Tibbs

👍🏿

You are right. The male lead’s age adds to the authenticity of the role and makes the drama feel more realistic.

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@ Daenerys

This is my problem with the show. The second couple is my definition of toxic. She’s too gullible and he’s too manipulative. There’s nothing romantic in that couple at all. I’m surprised that the second couple is having so many positive comments. It plays into the dangerous stereotype that a good girl can change a bad boy, which is far from true. I prefer the first couple, which many people call typical, because there is inherent goodness in both the ML and FL, and they both just need time to understand each other.

Yeah, she’s sweet and good, but gullible and easily manipulated and deceived. I have to restrain myself from wanting to smack her on the head. Ms. goody two shoes!🙄

I really, really wanted to watch the Cdrama version which would’ve been awesome. If only for the costumes, set designs and varied cinematography which is usually so rich regardless of how poor the production values are. I feel robbed when the scandals robbed Mi of my anticipated viewing experience. Not to take anything away from Sagueks, but they appear quite muted in contrast.

It is, isn’t it? I’ve never been able to complete a Saguek in the past six years. They just turn into a political quagmire and nightmare. Intensely boring. Hyung Sik is the only reason I’m checking this out. The FL isn’t too shabby either. It’s just that the Joseon period is ultimately boring. I wish they’d focus more on lives of ordinary people and leave politics out of it.

Couldn’t complete ep 16 then. Didn’t bother finding out if there are more episodes or not. But thanks for the info.

The secondary couple was what captivated me and kept me watching this drama. I can’t with the FL, they made her character somewhat wishywashy, inept and incompetent. The one person with a plan who could move things along was the ML. And all the FL did was whine, complain and rail against him ..,,without coming up with another alternative. It became tedious watching their dynamic. Her younger version was much more forthright and dynamic. If she were truly leader material, she should come up with her own solutions and find acceptable compromises with her husband, whose views don’t differ greatly from hers.

Me too

I watched this drama until episode 16 because of the second lead couple, the supporting actor annd second lead actress whose love line was way more interesting than the lead couple. I’m dropping it because I can’t stand the affectations of the lead actress, which is just a turn off. Her acting is unnatural and feels ‘fake’. Drama had potential, could have been much better with a different lead actress.

And died so undeservedly. His death was used as a plot device to prowl ZP along. What a horrible end for such an adorable man. And no true justice for him either. I wanted them to crush the soldier who killed him. Too many loose ends in this drama.

And the empress wasn’t the lesser of two evils. She should’ve been deposed. What’s the moral of the story in the end? Cover up injustice for the greater good?

Agreed. Though I love the drama, I can’t help feeling that the drama did us dirty in the end.🙁

It was a happy ending. It was resolved quite well. Everyone got what they wanted or deserved in the end. If you like Wuxia dramas, I’d encourage you to watch it to the end. The fight scenes are awesome.

What a bittersweet ending. Bittersweet because I’m going to do miss the drama, and that’s why I put off watching the end for a few weeks. Ending was true to the characterization of each character. The Emperor was so sly in the way he set up his sons. Great drama!

For a drama you have so little opinion about, you seem to spend a lot of time defending your view. If you don't care for it, just move on to a drama that you care for. No need to defend your opinion about the drama. Everyone's taste is different.

The aunt insisted that the 'son' remain behind, because she doesn't have a son and wanted validation from the grandma and status which can only be obtained through a son (ancient Chinese culture). The mom gave birth to twins, and in order to thwart the will of her sister-in-law, she decided to take the son with her and leave the daughter behind ensuring that the aunt couldn't obtain status, but also a way to placate her mother-in-law, whom she couldn't outrightly disobey by taking all her kids with her. (ALTHOUGH her husband would have disobeyed his mom and taken all the kids with him, but his failing is that he always listens to his wife, even against his better judgement).

Not 4, just three.

After episode 20, I doubt that Zhang Ping will willingly become an official. Someone needs to off the Dowager Empress soon for being such a blood sucking witch. Speaking of which, the writer who adapted the series must be a misogynist, lol. How come the men are noble, glorious and redeemable but the big bad villain is a woman? And even the minor female characters are very flawed? Isn’t there at least one commendable female character, however minor? I noticed that the men have fathers, but never a mother or sister figure. And the one mother figure other than the Empress is dead (ZP’s mom) and even she was portrayed as a scheming witch).