This review may contain spoilers
Girlboss spills the tea on the final third
In my view, this is not, by any means, one of those "more pros that cons" type of drama. It is quite the opposite, but I'll start with the good.
PROS
High production value and great visuals. One of the things I love about cdramas is how they let us peer into cultures and the many interesting trades. Whether it is Chinese Traditional Medicine (in 2025's "The Best Thing"), Bai culture in rural China ("Meet Yourself"), or aerospace engineering ("You Are my Glory"), I love series where I also learn more about the world that anchors the characters' lives. It reminds me of Western shows like CSI (forensics) or House (medical diagnosis) that are now few and far in between amidst the glop of detective-cop shows and courtroom dramas. Glory, on the the hand, delves into the world of tea farming and the care that must be taken to produce excellent crops.
Other good points about this drama are the costume sets and cinematography. The casting and acting throughout is solid, although I feel the ice queen vibe of the FL was a bit too much.
**** The next paragraphs contain a few spoilers. There are not that many, but there are indeed a several ****
CONS
Note that I am offering my perspective as a male viewer and that I fast-forwarded through many scenes, specially in the final third out of sheer boredom at the decline in quality. As you may already know, the drama centers around Rong Shang Bao, the headstrong lead of her powerful tea-farming, all women-leading, clan. The clan lives in in Lijin while the ML hails from the capital. In the last episode, around the 30-minute mark, Shang Bao speaks with another woman from the capital. She tells Shang Bao that "not everyone has the luck to be born in the Rong family. Also, not everyone has the freedom to live as they please." This conversation encapsulates the drama for me, coming across as the main point the authors wanted to drive home.
Yet it also defines what is so frustrating about this drama.
Lucky to be born in the Rong family? Are you kidding me? The FL expressed some platitudes about equality and mutual respect between men and women. However, throughout the series the Rong family never ceased to represent a turbo-charged reverse harem at its worst. The family essentially disregards men as mere laborers and replaceable pawns who have no room for leadership. At one point Shang Bao tells the ML, Jiang Lai, that throughout generations the Rong women only looked for meek, pliable men and that Jian Lai was anything but, hence why he is not a good fit for her. Even after the end of series I didn't feel that she changed her standpoint at all.
At first, I thought that the Rong would ultimately be depicted as a clear warning about the perils of an unbalanced harmony between the sexes where one side holds all the levels of power. It would ridicule the times when men trampled over women and deprived them of opportunities to vote, go to college and seek leadership positions. But no, this drama did not venture into any significant criticism of Rong's practices outside of showcasing the family matriarch as a stubborn elder bent only accepting men of high social status. In the end, the Rong sisters, FL included, had their differences against the matriarch but did not step away from all these family principles. The Rong clan makes Wonder Woman's Amazonian island look tame by comparison. I know dramaland caters to its audience, but this is one of those dramas where they lay it down too thick.
To add salt to the wound, Jian Lai changes from a levelheaded, witty ML that could go toe to toe against the FL (what I felt was the best part of the series), to a simp who is always after her despite her cold shoulders, which happened too many times, especially during the final third of the drama. She is pushing him away and he runs after her like a puppy begging to be back together. At one point, Shang Bao was to offer an explanation for keeping her distance but then never does until the Jian Lai comes to her for an explanation, which in the end didn't feel heartfelt.
There was also one scene where Jian Lai was bawling and shaken telling her about his family trauma. But through it all, Shang Bao kept her ice queen persona, just way too collected and didn't offer him a hug. Only when he rested his head on her shoulder in anguish did she put a hand over his shoulder. I know that she's supposed to be a battle-hardened, steely ice queen but it felt overdone and did not register to me that she deeply loved him. No wonder men don't want to make themselves vulnerable. It's even dangerous to do so in fiction.
That's not all. Before Shang Bao goes to marry another man, she seduces Jian Lai and sleeps with him. Only to then lock him up to make sure he doesn't ruin the wedding. Later we learn that she was suspicious of the man she was about to marry, but she was still going through the nuptials while her investigation on the guy was ongoing. By that point, she might have taken from Jian Lai what he might have been saving for another woman. Even if Jian Lai wasn't a virgin, to go from intimacy to locking him up before she goes to marry some other dude is as cold-veined and as asymmetrical of a relationship as it gets. Jian Lai deceived her at first too, but he wasn't a character that would have done all the things that she did to him.
Part of the reason I like cdramas is because Western media unabashedly rams the girl-boss archetypes down everyone's throat. This drama sadly brought the same negative repulsion I was escaping from. There is a scene where the subtitles stumbles through a translation using a very obscure or highbrow word. I always chuckle when I see them, and in this case it was the word impudent. How many people are going around calling others impudent?
In the finale, in front of several people, Jian Lai romantically lifts Shang Rong to take her to her boat. At first embarrassed at this PDA, she says "when we reach Lijin (Rong's headquarters) I won't allow you to be so impudent again." His response? Like a cute lap dog, he beams "then I'll listen to you, Lady Shanbao!" I mean, really? Might as well just throw a stick and ask him to fetch. And I'm sure Shang Bao she wasn't joking. If by impudent, she meant Jian Lai could no longer be bold or assertive, the drama as a whole made a good point that this is seriously what she expects from him. After all, she did say, that Rong women prefer mild mannered, obedient males.
To be honest, there was one sister that somewhat bucked the trend and finally decided to be with a man of lower status. She even had a daughter with him. However, this "reconciliation" scene was so rushed and abrupt that it carried very little emotional weight for me. Besides, she didn't explicitly say she wanted to marry him, only that she wanted him to live in the Rong estate.
Honestly, the guy was so meek, spineless, and submissive that they looked like a gross mismatch. I don't see what a strong Rong woman would see in him in the first place, and the drama made no effort to explain. It was the chemistry of an iceberg. If there was one plot line that should've been explored further, it was this one. They would have been great as a secondary couple, but in the end, it was a wasted opportunity.
As if this wasn't enough, the same woman who said she wasn't lucky to be born a Rong, also said this: "I don't have the Founding Emperor's jade seal. Nor do I have a powerful natal family, willing to support me. I don't even have a husband worth relying on. In this world, there isn't a single person who truly loves me. But I must love myself. I must protect myself. And above all, I must protect my children."
I'm sure this is one of the character's the embodies the author's voice and I have to disagree to an extent. Not having a capable man by your side is tragic. But I don't think anyone can say that there is a single person who truly loves them. If not a parent, there is a relative. If no relative, there are a lot of charitable men and women out there. So love yourself? Yes. Protect your children? Why sure. But one does not need some jade seal or Rong family to be blessed.
I wouldn't one to be associated with a Rong family for the reasons I explained above. Also, that Jade seal that she mentions worked well as an indestructible (and overused) plot armor, but it is what it is . A work of fiction. To me the real jade are those people who, though imperfect, truly care as well as the spouse who is, or can grow to be, that capable partner in life we all would be blessed to have at our side.
PROS
High production value and great visuals. One of the things I love about cdramas is how they let us peer into cultures and the many interesting trades. Whether it is Chinese Traditional Medicine (in 2025's "The Best Thing"), Bai culture in rural China ("Meet Yourself"), or aerospace engineering ("You Are my Glory"), I love series where I also learn more about the world that anchors the characters' lives. It reminds me of Western shows like CSI (forensics) or House (medical diagnosis) that are now few and far in between amidst the glop of detective-cop shows and courtroom dramas. Glory, on the the hand, delves into the world of tea farming and the care that must be taken to produce excellent crops.
Other good points about this drama are the costume sets and cinematography. The casting and acting throughout is solid, although I feel the ice queen vibe of the FL was a bit too much.
**** The next paragraphs contain a few spoilers. There are not that many, but there are indeed a several ****
CONS
Note that I am offering my perspective as a male viewer and that I fast-forwarded through many scenes, specially in the final third out of sheer boredom at the decline in quality. As you may already know, the drama centers around Rong Shang Bao, the headstrong lead of her powerful tea-farming, all women-leading, clan. The clan lives in in Lijin while the ML hails from the capital. In the last episode, around the 30-minute mark, Shang Bao speaks with another woman from the capital. She tells Shang Bao that "not everyone has the luck to be born in the Rong family. Also, not everyone has the freedom to live as they please." This conversation encapsulates the drama for me, coming across as the main point the authors wanted to drive home.
Yet it also defines what is so frustrating about this drama.
Lucky to be born in the Rong family? Are you kidding me? The FL expressed some platitudes about equality and mutual respect between men and women. However, throughout the series the Rong family never ceased to represent a turbo-charged reverse harem at its worst. The family essentially disregards men as mere laborers and replaceable pawns who have no room for leadership. At one point Shang Bao tells the ML, Jiang Lai, that throughout generations the Rong women only looked for meek, pliable men and that Jian Lai was anything but, hence why he is not a good fit for her. Even after the end of series I didn't feel that she changed her standpoint at all.
At first, I thought that the Rong would ultimately be depicted as a clear warning about the perils of an unbalanced harmony between the sexes where one side holds all the levels of power. It would ridicule the times when men trampled over women and deprived them of opportunities to vote, go to college and seek leadership positions. But no, this drama did not venture into any significant criticism of Rong's practices outside of showcasing the family matriarch as a stubborn elder bent only accepting men of high social status. In the end, the Rong sisters, FL included, had their differences against the matriarch but did not step away from all these family principles. The Rong clan makes Wonder Woman's Amazonian island look tame by comparison. I know dramaland caters to its audience, but this is one of those dramas where they lay it down too thick.
To add salt to the wound, Jian Lai changes from a levelheaded, witty ML that could go toe to toe against the FL (what I felt was the best part of the series), to a simp who is always after her despite her cold shoulders, which happened too many times, especially during the final third of the drama. She is pushing him away and he runs after her like a puppy begging to be back together. At one point, Shang Bao was to offer an explanation for keeping her distance but then never does until the Jian Lai comes to her for an explanation, which in the end didn't feel heartfelt.
There was also one scene where Jian Lai was bawling and shaken telling her about his family trauma. But through it all, Shang Bao kept her ice queen persona, just way too collected and didn't offer him a hug. Only when he rested his head on her shoulder in anguish did she put a hand over his shoulder. I know that she's supposed to be a battle-hardened, steely ice queen but it felt overdone and did not register to me that she deeply loved him. No wonder men don't want to make themselves vulnerable. It's even dangerous to do so in fiction.
That's not all. Before Shang Bao goes to marry another man, she seduces Jian Lai and sleeps with him. Only to then lock him up to make sure he doesn't ruin the wedding. Later we learn that she was suspicious of the man she was about to marry, but she was still going through the nuptials while her investigation on the guy was ongoing. By that point, she might have taken from Jian Lai what he might have been saving for another woman. Even if Jian Lai wasn't a virgin, to go from intimacy to locking him up before she goes to marry some other dude is as cold-veined and as asymmetrical of a relationship as it gets. Jian Lai deceived her at first too, but he wasn't a character that would have done all the things that she did to him.
Part of the reason I like cdramas is because Western media unabashedly rams the girl-boss archetypes down everyone's throat. This drama sadly brought the same negative repulsion I was escaping from. There is a scene where the subtitles stumbles through a translation using a very obscure or highbrow word. I always chuckle when I see them, and in this case it was the word impudent. How many people are going around calling others impudent?
In the finale, in front of several people, Jian Lai romantically lifts Shang Rong to take her to her boat. At first embarrassed at this PDA, she says "when we reach Lijin (Rong's headquarters) I won't allow you to be so impudent again." His response? Like a cute lap dog, he beams "then I'll listen to you, Lady Shanbao!" I mean, really? Might as well just throw a stick and ask him to fetch. And I'm sure Shang Bao she wasn't joking. If by impudent, she meant Jian Lai could no longer be bold or assertive, the drama as a whole made a good point that this is seriously what she expects from him. After all, she did say, that Rong women prefer mild mannered, obedient males.
To be honest, there was one sister that somewhat bucked the trend and finally decided to be with a man of lower status. She even had a daughter with him. However, this "reconciliation" scene was so rushed and abrupt that it carried very little emotional weight for me. Besides, she didn't explicitly say she wanted to marry him, only that she wanted him to live in the Rong estate.
Honestly, the guy was so meek, spineless, and submissive that they looked like a gross mismatch. I don't see what a strong Rong woman would see in him in the first place, and the drama made no effort to explain. It was the chemistry of an iceberg. If there was one plot line that should've been explored further, it was this one. They would have been great as a secondary couple, but in the end, it was a wasted opportunity.
As if this wasn't enough, the same woman who said she wasn't lucky to be born a Rong, also said this: "I don't have the Founding Emperor's jade seal. Nor do I have a powerful natal family, willing to support me. I don't even have a husband worth relying on. In this world, there isn't a single person who truly loves me. But I must love myself. I must protect myself. And above all, I must protect my children."
I'm sure this is one of the character's the embodies the author's voice and I have to disagree to an extent. Not having a capable man by your side is tragic. But I don't think anyone can say that there is a single person who truly loves them. If not a parent, there is a relative. If no relative, there are a lot of charitable men and women out there. So love yourself? Yes. Protect your children? Why sure. But one does not need some jade seal or Rong family to be blessed.
I wouldn't one to be associated with a Rong family for the reasons I explained above. Also, that Jade seal that she mentions worked well as an indestructible (and overused) plot armor, but it is what it is . A work of fiction. To me the real jade are those people who, though imperfect, truly care as well as the spouse who is, or can grow to be, that capable partner in life we all would be blessed to have at our side.
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