I think it was because the rushed editing to push the drama out so quickly. I think they might have been still…
Yeah I thought of that as a possibility but I think with the incredible writing at the first half they really should have thought well ahead of how it was going to play out. A pity they did what they did.
I had saved your post just in case the thread moves at lightning speed, that I would miss it. Thank you for critiquing…
Thank you! It always happens in dramas- i don't know if writers just feel immense pressure and take an easy way out but they had solid source material (from what I gather) so there really is no excuse for what they did in the last 5 eps. I felt quite cheated - it was the first cdrama I would have given a 10 to...but unfortunately they fell into the age old - lets separate them last minute for a no reason and drag it out for the next 5 episodes - trope that is so common in dramaland.
Enjoyed reading your thorough review. Like you, I also felt betrayed with the after 5 years time gap~ how I wish…
"just cut down the arc of LJT and Wanji if they had time constraints" - same - i felt that wasn't developed enough so it was sad that instead of the romance that should have been highlighted was put on the back burner. I too really feel like the writers just undid all of CSS's character developement in the last 5 eps. I think they were trying to show how Zisheng's decision made her regress to the who she was earlier. How betrayed she felt, but to me as a viewer I didn't see the need to prolong it the way they did. They could have completed that part of the story in 2 eps at most. It didn't need to be dragged out and in doing so undo how amazing the drama was.
Really hate the fact that the writers dragged their separation for the last 5 episodes and even when they get back together (in the second last ep!!) they barely get any cute/loving screen time together. It really made me disappointed in the writing - felt like they ruined perfection by dragging out the last 5 eps. Like almost one entire episode was listening to empress' speech on her deathbed. It was really good but so long and it could have been cut. Makes you feel cheated as an audience member who has been rooting for the main couple for almost 60 episodes!
It also made SS character growth all be in vain since she retreated into her formal self and refused to understand anyone else's pov. Which is what the writers were trying to show what he did to her meant but they realllllly dragged it out. There was no need for 5 episodes of them going in circles and making the FL seem overly stubborn and selfish.
This is probably the best written cdramas I have ever watched. Usually no matter the genre (except thrillers maybe) cdramas tend to follow a formula, and that's not bad- it just depends on whether the writer can pull it off or not. But this- this is so different from most other dramas with so much meaning infused into it.
First of all the FL is intelligent, self reliant and witty. With these 3 traits alone she is written better than most cdrama FLs who are always tripping over themselves. But (and despite being bubbly) she is not an overly positive person- and this is truly what set her apart and also made her so relatable. Even though as an audience member you can see she's overly cynical and very bitter despite things not always being as bad as they seem . But you can still completely relate to her. And then the character development she goes through is so perfectly written you literally see her growing into this graceful intelligent but still wilful lady on screen. And honestly no one could have pulled off so many character traits and still be loveable throughout apart from Lu Si.
And then there's the ML who Leo has played so incredibly well. I mean he just was phenomenal- being both a scary (at times psycho) general to a soft spoken love fool. His character's story arc into becoming a more understanding person was also written very well. I would only complain that the kiss scenes were a little too stiff but the main leads have so much chemistry anyway that it doesn't matter too much.
The rest of the cast was incredible. I both was annoyed with and understood the mom, I could see her pov esp after the bridge incident. The Emperor and his two Empresses - incredibly written again. I have never seen a relationship like that portrayed between two women married to the same man. Both were so different but strong in their own way. And then the emperor himself being the biggest shipper of the main leads - comedic gold.
The overall plot was great and I was hooked from the beginning - I never wanted to stop watching. Until the last 5 eps there was not a single frame wasted. It was shot and directed so well. The cinematography was so great. The fights scenes were really well choreographed and actually interesting to watch because they didn't drag on for ages. Everything was so well balanced from the director and editors it was a joy to watch.
But the last 5 episodes did disappoint me and made me drop this from a perfect 10 to a 9. After all that incredible writing, and being so different from the usual drama tropes, it felt like the writers copped out. I actually felt a little betrayed by what happens to the story in the last 5 eps. Which is such a shame because the 5 episodes before the last 5 were probably the best episodes in this drama. I wish the writers had gone a different route or just not dragged things on for so long. I went from never wanting the drama to end to skipping parts to let it end. So imo they really messed up the ending.
Overall though- this is still an incredible watch, highly recommend it. It deserves all the praise and high ratings its gotten.
Pretty fun and good action movie. the ending was a bit huh but overall the action and the car scenes were really exciting. I enjoyed So Dam doing a really different role from her usual here. The little kid's acting was really good too! He really is someone you want to protect.
I rarely like car chase scenes as they are either too OTT or dragged on for ages but this movie really hits it in the right spot. They, along with the action scenes were very well done.
Highly recommend if you are looking for a no holds barred female action movie similar to My Name.
FFed through 25 eps and it's so boring I can't take it anymore. First few eps were really fun and cute and then it got so boring with basically nothing happening from ep 12 onwards. The 2FL and FL have more screen time than the ML and FL. It's no wonder some comments say there's no chemistry - it's because the main actors are barely given any time together.
This should have been 24 eps tops and even that's too generous. There so many unnecessary camera pans and pointless scenes like watching a car park, people walking for ages before they can say their lines. Seems like both the production and editing crew were new to creating excitement. The plot and script is boring and apart from the FL the rest of the actors aren't invested in their roles at all.
Daeil's death I thought was a swept under the rug a little too quickly. It's not really even properly mourned by the characters apart from the funeral scene so it felt so pointless. It really was added to emotionally tug the viewers but it felt so poorly written I was sad but at the same time felt meh about it because of the way it was handled. They may as well not have killed him off if that's how they were going to write it.
A lot of other police shows handle side character deaths much better than this.
Disney+'s lukewarm drama. At least it's not as bad as some of the other's I have watched.
Not amazing but really not a bad drama. Worth watching in between dramas or (like me) if you are waiting for other dramas to stop airing. The friendships were cute if a little superficial, the romance was good. A lot of plot holes in the crimes part and things conveniently following into the leads laps but overall it's not the worst semi-crime drama either.
Kang Daniel was a little stiff and emotionless in parts and I actually found Lee Shin Young who played Tak to be the shinning star of this drama. Female characters were ok, no one really stood out. I found the FL to be more cutesy than gutsy but that was ok for this kind of youth drama.
Overall not a bad watch but nothing to write home about either.
Really good drama with high production value, amazing acting, aesthetic food and an adorable dog. Loved the chemistry…
hahaha yes about the never opening restaurant! Man the whole show the restaurant doesn't open and he doesn't bat an eyelid. I was like omg this is not how the real world works!
stuck at ep 23 and no motivation to continue. The ML and SML are both amazing but the FL is a terrible actress in this. She's the reason for me to almost drop it at this point. For once the FL is written SO WELL. She's smart, she's strategic and isn't a clumsy damsel in distress. She is actually on par with a smart and witty ML in a CDRAMA! .....and yet the casting....the actress is literally the kind you would cast for a role where the girl can't even walk in flat shoes.
I don't know this actress and maybe she's been really good in other things. But for once when the FL is written so well it's disheartening to watch the actress pull her down. Does it get better? Does her acting improve or is she unable to pull off the maturity required for this role?
Was pretty decent till ep 13- after that it went down the drain with the same old illogical tired tropes. Become really pointless- when will writers learn a better plot device than what's used here.
Also another show where for some reason the kiss scenes are shot and edited so weirdly despite the actors having such amazing chemistry. It's like they don't want to show you any of the kisses. What a waste!
The FL was a bit hard to like at first - she shifted from rational to emotional in a way that didn't flow and like it was forced into the script. Also I'm sorry but the basis of both situations didn't make sense. A lot of people deal with sick relatives- she's not the only one who has to and she should have learnt to balance it by now. And he runs a food app but has almost zero interest in food? That just made no sense to me.
3rd couple was also a pointless addition that just took up screen time. Cute as they were I honestly didn't care much for their scenes. I like the BFF and her husband the most out of this drama.
The last episode was also pretty lame - basically ffed through ep 13-16 and if you have watched any other romcom drama ever in the early 2000s than it's essentially the same thing dragged out for the last 3 eps. Seems like the writer hasn't updated their tropes since then.
Was it obvious only to me that the dude was a serial killer wannabe and the sister was probably his first practice?…
To me the dad was killed because he came close to discovering who killed his daughter. The dad even says it "My efforts may finally be paying off". As to why he stopped - the killer says "he was trying to be good"- maybe he felt guilt for what he did or maybe he came too close to being caught. The fact (for me) is there doesn't need to be a motive for psychopaths like the killer was shown to be. They just want to hurt people- usually starting with the most vulnerable.
Was it obvious only to me that the dude was a serial killer wannabe and the sister was probably his first practice? Then he killed her dad and then tried to control himself for the next several years. Until he met stalker dude and his thirst for killing was reignited. He even kept saying that "all that matters is how many people I have killed", He probably even moved to this neighbourhood after killing people in his hometown.
I still don't get the killer's motive. Why did he kidnap her? Why did he kill her? what was the motive?
He was a serial killer- the sister was probably his first "practice". There is no motive for them. He kept saying "all that matters is how many people I have killed". He had stopped killing in the meantime "trying to be good" but then he killed stalker guy and he wanted to kill more again.
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I too really feel like the writers just undid all of CSS's character developement in the last 5 eps. I think they were trying to show how Zisheng's decision made her regress to the who she was earlier. How betrayed she felt, but to me as a viewer I didn't see the need to prolong it the way they did. They could have completed that part of the story in 2 eps at most. It didn't need to be dragged out and in doing so undo how amazing the drama was.
It also made SS character growth all be in vain since she retreated into her formal self and refused to understand anyone else's pov. Which is what the writers were trying to show what he did to her meant but they realllllly dragged it out. There was no need for 5 episodes of them going in circles and making the FL seem overly stubborn and selfish.
This is probably the best written cdramas I have ever watched. Usually no matter the genre (except thrillers maybe) cdramas tend to follow a formula, and that's not bad- it just depends on whether the writer can pull it off or not. But this- this is so different from most other dramas with so much meaning infused into it.
First of all the FL is intelligent, self reliant and witty. With these 3 traits alone she is written better than most cdrama FLs who are always tripping over themselves. But (and despite being bubbly) she is not an overly positive person- and this is truly what set her apart and also made her so relatable. Even though as an audience member you can see she's overly cynical and very bitter despite things not always being as bad as they seem . But you can still completely relate to her. And then the character development she goes through is so perfectly written you literally see her growing into this graceful intelligent but still wilful lady on screen. And honestly no one could have pulled off so many character traits and still be loveable throughout apart from Lu Si.
And then there's the ML who Leo has played so incredibly well. I mean he just was phenomenal- being both a scary (at times psycho) general to a soft spoken love fool. His character's story arc into becoming a more understanding person was also written very well. I would only complain that the kiss scenes were a little too stiff but the main leads have so much chemistry anyway that it doesn't matter too much.
The rest of the cast was incredible. I both was annoyed with and understood the mom, I could see her pov esp after the bridge incident. The Emperor and his two Empresses - incredibly written again. I have never seen a relationship like that portrayed between two women married to the same man. Both were so different but strong in their own way. And then the emperor himself being the biggest shipper of the main leads - comedic gold.
The overall plot was great and I was hooked from the beginning - I never wanted to stop watching. Until the last 5 eps there was not a single frame wasted. It was shot and directed so well. The cinematography was so great. The fights scenes were really well choreographed and actually interesting to watch because they didn't drag on for ages. Everything was so well balanced from the director and editors it was a joy to watch.
But the last 5 episodes did disappoint me and made me drop this from a perfect 10 to a 9. After all that incredible writing, and being so different from the usual drama tropes, it felt like the writers copped out. I actually felt a little betrayed by what happens to the story in the last 5 eps. Which is such a shame because the 5 episodes before the last 5 were probably the best episodes in this drama. I wish the writers had gone a different route or just not dragged things on for so long. I went from never wanting the drama to end to skipping parts to let it end. So imo they really messed up the ending.
Overall though- this is still an incredible watch, highly recommend it. It deserves all the praise and high ratings its gotten.
I rarely like car chase scenes as they are either too OTT or dragged on for ages but this movie really hits it in the right spot. They, along with the action scenes were very well done.
Highly recommend if you are looking for a no holds barred female action movie similar to My Name.
This should have been 24 eps tops and even that's too generous. There so many unnecessary camera pans and pointless scenes like watching a car park, people walking for ages before they can say their lines. Seems like both the production and editing crew were new to creating excitement. The plot and script is boring and apart from the FL the rest of the actors aren't invested in their roles at all.
Dropping this and I don't recommend it.
A lot of other police shows handle side character deaths much better than this.
Not amazing but really not a bad drama. Worth watching in between dramas or (like me) if you are waiting for other dramas to stop airing. The friendships were cute if a little superficial, the romance was good. A lot of plot holes in the crimes part and things conveniently following into the leads laps but overall it's not the worst semi-crime drama either.
Kang Daniel was a little stiff and emotionless in parts and I actually found Lee Shin Young who played Tak to be the shinning star of this drama. Female characters were ok, no one really stood out. I found the FL to be more cutesy than gutsy but that was ok for this kind of youth drama.
Overall not a bad watch but nothing to write home about either.
I don't know this actress and maybe she's been really good in other things. But for once when the FL is written so well it's disheartening to watch the actress pull her down. Does it get better? Does her acting improve or is she unable to pull off the maturity required for this role?
Is there a way to start a petition to MGTV to make them realise they need better (or any) subbers?
Also another show where for some reason the kiss scenes are shot and edited so weirdly despite the actors having such amazing chemistry. It's like they don't want to show you any of the kisses. What a waste!
The FL was a bit hard to like at first - she shifted from rational to emotional in a way that didn't flow and like it was forced into the script. Also I'm sorry but the basis of both situations didn't make sense. A lot of people deal with sick relatives- she's not the only one who has to and she should have learnt to balance it by now. And he runs a food app but has almost zero interest in food? That just made no sense to me.
3rd couple was also a pointless addition that just took up screen time. Cute as they were I honestly didn't care much for their scenes. I like the BFF and her husband the most out of this drama.
The last episode was also pretty lame - basically ffed through ep 13-16 and if you have watched any other romcom drama ever in the early 2000s than it's essentially the same thing dragged out for the last 3 eps. Seems like the writer hasn't updated their tropes since then.
As to why he stopped - the killer says "he was trying to be good"- maybe he felt guilt for what he did or maybe he came too close to being caught.
The fact (for me) is there doesn't need to be a motive for psychopaths like the killer was shown to be. They just want to hurt people- usually starting with the most vulnerable.