MadelineMaureen

So glad the first thing I have a clear memory of him in was Destined. I had seen Sm:)e and LoveO2O, but it had been a while since I saw them that I couldn't remember him in them.

different actors...actual siblings if not actually twins. at least that is what dramawiki's cast list implies.

I've seen 3 different translations at this point, so I have the same question. Any native speakers in the chat want to weigh in?

When the Phone Rings only one I'm actively watching/waiting for outside of this one.
Waiting on more episodes of Light Shop and Family Matters to drop before I dive in.

December is when I normally rewatch a lot of Christmas movies/movies that were released during Christmas time, again. I have a list of about 50ish movies that I'm knocking out over the month. (some are those 1970s stop motion tv-movies).

This is the first time I've watched a show(cdrama specifically) with two separate pairs of siblings(as in the actors are actually siblings/twins). They haven't been added to the cast list on MDL but both pairs of protectors for the FL and ML are siblings if not twins. The girls don't have pages. But one of the male siblings does. Jeff Liu aka Liu Zi Hao, brother is Liu Wei Hao(this is if dramawiki's credits are correct as I don't read Chinese I can't verify this on original sources). The most mind blowing info I found was that Liu Zi Hao is 42.🤯😲Sir drop the skincare routine stat.

I will normally joke about the sidekicks of the MLs in shows being like the ninja turtles...one has to be the Michelangelo to the Donatello/Raphael/Leonardo. But generally speaking those four architypes are repeated a lot in these historical/period dramas. The ML is normally a blend of Donatello, Raphael and Leonardo...whatever trait he is lacking is picked up by his right hand man. If there are two right hand men one is always more excitable/loose lipped than the other.

I was just about to comment how I was rewatching the first few episodes now that we've remet most of the players. I needed to see the characters as they were in the OG timeline/"dream"😉 because I was confusing a few loyalties. As we get deeper into the main conspiracy it can be confusing at times to remember how each character relates to the other.
Highly recommend at least an episode 1 & 2 rewatch once you get to the midway point of the drama to anyone who is currently or will watch this one.

Time to go watch the last two episodes of Brewing Love while I wait for episode 15 to drop. brb

This is normal pacing for a show of this length and plot type.

OMG! Not the Princess Royal(Grand Princess) AND the Emperor clocking Song Mo's love eyes for Dou Zhao 🤣🤣🤭💀

Even up to episode 13(which is all that has been released) the direction, lighting, cinematography, and editing have stayed quality. Normally by this time you can see cracks in the production/post-production choices. But the coloring/lighting has stayed consistent throughout. The chemistry is there as well. From a production standpoint alone it's worth the watch as I wasn't 100% sure on what to expect from this show going in. The story has many of the same tropes that have been common in the past few years, but they are done so well in this drama that it doesn't matter that there are similarities to other works as this one has done most of them better already.
If you don't want spoilers start watching now. If you are a can't wait for the next episode, binge watcher, hold off until the end of next week or the two weeks from now before starting.

The uncle is his mother's biological brother, so i really hope not.

He's technically her second love interest, but not important enough to the overall story to be 2ML in the truest sense. And I feel ya.

Li Yun Rui, hear me out. Okay so, I think he needs to grow his hair out and see what it does. He has slightly coarser hair like Xu Kai so imo that mid-short hair cut isn't giving what it could...if you know what I mean. It's giving electric shock instead of artistically messy. Grow it out see what happens...long enough to tie it back long...not full mid back, but just mid neck to see what we're working if texture wise. At the very least grow it so that it's past the ears.

At the moment they don't even know who is pulling the strings of all the lesser bad guys around them. They have vague ideas about who it might be but aren't 100%. This is a tangled web with many people involved. There are smoke screens etc. If they kill the wrong person too early they only get the tail, when they need to take out the head. Also most villains are like hydras, cut one head three grow in it's place. The power vacuum could be worse than the current situation. They have to get all the roots out in the process of pulling out the invasive plants"villains".

At the very least he could punish his "wife" for not protecting his daughter. As he is above HER in station, not so much his older brother.

Wu is not the SML

Lighting director please please please don't embarrass me with my next statement.
12 episodes in and the lighting is still giving artistic choices over studio-over-lit-meh. Please continue until the end of this drama. The candles being the main source of light in night shots and the "natural" outside light for indoor daytime shots has been almost flawless. I need this to be industry standard so please please please continue until episode 34.

Although I hate the stepmother character...the actress looks absolutely gorgeous in those coral outfits...like she is truly serving with her performance and her looks.

Same! As an aside the umbrella save is on my Kdrama bingo card. Along with wrist grabbing, sitting at a table with drinks that no one touches, poor FL/rich ML etc. Those late 2000s early 2010 shows had all the soapy goodness.

I don't mind repetitive tropes or plots in shows as long as the artist behind the project deliver a good interpretation. Everyone can have the same outline for a piece of work, but interpretation and artistic license/style is what makes every story/work unique. Some do a good job, others fail in one aspect or another. So far this one is doing a very good job, and even by episode 11 I haven't seen a drop in quality. (if you've watched a lot of older Kdramas you'll remember that after about the 4th or 6th episode the quality in production can dip because it goes in to live weekly shooting schedule instead of the prerecorded that gets extra care.)
I'm hoping that with 34 episodes the story is tighter, and it's not a case of having to edit the show down because of censorship reasons. We haven't had a case of "studio lighting" in any of the night shots yet, fingers crossed that remains throughout the production.

Lead actress still a minor...lead actor 11 years older...hmmm Hope everyone likes a slow burn and chaste romances. I like that the actress is the same who played the younger version of the character in the previous drama, but....side eyeing the writers already with judgmental auntie eyes.