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Family politics, basic plot and odd romance
This drama is about the female lead who comes back to live with her family after many years of being unjustly accused of a horrible deed. She navigates family politics while secretly investigating her mother’s death. The male lead (who turns out to be her non-biological brother) seeks justice and revenge for the death of his Master. Both, being mistreated by their family, bond as friends/siblings, helping each other through their life struggles and ultimately fall in love.
Fun fact, the female lead’s story is literally the same as the girl from The Double who’s identity the female lead of that drama takes. It almost feels like Ning is a ‘what if’ spin off of The Double.
POSITIVE:
- Family politics. Nasty, scheming concubines that you want to slap through the screen and an annoying father that makes your blood boil. Family drama is not my vibe but I did enjoy certain aspects of it, it did help that the female lead is a smart cookie and always one step ahead.
- Second male lead syndrome. Probably an unpopular opinion but I fell hard for the second male lead. He was THE red flag, toxic, loyal with hidden vulnerability lead that would make certain viewers like me eat up the romance. I felt he had a better dynamic with the female lead and the flashbacks with their backstory was super sweet.
- Cunning male lead and smart female lead duo.
- Mix plot of family drama, revenge and investigations.
- Father parallels. I enjoyed watching the stark difference between the beginning and end of the drama in terms of father dynamics. Without spoiling, the father figure at the end was endearing to watch.
NEGATIVE:
- Odd romance. The forbidden love (falling for a fake sibling) was poorly executed. Spoiler alert, the female lead finds out almost at the end that they are not related which is rather awkward. Granted, they acted more like friends than siblings but I still didn’t understand when and how the female lead actually fell for him.
- Basic plot. Honestly, you could fall asleep and wake up the next day AND still understand everything about the plot (talking from experience).
- Male lead feels like a side character in the first 10 episodes. Later the story focuses on him but I feel like the second male lead shined more.
OVERALL:
I had spent months waiting patiently for this drama to air but when it did, I was extremely underwhelmed. The focal point of the drama is the family politics, a father who will make your blood boil, concubines and siblings who you want to slap every time they are on screen, and even more characters that annoy you with their horrible behaviour. Regardless of all that, I ended up giving the drama a chance since I loved the main leads. However, despite their great chemistry, their romance was written poorly and I had a huge second male lead syndrome. In the end, all I can say is that this is a very basic drama that’s only good to watch to pass the time. But if you love family drama with an abundance of nasty, scheming women and a female lead who’s a smart cookie and wins over her enemies, you might enjoy this more than me.
Fun fact, the female lead’s story is literally the same as the girl from The Double who’s identity the female lead of that drama takes. It almost feels like Ning is a ‘what if’ spin off of The Double.
POSITIVE:
- Family politics. Nasty, scheming concubines that you want to slap through the screen and an annoying father that makes your blood boil. Family drama is not my vibe but I did enjoy certain aspects of it, it did help that the female lead is a smart cookie and always one step ahead.
- Second male lead syndrome. Probably an unpopular opinion but I fell hard for the second male lead. He was THE red flag, toxic, loyal with hidden vulnerability lead that would make certain viewers like me eat up the romance. I felt he had a better dynamic with the female lead and the flashbacks with their backstory was super sweet.
- Cunning male lead and smart female lead duo.
- Mix plot of family drama, revenge and investigations.
- Father parallels. I enjoyed watching the stark difference between the beginning and end of the drama in terms of father dynamics. Without spoiling, the father figure at the end was endearing to watch.
NEGATIVE:
- Odd romance. The forbidden love (falling for a fake sibling) was poorly executed. Spoiler alert, the female lead finds out almost at the end that they are not related which is rather awkward. Granted, they acted more like friends than siblings but I still didn’t understand when and how the female lead actually fell for him.
- Basic plot. Honestly, you could fall asleep and wake up the next day AND still understand everything about the plot (talking from experience).
- Male lead feels like a side character in the first 10 episodes. Later the story focuses on him but I feel like the second male lead shined more.
OVERALL:
I had spent months waiting patiently for this drama to air but when it did, I was extremely underwhelmed. The focal point of the drama is the family politics, a father who will make your blood boil, concubines and siblings who you want to slap every time they are on screen, and even more characters that annoy you with their horrible behaviour. Regardless of all that, I ended up giving the drama a chance since I loved the main leads. However, despite their great chemistry, their romance was written poorly and I had a huge second male lead syndrome. In the end, all I can say is that this is a very basic drama that’s only good to watch to pass the time. But if you love family drama with an abundance of nasty, scheming women and a female lead who’s a smart cookie and wins over her enemies, you might enjoy this more than me.
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