CKDramaddicts

I don't know if it's the script itself or the editing as a result of authorities (or both), but I find the pacing, editing, tone is all over the place in this drama. Some episodes are really funny and move along, while others are incredibly boring and super draggy -- and I say this as someone who almost never drops a drama and never FF. The entire storyline with the loser brother, BFF/sister-in-law, for example, could be cut or significantly tightened up. The rivalry with Li Dai -- they can't seem to decide whether they want it to be a humourous dynamic or a serious, cutthroat one. The best scenes by far (that makes this drama worth watching) involve Yang Hua and his family, which are laugh-out-loud hilarious.

I actually wondered if it was her way of keeping him safe, not to cause him any trouble or draw too much attention to him. i.e. Keep a low profile in case someone saw him as a threat and schemed against him, or in case someone felt that she was trying to scheme to raise his status or position in the family. Prior to the story that begins in the drama, the prince worked very hard to stay completely under the radar and remain unnoticed. And now that he is making his move, she even cautioned him that he was drawing too much attention. That's purely my interpretation of the drama, and not based on the books/history.

That scene both made me laugh so hard but was also kind of heartbreaking the way he told the weapons that he had to take care of them, coddling them like babies because said she cares for them more than she cares for him. Also, the later scene when he realizes he just isn't cut out for the political games necessary to navigate court life and the look on his face when Shangguan told him he should just be himself.

I also love his character arc in general, because he was so obnoxious in the opening scene when all the princes were "rating" the candidates. I like how they set it up to look like the start of the classic trope of annoying playboy princes competiting against each other only to turn everything on its head.

(And they've done this with pretty much all the classic tropes -- the harems, the relationship between the women, even Hao Jia. I was so worried she was going to change once she married the 2nd brother in order to establish her position and compete with the first wife the way they often do in these dramas, but she has stayed extremely loyal and true to herself even at the expense of her own safety.)

This show is so good at making me laugh and cry at the same time. I love how healthy and positive the relationships are not only between the women, but also the brothers, especially when they work together (except for 2&4 of course).

No problem! Yes, the first prince's mom would be one of the concubines.

The crown prince is the second prince, but he is the first son of the first wife, so he already has a more prestigious status by birth. (But I think in theory, the father can designate whoever he wants as the crown prince, which is why there's always so much palace intrigue and infightingwhen they're trying to secure their position, power and influence?) The ML's biological mom is one of the concubines. Not sure if she even has "official" concubine status though, since the second prince refers to him as "illegitimate".

The new official wife? No. She wants her freedom too, so they agreed to help each other out -- she would help secure his position in court and teach the FL everything she needs to know to become worthy of becoming a future first wife, and he promised to grant a divorce when his position was secured.

The ML just turned 20, so I'm guessing the FL is around 16/17? I think she has shown signs of being smart in her own way with growing vegetables, the creativity with the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, how to get the ML to try new foods, etc. but she is still quite young and inexperienced, which is why she is so clueless in other ways, not to mention cultural differences she is not used to. But she has already proven herself to be a quick study even if she has more to learn. I expect she will become a capable ally as he strengthens his position. The ML made clear early on that he would rely on no-one but himself and didn't need anyone, so I feel like they are setting it up for him to come to depend on her as a capable partner.

It really depends on what you're looking for, I think. There is a little bit of palace intrigue in terms of two of the brothers trying to secure power at court and there is a teeny bit of angst coming up, but for the most part I would consider this a "slice of life" or "family life" type of drama, so there isn't going to be a lot of physical action or melodrama. I'm really enjoying it so far, but maybe "slice of life" doesn't appeal to everyone.

OMG, the happy tears I had in the beginning of Ep 14.😭😭 If this drama can sustain its current quality, it will easily make my list of this year's favourites. ...I just had a thought (please don't hate me 😅), but imagine if Tian Xiwei had played Little Orchid? She is super cute and immensely endearing.

Yes, exactly this!!

Yes, the crown prince is the second prince, but he is the first son of the first wife, so I think he has a more prestigious status. But I've only heard people call him second brother or "di zhang zhu" (di zhang = eldest son of the first wife, zhu = master/lord). Edit: I did hear him being called "da ge" which just means older brother and not necessarily eldest brother.

Really enjoying this drama so far -- so refreshing to have such a wonderful cast of women exercising their agency as much as possible in impossible circumstances and being so supportive of each other, instead of stereotypically catty and annoying or playing backstabbing games of jealousy (well, except for the adopted/god sister, who is more a petulant, immature child than a scheming competitor). So far a delightful and funny slice of life costume drama that takes a rather heavy subject (forced marriages, etc) and infuses it with heart and warmth. Hopefully it doesn't derail half or 3/4 of the way. 😅😜😬

That's fair! But I get where you are coming from -- I am a sucker for angst as well, so I would feel disatisfied if I felt that the emotions being portrayed in the aftermath did not match the level of grief expected.

Yu Shuxin dubbed her own voice... but she kind of talks like that in real life too. But I do agree, she becomes more tolerable as the story continues, and even though the drama could have been infinitely better with a different FL, DFQC and the story arc alone is still absolutely worth it. I almost did not get past the first episode, but so glad I stuck it out.

I actually found the dream emotional and heartbreaking because he essentially was so devastated by her death that he put himself in a dream state to create a life with her because he could not cope with reality, and he was willing to maintain that delusion/dream, even if it was draining his life force, since it would be better than living without her. I wouldn't really characterize it as a suicide dream, since he just wanted to live out the life he never had with her. Not sure he was really aware of the fact that maintaining that dream state was killing him, or if he was, it was a sacrifice he was willing to make. But once that illusion was shattered, he couldnt deceive himself anymore, so he came back to reality.

Taecyeon is quite unsettling with the way he melded both the goofy teddy bear persona with the unhinged psychopath. Maybe he is playing to stereotype and tropes somewhat, and is exagerated, but I still found his portrayal effectively disturbing. I really was not expecting him to play the villain, but the cast details above made me suspicious from Ep. 1. Even then, however, I did not expect him to be that scary.

I normally prefer shows where there are clearcut protagonists, but I'm about half way through this drama and quite enjoying it. Still, it's hard to say I "love" it because the main characters are varying degrees of anti-heros...but as the father said, you need monsters to win against monsters.

I'm surprised I haven't seen anyone comment about OK Taecyeon's performance, which I found fascinating, given I've only seen him play the ML in Save Me and Bring It On, Ghost. (More thoughts below under the spoiler tag.) I'm also impressed by Yang Kyungwon, who has played radically different supporting characters in every drama I've seen him in (Crash Landing, Big Mouth). (Edit: Adding Kwak Dongyeon, who started off at a bland character and really started to stand out in the back half.)

It's also interesting reading people's reviews/reaction/feelings about the comedic elements and comments about how it doesn't "mix" with the drama and themes. One of the things I love about K-dramas is actually how you often can't pigeon-hole them into one or two genres as they are frequently a wonderful blend of everything -- kind of like real life, there can be laughter and humour even amid tragedy (even if Vincenzo is pretty over the top).

Thanks everyone! ❤️

(and the swaps do not drag for too long either if that is a concern)