Everyone loves an uplifting tale of how love can change a person for better. We get variants on this theme with the Li sisters and their respective suitors/husbands. It's enjoyable to watch the men slowly overcome their prejudice, laziness, meanness, or ego. I like that they are humbled, even hen-pecked, but never useless. Well, except for Fan Liang Han.
Where this show fails is in its attempts to be clever and funny. The dialogue lacks sharpness and wit. Kang Ning and Chai An are touted as the cleverest of the bunch, but their schemes really aren’t that clever because the writing itself isn't clever. How is giving a donkey to the man who publicly turns you down supposed to save face? But we're told it's a brilliant move on Kang Ning's part.
The idea of comedy here is also misguided. You can tell when they're trying to be funny, with the screeching and yelling, the beating people up, the fainting, the cross-dressing, and so on. Those gags are stale and poorly executed. As they say, “Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.” Most of the cast can't pull off the humor, but some are just painful to watch. Fan Liang Han is slow, but the actor plays it like he's got brain damage. The actress playing Madame Li is so exaggerated that it pulls me straight out of the story. As the central figure in the family, her performance drags the other actors down with its ridiculousness.
I would've rated this series higher if they don't try to go for the laughs. It makes the characters unlikeable and disrupts the flow of the story. Just stick to the sweet romance and heartfelt family relationships. Wang Xing Yue, Lu Yu Xiao, Liang Yong Qi and the rest have enough charm to carry the series. Let them shine doing what they do best.
Where this show fails is in its attempts to be clever and funny. The dialogue lacks sharpness and wit. Kang Ning and Chai An are touted as the cleverest of the bunch, but their schemes really aren’t that clever because the writing itself isn't clever. How is giving a donkey to the man who publicly turns you down supposed to save face? But we're told it's a brilliant move on Kang Ning's part.
The idea of comedy here is also misguided. You can tell when they're trying to be funny, with the screeching and yelling, the beating people up, the fainting, the cross-dressing, and so on. Those gags are stale and poorly executed. As they say, “Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.” Most of the cast can't pull off the humor, but some are just painful to watch. Fan Liang Han is slow, but the actor plays it like he's got brain damage. The actress playing Madame Li is so exaggerated that it pulls me straight out of the story. As the central figure in the family, her performance drags the other actors down with its ridiculousness.
I would've rated this series higher if they don't try to go for the laughs. It makes the characters unlikeable and disrupts the flow of the story. Just stick to the sweet romance and heartfelt family relationships. Wang Xing Yue, Lu Yu Xiao, Liang Yong Qi and the rest have enough charm to carry the series. Let them shine doing what they do best.
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