Sam

I am in my C-Drama phase. So naturally like a well adjusted person, I am currently watching nothin' other than historical C-Dramas, genre non-withstanding. Although none I have watched recently was a dud, there were very few which compelled me to share the joy I felt after watching them. Blossom is probably in the top 5 of such c-dramas.

Ok so gushing mode triggered, fair warning.

I loved this drama. Like absolutely loved it. I would be watching it again, then again and may be yet again. It has solid "A"s in every thing that counts for me. Although the concept is not at all original, the story and screenplay make it feel fresh. The narration is tightly controlled. There are no loose threads; there are no unnecessary tracks; there are very few filler scenes. I kid you not. I started watching this last evening. I binged through the night. At 5:00 AM this morning, I realized that I should rest my eyes. It was a tough decision to make. But I grabbed 4 hours of sleep and then continued from there. I was that riveted. I had to click on the next episode. I couldn't help myself.

Characters and actors. There are so many characters, and 99% of those have back stories and reasons. With most of them, you understand why they are doing what they are doing. It probably helped that I did not hit an FF even once. So may be that was the reason why every character felt real?!? Dunno.

The main leads are to die for. They are so intelligent and fierce and loyal, that I rooted for them not just because I was supposed to. I wanted them to have a good ending. I was invested in their struggles. Song Mo and Shou Gu are going to live rent free in my heart for a long time. Their initial tussle, power play, mistrust, mutual respect for each other's capabilities and the instinctive pull towards one another are presented so darn well. There is no insta-love. They are not enemies either (although Song Mo actually greets Shou Gu with a sword across her throat). They are two people thrown together by their fates. But they are essentially very smart people. So even though they find the other intriguing, there is no lowering of their guards. It happens all so organically, that when they eventually trust each other, it feels like the most natural thing in the world. I gobble that stuff. Give me a good slow-burn and I am your minion. This drama does that well.

Meng Zi Yi rocked. Her Shou Gu is another badass h who does not need to be bratty. She does not possess any martial skills. Her brain is her asset and she abundantly uses it. This is a blast to the past drama, where she gets a do-over after getting backstabbed by her good for nothing husband and at the same time, meeting a stranger, Song Mo, who basically dies for her. She makes full use of it. She does not have any altruistic motives in the beginning. She is not out there to save the world. She just wants to avoid her own tragedy. By the end, she willingly enters the fray to save her loved ones, most importantly her husband. In her first life, she is painfully betrayed by her loser, cheating SOB husband and her younger half sister. Yet, in her second chance, she gives her all for her loving husband. “You and I are different. I trust the person I love”, her simple statement to the Empress showcases what a mature and brave woman Shou Gu is. Meng Zi Yi captured Shou Gu's sharp wit so darn well. Her large eyes and ready smiles do help.

As good as MZY is, for me, the star of the show was Li Yun Rui. I had seen him in a couple forgettable supporting roles. This was his first major drama that I watched. Me likieee! In the first scene, with that amazing silver grey hair and a slow & tired drawl, he just reeled me in. Since Legolas and Aragorn, I have a thing for hooded, tortured heroes. No wonder I fell so hard for Song Mo. Li Yun Rui brought Song Mo to life. His darkness, tiredness, and undeniable goodness grabbed ahold of my heart through the screen. I waited for him to come on the screen. Even a simple twitch of his eyebrow added to the depth of the scenes. I can also gleeful attest that Song Mo maintains the same charisma through out. Shou Gu does not outshine him in the second half or vice versa. That's my pet peeve. A to-die-for ML roams around with a lost puppy expression once the marriage is consummated or something.

Li Yun Rui is a seriously good looking guy too. In my magnificent shallowness, I confess that I started watching the drama because I was captivated by his beauty. Typically that adjective is not used for men. I am gonna. He is utterly beautiful. *Sigh*. Even if he didn't perform the way he did, I would have been happy to just watch him on the screen.

IMO the leads did not have the so-called sizzling chemistry. They just worked together very well. They fit. The tension was very much there though. I was more than happy with the outcome. I guess that's what good actors bring to the table. Their scenes still made me squee. Like a simp I was smiling whenever they got all flirty.

I wantto specifically add one thing. The baddies are aplenty in this drama. But amongst those, Song Yi Chun, Song Mo's dad, is the most despicable character in the drama. I won't go in details, but I hated his guts. It's not even that the actor did a magnificent job or anything. Duke of Ying aka the worst father of the century, deserved to die a more brutal death (pardon my bloodthirstiness) . That scum.. Ugh. Then there was Wang Ying Xue aka the wicked-witch-of-the-west stepmother. Oh boy. I just wanted to jump through the scene and bitchslap her. That evil tweet was just that evil. And I also hated that slimy Eunuch Wang. He also got off easy. I needed him to be punished by the Emperor. Strangely, I hated him more than his master. Huh.

There are enough goodies to make it tolerable. Bless 'em! Honourable mention, Ji Yong. The show tried to get me to unlike him, but nay, I did not fall for it. Not for nothing I have been watching dramas for years. I have learned a thing or two ya know? His morality and motives seemed dubious but I knew there was more to it than what was on the surface.

The drama is not perfect though. It takes some atrocious cinematic liberties. Shou Gu's schemes do not fail, like not once. Song Mo, gets the miraculous antidote for his poison, in spite of everybody and their dogs crying it wasn't available. In spite of making elaborate plans in the middle of the show, Song Mo conveniently forgets 53000 odd soldiers from the Ding army and yet comes at the top.

Also, I gotta say. *SPOILER* I hated the death of the elder brother of the bodyguard duo. Apart from the fact that the brothers were funny together, I was worried about ma boy Song Mo. Who would watch his back now?? Argh..

But these were some minor issues that I forgot as soon as I thought of them. This was a solid solid watch for me. Now all I am worried about is hitting a post-series depression until I find another Song Mo-ish ML.