Suliabryon

Okay, so yes, this is a more serious drama, and bad things do happen, but I would say the first episode is the darkest so far, and the main focus on the show is found family, rising through adversity, love against the odds, and fighting your way through a system set with everything against you. Not just the FL, but every character including the ML must navigate circumstances out of their control, but it's handled so well and is so well done. It's really a 10/10. So yes, the beginning is super traumatizing, and there are difficulties later on, but SO FAR it has really showcased the FL's ability to be decisive, intelligent, and navigate her changed world with grace and dignity. It's a great drama.

Wait, wait...so these actors are the "third couple" from Knot, right? The brother that marked the omega trying to destroy his family to save his other brother? (Which had the potential to be an actually interesting story but nothing really happened with it since it was one episode from the end. i'm not bitter or anything.)

And I see the SLC from Knot is here, too. But this is a completely unrelated story, just with the same actors...? Do I have that right?

I have to tell you, I'm new to BL in general but I'm an author and am familiar with "omegaverse" from that side of things and when I say Knot was really disappointing from a writing perspective...like the actors tried their best and they had some good tropes of the genre in there, but SOOOOOOOOO so much wasted potential and things that made NO sense.

Yes, exactly. I had a glimmer of suspicion when he met 2nd miss, but I thought his sister might have set him up...but the hand/fist thing was a huge red flag, and the go set makes me wonder who is paying him to do all of this, because he's getting big money from somewhere.

I feel you! This drama is SO excellent and keeps topping itself!

Same! Ha ha. "Oh, this drama apparently has "lightness skills". 🤣 Unexpected!

It will??? NOOOOOOO. I want them all now!

OMG the whole scene with the bath and her sending Lady Du away and the way he LEANS and just STARES AT HER.

Okay, and in the previous episode when he gives her the ointment and stares SUPER HARD at that book he definitely is not reading to pretend he's being casual...

The casual shoulder touches, leans in to whisper, telling her she is wasted as a maid???

Sir, are you aware you are catching feelings and that they show on your face and in your actions???

Why are these subtle things so butterfly inducing?? What a testament to the acting and directing.

You know he has NO idea who she really is yet, and when he finds out...that is going to just take his feelings to 11.

Some part of him has to know he's developing inappropriate feelings towards his maid and also has to know this is a really bad idea for both of them. But the rest of him doesn't care or is blissfully unaware that he is, in fact, already in trouble.

ALSO...NO DON'T SEND YOUR SISTER AWAY! What she has to tell you is SUPER important!

And I really thought only the sister Du was a problem. I was NOT expecting the brother to also have ill intentions towards forcing marriage into the family. Makes you wonder if that whole "saving the young master's life" thing wasn't completely calculated.

Oh, I hope so! Guess I need to stop skipping the intro so I can check who survives. 😅

I haven't watched Express yet, but if Yuchen dies from this plague or whatever illness is sweeping through the estate, I will NOT be okay. I am rooting for her and Jiu Gao!

IKR? Super common from what I've seen in BLs, it reminds me of how in mainstream M/F romances grabbing a condom or checking consent were seen as "not s3xy" and so were never included in any intimate scene. It's honestly so immersion breaking in BLs though because I'm sorry, as a het woman even *I* know that would be painful! And we're supposed to suspend disbelief and think Eunho is just enjoying himself there, like seriously. It made me literally wince and think "D@mn, Dohyeon, no matter how thirsty you are, have some BASIC consideration for your partner here. You want him to actually enjoy this experience as much as you, right??"

I think once in every single live Domin comments about what a great kisser Inho is. 🤣 So, who knows, maybe they are...or maybe they just got really into doing their jobs well, lol.

I mean...pretty typical for boys that age, honestly. And not often it's portrayed so realistically because all they think about is s3x and food. 🤣

So, I'm new to BL. I've tried several in the past at recommendations from friends but struggled to really get into the genre until for some reason earlier this year the C-BLs coming out clicked for me. And now I'm trying all kinds of examples in the genre and I came to this one not expecting a lot. I don't want to say this wrong, and please don't come at me, but I struggle with some of the Thai BLs. In any drama, characters have to really grab me and that means the story, the arc for the characters, and the acting and chemistry all have to work well together for me to stay engaged.

I started this with pretty low expectations, and when I tell you, this has been a surprise, and a DELIGHT. I'm on the episode where Thame has to hide at Po's house and finds out he still has all of this stuff from his ex and gets totally jealous and makes him ditch it all and replace it with HIS stuff, and they are SO. FREAKING. ADORABLE!

This show just makes me smile so much! From Thame trying to figure out if he likes Po and his friend giving him advice, to Po being so wounded by his a-hole ex but falling for Thame kind of in spite of himself, they are just SO sweet, I want to wrap them up and protect them from all of the angst I know must be coming their way because that's how dramas work.

I am truly surprised by just how much I am enjoying this watch. It's honestly a nice break from some of the heavier shows I am watching.

It's definitely a romance and yes they are the main couple. Highly recommend!

I'm just guessing based off those two trailers, so I could be wrong!

From the next episode preview, I'm guessing that mark is the sig of a highly contagious disease or plague that then overtakes most of the women in the Lin family (due to their lodging in a single section of the estate together) which is what leads First Madam to give FL control of managing the house while they are all sick.

This drama is so good! If it stays this strong to the end, it will be in my top dramas of all time, and may unseat Prisoner of Beauty as my favorite "historical" of all time...though it's hard to compare them as they are completely different styles of story.

But seriously every aspect of this drama is pure excellence, from the acting, to the detail in the sets and costumes, to the side characters....every character has depth and multiple layers, even the villains have understandable motivations for the things they do. The underlying theme of doing whatever it takes to survive and not being able to choose your own life is done so well in so many different ways across such a broad spectrum of characters. Not just the FL, or women, either. But her family and their struggles just to become commoners and rise above being indentured servants. Even the ML, despite being noble and having far more choices than the FL or her maid friends or his unfortunate first wife, was powerless to stop the marriage he didn't want, or to save the FL's family in the beginning, and he clearly has to be cunning and strategic and careful in how he navigates politics and choices and the weight of being responsible for everything he does impacting his family.

It's just so good across every aspect. I love the deep friendships the FL has with her maid friends, I love how much she and her adopted parents love one another and how determined they each are to protect each other. They have a survivor's bond, determined not to let the other suffer any more than they already have in this life.

This is hands down my favorite drama that I've seen either lead in, and I'm SO happy we are getting 47 episodes of this! I already paid the fee to watch express episodes and it's agonizing waiting each day for new episodes to drop. Even though other dramas I've been looking forward to are coming out soon, it will be challenging for anything to grab my attention while this is airing, I think.

I really hope we get to see a little romance blossom in the background between Yuchen and Jiu Gao! I love when shows allow the background characters to have little hints at lives beyond the ML and FL.

OTOH, with this show it also leaves me terrified that something terrible will happen to one of them. No one is safe.

I don't think he has any specific suspicions yet about who she is, but he's definitely noticed her incredible perception and intellect, and that she seems more knowledgeable than the average maid. In the novel, specific little things happen that click her identity into place for him, and we haven't gotten to them yet.

SAME! I love when side characters get their own in the background stories, even if it's just a moment here and there. 🥰 It adds so much depth to the drama. People don't exist only to serve the FL and ML. Just like hearing about Gantang's family and the drama that was, unbeknownst to us, happening for her off screen and how XLX's actions impacted that adds another layer that makes everything feel so much deeper and more real.

That scene was so beautiful! I love how this show gives even the side characters and their relationships with the FL such weight.