Suliabryon

He was SHOCKED she picked him! And then he was running to save her I think before he even consciously made the decision. The whole thing was just so well acted. You could feel her internal conflict: like, she does NOT like or trust the ex-fiance, but at the same time, the last thing she knew, WS gave an order to "kill her for morale". It was a total leap of faith to trust that he wouldn't kill her. I think that's part of why she loses it emotionally and slaps him and then hides and cries, lol. All of that fear and tension had to go somewhere, and I feel like her reaction was so real and genuine. And his shock was also so real and hilarious! Such a man response. "WTH, woman, I just saved your life!" But then he figures out she needs a minute and stares at his Generals until they get the hint and leave them alone.

That whole scene has got to be one of the best turning point moments ever filmed. Super dramatic, super emotional, pays off all of the distrust and push and pull between them previously, hits the trope. Just great job to the whole team: writers, director, actors, everyone.

As for the novel, I've read some spoilers from it in these comments, and I have to say, I vastly prefer the drama WS. He gets to be everything we love in this type of hero, with real nuance and feeling that makes it work. The novel for me, takes it too far.

Yes, exactly! Both of them were harmed by the incident. And you're right, most dramas gloss over something like this, but this one called out the reactions and impact on both of them and showed them each dealing with it.

And yes, I agree the advisor nudges WS more. QX is more emotionally available, while WS has spent his life shoving all emotions aside except his hatred and grief. He needs to extra help to allow himself to open up and be vulnerable.

😱HOW can no one be doing in depth discussions?? This drama is SO good!

I couldn't agree more. I read a lot, and I struggle sometimes when characters are just given the window dressing of the trope without the depth and nuance that goes with it. This show excels, I think, because not only do we get the "ancient warlord with trust issues and a soft spot for one woman only" but the reasons for it are so understandable. She sees him and as she sees more and deeper, she's helping him heal. Who wouldn't have insane trust issues and a thirst for revenge after experiencing what he did? And God knows his own family hasn't done anything but expect him to lead the clan and win back everything they lost (the grandmother being the exception - but she knows he needs more than her, he needs a life partner who sees him and loves him).

Then we have our female lead. Even though he's saved her more than once (and I may have rewatched that scene in ep 4 at least a dozen times!) she's no damsel in distress. She's whip smart and has a strategic mind as well. He can't help but admire her, and it's not JUST about her beauty. The moment she "chose" him over the ex-fiance promising to protect her, she won a tiny piece of him.

This show works so well because it's so well done. The characters and their arc is just a masterpiece in this particular enemies-to-lovers trope.

I love getting into the character arcs and motivations and feelings. I think that's one reason I love asian dramas so much. They do that so well and really give the characters room to have all of that depth.

SAME! I haven't been this obsessed with a drama since....hmm, The Double? Or maybe clear back with Love Between Fairy and Devil. It was my first c-drama and already all out, but man, I stayed up until 5:30am more than once binging my way through that drama, lol.

YAY!!!! I'm going to try to get my daughter to watch it! I'll rewatch it with her.

Ha, thank you! I think I've posted on Reddit maybe once in my whole life. I've never gone there for discussions, but I found this place because no one I know IRL watches these shows and I need to talk about them! Maybe I'll check Reddit out!

Man, episode 10 you guys! An absolute 10/10. First of all, if these two actually end up in a happy marriage, it's all going to be due to that advisor guy, Wei Zixin. He is doing ALL the work of a good couple's therapist here.

Second, can we talk about the emotional impact of what happened? I'm not talking about THE SCENE, either. Or the great chest/abs shot in that ice bath - but I will say I was NOT expecting that bit of absolute cinematic perfection.

No, I'm talking about how Wei Shao is just a traumatized young man who watched most of the people he loved get horrifically cut down right in front of him at the worst possible age, a young man who still suffers night terrors and clear PTSD from this past, who carries the responsibility of his entire clan and has from when he was expected to shoulder leadership as a child. A young man who just, deep down, wants someone to love him. Who wants so badly for his MOTHER to love him that he never complains when she makes his shoes too small because she doesn't know the size. Who never punishes her for her scheming, even though he hates scheming the most. Who gives her more latitude than he does ANYONE, and who was SO HAPPY when she invited him to eat dinner with her. Smiling more than I've seen him smile in any other moment. And then was betrayed by her in the worst way, putting HER wants, and worse, her niece's wants, over her own son's health, well being, and clearly stated desires. Not to mention the sense of horrible betrayal he must have felt. His own mother backstabbed him, much like the Wei grandfather backstabbed his entire clan.

He must have felt so devastated. Kudos to Liu Yuning for the tears in his eyes when he allowed his mother her three days to rehome her selfish witch of a niece, realizing once again that even as she was begging for his forgiveness, his mother will never, ever put him first. Whoever says LYN is a poor actor is clearly not paying attention to all of the wonderful nuance he is bringing to this role. He conveys so much with just an expression, a look.

Meanwhile, he's dealing with the aftermath of knowing he very nearly r@ped his newlywed wife, that he hurt her in the process, and that she's, understandably, got some trauma happening around it. I don't think she's actually afraid of HIM. She's a smart girl. She knows he was drugged. She stayed the whole time and helped him, even though she was afraid then. She knows he stopped himself from truly hurting her, and I think she trusts him not to ever repeat it. But as anyone who has suffered that kind of trauma knows, she's going to have some instinctive defensive reactions for awhile. So not only did his mother betray him in the most personal way possible, but her actions also caused this new barrier between him and his wife. And he feels responsible, even though it isn't his fault.

I'm sure this is only going to bring our couple closer. Especially when he heard his wife taking his awful, selfish mother to task on his behalf there at the end. I wanted to stand up and cheer for Qiao Man. You could see it when the mother was berating her, the eye roll reaction, the anger and irritation at the sheer selfishness of this woman. It was even more satisfying watching her berate his mother than it was when the grandmother did it. I'm sure Wei Shao will feel something hearing his wife go to bat for him. It may not be love yet, but it's the closest thing he's experienced to it in a long time.

This show continues to just impress the heck out of me. The humor with the Generals is such a great juxtaposition for the often more serious goings on. The dynamics between the leads and their chemistry is top notch. All of the side characters are great. This is definitely, so far, my favorite historical c-drama of the year.

Oooh, thank you!

Oh, I have no idea! I haven't read the novel. I only know about the "ice bath" scene because Liu Yuning mentioned it in a live and someone else commented about it.

So glad I came here and read these spoilers! I knew they apparently filmed an intense "ice bath" scene that took three days to film, and I guess this is where it happens, with the "why" being the trope in these dramas that cold baths can counter aphrodisiac drugs. I knew when I saw the trailer it would be a trick trying to set him with up with the cousin. Hopefully this will be the straw that sends her packing, and also gets our leads another step closer to each other. Today was a good start with him actually being vulnerable with her and her comforting him.

FOR REAL. I kept expecting the turn in The Glory only to have them backstab each other again! I don't get that vibe here, I think we have a little more for them to overcome before the turn to real trust happens, but bit by bit it seems to be happening.

I think the FL forgot for a little while that beneath his duty to her as his wife, and however drawn to her he might feel, deep down he still sees her as a Qiao, and he hates them so much. Part of him is always waiting for her to betray him just like her grandfather did. I don't think that's the last violent outburst from him we'll see. He might feel a little conflicted about her, but he doesn't trust her yet.

😂 Right?? I don't know how to be patient with this show. So far this is a 10/10 for me. I love both leads, all of the side characters (how is Gao Wei Guang in this for a guest role as Wei Shao's older brother??), the chemistry is fantastic. If it can keep it up all the way through it will be hard to beat as my favorite historical of the year.

The express episodes specifically can't be cast or mirrored. They are DRM protected.

I think I'm going to try this! I have a usb-c to HDMI adapter I could use! Because the Express episodes all say "DRM protected" if I try to cast them. Thanks for this suggestion, I'd forgotten I used to do that in the olden days before casting, lol.

Thank you! Yeah, that's my thought, too. I just wanted to talk about the drama, not all this!

Whaaaaaat! Hmm...so weird! My TV won't download the tencent app for whatever reason, and my laptop tells me I can't play it on "this device". I'm so jealous. 😭

Okay look. I'm not going to deep dive whatever one article said about the finances of Chinese companies producing dramas. If you want to spend your time doing that, by all means. I don't really care that much whether the companies hurt financially on long form dramas or not, other than will they still get made? At the end of the day, yeah, you have to expect the Chinese government to invest in propaganda. Sure. I'll just take your point at face value. Honestly, my main point is, I'll spend money to support the actors and writers and everyone else making the dramas I enjoy watching.