This review may contain spoilers
The script had to be revised many more times.
It caught my attention because of the synopsis, I am used to seeing strong and intelligent women in dramas. It is one of my favorite tropes. My problem is that some characters become unbearable as time goes by (especially the grandmother). I like the plot in general, it has twists that are very good, but there are so many that it becomes hard to process one and then the next. So many characters from the beginning that end up becoming villains or even being discarded as if nothing.FL
FL grew up being cunning, strategic, and skilled at everything she sets her mind to. She has to act like a boss at all times and command respect amidst so much conspiracy and hatred. She strives to be the perfect leader her grandmother expects her to be, but ends up being a Mary Sue for whom everything goes according to plan and who knows absolutely everything. Anything can happen and she already has a solution within seconds. It’s fine that she is decisive and straightforward, but the fact that she never doubts and everything goes according to plan becomes repetitive; she has no conflict beyond family, business, or reputation. Her character sometimes goes from being just cold and serious to seeming like an immobile stone. Thanks to the actress, who gives her some life with micro-expressions, I can manage to see that FL feels something in some moments. I like her boss attitude, but I think it’s taken to the extreme to the point that it affects her relationship with other characters.
Rong
The Rong family in general seems good to me, but too extreme in their clan rules. One of the things I dislike is that there are things that are wrong within the rules and Shao Bao knows it, questions it, but doesn’t even make an effort to do something different or change anything. The grandmother is the main problem, she is very cruel. She made her granddaughters compete with each other for power against Shao Bao, despised them while praising the eldest granddaughter as if they were less and as if she hadn’t raised them herself. She said cruel things, like to Yunshu, that she was useless and humiliated her for being the daughter of a servant and also blind. But when she expelled Shao Bao and Yunshu recovered her sight at the same time, suddenly she loved her a lot 🤨. Yunwan, knowing that she has some kind of autism, she refers to her as a disgrace to the family. With Yunxi she silently instigated her to be against Shao Bao for power, without even caring about what she wanted to do or what she was good at to help the family. She also disapproved of Yunxi’s daughter just because she accidentally dropped a cup, SHE IS A CHILD. I was so happy that Yunxi chose, above the family business, to be with the man she loves and her daughter in front of her! I would have liked to see more of that and development of that relationship 😍. So many bad things happened inside the mansion and the grandmother never stops to reflect on what truly matters besides the business; instead of apologizing, she victimizes herself for being old and unreasonable (which is true, she is unreasonable). Shao Bao puts her in her place once or twice, but she never changes or thinks about what she's doing wrong as a grandmother; she always thinks like the head of the family, and that made me lose interest in understanding her character. Like when she forces her to be with Yan Bai Luo and then sends her to a temple for fortune-telling just so she can see that the ML is with another woman (What was the point of breaking your granddaughter's heart 😭). I liked all the sisters with their different personalities, although I think she could have handled them better. I liked that Shao Bao helped Yunxi with her daughter, but it was strange when she said, "No Rong should be around" (Are you doing it for your sister or for blood? I'm confused 😭). The way she helped Yunyin after Grandma expelled her from the clan (super extreme, she can't even enter the house? 🫠) seemed good to me because she taught her responsibility, and they were able to forgive each other in their own way.
Besides the power imbalance between men and women, the women rule and manage everything and I love that, but the men who marry in have no voice or vote in anything, they seem like tools just to continue the lineage.
ML
He was very good at the beginning, super intelligent and versatile. A great magistrate with the goal of giving justice to the innocent and hunting criminals, but attentive, sensitive, and loyal to the woman he loves. The problem with the character is that after revealing his identity, he spends all his time chasing the FL, the script even seems to put him as decoration in the cases against the FL, when he is supposed to be a magistrate. She is solving the cases while he does nothing or very little. His arc from 30–36 was unnecessary, what happened to Magistrate Lu who faced everything in front of him? He became a man insecure about himself and his goals. He was fine with just being the son of the Lu family.
The relationship of FL and ML
In the first 20 episodes it was perfect, that dominance on her part and his willingness to let her take the lead was incredible. They listened to each other, respected each other, and understood each other. She allowed herself to feel loved amidst so much hatred, and he was able to love her. After he revealed his identity and she got angry (she had every right), they grew distant. She seemed not to care at all while he was yearning for her. Always hiding things behind each other’s backs, and more on her part. I know her love is expressed in actions, but they seem so few and so calculated that it doesn’t feel like she truly appreciates him, as if all the affection from the beginning had disappeared. She was willing to kill him without hesitation until she remembered moments with him. It feels like she uses him all the time: if she wants him, she keeps him close, and if not, she pushes him away. When he disappears, she never once wonders where he is or how he might be. Once she finds out what happened, it doesn’t seem like she does it for him, she does it for the family business to get out of the tea debts. When she helps him and the personal maid asks if she worries about him, there is an inexpressive look as always. She doesn’t directly answer a question that is asked more than once throughout the episodes. When he becomes sensitive and opens up to her, she seems so insensitive toward him, I don’t feel that she wants to comfort him. She kept saying they were not compatible, and I don’t understand why, knowing that he was crazy about her and capable of never letting her go, he was willing to accept the family rules and she accepted that he would continue his career as a magistrate. (It was mutual, so why suddenly say they are not compatible?). He forgives her everything, and instead of talking to him she slaps him, she never validates his feelings of insecurity about her. We never see her be honest with him about her feelings, her vulnerable moments have more to do with her family and with him, none. Of those remaining 6 episodes, I think they could have been used better to deepen and resolve conflicts between the two of them instead of leaving the emotional imbalance between them.
I liked the songs, and the locations and costumes are beautiful. Unfortunately, I couldn’t rewatch it, even though I loved the actors, but the script simply doesn’t let me stand it.
Was this review helpful to you?
