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Ultimate JieJie/GreenFlag, "Blended Family" Romance
In a sea of shows featuring Red Flag MLs and Innocent FLs, this show stands different.
Overwhelmingly, the show is positive and should be watched, but there are absolutely a few glaring flaws.
Biggest Negatives:
😖 The male make-up and wig glue was criminal - multiple times it broke my immersion simply because I could not stop staring at the glue and white powdery face wondering if it was hot and literally melting off?
😖 Plot holes/inconsistencies before the end were mild but within the last episodes there was one period of time where the scene KEPT switching between day and night; and the events of the last episode specifically both appear to be days AND months apart simultaneously.
Biggest Positives:
❤️ Intricate balance of family values between old and new love ESPECIALLY with a child in the equation
❤️ A ML who isn't just a green FLAG but rather an entire FORREST
❤️ There is an episode dealing with how he deals with the the situation after he believes the FL's been assaulted and it is now probably THE best and loving scene(s) of a ML ever (*yes the scene before it could be triggering as it's definitely on the REAL end of the spectrum versus many shows doing over exaggerated "cartoonish" versions).
❤️ The conversations, arguments, and pleas characters have regarding their hopes for the future including the ending dialog (all nitpick flaws aside)
🙃So, what is the show about?🙃
Our main character is the FL; an "unacknowledged" Concubine of the Lu household, held there by her lack of status in society, her previous gratitude and devotion to her partner (2ML), and the daughter she shares with him.
The show demonstrates family politics in a realistic manner regarding the feelings of people who are in various forms of relationships with other people. It focuses on maintaining a level of distance between unmarried and unentangled individuals which means there is VERY little "true" physical intimacy between the leads. Perhaps as a bit of a bait, the show inserts two "dreams" of the MLs into first part of the show, but they are always clearly stated as "dreams".
It features a Love "Square" which includes: The 2ML in love with FL but unable to acknowledge her and often forced to humiliate her. A 2FL who is married to him but feels trapped in HER marriage. She imagines herself in love with a man she never saw the face of and so resents her husband and being forced to marry him. Our ML who is the calming and protecting force for the FL which stirs the jealousies of the 2ML. And the FL who has to let go of all her childhood devotion in order to break free of the torment his family subjects her to and embrace the new chance at life with the ML.
Within the story, there are two simultaneous plots weaving back and forth. The first is the family dynamics of the Lu family and the FL's struggle to remove herself and her daughter from their grasp and regain her independence. The second is the bringing to justice of the Lu and Xia families regarding their corruption in the present and their past deeds around the death of the Princess which saw the FL's father die as a result.
A core component within both sides of the show is family and it's role in making one step up with courage or back down in cowardice. Because of this, while all of the characters are multidimensional, the one I found the most fascinating was the one that was LEAST striking of all; the 2ML.
Chen Ming Hao had the job in this show of being unassuming, hunched, timid, someone who would fade into the background. His character calls himself a coward. Every other character has the job of being forceful and being given an actual presence to work with. Whether it's Kay Song as 2FL with her signature almost-crazy then sympathetic aura; Eddy Geng as the ML who has the "easy" time of being given the flashy "I'll protect you" and "I'm a big shot so you have to fear me" scenes; or Zhu Li Lan who's character is written with the forceful resolve to make her situation for her and her daughter better by any means... CMH had to make the audience not necessarily "hate" him... but be sad and disgusted with him. In this he excelled. He also proved, which is why the character itself is so fascinating, that when given the chance by the script, that he TOO could have stand-out scenes during which he is either confirming or denying his character archetype.
Overall this show is highly recommended with the expectation set that there ARE issues regarding timeline (especially towards the end), that the makeup/wig department with the males could be a lot better, and that there is VERY minimal physical intimacy scenes.
Final Rating wavered between 8.5 and 9 due to negatives because for ME they drastically affected my ability to enjoy an otherwise AMAZING show.
Overwhelmingly, the show is positive and should be watched, but there are absolutely a few glaring flaws.
Biggest Negatives:
😖 The male make-up and wig glue was criminal - multiple times it broke my immersion simply because I could not stop staring at the glue and white powdery face wondering if it was hot and literally melting off?
😖 Plot holes/inconsistencies before the end were mild but within the last episodes there was one period of time where the scene KEPT switching between day and night; and the events of the last episode specifically both appear to be days AND months apart simultaneously.
Biggest Positives:
❤️ Intricate balance of family values between old and new love ESPECIALLY with a child in the equation
❤️ A ML who isn't just a green FLAG but rather an entire FORREST
❤️ There is an episode dealing with how he deals with the the situation after he believes the FL's been assaulted and it is now probably THE best and loving scene(s) of a ML ever (*yes the scene before it could be triggering as it's definitely on the REAL end of the spectrum versus many shows doing over exaggerated "cartoonish" versions).
❤️ The conversations, arguments, and pleas characters have regarding their hopes for the future including the ending dialog (all nitpick flaws aside)
🙃So, what is the show about?🙃
Our main character is the FL; an "unacknowledged" Concubine of the Lu household, held there by her lack of status in society, her previous gratitude and devotion to her partner (2ML), and the daughter she shares with him.
The show demonstrates family politics in a realistic manner regarding the feelings of people who are in various forms of relationships with other people. It focuses on maintaining a level of distance between unmarried and unentangled individuals which means there is VERY little "true" physical intimacy between the leads. Perhaps as a bit of a bait, the show inserts two "dreams" of the MLs into first part of the show, but they are always clearly stated as "dreams".
It features a Love "Square" which includes: The 2ML in love with FL but unable to acknowledge her and often forced to humiliate her. A 2FL who is married to him but feels trapped in HER marriage. She imagines herself in love with a man she never saw the face of and so resents her husband and being forced to marry him. Our ML who is the calming and protecting force for the FL which stirs the jealousies of the 2ML. And the FL who has to let go of all her childhood devotion in order to break free of the torment his family subjects her to and embrace the new chance at life with the ML.
Within the story, there are two simultaneous plots weaving back and forth. The first is the family dynamics of the Lu family and the FL's struggle to remove herself and her daughter from their grasp and regain her independence. The second is the bringing to justice of the Lu and Xia families regarding their corruption in the present and their past deeds around the death of the Princess which saw the FL's father die as a result.
A core component within both sides of the show is family and it's role in making one step up with courage or back down in cowardice. Because of this, while all of the characters are multidimensional, the one I found the most fascinating was the one that was LEAST striking of all; the 2ML.
Chen Ming Hao had the job in this show of being unassuming, hunched, timid, someone who would fade into the background. His character calls himself a coward. Every other character has the job of being forceful and being given an actual presence to work with. Whether it's Kay Song as 2FL with her signature almost-crazy then sympathetic aura; Eddy Geng as the ML who has the "easy" time of being given the flashy "I'll protect you" and "I'm a big shot so you have to fear me" scenes; or Zhu Li Lan who's character is written with the forceful resolve to make her situation for her and her daughter better by any means... CMH had to make the audience not necessarily "hate" him... but be sad and disgusted with him. In this he excelled. He also proved, which is why the character itself is so fascinating, that when given the chance by the script, that he TOO could have stand-out scenes during which he is either confirming or denying his character archetype.
Overall this show is highly recommended with the expectation set that there ARE issues regarding timeline (especially towards the end), that the makeup/wig department with the males could be a lot better, and that there is VERY minimal physical intimacy scenes.
Final Rating wavered between 8.5 and 9 due to negatives because for ME they drastically affected my ability to enjoy an otherwise AMAZING show.
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