Managed to finish season 1. It’s largely a good show. Still don’t like the lawyer relationship arch for Mark Chao. I feel it’s unnecessary (like it was just put in there to give him a relationship) and I found the lady’s character annoying.
Another thing I didn’t like, was how everyone was gaslighting Mark Chao’s character to let go of his abandonment issue. They kept hammering of how long ago it is and that family is family. Meanwhile, I don’t remember the mother actually apologizing to him. She just made excuses for her actions and never took responsibility for leaving a little child and then making a whole new family afterwards.
But I guess China has to somehow promote family unity at all cost, and filial piety even if the parent is an asshole. I however, did enjoy the medical cases.
Awesome show! This is the first C-drama (funny it had to be a historical drama), where mental health and trauma is actually pretty well addressed. Nothing is glossed over. Even when it was said the FL had been cured, we still see her struggles, and that its not always easy for people who have been traumatised to move forward. It is also shown how she needs an anchor to ground her to reality (the scene she was always in a trance staring at a blooming Orchid? can't remember the name of the flower). I love how the show also ended on a philosophical note, no rush off or abrupt ending. Everything was tied together. The sticking to their purpose and theme, is another great part of this show. The production team did a good job here. Even with the temptation, they did not turn it into a romance drama and I LOVE IT! Kudos to the director and production team for staying on track.
Overall, I love the cast here. They all did good jobs. Bai Lu shines when she takes on proper acting roles (cough cough Idol roles). Cheng Lei also was good here. The director really helped the cast members showcase the story well.
My only downside, is the artistic makeup. I know they are refined nobles and all, but the fake nails was just too obvious, doesn't fit that era. C-dramas have generally not mastered making their actors really look like what they're going through (cough cough FL's appearance during the flashback scenes of her suffering and alone in LiShan. She barely had strain in her makeup or look LOL). Compare this to say, any HBO TV Series that has pain and suffering, you will immediately see and believe this person is going through hard times. Over beautification is keeping C-dramas from being GREAT.
Anyway, enough now. I will miss the show. I always looked forward to its airing.
I unexpectedly got too busy to catch up on this (stopped at Ep.29). What a blessing in disguise! I’m glad I got to watch ep. 30-33 together. I don’t think I could have survived the one episode per day in the critical parts of this show. 😮💨
If this was real life, LinYi would have been fired no matter how talented he was. He is insubordination is too much and for Chinese society, I doubt it will be tolerated as much as it was in this drama. Also, what’s with the scene of Mark Chao’s character seeing a patient and also allowing a lawyer to be in the room. That’s some serious privacy breach. I’m surprised they allowed it. The lawyer was there and could hear patient’s confidential health information just because they wanted to create a scene that builds potential relationship. I could have understood if the person was even a hospital staff. But no, this was a lawyer from outside breaching patient-doctor consultation and they were acting like it’s normal.
The lawyer character is also so unnecessary. Not all shows need a romantic angle at all. This would have been perfect without it. Hospital romance would have been even be more tolerable. Moreover her character is outright annoying. A grown woman , who is supposed to be a professional, stalking someone she doesn’t even know at all and just met once is distasteful and annoying. I couldn’t stand her attempt to act childish and cute.
I disagree. Still loving it and going strong. And I am definitely not watching it for the romance. Not needed…
I agree. Romance is not the main point of the show actually. It has never presented itself as such even. In fact it took a while for FL to actually discover she actually liked the ML.
If you treat this as a rom-com and not a serious show to poke at details, then it’s a lovely show. With some really funny moments and jokes.
I do however feel like it was dragged on too long. The villain 2ML could have easily been dislodged from the company (it’s still the grandpa’s company after all) but, somehow it was made to look like he had more power and control than the actual owner just so the show can have its villain and the dramatic takedown can happen.
All fake and used to manipulate Consort to make her serve/be loyal to empresss dowager. The poem is actually a…
Nothing has been said about that. We are actually not sure yet if the Empress Dowager had an affair or she just manipulated the feelings he had for her.
All fake and used to manipulate Consort to make her serve/be loyal to empresss dowager. The poem is actually a love poem by the master xinkuan to the Empress dowager. And the astrology thing is all made up (consort dowager is deeply into astrology and their meanings). FL showed her how all those astrology things were made up. She discovered when Empress Dowager told her, her actual give name (Furong same as what Hibiscus is called in Chinese), that the poem was actually a love poem to the Empress.
Since the Master Xinkuan was very much in love with the Empress Dowager, she used him and then framed him in the dead Crown Prince case and killed him. Which was what the Master realised Late and asked the Consort Dowager to keep the edict as a way to protect herself from the Empress Dowager who discards her pawns when no longer needed.
This show is brilliant in this regard. Initially, I thought Consort Dowager was the manipulator. But apparently, she the brain behind it all and uses who serves her interest and discards them when no longer useful.
the moment I found out Zuidie was a toxic woman I'm pretty worried for the Princess Linyun ... well she did reveal…
She didn’t. They were both sent letters saying each of them invited the other person. If you recall, as FL was leaving the conversation was that the Princess invited her. Meanwhile, the princess received a letter saying FL invited her. Of course they didn’t get the chance to ask who or why the other person invited them. Princess assumed the invite was because of SuiZuide who came to FL’s house. It was a manipulated setting to carry out the attack.
Binged this (it made me lose sleep one night). It was quite interesting. However , I felt it was too long for the story. The story felt elongated to get to 16 episodes.
I think it is possible that Ye Li's grandfather headmaster Xu had drafted the edict on behalf of the then dying…
Sounds contradictory indeed. Hopefully we will find out the actual story and the show continues to unfold. This is what I like about this show. It has made all the watchers analysts about the actual story and not just about aesthetics. A real thriller.
I think it is possible that Ye Li's grandfather headmaster Xu had drafted the edict on behalf of the then dying…
He was not in the palace when the Crown Prince and family was burnt. Remember he was sent to LiShan mountain himself. He was later summoned to return at 14 (without knowing that the politics in the palace had changed) and the LiShan convoy with him were ambushed and then they forced him to sign a confession framing LiShan. This is why FL is angry with him, even though she acknowledges he was still a child at the time. But she still saw him as part of the cause that led to the demise of her LiShan brothers.
Every episode of this show is so good. It makes me just want to know more and watch more. I love when a C-drama gives me this kind of feeling. Hopefully, it maintains its charm. It takes me back to when Pursuit of Jade was airing.
Another thing I didn’t like, was how everyone was gaslighting Mark Chao’s character to let go of his abandonment issue. They kept hammering of how long ago it is and that family is family. Meanwhile, I don’t remember the mother actually apologizing to him. She just made excuses for her actions and never took responsibility for leaving a little child and then making a whole new family afterwards.
But I guess China has to somehow promote family unity at all cost, and filial piety even if the parent is an asshole.
I however, did enjoy the medical cases.
Time for season 2.
I love how the show also ended on a philosophical note, no rush off or abrupt ending. Everything was tied together. The sticking to their purpose and theme, is another great part of this show. The production team did a good job here. Even with the temptation, they did not turn it into a romance drama and I LOVE IT! Kudos to the director and production team for staying on track.
Overall, I love the cast here. They all did good jobs. Bai Lu shines when she takes on proper acting roles (cough cough Idol roles). Cheng Lei also was good here. The director really helped the cast members showcase the story well.
My only downside, is the artistic makeup. I know they are refined nobles and all, but the fake nails was just too obvious, doesn't fit that era. C-dramas have generally not mastered making their actors really look like what they're going through (cough cough FL's appearance during the flashback scenes of her suffering and alone in LiShan. She barely had strain in her makeup or look LOL).
Compare this to say, any HBO TV Series that has pain and suffering, you will immediately see and believe this person is going through hard times.
Over beautification is keeping C-dramas from being GREAT.
Anyway, enough now. I will miss the show. I always looked forward to its airing.
Also, what’s with the scene of Mark Chao’s character seeing a patient and also allowing a lawyer to be in the room. That’s some serious privacy breach. I’m surprised they allowed it.
The lawyer was there and could hear patient’s confidential health information just because they wanted to create a scene that builds potential relationship.
I could have understood if the person was even a hospital staff. But no, this was a lawyer from outside breaching patient-doctor consultation and they were acting like it’s normal.
The lawyer character is also so unnecessary. Not all shows need a romantic angle at all. This would have been perfect without it. Hospital romance would have been even be more tolerable. Moreover her character is outright annoying. A grown woman , who is supposed to be a professional, stalking someone she doesn’t even know at all and just met once is distasteful and annoying. I couldn’t stand her attempt to act childish and cute.
🙄🙄🙄🙄
It’s more political leaning.
I do however feel like it was dragged on too long. The villain 2ML could have easily been dislodged from the company (it’s still the grandpa’s company after all) but, somehow it was made to look like he had more power and control than the actual owner just so the show can have its villain and the dramatic takedown can happen.
The poem is actually a love poem by the master xinkuan to the Empress dowager. And the astrology thing is all made up (consort dowager is deeply into astrology and their meanings). FL showed her how all those astrology things were made up. She discovered when Empress Dowager told her, her actual give name (Furong same as what Hibiscus is called in Chinese), that the poem was actually a love poem to the Empress.
Since the Master Xinkuan was very much in love with the Empress Dowager, she used him and then framed him in the dead Crown Prince case and killed him. Which was what the Master realised Late and asked the Consort Dowager to keep the edict as a way to protect herself from the Empress Dowager who discards her pawns when no longer needed.
This show is brilliant in this regard. Initially, I thought Consort Dowager was the manipulator. But apparently, she the brain behind it all and uses who serves her interest and discards them when no longer useful.