The premise of this drama is so unique and interesting to me, but I just can't with the FL. Flailing, screaming, overdramatic, self-absorbed. It's too obvious to me that ML and FL are not compatible by any stretch of the imagination.
Mudan doesn't think she is worthy of him. She is not confident in herself. I don't blame her. She can't really…
I'm not feeling this. She isn't Shengyi - that's the whole point of Shengyi being a foil in the drama to MuDan, and the whole point of the last conversation that they had in her yard. MuDan sees herself as such as capable and worthy as any man, woman, plant, or shrub, rich or poor. It's one of the main themes of the drama.
I don't think it's because MuDan doesn't think she's worthy of JCY. Perhaps other FLs in other dramas would feel this way - but not MuDan. If she really felt this way, she would be more deferential towards JCY, but the only time she did that was when she thought he was capable of killing people. Once that got cleared up, she went back to treating him like a good ol chum. She's made it pretty clear that she doesn't want to get married and sees (as of now) JCY as a good friend.
I think Mu Dan has to make the first move. If she doesn’t because she thinks it’s a fake marriage the concubine…
You've gotta give JCY wayyyyyy more credit than that. Do you understand their characters? The leads are extremely sharp, astute, calculated, and intentional. They're the ones who manipulate/influence others, not the other way around.
Knowing his character, his connection with MuDan, and him knowing what the second lady is up to, I find it extremely hard to believe that she'll "get" to him. That'd be child's play and this drama's writing is not child's play by any stretch of the imagination.
Just finished ep.32, it’s ended harmoniously, we know that JCY has fallen in love with her, but he suppresses…
JCY is clearly in it - I think MuDan is getting there. JCY is holding back because MuDan has expressed multiple times that she sees him as a friend, frames the marriage as fake, and greatly values her freedom; as such, I think JCY is doing an extremely loving thing by respecting her wishes and not imposing himself on her.* It is a deeply loving act, and this is what truly healthy, unconditional love actually looks like. And I love the drama for it - he has always allowed her to make her own decisions from the beginning because he respects her as her own empowered person. Real love can only bloom from this kind of foundation - a true partnership.
I don't think MuDan is in denial but that she is clearly occupied by many things (she's simply a woman who doesn't center romance in her life - both shocking and absolutely amazing in dramaland), although seeds have been planted in her heart. I think that there will come a point when the seeds bloom fully in her heart and she realizes that she had already begun falling for him awhile ago.
I love the way that this drama has done this slow burn - it is realistic and meaningful. This is the kind of love that I want to unfold in my life. Two people who become true friends, who deeply respect and support one another, falling in love step-by-step as they walk side-by-side and support each other through life's journey. Natural, organic. Chef's kiss.
In Part 2, though, I do hope JCY puts down the mask and shows more of his true self and emotions with MuDan. That's my only reservation so far.
*I want to add that, if JCY were to express or act on his emotions right now, he knows that it would effectively push MuDan away; he knows that she just isn't on the same page yet. If she knew JCY's real feelings at this point, knowing her character, she might take active strides to separate herself from JCY as to not want to cause him further discomfort and/or to avoid the possibility of seeming like she is taking advantage of his emotions - even though she wouldn't do that, I can see her standing on principle.
On a scale of 1 to 10:How satisfying is the ending???????
A perfect ending for Part 1. Excited to see how it develops even further in Part 2. Such a satisfying drama to see characters growing through multiple phases of life.
I feel deeply for Shengyi. A part of me, perhaps intuitively, perhaps from past lives, understands her trauma, her helplessness, her despair, her longing, her brokenness as a woman in a ruthless, unforgivingly sexist society. And also the pain of knowing that you not only have created your own internal prison of crippling beliefs and indoctrination, but that you believe you can never free yourself from it, and ultimately this is the greatest prison and pain of it all.
Bravo to the writer/drama for including this character. She represents a long part of women's history that cannot be ignored.
Ah! So much drama... Starting of Episode 26 reminded me of LYF... Cousin brother proposing marriage to his cousin…
We're talking the Tang Dynasty - this was a looooooooong time ago. Marriages between cousins were not unheard of - all around the world (look at Europe lol).
This drama is so good in that you see her cousin and Liu Chang in the same scene - both men so passionately ignorant and sexist. Neither of whom understand Mu Dan, neither asking her what she wants or what she thinks, but both of whom view her as a helpless, powerless woman. Such a good scene from that perspective.
The delusional ex husband gets sillier every episode.How does he think keeping her in a private mansion will make…
It's not about keeping her safe - it's about control, possession, and ego. He's a deeply morally-corrupt individual who thinks he's the world's only standing bastion of morality. The arrogance, the narcissism.
I wished Ji Yang 2.0 was evil, or at least struggling between kindness and darkness. That would've made the character…
Yeah... I partially blame it on Zhang Linghe's acting. Most of the time he's unable to convey what his character is feeling. Is he just being serious? Angry? Gassy? Constipated? Who knows. So much lost potential in terms of (a) being able to create that connection with the FL from both versions of his characters and conveying the persistence of the love he feels through a different character and (b) actually creating an differentiated character in Ji Yang 2.0. What is 2.0's motivation? Character? Personality? It feels very muddled to me - sometimes he acts like 1.0 and sometimes he's like "evil" but also not really? What actually drives him? Jing Tian is 100% carrying the torch here, and ZLH is not picking up what she's putting down. Alas I cannot fully blame ZLH - his agent, the director, and cdramaland at large have a part in allowing such low acting standards. I wish the ML was someone like Jeremy Xu, who I think would be killer in this role (but alas I wish him a happy retirement, sadface).
I loved S1. S2 is a complete letdown. There is virtually no character growth - all of these characters are ultimately…
@Elektraa "Wishy washy mud puddle" is well said. He had so much potential. We could've seen his political prowess and his journey in stepping into being the ultimate king. Instead, they just dropped all of it for him to be like, "yas kween let's eat your poisonous flowers and die together." 💀 Like what?!
I don't think it's because MuDan doesn't think she's worthy of JCY. Perhaps other FLs in other dramas would feel this way - but not MuDan. If she really felt this way, she would be more deferential towards JCY, but the only time she did that was when she thought he was capable of killing people. Once that got cleared up, she went back to treating him like a good ol chum. She's made it pretty clear that she doesn't want to get married and sees (as of now) JCY as a good friend.
Knowing his character, his connection with MuDan, and him knowing what the second lady is up to, I find it extremely hard to believe that she'll "get" to him. That'd be child's play and this drama's writing is not child's play by any stretch of the imagination.
I don't think MuDan is in denial but that she is clearly occupied by many things (she's simply a woman who doesn't center romance in her life - both shocking and absolutely amazing in dramaland), although seeds have been planted in her heart. I think that there will come a point when the seeds bloom fully in her heart and she realizes that she had already begun falling for him awhile ago.
I love the way that this drama has done this slow burn - it is realistic and meaningful. This is the kind of love that I want to unfold in my life. Two people who become true friends, who deeply respect and support one another, falling in love step-by-step as they walk side-by-side and support each other through life's journey. Natural, organic. Chef's kiss.
In Part 2, though, I do hope JCY puts down the mask and shows more of his true self and emotions with MuDan. That's my only reservation so far.
*I want to add that, if JCY were to express or act on his emotions right now, he knows that it would effectively push MuDan away; he knows that she just isn't on the same page yet. If she knew JCY's real feelings at this point, knowing her character, she might take active strides to separate herself from JCY as to not want to cause him further discomfort and/or to avoid the possibility of seeming like she is taking advantage of his emotions - even though she wouldn't do that, I can see her standing on principle.
Bravo to the writer/drama for including this character. She represents a long part of women's history that cannot be ignored.
This drama is so good in that you see her cousin and Liu Chang in the same scene - both men so passionately ignorant and sexist. Neither of whom understand Mu Dan, neither asking her what she wants or what she thinks, but both of whom view her as a helpless, powerless woman. Such a good scene from that perspective.