This review may contain spoilers
I absolutely loved it!...until I didn't.
The first 10 episodes were captivating but they do not set the stage for the rest of the drama unfortunately. The tune changes so drastically about 5 times throughout the show that it feels like you’re watching a completely different story each time.
The Beginning Episodes: LOVED IT.
Liu Yuru is a sweetheart, strong and smart. She calls herself a pessimist but I’d say she turns into just the opposite from her wedding day on. She chose to take a “gamble” and try her life out with Gu Jiusu. Believing he was not that bad after simply hearing he had pleaded to have the dowry shops put in her name. She quickly accepts her fate and takes control of her life, proving herself an intelligent, kind and worthy daughter in law. I absolutely loved how the Gu parents instantly adopted her as their own and started treating her better than Jiusu XD The only time you saw Jiusu's dad with the proud father smile was when he was looking at Yuru. The only thing that I find conflicting is for someone so strong she cries a lot and over anything. Pretty sure she cried in 3 eps in a row. But at least her crying isn’t babyish or annoying like some FLs. Song Yi is a cute and effective actress.
Gu Jiusu. I don’t care what he said or how he acted in the beginning. He may have said it as a joke but I felt that he definitely fell in love at first sight. No person who truly dislikes someone and wants to “get back at them” would agree to pretend to like them to get on their nerves. The thought to weaponize someone’s mutual disdain for me wouldn’t even cross mind if I truly disliked them because I couldn't stomach even pretending. He thought of it himself and used it as an excuse to see her again.
But I also believe that he genuinely felt bad once he realized that the joke had led to her being forced into the marriage. Being impetuous and spoiled he clearly didn’t think that far ahead. And it’s just a testament to how golden his heart is, that he puts his feelings to the side and prioritizes her happiness before he even knows he’s in love with her. Although she was harsh with him from day one about changing his ways, his resistance is half hearted and I think he begins to realize it’s his way of winning her over. And it totally works. Even though they both agreed to dissolve their marriage once one of them win’s their bet (I honestly don’t remember the specifics of the bet. She makes a certain amount of money and he ranks first in his exam I think?) Not important. Because it never happens.
Bai Jing Ting did great in this role. His facial expressions perfectly portrayed the jokester, bratty Jiusu in the beginning. He was just hilarious and had me laughing out loud. Then in the later episodes his expressions seamlessly shifted towards sad, stern, and wise. Although I loved New Life Begins, he wasn’t able to show off his talent and range as well in that drama because of how somber that character was meant to be.
The Later Episodes: …Well, this drama felt like it NEVER ENDED. Like I said before it felt like watching 5 different stories in a row. I have no problem with a slow-burn romance, or less intimacy until the later episodes. But the plot just dragged. New Life Begins was just as long but I was able to watch every episode without FF or getting bored. I was hoping this would be the case here too.
I did not like the villain. The actor is okay. But I’ve never really fell for the sad villain origin story so I did not care about his emotional scenes. Everything he did was just annoying and added to the story being dragged out too long. And the political scenes were too tiring. If this drama’s main focus was political turmoil and war, with the romance being a side filler, then I would say the story and scenes were definitely well done. But it’s clearly marketed as a romance. Between episodes 12-15 the romance goes from 90% down to 10%, giving this drama no clear focus in my opinion. Also, I could’ve done without the desert scene and the fake death.
Overall, I just don’t think this drama was well balanced. I have mixed feelings because whereas I think everything they wanted to convey was well done, I think there were just too many extreme changes that it gave me whiplash. The comedy and sweetness in the beginning was misleading and then when things turned dark, it was like a 180. And again, not against a slow burn but it just wasn’t a believable slow burn because it’s not like it took that long to confess they loved each other and commit. That happened in the first half of the drama. But then they just became like an older married couple and skipped the passion. They would sleep next each other all the time and speak to each other/about each other as if they were an established married couple. So the fact that they never kissed or consummated their relationship until years later seems unrealistic.
Cinematography/OST: Cinematography was great. Beautiful settings, costumes and the hairstyles were cute/tasteful, not over the top or distracting.
OST: Just okay. The songs were sweet and slow.
The Beginning Episodes: LOVED IT.
Liu Yuru is a sweetheart, strong and smart. She calls herself a pessimist but I’d say she turns into just the opposite from her wedding day on. She chose to take a “gamble” and try her life out with Gu Jiusu. Believing he was not that bad after simply hearing he had pleaded to have the dowry shops put in her name. She quickly accepts her fate and takes control of her life, proving herself an intelligent, kind and worthy daughter in law. I absolutely loved how the Gu parents instantly adopted her as their own and started treating her better than Jiusu XD The only time you saw Jiusu's dad with the proud father smile was when he was looking at Yuru. The only thing that I find conflicting is for someone so strong she cries a lot and over anything. Pretty sure she cried in 3 eps in a row. But at least her crying isn’t babyish or annoying like some FLs. Song Yi is a cute and effective actress.
Gu Jiusu. I don’t care what he said or how he acted in the beginning. He may have said it as a joke but I felt that he definitely fell in love at first sight. No person who truly dislikes someone and wants to “get back at them” would agree to pretend to like them to get on their nerves. The thought to weaponize someone’s mutual disdain for me wouldn’t even cross mind if I truly disliked them because I couldn't stomach even pretending. He thought of it himself and used it as an excuse to see her again.
But I also believe that he genuinely felt bad once he realized that the joke had led to her being forced into the marriage. Being impetuous and spoiled he clearly didn’t think that far ahead. And it’s just a testament to how golden his heart is, that he puts his feelings to the side and prioritizes her happiness before he even knows he’s in love with her. Although she was harsh with him from day one about changing his ways, his resistance is half hearted and I think he begins to realize it’s his way of winning her over. And it totally works. Even though they both agreed to dissolve their marriage once one of them win’s their bet (I honestly don’t remember the specifics of the bet. She makes a certain amount of money and he ranks first in his exam I think?) Not important. Because it never happens.
Bai Jing Ting did great in this role. His facial expressions perfectly portrayed the jokester, bratty Jiusu in the beginning. He was just hilarious and had me laughing out loud. Then in the later episodes his expressions seamlessly shifted towards sad, stern, and wise. Although I loved New Life Begins, he wasn’t able to show off his talent and range as well in that drama because of how somber that character was meant to be.
The Later Episodes: …Well, this drama felt like it NEVER ENDED. Like I said before it felt like watching 5 different stories in a row. I have no problem with a slow-burn romance, or less intimacy until the later episodes. But the plot just dragged. New Life Begins was just as long but I was able to watch every episode without FF or getting bored. I was hoping this would be the case here too.
I did not like the villain. The actor is okay. But I’ve never really fell for the sad villain origin story so I did not care about his emotional scenes. Everything he did was just annoying and added to the story being dragged out too long. And the political scenes were too tiring. If this drama’s main focus was political turmoil and war, with the romance being a side filler, then I would say the story and scenes were definitely well done. But it’s clearly marketed as a romance. Between episodes 12-15 the romance goes from 90% down to 10%, giving this drama no clear focus in my opinion. Also, I could’ve done without the desert scene and the fake death.
Overall, I just don’t think this drama was well balanced. I have mixed feelings because whereas I think everything they wanted to convey was well done, I think there were just too many extreme changes that it gave me whiplash. The comedy and sweetness in the beginning was misleading and then when things turned dark, it was like a 180. And again, not against a slow burn but it just wasn’t a believable slow burn because it’s not like it took that long to confess they loved each other and commit. That happened in the first half of the drama. But then they just became like an older married couple and skipped the passion. They would sleep next each other all the time and speak to each other/about each other as if they were an established married couple. So the fact that they never kissed or consummated their relationship until years later seems unrealistic.
Cinematography/OST: Cinematography was great. Beautiful settings, costumes and the hairstyles were cute/tasteful, not over the top or distracting.
OST: Just okay. The songs were sweet and slow.
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