Eleison

These were the answers I needed. 😂 Thank you!

While I enjoyed this greatly, I have more questions after watching Episode 40 than I had throughout the whole series combined. 😅

*sigh*

I guess I won't get them answered anytime soon!

My main question: is everything Xi An did meaningless due to how it ended (besides all the people he personally affected in small ways, as shown in the last 20 minutes)? I couldn't belp but wonder, and I have no idea what the guy we meet at the end was trying to do. It's all a muddle for me. 😅

I thought for sure there's no way this drama (once/if they do a Season 2) could have a sad ending, but after watching the last 5 or 6 episodes of this, now I'm not so sure... the show really took a pivot from lighthearted comedy to heartbreaking and heavy. Phew. Honestly, the ending felt reminiscent of JoL Season 1. Overall it definitely has a lot of similarities, but this is much sillier and lighthearted overall until the last 5 episodes and then, "Wham!" It makes JoL feel fluffy. 😅

That said, loved Wei, all the Guardians, Lin'an, the Xu family, Cai Wei and Song Qing, Shenshu, and the "phone" friends of XQA.

P.S. Also, loved the "Avengers Assemble!" moment there at the end. Pretty sweet.

A good assessment! It's so unrealistic it's almost laughable. But it can be enjoyed on it's own terms, because in these sorts of dramas the MLs do almost always grow in some capacity and that at least redeems it somewhat. But definitely not for everyone!

Princess Hours, King2Hearts, Secret Garden and any Boys Over Flowers adaptation are the shows that immediately come to mind. Not many shows with toxic male leads anymore. 😂 Probably a good thing. 😉 That said, I enjoyed all of the above, even if I know they are not promoting healthy romantic interactions. 😂

I suppose you're right, but it never really came through clearly, and he bounced back so quickly (as opposed to his wound in Season 2), but maybe it was the subtitles and translation that weren't clear. Sometimes the Chinese dramas really don't translate properly and I am so lost. 😅 It must be harder to translate into English than Korean. 🤷‍♀️

I thought the romance and their chemistry improved as the show progressed, but I don't feel like I ever saw the transition from two schemers misunderstanding each other and building their interactions on lies to lovers that trust and truly know each other. It just kind of happened. But they're cute together once they're clearly smitten. 😉

Exactly!

Was it not available anywhere else (legally streamed) besides Netflix (asking from the U.S.)?

They also forgot Xinnian! He went to the wrong house, still thought XQA was dead AND they didn't have a bedroom for him at the new house. 😂😂😂 And then when XQA thought Xinnian was giving him the cold shoulder Xinnian just said, "I'm glad you're alive." (Awwww) 🥹

And the Little One squeaks as much as she talks and it's ADORABLE. Dylan Wang must have built some rapport with her because she seems to genuinely like him. Most kids can't fake familiarity at that age. 😅 Needless to say, she was squeezably cute.

It's also not romantic at all; when guys have multiple partners they have romantic connections with they just feel like creeps. 😅

This is something I'm grateful to censorship for. I'd never watch this drama if Qi An had a harem. 😅

MAYBE if they were painted as political marriages done out of duty or something and they didn't try to make it romantic, but if they tried to make him "love" all of them in "unique" ways. Nope, nope.

Nice, thank you! I mean, originally I wondered if the arm wasn't evil because the more I watch the more I see them emperor is not the greatest human, and it seemed like the arm was unfairly imprisoned, since Qi An kept hearing "Help!" at the Lake when no one else heard anything. I feel better now.

Yeah, cause he did terrible things when he merged with Heng Hui. But thank you! That calms some of my fears. :)

Does the "evil arm" end up being good or bad for Qi An? And I don't see Shenshu in the clas list--who is he? Or do I just need to be patient and find out? 😂 I just want to know if he does bad things to/with Qi An. Qi An being entangled with him makes me nervous...

Okay, concerned question:

Hogoo's Love and When The Camellia Blooms are two that come to mind right away. :)

If you don't like fluffy rom-coms with mild fantasy/sci-fi elements which sometimes lean into staple rom-com (for some, cringey or cheesy) humor, and prefer dramas with super tight writing that is plot-focused rather than character-driven, then you will probably find the gushing on this thread misplaced.

Do yourself a favor and reset your expectations so you don't come out the other side thinking, "That was overrated/overhyped." A lot of people like this kind of drama, hence the gushing. You may not be one of them, but that doesn't make everyone who loves this "wrong" or "a teenage fangirl."

This drama is not an artistic "masterpiece," but it is a very fun drama with strong chemistry between the leads that leans heavily into the concept of fate and true love against all odds with a dash of that old-timey romantic Kdrama nostalgia.

Nangong's and her weapon remind me of Wonderwoman with her Lasso of Truth. 😏

There were very short, nonexplicit but highly suggestive flashbacks in brief clips of the second couple having a one night stand.

Viki