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⭐️ A beautiful 18-episode story ruined by an absolutely ridiculous ending
**The Missing Snowflakes** had everything to be an excellent historical mini-drama: beautiful production, an engaging story of romance and intrigue, and wonderful chemistry between Lin Huanhuan and Shangguan Li. In fact, the development of their relationship is one of the best things about this drama. That's precisely why the final two episodes are such a disappointment.
Unfortunately, the problems go beyond the romantic ending. The entire plot suddenly loses its coherence.
First, there's the political resolution in episode 17. The Queen is suddenly confined to the Cold Palace, almost as if the writers have decided to get rid of her in a matter of minutes. After everything she has done, including what happened to the Emperor's own son, is that really all the consequences she faces? How does she have the power to do something like that to an imperial prince in the first place? And then the Crown Prince arrives, says a few words and sends her away. He already knew what had happened to his brother, yet the whole matter is dealt with as though it were a minor inconvenience. Where is the logic, the political tension or the accountability? After all the intrigue built up throughout the story, this resolution feels incredibly rushed and unsatisfying.
And then comes episode 18, which somehow manages to make things even worse.
Shangguan Li sacrificed his legs to save Huanhuan's life. She, in turn, does everything she can to help him, even sacrificing her own appearance by having her face disfigured to obtain what he needs. They have both made enormous sacrifices for each other. She has also dreamed of travelling the world and healing people, yet chooses to build a life with him. They share their intimacy, make plans for their future, and then, in the middle of the night, he simply abandons her because he supposedly doesn't want to become a burden and wants to give her back her freedom.
**Excuse me? What freedom are we talking about exactly?**
This is a historical Chinese drama, not a modern-day romance where two people can simply go their separate ways and start over without consequences. He leaves a woman who has lost her virginity, whose face has been disfigured, and who has already sacrificed so much for him. Even if she once dreamed of travelling the world, that is hardly the same as having the freedom to pursue that life under favourable circumstances and being left to fend for herself with a disfigured face and the social consequences of having shared her intimacy. And is she even still legally his wife? The drama doesn't bother to clarify that either.
What exactly does he expect her future to look like? Wandering around alone for the rest of her life? Living somewhere abandoned, with no real prospects? How is any of this supposed to be an act of love?
And what makes it even worse is that she couldn't cure him, despite trying everything. So what? Does that somehow invalidate everything she has done for him? Does he really believe that leaving her is a better solution than facing their new circumstances together?
Let's be fair: Shangguan Li also made an enormous sacrifice when he gave up his ability to walk to save her. Both characters deserved a conclusion that honoured what they had done for each other. Instead, the writers turn his final decision into some supposedly noble gesture, while leaving Huanhuan to bear the consequences of everything.
**I don't need every drama to have a happy ending. I need an ending that makes sense.** A bittersweet conclusion could have worked beautifully, provided it respected the characters, their relationship and the historical world in which the story takes place. But this? This is simply an incoherent and deeply frustrating way to finish the story.
What makes it particularly sad is that the romance itself was so beautifully developed. With a coherent final arc and a little more care in resolving the political storyline, this could have been one of those mini-dramas that stays with you for all the right reasons.
Instead, the last two episodes undermine almost everything that made the first sixteen so enjoyable.
**Such a waste of a genuinely lovely love story.**
Unfortunately, the problems go beyond the romantic ending. The entire plot suddenly loses its coherence.
First, there's the political resolution in episode 17. The Queen is suddenly confined to the Cold Palace, almost as if the writers have decided to get rid of her in a matter of minutes. After everything she has done, including what happened to the Emperor's own son, is that really all the consequences she faces? How does she have the power to do something like that to an imperial prince in the first place? And then the Crown Prince arrives, says a few words and sends her away. He already knew what had happened to his brother, yet the whole matter is dealt with as though it were a minor inconvenience. Where is the logic, the political tension or the accountability? After all the intrigue built up throughout the story, this resolution feels incredibly rushed and unsatisfying.
And then comes episode 18, which somehow manages to make things even worse.
Shangguan Li sacrificed his legs to save Huanhuan's life. She, in turn, does everything she can to help him, even sacrificing her own appearance by having her face disfigured to obtain what he needs. They have both made enormous sacrifices for each other. She has also dreamed of travelling the world and healing people, yet chooses to build a life with him. They share their intimacy, make plans for their future, and then, in the middle of the night, he simply abandons her because he supposedly doesn't want to become a burden and wants to give her back her freedom.
**Excuse me? What freedom are we talking about exactly?**
This is a historical Chinese drama, not a modern-day romance where two people can simply go their separate ways and start over without consequences. He leaves a woman who has lost her virginity, whose face has been disfigured, and who has already sacrificed so much for him. Even if she once dreamed of travelling the world, that is hardly the same as having the freedom to pursue that life under favourable circumstances and being left to fend for herself with a disfigured face and the social consequences of having shared her intimacy. And is she even still legally his wife? The drama doesn't bother to clarify that either.
What exactly does he expect her future to look like? Wandering around alone for the rest of her life? Living somewhere abandoned, with no real prospects? How is any of this supposed to be an act of love?
And what makes it even worse is that she couldn't cure him, despite trying everything. So what? Does that somehow invalidate everything she has done for him? Does he really believe that leaving her is a better solution than facing their new circumstances together?
Let's be fair: Shangguan Li also made an enormous sacrifice when he gave up his ability to walk to save her. Both characters deserved a conclusion that honoured what they had done for each other. Instead, the writers turn his final decision into some supposedly noble gesture, while leaving Huanhuan to bear the consequences of everything.
**I don't need every drama to have a happy ending. I need an ending that makes sense.** A bittersweet conclusion could have worked beautifully, provided it respected the characters, their relationship and the historical world in which the story takes place. But this? This is simply an incoherent and deeply frustrating way to finish the story.
What makes it particularly sad is that the romance itself was so beautifully developed. With a coherent final arc and a little more care in resolving the political storyline, this could have been one of those mini-dramas that stays with you for all the right reasons.
Instead, the last two episodes undermine almost everything that made the first sixteen so enjoyable.
**Such a waste of a genuinely lovely love story.**
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