Eleison

I've wondered that, too! In this and Guardians of the Dafeng.

Oh, really? Good to know.

What kind of sex, and how much?

I love BJT's acting and would love to see this, but Viki hasn't released it yet in the U.S. 😔

Yes, but not a single Cdrama I've seen has shown a historically accurate version of China in any believable way, which is why I asked how much it leaned "realistic" vs. typical fantasy costume drama "set" in a "historical" time period.

I was sad to see that, too, but It's still kind of insane that it has maintained a 9.3 after almost a hundred thousand watchers. That continues to be completely unprecedented on MDL.

There is a bonus episode that was released (but it can only be found on random sites, not sure where), that's short (like 5-10 minutes), and so a fellow watcher recommended I stop the last episode (40) halfway through, then she suggested I just skip from there to the bonus episode for the ending; so I could skip the weird, random ending with the battle and good characters dying at the end of 40. It was a perfect watch that way, no frustrations, or "what the heck is going on?" moments. 😉

Yes, he's very talented. Definitely one of the better K-actors, in my opinion. But right after this drama he got caught up in a scandal that halted his career until they snuck him into When Life Gives You Tangerines recently. I think he might be back on track now, maybe?

He's also great in Start Up; that was his breakout role. The screenwriter for it is my all-time favorite, but it was a mistake casting him as the 2ML and Nam Joo Hyuk as 1ML since Nam Joo Hyuk's range is not as good. People were in an uproar over the FL ending up with Nam Joo Hyuk's character over Kim Seon Ho's (but he was the 2ML, so they should have just stopped the drama if they couldn't envision the leads together; there was no way in Kdramaland it wasn't gonna end that way 😅).

Yes, I enjoyed it more the second time around than on my first watch!

I kind of feel like talking about that with Song Mo would have taken the focus from the "second chance" story and put more emphasis on why and how that happened, which is never a mystery the drama set out to answer?

Other great costume dramas with strong female leads and the leads as partners and teammates/equals are A Dream Of Splendor, He Who Rules The World, Flourished Peony (part 1)/In The Name Of Blossom (part 2), A New Life Begins, and Love Like The Galaxy.

Well, pretty much all historical Kdramas have bad (or just plain weak) kings, unless they're the ML. You can try some of those! 😅

You're right, Cdramas do tend to do bad kings less often. Maybe it's a censorship thing? I doubt it's because actual empoerors/kings were not bad, haha.

On second thought, Joy Of Life has a shifty emperor. Season 1 keeps you guessing about what he's really like, but by the end of season 2 it slowly becomes clear that he's no good.

Did you see Episode 40.5? I watched till halfway through 40 (before the story gets weird 😅) and then skipped to the 5 to 10 minute bonus episode that ends quite satisfyingly (... and with some spiciness, but in the way this drama does spicy, which is with wordplay and subtlety 😅). It makes the ending way more enjoyable! I'm unfortunately no help whatsoever in finding 40.5, but maybe someone on this thread will know? It wasn't officially released with the rest of this drama.

Yes, stopped it halfway through the last episode (on @ThaliaToo's expert recommendation), and just skipped to Episode 40.5 (too bad it's not posted on streaming sites). Kind of a pain in the neck to find, but the best way to end this properly. 😉

This was lovely! Another great costume drama with a strong female lead and leads that works together as equals in their relationship; similar in this sense to dramas like A New Life Begins, A Dream Of Splendor, Who Rules The World, The Double, Flourished Peony/In The Name Of Blossom, and Love Like The Galaxy. It doesn't have the coziness of A New Life Begins, or the chemistry of A Dream Of Splendor, or the playfulness of He Who Rules The World, the subtlety/twistiness of The Double, nor does it innovate relationally like Flourished Peony or have the scale and scope of Love Like The Galaxy, but it has it's own charms, and I think the word I'd use to describe this drama is "hope." It permeates the story from beginning to end.

I'm not quite sure why the king kept so much close to his chest when things could have been a heck of a lot easier for his loyal people to know more of the scoop... but by the end we can overlook such things.

I'm not sure Li Yin Rui had the onscreen presence and gravitas of some other MLs, but I still really liked his character. I didn't like that the end had more scenes of Song Han than Song Mo, and he got kind of sidelined (I felt) a bit by the end. I always loved Yantang's scenes with Shougu the best. ☺️

The arcs at times were a bit messy and hard to follow, but what I loved most is that our leads built an enduring framework of trust and security through caring deeply for others. Their currency was selflessness, kindness, integrity and compassion, and I loved that these values triumphed in the end. Shougu's tenacity and dedication to achieving flourishing and a second chance for herself and those she loved was matched only by Yantang's persistent integrity and loyalty, and I loved the way they supported each other and grew in trust. It's always so fun to watch two clever people put their heads together--they made quite the pair!

Very much enjoyed this. Highly recommend!

P.S. Song Mo was absolutely stunning in those opening scenes. Totally rocked that gray hair!

So true! No one seems to be able to feel anything in moderation about this drama.😅

True, I think there were some nods to it for sure, I just thought they could have made it a more convincing and emphasized arc than the one one they chose to lean into most.

Yay!! I hope you like it. :)

Singleness is definitely a guaranteed way to never make mistakes or mess up as a parent. If you never have children, there's no way to parent them badly. I think that's kind of a no-brainer, though?

And I think it's an unsustainable response to parental abuse. Individuals can obviously choose this option, but not whole societies.

My parents weren't perfect, either (because, again, imperfect parents are the only kinds of parents that exist), but I think they did so many things well and always tried their best. I wouldn't be the person I am today (in a good way) without their guidance and wisdom. I genuinely think MOST parents try their best. Their best may not be very good, and for some it's absolutely awful, but most THINK they're trying their best or loving their kids, even when objectively they're not.

One of the responsibilities of adulthood and maturity is to recognize this--that our parents did things imperfectly, poorly or downright badly or immorally--and to take ownership of it by doing our best to heal and grow from ways we were hurt so we don't perpetuate that hurt to others, if possible. Maybe that means never having kids. Maybe that means getting therapy; lots of it. Or maybe it means a bit of both. It will often mean that a relationship with the parent(s) needs to be cut off until/unless that person has fixed their issues. Maybe the distance is permanent. Maybe it means creating boundaries. Everyone's situation looks different as each situation is unique.

My personal opinion is that one reason abuse repeats itself in generations is because people don't deal with the bitterness and hatred and anger towards--and pain/trauma from--their family who wronged them which inevitably (and understandably!) builds up over time; if they don't address it, they gradually turn into someone they never could have imagined becoming: the very thing they hated.

A good friend of mine would get abused by his dad when his dad got angry (and his grandfather had abused his dad, too). One day my friend, when he was a teenager, like 17 or so, noticed his dad sleeping on the couch and felt the anger mount inside him. It grew until he fantasized about bashing his dad's head in with a golf club sitting nearby. After a moment he realized what he was thinking, and was horrified and stunned. It hit him that he was fantasizing harm towards his dad in retribution for his abuse, because he had so much hatred in his heart towards him. But doing so would have made him no different from his father. Because he saw himself becoming the very man he feared, he got help for it, and slowly, slowly learned to forgive his dad (not reconcile with him), who died not long after this happened from an illness. Now that my friend has worked through his bitterness and has learned to forgive his dad over the years (he's told me the bitterness towards him is completely gone), he has ended the cycle of abuse because he does not have violent, unaddressed anger and hatred anymore, and is a wonderful dad to his two daughters.

So I think generational trauma and abuse can end, not just when people don't have children, but when those who got hurt get help, and work through their pain and address it rather than letting the bitterness and hate fester, or pushing it under the carpet or pretending like it didn't happen (and picking a good partner with whom to have children who is trustworthy and won't hurt their kids, either, of course 😏).

Ah, we call that plot armor! 😅