AleksandraSucur

It's due to a genre the drama actually belongs to: it isn't a historical romance (the period of time is completely fictional and the romance is functional to sudden twists and turns of narration), it's basically a makjang (exaggerated unrealistic plot but with characteristic gimmicks keeping the audience constantly on the edge).
Yes, it is a good makjang indeed

No matter which Wei Rao is in front of him, HL will end up beaten, in awe and admiration for both of them... 🙂‍↔️
Btw, the reason why Jun Dai will always be outsmarted by A'Chou is that the latter acts anticipating other people's plans and manouvering the course of their actions. She anticipated Jun Dai will act through her grandma and mother in the palace, that's why she made LZ think she left for good (donating compensation goods and properties, leaving half of her jewels to Bitao etc). Once Jun Dai enters Lu family as Wei Rao after the switch, LZ will immediately notice that one isn't his wife...

But remember when we first saw her, she was intercepting LZ being all nice and sweet, although he already had an engagement with the nasty psycho, no wonder the latter's condition came to surface in an ugly way.
As for Wei Rao's mom (a daughter of the emperor's wetnurse) - as I've understood - she re-married none else but the emperor, as his concubine or secondary consort. The emperor gave riches and a noble title to his wetnurse (whose original family are merchants, a lower class), that entire family looks like they are after power and riches so there's no wonder other noble families snub them, they aren't integrated in the noble class and we still have no clue of the relationship between the emperor and the nobles (generals, grandtutor, ministers) in the court.

I've thought Han the Botox Lip would suffer a headache 🤦‍♀️for a few episodes. I truly didn't see that blow coming... I know she is bloodthirst nasty 😈 but she is still a noble lady while her headbutt looked as it came right from a darkest dockland tavern after midnight... The entire scene had me in stitches, I'll remember it for sure😂😂😂

Indeed. I also wonder for how many episodes they'll drag with this repetitive pattern

Talking about women playing victims...
Thank you for having proved that was the real issue.

Her responsibility are HER actions. You and Tricmic evidently condone.
I'm not blaming assault on the victim. I've spent a good part of my life in the courtroom, dealing with REAL victims of abuses - a completely different kind of persons and not necessarily in "disadvantageous position" like Pingjun... and distinguishing fake ones (some times, that also happens, persons prone to manipulate men with every mean, including children) from those who really need all the support, empathy and justice.

For your info, all real victims have one thing in common: they all FEAR their aggressors. Pingjun NEVER, not even for a second, feared the ML. But she would also never take him to the courtroom asserting nonsense as many commentators here. She toys with him, renegotiating terms and positions, that's a part of their toxic love game in which - I pity the man, thing that rarely occurs.

Now, the problem is the lenght of my answer to you. Well, I've opened this thread with my comment and the list of questions "would you do....?", it's only natural I've put a certain effort to reply people who willingly participate in the discussion below.
Btw, you never even tried to answer those question. If you try (don't feel forced to write them here, write them only if you are willing), you'll notice why "who blurred the boundaries that separate official from intimate relationship " first is important.
I'm well aware of her "complicated feelings" due to her disadvantageous position, but what you've said above for the ML that HE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CHOICES HE MAKES - applies to every person, man or woman, including women in disadvantageous position like her. I hope you'll agree with me at least on that. If your choice and firm decision was not to have anything to do with this person once you've concluded the agreement on the fake relationship, you can't publicly offend him in HIS theatre, you can't barge into his office talking things you have no idea about, asking things from him (his long term friend, an opera singer from the same troup didn't dare) and when he rejects you, start offending him again.

Of course I disagree with you: you say she can cross the boundaries at her pleasure, bc she is a woman with "complicated feelings", in disadvantage and as such - irresponsible for her actions and choices, while a "man shouldn't ever cross the boundary" no matter what. You've said you're a teacher, I hope you don't teach such nonsense to your students, especially female students.

Where, when I've ever stated "a woman wearing a miniskirt is asking to be sexually assaulted"? I certainly don't think a woman wearing a miniskirt is asking such a thing, on the contrary, I think (and I wear) anything she (the woman) think she should wear.
Lacking the arguments to counter mine, you start to twist and mix things which have nothing to do with the specific relationship between the leads of this specific drama: namely, there are no miniskirts, so let's dismiss that first.

How she behaves is a big issue. You call her verbal and physical violence, constant provocations, change of minds, push and pulls etc. "mistakes", only bc she is a woman. Who gives HER the right to treat him in such a way, such a CLOSE way as there were "no boundaries between them"? A.: her confidence she can do so, bc his feelings won't allow him to retaliate.

As for her "knowingly puts herself in a risky situation", you attribute it to her "desperation", while I don't buy it at all (the reasons are above). It indeed "doesn’t give anyone the right to violate her boundaries", but this is not the case here either, bc the reason why she put herself in such a situation is there are no boundaries between them, she removed them herself and for first.

I've got your point even before, and I am not making excuses or justification for YCX. We are just viewers who are evaluating what's going on between them. In your assessment - which is mainly grounded on generic abstract notions, not on what really happened in the car - there was a sexual violence or an attempted one. That assessment is wrong for several reasons, but the most obvious is: there's no victim of any abuse, so you cannot even incriminate him. What happened in the car was a sort of re-negotiation of their relationship after she asked him "a favour". He proposed an exchange, offered her again to be his mistress (and to forget about the other guy after he sets him free), she rebuked she is going to marry that guy, he first tried to reason "look, you can't marry a dead guy", she started to preach and insult him, he tried to make her reason by kissing her, was rejected, stabbed and threatened with her life. She got out of the car and then shouted her terms: "I want love" (confirming MY ASSESSMENT: she was playing hard to get). Yup, babe, but love won't free that man, he said, its my power you despise so much that can free that traitor. End of the story, no court in the world would condemn him (there's no crime to start with, no victim and no aggressor, except her who stabbed him), only on MDL there's a horde of indignant women shouting to the "outrage", how he dared to kiss her, to force himself on her!

Yes, when a person is short of arguments, the best thing is to retire from further discussion

You know, I don't think TLOA is in the "telenovela" category, there are no certain family dynamics typical for it, although there are competitive tensions (with a schoolmate who is ML's "official fiancée), family secrets etc.
But, like you, I also fear C-productions may turn to this category, I'm currently watching another airing "period" (actually, totally fictional) drama which has many many traits of typical telenovela. I'm on the edge to drop it, but it just started, I'll give it a chance for a few more eps

So, your answer on my Q what specifically is unjustifiable is basically his misconduct in the car, although even you can EXPLAIN that misconduct.
In your opinion: when she "misconducts" - she "makes 'honest' mistakes" (poor girl, she is desperate, and we shouldn't measure the quantity of her desperation), when he "misconducts" - he is unjustifiable!!! From the series: woman is always right (and bears 0 responsibility whatever the case) and man is always wrong.

Well, I see her behaviour very differently. Her bias and blind self confidence makes her believe everythings she does has a high moral ground, her "gut feeling" can't be wrong (which is almost always wrong, btw) so much that she is ready to die for it in any moment, for whatever reason (let's remember her covering for a person who attempted to kill YCX), applying pretty much double standards as you do.
She is aware (and was well aware even before he admitted he can't get her out of his mind) she can do everything I've pointed out above without ANY SERIOUS CONSEQUENCE BC. HE HAS FEELINGS FOR HER. She is a hypocrite who tries to manipulate him, to use him (and his power, she despises so much until it serves her) with those feelings to get WHAT SHE WANTS and to deny to him WHAT HE WANTS. So much for her "high moral grounds", when she gets out of the car, she shouts (unconsciously revealing she also desires him, so the whole situation in the car was clear to her): what I want is love! While you are here thinking of her as an innocent, desperate, impulsive girl at the end of her rope bc he tried with her in the car, she was negotiating terms of her relationship with YCX...

That's fine. Enjoy! 🙂

what exactly is "unjustifiable" in YCX's behaviour, in your opinion?
In those times, entering his car meant she was submitting to him, just asking him a favour meant he can do whatever he wanted with her. She was shocked he wanted s*x? Well, I wasn't, given the fact he repeated his offer to be his mistress (a normal thing at the time, not uncommon even today). She expected him to be a gentleman? I wasn't, from the start, it was clear YCX is a dangerous man who doesn't bother much about the means to obtain his goals. Besides, he told her expressly he wasn't.

As for "desperately trying to save her fiancé from execution while caring for her critically ill mother". If she was so desperate to save her fiancé, why didn't she offer her body in exchange, she knows what YCX wants. No, she wasn't desperate at all. She was counting on her capacity to condition him even by threatening him with her life.
How does she care about her mom? Can she provide and afford her treatment? She almost refused when Gu guy came to take her mother to the hospital. If I were desperate to save my mom's life and having s*x with a devil could save her life, I'd do that, bc that's what a truly desperate person would do.

I can't answer your question bc I haven't seen Overdo. But I think I've checked the 1st ep, there was smth I've disliked with the visuals, colour grading, scene-cuts and the overall tone.
As for the time period... they are both purely fictional, they don't treat any real historical events, just using costumes and alluring atmosphere that evoke those times

I wonder how many among women/girls who came here to criticise CYX's behaviour would be so stupid to do (in real life) as follows:
- defy/provoke a powerful man you are biased towards over and over again,
- randomly yet frequently offending, insulting or belittleing him, even in public
- slap him (physical assualt) in public when you lose your temper and think your verbal assaults aren't sufficient,
- won't feel dying of embarrassment when you realise you've assualted him for no reason at all except for your bias. And will think your apology would settle the things between you even after he told you he wouldn't forget that humiliation,
- barge into a military commander-in-chief's office, incessantly talking to that person from some high moral standing ground about things you know absolutely nothing,
- will continuously change your mind about him, from despicable/shameless to "he is a good person in the bottom of his heart", according to which sort of thoughts you need about him in that precise moment and circumstance, keeping an ambiguous attitude towards him even after he made himself clear what he wants is - you,
- think the person as above will continue to behave as a gentleman, so you can use him when you need "favours" from him, although he warned you he isn't a person to be triffled with,
- when the things don't turn as you wish and expect, you will put your life at stake, including to threaten him with your life
- get alone into the car of a person who openly told you he is attracted to you, asking him to free your fiancé - who committed treason under the martial law - as it is just some "occasional favour" for him to do and offering nothing in exchange. Yeah, bc he is your bestie and not a person who sees your fiancé as a major obstacle to - get you... and so on.

I wouldn't dare do anything of the above IN OUR TIME. Not because I fear to get into a conflict with a powerful person, but because I am generally respectful towards any person (powerful or powerless, it doesn't matter) and not stupid not to take power into account: I must put a lot of thought, controlling my impulse, to strike and defend myself efficiently. If someone tells me he wants me - and I am not interested - I'll show my disinterest by keeping a huge distance, being cautious not to give ambiguous signals or counting on him being a gentleman when I shorten that distance.
In Republican era time - Pingjun's behaviour is simply unimaginable.

Now, after I've seen 1/3 of the drama with a predictable plot, archetypical characters and subplots that require additional suspension of disbelief (like a concubine who sleeps for years with a person she deems responsible for the murder of her parents, as well as her brother, wedded to this person's daughter), continuing to watch it would be a torture and a waste of my time, so I've thought of leaving these few words here for persons who, like me, wouldn't dare do anything Pingjun has done.

There was one older, Celeste siempre Celeste, Argentina, 1992 with Andrea del Boca in double role... I agree this drama has a lot in common with typical "telenovela", with the difference WTME will probably be just simple period family clash between the Cindarella scheme team and the Evil Sis scheme team with predictable ending, while telenovelas like CSC, set in current times, tried to introduce certain modern themes (like treatment of the people infected with HIV/AIDS, share responsibility parenting etc) and for that reason maybe they weren't a complete trash. I am afraid WTME could be a total trash...

not changing the calligraphy when writing the article wasn't a mistake? ML waits to arrest him only because he wants to catch his contact before, but Xue Ting will certainly be arrested for leaking of confidential military information.

You're right about the "straightforwardness" of that arc - that story was an account of the granny of the FL in the 3rd arc, who is the protagonist of the 2nd arc, so it followed a plain narrative pace of her memory.
I've written a review about that drama, in case you want to know more about the follow up of that story https://kisskh.at/profile/11598319/review/493750
Yes, they are different, and I would say they are different exactly bc they entertain in a different way: the memory account of an artistic person in Footprints of Change felt like a poetry, nothing was "messy" as you've said, while the characters and the plot in TLoA often test our nerves... :))))

yup, I can confirm that. Actually, that drama was way better, both in terms of historical accuracy and the plot, which went down only in the third and final arc

Where was Xue Ting trained to be a spy, in the kindergarten? 🤦‍♀️
Even I - who see the character for "corruption" for the first time in my life - could tell the final stroke was exaggerated. How could he not know YCX, who reads his translated texts every day, would ask and get the original manuscript of the NP article incriminating people from Yu army from the newspaper, noticing his gaudy calligraphy ?
This man isn't only lacking as a fiancé, he's lacking even as a spy.... One must really be a holier-than-thou Pinjun not to notice smth is off with him. And stupid like her to think he is easier to handle than a powerful man she constantly provokes (without any serious consequences except to drive him crazy).