MsReea

That bath scene...

I can't tell you how many times I've seen it. Unfortunately, of the 4 YouTube links I've saved, only one is still alive, and I'm terrified of what will happen when that one disappears. I watch it every week. Sometimes twice... I think I'm completely obsessed with it. :D

I love that FL has basically lived well in both of her lives. Her situation at home, being a concubine daughter, her first life husband (SML), and Xie Lin (Palm Print :D) are both devoted. She has no torturous memories, in her second life her sister tries to cross her a few times. These are classic cases of chance, not a premeditated, devious act. She locks her up with a man, tries to kill her, several times, but it's still different from what you see in other series. Maybe it's because she's driven by her shame, her bad experience, her own madness. But the FL is not traumatized because of it. She has always lived a comfortable life, with minor and major difficulties, which is a normal part of life.

Wang Hao Xiang (ML) is brilliant in this role. It's true for him and for SML that their personalities change as a result of their experiences. ML was fundamentally not a good man, he was driven by revenge, he killed many, whether rightly or wrongly is irrelevant. However, because he met FM he was able to change. Small changes basically set the stage for the outcome.

The SML was a good man in his previous life, and he was a good man in his second life until his marriage. He watches his wife with suspicion, and although they mutually exploit each other, SFL is looking for the good, that has not yet come, and the husband is hoping for support from her family background. His life is turning from potential good to bad, and if there is a loser in this second life, it is him. Because he has done nothing wrong in his first life, nothing that needs to be undone. He was basically a good man, but his fortunes changed. From a devoted husband to a murderer, not a good swap.

SFM is amazingly good in this role, seriously annoying, but she is responsible for the changes that happened in the second life, because she understandably doesn't want to relive what happened in the first life. What she forgets is that because people are not the same, they may not come out of similar or even identical situations with the same experiences. And while she expects the same outcome as her sibling, she is nothing like her, and therefore unable to become a supportive spouse.

The intimate scenes, while not detailed, are suggestive. For example, the bath scene... They don't want to curtain anything off, and what they show is enough to keep you playing the scene in your imagination. The chemistry between the main characters is amazing. FL believes in her husband and stands by him, supports him wholeheartedly, ML loves and coddles her. He gives her everything, once she has chosen him. They are perfect together.

The English subtitles are far from perfect, but having seen it in many versions with many different subtitles, the names and situations are spot on. So to sum up, I'm obsessed. I recommend it!

And if anyone knows of some more available links to the mini-series, please don't hold back and let me know. Just so I can continue to live my obsession. :D

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Because great loves cannot be cured

A real masterpiece. I enjoyed every moment of it, and I've re-watched it three times, but I've only seen the last part once. And that was enough. Not because of what someone wrote about being tortured, but because it was emotionally draining. I remember finishing it at half past one at night and sobbing in the shower at half past six because I couldn't think of anything else. It was a hard day at work. There's a Hungarian chanson called "Because great loves cannot be cured". That's what the last part is about. Painful, heartbreakingly painful, but beautiful. When you love someone so much, you never really get over the loss, and it doesn't matter if we're talking about love or a family member. In time you learn to accept it, to move on with your life, but there are worse days, times when it hurts as much as the first day. And that's what it shows us, the times when it hurts so much and life goes on, but the great loves can't be cured.
I would certainly give it 10 points if they had chosen the alternative ending and everyone was happy at the end, but the truth is, it wouldn't have stayed with me all these years. Yu Xi Gu's life was a struggle until he accepted Xiang Hao Ting's deep and touching love, and life brings it so that everyone has to pay for this happiness. Xiang Hao Ting is left behind and must learn to live, even if it is not easy. The last episode almost belonged to another series, but it gave such deep acting, such emotions, so realistic, so moving, so unforgettable, and on such a wide palette that you rarely see in one piece. And that deep grief hasn't left me in the last 5 years, because unfortunately I could relate to it. I hope that one day there will be a sequel and this pain will go away, but I will never regret starting it, I will never regret finishing it, because I loved every single moment of it.

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