Where Trauma Meets Romance and Chaos
Let’s get into it, because I’ve got thoughts. I don’t usually review dramas, but Love Like the Galaxy deserves one because I was invested, emotionally held hostage, and slightly stressed by it for weeks. I still catch myself rewatching episodes just to relive the rollercoaster.
This drama had everything I love: enemies-to-lovers, generational trauma, royal politics, betrayal, broken characters pretending they’re fine — the whole buffet. But did it also make me yell at my screen? Oh, absolutely.
⭐ The Good: Chemistry, Chaos, & Cheng Shaoshang
The chemistry between Cheng Shaoshang and Ling Buyi was crazy. Wu Lei and Zhao Lusi were cooking on set, no doubt about it. Their relationship was a beautiful, messy tangle of pride, misunderstanding, mutual attraction, and personal trauma. It wasn’t a fairytale romance — it was two stubborn people fighting their feelings, fighting themselves, fighting everyone, while falling in love anyway. Delicious.
Shaoshang’s character? Loved her. She was cunning, petty, reckless, funny, hurt, and lonely all at once. Zhao Lusi brought humor, but underneath it was this silent ache of a girl pretending she didn’t care about anyone — when all she really wanted was love and belonging. Been there, girl.
But the show did that annoying thing where they tried to make the audience love her by dragging everyone else through the mud — especially her mom. And that’s where we get into my problems with this drama.
😒 The Bad: The Mother-Daughter Mess
Cheng Shaoshang’s mom was done dirty by this script. Yes, she was emotionally cold. Yes, she didn’t know how to be a mother after being gone for years fighting wars. But the drama wrote her like some wicked stepmother instead of a complicated, traumatized woman who didn’t know how to reconnect with her child.
It was all: “Poor misunderstood Shaoshang vs. Evil Judgmental Mother.” Lazy. Real relationships — especially ones with that much distance and trauma — are messy. But the writers weren’t interested in messy. They wanted drama.
That whole court scene? Embarrassing. I wanted to throw something. It was clearly just a setup to make Ling Buyi look like the knight in shining armor when he stood up for her. And don’t get me wrong — I love a good man defending his woman moment — but NOT at the expense of a decent character arc for her mother.
Imagine if they actually gave us proper emotional payoff and a balanced reconciliation. Instead, they gave us villain-mom until almost the very end, rushed her “redemption,” and called it a day. Please.
😑 Female Characters = Cardboard Copies
And while we’re dragging things — what was going on with the other female characters? Every single one: loud, jealous, evil, in love with Ling Buyi, obsessed with power, or just plain stupid. Rinse, repeat. The women were either angels (like Third Aunt) or complete disasters. Nothing in between. And don’t get me started on how the older women were just bitter, wrinkly versions of their bratty daughters. Lazy writing. Again.
It felt like women in this drama only existed to hate each other or get embarrassed by the men. It was tiring, repetitive, and honestly beneath a drama that could’ve been legendary.
🏰 What I Liked (Besides the Romance)
The Emperor filling the “father figure” role for Ling Buyi? Loved it. Ling Buyi’s trauma made sense, and the writing there actually worked.
The Hua City and Lou Yao arcs? Peak. The drama was on fire in the middle episodes.
Court politics and palace life? I ate that up, honestly. Fake smiles, hidden agendas, backstabbing — I LIVE for that.
Another part of this drama I don’t think gets enough praise is the relationship between Empress Xuan and Cheng Shaoshang. While everyone else was scheming, judging, or throwing Shaoshang under the bus, the Empress stayed soft, steady, and calm. She wasn’t just royalty — she was grace personified.
The way she quietly guided Shaoshang, protected her without overstepping, and offered that motherly warmth that Shaoshang was starving for? Beautiful. And honestly — better parenting than her real parents half the time.
And can we TALK about the camera work during their scenes? Soft focus, warm lighting, those beautifully framed shots with the palace gardens or soft interiors? Cinema. The costumes? Silk, elegance, embroidery like art — absolute cream of the crop. The costume department deserves a raise.
Those moments between them were like little oases of calm in a show otherwise full of chaos, yelling, and emotional breakdowns. A+ dynamic.
📉 The Ending: Where It Started Falling Apart
Now, about that ending… I don’t know what happened, but the relationship between Shaoshang and Ling Buyi started losing that spark. It’s like the writers put all their effort into the buildup, the tension, the almost-love… and then when it finally happened, they didn’t know what to do with it.
The communication between them got worse, not better. Their relationship started to feel like they were constantly dragging each other through emotional tests just to prove their love over and over again. Exhausting. Give these two therapy, please.
As for the mother’s redemption… blink and you missed it. They crammed her redemption arc into the last minute like someone realizing they forgot to do their homework five minutes before class. After all that conflict, they gave us a weak “oh I guess I misunderstood you” resolution. It felt unearned. I wanted tears. I wanted yelling. I wanted healing. Instead, I got a polite handshake. Tragic.
If they had stuck the landing — given us a stronger, messier, realer ending — this could’ve been a 9 or 9.5 easy. But instead, it gave mid energy right at the finish line. Disappointing.
❤️ Final Thoughts:
Did I love this drama? Absolutely.
Did it frustrate me? Every other episode.
Do I still rewatch clips of Ling Buyi loving Shaoshang like she hung the moon? You know I do.
Final Score: 8.5/10.
A beautiful, chaotic mess of trauma, romance, bad parenting, and good cheekbones. If you love historical with messy leads, flawed families, and the occasional toxic palace auntie, this one’s for you.
This drama had everything I love: enemies-to-lovers, generational trauma, royal politics, betrayal, broken characters pretending they’re fine — the whole buffet. But did it also make me yell at my screen? Oh, absolutely.
⭐ The Good: Chemistry, Chaos, & Cheng Shaoshang
The chemistry between Cheng Shaoshang and Ling Buyi was crazy. Wu Lei and Zhao Lusi were cooking on set, no doubt about it. Their relationship was a beautiful, messy tangle of pride, misunderstanding, mutual attraction, and personal trauma. It wasn’t a fairytale romance — it was two stubborn people fighting their feelings, fighting themselves, fighting everyone, while falling in love anyway. Delicious.
Shaoshang’s character? Loved her. She was cunning, petty, reckless, funny, hurt, and lonely all at once. Zhao Lusi brought humor, but underneath it was this silent ache of a girl pretending she didn’t care about anyone — when all she really wanted was love and belonging. Been there, girl.
But the show did that annoying thing where they tried to make the audience love her by dragging everyone else through the mud — especially her mom. And that’s where we get into my problems with this drama.
😒 The Bad: The Mother-Daughter Mess
Cheng Shaoshang’s mom was done dirty by this script. Yes, she was emotionally cold. Yes, she didn’t know how to be a mother after being gone for years fighting wars. But the drama wrote her like some wicked stepmother instead of a complicated, traumatized woman who didn’t know how to reconnect with her child.
It was all: “Poor misunderstood Shaoshang vs. Evil Judgmental Mother.” Lazy. Real relationships — especially ones with that much distance and trauma — are messy. But the writers weren’t interested in messy. They wanted drama.
That whole court scene? Embarrassing. I wanted to throw something. It was clearly just a setup to make Ling Buyi look like the knight in shining armor when he stood up for her. And don’t get me wrong — I love a good man defending his woman moment — but NOT at the expense of a decent character arc for her mother.
Imagine if they actually gave us proper emotional payoff and a balanced reconciliation. Instead, they gave us villain-mom until almost the very end, rushed her “redemption,” and called it a day. Please.
😑 Female Characters = Cardboard Copies
And while we’re dragging things — what was going on with the other female characters? Every single one: loud, jealous, evil, in love with Ling Buyi, obsessed with power, or just plain stupid. Rinse, repeat. The women were either angels (like Third Aunt) or complete disasters. Nothing in between. And don’t get me started on how the older women were just bitter, wrinkly versions of their bratty daughters. Lazy writing. Again.
It felt like women in this drama only existed to hate each other or get embarrassed by the men. It was tiring, repetitive, and honestly beneath a drama that could’ve been legendary.
🏰 What I Liked (Besides the Romance)
The Emperor filling the “father figure” role for Ling Buyi? Loved it. Ling Buyi’s trauma made sense, and the writing there actually worked.
The Hua City and Lou Yao arcs? Peak. The drama was on fire in the middle episodes.
Court politics and palace life? I ate that up, honestly. Fake smiles, hidden agendas, backstabbing — I LIVE for that.
Another part of this drama I don’t think gets enough praise is the relationship between Empress Xuan and Cheng Shaoshang. While everyone else was scheming, judging, or throwing Shaoshang under the bus, the Empress stayed soft, steady, and calm. She wasn’t just royalty — she was grace personified.
The way she quietly guided Shaoshang, protected her without overstepping, and offered that motherly warmth that Shaoshang was starving for? Beautiful. And honestly — better parenting than her real parents half the time.
And can we TALK about the camera work during their scenes? Soft focus, warm lighting, those beautifully framed shots with the palace gardens or soft interiors? Cinema. The costumes? Silk, elegance, embroidery like art — absolute cream of the crop. The costume department deserves a raise.
Those moments between them were like little oases of calm in a show otherwise full of chaos, yelling, and emotional breakdowns. A+ dynamic.
📉 The Ending: Where It Started Falling Apart
Now, about that ending… I don’t know what happened, but the relationship between Shaoshang and Ling Buyi started losing that spark. It’s like the writers put all their effort into the buildup, the tension, the almost-love… and then when it finally happened, they didn’t know what to do with it.
The communication between them got worse, not better. Their relationship started to feel like they were constantly dragging each other through emotional tests just to prove their love over and over again. Exhausting. Give these two therapy, please.
As for the mother’s redemption… blink and you missed it. They crammed her redemption arc into the last minute like someone realizing they forgot to do their homework five minutes before class. After all that conflict, they gave us a weak “oh I guess I misunderstood you” resolution. It felt unearned. I wanted tears. I wanted yelling. I wanted healing. Instead, I got a polite handshake. Tragic.
If they had stuck the landing — given us a stronger, messier, realer ending — this could’ve been a 9 or 9.5 easy. But instead, it gave mid energy right at the finish line. Disappointing.
❤️ Final Thoughts:
Did I love this drama? Absolutely.
Did it frustrate me? Every other episode.
Do I still rewatch clips of Ling Buyi loving Shaoshang like she hung the moon? You know I do.
Final Score: 8.5/10.
A beautiful, chaotic mess of trauma, romance, bad parenting, and good cheekbones. If you love historical with messy leads, flawed families, and the occasional toxic palace auntie, this one’s for you.
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