WM

So, so true.

I will take both Consort Jing and Ni Huang over almost every supposedly "smart" or/and "badass" female lead in modern dramas.

The list of female characters who are up to par with them is very short - possibly Meng Zi Yi from "Blossom" or Wang Chu Ran from "Are You the One?".

I don't even know if Ming Lan qualifies, as I'm currently in discussion regarding her character being dumbed down during the final parts of this otherwise amazing Drama.

Yeah, it was one of the rare examples of her usefulness after Episodes 11-12.

I finished it, overall rather disappointed, mostly because I had such high expectations of FL after the opening episodes.

She showed so much brilliance back then, but soon was levelled down to be just another run-of-the-mill matriarch (with a 1-2 exceptions).

"Blossom" is the well-known example and IMO is significantly better on almost all fronts - leads have better chemistry, there is no useless Love Triangle, the FL is consistently smart and useful until the end, and the final rebellion/war is like 100x times better.

It also doesn't have so many comedic moments, which IMO were really out of place in what was supposed to be a serious drama.

I liked her very much too; unfortunately, she was really toned down after Episodes 11-12 in strategic, forward-thinking abilities.

The moment when she opened the box in Episode 7, to show the ML she can do it without scratching it, and can help him if he forgets the combination, was one of the Drama highlights for me.

So much wasted potential later, ugh :(.

Also, the word "beautiful" continues to be heavily overused, even if I can accept someone having different taste/preferences.

Princess Agents was my first C-Drama a few years ago and Chu Qiao had so many names there. It was really confusing.

Now, of course, I learnt how to navigate this minefield a bit better ;).

Watch 1-11 episodes and then drop it :).

Yes, I liked it too.

But I'm still thinking zero preparation for childbirth was just out of character for her, aka she was dumbed down:
- She knew for quite some time that Aunt Kang has multiple bodies killed inside her family's mansion; Ming Lan even told it publicly during one of the family gatherings.
- After Aunt Kang orchestrated the poisoning of Ming Lan's grandmother and Ming Lan temporarily imprisoned her, she knew it's a full-on war.
- She knew how close Aunt Kang is with her mother-in-law, and how good her MiL is at manipulating people to do their dirty work.
- And her husband was away.

Is it really so much to expect from, clearly, a very smart and strategic person to do some preparations?
Instead, we got her maids not telling her anything about what's going on outside because she was in childbirth.

I wouldn't have a problem if Ming Lan were dumber on average; barely any female leads are on her level.
But if the writers decided to make her so smart for 2/3 of the Drama, then consistency should prevail.
There's no way that a person showcasing Ming Lan's abilities wouldn't consider things like above.

I will gladly exchange some dramatic moments and Cliffhangers for character consistency, both in strategic decision-making and Martial Arts.

Also, it's actually not about Ming Lan, but I hate how even the smartest MLs/Fls around can't find the right moment to reveal their hidden identity (or other important secret), because drama needs an extra break-up or angst.
I literally don't remember even one main character doing it the right way.

That's why I appreciate Lu Songli so much in Novel + Part 1&2 of the Vertical Drama, as it's a rare example of the female character done right from beginning to the end.

Good perspective, but it's quite common regarding female assassins, the one from "Song of Glory" had similar messy upbringing, or IMO the strongest and the most badass one - the FL from the"Veil of Vengeance" who went through much worse and was still stronger all-around.

Of course, she had the advantage of having an useless ML next to her, so the writers didn't feel the need to castrate her.

Unfortunately, the Ren Ruyi had Marty Sue next to her, and writers never allow FL to shine more in Power Couples.

You made it sound like I would enjoy it :).
Thanks.

Ooooo, this sounds promising to watch :)

Nope :).

She definitely had potential for it, but would need stronger/better writing, instead of the mess it was offered

I love it too, but wouldn't classify AJTL as one.

You are yet another person casually mentioning how capable fml is.
I think, I really need to resume watching it and make sure Micro Dramas won't steal my interest :).

Oooo, this sounds like a very intriguing advice. Thanks.

I don't even know where to start, as I pretty much disagree with everything :).
So, let's keep our differences.

But, what you called "expecting perfection" and "character growth", I call "character consistency", as Ming Lan was quickly established as an impressively smart person, with forward-thinking ability to look a few moves ahead. Especially regarding protecting herself.
It's the typical writer's trick (regarding someone's intelligence or Martial Arts in other scenarios) - let's establish someone as very powerful, and then dumb him/her down to bring more Drama into Drama.
The same happened to the female lead of "Prisoner of Beauty", who was just amazing in episodes 1-11, and then slowly, slowly was made less and less impressive.

Exceptions are very rare - Lu Songli is the most standing out example (even if not widely known), and Meng Zi Yi's character in "Blossom" is probably the most well-known, as she was kept on the same level for the whole drama.
Wang Chu Ran in "Are you the One" also qualifies, I think.

Cheers.

1) Accepting the concubine who later proved to be a highly skilled martial artist/assassin trying to kill her child, and it happened after Gu Tingyue clearly told her to reject all the concubines, and she even initially listened. It made no sense to change her mind.

2) But the thing I remember the most is her lack of preparation for childbirth. Every 5 episodes, she was talking about the risks of it, "the women's gates of hell", and then, with her husband on a mission and with an evil mother-in-law living next to her, she was totally unprepared for her attack (using Aunt Kang, and earlier possibly paying off some maids to spread rumours about her husband's death).

It bothered me a little bit when I watched it initially, and bothers me a lot after I read the novel and watched Part 1 and Part 2 of Lu Songli's adventures.

Unfortunately, big production dramas can't do without dumbing down female leads, no matter how smart they were initially, as they need their suffering, plus rebellions, tragedies, cliffhangers, etc...

I also hated how she lost her cool when begging the Empress to save her husband, and overall, and the whole idea that Gu Tingyue didn't tell her about the whole Rebellion Setup. The latter made no sense either.

Did Gu Tingye there also not tell Ming Lan about the upcoming rebellion? It's been a while since I watched it, but it was really disappointing and pretty much out of character, looking at the whole drama.

I have a question for people who read the novel.

I hate with a passion the "let's dumb down female lead, so the ML can rescue her over and over again, just because, you know, Romance and love..." trope, but Ming Lan was dumbed down as well, unfortunately :(.

She is still better and smarter than 95% of the other female leads, but it happened here as well...

As Drama first and Novel/Anime second person, I've started reading a Novel, which seems very similar but still makes it very interesting.

However, as much as I enjoy watching Ma Qiu Yuan's dramas and consider her a really good actress, I don't think she is as beautiful as the "nation-toppling smile" description in the Novel.

But then, who is? :)