leadtheprotection

Any updates on the release?

The overall show is cute and the first half is especially pure old school 2010s romcom material. Loved that!

But i do have to mention how I'm finding an increasing number of shows centering idols and fans romanticizing this concept of literally stalking idols as merely being a genuine fan. It sends a dangerous message and should be called out.

Like in my bias my boss, they simply gloss over the fact that dareum (and apparently her coworker who admits proudly to the same thing later on) following their idol to their place of work and getting a job there is something that can simply be explained away by being a "fan". A fan should ideally know when to keep your distance, and dareum takes it a step further by literally ending up dating him as well. Which is also something i never understood how they glossed over. Even the ml hagi admits to being confused at first, "so you go on dates but you aren't dating?" And then literally swallows his own words approx 10 mins later coz ofc the fl has plot armor and has to be a morally pure goodie two shoes to be the protagonist 🤦‍♀️

Packaging such problematic arcs in cute characters doesnt make it less problematic. In fact it makes it even more concerning especially in the light of increasing invasions of privacy by sasaengs and stalkers towards celebrities in this decade.

Like imagine if a male fan deliberately started working at a company they know their female idol works at simply to catch "glimpses of her whenever they can". It would immediately be called out for how creepy, unethical and imbalanced it is whichever way you look at it

On the other hand, imagine if they actually had a moment where dareum realizes exactly what she did, and how problematic it actually was. A shocking self realization that even if she didn't have bad intentions inherently, she did end up being a stalker exactly as the internet was labeling her. And no one is sitting there justifying her behavior like her coworker did by saying "oh dont worry i was a stalker too but hey who cares now im one of their best employees!"

I wish such nuances didnt have to exceed the scope of the average romcom. In fact thats how you make a mediocre romcom exceptional 🤷‍♀️

I agree completely!!

Hmm true ur point does make sense! It's just that i find someone raised by the dowager being this black or white a bit hard to believe. Surely if she was raised in the palace, her world view and mindset would be a lot wider than it seems now dont you think? Plus why would she feel so powerless if she had the dowager vouching for her? Is the duke really that all powerful...

Ya! I mean all the evil ladies so far weren't really black or white. They had their reasons from the beginning. With the duke's daughter tho it simply feels like a spoilt brat who's also terrified of her father. But it doesnt explain how vile her behavior has been in terms of what extent she'd go to treat a fellow woman to get what she wants

As someone who has been thoroughly enjoying ATC until now, i'm not sure how i feel about ep 22. The troupe's introduction feels very sudden for one, and it feels like there's been an overall shift in tone over a single episode. I think this started with the introduction of the duke's daughter. I dont like her character, seems vile for the sake of being vile with not much depth to herself. Obviously she's only just been introduced and i hope there's more to her than just this. But the whole kidnapping arc also seems a bit tonally different compared to the kind of show this has been so far.

I feel like jinqi becoming more obvious about his feelings in terms of actually investigating her kidnapping overtly is another point of dissonance for me.

All of this might just be that SO much happened in 45 mins which is fast for how slow the pace has been with this show so far. Either way, i'm impatient for the next episodes even more so now!!

Yup agreed!

Not all of them. The fl's birth mother, the Lin's first madam, even Xiuwan's mother for the most part (even tho she's more scatterbrained) have been pretty fair considering their influence and circumstances. It's only that the first madam's choices in women for her son (except the fl) have been colossal failures so far, not that all noble women in this drama are. Tho i do hope the duke's daughter is different 🤷‍♀️

Istg!! I wonder how they do it every time tbh...every single scholar I've seen in one of these shows has the personality of wet sponge, why dont they ever come in a different font 😭

Also agree with the fl and scholar's (lack of) compatability. Sure, rn it might seem like they r perfect on paper but the fl is clearly destined for greater things and responsibilities. Shes not someone who should be serving house with a rising scholar who has quite literally only just met her, whose personality we know next to nothing about unlike the ml's, and who likewise knows little to nothing about the fl, hasnt been through enough challenges with her together to share much common ground beyond their statuses. Considering lanxiang's personality and intelligence, she's bound to get into one or the other debacle sooner or later and will inevitably drag the scholar's family into the mess, maybe even catch some superior's eye no matter how much she tries to make herself invisible. I doubt scholar han and his family, despite all the saccharine sweetness they now show will allow her to be her true complete self if it comes to that, especially at the cost of their own peace and safety.

Wow the tiny details in this show r insane...brilliant screenwriting...i wonder if she'll have a prominent part at some point...

If liu xue yi doesnt win an award for this show, i'll riot...cdramas really need to level up to use this man's acting skills coz look what happens when you give a great cast a great direction and writing team? 😍

Yess i was so confused 😅

Why is the actress playing xiuru not in the cast list? She is adorable and i would love to see her in more projects

Ahhh this makes total sense for their characters too! Even a drunk/sleepy lanxiang wouldnt allow it. And i really doubt jinqi would do anything without a woman's consent either!

Ohh thank god,thats much better the summary is confusing, thanku!

Um...respectfully, this is not that kind of show. There r countless idol drams with all the tropes u mentioned tho. I for one am glad we get a gem like this at least once in a blue moon that relies on subtle cues, amazing acting and atmosphere to create tension, instead of the usual cliche tricks

I'm genuinely surprised there's not one other useful person in the lin family that they need to rely entirely on their servants to manage the household's most important matters hahha

Also does anyone know what the ending of ep 18 meant? Did he actually bridal carry her back into the house??? If so why in good heavens would they not show that??! They deprived us of the horse ride back from the military camp already!

No complaints tho...it works for the slow burn...usually the horse ride and bridal carry *is* the "romance". This show already does perfect romance without relying on any of those gimmicks, with simply both the leads and their gazes. Such brilliant performances from them both and the direction team!!

I'm really curious to see how this is received in SK...no other thoughts 🫡

The age gap is a lot but he seems like a dignified man so considering the setting and those times, that could be a good direction actually!

I really hope little xiuru gets a small romance arc for herself. I hate how inferior she feels to her sisters. I'd love to see someone appreciate her innocence and how adorable and mature she actually is when someone cares enough to pay attention! Hope the fl becomes a source of strength for her and can help her find more self confidence