Fen Chai He Dian Chang Xiang Yi (2025)

If all emperors were this dumb how would the real China survive 5 thousand years?

I like Patrick Quan. And that is the main reason I wrote this review: to redirect his fans to something better as I had never written a review for something this bad. Do not waste your time on this. The story in itself was a compilation of old used tropes and done in such a way that honestly I played at 1.5x and it was still annoyingly repetitive. I started watching because of Quan Pei Lun who is a decent actor and excels in the roles of villains (most recently in Gemini where he was very, very good). Alas, this production, even though it gave him the lead was so bad - starting with script, pacing, characters, acting and editing- I actually regret the 90 minutes spent on it.
This could have been a decent drama: imagine woman who saves a prince but does not know it's a prince because he lost memories, but stay together for 3 years living great life as married couple. He prepares for taking imperial exam and as soon as he comes to capitol regains memories and is swept into the life of the court, ultimately forsaking the woman after people sent to get her report she disappeared. Years pass and one day capitol is buzzing with a news of someone selling really unique oyster sauce. As now emperor ML tastes it (fond of it as his wife from amnesia times used to cook it for him). So he tries to acquire the person with that unique recipe only to discover it's a kid who is cooking his mother's recipe and his mother has been in a coma for years and looks like an old lady (she was pregnant when emperor left her and she aged unexpectedly during coma). Emperor is impressed with the kid, but due to gluttony develops allergic reaction to the sauce and so the court demands kid's/mother's life for poisoning his majesty. To make things interesting the "wife" or a woman who looks like long lost love of the emperor appears, but is only a substitute provided by the Dowager Empress. Miraculously the woman in the coma wakes up and recognizes her lover only to be ridiculed and repeatedly beaten up for daring to pose as Emperor's love. Needless to say the fake lover is trying hard to kill both the old lady and the kid. The emperor does amazing job to get to the bottom of things and saves both his woman and his son.
Well, if that was the story I may have given it 7.5-8 if played well. But what you will actually see is nothing described above. It is never ending fest of a dumb as a box of rocks emperor moves (summed up by the fake lover as "really useless") and people around him doing the usual rolling of the eyes, tight jaws, frowns and fake crying, with occasional murderous glances and vicious fake laughs (ha ha ha ha ha). Even the cute kid actor could not save it.
Honestly, watch the last 7 minutes and see if it will make you move. If not, skip it.

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