amdream_weaver

What on earth?? No episode released except on We TV today? When do the rest of us get to see it?

I agree with you! ATC is definitely the better drama. Though I have a few Cdramas that I can recommend if you like smart FLs.

Agree 100%. She took her dying mother's advice "live" and really has looked forward continuously and build something for it. It is not that she doesn't have wounds but more that she has not allowed the past to poison her. In this, she has not just followed the advice to live physically but also followed the spirit of her mother's last words.

I started SoTB just to fill time between the ATC episodes airing. Dropped SoTB at episode 6 and will not be going back. It was a snooze from the first minute. I did start The Road to Splendor which was actually engaging up until almost the very end. But yes I do not think any drama airing at this time comes even close. If I probably had to say one drama ahead of ATC in keeping my attention focused, it would be New Life Begins.

ML: I may be dying, but lemme cop a feel before I do!!
FL: I reeeeeeeally don't wanna be a widow (coz it really sucked in those days). So I'm gonna save his loyal ass one more time (it probably hurts after the 200 strokes too).

Ep 35...... giving me ALL the feels. Enraged and angry at Prince Han. The waste of life that results from his ambitions.
The brother's brilliant "empty fort" strategy. Even supporting characters have been given their moment in the spotlight, their stories and growth included. Jinlan's conversation with his niece was so sweet, and this child actor is very very good too. The love between Jinlan and his wife is so sweet, the two actors playing those roles have done an excellent job. When he comes back with the child after dealing with those soldiers, I thought she would hold him, but even with them just holding hands, their eyes expressed everything. Brilliant!!
The emperor, I am glad to see is no slouch either. He got Scholar Han's point right away and unlike other monarchs actually stood up and took action. I had the same question when I heard that minister say leave the palace.
And now to our FL and ML.
ML: I may be dying, but lemme cop a feel before I do!! That back hug made me laugh out loud after all the tension in the entire episode. This ML is flawed and human; loyal and cunning all at the same time.
FL: I reeeeeeeally don't wanna be a widow (coz it really sucked in those days). So I'm gonna save his loyal ass one more time (it probably hurts after the 200 strokes too). The carrot was brilliant, because she knows she doesn't have the strength to lead a horse by force alone, so the carrot will do the work and keep the horse quiet. That scene with the sugar............ mule first, hubby can wait..... and don't complain it's the same hand okay. I only got this one hand free to save your sorry hide Jinqi!

The Sword and the Brocade
Its similar but not yet. It mostly plays out in the inner courtyard but the reasons why I love the FL in ATC are all there as well!

Absolutely agree with you. Jinqi's character as a man, from a renowned family, literate, powerful and wealthy cannot even fathom the concept of freedom because in many ways he has not had to fight for it. The concept that this young woman, from a humble family with nothing to back her may dream of freedom to make her own choices (in an era where even women of well to do families had very little freedom of their own) is completely alien to him.
It is not that he deliberately tramples on her wishes, its that he truly does not even conceive she has those wishes in the first place. And his insecurity then leads him to make very questionable choices, such as throwing Han in her face again and again because in his mind, if a woman isn't leaning on one man (him) then it must be because of another man (Han). In those ways he is far more narrow in his thinking.

What was that episode 29?! Our dude is a goner off the deep end. I can see the desperation to have FL with him and that he truly thinks this separation from the Lin family will ease her way forward as a young matriarch not to mention give him more one on one time with her, but my dude drugs (excuse me, sleep medication) is a bit over the top. Jier's plight is saving your sorry hide or your wifey might have truly taken a bite out of you. As it is, she is going along because she realized it gave her an out as well.
Dude is a true believer in the do it and apologize later tactic.
For the wedding it worked to get the imperial decree because if he had asked her, he knows she would have said no for all the logical reasons since he knows she doesn't feel the same way about him yet. So he took matters into his own hands thinking it will give him an opportunity to fix things later.
And who are you taking romantic advice from??????? Are you nutso? Do you not know your wife at all? Do you really think the whole bath ruse is gonna work?

I think this is where we start to see his trauma from his first marriage unconsciously play into his interactions with LX where he thinks this kind of subterfuge is okay....and he knows nothing of building trust in a relationship.

OH MY LORD!! I was not ready for that slap! This wedding is definitely going down in my book as THE wedding. For so many reasons:
The Xu family, Master Lu, the 3 maid friends from Lin residence, the siblings and the brother in law.
The meeting between Jinqi and Scholar Han was so graceful I almost cried at the consideration Scholar Han has given LanXiang.
Mother in law saying Jinqi deserved the beating and her lady in waiting beating her own son as a way to vent her own anger/ frustration was peak comedy. Even better was the ribald teasing from friends and male family members which our so-far serious, man of gravitas Jinqi took in good spirits!
Then he does a 180 when he sees LX sleeping in the side chamber. That man can pivot!! Went from caring, explaining he understood her reaction to masterfully (dark hero vibes??) carrying her to the main chamber and then spouting heart meltingly that he will sleep in the side chamber because he will take the hardship before her. I got whiplash!!
I can see her heartbreak every time she sees the Lin seal, and yet to even speak of it would bring more disaster on the Xus. She has finally taken the place that was rightfully hers from the start and yet cannot even acknowledge her journey. I hope in the future episodes they do trickle in bits of reflection, acceptance and closure for her and the Xus regarding this turn of fate.
I have a feeling that Jinqi is the person who was mentioned in the 2nd or 3rd episode as having found the Shen family and organized a proper burial for them. It would be a start to make up for for what the Lin family did.
Every minute of this show has been a delight so far. I knew it when it made me cry in episode 1 that this was going to be a wild ride but after this episode, I am strapped in!!

Yep! I haven't binged like this in a long, long time. Day 1 binged 13 episodes, day 2 only the 3 that were out and since then restricted to a measly 2 per day

I don't know what possessed me to start this show while its still airing. After Knight Flower I promised myself I wouldn't watch something until it finished airing..... and now here I am torturing myself after watching the 2 episodes per day.

I agree, the flower has been very heavily used as symbolic of LanXiang throughout the show. Her grandmother teaching her the meaning of orchids to the bare stalk to now blooming. Plus I think its an interesting way to contrast the characters of LanXian and the Du girl. She's named for a flower too but in her case, its a flower that looks much better until you get to know how poisonous it really is. These little details are why I love Eastern dramas so much. So much symbolism and context in each line and scene (when done well) can really elevate the viewer experience imho.

You mean the 3rd sister who had seen the 2nd sister with Du Zheng in the cave? She did say it in the courtyard. She heavily implied what she had seen in the cave and the 2nd sister's mother and the 1st madam got her meaning right away. That's why the mother tells her brother to take her away in case her remaining there causes a further scene and the Lin family's rep is ruined, also the 3rd sister says "we helped too" to her maid at the end. Because her saying she saw them at the cave stopped the 2nd sister from punishing LanXiang.

While S2 is fun to watch, it's not equal to S1. S1 felt like a short drama that had complexity and layers like a regular format drama at the same time. The plot in S1 felt more cohesive and the villains ......more villainy. The great clans in S2 appeared clownish in comparison. ML in S2 felt immature and impulsive, almost too big for his boots just because he has knowledge from the future, he felt like he could do whatever he wanted, including blowing up the gates. His actions felt over the top in response to the clan's provocation "just because he could"

I went in to this drama with very low expectations however the main couple has won me over completely. Their comedic timing was cute, the gender flip and reveal was gradual. The romance was adorable and they dealt with things like mature adults... through good, clear and consistent communication. The ML specially was adorable in his complete surrender to the lady who won his heart and showed his vulnerable side which completely won my heart.

I don't know about the actor's personal life but I have to agree The Trust is an absolutely beautiful drama. Even with the machine subs, the layers and subtlety used to portray the POV of the main couple was amazing to watch.

This short series has better chemistry and emotional depth than a lot of the top tier dramas released recently. The ML and FL did a bang up job of creating the push and pull of bringing the shyness, confusion, excitement of falling in love mixed with the distrust of knowing the one you are falling for is from an enemy country. For a short series, it was filmed really well, the locations were beautiful and truly unique, showcasing the prairies which we often hear about in dramas but don't really see. Overall, I am very glad I decided to watch it.

The last episode is just a recap of the various women's stories of how they came to the villa. You would need to see the show to realize the importance of the box he finds on the swing and the pills inside. Basically everything after he finds the box on the swing is a recap of past episodes, with only one new revelation about the villa master's daughter and her life.

What in the everloving world was that last episode??????? up until 23 the story was moving along, and I was excited to see the last episode ............but it has just thrown me off! It feels like the writers couldn't leave the show at episode 23, so they made up episode 24. It was not required and did nothing for the show, in fact leaving the show at 23 would have kept the audience hooked.