This review may contain spoilers
This drama drove me crazy. The first 30-40 episodes were PERFECT. I've never seen such a good first episode, I cried countless times watching it, but after she marries ML, the episodes only goes downhill.
First, their relationship is very boring. FL clearly doesn't love him with the same intensity that he loves her (which I loved, I find it quite realistic and it adds to the dynamic), but he can't accept that; many episodes are him making a scene so she'll love him. And when he's not being annoying and dramatic for attention, their scenes are bland. In the last few episodes, I skipped all their interactions; it was unbearable.
And worse, not only is their relationship bad, but it makes the protagonist worse. She becomes dependent on him in a way that makes her seem stupid. Family problems? ML comes and saves the day. Argument? ML goes there to solve it. Problems managing the household? ML again. I like protagonists who are strong but realistic, and FL is exactly like that. She's a strong person, but sensible, and limited by her own circumstances. When she started taking the reins of the Shang household after the wedding, I liked it; I thought it would be a character development, going from an illicit daughter who accepts everything to a slightly tyrannical person who gets what she wants no matter what. But no, she remains in a submissive situation where she tries and doesn't try at the same time to assert herself.
That being said, I loved the characters' performances. Especially the great-grandmother, Lady Shang, and the protagonist's deceased mother.
They all manage to sell the character, especially the legitimate wife; her character development is perfect (until the end where everything starts to fall apart), where she doesn't hate FL, but she loves her own children more than anything, she resents her husband for having a mistress but still loves him... she's a complex character and, for me, the best in the drama.
That being said, from episode 1-30/45 more or less, the rating is ten stars. From there on, 3-4 stars.
First, their relationship is very boring. FL clearly doesn't love him with the same intensity that he loves her (which I loved, I find it quite realistic and it adds to the dynamic), but he can't accept that; many episodes are him making a scene so she'll love him. And when he's not being annoying and dramatic for attention, their scenes are bland. In the last few episodes, I skipped all their interactions; it was unbearable.
And worse, not only is their relationship bad, but it makes the protagonist worse. She becomes dependent on him in a way that makes her seem stupid. Family problems? ML comes and saves the day. Argument? ML goes there to solve it. Problems managing the household? ML again. I like protagonists who are strong but realistic, and FL is exactly like that. She's a strong person, but sensible, and limited by her own circumstances. When she started taking the reins of the Shang household after the wedding, I liked it; I thought it would be a character development, going from an illicit daughter who accepts everything to a slightly tyrannical person who gets what she wants no matter what. But no, she remains in a submissive situation where she tries and doesn't try at the same time to assert herself.
That being said, I loved the characters' performances. Especially the great-grandmother, Lady Shang, and the protagonist's deceased mother.
They all manage to sell the character, especially the legitimate wife; her character development is perfect (until the end where everything starts to fall apart), where she doesn't hate FL, but she loves her own children more than anything, she resents her husband for having a mistress but still loves him... she's a complex character and, for me, the best in the drama.
That being said, from episode 1-30/45 more or less, the rating is ten stars. From there on, 3-4 stars.
Was this review helpful to you?
