A bit too much politics and a bit too less passion.
Started off with a bang—pace, laughs, emotional beats, and a generous dash of every genre . Each element was served with flair and honesty. In previous life , our leads' married life was destroyed by politics and misunderstandings so to face that trouble , the plot got hijacked by politics somewhere around ep 12 . And not fun politics like Game of Thrones-style politics—just straight-up bureaucratic overload, 'typical'. Now, I don’t mind politics in a story, but when it starts choking out the plot’s charm? Yeah, no thanks.
I genuinely felt there wasn't enough character development around the main leads’ personal arc. Like— to resolve the misunderstandings that growing on you for twenty years, it must have taken a lot more than just jumping out of her carriage and running in opposite direction ( who watched the show will know what I am talking about ). The Real emotional payoff was lacking a big time and suddenly we see them making out in the pool. The whole love trajectory felt about as convincing as my cat saying she wasn't sheepishly trying to throw the glass off the table ( as I am writing this review). Honestly I would have preferred them writing a new love story, knowing each other from the start and giving proper closure to the hanging loops from their previous lives.
The parallel leads? Practically ghosted. Their entire storylines were shoved into the last two episodes like leftovers on a Sunday plate—rushed, half-cooked, and barely satisfying.
But credit where it’s due— the feminist undertones in this drama deserve applause. The contrast between the caged empress and the fiercely independent princess-turned-ruler was chef’s kiss. And the side female characters? One's a badass general, the other’s a resilient, whip-smart aide. All three women nailed the art of keeping their professional lives separate from the chaos of love triangles, family mess, societal nonsense, and emotionally unavailable men. KUDOS TO THE WRITER for giving us some actual role models in historical robes.
Now… that villain.
Don’t get me started. The dude causes multiple rebellions, sets the kingdom on fire (almost literally), and our leads still go, “It’s not too late to come back”. EXCUSE ME? What’s next—send him a muffin basket and a “get well soon” card? They gave this two-cent villain a fancy, poetic exit like he was some misunderstood anti-hero. Nope. Not buying it. Over-generosity? Or stupidity pro max? You decide.
As for the cast—ZLH? Absolute perfection. The role fit him like a glove dipped in charisma. Maimai? Stunning. She pulled off her 39-year-old character arc with grace and depth. Chemistry? Check. Sparks? Mostly. Side cast? Passable. They showed up, they acted, they left.
BGM? Meh. The soundtrack felt weirdly modern for an ancient setting—like someone accidentally played their Spotify playlist in the background. Fight scenes were few, but tolerable. The real tragedy? The dialogue in the final episodes. Monologues for days. It felt less like a dramatic showdown and more like two emotionally constipated characters (FL & VILLAIN BOY) hosting a midnight podcast.I mean every time the FL and villain come across, there are long segments of monologues from both sides, she talked to him like the entire last night .. then next morning he comes to rebel in the palace and bam another coffee session between them .. 2 hour later ML defeats him in a sword fight .. guess what ??? The same conversation again..huh!
Special shoutout to the inventor of the skip button—you’re the real MVP.
Overall?
It was… okay. Could’ve used more fluff in those dry case files and way more depth in the love story. Oh—and did they ever tell us if the main couple had a kid? i remember she was announced pregnant before the three year leap ..did it missed something?
I genuinely felt there wasn't enough character development around the main leads’ personal arc. Like— to resolve the misunderstandings that growing on you for twenty years, it must have taken a lot more than just jumping out of her carriage and running in opposite direction ( who watched the show will know what I am talking about ). The Real emotional payoff was lacking a big time and suddenly we see them making out in the pool. The whole love trajectory felt about as convincing as my cat saying she wasn't sheepishly trying to throw the glass off the table ( as I am writing this review). Honestly I would have preferred them writing a new love story, knowing each other from the start and giving proper closure to the hanging loops from their previous lives.
The parallel leads? Practically ghosted. Their entire storylines were shoved into the last two episodes like leftovers on a Sunday plate—rushed, half-cooked, and barely satisfying.
But credit where it’s due— the feminist undertones in this drama deserve applause. The contrast between the caged empress and the fiercely independent princess-turned-ruler was chef’s kiss. And the side female characters? One's a badass general, the other’s a resilient, whip-smart aide. All three women nailed the art of keeping their professional lives separate from the chaos of love triangles, family mess, societal nonsense, and emotionally unavailable men. KUDOS TO THE WRITER for giving us some actual role models in historical robes.
Now… that villain.
Don’t get me started. The dude causes multiple rebellions, sets the kingdom on fire (almost literally), and our leads still go, “It’s not too late to come back”. EXCUSE ME? What’s next—send him a muffin basket and a “get well soon” card? They gave this two-cent villain a fancy, poetic exit like he was some misunderstood anti-hero. Nope. Not buying it. Over-generosity? Or stupidity pro max? You decide.
As for the cast—ZLH? Absolute perfection. The role fit him like a glove dipped in charisma. Maimai? Stunning. She pulled off her 39-year-old character arc with grace and depth. Chemistry? Check. Sparks? Mostly. Side cast? Passable. They showed up, they acted, they left.
BGM? Meh. The soundtrack felt weirdly modern for an ancient setting—like someone accidentally played their Spotify playlist in the background. Fight scenes were few, but tolerable. The real tragedy? The dialogue in the final episodes. Monologues for days. It felt less like a dramatic showdown and more like two emotionally constipated characters (FL & VILLAIN BOY) hosting a midnight podcast.I mean every time the FL and villain come across, there are long segments of monologues from both sides, she talked to him like the entire last night .. then next morning he comes to rebel in the palace and bam another coffee session between them .. 2 hour later ML defeats him in a sword fight .. guess what ??? The same conversation again..huh!
Special shoutout to the inventor of the skip button—you’re the real MVP.
Overall?
It was… okay. Could’ve used more fluff in those dry case files and way more depth in the love story. Oh—and did they ever tell us if the main couple had a kid? i remember she was announced pregnant before the three year leap ..did it missed something?
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