electricbowery

didn't care for the characters nor the soap opera-ness of this mess

same, i was excited to see JCW channel a hardened ex-con as his usual personality can be very child-like and adorable, both irl and in some of his roles. seeing him go from nailing the cold demeanour to suddenly behaving like a puppy was jarring

did he just tell in hye what he's gonna do to her sisters...and she just...went on about her day? what if in joo hadn't got hold of her lmaoo these are not real human beings

and to anyone saying their frustrating decisions are "realistic", picture this: getting gifted an orchid that follows dead people around — one in which your sister pointed out to you was found at the scene of yet ANOTHER murder — taking it home with you, ignoring the suspiciously over-insistent call and plea to meet up from someone who obviously knows more than he lets on, all of this with not a care in the world. are you kidding me? lmao.

mind you, this is following and a result of so many other plot contrivances and conveniences and drama for the sake of drama. nothing worse than a writer who insists on not resolving anything that would take little to no effort to resolve, and relying on inept characters to drive home some nonsensical plot.

the plot relies too much on conveniences and the stupidity of the sisters. just so predictable and boring at this point

i wanted to like this so bad and at some points i really did (and was considering giving it a 8-9/10) but the illogical and obnoxiously contrived decisions, the plot holes and the plot armor, the hit-or-miss juvenile humor and overacting, the way vincenzo handled the end of ep 19, the predictability — WHYYYYY. it got better when i decidedly treated it like a cartoon but even then, suspending my disbelief was nearly impossible.

yess the other two do nothing for me

it keeps getting better and better after ep 9

awww shin min ah and lee byung hun reuniting...my 'bittersweet life' feels can finally get some closure!

this show triggers my anger issues like some of the characters are absolutely insufferable (or maybe it's just the writer thinking being a deadpan monotone nonchalant c*nt about everything in life is qUiRkY?). whoever thinks these characters are 'realistic' is bugging they've all been assigned one of two personalities ('normal' vs flippant asshole)

homo phobia. phobia is fear, fear of gays. why do you think it exists, genius.....because christians condemn it! telling me he's not homophobic because it's his religion is like telling me someone isn't racist because they grew up in a racist country. like ????? does that mean they don't hold any accountability?? controlling someone's freedom through choice of marriage is FASCISM. religious fascism. look it up. the whole point of being against gay marriage is because it "isn't natural" aka "isn't christian". i've had christians that raised me tell me gay people were really just possessed by demons, like it was some sort of collective understanding. this is a delusion of fear. sure, not everyone that practices the religion sees it that way, but please don't argue my facts with yours when i've experienced it firsthand, been to their churches, the masses of people thinking the same and fearing the same. controlling someone's freedom to love is an abuse of power and a superiority complex. if you are against something and attempt to control it, it should be a big problem that has to do with fear. every law is based on fear. fear of addiction, fear of terrorism, fear of murder, fear of unpaid dues. if you don't support their opinions and decisions it's close-minded, but humane. if you attempt to abuse your power and control it because it's against your belief, you are a fascist. don't bother replying because i won't read it lol

also do NOT try to gaslight homophobia. "against their belief (no matter what is is)" is insinuating homophobia is at the same level as all opposing beliefs. if someone doesn't believe in god, literally who cares. if someone thinks guns should be legal, although against their belief, i would accept it. if someone openly fears/hates gay people and condemns and wants to control their love life/marriage, i have a problem. i was obviously exaggerating, the show isnt bad because siwon is homophobic. it's literally a joke you tried to make some sort of lesson out of, but since we're at it, your gaslighting says a lot about you!

he's the LEAD and he's HOMOPHOBIC, he represents an entire show. he represents for his co-actors and the director. he is esteemed by the people who support him. i think it's ignorant of me to compare east vs. west mentality though. if someone racist were made the lead of something would you again tell me to "differentiate between drama which consists all the cast & production". maybe homophobia is minor in comparison to racism to a lot of you, but i could never tolerate anyone homophobic in reality. if you claim to care about humanity but support projects in which homophobes and racists BENEFIT from you are supporting an unjust system. your blind eye, your neutral stance you deem as "minding your business" is siding with the oppressor. you can call yourself mature all you want but being complacent is the worst thing you could possibly do as a human being. but comfort is something nobody wants to give up, ignorance is bliss. this will change no ones mind but i hope you know, your voice is the backbone of equal rights and liberty. not your apathy.

after i dropped this i found out siwon is openly homophobic. this is beyond trash and he deserves it, as much as i wanted kang sora to prosper..and those supporting him, are you proud of your ignorance or do you just idolize someone too much to see past their "minor flaws" such as homophobia..which is pretty up to par w racism

lmao the male leads had better chemistry than the main couple, gong yoo had better chemistry with yoo in a too. part one of their error. secondly, it was cringe. the special affects, the storyline. people admitted they only watched the show for dong wook and yoo in a. how is that good writing if people are putting up w your show because of their second lead syndrome? lol

what an emotional roller coaster. the acting was so poignant - i could see how each character felt from just a glimpse of their gazes. i could say a lot, but there's been so much confusion for me regarding the emperor. before i watched this, i saw comments that condemned his character for being such a brat. i also saw comments that applauded his growth. for me, i think i grew a little, watching him grow. and falter. and regress. and grow. at the beginning, he was a wimp. i didn't take into consideration of how he was raised because his antics were hilarious. i'm not into dimwit idiotic men, but his appeal was so apparent, for whatever reason.

as the story progressed, we really got to see him grow. break out of the metaphorical shell. nyang was the reason, or merely just the influencer. her abilities encouraged and motivated him. her wisdom inspired him. her beauty enticed him.

mannn, then we got to a point of no return. the years passed by and the love letters destroyed everything. i understood his maniac episodes - he'd nearly gone mute and dumb from heartbreak once. it's humanely possible, and for someone who never progressed past their own inner-child, it's magnitude is beyond belief i suppose. but when he started toying with his own land and people for greed and a sense of security, i began to despise him, and saw him for what everyone else saw him as: impotent, immature, ignorant. i dismissed all growth because his actions began to invalidate any of it. i was rooting for his death, i was brazen for tal tal and the way he looked adoringly at nyang. when he forced himself onto her, ordered for her to be whipped, killed wang yu - it was unbearable for me. he was someone who i'd been rooting for sooo hard, i realize i felt betrayed. (lmao i don't know why i'm talking about him like i know him but i guess that's a good story w good characters - they linger in your mind forever)

but alas, the last episode. my nose is still stuffy from crying as i write this. i kept trying to figure out my conflicting feelings for the emperor until the very last minute of this show. and i realized ..

his "love" for nyang - it's not just romance. it's not possession, nor immaturity. i see so many comments dismiss him and i'm kind of hurt lol. maybe it's because i relate to him on some front. but nobody realizes that his whole life, he was just a ploy. a puppet. from childhood, he was used..by el tamur. his parents dead, his brother estranged. until his last breath, there wasn't a single person besides nyang that hadn't betrayed him (though even she used him for her own personal gain - at least she was frank about it while trying to dismiss her true feelings for him)

nyang wasn't a merely a love. she was his brother, his lover, his mentor, his guide, his instructor, his mother figure, his best friend, his loyal companion. everything he has never known in life was granted to him within one entity. he was forbidden to mature, to grow, to learn how to read and write, to fight. he was restricted from a natural human evolution that is vital to survival, both emotionally and physically. nyang was the first person to take this boy, who's growth remained nuanced, stifled, tainted, and traumatized, and with her presence, he grew and healed the BEST he could. his inner child was never truly tamed because his enemies were ruthless with him. they knew his only weakness was losing nyang - his first heartbreak was proof of that. justifying his actions with the letters seemed stupid at first. i told myself he's a coward who should've confronted her in the 5 year span. but wow man, that ending. to find out on your own death bed that someone you consider your life, your love, your mentor, your family, your whole being, was never in love with someone else and was never going behind your back....i felt an ache in my heart for him

everyone he trusted betrayed him. his inner child never died and thus he never truly healed because of this. when in the face of death is when his true growth was shown to me - his growth beyond heartbreak, mania, delusions, and obsession. i only felt hatred to yon, to el tamur, to everyone who attempted to take him down through his childlike wonder. i feel for him and know he could've grown beautifully. but alas, that's historical drama's for you

their chemistry was so good in the beginning. bong hee actually had a somewhat of backbone, ji wook didn't sulk like a little baby and walk on eggshells around her. but i find that this story declined so suddenly, the melodrama ruined a lot of good aspects. when amnesia and the whole dad situation came into play the story lost it's spark, as did the chemistry between the characters. what i like about suspense drama's is there's always a new problem that arises when one finishes. but this has been stuck on the same trial since ep. 1? they're lawyers at a firm but their only concern is this dragged out storyline on some stupid killer who is bound to confess..any plot twist w the killer at this point is so overdue that im not even excited

as for their chemistry, i enjoy the BTS more. i feel like great chemistry is when actors are genuinely attracted to each other - not just comfortable together. i think it was like that at the beginning but now i'd rather see them as just friends not gonna lie lol. i've only seen ji chang wook channel this thru K2 with choi yoo jin and empress ki - healer was a wild ride but the chemistry also seemed solely friendly. when bickering, bantering, challenging opinions, and character development are hindered, sorry, but there is no chemistry. that's how you write chemistry up, in books - the characters must foil, they must assist in each other's growth, they must change one another. but all the writers did with two promising characters is turn them comfortable, with each other, with themselves. the exuberance they started out with has dimmed into literally the most boring storyline. "bong hee i'm scared you'll die - come stay at my house so i can protect you to show you i care" "sorry mr. no i refuse due to the fact that this is our only conflict at the present moment and being with you would bore me even more than my meaningless existence"

which gets me to bong hee's career. okay, so the girl has no profitable talents. but she can work hard. but when she showcases NEITHER, i really stopped caring for her. she's so entitled and does not put soul or passion into anything she does. she has one important case that looked promising, i was rooting for her, but no. ji wook did it for her. she's so shameless lmao. to be honest the only reason i feel like they gave her such profession is so that she could cozy up next to ji chang wook at every meeting and live with him

it's an enthralling story (or was), one that you'll be rewriting in your head towards the end..but if you want to see some of ji chang wook's best acting thus far, watch this. the chemistry from the 1st half is also worth watching. if you want something that's consistently funny throughout then i wouldnt be so quick to watch..the humour loses it's spark once the characters do. but i must say i'm excited to see how ji hyun progresses as an actress (once she's matured past the point of overreacting to things and playing roles that are more fitting for her age....not 28 year old lawyers). i also look forward to everything ji chang wook will do after his service because we are so not deserving of that man