MadelineMaureen

I'm glad we are finally able to see his real personality unhindered by political obligation and intrigues. Having to always be outwardly cruel for someone raised by the Empress to be kind and help the people of the country must be exhausting. It's a nice little midpoint reprieve before it gets back down to business.

I get off work an hour and a half after they drop...I will be rushing to wash up and get dinner ready to take my seat and what them eat. (didn't mean for this to rhyme but aannnywaaay...)

SLAY! Her over his shoulder with that smirk matching his was EVERYTHING

He knew that she saw him as a friend and was deeply heartbroken...he knew she didn't really feel the same...there's no way he didn't. That is the person he pursued and started dating.
He wanted her to love him...just because you want something doesn't make it happen. She never discussed the marriage. It was always him and her mother talking about them getting married. She just went along with it. If he really was paying attention he would have been able to pick up that she was just going along with what everyone was saying.
"I knew you were the one when I saw how sad you were at the airport." i'm sorry...what in the "nice guy" behavior is that?
He made himself the victim imo. I had some male "friends" who once they realized I would never date/sleep with them disappeared from my life. That is what his character gives. Not that he was genuinely concerned for her mental health and well being, but how can HE obtain her and her affection.

4 have been mentioned but there are at least 5 in the youngest generation of the Luo family.
Two sons from the first branch aka the eldest son of old madame. The eldest son(2nd brother) died in childhood. (4th brother) is Shan Yuan, both from the lawful wife.

Two sons in the second branch: Eldest(3rd brother) is Shen Yuan. Younger(5th brother) is Xuan Yuan. Both from non-legal relationship/concubine.

We have only seen and they have only mentioned 4 of the 7 daughters.

I'm assuming some died in infancy or aren't important enough to the story to mention.

Yeah it's giving final season of Game of Thrones. The months long journey spanning seconds when it took 3 seasons previously.
And the, "well isn't that just perfect timing."
For me the things that make a production feel quality higher is dynamic establishing shots, transition shots, and coverage of the players in a scene. It immerses you in the world without you really realizing it.
I was about to give ASMR videos as examples for reference and then thought better of it. 🤭I need to go to sleep apparently.

Yes, that is true. How someone defines a relationship to others does actually matter. I'm interested to see if this will come up again. Aka if their is another situation coming up where it is verbalized better.
In 26 we'll get more flashbacks showing even more closeness...It would be nice to have her current perspective on what it was they were doing alone for all that time.
It's giving very much that they were engaged at some point. As he has now creepily set up his bedroom as a wedding chamber.
They talked about how a household would be set up etc. so I wonder if this man truly thinks of her as his woman/wife that ran away without explanation. Even though he caught a woman who admitted to pushing his Mei Mei off a cliff....like my guy, talk to the girl instead of threatening her all the time.
Like "You remind me of the girl I once knew. She disappeared before I could see her. I search everywhere after I was told she fell from a cliff." He could even mention that he killed the whole family of the person who was responsible for her death...as he likes to mention that sort of thing around her now anyways.

So essentially they lack transition shots. They let the viewer fill in the blanks instead of showing how someone gets from point A to point B. It could be one of two things...Either production never shot those scenes in the first place, or they were shot but got left on the cutting room floor because of time limits per episode and episode count.

It was the leg move...the leg take down around the neck...badass.
edit: specifically the move about 4 minutes into episode 21.

He was blind and no one else was around. Work was not talked about...and she was a literal child. Think between the ages of 10 to 14 tops. The scene of her talking about what she would want in her home should clue you into how young and naive she was at the time.

It was mostly information that we as the audience already knew because of flashbacks. It would be redundant to have them verbalized again when we've already been given the information. What's important is Shen Yuan's reaction NOT what was said.

The fact he didn't see the irony in his own request was what shocked me.

They've started to suffer the studio lighting in indoor night scenes......I wish they could have kept up with the better lighting techniques for the entirety of the show, but I understand why it dips.

🤣💀🤭

Like her asking him or just a woman in general?
I believe anyone asking their significate other to move across the world to a country they know no one and don't speak the language is already a huge ask. But to do it when your SO has a history of dealing with isolation and loneliness badly when living a boat ride away in a country she DOES speak the language...yeah, that person would be an idiot.

Not to mention medical residency is a LOT of work and hours spent at the hospital. They said it was Seattle.... one of the wettest, coldest and darkest places in the USA. She would be shut in most days. Unable to do her job or get a job unless she gets proper visas approved. She's a book publisher...she physically needs to go and check on the product, as shown in the montage of her workday.

They clearly have never spoken about him applying for this position/opportunity prior in any sort of depth...but they have spoken about how hard it was for her in Japan, hell he read an entire book about her time in Japan from her partner's POV.

Having a conversations about potential changes that would be coming up because of career opportunities needs to be discussed with your partner as soon as possible. Don't just propose and say how fun it will be to explore a new country once you've gotten the job. Resentment will quickly follow when decisions aren't mutual and one is always giving into the other.

My 34 year old ass didn't even think for a second it could be....that....no...no...memory erase...aaaahhhhh....things I didn't need to know for 1,000 Alex. Where's Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones when you need them?

The fact that the actor playing Lin Mao is somehow supposed to pull off playing Duan Jia Xu in First Frost has me nervous as i havent seen enough of a range in this to say he can pull off a fox like flirt. (Duan Jia Xu was the ML character in Hidden Love, & is the best friend of the ML in First Frost so he will be around a good bit...)
The actor who plays Han Zhao is the cousin in Amidst a Snowstorm of Love, proving once again not a single face card declined in that drama.

I think that if Mister Han wants to be friends or business partners with her & her furture hubby it could work. Cause Mr. Han just enjoys watching her eat because she looks so happy & makes food look good. Think food blogger or mukbang-er(not the over eating kind but the food reviewer kind).

I love it when the director/all departments understands the assignment. The close up on his entwined fingers as he desperately tries to hold onto his sanity as she discloses her past with his enemy. Saw the teaser trailer for the next two episodes & cant wait for the rest of thar scene to play out.

The shot before the title card has them standing together as they look on the rest of what's left of the family...