InspectorMegre

The story of King 1,2,3 Queen 1,2,3 CP 1,2,3 etc is super confusing and I had to have someone explain that part to me. This is the first time ever that I did not understand the "geneology" in a kdrama. So I asked for help. There is a post with explanation. Once you figure out who is who, then it rolls fine

It is filmed like holywood, the dialogue is too fast and too short so it is hard to figure it out, Also the scenes flow from one set to another and you have to realize that the camera moved onto a different place alltogether, like in an animation.

So this "modern look" is a little ... hm... too much but I think there is pressure to speed up and make it more exciting - bc of Chinese short verticals and bc of american market with $$$$ and in general, competition and westernization. So this is not exactly my fav kdrama :) bc I am not into this kind of filming... but it is ok bc I really like FL and ML is a good contrast to her, and the other prince is also a good balance. And some aspects of filming are very artsy, like those lights and getting into the water

Chinese dramas are always a lot simpler than kdramas, imo, They have more crude plot and a LOT less nuance, and are heavier, more black-white clear, no paradox or joking, tragicomedy, etc, it is ... just ... rougher overall... . Not warm.... There is more suffering... less character development... It is just closer to survival... There is lots of dramatic scenes but no content, and the dialogue is ... hm... very shallow, to say the least. So they might be easier to watch for some people. To me, they are boring bc of that. Kdrama requires some finesse and attention to detail and a good sense of humor LOL

Humor is one of the highest forms of intelligence :) It requires a lot of brains to put together tons of stereotyping and assumptions and make a twist on it :) and also, to make fun of oneself.

sorry I will untangle that sentence :) thanks for your patience
Stella set on the path of revenge against MDS bc MDS murdered her son (bc her son was in the way of MDS's plans of bringing GC home) YET STELLA WANTS TO MURDER AS SOON AS SOMEONE IS IN HER WAY... she wants to murder MDS bc he is in the way of Stella's plan to have SeRi be the Chairperson.

So, **** Stella is the same kind of murderer as MDS yet she egotistically blames him for doing bad stuff and justifies herself as doing good stuff.**** Stella is an embodiment of sheer egotism :) and she is now fully open and on the roll bc she thinks she holds the shots. She is not even pretending anymore to be nice. She got the shares, and she is doing everything she wants - including murder - to help "her flesh and blood" Se Ri.

Stella really showed who she is - an evil ignoramus worshiping HERSELF.

@Valicious I am reposting a post from @Valicious because it will be very helpful. I just tried, I cannot post in Discussions. @Valicious should try posting this in Discussions. It is incredibly useful bc without this explanation, I think so many of the audience have no idea what is going on in this drama...

---BEGIN QUOTE of post by @Valicious ---
Timeline as requested, this is based on what was explained in episode 1 and 2, and further confirmed in episode 3.
King A dead king, father of Je-woon
King B current king, father of Kang
They are half brothers. King A is the son of Dowager Queen Han. King B is the the son of a concubine.
Queen 1 mother of Je-woon first wife of King A
Queen 2 mother of the young Crown prince, second wife of King A, fate unknown but likely dead
Queen 3 mother of Kang, late wife of King B

There are 3 blocks of events.

The queen 1 was accused by the Dowager queen Han of adultery which caused her suicide by poison and the deposition of Je-woon as crown prince who was exiled. Kim Han-cheol already played a part there but he wasn't as high ranked.
King A remarried and had another son.

Then the events of the Gyesa year happened. First the two brothers of the dowager queen Han were killed weakening her, then King A and the crown prince were poisoned during sword practice (Kim Han-cheol was in charge of preparing the swords), then the Royal Physician died during an acupuncture session. Kim Han-cheol rose to a higher power as he became Left minister (previously he was minister of war).
He put the late king's half brother, King B on the throne (son of the old king by a concubine). Apparently his plan from the start was to marry his daughter to the Crown prince Kang, but 'unfortunately' he met Yeon-wol and married her.
5 years ago Han-cheol decided to frame Yeon-wol in the death of Queen 3. He forced the deposed crown princess to suicide, pushing King B to ask that of her. This left the place empty for that marriage...

We are here now. In the meantime Kang has decided to go for revenge investigating the events of the Gyesa year, but while there are hints Kim Han-cheol is behind all of that, there are no definite proof. That's why Je-woon went to Qing to find if some elements still exist

As for the timeline. We know for sure Queen 3 and Yeon-wol died 5 years ago.
The death of Queen 1 happened when Je-woon was about 8-10 years so 15 to 20 years ago.
The Gyesa year was around 10 years after Queen 1 death.
So Queen 1 died 20 years ago.
The Gyesa events happened 10 years ago.
Yeon-wol "died" 5 years ago
----- END QUOTE
Yeon-wol supposedly died 5 years ago but she was saved by her maid and is Dal I now.

OMG THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! I am so glad I looked through the comments this far. I would have missed it!!!! Do you mind if I repost this into Discussions so that everyone can see it? It will help sooo many people!!!! THANK YOU!!!!

Well kdramas have nice sophisticated humor and lightness and warmth that cdramas generally do not have. Thai dramas can have it, and I have my favorites, but also can be .... too lewd for my taste. So welcome to the classy sophisticated kdramas. If you like this one, there are zillion recent ones you would like too.

I personally think she acted DUMB by returning stuff to CP. If I were her, I would take the silk and the jewelry box and just leave, NEVER see him again, and live my life with some good use of that money. No false shame. No false pride.
By refusing him, she basically said she is attached to him. Tsk tsk. Such a loser, insecure, with false pride and reckless self destruction.

LMAO this is a hilarious comment

it is very easy to debunk them - just take them to a difficult new situation, the grungier the better :) You likely will not learn much from a dinner and a movie or a bar, but you will learn a lot for sure from ... taking an urban person camping, taking him to help you volunteer in a soup kitchen or help you move something ... or just take them shopping for YOUR clothes :) or to yoga class, or to rake th leaves, to workout, etc etc etc etc
Take him to your friends and let your friends test him :)
Be creative :) And yeah, you should do intel - all the social media, his exes, coworkers, family, work, etc etc etc ....
But if you chronically get together with shitty guys then... you are probably hanging out in wrong circles and / or you might be inadequate too somehow. You have to BECOME like the guy you are looking for... Here is how: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zz0PPBe9eg and I recommend Stephen Speaks youtube videos online. I dont agree with him 100% but I think his advice is typically great common sense

that;s called QUEEN BEE - the competition between women... ingrained through centuries of patriarchy

I think you are missing the point. *** These 3 women are equally guilty as their "bad men" for having ruined marriages and relationships ****

One married woman focuses on being 100% mom and 0% hot lover and wife, and seems like her husband is not very keen on being a dad, and they NEVER communicate - so yeah, her husband will surely turn to some kind of cheating or divorce her asap - he is healthy and naturally wants sex
- so it is the fault of both of them never to put effort into their marriage and let it die by rotting away - in front of their kids, throwing their kids under the bus. The kids are suffering in a disfunctional toxic family where they are overdependent on their mother, neglected by their father, and quite spoiled and unruly

one married woman focuses on commanding her husband to do as she wants - SHE wants a child, NOW!!!!! - scolding and beating her husband as if he were a small clumzy nasty retarded child. That dude is forced to seek places where he can feel like an adult man in charge of his life, powerful and determined. Yeah she is driving him into cheating and perv. If he was gay to begin with, ... that's another issue. Obviously they had satisfactory love life before otherwise they wouldnt be married, so what happened... ? Clearly, lack of communication and effort to keep the marriage alive.

and the single woman chases a gigolo for good sex and puts up with a man who just uses her for money and looks at her with a disgusting look like he is eating a frog alive. But she does not care bc he fuc** her. So she is using him like a sex toy, in total disregard for HIM and also for her own feelings. She is paying a male prostitute and lives like that for 3 years. She pays the money and that is like pressing the ON button on a robot, he is supposed to perform. They both know it is what it is and the deal is that they never talk about it. They agreed to live in a lie.

THE WOMEN MADE MISTAKES AND MISHANDLED THEIR MEN FOR YEARS. If they also picked the wrong guy to begin with, it is beyond repair.... The single one clearly picked the wrong man to begin with and must let go asap - and she was lucky to already find Mr. Right.... and the married ones might have picked wrong men to begin with too.

We will see if they picked the wrong husbands and if it is salvegeable or not. Does not seem like salvegeable to me :) The perv is too far out and his wife is too rigid, and the cheating husband is just too nasty, actively nasty and his wife wants to fly and CAN fly. My prediction is that both marriages must disolve before all parties just rot away, it is like cutting a very very very infected wound so that healing can take place. It is like throwing away your fancy expnsive shoes because no matter what you do, you get blisters from them. Give them away to someone else who can wear them well... and get yourself a new pair. Pick more wisely this time...

I think you are missing the point. *** These 3 women are equally guilty as their men for having ruined marriages and relationships **** One focuses on being 100% mom and 0% hot lover wife, one focuses on scolding and beating her husband as if he were a small clumzy nasty retarded child; and third one chases a gigolo for good sex.
THE WOMEN MADE MISTAKES AND MISHANDLED THEIR MEN

Zero sex life is a reason for the cheating.... The woman is equally guilty

well... if you really want to focus on the physical - you dont make love with the face but with body... and the older one is super buff... He has bigger shoulders and back than the young one :) and thus will have a stronger performance :)

Also, you fall in love with what is ON that face, like smile and warm eyes, and the older guy got it...
That young guy's face was just a blah nauseating look bc he totally hated his woman and had the face of someone forced to eat a frog..... so looking at him was majorly unpleasant.

I think looking at the older guys's face totally adoring you and being there to help you and care for you, and then looking at his broad shoulders, would be a lot more fun, dont you think?

But you know, the brain is the biggest sex organ, so no matter how "ugly" a person is, when they smile at you and are nice to you and love you genuinely and make you feel like a million, you gonna love that face and that look. Esp if it comes on a nice body ;)
Anyone with kind eyes and a big happy smile is handsome, remember that...

is that a Korean custom too.... ? based on your culture expert comments....
In most cultures of the developed world, the woman would not get a sub but would divorce the guy asap - well, maybe not if he was very rich LOL and/or if they are Catholic.... Italians, French commonly have side gigs, it is normal... Protestant world frowns upon side gigs and divorce is more acceptable, especially in a consumer society like in the USA.... ppl do not have the patience to be married to th wrong person LOL

the crown prince... in the preview, when he discovered his new body, he was very upset that it was body of some low person... He is definitelly a snotty arrogant royal, thinking he is somehow "better"... Also, he showed his disdain for women... when he saw that he lost his thingie... that too was somehow "lower" than his old male self .....

I do not think that korean moms sleep with the kids and never sleep with the husband. I think they must put th kids to sleep but they eventually go to bed to their husband. Even if they had a crib in the parent's room, the wife would sleep in the bed with the husband.

THE ISSUE IN THIS DRAMA IS THAT THE WIFE NEVER EVER SLEEPS IN THE SAME BED WITH HER HUSBAND.
SHE INTENTIONALLY AVOIDS SHARING THE BED WITH HER HUSBAND. THAT IS WHAT MY POST IS ALL ABOUT.

She could put kids to sleep and then go back to sharing bed to sleep with her husband. But she does NOT do that.

Also, you are implicitly going into this whole nagging and ridiculous shaming of different cultures, with a total disregard of my post. First of all, I think this drama shows that the kids have a separate room.

So why dont you watch the drama. The mom sleeps on the floor with the 2 kids and the husband went away to sleep somewhere else. He was NOT in that small room with the kids and the mom.

In other words: Those 2 kids do sleep in a separate room and the mom sleeps there with them.
The husband sleeps in another room.

That is what I saw. If you saw them all sleeping in the same room, show me which minute of which episode proves that.

Do NOT make it up that mom dad and kids all sleep in the same room and then go on a rage about being harassed for your culture.

----FYI ----
And the discussion about kids having a separate room is another topic to be discussed in another post. I am well aware of the issues and I agree that it is better that the whole family sleep in one room while the kids are small. In fact, small babies should sleep in the same bed as the parents. BUT THAT IS NOT THE ISSUE DISCUSSED IN MY POST.

This drama shows a Korean family with a separate room for the kids, just like in the USA. It is terrifying for the kids, indeed. So why are Koreans switching to that too? Total westernization of your culture, or just kissing up to the american audience to watch this drama? You may discuss that in another post. Open a new post to discuss what YOU want to discuss. My post is something else.

My post is about this particular husband and wife being ESTRANGED and one strategy they use is to never ever share the bed to even sleep in. I am not even talking about lovemaking, I am talking about just sleeping. They do not even share the same bed to spend the night in sleep.
THE HUSBAND AND WIFE HAVE NOT HAD ANY PHYSICAL CONTACT FOR YEARS. And yeah bc of it, the kids are both neglected and spoiled. And yeah this is common. That's my point and that is what I wanted to discuss in my post, to agree with the person who said that the kids are spoiled and to point out why.

Ok all this plot of "while the cat is away, th mice get to play" is necessary to show us the true colors of everyone as MDS is hidden away...
I am also suspecting MDS actor must be really expensive or filming something else/busy with something, bc he is on the back burner.... and TJ appeared :) and SJ is carrying the plot. SJ actor is really good at it. But .. MDS needs to reappear somehow
STELLA IS A MURDERER AND THE SAME KIND AS MDS WAS - plotting to kill him bc it is in her interest. ***Stella's stonishing egotism.... she set on the revenge for the same things SHE does*** She set on revenge against MDS bc he kills, yet SHE PLANS TO KILL... She is the same egotistical murderer kind...

GC is nothing without a hounddog and/or a master... She is a pion to Stella and cannot even check a marriage certificate... Interesting how her power is just thin air...
Oldest son and his wife are mentally underdeveloped, so how can Pan Sul family even think he will be a director...
Manager Gong is not GC's mother, seems like ....
Concubine daughter is the steady worker and seems like a great asset to Mingang. Yeah she is a calculated politician but everyone in her job would be, and she is not all that nasty, she only tries to oust GC and that is to be expected, since GC keeps trying to oust her

Se Ri was saying a lot how she feels bad that Mi So died bc of her. She said that MANY times - to Manager Gong, I think, and I think even to lucia too? I do not remember who she was speaking to but I do remember she kept repeating it, saying the misfortune fell to Mins bc of what she did.
I think sh can say that to Lucia easily bc that is how she honestly feels. Se Ri changed thanks to Lucia's "love".
The WORST thing that could happen and destroy SeRi is to discover that all Lucia's love was just a lie

So Lucia needs to step up to the plate and accept Se Ri for real
Esp bc when all this mess ends, Se Ri will be going with Lucia ....

as KC will be going to prison or mental ward or into "exile". МDS will probably have another attack and die for real, or end up in jail for murder. It is likely that Lucia will be leading Mingang - will she sell it and retire or keep running it?

on anoher note I am wondering how good of a job Lucia is doing leading Mingang. Is she a good Chairperson?

OK now - WHY did the old man say they should never meet? And WHY did they get into the swap?

Hm, I think that is THE way :) bc it is right. SeRi has been a good daughter to Lucia and has mostly redeemed herself with some good care. She will be punished for her past misdeed, sure.
My post was addressing the fact that Lucia is not ready yet.

At this point, Lucia is not ready to accept Se Ri as her SECOND daughter. Lucia still lies to Se Ri and cusses her under her breath.... hugging her and cussing her...

So what has to happen to Lucia to make her get her where she needs to be? As an epitome of a MOTHER