Kind of funny, sometimes
A Dream Within A Dream starts out a comedy. It’s set up to satire its own medium because the entire premise involves the female lead falling into a third-rate script.
Some jokes are just the occasional quip- eg “we definitely won’t die jumping off this cliff”. But more structurally, some mysterious force keeps pushing the characters to behave a certain way or act out certain “iconic” scenes. As the real story playing out doesn’t quite match the script, some of these “iconic” scenes are twists on the original, while others are just forced against the characters’ will.
At first I thought these scenes were funny, spot on in making fun of over-the-top shows. But after a while, I started to find them annoying. Not only did they get old, but they were also getting in the way of the real story.
And unfortunately, beyond this comedic element, there isn’t much to make this show stand out.
The FL, Song Yimeng, is a bit annoying. She’s got some typical protagonist traits (brave, wants to do the right thing, etc) but she’s just not that likable. A little dumb, a little mean, and not that special.
Song Yimeng’s prejudice against the ML gets frustrating when it persists in the face of all reason. I could never tell if she was actively trying to push him away (fearing their inevitable tragic fate together), or just throwing a temper tantrum each time. I had a hard time believing the former because of an obvious logic hole: either fate can be changed or it can’t, running away vs trying to change it together would be equally (in)effective.
The ML, on his end, somehow keeps coming back to her. I have no idea why he is so devoted. Sure, she was nice to his alter ego, but- aside from the prejudice highlighted by that whole setup- that attraction didn’t seem founded on much either. Overall, I had a hard time feeling invested in their relationship. It simply didn't develop properly.
On the flipside, while we all feel sorry for the ML, “no” means “no”, it doesn’t mean “try harder over and over”. His behavior is not quite restraining order level, but would still be considered extremely annoying IRL.
That aside, the ML is more likable and interesting than the FL. But. The extent to which he is mistreated and misunderstood by everyone around him, and the extent to which he is able to stay a “good guy” in the face of it all, is somewhat ridiculous.
That’s the thing, though. This show has its obvious satire, clearly marked, but it also has plenty of cheesiness and cliché outrageous plot elements in its “real” story. I could never tell if these were satire or actual cheese. I guess I’ll just give it the benefit of the doubt and call it more subtle satire.
There are some likeable side characters. I especially like those three goofballs running the Nightwalkers. I’ve seen Riley and Li Qing in other shows and they were perfect picks. The Type A sister is unique and sadly relatable… I know too many go-getters in real life and found her hilarious (except that one scene). She is not that likeable sometimes, but hey, neither are we. Unfortunately, her relationship seemed a little toxic, making it hard to get behind.
There are also various other fun and interesting characters who get decent screen time. They maintain some of the comedy that otherwise seems to fade as the show goes on, but are far from enough to save it.
The villains are less interesting. By the end when it gets a more unique spin, I had stopped caring. I think the plot started out ok, but somewhere around the fall of one cliché villain and the rise of another, I lost interest.
The acting is all-around quite good. Liu Yuning has lots of fans praising him to the moon in reviews. I agree, he is a good actor with a good range of expressions, but I thought everyone else did well too.
The music is pretty good, though there are some unhinged (unofficial?) pieces that I can’t believe they spent time recording. Costumes are very pretty, settings not bad, no money skimped on extras. And the fight choreo is quite good and well executed- not something I always say! But all these production level things can’t save a lackluster story, or the fact that by the end I was really slogging to finish.
In spite of it all, I do appreciate that they address the transmigration directly in the last 6 or 7 episodes. Too many shows just plop characters into a new setting and call it done. In this case, at first I was rolling my eyes because the FL jumps right in without any question or confusion. But by the end it becomes a central plot element and thematic focal point. Did it always make sense? Of course not, but better than nothing.
ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS
I consider this show a comedy (even though it’s not quite by the end), so of course it has a happy ending. We get about half an episode of little skits showing everyone’s happy life together.
As for how we get there… all the script rules just get handwaved away. The world of the script comes to life, and she stays in it- it’s a forceful happy ending where all the complications are bulldozed over.
Of course, it doesn’t have to make sense, since they pull you out another level after that. I guess this is supposed to be the thoughtful, creative aspect of the show, that makes us contemplate reality and the Chuang-tzu butterfly dream. If only I still cared by then.
The scriptwriter showing up near the end got some hate, but I thought it was funny. A last-minute villain out of nowhere, a heroic character (Papa Chu) who is revealed to bad, is exactly the kind of cheap trick these scriptwriters often pull. This one literally put himself in there and tried to make it happen.
But in the end, the final villain is more like the SML, who objects to his fate as a supporting character. Well, that I can understand. However, his gradual descent into madness against all reason made no sense and was out of character. I couldn’t get behind him as a villain and instead lost interest.
If only that were the worst character development in this show, but that credit has to go to the emperor. His 180 from completely abusive and extremely stupid father (kudos to the actor for that sadistic little smile) to World’s Best Dad made my head spin. Huh?
Some jokes are just the occasional quip- eg “we definitely won’t die jumping off this cliff”. But more structurally, some mysterious force keeps pushing the characters to behave a certain way or act out certain “iconic” scenes. As the real story playing out doesn’t quite match the script, some of these “iconic” scenes are twists on the original, while others are just forced against the characters’ will.
At first I thought these scenes were funny, spot on in making fun of over-the-top shows. But after a while, I started to find them annoying. Not only did they get old, but they were also getting in the way of the real story.
And unfortunately, beyond this comedic element, there isn’t much to make this show stand out.
The FL, Song Yimeng, is a bit annoying. She’s got some typical protagonist traits (brave, wants to do the right thing, etc) but she’s just not that likable. A little dumb, a little mean, and not that special.
Song Yimeng’s prejudice against the ML gets frustrating when it persists in the face of all reason. I could never tell if she was actively trying to push him away (fearing their inevitable tragic fate together), or just throwing a temper tantrum each time. I had a hard time believing the former because of an obvious logic hole: either fate can be changed or it can’t, running away vs trying to change it together would be equally (in)effective.
The ML, on his end, somehow keeps coming back to her. I have no idea why he is so devoted. Sure, she was nice to his alter ego, but- aside from the prejudice highlighted by that whole setup- that attraction didn’t seem founded on much either. Overall, I had a hard time feeling invested in their relationship. It simply didn't develop properly.
On the flipside, while we all feel sorry for the ML, “no” means “no”, it doesn’t mean “try harder over and over”. His behavior is not quite restraining order level, but would still be considered extremely annoying IRL.
That aside, the ML is more likable and interesting than the FL. But. The extent to which he is mistreated and misunderstood by everyone around him, and the extent to which he is able to stay a “good guy” in the face of it all, is somewhat ridiculous.
That’s the thing, though. This show has its obvious satire, clearly marked, but it also has plenty of cheesiness and cliché outrageous plot elements in its “real” story. I could never tell if these were satire or actual cheese. I guess I’ll just give it the benefit of the doubt and call it more subtle satire.
There are some likeable side characters. I especially like those three goofballs running the Nightwalkers. I’ve seen Riley and Li Qing in other shows and they were perfect picks. The Type A sister is unique and sadly relatable… I know too many go-getters in real life and found her hilarious (except that one scene). She is not that likeable sometimes, but hey, neither are we. Unfortunately, her relationship seemed a little toxic, making it hard to get behind.
There are also various other fun and interesting characters who get decent screen time. They maintain some of the comedy that otherwise seems to fade as the show goes on, but are far from enough to save it.
The villains are less interesting. By the end when it gets a more unique spin, I had stopped caring. I think the plot started out ok, but somewhere around the fall of one cliché villain and the rise of another, I lost interest.
The acting is all-around quite good. Liu Yuning has lots of fans praising him to the moon in reviews. I agree, he is a good actor with a good range of expressions, but I thought everyone else did well too.
The music is pretty good, though there are some unhinged (unofficial?) pieces that I can’t believe they spent time recording. Costumes are very pretty, settings not bad, no money skimped on extras. And the fight choreo is quite good and well executed- not something I always say! But all these production level things can’t save a lackluster story, or the fact that by the end I was really slogging to finish.
In spite of it all, I do appreciate that they address the transmigration directly in the last 6 or 7 episodes. Too many shows just plop characters into a new setting and call it done. In this case, at first I was rolling my eyes because the FL jumps right in without any question or confusion. But by the end it becomes a central plot element and thematic focal point. Did it always make sense? Of course not, but better than nothing.
ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS
I consider this show a comedy (even though it’s not quite by the end), so of course it has a happy ending. We get about half an episode of little skits showing everyone’s happy life together.
As for how we get there… all the script rules just get handwaved away. The world of the script comes to life, and she stays in it- it’s a forceful happy ending where all the complications are bulldozed over.
Of course, it doesn’t have to make sense, since they pull you out another level after that. I guess this is supposed to be the thoughtful, creative aspect of the show, that makes us contemplate reality and the Chuang-tzu butterfly dream. If only I still cared by then.
The scriptwriter showing up near the end got some hate, but I thought it was funny. A last-minute villain out of nowhere, a heroic character (Papa Chu) who is revealed to bad, is exactly the kind of cheap trick these scriptwriters often pull. This one literally put himself in there and tried to make it happen.
But in the end, the final villain is more like the SML, who objects to his fate as a supporting character. Well, that I can understand. However, his gradual descent into madness against all reason made no sense and was out of character. I couldn’t get behind him as a villain and instead lost interest.
If only that were the worst character development in this show, but that credit has to go to the emperor. His 180 from completely abusive and extremely stupid father (kudos to the actor for that sadistic little smile) to World’s Best Dad made my head spin. Huh?
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