Deirdre19

It's really good, especially the ML's acting is out of this world. He's dark, unhinged and vengeful so very different from RR. Unlike most people I'm watching it slowly because I also have some reading to do.
I'm still reading the RR novel, so for me it's still going on in my head... on chapter 51 now and that poor CP is pursuing HL so hard 🥰 but she's still totally oblivious. It's painful!

Oh, you made it farther than me, then... 😂 I only got to episode 4. Might pick it up again when I bored, but right now all my attention is on TTEOTM. so it could be a while.

I think it's done on purpose because "darkness around the eyes" is TCM code for unhinged and/or mental issues.

What drama are you watching???

I'm sure the Chinese have some clever euphemism for this, like "are we eating tonight?" or something equally innocent.

I think L&R is still the record holder in that department...

At least they smoothed out the neck line. If you want to see really bad, clown-like make-up on the ML I can recommend Chong Zi.

Got a message regarding having received one recently, but didn't understand what it means... it only said "check your account for details* and I don't know where to look...
Anyways, all my comments here are for the sake of exchanging views and/or answering questions, not for some badge 😁

The dream forecasting kind of fades out with the later episodes, but there is one dream that remains significant for later event.

I'm watching this slowly (like savouring a delicious piece of Swiss chocolate...) so only arrived at ep. 5.
The ML is giving me some serious Bela Lugosi vibes 🧛‍♂️ (check out The Black Cat from 1934), he is soooooo creepy, every time he looks up I flinch! What ever happened to that sweet and funny boy Leo Luo???

Sometimes those tags can be misleading... Even though there was another guy who liked the FL there was never any doubt about the couple. The SML is non-toxic, and remains a friend. Not really my idea of a harem 😂. There's a similar constellation in Warm on a Cold Night.

Oooh, that's a tough call. These stupid tropes seem to be everywhere... Even A Dream of Splendor managed to create a misunderstanding/break-up because of a piece of paper blown away by the wind.
One that I really liked was A Girl Like Me. Don't be put off by the FL's over-the-top behaviour in the first few episodes. There is a sort-of breakup, but at least it's for a valid reason.
Otherwise there is the recently aired Warm on a Cold Night which had a relatively cliché-free relationship between the leads.
An older drama that also had a quite a well-written couple was Legend of the Phoenix (also with Jeremy Tsui), but the relationship is torturous with long separation due to external reasons.

Yeah, the songs are nice, but so far there's nothing that would leave a lasting impression with me...

I think this is a creation of the drama. In the novel he has a wife and Du Xiuying isn't an only child. Madam Du's 2nd brother is married to Princess Shun'an so there is quite a bit of extended family.

Indeed! Especially the healthy relationship between the leads could serve as an example for future dramas. No keeping secrets from her for her own protection, no breaking up with him to save his career, no misunderstandings that would be solved in a 5 min conversation, no breakup for ridiculous reasons. Even without all these there would still be enough real problems left to test the couple's relationship. It just seems that most screen-writers like to copy-paste and are too lazy/uncreative to come up with anything decent.

Most of the really good actors have left Hollywood, some of the very best have never been there... It's no longer a reference...

People are just not used to the fact that they have to concentrate on what they're watching and can't nip off into the kitchen to make tea while some side characters are on screen.
Even without having read the novel and relying on subtitles, I still find it relatively easy to follow.

Watched the first 4 episodes and while the story seems interesting, the silliness is rather off-putting. It's not funny, just silly. The spoilers in the ending credits seem to suggest a somewhat more serious/darker story, so I may watch a few more episodes to see if it improves.
So far, the 8.1 rating seems to be more of a pretty-boy credit than an evaluation of the drama.

I think the main difference between this and LBFAD is that for LBFAD the expectations were really low. Many people still remembered WHD from Miss the Dragon, so when in LBFAD his acting actually turned out to be quite decent (I think he has a talent for this kind of role) the whole thing exploded and people were blown away.
For TTEOTM, however, expectations were already sky-high before it even aired, so it is that much harder to blow people away.

This being a xianxia you know already that he's going to find out at the worst possible moment... so prepare yourself.