Between The Lines

This might have been my least favourite episode, which is sad because this was supposed to be the reward for all that had gone before.

I just found the entire episode lacking, there was no creativity, and maybe its just me but watching highly trained medical professionals behave like 12 year olds was just sad. What was supposed be cute was actually just silly.

This has been for me a pretty average drama up till now and this episode sadly hasn't helped change my view

I had really high expectations going into this drama, a great cast and a theme that I find truly interesting.
As much as I've tried to love this drama, I've just been left a little disappointed. To be clear i don't hate it, but I've found it all kind of average - not bad but not that good either.
The leads chemistry is certainly a positive, but I feel they have been limited by a lack of originality and a very average script.
At its best when the leads express their raw emotions it is powerful and moving, but these moments are offset by instances where it feels like the cast are talking about strangers rather than themselves.
I was always concerned that this drama would use romance seemingly as the cure to the leads issues so, I've been left with very mixed feelings on its approach to dealing with mental health issues.

There are definitely things I've liked but it just hasn't hit the heights I was hoping for.

In a drama that isn't full of misunderstandings or twisted rivalry's etc, you need the all the cast to have chemistry and the acting chops to make you believe in the emptions they are trying to convey. The leads have been excellent but i also think the supporting cast deserve credit. The relationship between the leads and their friends, family, seniors and juniors have all added to my enjoyment. In the more recent episodes LYY interactions with his master - Mr He were great examples of this. A drama full of great performances!

Indeed! Affection should never be measured by a kiss alone. I believe the best drama's have a healthy balance between physical and emotional intimacy, personally i think this drama has for the most part done well in this regard. so I don't really see an issue.

Thank you - i recall the references to the slump - not the match fixing and given the ban was only 6 months, a reference to match fixing has zero credibility.

I don't know if I'm the only one, but I really don't care about the kiss avoidance thing. Until scrolling through the comments it didn't even register. But after 20+ episodes is there's any doubt over their affection for each other?

Personally I don't think there's been a lack of kiss's and if the only way to portray love/affection is through a kiss then I think you have to question the execution of the whole drama.

Maybe its me, but at this stage of the drama, I'm more interested, in what the future holds for them personally and professionally. Hopefully we get a satisfying conclusion!

Perhaps overfall not my favourite episodes although there was still some nice moments.

I get what they are trying to do with YG mum and maybe a softening of her attitude towards LYY, but combining this with him winning doesn't totally sit well with me. To really show LYY growth i think it would have been more meaningful for this to happen from a place of adversity. Just my preference.

I did like the references throughout of friendship, mentor to mentee, and healthy rivalry - respecting your opponent is far more realistic than just making them evil!

Did I miss something? The reporter posed the question of match fixing during the press conference, which up until now I can't recall being mentioned. His ban was related challenging a decision, where did the match fixing come in?

Ronnie will always be no1 because he can do things that other players can not, but Trump, Hunter, Davis and White are right up there for me in terms of favourites - Hendry to a lesser extent.

What was interesting about the 147 break was how he switched hands to pot one of the balls. This was straight out of RL - Ronnie O'Sullivan (probably the greatest of all time) is ambidextrous and can play both left and right handed. He also has the quickest 147 break in history of 5.08 - which is like using a pool fast approach in snooker. I wonder if something similar will appear in the drama.

I'm glad LYY and YG resolved their issues but it was the least interesting aspect of the latest 2 episodes mainly because it was expected.

I actually thought that LYY understanding of how he is perceived by YG mum was incredibly mature, and highlight the difference between being a boy and a man. This is important.

I loved the reunion at the end of of ep 20 - it was moving and heartfelt.

Finally, I loved the execution of both the 9 ball and snooker scenes. Both had an underlying meaning to both LYY and YG so this added to the importance of these scenes. Additionally, I liked how it paid attention to the differences in the games and highlighted some of the different skills required. It added a sense of realism to the drama.

So perhaps for the first time, the romance wasn't pivotal in delivering strong episodes.

He certainly needs to make amends with his master, although I think its now not about pride, it feels more like he wants to prove himself before he can stand in front of his master again. That's impression I got any way

She did seem to have an attitude with YG from the outset

I think there's an important difference between YG mum attitude and that of the sister.

Mum dislike seems based on what she feels is an attack on the intuition of snooker that challenges the integrity of the sport. This is massively controversial in all sports, which in RL would cause bans and massive fines. This can happen even if the challenge is justified. For LYY to question the decision of the referee is like a challenge to everything she represents and believes in. So whilst I don't like her attitude it makes slightly more sense. Only slightly though!

The sister or as I affectionately will call her - "Resting Bitch Face" - was it just me or did she look like she had swallowed something unpleasant in every scene?? Her attitude seemed based on speculation/rumour without any basis other than someone pointing a finger at LYY and said he was bad. Her attitude sucks.

I don't like either characters attitude but objectively the mum's reaction makes a little more sense.

It wasn't very subtle, i didn't like how they highlighted money in one of the early episodes and the bank card was worse. It felt like a somewhat heavy handed measuring stick to show LYY progress. I get what what they were trying to do but the execution was a little off here.

So the first 16 episodes felt like the honeymoon stage of their relationship, but with episode 18 it felt like real life arrived.

I actually enjoyed how they created tension and highlighted the challenges ahead. Life is rarely perfect, and the true worth of a relationship is when its tested.

The tension felt relatable because it was still understated - no punches were thrown, no cups sent flying - just regular people behaving like most regular people do.

Overall these ep were a little mixed but there was still plenty to like and the storyline has made a leap forward.

As a romantic comedy it's pretty formulaic but it works because of the chemistry between the leads. They have enough spark handle the romance and comedy elements of this drama that at times isn't terribly original.

I actually think this drama is at its best when the leads have to address the more serious elements of the story. Park Hyung Sik in ep 5 was pretty exceptional as we saw the burden he is dealing with.

TBH I've been a little disappointed in elements of this drama so far, but I like both leads and there is enough moments to keep me interested.

These drama's do highlight his range, whilst understandable some actors do stick to the same kind of roles and don't really stretch themselves. Leo manages to mix the types of characters he plays but manages to deliver well crafted performances as well.

As I wait another 1 day 23 hours 29 mins and 9 seconds - not that I'm counting .....

I have got to admire Leo's range as an actor. In possibly my favourite Cdrama - LLTG, he was cold, edgy, ruthless but with enough vulnerabilities and affection it made him epically good in this role

In this current drama, he is much more low key and yet completely believable in his interactions with Yin Guo or when dealing with his past issues. This drama also requires more a subtle performance with micro expressions used to show his feelings. Really enjoying his performance so far.

Completely different drama's requiring very different skills in their performances but some how he's managed to deliver great performances in both

Ok, going back to counting the seconds until the next episode.....

The reason its not entirely realistic is that the skill set required for pool and snooker are fundamentally pretty different. Playing both to the highest standard would likely create serious technical issues. Going back and forth between the 2 would be incredibly difficult at the standard required. Whilst its not unheard of to have a professional play both sports to a good standard but to navigate between the 2 seamlessly is unlikely even for a genius player.

Additionally practice and coaching are not the same as competition by an stretch of the imagination in almost any professional sport. Practice certainly helps prepare you for competition but it can't replicate every aspect of a competition.

For the purpose of the the drama its fine to have him play both, but its actually not particularly realistic. Its not an egregious issue for the purpose of the drama and hasn't impacted my enjoyment its just a little fanciful.

I loved Wu Wei reaction when Yi Yang told him he was going to start playing snooker again, full on man tears.

I think the telephone call between Yi Yang and Yin Guo before the first match was also well done, helped demonstrate that Yi Yang needs Yin Guo support. Its helps the dynamics of their relationship.

I was surprised that they had Yi Yang playing snooker and pool professionally, this would be a bit of a stretch to be truly successful in both (Not impossible, but very unlikely especially given his absence)

Overall though enjoyed the latest episodes.