Dabosil

Interesting point about the right hand man, didn't think of that. I agree with you; I think that's what makes the head-to-head between grandfather and grandson the even more sweeter. I suppose he's more and more disillusioned to Soonyang over time, but that's sort of expected.

Agreed-his viewpoints and characteristics have stayed the same throughout so far, looking forward to some development.

Yes; when he had bangs, he wore a lot of loose shirts (specifically during his short-lived blonde hairdo, he had this white loose shirt he always wore with cuffs up to the elbows and the collar open) and the hem of the shirts would go past the waist. Nowadays his wardrobe is mostly made of very base and dark coloured clothing (which makes him seem slimmer as dark colours do compared to light colours), and he doesn't wear loose clothing any more, as he wears form-fitting long-sleeved shirts etc. Also, he basically has a buzz-cut, which makes his head seem smaller than before and elongate his other proportions.

Long explanation but basically colours are darker and he has a short hairdo and this effs with your visual perceptions. He's in general tall and was quite skinny in this drama anyways though.

Just a thought; not sure about all of you, but personally I feel at least that the male lead isn't at a moral high ground. Though with the latest few episodes he has ideas to avenge the protesting workers, his goal is to avenge himself (his wrongful death at the hands of x person) and his family, and without these two factors, he's not really going to do anything (after all, he served the family pretttyyy damn faithfully). I like that idea, because I really don't think male leads need to be almighty good-doers, but I think the drama doesn't really emphasize that aspect, and it's still going for the 'Soonyang is just evil'-and though Soonyang is corrupt af and many members make questionable decisions, tbh, maybe I'm just numb from watching like every other K-Drama have a corrupt company/family and because tbh a lot of companies have these same issues, but I don't think it leans all the way.

I see what you mean, and sometimes I like having another person just so there's more diversification of..focus, I guess. I think that with audience expectations it's conditional; as in, no one minds romance (or at least, certain factors can be excluded) if the chemistry is on point, but chemistry is also pretty subjective. Still, you can see with certain dramas there's generally highly-regarded chemistry between two leads, so I suppose it's about being able to control the chemistry to the extent of it being palatable to most people? At the same time, chemistry is a hugely fluctuating and incontrollable factor, so I think that's where the balance is hugely off-scale.

I haven't even been on MDL for like four months, but just because reading through the comments of this drama I feel like there's so much debate over nothing really that important (of conflict) YET:
(all very speculatory)
Plus, I am enjoying it quite a lot; it's been a while since my last kdrama.

For the love interest situation I stick to the standpoint of being indifferent, because the main attraction of this drama is the reincarnated genius and not of the reincarnated genius falling in love. As for SJK, I believe he is a charismatic actor and definitely the draw factor (and obviously, he's well and well the male lead AND the lead), and his acting is suitable enough for the role at the very least.

Aside from that, mainly

The 'reincarnated genius 'role of the male lead is 40. Regardless of which love interest you prefer, which honestly, everyone can have their own opinion so whatever, they are both in their early 20s? So logistically I can't even see why he would be attracted to either of them, unless they both mature very quickly, and which we can see in the female lead's case, is obviously not the current scenario. On the other hand, though, I think the fact that he admires her definitely makes sense throughout the drama and is part of his continual interest in her. I agree that right now there's not a lot of chemistry, but romance also hasn't been front and center so I'm chill (and she doesn't affect the plot). I do also, however, hope she isn't just an fl for the sake of putting an fl, and that her future prosecutor-ing will actually bring some legitimate help. As for the second female lead, yes, she's mean, yes, some people think they have chemistry and it doesn't really matter either way, because I think it's true that they're just both using each other (for her, refer to the latest episode where she talks to the eldest grandson about Miracle Investments). They aren't looking out for each other. Also, there's nothing wrong with how both women look. As for who ends up being the actual love interest (I'm sure the show will play around, and I also agree with the comments the female lead is 99% in the win here) I'm really only concerned about the writing of the show in that area, and whether they can successfully pull it off (which so far, there's bene like zero romance and just like, light flirting and rejection maybe?)

I think maybe the bigger discussion is why there has to be romance. Would people really tune in less without romance? It seems that the comments are always aggravated when there seems to be fl without sort of huge influence, and I can be in the same boat sometimes. And I clicked on the show without knowing there was romance and not expecting romance, either. And definitely, I would watch it without romance. That's a more interesting, overarching topic.

I mean, the only relationship I'm here for is gramps vs. grandson.
Excited for ep.7, and I want the return of the ep.1 hairdo and glasses, hell yeah.

Thank you!

Haha, when you finish put in a rating out of ten down below and @ me if you can, would love to here thoughts before I go watch it (I heard that people think it's mediocre)
Have a fun two hours!

Ending thoughts: I loved it? when I was watching it, and then it ended and I was like, oh. And I just felt, oh. Like in the end I would forget about this really quickly. It felt like it was building up to something and then vanished over time, or something like that. Conflicting thoughts. Biggest thing is that idk what the message was, or what Anna ended up wanting or the ending sort of lasting tone?
It was a good watch but I have no feelings about it is the summary.

Ah well, I'm only up to two, but the episodes feel pretty long (like an hour) and actually FEEL long, so I think you're good. It's a bite of a pie per day thing, I think.

Just started (on ep. 2) and I have to say the one thing that's most interesting to me about the FL is that she seems pretty introverted, and in all the other scam-socialite dramas they're quite extroverted.
Also why is every other scam-socialite called Anna these days haha (Looking at Anna Delvey)
+Suzy's acting has improved here but I feel like I still need more of a..more. I'm sure the real plot is in future episodes so hopefully, the big scenes will spark some fire.

I know it's LBY v. YS v. LY
but I am here for the third uncle
(though third aunt can keep him no worries)

Oh yikes, I think it cut off my ending-I forgot what I said but I think basically thanks haha

Hey, thanks for that super long reply! First of all, I understand what you mean about The Story of Minglan (fun fact: this drama and TSoM were both written by the same author, so resemblances are def there).
I agree with your points, but to your concept of her needing to be the villain, I still think that everyone's actions and reasoning of how they should face things have to do with their belief system-Shaoshang's mother cares a lot more about perception and can plan and spy, but thinking of consequences, unlike Shaoshang. All of her fears with Shaoshang from what you mentioned are related to her way of doing things; I think this is where you mentioned that they are both actually more similar than they think, as Shaoshang is almost like Shaoshang's mother minus the recklessness. You mentioned that it was a power play for the beating scene, and I agree, but I think this actually shows how both are proud and stick to their beliefs (so both won't conform, and I give extra points to Shaoshang here because her mother will not even try to understand her even though she abandoned her for so long). By the way, your point about Shaoshang's father is interesting. I always saw him as the comedic side of the family trio, so I didn't think of his responsibility (judging from the drama, I don't think he anticipated it as he mostly just tries to ease situations).
I love your take on her tough love-and speaking of which, I might want to say, oof for your grandmother. I'm not sure if you like it but I don't think it's working in this family scenario. I think the best thing about her character is that Shaoshang's mother is understandable, but she's not using the right approach. I think people sometimes have a skewed idea of 'right' parenting, but to me, it's the one that can get you to communicate with your children with the least harm but also allow you both to learn from mistakes and grow. I pity Shaoshang's mother as I can see that she's trying to make up for her mistakes. When watching the first episode, Shaoshang's mother did not speak much and mostly gave glances. I think one scene that was quite memorable was where Shaoshang asked her mother if she knew what she liked to eat. I feel her guilt there, but I think most of the time her way of dealing with Shaoshang is guilt masked with ego, because you see her continue to go strong on Shaoshang, and I hardly see signs of her guilt (which are weaved into the way she treats Shaoshang). In a sense, I think it's a bit of an inability to face the situation? Because I really like she needs to do some reflecting. I can imagine her head being in a state of confusion, guilt, worry, anger, and regret, but she can't see through it and constantly channels it as anger towards Shaoshang. I would think her interactions with Yangyang also show some of her ideals and regret; she wishes Shaoshang to conform, to be able to learn all this missed knowledge quickly, to be able to bond with her, in her way, and she's trying to force this reality. I think shame is definitely hard to face, and she can't face herself so much, so every time she has a conversation with her husband about Shaoshang she goes into defensive mode and talks about big values, never about how she's feeling, only about how it will affect things. (Constant back and forth actually, because Shaoshang's father is taking the side of her feelings, but they can't come to a conclusion because they're not seeing each other's point of view to look at their own).

Although one thing: I think she did try to find out Shaoshang's pace for literacy, but she did not really praise her for the swing, just give acknowledgment (very slight)-I think this scene was to show how she kind of secretly admires her daughter's talent but cannot show it because of one of her reasonings about Shaoshang's education, also maybe her ego? But I think this just shows how she is a woman of many layers.

Also, side note, but I really love the third aunt and uncle. They take up such a rare space of a familial look that is almost never present in other dramas/ I think the third aunt is also the only one to be able to splash in some reason into Shaoshang's mother's head haha.

This might actually be an even longer ass post and I'm so sorry, I didn't really have a point. Love this exchange with you. I just love how the characters aren't perfect at all, least of them Shaoshang, even.
I love your

I know people are worried about ratings but I don't really rate dramas until I've finished or dropped them, so I don't really understand the concept of rating dramas when unfinished or all that. Anyways, the next five episodes are much more lively than the first ten, so let up, it's good. Plus in general eight points, something is a great score for rating websites, it's just bad on MDL but I wish MDL would skew more normally than everything being from a 7.5-9.5 range). Even the worst dramas are like...7?

Caution: Long Post about FL's mother
Edited for easier reading

I thought about it and the FL's mother still perplexes me. She is strict and wants the FL to follow her commands as her soldiers do (alright, that makes sense), but then her requirements for the FL are so vastly different from that of her current position. The FL's mother fights in battle, participates in the war, and is a soldier. This requires strength and skills not like those required of girls (see YangYang, FL's cousin), and I would have thought that the FL's mother would appreciate them on her daughter.
I can see that she thinks that her daughter is way too thoughtless, and I suppose with her position as a solider and things like 'sacrifices for the greater good' around her all day in war, this is something she stands for unwaveringly.

However, FL's dad does mention that she is great with literature, so she seems like the type of well-rounded person who has multiple skillsets and is quite intelligent. Perhaps she thinks that the skills for soldiers are only for soldiers and war, but outside of that one should still keep their poise as the societal expectation for gender roles...or something.

FL says that her mother doesn't seem like one to conform, but FL's mother keeps making points about wanting her to conform more and keeping the peace. She doesn't seem so much like a leader, but perhaps she's a soldier who is a great follower and has a command of soldiers because of her belief, but cannot stand soldiers who step out of line? (But still, this makes her far more traditional than traditional people even though she's a soldier herself)

I think that to explain all this, FL's mother is probably a bundle of self-contradictions and is someone who has strong beliefs and wants everyone to contribute together towards something. For the reasons why she looks down on FL's behavior, she doesn't necessarily hate FL's skills (she smiled at the swing work, but didn't like that she was making a swing, which is an object for play) or the three brushes machine, or causing the bridge to collapse. As established in the drama, she wants her to play by the rules and not take big risks or do reckless things, which means that personality-wise she plays safe. At the same time, her reasoning is always with how actions will make other people feel, and I think this is exemplified in the Yang Yang situation, but she overcompensates and makes it unfair. I think this also has to do with the FL representing everything she can't look at, even if her traits mirror some of her own.

Her conflict with the FL can be summarized very easily: FL's mother's greatest belief in peace, and FL's greatest belief in truth. FL's mother cares about others' perceptions and feelings, and FL does not really. This doesn't mean they don't care about each other's values, they just have priorities for their own.

Ironically, I think FL's mother probably is the way she is because of war. Perhaps she has had to be 'fair' to keep her troops coordinated and not lash out. I can imagine such scenarios as food dispensing and even punishments. In retrospect, she makes a pretty decent ruler if she could ever be.

To summarize her expectations towards FL, she doesn't mind FL trying new things, as long as it's in the realm of what she wants. Essentially, she needs the reins to say this is okay and that is okay, be a good daughter. She wants FL to conform to her beliefs because she believes this is the higher value that can help everyone and cause less pain (Utilitarianism?) as she believes strongly in this 'everyone happy and good' mode. I think she shows a bit of a superiority complex and is also a conflict avoider, despite being a soldier (maybe she could be a negotiator, since for an ancient times drama negotiator you need to be pretty literate and poetry-like, and have a cool fan that goes flappity- flap in the wind). I say superiority complex because after all the punishments she puts on our FL, she feels bad for the FL but never really regretful for her decisions. I suppose this at least shows that she really has strong values.

Her sense of equality is also very skewed as exemplified by the need to balance out everything and not hurt someone else's feelings, though she hurts her own daughter's instead. I would think that Yangyang wouldn't really care about the so-called inequality of item distribution unless her self-perception is that low and her jealousy meter that high, but I don't feel that with her. But Yangyang is a pretty meek person, so I think she embodies the sort of cute little helpless rabbit figure to FL's mother which makes her feel accomplished.

In other words, even though she believes she's helping out everyone and being very logical, she's actually doing everything at the expense of her own child. She wants FL to fit into her world at the get-go but doesn't realize, like holy shit, FL might not know/understand/be accustomed to or even have any reason to agree and follow her because she wasn't a present mother? She's always looking at the world around her right now but never reflecting upon her own actions, like when she tells FL's father that 'well yes, no one taught her anything, but I am now', just brushing away all that crap. Like a commander, she can't have FL step out of line, and to obey without question, and maintain respect. She needs to force her worldview because she believes this is truly correct (ironically, I suppose her belief for the peace she believes to be true, so it might seem like a battle of truths to her). therefore, FL is the sacrificial lamb for all her beliefs, because hurting her is still not as bad as hurting everyone else, and even if she hurts her, it's FL's supposed fault for not conforming to her beliefs.

I think when she talks to FL she expects FL to understand her, so all her explanations are about how she's helping FL, but FL obviously can't understand that. She never really explained WHY she's doing everything, so I think there's a layer of blindness there. Perhaps this has to do with how evidently she thinks her worldview is.

To go forward with the FL-first, I agree that FL needs to mature up a bit because she definitely doesn't think much of consequences. But additionally, everything is a compromise, and FL's mother needs to realize that for her and FL to even exist in harmony, she needs to let go of her strings. She needs to try to understand FL's point of view without her biases and acknowledge her own mistakes. I think that her decade of battle probably reinforced her worldview, needing to command the army continually. I would say this just speaks to the importance of openmindedness and adaptation, as well as how war and societal life are just different.

So even though her character is irritating, it is one of the more interesting ones. I would also think that her relationship with FL's father is pretty interesting. She's not always wrong, but her methods in raising FL are questionable.

Also, someone explain to me out of the two babies why she left the girl...back? I mean, I don't mind if the girl is left as long as it isn't a gender bias...was never explained and she should be happy FL was so accepting of her brothers and never brought this up either. Because they anticipated it would be a decade-long war so sons could more easily help fight? I don't really understand.

Oh gosh, thankfully
That's great news, tysm

Am I right that there are no new episodes until Tuesday? (Since it's inching into weekends, so the special one-week release ends)

If so, well darn!

---------Rambles Again----------

I'm starting to feel the chemistry (unexpectedly). Need more scenes of them together. I feel like the first tenner is slow, but if the plot comes up, ratings and viewership will go up too.

Also, the one thing LBY's stepmother said correctly was that y'all need more flowers in the garden! Colour! Make it lively! Let's see you all become florists! The most colorful thing in the Wan family garden was the bridge (btw, r.i.p. bridge, you will be missed) honest to god.

Hey, thanks for your explanation! Helped a lot.

Ohhh alright, so do you mean that her line about pillars showed him that if he explained the matter as one of national importance, she would treat it extremely delicately and with effort?
That makes sense...I suppose within drama logic this gives knowledge to character and therefore reason to trust, and I can accept that. I would say that just a part of me is just thinking that the stakes here, they're pretty high my man.