki, I didn’t expect him to be this ruthless. He killed his wife in the most vile way possible and had no remorse. It goes to show that he won’t make a great king and the kingdom will be doomed if he takes over. What will he do to Queen Woo after she serves her purpose? There is also the question of whether the Mount Warriors will join Bal-ki. Even though it is unlikely, we can’t guess what will happen and who will stand with the Queen who has no king.

We also got a new player in the quest for the throne. Yeon-bi might be an ally for now but we don’t know what she will do in the future. As we wait for September 12th, we have so many questions as to how the Queen will survive this ordeal and rise like a phoenix again.