The fifth episode of the TBS Sunday Theatre drama "The Royal Family" (Sundays at 9 PM), starring Satoshi Tsumabuki, aired on Getsuku. The scene in which Sanno Kozo's (Koichi Sato) wife Kyoko (Kuroki Hitomi) visits the hospital bedside of Kozo's mistress Nakajo Mikiko (Nakajima Tomoko) caused a stir on social media.
◇The following contains spoilers
A weekly magazine revealed that Kozo has a secret child. When asked by Kurisu (Tsumabuki) to explain, Kozo revealed that the child is a former hostess, Nakajo Mikiko, who is currently recuperating in a hospital in Maebashi City. He also revealed that when he took her to the Arima Kinen race, Mikiko had once won the bet thanks to her keen eye for horse racing.
Kyoko, who was not at peace inside, went to Mikiko's hospital room wearing a pleated dress. Mikiko, who had been sleeping in bed in her pajamas, sat up and bowed her head, saying, "I'm sorry for causing you trouble." Kyoko pretended to be calm and said, "It's nothing. It's quiet."
Interrupting Mikiko as she explained that she had given birth on her own, Kyoko said with a hint of self-restraint, "I hate horses. Maybe that's why no horse from Sanno has ever won a race that I've gone to see. When that happens, I gradually start to feel like I've caused them to lose, and I start to hate them even more. It's stupid, isn't it?" Looking sharply into Mikiko's eyes, she added, "The horses don't care about me at all, but I do."
When Kozo and Mikiko went to the horse races together, Kyoko asked if they won or lost. Mikiko replied, "No. Because you seemed weak," to which Kyoko became angry and said, "How rude."
On social media, the showdown became a hot topic, with comments such as "A showdown between the legal wife and the mistress," "The legal wife is scary," "The legal wife visits her mistress in her hospital bed - it's hell," "Kuroki Hitomi vs Nakajima Tomoko is scary - it's horror!" and "Nakajima Tomoko and Kuroki Hitomi's acting gave me chills."
The story is based on the novel of the same name by Kazuma Hayami. Kurisu admired her father, who was a tax accountant, and followed in his footsteps, but she experienced setbacks and lost hope. However, her life takes a major turn when she meets Kozo Sanno, a horse owner.
