Snow velvet

URGHHHH!!! FINALLY, MY MAN GOT HER. I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS.

And before anyone comes for me, YES, I KNOW SOME PEOPLE MIGHT SAY THE ROMANCE WASN'T ROMANTIC ENOUGH OR THAT THERE WEREN'T ENOUGH ACTIONS BETWEEN THE LEADS. BUT I SAW IT. I DID.
Maybe I'm biased because I watched The Rise of Ning and already had a soft spot for HIM. Maybe I was emotionally invested before this drama even gave me a reason to be. MAYBE I WANTED THIS MAN TO WIN SO BADLY THAT I WAS WILLING TO DEFEND HIM.

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?
SO WHAT IF I AM???
(HELP, WHY AM I PICKING A FIGHT WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T EVEN SAID ANYTHING TO ME YET?)

Because I genuinely felt bad for him in The Rise of Ning. That man was really in love with her, and you could see how much his circumstances and the environment around them affected things. It wasn't simply a matter of him not loving her enough. Sometimes, the people involved aren't the only problem; the world they're living in makes everything ten times harder.
And after watching all of that, seeing him finally get the chance to be with her here?
URGHHHH. FINALLY.
MY MAN GOT HIS GIRL.
I was happy for him because I already knew there was a history behind those feelings. I wasn't watching their relationship as two characters who had just met. I was watching it with all that previous emotional baggage in mind, and that made their moments together mean more to me.
So, yes, maybe someone who watched only A Splendid Match wouldn't feel the same way I did. Maybe they wanted more obvious romantic moments or more grand gestures. But I DON'T CARE.
Sometimes, the romance hits differently when you know what came before it. And I had already seen enough of Ning's story to appreciate what it meant for him to finally have a chance with her.
I WILL DEFEND MY MAN. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

Now, let's talk about the THREE MEN surrounding this woman.
HER COUSIN. HER FIRST LOVE. THE MALE LEAD.
THREE MEN, ONE WOMAN, AND ME SITTING HERE JUDGING EVERYONE'S DECISIONS.

First of all, THANK GOD they didn't push the cousin's feelings for her any further. Because WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL??? I SAW HIM AS HER BROTHER. HER BROTHER!!! I was not looking at him and thinking, “Oh, perhaps he's a potential romantic lead.”
NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT.
In my mind, he belonged in the family category, and I was perfectly happy keeping him there. I did NOT need the drama to make that relationship romantic. Please let some family relationships stay family relationships. Not every man who spends time with the female lead needs to fall in love with her. Sometimes, a man can simply be there as family or as someone who cares about her WITHOUT the writers turning it into a romance.
WE HAVE ENOUGH LOVE INTERESTS. THANK YOU.

And then there's her first love. I DON'T EVEN WANT TO TALK ABOUT HIM. Actually, no. Let me talk about him for a second. His morals were already questionable, but especially toward the end? SIR. WHAT ARE YOU DOING???I can understand a character having complicated feelings. I can understand someone making mistakes because of love, jealousy, or circumstances. Those things can make a character interesting. But there's a difference between having complicated feelings and making decisions that leave me staring at the screen wondering what is WRONG with you. And his actions toward the end really tested my patience. I'm not even going to get into everything because I could be here all day.

BUT I WILL SAY THIS: BOTH ACTORS DID A GREAT JOB. And I mean that. When an actor makes me genuinely dislike a character, I have to give them credit for doing their job well. The fact that I can be sitting there getting annoyed at someone's decisions is a testament to the performance. So, credit where credit is due. The actors did well, even when their characters had me questioning my sanity.

NOW, THE MALE LEAD.
MY MAN. FINALLY. I was genuinely happy to see him get his chance with her. And because I already had that emotional connection to Ning from The Rise of Ning, I was naturally rooting for him.

But I ALSO HAVE A COMPLAINT. DIRECTOR. WE NEED TO HAVE A TALK.
Because the beginning made me feel a little icky, and I cannot pretend I didn't notice it. He sees her around the time of her coming-of-age ceremony, when she's about FIFTEEN.
FIFTEEN, CHAT. FIFTEEN.
And then they get married roughly two years later, when she's around seventeen, if I'm remembering the timeline correctly. SEVENTEEN.
Meanwhile, this man seems to be around his late twenties, especially considering that he had a previous wife and spent a considerable amount of time mourning her.

DIRECTOR, PLEASE EXPLAIN YOURSELF.
I know this is a historical drama, and I understand that historical settings have different social customs and expectations. I'm not pretending that every historical romance has to follow modern dating conventions.
BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN I HAVE TO IGNORE THE AGE GAP OR PRETEND IT DOESN'T FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE.
I can enjoy the story, root for the pairing, and still question the way the relationship was introduced. TWO THINGS CAN BE TRUE AT ONCE.

I wanted HIM to get his happy ending, and I was happy that he finally got the girl. I ALSO WANTED TO ASK THE DIRECTOR WHY WE HAD TO START THINGS LIKE THAT. LET ME ENJOY MY DRAMA WITHOUT HAVING TO HOLD A MEETING WITH THE PRODUCTION TEAM.

And finally, my other problem: THE ENDING.
WHY DID EVERYTHING FEEL SO RUSHED TOWARD THE END???
I was enjoying the story, watching the relationships develop, and getting invested in what was happening, and then suddenly it felt like everything needed to wrap up RIGHT NOW.
HELLO??? WHO SAID WE WERE IN A HURRY???
If the drama was going to be short, then GIVE US MORE EPISODES. WE DO NOT MIND.
I would rather have a few more episodes that allow the story to breathe than have everything hurriedly packed into the final stretch. Let the characters have their moments. Let the relationships develop properly. Let us actually sit with what's happening instead of moving straight to the next plot point.
Especially when you've spent the entire drama getting people invested in these characters, you can't just rush through the final part and expect everyone to be satisfied.
I NEEDED MORE TIME. More development, more room for the ending to unfold, and more chances to enjoy the relationships I'd spent the drama getting attached to.

Was that too much to ask???

My final verdict? MY MAN GOT HER.
I'M HAPPY FOR YOU, MY GUY.