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Slow and tedious
Being a cynic and an unemotional person isn't a choice I made but rather it's an unconscious sensory output that seeps into many aspects of my life; consequently, I have less tolerance for things I deem illogical. Therefore, if one goes through my MDL reviews it might feel as though I'm just a hater who's never satisfied or is too proud. However, I genuinely find it impossible to process anything that calls for too many suspensions of disbelief.And therein lies my problem with Maiden Holmes. How does the writer expect me to believe this woman could have survived the very risky job of an investigator with barely any martial arts skills? For an investigator who crisscrosses dangerous terrains I would assume it would be a job requirement to know how to protect not only themselves but also their witnesses and nothing about whatshername says she has such capabilities. Yes, she is a sound detective who knows how to reach conclusions that solve cases, however, she's also the most uninquisitive person ever. Right in front of her were two people who weren't who they said they were and even with the copious numbers of obvious clues, she remained lost, unable to put two and two for four. This I found to be nonsensical and unbelievable.
Next, the FL was supposed to be pragmatic and sensible yet she lacked the wisdom needed to make her character believable as someone who could solve these cases without being constantly saved by the ML. She just bumbles into dangerous situations without forethought or any idea of how to save herself.
Thirdly, and with all due apologies, the actress playing the FL can't act. Mostly she has one expression and that is what she gives us from start to finish. She either looked depressed, downcast, or unhappy with the ML and for the most part, we got a rotation of these three with a few quick smiles thrown in.
Lastly, the dialogue. Oh my god, do these people ever stop talking?!! Something that could have been said with four words would instead be done with a dozen and this directly impeded the flow of the story which sometimes meant having to try to remember what was the original question or line of thought.
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Euphoric
From the people that gave us Joy of Life comes another expertly done series that excelled in every category, be it story, cast, cinematography, wardrobe, score...and pretty much everything. The only complaints I had were the poorly coordinated fight scenes and the fact that Zhang Ruoyun looked sickly most of the time. I legit had high anxiety from watching him physically struggle in most of the fight scenes.Notwithstanding, the plot was tight, the cast was superb and the cinematography can only be described as genius. Love, love, love.
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Boring
I had high expectations for this drama, however, the story that started off being so promising became dumber as it progressed. It was so bad I gave up by episode 22. Jeremy is old and it shows on his botoxed-to-the-max face. The supporting actors tried but with the script being what it is, they were never going to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.Ultimately, I've no interest in knowing how the main couple ends up together nor do I care about all the tiresome subplots.
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Sigh
I believe in the theory of six degrees of separation as much as the next person; however, the sheer number of coincidental meetings between ALL the main characters just left me gobsmacked.The ex-wife had an identical twin sister whom she'd never met but suddenly they run into each other at a car park and end up switching cars. The ex-wife is on the verge of a breakdown and the twin is heavily pregnant and was being pursued by dangerous people who wanted her dead, instead, it's the ex-wife who gets pushed down a ravine. Even though she survived she had no memory of her past and when she runs into a guy who turns out to be an ex-boyfriend, he took her into his home and gave her employment at his law firm.
It turns out this ex-bf is the brother of the woman who had an affair with ex-wife's ex-husband. Ex-husband is the CEO of the company that employed the pregnant twin and it was ex-husband's brother-in-law who had attempted to murder the pregnant twin.
Still with me?
Ex-husband's BIL had a brother who was a doctor who rented a room from the ex-wife's mother. The pregnant twin had by now given birth to a daughter who needed serious medical care for a rare disease and it just so happened that only the BIL's brother offered this treatment.
Even writing this review is making me chuckle because what in the af were the writers inhaling?
Anyway, now the ex-husband sees his ex-wife, only she's lost her memories and no longer remembers him. Meanwhile, he's still dating the woman (the aforementioned sister of the ex-BF who took ex-wife in) with whom he'd had the affair, and this woman was hell-bent on ensuring only she got the ex-husband.
And so the wheels went round and around for fifty episodes. Rinse and repeat. I was cursing the me who decided it was a good idea to watch this. Oh, well.
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Brain numbing
This was a solid 7 stars until episode 36 when our formerly strong female lead who was proficient in martial arts became a damsel in distress who couldn't even save herself from 2 guards when previously she'd fought off over a dozen bandits simultaneously. It's as if the writers took a hiatus and came back with amnesia and decided 'What the heck, no one will know that we've made her stupid(er)'. Secondly, the baby voice and random infantilizing of the FL were so gaddamn nauseating and idiotic. 🙄🔫I implore C drama writers to please stop with the stupid female characters.Lastly, the romance was toxic af but because the male lead was hot we're supposed to forget he kidnapped the FL and effectively ruined her reputation. Then there was the obsessive and unrequited love quadrangle that basically turned supposed teenagers into psycho killers.
Anyway, it's watchable but maybe turn off your brain and just take it as it comes.
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Sigh
By defiantly dropping the series at episode 39 (of 40), I reclaimed some of the brain cells that were lost while watching the preceding episodes. With each episode, it became alarming to watch a script written about really terrible people not being held accountable for their misdeeds. The messaging is wrong and unjustifiable even in a fictional setting. A society with moral fiber woven with amoral, greedy, selfish, and dangerous people will someday implode on itself; however, time and time again I see this messaging being sent subliminally by most modern C dramas and it scares me.Elise, Victor, Mrs. Quentin, Xiao Yu, Boris, Dr. Xie, and many more were horrible people yet not one of them got their comeuppance and for this I blame, Meng Yao, the screenwriter who, at 25, doesn't seem to have the requisite life lessons needed to fully flesh out such a morally gray story. As a matter of fact, I wonder if the screenwriter herself isn't a terrible person who wrote this as a wish-fulfilling prophecy.
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Intense
Yes, every positive review you've read about this series is true. The stunning cinematography, the dialogue (oh my god, the dialogue), the characters, the intricate and soul-ripping plot, and lastly the intense chemistry between the protagonists. The flip side of these will gut you at every turn: deaths, betrayals, fratricide, filicide, suicides, and hate. At some point, I just had to start laughing at all the betrayals and deaths otherwise I would have lost my damn mind. Heed the warning, do not attempt this if you have suicidal ideations or depression.Then there's the Emperor (Crown Prince's father) who is probably the best antagonist I've ever had the pleasure of watching. I hated him with all my soul and yet I waited with bated breath for him to speak or act because a mere flick of his eyes could deal untold hardship on those around him. I rooted for him as much as I wanted him dead. How is that not some insidiously perfect scriptwriting?
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Hopes dashed, again
The euphoria I felt whilst watching the first dozen episodes is indescribable. Finally, I said, finally I found an intelligent series with strong characters and an intriguing plot that was truly riveting; however, by episode 20 the story and characters moved from the palace location to the barracks where we were then introduced to the other players in the game. Thereon, it appears characters that were previously intelligent became stupid, and certain plot points that had seemed inviolable at the beginning were no longer so.How do the writers explain the Emperor and Empress sneaking out of the capital dressed as guards when the audience had been told previously that they were mostly grounded and rarely ventured outside of the palace grounds without permission? On the other end of the plot advance was Sima Yi who seemed clairvoyant and could deduce future events with almost no clues just because he was supposed to be the intelligent one. In a way the writers were their own worst enemy...they actually thought giving Sima Yi ( and to an extent, Guo Jia) all the clues without us seeing him(them) work through it themselves would make the characters seem smart. They were mistaken. It was lazy and unimaginative.
Enough about the screenplay, let's talk about the actors.
Wan Qian was the MVP of this series. She more than carried the show and had the most realistic character arc of the lot of them. She portrayed an Empress that was at the end of her tether and unwilling to go down with the ship but would rather find a way to right the rudder come hell or high water. Even I was on a knife's edge whenever she came on screen. All I can say is I hope she won an award for this series. Next is Ma Tian Yu. Sigh, I'm not sure I have anything nice to say about his acting skills. His face was either set at "resting stupid" or "slightly less resting stupid". His character was one-dimensioned to within an inch. There was nowhere for him to go so they made him run around in circles for the entirety of the series.
Then there were Cao Cao, Guo Jia, Man Chong, and the lot of them who were all caricatures of beard-twirling villains. If you want to see villains done right then watch Joy of Life or The Rebel Princess where even though you know these guys will kill their unborn babies to advance their positions, they could still evoke pity and even support from the audience. Objectively, I know these issues if isolated are not dealbreakers but combined, everything dragged. The pacing, the story, the characters, everything suffered.
While we're on this subject, did anyone notice when Sima and the Princess Consort fell in love? As in why and how? Lmao, theirs was the most boring and laziest "falling in love" I'd ever seen to the point I wish the writers had just left it out cos Elvis and Dong Jie had NO chemistry whatsoever.
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An alternative depiction of a maligned Empress
The word epic is often used casually but in this case it’s probably an understatement because this series was absolutely phenomenal.I don’t think there’s been a series that, IMO, is as riveting as Empress of China not even Story of Yanxi Palace which continues to have a chokehold on me.
There’re a few reviews with great recaps so I won’t bore you, what I will say however is that I did not for one second regret watching it.
If there’s one issue I have is the dumbing down of her intellect in order to make the audience more sympathetic towards her; nevertheless, I understood the intent seeing as how she’s depicted historically it makes sense to present a more benevolent monarch whose life story had mainly been presented through a patriarchal gaze in order to paint her as this monster who would kill her children to hold on to power. Therefore, this depiction makes more logical sense and I applaud the writers and cast for a job well done.
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Engaging
Beautiful Yang Mi and handsome Ethan Yuan had such amazing chemistry in this series, although Yang pretty much dominates this genre notwithstanding whoever plays opposite her. I thought the series was well-plotted and each episode, engaging. However, parts of the story that involved the character played by Gao Weiguang were so badly acted that I had second-hand embarrassment for Gao. I couldn't believe this was the same guy who gave us some of the best scenes in Eternal Love because he was just so bland on screen. Thankfully, the other subplots and characters made it worthwhile. Hate the ending but what can one do: you win some and lose some.Was this review helpful to you?
Fated To Love You is good enough
Fated To Love You was simultaneously funny, touching, and sad. In particular, Jang Hyuk, the ML really delved deep into the psyche of a manic, overbearing, yet loving CEO while, Jang Nara, the FL, tried her best with the pathetic heroine who despite being such a limp noodle managed to capture the attention of two very handsome, very rich men. Lolololol... who writes these things and when will they learn that not every series needs a love triangle?(Fated To Love You was simultaneously funny, touching, and sad. In particular, Jang Hyuk, the ML really delved deep into the psyche of a manic, overbearing, yet loving CEO while, Jang Nara, the FL, tried her best with the pathetic heroine who despite being such a limp noodle managed to capture the attention of two very handsome, very rich men. Lolololol... who writes these things and when will they learn that not every series needs a love triangle?)
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A bit depressing
Going into this drama and knowing there would be no happy ending was not a deterrent; nevertheless, it was a huge waste of the viewer's time to have to go through 80% of the show before our main leads finally got together and then the FL died but not before we went through the tragedy of her losing her babies.The only bright spot was, Lee Jun Ho, our male lead, whose face alone made the heartaches somewhat worthwhile.
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Dissapointed
I'm fresh from the joyous experience that was "The Master's Sun" and the perfection that was Gong Hyo Jin's performance as the woman whose life was derailed once she started seeing dead people. This euphoria needed to be continued, I said. So, without further ado, I jumped on It's Okay, That's Love.Notwithstanding that it's a completely different story, I just couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters and that is my baseline when watching these dramas. The writers should at the very least make them likable, especially with a subplot as heavy as mental health and PTSD. Even more so when the leads both have past trauma. All I got from this was an irrational FL with serious anger issues.
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Wu Leo and Zhao Lusi owned this
Edit 15/1/2024: Watching for the fifth time and still can't get enough of Leo and LusiWhoever wrote this story deserves all the accolades because this series upended most of the tropes that I dislike in C dramas and made something so refreshing and compulsively watchable. Leo Wu and Zhao Lusi were spectacular and the other actors played their roles skillfully from the first episode until the last, I was glued to my screen. I love this and I honestly don't think there's any series that even comes close to its brilliance. It's a must-watch if you like the interplay of comedy, action, and family drama. Perfection!
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Here’s my problem with modern C dramas. They’re terribly cliche and C writers have yet to understand how to make a rom-com without the usual rude CEO and skinny female lead. K drama writers on the other hand have such a variety of themes with tight pacing and unconventional plots. The lone exception to this in C dramaland would be the engrossing “Dating in the Kitchen” which I watched right before this one but I suspect that was because the main leads had scorching chemistry and the writers gave their characters depth, qualities that were lacking in My Bargain Queen.It might also be the lead actors who failed to delve deep into their respective roles because I’ve watched Lin Geng Xin and Wu Jin Yan in other dramas where they gave above average performances. LGX in particular was superb in Princess Agents while WJY was part of the great ensemble for Story of Yanxi Palace. Could it be they’re not suitable for modern dramas because it requires different methods of emoting? Anyway, whatever it is, they flopped big time and I would not recommend this to anyone unless you’re being forced at gun point.
Yes, it’s that bad.
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