Destined

Love that grows from strength to strength

A beautifully told tale of a love story that started out as an accident and evolved into a relationship of trust and genuine love. No unnecessary misunderstandings and jealousies to tear them apart was much appreciated. Instead their obstacles were the situations they were placed in.

A love triangle of sorts, the villain turned out to be victim of circumstances but the flashback sequences of him with the FL was sweet and gave you the usual “if only” wishes hoping he had it better growing up. The reveal during his end was not unexpected but good enough to tie up his storyline.

The star of this drama is the ML. Watching him grow from a carefree, playful person to one who sacrifices himself to fight for the good of the people was the highlight of this drama. Kudos to the scriptwriter for some of the most intelligent and interesting dialogue for this character. He delivers it so well and righteously in keeping with his character’s personality.

It was also nice to see the FL transform from originally resigning to her fate of just being a typical wife to having her own aspirations in business. However, this changes seem too jarring at times, one of which was when she went from crying on her wedding night to suddenly being extra gung-ho as she led men to the entertainment house to chase down the her husband. Brandishing a sword to get him was a nice humorous touch. However, her revealing all her marriage aspirations and how the ML ruined it in front of the many people in there felt so wrong. A normal person would have some reservations about sharing such private information in public, what more she had just spent years learning about a family’s code of conduct. Overly dramatic. (also found it strange she had no reaction when she saw her original target husband in the crowd there)

Watching her start her first business showed some smart moments but not fleshed out enough as she quickly turned things around after 2 weeks of slow sales. Not enough moments to make me believe she is this super business person especially when she was in the capital and when she was lying low during the 3 years.

One of my favourite parts would have to be in Wangdu and how the ML defended it with just 10,000 men against an army 10x bigger. I loved both his confrontations with his uncle here - perfect lines perfectly delivered!

Didn’t care much for the palace storyline with the new Emperor suddenly being sick all the time compared to when he was just a Commissioner. Liked the Empress Dowager and her daughter even less especially their senseless meddling. The twist here became too convenient and a few extra scenes on how it happened would have been better.

The ending was good enough, showing us what happened with all the main characters and how some of them still go on despite not having a spouse. A definite must watch if you are a fan of the ML as he was truly in his element in this drama.

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Is Destiny in our hands?

I enjoyed this drama 👍🏼,its not fast paced but well put together,the schemings and plot twist were not over the top or scattered,if you are not into political drama you will find it draggy,but over all it a lovely series.
Casting was good,i liked the pairings,,great acting from the leads to supporting actors,good interpretations of roles,,you could see character growth as you watch, its a drama i would like to rewatch😀
Now were i had tiny issue... The Ending,i wanted more from it,i was waiting for Gu jiu si's father to show up , 🤷‍♀️ then general Qin,she didn't need to die,imagine if she was made the only survivor while protecting the Zhou family ...those 2 roles showing up would have given the drama a grandier ending imo 😀😀...

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A drama that you shouldn't miss

I usually stay away from dramas that has more than 30 episodes but I'm glad that I tried watching it because once I started I just couldn't stop.

The FL & ML are smart, selfless and patriotic. Their love and trust for each other are unmatchable. I love how they are sorrounded with family & friends that share the same value as them.

I hate how smart the villain is just as the ML in this drama. It's like the ML & the villain shares the same brain but just have different values. The other is evil and the other is righteous who puts the country & people above all but it makes the drama more interesting and somehow unpredictable not knowing how the issues can be reversed.

I also love how I, as the viewer we're able to watch all the characters grow despite going through so much predicaments and near death situations. All of the good and relevant characters will grow on you as you watch them transform from young, free and idle individuals to outstanding heroes.

Story wise, it was well written. There were no unnecessary filler scenes. I didn't feel the need to skip or fast foward to other scenes despite having 40 episodes with at least 40mins duration. The story shows patriotism and how the characters navigate their way into overturning situations despite the villain's plans and hindrance. However, I feel like that the villain's story should have been discussed more because somehow his reason for revenge was not heavy enough compared to the efforts and the level of chaos he brought to everyones lives. He should have been given a heavier backstory so the viewers can understand his reasons well.

Characters- I love the ML so much! He played his role well and manage to give life to the character. The FL was okay but I think someone can play the role better than her. I feel like she wasn't able to fully embody the character the way the ML did.

Music - It was okay. I heard better music and ost from other dramas. Whenever I like the music used in dramas I always try to find it on spotify and add on my playlist. The songs on this drama didn't make the cut. It was just a regular song for me, nothing special.

Wardrobe - I notice that they only use few costumes on this drama and almost use the same clothes but I don't mind as the story are great and you won't really have the time to focus on it as you will be engrosed to the story.

I highly highly recommend this drama.

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Historical Drama Done Right (Not too slow, not too fast and not too much nonsense).

The show started of with being a simple forced marriage historical drama (which I really enjoy but are unmemorable), becomes a great character development show with business on the side (amazing); and completely plays an uno-reverse card shifting the light hearted tone and becomes a full on survival drama (WTF) and then to a series focused on war (I don't like fighting). I would lie if I was not burned out seeing too much drama on the show; however, it is the execution of all of these genres flawlessly that makes me appreciate the show so much.

I came into this show looking for something simple-lighthearted but left being exhausted and satisfied at the same time. The main leads had zero chemistry at the start and felt out of place in a historical drama but they really developed into something else in a good pace and believable manner. At the end no one doubted their love and bond and both became capable on their own rights.

The mother-in-law was the favorite character among all of them. She made some serious moves that not only felt refreshing, such as giving the female lead most of the power in her house-hold, but also gave her all the facilities to thrive in a male led business environment.

However, the villain seemed dumb as hell and came out of no where. His decision made no sense, as he wanted to help her as a friend but ended up harming her all the time. I don't get these one dimensional villains and why they cant have a life outside being a villain.

My main gripe is that I wanted more of their simple lives before episode 10. In other shows I feel jaded when they stick to one thing and nothing happens in most episodes but the director really took it seriously and really wanted to change things too much every episode. He did a great job at portraying the hardships is just that I would rather have less action and drama than lighthearted fun.

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Destined to be Almost Perfect - but not quite

Destined is divided into three very clear Acts.

Act 1 - which takes place in the then prosperous city of Yangzhou. Where a rich playboy, Gu Jiusi and virtuous perfectionist, Liu Yuru, accidentally get married against their wills. As is the case, things seem to fall into place and they fall in love and the internal chaos turns into external chaos. Act 1 was really enjoyable and the lightest of all the Acts. Along the way, they meet the righteous General Zhou Ye of Youzhou who they become sworn brothers and sister with. The beautiful settings and costumes were just a feast for the eyes and a delight to watch. Gu Jiusi's mother, Jiang Rou, was a picture of dignity and grace and life really seemed like it was too easy and happy.

Act 2 - takes place in Youzhou. This was the MOST enjoyable Act for me and they should have just stopped while they were ahead, honestly. Like I won't begrudge the writers for just stopping the show after Act 2. This wonderful Act saw how the family rebuilt their lives after an external calamity and continued to make good friends around them. The final few episodes of Act 2 were action packed, smart, well paced and thoroughly enjoyable. There were so many beautiful moments of trust, collaboration and cooperation between Gu Jiusi, Liu Yuru, Zhou Ye and Ye Shi An. It was such a joy to watch how they cleverly overcame all the obstacles that came their way.

Act 3 - the most chaotic Act. This takes place in the Eastern Capital. Honestly, half of me wishes I just stopped at Act 2. Suddenly I found myself in a palace drama full of conniving officials. It's like a completely different show just haphazardly stitched together. The drama was unnecessary and weird. Alot of the plot wasn't thought through. It was as though the writers had to find content to finish 40 episodes. The last death of a wonderful character was COMPLETELY unnecessary and let me very dissatisfied. It really didn't propel the plot further. It was just death for no reason. That was quite upsetting to me. Anyway the ending was a good one but it could have been happier if the good character didn't die (you'll know what i mean if you watch it). I also didn't like how Luo Zishang, the villain, was such a trope-y bad guy. He was too cliche. It was too boring. He was like the villain in Under the Power. This entire Act could have been improved. And the good person didn't have to die!

All in all, I really enjoyed it. To me, I would say this was a cross between Under the Power and A New Life Begins. Apart from the chaos in Act 3, I think it was such a refreshing drama and highly recommend it.

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The story started off really intriguing. The first 10 episodes just kept making me want to watch it more and more. The roles fit the main leads very well, and the drama was off to a great start.

I fell like when the story got to the plot or when the couple heads to YouZhou, the story starts to get really boring, and there’s nothing left for me to watch, I really did think about giving up but luckily I didn’t. The story picks up again after near the end.

I wouldn’t say it’s the best or a masterpiece, but the story is very good then drops then is good again. I mean it’s not a complete waste of time to watch it, but again 40 episodes is really worth it.

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JUST WATCH IT AND SEE IF YOUR TASTE BECAUSE IT IS MINE

*NO REVIEW SAID WHAT I NEEDED TO SAY IN THE HEADLINE*😘 but one spoiler if you stayed her mother is ill and the concubine made her mother bend down outside for the whole night and when the daughter and the son in law came the concubine was trying to act all nice 🤨 next scene they're eating and they serve this dish that the daughter is allergic to but the thing that get me is that the father didn't even know that she has allergies to that dish i mean you have to at least know what your so called daughter is allergic to but no he just sit there with a shock face and im think that the concubine or the father must have place that dish on purpose

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Watch for the romance, try to ignore the rest

Mediocre show with some intereseting moments, overabundance of sweetness and domestic bliss as well as suprising amount of brutality.

Storyline and characters are mostly mediocre, the level of intrigues by various baddies far from intelectual masterminds. This doesnt have to be a bad thing - a charming proof of their inteligence. Sometimes they felt like a necessary trope to add - e.g. evil concubine. Othertimes, the capricious nature of the bad guys was almost refreshing or on occasion even felt realistic (man in high position who are not eveil mastermind but rather short-sighted scared fools making lot of emotional decisions).

Unfortunately, the shows starts quickly favouring telling and not showing, which leads to tiresome amount of expository monologues or various repetitive dialogues used as characterisation tool (not always supported by the actions of said characters).

And then there is the blasted ep 17 that made me furious by its sheer idiocy. Well, if it was to be a proof of their youthful ignorance, I apologise.


SLIGHT SPOILER - mostly angry rant about the level of idiocy this show can try to present as sound economical thinking

Family moves to a different region for various reasons with the intention to reestablish their business and redevelop the region in very modern sustianable manner - crating a proper infrastructure that would make trading easier, creating various job opportunities in this new underdeveloped region etc etc etc. Yay.
There is lots and lots of talks how thousands of people depend on their business. This relocation is done not just by the main family, but the branches and all their affiliates. Then, suddenly, the main couple gets possesed by the spirit of student communists from the early 20th century and decide to give their wealth away to the governemnt (and you know the government is good because the local homeless community doesnt complain about them - naturally, why would they complain about governemnt that cannot provide them with shelter and food despite their refugee status) as a pennance for their sins of being evil burgoise merchants. This action is framed as something to help the region. Because, naturally, one-time donation accomapnied by aforementioned thousans of people who followed the main family to this new region with promise of jobs and home and are now without said jobs and home (their employer deciding to quit) is the way to go when one tries to improve underdeveloped region.

end of spoiler rant


Acting - nothing to keep you glued to the seat but not bad. Just be prepared for endless talks. Romance between the main couple - tooth-rotting sweetness, be ready for the most pleasant of diabetes.

And to cleanse your palate, you have the cruelty of the bad guys and rather brutal depiction of war and its consequences (at least in contrast to the harmonoius romance strylines) - which is a refreshing alterantive to the usual heroism. Given the drama´s tendency to grand motivational speeches, one tries to see some idea behind this and for the sake of my nerves, i decided to go with pacifism (a good thing). or maybe it´s just a tool to up the drama and hardships of the good guys. Most likely both are correct, even though not both delivered with the same strenght.

Overall, it´s not a bad show, if you concentrate on the romance and the domestic bliss and dont bother to think too much about the grand narrative and economical or societal theories presented here. :) and are fine with charming amount of ageism (mother-in-law is fortyfive and can´t stop whining about being old and useless. Well, at least she is not in her thirties, so some progress has been made!

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Illogical Story, Cute Characters

The bad:

-Very convenient plot points that are hilariously unrealistic. Out of all the places of certain characters to appear, in a massive city, they just coincidentally stumble upon other relevant characters, with no prior knowledge or plan. And this happens far too many times that my suspension of disbelief couldn't be maintained.

-Also, some of the acting is way too theatrical - namely, Gu Jiusi's right hand servant Mu Nan. You do not need to exaggerate those expressions, we can very well infer what you're feeling at the moment, dude. And even Liu Yuru sometimes, whose crying can sound like an adult imitating the cries of a toddler.

-Unrealistically tragic, to the point that things don't make sense. How does a single commissioner get away with massacring an entire city of nobles with the little army he has, and nobody in the city rebels against him? Really? Nobody's fighting back? He can just seize their assets without consequences?

-Another thing that is annoying is how long and dragged out some of the shots are. You don't need to spend five entire minutes zooming into every character's faces multiple times to show us how they're feeling, and it makes me laugh sometimes. If your audience is laughing at moments that wasn't intended to be funny, you've got a writing problem. You also don't need to spend ten minutes having a character verbally go into detail about how they're feeling, as though they're narrating their mental state as a therapist would describe it. Which is also unrealistic - it's very boring writing to have the characters so aware of their subconscious problems. Show, don't tell.

-Episode 23 was stupid as hell? Yuru barely disguises herself, goes into the HEART of enemy territory and thinks that nobody would recognize her. "They've only met me once all those months ago, surely they won't remember." Girl?????????? Do you think the enemy is stupid???? The next moment we see the enemy alerting their bosses about her. They're not even trying with the writing anymore, just pushing plot along regardless how out of character and silly it makes the characters.

The good:

-Gu Jiusi's actor is superb, if a tiny bit theatrical at times too. But I've seen him in other media, and he's a very natural actor. I wonder if that exaggerated style of acting is a preference of the director's.

-The sets are beautiful and the design of the costumes are splendid as well. But the rags they had to wear - where did they find them? Why do they look completely different from the clothes they started their journey with?? To make it more believable, they should use tattered versions of their previous clothes, not fashionably designed rags.

-The chemistry between Gu Jiusi and Liu Yuru is very lovely and adorable. Especially the first quarter of the drama, they had me laughing out loud at times. No drawn out misunderstandings, no immature jealousy, no petty fights. It's a very healthy romantic relationship that has you feeling all fluffy for them.

-I do still want to know what happens next, which means the writing isn't irredeemable. I think it's an interesting premise, even though it's still just your everyday palace politics cdrama, but there is enough intrigue to keep me on.

-It has tropes that I personally like - namely, the female character getting injured/fake dying while the male love interest doesn't know that she's still ok. Too often it's the male characters dying or getting injured to protect the female characters, so I like the reverse of it.

Overall:

I would recommend this if you're looking for something to watch casually. This isn't addictive so you won't be losing sleep or messing up your day schedule. It's good to pass the time with if you like something that has humour, tragedy, romance, intrigue, and don't care about using your brain too much.

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