This review may contain spoilers
Glorifying wrong and polygamy in the 21st Century
The first episode of this drama immediately took my mind to The Prisoner of Beauty. Jiang Tao Hua, the Female Lead of the story, who is a princess/daughter in one country, is being married off to the prince of a neighbouring country. The purpose is for the two countries to make peace and possibly form an alliance. Upon arrival, she is kept outside the city gate and then attacked. Because of how the attack turned out, she could no longer marry the prince and ended up marrying someone else in the city, Chancellor Shen Zai Ye, the Male Lead and protagonist of the story. Shen Zai Ye hates her guts, does not trust her, and wants to kill her, right from their first meeting. Kinda like drawing from the first few episodes of TPOB, so I couldn’t help but compare a bit.
Jiang Tao Hua is smart, quick-witted, manipulative, and adept at lying with ease. Sounds familiar? Her new husband, Shen Zai Ye, is not that different from her either. But regarding good character traits, he did not have the same values, which Wei Shao, the ML character in the TPOB, embodied impeccably. In any case, the story in this drama takes its own course when Jiang Tao Hua arrives at her husband’s harem.
Although the beginning of this drama is somewhat similar to that of TPOB, its main plot and overarching themes are the flip side of those of TPOB. Having the ML in a story seek revenge after growing up and harbouring hatred for 16 years because of a very painful betrayal by a family that was once an ally. And this betrayal costing the lives of three generations of the ML’s elders. This situation is understandable and relatable. But to make the ML of a story repeatedly hurt and plot to kill a helpless woman whose family did him no personal wrong is totally unacceptable. Even if the woman schemes and is not straightforward, which is forgivable given the deathly situation she is in. To have the ML of a story do such is appalling. This latter story is what happened in this drama.
And with TPOB, the ML was always quick to realize his wrong and to make amends. He was principled, had a conscience, and cared about the people. He actually had a soft heart and only needed time and love to get over his hatred. Something his wife initially failed to understand and give him. The times he was vicious were towards those he knew had done wrong.
This is so not the case with the ML character in this drama. The guy, Shen Zai Ye, has no scruples and is ruthless. He is not principled in any way. The essence of being principled is that those principles and values check you when you want to cross the line from good to evil. You cannot have a character who has no scruples and is ruthless (merciless, pitiless), and yet say he is principled at the same time. Those traits just don't go together. And to make things worse, the character with these qualities is the protagonist, who is meant to be the “good guy” in the story. No way I’m buying this.
When supposedly good characters or protagonists in a story lie, are deceptive and manipulative, and even attempt to murder, without the scriptwriters giving any good or sensible reason. Not for the characters’ actions in themselves, or the situations in which they carry out their actions. But for their current lapse in judgment and negative approach to dealing with their problems. And then the scriptwriters make the characters do all these evil deeds to achieve a “good end or cause”. It is just terrible messaging. Do you have to do evil to achieve good? Or better yet, do you have to fight evil with evil? I believe the best way, with wisdom, is to fight evil with good; to overcome evil with good. And this latter way is ALWAYS available.
In my opinion, Shen Zai Ye, the crown prince, and the other prince who was involved with the evil queen in this drama are all the same. But, going back to what Shen Zai Ye and the crown prince did to Jiang Tao Hua at the beginning of the drama, one can say that Shen Zai Ye was worse than the crown prince in terms of how he treated her. When Jiang Tao Hua arrived in their city, the crown prince didn't want to kill her but threw her in the brothel to set her up with Shen Zai Ye. However, Shen Zai Ye went to the brothel of his own free will, although he was later set up as well. When he saw her, she revealed her identity as the princess of Beiyuan and said she had been set up. Rather than help her, knowing she was a victim, he chose to kill her right away instead. His action was illogical and could only be deemed sheer wickedness.
Then, as if that was not bad enough, Shen Zai Ye did not think to use his so-called intelligence to thoroughly investigate Jiang Tao Hua at the beginning to find out what she was bottling up inside and why. But he decides to use his people to kill her, a second time. If not for her wits, he could easily have killed her before knowing the truth about her. So, imagine if she was not quick-witted. That is not a good guy but a cold-hearted killer without a conscience!
It does not matter whether Shen Zai Ye became a better person or not in later episodes. It does not matter whether he investigated Jiang Tao Hua much later. The writers had already made him go too far at the beginning, which portrayed him as a bad character. I can't buy the fact that he later started to care for her. You don’t go from being a cold-hearted killer towards someone to being passionately in love with the same person just like that, even in 10 years. The cold-heartedness of the ML was taken to the extreme, with nothing holding him back except for the wit of the FL. You have already passed judgment and executed the defendant, and then you decide to hear their case in court afterwards, only to discover they were innocent. It is a little too late to make amends with the defendant, isn’t it?
Moving on to the polygamy. I can't stand it when women are made to fight over a man. I get that the story was crafted to be more realistic by adapting the reality of the ancient period it portrayed, when noblemen had harems. However, this was a negative practice or tradition during that period that wreaked a lot of havoc in the lives of people, families, societies, and dynasties. There were always bitter and deadly battles among the wives, concubines, and their families, all vying for position, power, and dominance. The same still happens today in places where polygamy is widespread.
If it is a must to reflect this reality to convey the sincerity of the story in keeping with the facts of the ancient period it portrayed. Then, for the sake of balancing this with positive messaging, it would have been better if characters in the supporting cast, or the villain, were the ones who had harems. While the protagonist eschews such negative practice even in the time he lived. As I am certain that there were some noblemen during that period who did not conform to the tradition and had only one wife. This was an opportunity for strong positive messaging, which this drama missed out on.
Rather, our dear ML, Shen Zai Ye, was someone who not only had a harem but treated it as a status symbol. He couldn’t care less that his wife and concubines fought among themselves to the extent of possibly killing one another. He knew how they were scheming against and harming one another but couldn’t be bothered about it. In doing this, the writers of this drama did not make the story reflect the reality of ancient times but rather gave a nod to and subliminally promoted polygamy in both ancient and modern times. It did not matter if Shen Zai Ye later drove all the women away, except for one. Again, this was a little too late given all that had been allowed to play out in the early episodes of the drama.
To conclude, the messaging of this drama is deeply flawed as it is one anchored on the misconception that 'the end justifies the means'. Regarding production, most period cdramas I have watched have had brilliant production and directing. This is the first that I have found the directing and editing to be sub-par. But the biggest letdown again was the writing. I still can’t comprehend the consistent problem with the technical aspects of cdrama scripts. It looks like it is a prevalent problem in the cdrama industry as it cuts across genres. I don’t want to go into the details of the technical issues again, because viewers and pundits in the field have been providing the same feedback in their reviews about these same issues with the scripts of these dramas. Yet, nothing has changed. Save for a few that dare to break out from the pack, occasionally.
I can’t comprehend how a lot of funds as well as effort are put into the production of cdramas, but obviously not much goes into the scriptwriting, which ironically provides the framework for the whole show. I’m more interested in the subliminal messaging and overarching themes of dramas, as you can see that these have been my primary focus in my review. However, when the script is bad, everything becomes a mess that almost overshadows even the best of productions. Now, imagine when the script and directing are bad. What hope do you have left?
Nevertheless, the actors were really good, and they did their best to deliver even in this drama. The industry undoubtedly has talented actors, both male and female. It is sad that these actors often have to work with poorly written scripts and find ways to stand out despite the numerous flaws in the scripts. I guess you can call it their occupational hazard.
As to recommending this drama? I really wanted to like it, but it just didn’t work for me. And even after watching the numerous teasers of other episodes, which were provided as the first few episodes were being aired, I still ended up dropping out at episode 6. Why? There was too much negative messaging right from the beginning as I have shared above.
So, if you love cdramas generally, perhaps you can go for it. But you may just end up wasting your time.
Jiang Tao Hua is smart, quick-witted, manipulative, and adept at lying with ease. Sounds familiar? Her new husband, Shen Zai Ye, is not that different from her either. But regarding good character traits, he did not have the same values, which Wei Shao, the ML character in the TPOB, embodied impeccably. In any case, the story in this drama takes its own course when Jiang Tao Hua arrives at her husband’s harem.
Although the beginning of this drama is somewhat similar to that of TPOB, its main plot and overarching themes are the flip side of those of TPOB. Having the ML in a story seek revenge after growing up and harbouring hatred for 16 years because of a very painful betrayal by a family that was once an ally. And this betrayal costing the lives of three generations of the ML’s elders. This situation is understandable and relatable. But to make the ML of a story repeatedly hurt and plot to kill a helpless woman whose family did him no personal wrong is totally unacceptable. Even if the woman schemes and is not straightforward, which is forgivable given the deathly situation she is in. To have the ML of a story do such is appalling. This latter story is what happened in this drama.
And with TPOB, the ML was always quick to realize his wrong and to make amends. He was principled, had a conscience, and cared about the people. He actually had a soft heart and only needed time and love to get over his hatred. Something his wife initially failed to understand and give him. The times he was vicious were towards those he knew had done wrong.
This is so not the case with the ML character in this drama. The guy, Shen Zai Ye, has no scruples and is ruthless. He is not principled in any way. The essence of being principled is that those principles and values check you when you want to cross the line from good to evil. You cannot have a character who has no scruples and is ruthless (merciless, pitiless), and yet say he is principled at the same time. Those traits just don't go together. And to make things worse, the character with these qualities is the protagonist, who is meant to be the “good guy” in the story. No way I’m buying this.
When supposedly good characters or protagonists in a story lie, are deceptive and manipulative, and even attempt to murder, without the scriptwriters giving any good or sensible reason. Not for the characters’ actions in themselves, or the situations in which they carry out their actions. But for their current lapse in judgment and negative approach to dealing with their problems. And then the scriptwriters make the characters do all these evil deeds to achieve a “good end or cause”. It is just terrible messaging. Do you have to do evil to achieve good? Or better yet, do you have to fight evil with evil? I believe the best way, with wisdom, is to fight evil with good; to overcome evil with good. And this latter way is ALWAYS available.
In my opinion, Shen Zai Ye, the crown prince, and the other prince who was involved with the evil queen in this drama are all the same. But, going back to what Shen Zai Ye and the crown prince did to Jiang Tao Hua at the beginning of the drama, one can say that Shen Zai Ye was worse than the crown prince in terms of how he treated her. When Jiang Tao Hua arrived in their city, the crown prince didn't want to kill her but threw her in the brothel to set her up with Shen Zai Ye. However, Shen Zai Ye went to the brothel of his own free will, although he was later set up as well. When he saw her, she revealed her identity as the princess of Beiyuan and said she had been set up. Rather than help her, knowing she was a victim, he chose to kill her right away instead. His action was illogical and could only be deemed sheer wickedness.
Then, as if that was not bad enough, Shen Zai Ye did not think to use his so-called intelligence to thoroughly investigate Jiang Tao Hua at the beginning to find out what she was bottling up inside and why. But he decides to use his people to kill her, a second time. If not for her wits, he could easily have killed her before knowing the truth about her. So, imagine if she was not quick-witted. That is not a good guy but a cold-hearted killer without a conscience!
It does not matter whether Shen Zai Ye became a better person or not in later episodes. It does not matter whether he investigated Jiang Tao Hua much later. The writers had already made him go too far at the beginning, which portrayed him as a bad character. I can't buy the fact that he later started to care for her. You don’t go from being a cold-hearted killer towards someone to being passionately in love with the same person just like that, even in 10 years. The cold-heartedness of the ML was taken to the extreme, with nothing holding him back except for the wit of the FL. You have already passed judgment and executed the defendant, and then you decide to hear their case in court afterwards, only to discover they were innocent. It is a little too late to make amends with the defendant, isn’t it?
Moving on to the polygamy. I can't stand it when women are made to fight over a man. I get that the story was crafted to be more realistic by adapting the reality of the ancient period it portrayed, when noblemen had harems. However, this was a negative practice or tradition during that period that wreaked a lot of havoc in the lives of people, families, societies, and dynasties. There were always bitter and deadly battles among the wives, concubines, and their families, all vying for position, power, and dominance. The same still happens today in places where polygamy is widespread.
If it is a must to reflect this reality to convey the sincerity of the story in keeping with the facts of the ancient period it portrayed. Then, for the sake of balancing this with positive messaging, it would have been better if characters in the supporting cast, or the villain, were the ones who had harems. While the protagonist eschews such negative practice even in the time he lived. As I am certain that there were some noblemen during that period who did not conform to the tradition and had only one wife. This was an opportunity for strong positive messaging, which this drama missed out on.
Rather, our dear ML, Shen Zai Ye, was someone who not only had a harem but treated it as a status symbol. He couldn’t care less that his wife and concubines fought among themselves to the extent of possibly killing one another. He knew how they were scheming against and harming one another but couldn’t be bothered about it. In doing this, the writers of this drama did not make the story reflect the reality of ancient times but rather gave a nod to and subliminally promoted polygamy in both ancient and modern times. It did not matter if Shen Zai Ye later drove all the women away, except for one. Again, this was a little too late given all that had been allowed to play out in the early episodes of the drama.
To conclude, the messaging of this drama is deeply flawed as it is one anchored on the misconception that 'the end justifies the means'. Regarding production, most period cdramas I have watched have had brilliant production and directing. This is the first that I have found the directing and editing to be sub-par. But the biggest letdown again was the writing. I still can’t comprehend the consistent problem with the technical aspects of cdrama scripts. It looks like it is a prevalent problem in the cdrama industry as it cuts across genres. I don’t want to go into the details of the technical issues again, because viewers and pundits in the field have been providing the same feedback in their reviews about these same issues with the scripts of these dramas. Yet, nothing has changed. Save for a few that dare to break out from the pack, occasionally.
I can’t comprehend how a lot of funds as well as effort are put into the production of cdramas, but obviously not much goes into the scriptwriting, which ironically provides the framework for the whole show. I’m more interested in the subliminal messaging and overarching themes of dramas, as you can see that these have been my primary focus in my review. However, when the script is bad, everything becomes a mess that almost overshadows even the best of productions. Now, imagine when the script and directing are bad. What hope do you have left?
Nevertheless, the actors were really good, and they did their best to deliver even in this drama. The industry undoubtedly has talented actors, both male and female. It is sad that these actors often have to work with poorly written scripts and find ways to stand out despite the numerous flaws in the scripts. I guess you can call it their occupational hazard.
As to recommending this drama? I really wanted to like it, but it just didn’t work for me. And even after watching the numerous teasers of other episodes, which were provided as the first few episodes were being aired, I still ended up dropping out at episode 6. Why? There was too much negative messaging right from the beginning as I have shared above.
So, if you love cdramas generally, perhaps you can go for it. But you may just end up wasting your time.
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