Flourished Peony

Good Cast and Crew

The casting for 'Flourished Peony' is excellent, though the filming quality can be uneven. The pacing of the narrative occasionally falters, creating moments of disengagement. However, the series boasts truly captivating visuals, particularly the stunning display of flowers throughout the seasons. This visual spectacle, coupled with the exquisite costumes that perfectly complement each character, elevates the production.

A significant strength lies in its portrayal of female empowerment. The female protagonist serves as an inspiring role model, demonstrating the importance of self-reliance and hard work. Her journey emphasizes the necessity for women to break free from dependence and forge their own paths. The title, 'Flourished Peony,' aptly reflects the themes of growth, resilience, and blossoming into one's full potential

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The Peony that will bloom despite the worse conditions

Infuriating exes, in-laws, families that care more about reputation than their own children, and patriarchy. What more can a woman ask for in the historical times in the Tang dynasty? This is an underrated drama and on a whim after starting two other CDramas that didn't really take hold with their storylines I decided to give this a try. I initially thought this would be boring but after three episodes in, you want this FL to kick her husband and in laws to the curb and blow it all up as she leaves.

I'm glad I did because the themes of fighting for how you want to live your life, female kinship, and courage are woven into the confines of what a woman is allowed or expected to do in a strict Confucian patriarchal period. Marriage is typically required for a woman survive and she is seen as a piece of property. She is expected to endure intolerable situations even with exes and families that take domestic abuse to a whole another level.

You have the ex husband of the FL who I will call the "Flip Flopper" and another ex husband of one of the FL's good friends whose nickname shall be a curse word that I won't post here. Watching it will make the steam come of your ears and leave you with some empathy for why the FL doesn't want to remarry. The relationship the FL develops with the ML is one where he doesn't treat her like a damsel and offers a contrast to her "Flip Flopper" ex.

May this Peony thrive despite it all.

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APPARENTLY THIS IS PART 1

First episode of this drama isn't catching, especially when unwanted wife (He Wei Fang/Yang Zhi) tries to navigate life as a good daughter-in-law persona in front of her in-law toxic household. Scorning husband to unloved wife with pushy mother in-law and ambitious father in-law isn't great to watch. But it gets better when Jiang Chang Yang (Li Xian) visiting the Liu family accompanying County Princess who were childhood girlfriend of WeiFang's husband Liu Chang and maintaining contact after Princess's recent widow status. He Wei Fang took advantage the situation and circumstances to be free from the zealous overbearing Liu family by getting a divorce publicly. He Wei Fang, the daughter of a merchant with the help of Jiang Chang Yang, who infamously known as the most corrupt in whole country, a divorced from a marriage where only benefits were exchanged. Liu Chang has 2nd thought about divorcing He Wei Fang, he's a weak minded man, an ambitious man seeking recognition and honor without working hard to earn them. His parent push him to top position with any cost, the Princess placed him to officialdom in the name of love but no one really care to ask him what he really wanted. Realize that all has conditions, he fells like a dog and start to appreciates more of his ex-wife who he hadn't been treated her fairly. But that's all where jealousy from Princess knowing that her beloved-fiancee is still pining over his ex.

He Wei Fang determined to leave, faking her own death falling into the cliff just to get away from her unhappy marriage and gone to Chang'An. Where she then survived from many ordeals to start anew. He Wei Fang relied on her superb skills in cultivating rare peonies and her extraordinary business acumen to form a combination of craftsmen and investors with Jiang Chang Yang. She started her business cultivating peonies and led a group of women who had a rough life to jointly run a flower shop and build a brand. While Jiang Chang is a money hungry corrupt official, people freely gave in to him because of his close relation to Emperor - not just he's wealthy he's also the right hand of Emperor so people hope to gain endless benefits by association. As creditor/debtor & landlord/tenant, these two entangle in deeply friendship not just about business but also in personal level. Understanding developed in both ends as they bond through hurdles in their respective life, knowing what's good for each other, joint hand to achieve goals and aim subjective purposes in teamwork.

Yang Zhi's character as He Wei Fang is flawless, with her dimpled-smiles she delivers acting with great personality. She didn't use her usual annoying child-voice like many in her dramas. Her character is a smart adult woman who's been through a lot in life, her wisdom comes from her hard struggles. I like her acting in this drama. Li Xian is compatible with Yang Zhi, very easy going and being a 'corrupt' official is his forte - he takes it like a champ. I think they both are best CP. I like He Wei Fang character, when she's in trouble - she didn't run to Jiang Chang Yang for help. His support of her all advise and tease while she made all decisions and actions. OMG...what a hairstyle! So big so tall...not to mention all the accessories hair piece and thick heavy make-up, the make-up so caked-up like you see 'Peking Opera'. This drama adapted from a novel, not precisely scripted but both novel and drama equally good so I can recommend to anyone to read the novel as well as watch the drama. In my opinion this drama can end on ep 30, the last 2 episodes can cramp in, it's soft ending as NO firework.

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Here for the plot of the show

I am completely sold on this show. The first few episodes convinced me that the show has a lot to offer. I mainly like how the plot progresses. I've been watching historical dramas these days and more often, female leads are often described as smart, wise, and independent yet I often saw how impulsive they may get and the male leads are more than willing to do the saving. Flourished Peony is different. The fl here bravely navigates the unknowns and the difficult times of her life. The male lead helped her a few times but those situations needed his authority. I'm excited for the upcoming episodes. I hope this show will remain its greatness till the end.

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For me ,it is a dull story.

Flourished Peony revolves around a girl who is forced to marry a man against her will. Her mother is ill, and the medicine needed for her treatment is controlled by the boy’s family. They agree to provide the medicine only if she marries the boy and transfers her mother’s property to them after the marriage. She agrees to the marriage, determined to make it work.

However, she later discovers that the boy’s family has no intention of helping her mother. Realizing their deceit, she begins to look for a way to get a divorce. Initially, the boy dislikes her, but as he observes her hard work and determination, he starts to soften and eventually develops feelings for her.

Despite his efforts, the girl remains resolute in her decision to divorce him. She never reciprocates his feelings and consistently rejects his advances. Parallel to this, she focuses entirely on building her peony business.

I found the roles of Li You Zhen and the male lead to be underdeveloped and unjustified. Overall, I didn’t enjoy the story much.

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The characters stole the show

I really enjoyed watching The Flourished Peony! The main male lead (ML) absolutely stole the show for me — he was so expressive, funny, and genuinely charming. His comedic timing and the way he delivered even the smallest expressions made him such a standout character. The banter and chemistry between the leads were amazing and felt really natural, which made their interactions so fun to watch.

One of the things I appreciated most was how their love developed gradually. It wasn’t rushed or overly dramatic; instead, we got to see them fall for each other slowly and realistically, which made it all the more satisfying. That said, I do wish there had been a bit more romance shown after their marriage — it felt like that part could have used more emotional and romantic moments to round things out.

Still, none of the characters felt over-the-top or dull. They were balanced well — not too extra, but never underwhelming either. The story had a great mix of humor, heartfelt moments, and subtle romance. Overall, The Flourished Peony is a lovely drama worth watching, especially if you enjoy slow-burn romances with great chemistry and a genuinely fun male lead.

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9.5 — i love women

it’s always been in my watchlist so i can’t believe it took me so long to start this series!

i really loved mudan’s character & how she was sooo strong despite everything she’s been through, but it’s not (like the usual stuff we see in other shows where it’s) forced and stiff—she allows herself to feel and be upset about the pain, only then does she get back up.

i actually like the slowburn and how it really focuses on mudan being her own person rather than it being solely about the romance, but the little crumbs were very much appreciated! they were so cute and it was really nice to see how they found comfort in each other, and jiang changyang steps in only when needed—he knows mudan is capable enough to handle things, but is still always ready to give a hand when it’s out of her control.

speaking of handling problems, this show is really good at making you feel so pissed and then evening it out but giving you a great sense of satisfaction because the antagonists (and it’s mostly MEN) get what they deserve. i also love how mudan’s not portrayed as a saint who shows mercy to everyone and allows them to be fairly punished for their wrongdoings—rightfully so, because they’re just pure evil!

and then the womennnnn!!! the main reason why i really started this was because i saw reviews of how it touches on women empowerment. it’s definitely biased, but this contributes for 8.0 of my rating and the rest makes up the 1.5 LOL

i honestly would’ve given this a 10/10 rating but i personally did feel like it was getting a bit repetitive near the end that i just started skipping/putting the show on 2x speed during the parts where it showed the antagonists and mudan going through it again. by this time i already know mudan will outsmart them, so i didn’t really feel like feeling annoyed at the characters (the actors are greatttt at getting on your nerves! i love all of them, they’re amazing).

overall, this was such a great experience that i literally binged the whole thing in 2 and a half days, but i don’t think i’ll be rewatching it because so many characters pissed me off that i can’t bear to go through it again.

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Please do not waste your time watching this

I want to start by saying a few positives to this first season. I enjoyed the OST, arguably the best part of this drama, the songs are beautiful. I also loved the costumes and set, all really gorgeous and lovely to watch. I also would say this first season is way way way better the S2, especially story wise. I love how the FL is presented as a smart strong character willing to fight for herself, doing everything she can. I also wanted to applaud the acting. The actors really did a good job here; whenever a character died their conveyed their emotions so wonderfully leaving me in tears and devastated even though we only so that character on screen for a couple episodes. The actors truly made them laugh and cry with them; if only the screen writing was better.

Now the endless negatives. The first being that out of both seasons, all 56 episodes, the leads are together for 7! 7 episodes! To say that this romance is a slow burn is an understatement, they had wonderful chemistry from ep 10 onwards in s1, it was completely unreasonable for the writers to put of such a key part of the show (I will discuss this more in my S2 review). Additionally, the whole story got really really predictable, with Liu Chang pining for Mu Dan, the You Zhen getting mad and harming Mu Dan, it just got very irritating fast. Honestly I had such high hopes for this drama due to its celebration both internationally and in the mainland, but it was so not worth it. Do not watch this please for your own sake!

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