loserlemon

Messy, Inconsistent, and Frustrating

I went into Cinderella and the Four Knights expecting something like a reverse harem setup, but it really doesn't play out that way. It kind of sets that expectation early on, especially with Kang Hyeon Min showing interest in Eun Ha Won in the first few episodes, but then he just drops it and acts like it never mattered. I thought he was genuine too, but nope.

Kang Hyeon Min’s whole dynamic with Park Hye Ji was honestly one of the most frustrating parts. He is clearly written as someone who has feelings for her, but he's extremely mean and dismissive toward her. It gets repetitive too. After a while I was just thinking how many times will you let this man mistreat you before it becomes obvious this is not going anywhere? Their scenes together never really built believable tension or romance either, so instead of being angsty it just came off as awkward and cringe.

Then there's Kang Ji Un, who is supposed to be the quiet, emotionally guarded type who ends up liking Eun Ha Won. But even that storyline feels like it keeps getting tangled with the other pairings in a way that doesn't really make sense. At times, the way Kang Ji Un acts and positions himself makes it seem like he has feelings for Park Hye Ji, but it turns out he was just being a good friend. Let me tell you, the things he did, no friend would do that for a platonic friend. For example, when Kang Ji Un saw how hurt Park Hye Ji was due to Kang Hyeon Min's cold and harsh words, he approached Eun Ha Won saying, "Does it make you happy that Kang Hyeon Min bought you expensive clothes and brought you to eat at a place like this? I can do that much for you, too." Uh… what? Or when he tells Park Hye Ji, "Do you remember when I told you I'd protect you? I wasn't just saying that. Even though I can't do anything about all the hurt Kang Hyeon Min has given you, I'll protect you from being hurt by him from this point on." Then he inserts himself between Eun Ha Won and Kang Hyeon Min and says, "I'm going to try to steal your fiancée." It just ends up reinforcing the idea that Kang Ji Un had feelings for Park Hye Ji.

Overall, the romantic dynamics feel scattered and underdeveloped. Instead of a solid love triangle or reverse harem setup, it comes off like mismatched ideas that never quite settle into something satisfying. I honestly felt like the writers had no idea what they were writing, but just threw in every cliché they could think of for the drama.

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Do yourself a favor, skip!

I was really looking forward to this drama since it looked like an interesting mix of medical drama and fantasy, and I was also curious because I think Ahn Jae-hyun is a good actor. I actually really like him in comedic roles, but this role just did not suit him at all. His performance felt stiff in a lot of emotional scenes and at times, awkward, and it made it hard to take his character seriously.

I also don’t think Ku Hye-sun is all that of a good actress. I feel like she tends to go over the top with her acting choices, and instead of feeling emotional, it just comes off as cringe and distracting. That really pulled me out of the story quite a few times. I’ve seen her other works too and I get the same feeling.

Another big issue for me was the chemistry between the two leads. I didn’t really feel any connection between them, so it made it hard to root for their relationship or care about the romance at all.

The beginning of the story actually had potential and was kind of interesting with the hospital setting and the vampire surgeon concept, but after episode 6 it really started to drag. The pacing got boring, the plot stopped feeling engaging, and I honestly couldn’t even keep watching after that.

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Rewriting Characters, Ruining the Story

This is a drama that never deserved to be written if the original cast wasn't going to return in full. Sammul can't even carry this drama. If anything, Kenneth Ma stood out, as he's a much more versatile actor.

Sammul Chan as Vincent remained the least interesting character to me. While the first installment added some depth to him, in this sequel his acting stayed the same, and if anything his character appeared less confident. If that was intentional, okay, props to him.

I have a major bone to pick with the writers. First, what were they thinking with Jessica and Vincent’s relationship? Jessica’s portrayal in this installment was completely unrecognizable, even in a cameo. I don't mean her physical appearance; I mean her personality. It felt like the writers simply threw in a familiar character from the first installment just to tie up loose ends.

Vincent decides to go to another firm due to his ego, which is understandable. We know he was struggling to find a new firm, but this self-imposed pressure was unnecessary. Back at H K Firm, they had welcomed him with open arms despite his license suspension. Letting his ego once again dictate his decisions completely undermines the character development he achieved in the first installment. In the original series, Vincent learned to let go of his ego and accept help.

Vincent has always been extremely career driven, and this was established clearly in the first installment. Given his suspension, we knew he'd work even harder to prove himself. This scene in Survivor’s Law 2 therefore felt completely out of character for me.

Here’s the phone conversation between Jessica and Vincent:

Vincent: Jessica,
Jessica: Hello, Vincent? If I told you the person I often mentioned, Professor Jackson, proposed to me, would you fly out to London immediately? Even though I'm asking, you still wouldn't come?
Vincent: To be honest, my license was suspended, and it took half a year to find this new firm. I don't think I could step away.
Jessica: If that's the case, let's break up.

This is one of the most confusing and frustrating moments I’ve ever seen in a TVB drama. If you remember Jessica from the first installment, she was extremely naive but loyal, wore her heart on her sleeve, and would stand by the people she loved. Yes, people can change, but who is this Jessica now? I can't imagine her being so inconsiderate. She stood by Vincent while he was on trial. She knew from the very beginning that Vincent valued his career, and that was part of why she fell in love with him. For her to suddenly feel insecure and force a choice between him and his career completely contradicts her established personality.

After the second episode I was done, the people who carried the first installment was really Raymond Lam and Myolie Wu.

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