StrongFL

A cringy script by confused writers

A cringy script by confused writers

What was advertised? An intriguing drama with a strong FL.
What I got? A cringy script with multiple personality disorder.

I love time travel stories and couldn't wait for this drama. Instead of being entertained, I lost 40 hours of my life that I will never get back.

The writers/director/creators of the show couldn’t figure out what the male lead’s character should be. Is he a good guy or a villain? This wasn’t one of those shows where the ML changes from an anti-hero to a hero. His horrible actions seem completely out of character at times, but he’s not presented as a villain. Those actions are excused because supposedly they were a result of how much he loves the FL.

The FL’s actions are also completely out of character at times. She switches from a strong and independent woman to someone willing to be a victim. She’s also a damsel in distress too often.




Spoilers ahead:

The show couldn’t figure out:

(1) Does the ML respect the FL and wait for her consent? Or, is he a predator who is happy to force himself on her? His attempted sexual assault in episode 25 seems completely out of character for someone who says he’ll wait decades for her.
(2) Is the ML a wonderful, supportive, and confident man who cares for women’s rights and is OK with the FL taking the lead? Or, is he a jealous and possessive jerk who wants to literally kill any man who likes her?
(3) Is the FL a strong, brilliant, and independent woman who doesn’t take BS from anyone? Or, does she suffer from Stockholm Syndrome, and talks about having a child with the ML after he tries to sexually assault her?


I went from liking the ML to hating his guts. Until episode 25, he is mostly shown as a supportive partner who respects the choices and intellect of the FL. When she says she needs more time, he says he will wait decades for her. He already has.

In episode 25, he grabs her by the neck and forcefully kisses her. This is not one of those “forced kisses” that are supposedly steamy. She is so repulsed that she claws and leaves scratch marks on his neck to get away. Does this make him stop? Nope. He throws her down and tries to sexually assault her, holding down her arms so she can’t fight back. When she finally manages to get him off her and tells him what a scumbug he is, he suddenly changes his tune–kind of. He forcefully hugs her and tells her he couldn’t help himself because he loves her so much.

Does this make the FL–an independent, brilliant, and proud woman–want to divorce him on the spot? Nope. She accepts his non-apology apology and talks about having children with him. The scene ends with them lying next to each other in what is supposedly a romantic moment where they’re watching the stars together.

It was cringe to the millionth power.

I’m disappointed that Netflix didn’t include a content warning for sexual assault.

I always read tags on MDL and do keyword searches even if I get spoilers because I don’t want to watch abusive behavior passed on as loving or romantic. Alas, nothing came up when I searched for abuse or sexual assault. I’m grateful for the commenter who called out the attempted assault in episode 25, but they used the words forced kiss, so it didn’t come up on my search. In the future, you can bet that “forced kiss” will be one of my keyword searches.

I don’t know about you, but most people watch shows to be entertained–not to feel cringy afterward.

I know my overall reviews round up to 3.5, but the OST and strong performances by some of the actors can’t justify watching this BS. Save yourself 40 hours of your life and find something else. There’s no shortage of content out there.

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I hate the ML

I had so much hope for this drama with its interesting premise of a butcher's daughter as the FL. In most c-dramas I've watched, the woman is polished and refined. I love that this FL doesn't fit into that mold.

To begin with, I have nothing against the actor himself. I know actors can get typecast. This is the second drama I've watched with Zhang Ling He. Do the directors make him force himself onto women in every role he has? I hated Princess Royal when he tried to sexually assault the FL. I stopped watching Pursuit of Jade after he forcefully kisses the FL. TWICE. Not once. TWICE. If a woman forcefully pushes a man away after he tries to kiss her, a good person wouldn't try to kiss her again. I will not be watching any of his other shows unless I know that his character doesn't behave like an aggressive jerk who doesn't care about getting consent from someone he supposedly loves.

Another reviewer complained that I shouldn't care about the lack of consent since this is a historical drama and women were viewed differently in the past. My response: "Since this is a historical drama, in history, could people leap over buildings and large distances because they knew martial arts? Or keep fighting at peak capacity after being stabbed/getting hit by arrows repeatedly? Having a butcher's daughter who is adept at martial arts & able to catch the heart of a nobleman is also historically inaccurate. Most of us watch these shows because they're fiction and not historical documentaries. If the writers/directors can take liberty with one plot point, they have the choice to take liberty with other plot points. I'm sick of purity culture and the harmful belief that a FL needs to be forced into anything sexual because "good women" don't have sexual desires. There are plenty of shows where consent is respected. A person who truly loves their love interest would ask for consent. They wouldn't disrespect the person they supposedly care about by forcing any form of physical intimacy. That's true regardless of the year we're in--whether it's in the past or present."

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Unsatisfactory, Traumatic and Boring

I wanted to love this drama, with its premise of a woman seeking out revenge/justice. But I hated it. The revenge/justice is unsatisfactory. There are traumatic scenes and themes that never get properly resolved. In typical c-drama style, there are too many fillers throughout the series, but a rushed ending that doesn’t give the viewers even 5 minutes to enjoy/understand how justice is being served.

I was hoping for something like The Glory, but with beautiful c-drama costumes, sets, and wuxia choreography. Please don't waste 40 hours of your life watching this. The eye candy actors aren't worth it.

Now that I’ve been vague, spoilers ahead.


********SPOILERS AHEAD*****


Please don’t kill me because these are my views and I’m not here to fight with anyone.

1) Unsatisfactory & Traumatic:

For a show that is all about getting justice/revenge against evildoers, too many culprits get away. I am most disturbed about the three men who gang rape the two courtesans, causing one of them to die. We never hear a peep about them again. Will they continue to kidnap women and sell them into prostitution, and gang rape? The show doesn’t give us anything to dispute this deduction. What type of justice/revenge show is this?

Unlike The Glory, we’re not given enough time to enjoy some of the revenge/justice being served. We get less than five minutes for some of the most important victories. The justice is illustrated through a voice-over and quickly mentions what happens to bad people. After 40 episodes, the viewers deserved a longer montage of watching the evildoers suffer. For example, the FL’s former mother-in-law and sister-in-law begging for food on the street or working terrible jobs.

The FL never gets justice in clearing her name of being an adulteress. The montage above mentions that her mother-in-law and sister-in-law are questioned, but the show doesn’t tell us if the questioning cleared the FL’s name of cheating. Were they questioned only about SYR’s treasonous acts, or also about setting up the FL? What they did was horrific–getting a family member raped and then saying it was a consensual affair. They should face bigger consequences.

Similarly, Jiang Li also isn’t vindicated of the accusation that she tried to kill her step mother and her unborn son. Or did I miss it because they were so stingy with the revenge/justice scenes?



2) Horrible people who are forgiven

I thought this was a revenge drama? Too many characters are forgiven.

Jiang Li suffered for 10 years and was tortured to death because her father and grandma wouldn’t protect her. They should have suffered more. I couldn’t buy Jiang Li’s dad suddenly becoming a good father after being terrible for a decade. He never even visited her during this time! The monastery nuns may have killed her physically, but they were successful only because he killed her emotionally a long time ago. Her grandma obviously had power as she threw out the treacherous son from the family in the end, but why didn’t she exercise that power to stand up for Jiang Li?



3) Duke Su:
Everyone is singing his praises for what? Passing the lowest bar on how a man and good partner should be? First, a woman is not “tainted” if a man rapes her. She is not a piece of furniture or fruit that goes from “pure” to “tainted.” The fact that Duke Su “still” loves the FL after knowing she is a sexual assault survivor doesn’t make him amazing. Any good man should do at least that. I understand the show is set in a different era, but women are still treated like this.

He is too cold. I understand why he became this way, but a rape survivor needs her partner to do more than just the bare minimum. He needs to validate her and comfort her based on her individual needs. He should be nurturing. Duke Su is none of these things.

I don’t like the way he treats the FL. He knows how much the FL has suffered when he starts using her, but he’s too ruthless to care.

I don’t know if it was the director’s decision or the actor’s choice, but his face/emotions didn’t have a lot of range. Too many times, I couldn’t tell if he was supposed to portray anger/joy/disgust/anything else. A character can be stoic on the outside, but that doesn’t mean the viewers shouldn’t feel emotions from the actor. A prime example is the FL from The Glory. She maintains a stoic persona, but the viewer can experience what she is feeling through her eyes. The majority of the time, Duke Su has only one expression, that of being suspicious/calculating.




I could keep going on about all the things I hated about this show, but I don’t want to waste any more time on it.

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Intriguing plot, beautiful sets & costumes, and actors who are eye candy

I loved this show. It was visually stunning and emotionally intriguing. There's something for everyone--mystery; plot twists; riveting fight scenes; romance; beautiful people, costumes, sets, and scenery; and a satisfactory ending that makes sense.

Characters:
I loved the characters of both the ML and the FL! The FL remains physically strong and brilliant throughout the drama. It was so refreshing to watch a physically strong FL who protected the ML because he didn't have a martial arts background. I adored the character of the ML! He is comfortable in his own skin & confident enough to let the FL take the lead. But he also contributes to solving the mysteries with his intellect and expertise.

Actors/Acting:
Bai Lu didn't disappoint with her portrayal of a strong, independent, and intelligent woman who is haunted by her past. I have to give kudos to Wang Xing Yue because I had to do a double take considering how different his character was in The Double. I knew it was the same actor, but he seemed like a different person. Added bonus: the leads are eye candy.

High production value:
You can tell they had a large budget through the details of the sets, costumes, and world-building.

Music:
Haunting.

Rewatch value: High

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Cringy on and off screen

This is just my opinion and I’m not interested in arguing with anyone about their opinions.

I wish I had known about the pervy actor Hans Zhang. It’s not a secret that he’s a creep in real life. Just do a search for his name and sexual harassment. In one of his other shows, in real life, he sexually harassed the actress playing the female lead. It wasn’t supposed to be a scene where he sexually harasses her. The scene, among others, were so problematic that the show was removed from streaming platforms.

So this doesn’t get marked as a spoiler, I won’t go into why this show was also cringy. Just know that Hans Zhang remains a creep in real life.

I can’t figure out why he is still allowed to keep starring in roles–especially idol roles he looks too old to play. It’s not like he’s a great actor.

I feel sorry for Zhu Xu Dan and the other talents. It’s not their fault they had to work with him. Before you start saying that they could’ve just said no, it’s not easy for non-established actors to just refuse roles.

Save your precious time. Stay away from this show like you’d stay away from Hans Zhang in real life.

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Sick of cold man/warm woman trope

The ML is so mean to the FL. She behaves like a doormat when it comes to him. His apologies seemed hollow for how badly he treated her. A woman who has any self esteem would hate the guy who treated her like crap--not continue to make excuses for him. I understand why the ML was angry, but he took it too far. I'm so sick of the cold man/warm woman trope of the ML treating the FL like crap, but we're supposed to be happy and feel butterflies when he changes to being warm. Yawn!

I agree with many of the reviewers that it started strong, but ended weak. The last two episodes just dragged on. Instead of making me feel emotional, I was skipping scenes.

The drama did its best when it focused on the FL and not the ML. He's eye candy and a great actor, but that is not what I signed up for.

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Almost Perfect

I like to give 10/10 for dramas I like. I tend to be generous even if there are flaws. I really want to give this a 10, but can't because of two things.

First, what worked really well:
1) Sismance, or enemies to friends. The show is clear about how horrible it is to be in the harem--how the women have no choice but to backstab each other for survival. I love how the FL turns competitive consorts into friends. It was such a breath of fresh air to see women lift each other up, instead of the norm in c-dramas of women backstabbing each other.
2) Relationship between the FL and 2FL. Not only do they go from enemies to best friends, but I thoroughly enjoyed their joint scheming.
3) The FL saves the ML multiple times--whether it's his life, his heart, or his mind in becoming a good leader.
4) Female empowerment. The story always centers around the FL. Of course, the ML is also prominent, but she is the central axis. It was so satisfying to see an empress rule alongside her emperor. I also liked how she started the schools for girls.
5) The other strong female characters--even the ones you loved to hate.
6) A really great twist.
7) The scenery and sets are gorgeous.
8) The costumes are beautiful.
9) Even the villain is eye candy.


Why I couldn't give it a 10:
1) The ML was downright cruel in two separate incidents: when he punishes her by punishing her loved ones (the secret guards); and when he allows her to keep thinking that he is dead. She forgives him way too easily. Also, him drugging her was gross. I'm sick of male characters doing awful things to female characters supposedly because they are trying to protect them. The women shouldn't need protection FROM the men they love. There are ways to be good partners without doing messed-up things.
2) Death of Consort Xie and no mention of her in the present timeline. Did the death in the novel mean a death for her in real life? It would've been great to see her in the end, even briefly as another passenger on the subway.

If the two things above don't make you angry, I'd recommend the show.

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Satisfying revenge story with kick-ass women!

I checked out this drama because iQIYI suggested it. I'm so glad I did! This was an oh-so-sweet revenge drama.

I loved the characters of the FL and her closest business partner/female supporter. Their characters have a great mix of strength and vulnerability. They don't bow down to any man or woman. They are strong, independent, and intelligent, and forces to be reckoned with. They are seriously kick-ass!

I really liked the character of the FL. She is multifaceted and goes through various metamorphosis over the drama. But she remains strong throughout, and doesn't lose brain cells like some c- and k-drama female leads are made to as the story progresses. She is also allowed to celebrate her sexuality. Those are some steamy kisses!

I rooted for the leads and loved to hate the villains. And no, I didn't pick this up because of the eye candy ML. I was craving a good revenge story. But it doesn't hurt that the ML is gorgeous. The FL is also beautiful and I love her wardrobe.

This was a short drama: only 24 episodes of about 30 minutes each, so 12 hours in total. I binged it! I think you will, too.

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Consent Issues & Manhandling

I am so sick of the aggressive male trope in c- and k-dramas! It’s not cute when a man grabs a woman by the wrist against her will and won’t let her go as she struggles. It’s especially not cute when the woman suffers pain and bruises as a result. The most disturbing is when there are consent issues when it comes to kissing or sex. Do the writers/directors think so low of the ML that they can’t get the FL to be physical with them without ignoring whether she consents? When the MLs are almost always portrayed as God’s gift to women, this doesn’t make sense.





***SPOILERS AHEAD***

I would have loved this show if not for the above.

At one point, the ML grabs the FL by the wrist and won’t let her go. She is visibly scared and is rubbing her wrist afterward from pain. They don’t show it on screen, but she is probably bruised. This is not healthy behavior for a man in love.

What was even more upsetting is their sexual exchange. She is heartbroken and he offers to comfort her through sex, which she agrees to. But in the process, she just needs a moment to be ready.

FL: “Hold on. I can’t breathe.”
ML: Shakes head. “I can’t hold back anymore.”

WTH!!! She’s saying she can’t breath and he pins her down so she can’t get away. He couldn’t give her a *(*(&(*&(*& minute to just catch her breath? In real life, she would most likely pass out.

He’s supposed to be her lover and partner, but he is too aggressive. It ruined the whole show for me.

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Too many cliffhangers and unanswered questions

I wanted to love this season as I gave season one a rating of 9/10. But I just couldn't. There were too many cliffhangers and unanswered questions.

The Bad:

---No resolution against the biggest challenge of this season.
---Unsolved missing cases.
---No mention/dropping of a large conspiracy.
---Unexplained changes in how the ghost village and its residents are allowed to behave -- upending last season's world building.

The Good:
---More screen time for female cast members.
---Mystery and resolution of one of the main characters’ abilities.

Unless you enjoy watching shows with huge cliffhangers and unanswered questions, I’d recommend against watching this season. Season 1, although it has a slight cliffhanger, is still watchable.

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Unlikable leads, repetitions, cliches and tropes

Do you like wasting your time watching something you hate? Do you want your leads to be unlikable and annoying? Do you enjoy watching one cliche after another? Do you like watching filler episodes? Do you like repetition? No? Then, this is not the show for you.

It takes a lot to make me drop a show altogether. There are shows I've watched at 2x speed or skipped through scenes. But even at 2x speed and skipping many scenes, I couldn't keep watching this.

I didn't expect a masterpiece or a 10/10 show. I just wanted a xianxia that's enjoyable. It was too painful to keep watching this. I feel sorry for the actors and other talent who had to be a part of this.

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