Romanticized Abuse & Stockholm SyndromeThis show almost got it. It was so close! But they ruined it by romanticizing…
I don’t think the drama portrayed the father’s decision as the right one at all. It certainly traumatised Duan Xu, but when he grew up he accepted that that was simply the kind of man his father was - even his own children are pawns to him. That’s why he didn’t hesitate to simply leave and cut ties with his father at the end. The story about the well was him acknowledging that his father did care about him to some extent - but that’s it.
The relationship between Jiang Ai and Bai San Xing wasn’t well-fleshed out in the drama. But again, I don’t feel that the drama was romanticising that toxicity. She clearly did hate him, but also had complex feelings for him. Why we have no idea, but such things do happen. The important point is that the drama didn’t try to portray that relationship as ideal or healthy. We need to be able to tell the difference between a drama simply portraying a problematic relationship and “idealising” it.
The beginning was great when they were both on equal footing, then it got stupid. The ex-assassin and great general…
He does come across as a lovesick puppy in some scenes, yes! But I think the story explains this well. When he first met Simu, he didn’t have any “wish” except to win back the 17 prefectures. But there’s a pivotal scene after he meets Simu again where he’s walking in the rain with her umbrella, and comes to the realisation that she had become his other wish - that he would have no other woman but her. This wish became his obsession after his death, hence his return.
Struggling with this, too. The general who was so focused on reclaiming all the lost cities of Liang just dropped…
Haha, you are on point about his army buddies. Although as I recall he said “came back for me”, so maybe that’s significant to him somehow - not to be abandoned like his father abandoned him.
I’m less critical about why he decided to risk it all to go to the Void. Duan Xu is very decisive, and a gambler. He sat thinking for a while when Simu left the room; he only had two choices - either let her go and probably never see her again in his lifetime, or take a gamble and follow her back to the Void, and perhaps he can get the girl AND find his way back.
It’s significant to me that he had barely any time to think things through, and went with his gut. Not all decisions made under those circumstances are logical or wise. But when he makes up his mind, he goes with it. That scene when he jumps into the swirling whirlpool to enter the Void is very much in character - he jumps up, looks down, takes one breath, and then just jumps. No hesitation.
We must live in different regions, because Lovely Runner is coming to my Netflix on 31 May! I hadn’t heard of it before, but I’ve put it on my watchlist now.
i just finished, i am so confused 😭dont read the rest if u dont want spoilersi am confused, why did they not…
Could you put a spoiler on your question please? I saw it before I watched the show and it’s a spoiler that the faces weren’t switched back in the end.
That’s this month! Any updates? Did the trip take place?
Omg! I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for bringing the news, we’ll be able to see them again this November :) Do you know who was part of the Kenya trip?
Is that true? They’ve stopped making noona romances? Noooo this one was so good :’(
It’s funny because Hollywood has totally jumped on the noona bandwagon in the last couple of years! Hopefully it’d come round again in China. Can you rec some good noona dramas like this one in the meantime? This is the first I’ve watched and I like it so much
ML clearly exhibits signs of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). If he were an average or unattractive man,…
It’s a cultural difference. I totally see where you’re coming from, but you are looking at things through a western lens. A lot of what seems questionable are common romantic tropes in Cdramas - “noncon” stolen kisses, the line between devotion/persistence and stalking, etc. I think people need to take a much more nuanced approach. For example, ML is persistent because he senses that FL doesn’t actually dislike him. He challenged her as such, to tell him to his face - and she couldn’t do it and ran off. These are subtle negotiations between individuals that can’t be reduced to simple rules like “if a girl tells you to back off, do it immediately or else you’re a disrespectful abuser”.
News 
The relationship between Jiang Ai and Bai San Xing wasn’t well-fleshed out in the drama. But again, I don’t feel that the drama was romanticising that toxicity. She clearly did hate him, but also had complex feelings for him. Why we have no idea, but such things do happen. The important point is that the drama didn’t try to portray that relationship as ideal or healthy. We need to be able to tell the difference between a drama simply portraying a problematic relationship and “idealising” it.
I’m less critical about why he decided to risk it all to go to the Void. Duan Xu is very decisive, and a gambler. He sat thinking for a while when Simu left the room; he only had two choices - either let her go and probably never see her again in his lifetime, or take a gamble and follow her back to the Void, and perhaps he can get the girl AND find his way back.
It’s significant to me that he had barely any time to think things through, and went with his gut. Not all decisions made under those circumstances are logical or wise. But when he makes up his mind, he goes with it. That scene when he jumps into the swirling whirlpool to enter the Void is very much in character - he jumps up, looks down, takes one breath, and then just jumps. No hesitation.