MadelineMaureen

So I haven't read the novel so this is probably a laughably bad theory, buutttt....what if the Yan sisters didn't actually kill that prince but he willingly ran away with them. The sister that is no longer living was his secret lover and she died in child birth(or some other way while their child was young) aka Jiang Ci is the daughter of the prince and the Yan sister. She was raised by her aunt and hidden from everyone. Again...soap level theory but more batshit theories have been correct in the past sooooo....novel readers, am I anywhere in the ballpark of what is actually happening?

The shows I've seen him in the directors have done a good job about keeping the romance high, but being clever with camera/shot choices. I'm a romance girly a la Jane Austen and other period novels so as long as the chemistry is there for the characters I don't really need to see a make-out or bow chicka wow wow. In modern shows sometimes it's a bigger issue, but even with his recent Bai Lou show 'Forever and Ever' they were able to convey the right amount of romance imo.
Honestly if a director can make simple hand and eye contact interesting ....it's a win for me.

so just finding out that the actor playing Pei Yan has retired from acting earlier this year. I haven't looked to deep into it to see if this will the last of his shows to air, but just finished episode 6 and I just think it's a shame that he's leaving the industry. not 100% sure on why he is leaving ie health, lack of interest, or disputes with management. if anyone has an idea or links to translated articles I would really appreciate it.
Also, going in knowing full well there will be lots of tension & no kiss payoff(Allen Ren is married & respects his wife/marriage so prefers to keep romantic scenes chaste)....so worth it for the story & acting. FL is amazing so far & so is everyone else. It's giving me the same feeling of The Double & how the slow burn was worth it for how good all the players were. I hope I continue to love it.

He was giving Power Rangers villain levels of acting and depth....aka about as deep as a puddle of morning dew.

I'm not sure. But because they kept cutting scenes the continuity was way off in a lot of episodes. It was honestly a bit distracting. Also they had season eight GoT travel powers throughout. I needed them to at least change the lightly slightly when apparently hours have passed, but because of the way it was edited/shot it made it seem like seconds.

The one you're talking about is the villain. The "second male lead" who is in love with the FL is not a red flag. The villain is technically the second male lead because of his airtime, but he is the big bad of the show. And by far the worst actor in the entire cast. The show would have been a 9-9.5 but his acting is so over done and on such a lower level than anyone else in the cast it makes the show seem cheap and power ranger villain at times.

The trailer and the BTS video have me so pumped for this series. I really hope it airs in the last quarter of 2024 or the first quarter of 2025. Can't wait for this one. The cinematography looks amazing! And the actors BROUGHT IT. I hope they all got a good rest after this shoot, it looked so intense.

SWNS? my brain is not braining enough to know which drama this stands for. please help me out.
EDIT: Strong Girl Nam Soon?

I think most sites are relying on VIKI's subbing team so with their schedule I wouldn't be surprised if it takes until the 18th or later.

I will check out the directors/writers/producers when I start seeing familiar patterns to other things I've seen. I was watching a Chinese drama and the Emperor was the same actor I had seen play the Emperor in like 4 other shows...which were produced by the same people. Looked up the show's producers and low and behold I was right. Also noticed that they used the same locations and I think they had recycled some of the costumes/set dressing with a bit of editing. I was like....ooookaaayy, I guess yall only know how to do one story in different fonts. All the stories had an arraigned marriage with a fisty FL and a cold but beautiful ML who is either a prince or closely related to the royal family. So I wasn't shocked to see that show being the last thing they've done. (putting this in spoiler tag because I did not expect to yap that much)

Love to Hate You(Netflix k-drama, adult rom-com) well...you've already seen that one....hummmm Pretty much all the ones I've seen that are similar to this show you've already watched. Seriously I had like 10ish on deck to rec only to go through your watch list and be like oh twin, where have you been?

It's not really in the same vibe but 'Love Me, Love My Voice' is a cotton candy sweet, no drama, slow-burn romance. It's about music and voice actors in China. If it's too slow for you personally I still think the music is amazing in this one.
I will also recommend 'Amidst a Snowstorm of Love' like Cherrymotion. It is a more "adult" slow-burn with billiards/snooker players the esthetic is S tier...so pretty. You WILL go down a rabbit hole when you see this cast...not a single declined face-card.
Get well soon! Truly hope you check out ASoL.

hahaha. I just think that the money is produced differently on period dramas. I'm honestly not sure how the funding goes for period dramas come to think of it.

Preach!

Yeah, I loved everything that you listed as well. I'm just personally frustrated with writers who leave main points(storylines) of the drama to the wayside in the last 5-10 episodes only to not actually wrap anything up(other than a few confirmed deaths that sometimes overshadow the main leads stories). I don't mind open ended shows(Scent of Time wrecked me, but it was so good). I mind sequel bait endings that will most likely go nowhere because of how booked and busy the cast and crew/staff are. (Looking at you 'My Journey to You' LOOKING AT YOU)

There are a few(read as 'a lot') that I've watched recently that were amazing and then in the last 2-3 hours became "meh". This one just happens to be like the 7th or 8th show that has left me feeling "meh" after being so into the show for like 95% of it's episodes.

I don't just keep track of my shows on MDL, but keep journals of everything that I watch. I have notes and annotations to remember why I liked or didn't like a show. I can only blame myself for not looking deeper into some of the shows before starting, but I just need at least one period drama to end on the same level as 'Story of Kunning Palace'. Or if it's a slow burn like 'The Double'

All the actors in this show had amazing chemistry with each other and were able to make even the most basic stuff dynamic and interesting to watch. I just wish that the last episode had the leads post trauma for more than 5 minutes. Yes I timed it. They have less than 5 minutes of screen time alone together in the last episode. That to me is unsatisfactory for even a sub-genera romance(aka where romance isn't the lead plot point). If this show gets a season two I will be the first one sat and ready.
Spoiler tag because of the amount of other shows mentioned....no one really likes to read about other shows in a comment section of a show they are trying to watch/talk about. Also sorry for the long comment, but I figure of all people the way you responded seems like you actually enjoy talking about the shows you watch. If you have any recommendations please send them my way.

I'm not kidding when I say this...99.9% of the spoken guest roles are actors who have worked with the director or writer prior. They are either going by their government name or going by their previous character's name. Like the women and their secretaries from SGGNS and Her Private Life. My brain will see then and spin off into "wait a minute....what are you doing here?"

okay, imma say it. I didn't think subs could be worse than Netflix, but Prime....what are you doing? Thank God my Hangul is more up to snuff now cause I would be missing a lot of context because they aren't translating for nuance.

Subway, Kopiko, a coffee house, popcorn brand, & possibly a tteokbokki place maybe even the jellies...the amount of sponsors always make me giggle. I've only been watching period dramas recently so I forgot how big it is in modern/contemporary dramas.

Took me to the second episode to look at the director. I was trying to figure out why almost every actor from Strong Girl Gang Nam Soon was making cameos in this. Same director so this checks.

Thank you!

Just finished episode 33....So we all agree that shit's about to go down, right? Cause all those happy people in a mystery...from experience this is the final calm before the storm.
Also, girly-pop(2FL), maybe keep your new relationship on the DL as Mr. Gold Ring is a bit obsessive. Will be shock if our little homeboy survives till the end in one piece. Also, where the heck is the FL's little apprentice?