Queen Woo – K-drama Episode 8 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

The Unavoidable War

Queen Woo episode 8 starts with a flashback to 18 years ago when King Go Na-mu slit his brother’s nose. He spared his brother’s life but still needed to send a message to anyone else thinking of committing treason. Now, the Crown Prince is back, looking to reclaim the throne after joining hands with Bal-ki. 

At the palace, Mo-chi refuses to accept his pay and pledges his life to the queen. She gives him a special pardon and allows him to rejoin the Wangdang. The team moves forward with their plans to win the war.

Eul Pa-so is wary if they will win because the odds are against them. However, the queen is determined to prove herself and win the war at all costs. She is prepared to abandon the capital if it means she will save her people.

What is the Queen’s plan to win the war?

Mu-gol suggests they quickly try to win the five clans. The queen sends each clan the swords their ancestors sent to pledge their loyalty to King Chu-mo. She asks them to honour their ancestors’ pledge and not break the vow.

She sends the Jwa family a message, informing them of their daughter’s death at the hands of Bal-ki. This helps her gain their trust and support. She also gets the support of the Eastern families led by Seol-joo.

Seol-joo only takes the queen’s side because she believes she will marry Yeon-woo. Based on the evidence, she is most likely the one who was working with Sa-bi.

After learning of Sa-bi’s death, she orders her man to take the body and bury it. She also orders him to kill Sa-bi’s dad. 

Unfortunately, Bal-ki secures the support of the mounted warriors. He also gets the support of the Hae family and the Crown Prince. However, most of his subjects flee to the capital to get the Queen’s protection. Yeon-bi chooses to play it safe and wait for the war to start before deciding which side to take. One tribe refuses to take any side to save themselves.

The Queen also gets support from the citizens as they willingly prepare for war. Able-bodied men and women use their skills, such as sword fighting and archery, to secure the capital.

Which side does the Fifth Prince support?

Go Gye-su keeps his promise to his beloved brother Na-mu and protects the country. To do this, he chooses the queen even though he doesn’t support her levirate marriage.

While he has no desire to covet the crown, he feels Queen Woo is dishonouring his brother’s memory by marrying Yeon-woo. He begrudgingly agrees to it only after the Queen says it was the King’s last wish. His support plays a big deal in giving the queen a better chance to win the war. 

What happens to the White Tigers?

No-eum goes back to the fortress and captures Gye-su’s wife and family. I can’t believe Yeo-woo left his family without a second thought! He takes his captives to Bal-ki as an offering and a sign of goodwill.

However, Bal-ki goes into a rage after learning they failed to capture the queen and kills one of the White Tigers. It takes everything in No-eum not to attack Bal-ki and kill him at that moment. Ultimately, they join Bal-ki in his war against the queen. 

What happens to Song-woo?

Eul Pa-so gets information that Song-woo may be planning to side with Bal-ki. He arrests the traitor and promises to interrogate him until he reveals the truth. It turns out that the King and the Queen suspected Song-woo even before the King’s death. They recruited Mil-woo to keep an eye on Song-woo and convince him they were on the same team.

What happens to Eul Pa-so?

The king and queen were also aware of his betrayal. She asked Mil-woo to keep a watch on him and knew about his underground revenge room. Initially, the queen thought Eul Pa-so killed the king and was relieved he didn’t. She asks him to join her side and work together to bring a new Goguryeo.

He readily agrees and stands by her side as he heads to war. He realises that even as he opposes the war, the queen will still fight. It was her long-time wish to be a warrior, and it is now coming true. In retrospect, the king had once promised to make her wish come true. Sadly, it took his death for her to achieve it.

What about the war?

Bal-ki and the Crown Prince head to the palace, ready for war. Even though they are teaming up with the Hwa family, they still don’t trust them. The Crown Prince has been betrayed by the Hwa family before and is looking to get revenge after the war. The two princes also get reinforcements from their enemies. 

How does Queen Woo end? 

Queen Woo finally talks with her dad and breaks out of the box he has long put her in. She tells him that even though she is a woman, she will fight and protect her people. She is tired of being a chess piece in a male-dominated game. This is why she chose Yeon-woo, he won’t curtail her dreams. 

The show ends with Queen Woo joining her soldiers in the war. She uses the bronze sword she had the blacksmith fix. Based on the flashback of the war in the first episode, we can assume she has won the war.

The Episode Review

They better give us season two because the cliffhanger ending is disappointing. After waiting for 7 episodes to see the Queen go to war and secure the kingdom and her future, it is cruel to never show us the actual battle.

The show wasted the build-up and the momentum it had maintained in the past episodes. Where is the gut-spilling and bloody finale we were looking forward to?

Nonetheless, the show still managed to grab our attention. Queen Woo proved to be a formidable woman on the cusp of her freedom. Even with all the odds against her, she chose to fight for her beliefs and protect her people. And that is extremely admirable. Hollywood take note – this is how you write a strong female character.

We also have a few questions like why the king kept Eul Pa-so close even after learning his betrayal. Who is running the show when it comes to Son-woo? Do Bal-ki and the Crown Prince turn against each other? Which side did Yeon-bi choose? Mostly, we are curious to know if Queen Woo married Yeon Woo.

Ultimately though, Queen Woo ends with a decent finale lacking that cutting egde to make it an unforgettable K-drama.