Flourished Peony

Have Seen Better

Not so much a review as an opinion.
I am watching episode 20.
Firstly, I do not like the FL He Wei Fang / Mu Dan, I did in the beginning, but she has become a greedy, money hungry person who cares little for other people’s feelings unless they are her best friends.

Understandably she had a very bad experience with her first husband and his parents, but she has become an unlikeable person and I really don’t understand what our hero sees in her.
Sure, it may have been her money hungry brain in the beginning, but as her ambition grew, so did her character change and not for the best. She is very good at trampling over our hero (ML) Jiang Changyang.

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I’ve watched a "power" drama that is actually a misery marathon of eating bitterness

I’ve survived watching the FL being beaten, humiliated, undocumented and harassed by another "waste of space" ex-husband while the Male Lead stands around like a statue for 32 episodes at approximately 45 minutes each.
Here is the honest truth: This show is a slow-burn slog of pure misery.
The Problem is the writers think "suffering = character depth." They’ve spent 32 episodes proving she can survive, but almost zero time showing her actually winning.
There is literally no payoff as we continually watch her struggling against those who face no consequences. Also like everybody else, I am a fan of the ML and FL from their time together in Gogo squid but we never get to see the Male Lead show any level of basic human empathy for her bruises and suffering and he remains a "cold strategist" for a massive chunk of the entire show.
The "misery porn" is why my fatigue has set in so early for this drama. Most people recommend Flourished Peony as an "empowerment" story, but they fail to mention that the writers use prolonged victimisation as their only way to create drama.
It is straight-up sadistic from a Western storytelling perspective. To me, it’s pretty demented and perverse. A complete waste of time; to the writers, it’s "character building." You are seeing the ugly side of a genre that fetishises the martyr complex..
it feels pretty disgusting that this show prioritises the virtue of suffering over the logic of survival.
The FL spends most of her time at the graveyard, burying her friends who are systematically killed one by one throughout the drama. Her mercy for these evil doers is not a virtue. It’s just plain stupid.

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Peonies are everywhere to you look

When I was waiting for this drama, my expectations were quite high. Already the first trailer after the end of filming gave an idea that it would be a really great drama and its ratings were quite high, even the opinions of the professional public were satisfactory. After Christmas, the first photos and other trailers began to appear, and I began to be more curious. And why not? The drama features excellent actors, many of whom I knew from their previous works. The plot of the drama seemed really interesting and surprising for me. I had the opportunity to see beautiful costumes, decorations, hairstyles and even the make-up style in the Tang Dynasty, which was completely different from today's make-up. Of course, I understand that at that time a woman only had to use what she had available. For me, as a European, this is completely new information that completely surprised me. I was also enchanted by the beautiful scenery in which the whole drama takes place. Those gardens and peonies! Of course I wanted to see this drama. And you know what? My expectations have been met, the drama is really great. The actors are absolutely amazing and Yang Zi, Li Xian, Miles Wei, Zhang Ya Qin, Hao Wen Ting, Zhang Lei and Lian Yin Yue are doing their roles perfectly. The production crew worked really great and all period artefacts are truly exceptional and refined to the smallest detail. I could certainly write poetry about this drama until the morning, but not all of us have that much time. For me, it is a really, really great and beautiful drama and I definitely recommend everyone to watch it if they have the opportunity. I know for sure that not everyone will to share my opinion (sorry, I don't believe in miracles even if everything is possible...), but how about giving this drama a chance to show its charm and shine to first. After all, nothing in this world is one hundred percent and perfect, nothing is just black or just white. Let peonies into your heart and see how much beauty they hide.

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note to self: try and avoid this writer's work in the future

they also wrote immortal samsara and ashes of love which featured some of the most insufferable fls in cdrama land. but i had to at least check this one out bc once again its my girl yang zi and just deep sigh.

i've watched 5 eps and tbh it is hard to empathize with mudan's plight. if she wasn't firmly established as such a sharp character then yes i could feel bad for her situation but girl even an idiot could see those people were animals and finna kill her at any point. she should have been long gone immediately her maid died (smart as she was she could have come up with an excuse) but she never saw them as a threat (the same people that blackmailed her into marriage, killed her mother without blinking, then robbed her and her family blind) or treated her situation as the grave emergency it was, and for someone so smart that is just unbelievable and makes her story unconvincing.

i think i'm just not a fan of this writer in general, its like they always have this idea that the fl should be complicated but don't quite know how to execute it while maintaining their story's integrity ( a la zhao paner in a dream of splendour) so one ends up giving way, in this case so far its the story's integrity bc what was she still doing in that house after the third episode?? why was she leisurely and casually packing up her stuff like her in-laws weren't unrepentant greedy murderers?

a few positives:
miles wei's chararacter - that boy got his head shoved all the way up his own ass it is hilarious! but the actor plays him with such a gravity that does not make him immediately despicable.
the lighting - warm, natural and gorgeous!
yang zi - she looked so beautiful i could not take my eyes off her!
the ml - he brings a certain liveliness that the drama needs

idk if i'm gonna continue this, just those first five eps took me days to complete. and the slow pacing isn't the issue here either, the story is just really boring and dissatisfying, and its best to call it early now bc i have yet to see one yang zi costume drama or any drama by this writer that had the appropriate amount of emotional payoff at the end.

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29

While the time period seems romantic and beautiful, it was harsh. The story is well written and it gives you a look into society of ancient customs. The character were are so well written that it allows the actors to pull you in and keep you wanting more. FML experienced, learned and grew. ML was man with money but not a bad person. The evil hussy that always apear in these as usual leave no room for pity. I do pitty the male butt wipe /ex-husband. Only because he turns to be typical rich only son who saw himself as gold only to be only as good as his parents deemed his worth. To forsake you child for connection is deep. Im looking forward to the end. I dont need a S2 because only depression can happen.

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Flourish Peony

Flourish Peony é um drama que me arrebatou por completo: sensível, poderoso e com personagens inesquecíveis. Nunca fui particularmente fã de histórias de época e sempre preferi as modernas, mas quando comecei essa, já me surpreendi com a qualidade dela logo nos primeiros episódios!

Mudan, a protagonista, é uma das melhores personagens femininas que já vi em qualquer drama. Ela começa a história vulnerável, mas vai ganhando força (mais do que já tem), voz e espaço à medida que enfrenta as dificuldades. Sua história é profundamente injusta e comovente, mas a forma como ela resiste e se reinventa é incrível.

Jiang, por sua vez, é aquele personagem masculino cheio de camadas: influente, sedutor, vive sorrindo e despreocupado com tudo… mas é muito mais profundo do que pensamos. Ele carrega angústias e segredos, tem uma bondade gigante dentro de si e cativa muito a cada episódio que passa. Gosto de como ele arranca risadas com suas expressões, suas falas espontâneas e seu jeito desconcertante. Mas o que mais gosto nele é que ele é o homem que deixa que Mudan floresça. Ele não é um herói salvador, sabe a hora de ajudar e a hora de dar espaço. Ele sabe que ela é inteligente, e astuta, e por isso ele a admira. O drama não se apressa em transformar a relação dos dois em algo romântico, mas trabalha muito bem a admiração mútua.

O ritmo da narrativa é impecável. Tudo tem tempo, sem pressa. As relações se constroem devagar e com profundidade, os conflitos com cuidado, e os diálogos têm muito peso. A crítica social é forte e importante: fala sobre casamento forçado, poder patriarcal e o silenciamento de mulheres. A mãe de Mudan é a raiz de sua força. Suas amigas são o abraço que a sustentou. Suas perdas a fortaleceram. As mulheres ao redor a acolhem e a inspiram.

Um ponto que não chega a ser um “defeito” do drama, mas que mexeu muito comigo, foi a quantidade de injustiças que Mudan enfrentou e que ao final, não foram resolvidas. Mas mesmo com as pontas soltas, também deixou a promessa de que o que está por vir pode ser ainda melhor. Aguardo ansiosamente a segunda temporada!

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