Michelle Topham

Feel the same as you on both those tropes. Hate amnesia plots unless there's a valid reason for one, and there isn't one here.

And, as far as miscommunications go, they show up in so many Asian dramas (worse in Chinese than any other) and are rarely, if ever, warranted. After about Episode 10, NONE of the miscommunications between these two have been warranted here.

Even in this case (ep21), all he had to tell her was she was married to HIM, but instead he mumbles something about "trust me" and a whole lot of other meaningless drivel before rushing off leaving her as clueless as she was before. Why even break in to see her if that's all you can come up with?

It makes NO sense, as he's stabbing himself in his own back by not telling her what happened in their relationship previously and why. And if an audience doesn't believe what you've written is authentic (and I can't see how anyone can), there's no point to your work at all.

It's also incredibly lazy writing.

It's also beginning to seem like the writer knew she/he had to stretch a thin plot out for 36 episodes, so something that could have been solved in a minute and a half will be a 13-episode sh*tfest of stupidity.

BTW, waiting for the kiss underwater. And then the "writer" has scored 100/100 on her Trope Test :)

Nope, not resolved. And yep, she really has amnesia. And no, he still hasn't told her she's his wife. Why would you when you can be deliberately obtuse, and so cause even more problems :)

I'm actually enjoying it as a comedy now, as the "writing" is so horrendously terrible it's become funny :)

(2 more eps though just to be sure it isn't going to get any better, and I'll be moving onto something else).

Gutted for LIu Xue Yi that he got stuck with this script, but funny nevertheless.

Hahahaha, she literally has amnesia.

It's like the "writer" watched 150 dramas, picked out all the done-to-death tropes and jammed every single one into the script she was writing. Laughed all the way through Episode 21. If it had been sold as a comedy, I might be enjoying it more -- hahahahaha.

He's def in love with her, just has never been in love, so doesn't understand what that feeling is. Dated a guy like that once 🤣.

She's not in love yet. Just curious about him.

Up to what episode? I've only watched up to ep 22 and, yep, same.

As far as I've seen nobody is going after anyone's appearance.

Liu Xue Yi is stunning looking (beautiful bone structure), never seen anyone comment on anything about him except that he's incredibly good looking. The man is one of China's best actors too.

And Meng Zi Yi is beautiful (looks to have flawless skin as well) and, to me, at least her beauty seems natural and not plastic surgeried. (Could be, don't know, don't care, she's gorgeous).

But people are commenting on her inability to produce more than 1 facial expression throughout the entire drama.

That's not going after her appearance, it's criticizing her acting skills.

The 12 year old Thai students with minimal English skills I used to teach could have put together a better plot in an afternoon :)

Yep, like dog years - hahahaha.

Not there yet, but a razor-thin edge left and I will be. Ep23 is my cut off. If it doesn't improve by then I'm out too.

And it's been about a year since she left Beiyuan, and her brother is now 10 years older -- hahahahaha. I just effing CAN'T with this. :)

Ye Gods, this has disintegrated into unadulterated garbage. Episode 20 is the worst episode yet, and there's still 16 more episodes to go.

Trash smells better than this, and the "writer" should never be allowed near a script again. (Just removed Right Carriage Wrong Groom from my planned to watch list -- screenwriter cannot write).

If Liu Xue Yi doesn't start appearing in more scenes soon (he's the only thing saving this), sadly, I'm out. Better things to spend my time on.

EDIT: And we just got treated to 759 more instances of Meng Zi Yi's completely blank face. Haven't detested the performance of an Asian actress this much in a long time.

I gave her a chance a few times, but she failed every time. I think Destined with You was the last straw for me, haven't watched her since :)

Proves how much patience I have with not-so-talented Asian actresses tho :) She is the ONLY one I cannot watch (I'd even give MZY another chance with the right drama). Her performances rub me the wrong way in everything she's in. Have never understood why she keeps getting cast.

Ah well. Not gonna hate on her. Plenty of people love her. Just not for me :)

Jo Bo Ah is the only other actress I cannot watch.

She has zero talent, same facial expressions in every scene, and little or no chemistry with her ML.

I watched all her scenes in Tale of the Nine Tailed on double speed, dropped Destined with You she's so bad in it, and avoided Dear Hongrang like the plague even tho it stars my all time favorite Korean actor Kim Jae Wook because she got the lead.

Won't watch anything she's in at this point.

And yep MZY displays the same lack of talent, and inability to show appropriate facial expressions.

Who Rules the World is exceptionally good. Both the ML and FL are intensely likeable, while also being calculating and smart. Supporting cast is brilliant, so many talented actors. Beautifully filmed. Lovely OST.

But I specifically loved the FL as she never lost sense of who she was, or what she wanted, while also making sure she was never taken advantage of or weakened in any way. Not when she could find a clever way of fighting back.

Zhao Lu Si was perfectly cast in the role, and Yang Yang is even better than in The King's Avatar, and I loved him in that. Phenomenal chemistry between the two leads.

It was also the first drama I saw with Xuan Lu, and she's become one of my favorites -- brilliant actress who performs her roles calmly and unassumingly, but with such authenticity to her work.

A gem of a C-drama, IMO.

This. The first few episodes she was incredibly wily and always one step ahead of everyone else.

Then, about the time he started to notice her as being more than just "that annoying princess you can't trust" her brain cells got up, packed their cases and went off on a trip leaving 2 behind to caretake.

It's the most bizarre writing. But, unfortunately, quite typical of so many Chinese dramas I've watched recently.

I'm currently in the middle of Detective L and same thing -- female police detective, kick ass for first few episodes, then suddenly devolves into someone who might as well be the male detective's maid, while also making crazy decisions nobody would make who had just supposedly graduated from a police academy.

Desperately looking for a Chinese drama where the female lead is badass and stays badass.

Who Rules the World is the last one I watched and, while she had her not-so-smart moments, as we all do, she never stopped being a woman who wasn't taking shit from anyone :)

Hahahaha -- "the infamous cliff of doom".

It's been on my list to watch for a while, but not sure I'll ever be able to take another second of Meng Zi Yi once this is over :)

Just finished Episode 19 and, other than Meng Zi Yi's completely blank face as she fell backwards off a cliff (because, you know, if you fell off a cliff you'd show no emotion at all (shrug), and then after she woke up at the prince's residence :), the writing is a slight improvement from the last couple of episodes at least.

A perfect example of how mismatched the leads are in their acting skills -- in the scene where he is telling her she WILL stay married to him until death, his face is twisted with emotion and anger, eyes blazing, and with tears rolling down his cheeks.

She has the exact same blank look on her face she's had for 90% of the drama. Cannot believe the director let that scene stand -- it's horrendously bad for such an emotional part of the drama.