Sol1056

Probably the same way we're seeing the painter in the show -- he's doing studies of regular events, from different angles, and when it comes time for the 'final' he'll go through all his studies and pick the ones he thinks are the most visually interesting, nicest composition, whatever his criteria. Then he'll use that curated set of studies to compile a full picture, possibly doing several loose/dry runs to get an idea of the overall framing, composition, and narrative.

It ends up looking like it's a snapshot of one moment in time, but it's actually a carefully compiled series of small snapshots taken over some length of time.

I got that impression after the first arc ended (when GZ was around and waiting for a cue). I'm just not connecting what ZBY is doing as of ep9 to what GZ is doing. It's not stopping me, I was just wondering. Thank you!

In ep1, he's basically made a scapegoat and fired from the archives. Next he talks his way into working for GZ, and I thought it sounded like he was hired. But then apparently he quit? Or thought he was only asked to help (not to work for) GZ? And now he's aiming to do litigation? If he's finding crimes, why isn't he asking GZ? Seems to me GZ is the only one thinking there's an alliance, given ZBY and the rest of his family are still investigating but no one's told GZ?

I'm confused about ZBY's work situation coming into ep7. (Spoilery details in reply.)

true dat, I was thinking of the "why did you let them watch you murder him" bit, that led into the bribery analogy. but yes, alliance -- but what makes it funniest is it's actually a pretty astute observation!

Okay, I wasn't expecting the analogy/comparison between bribery and murder, but it actually works. (Also, funny in a bizarre way.)

Start it, but be aware it's a) not an idol drama, b) but it has a powerhouse list of actors, and c) not something you can multitask while watching. Some of the details and clues go by pretty fast, but I haven't yet seen a detail that didn't pay off within the next episode. Plus it's nice for once having the ML & FL be a married couple. Romance? Not much. Genuine care and affection? Totally.

Halfway through episode 5 and I've given up on figuring out who's bad and who's good. I mean, other than the ML and FL. And the ML's family. But the rest of them? I'm starting to feel like absolutely none of them got a fair shake (and that includes the ML and FL), and everything we're seeing are just the logical consequences of all those years of being screwed over.

You know it's bad when you take a break by watching crime documentaries, because they're downright low-key compared to this drama.

omg yes

@peachblossomgoddess is right, disregard!

I need someone to write a Firefox plugin that works on mdl pages, where you can blacklist the people who're happy to get a surprise but especially happy to ruin it for everyone else. Life's too short to waste it on selfish children.

Old as in what? Over 30? It's an actual drama meant for adults, so the majority of the cast will be adults, so expect a fair amount of acting chops. If you want an idol drama with a cast only just learning to emote, there are plenty of other shows for you to watch.

But the person held out a badge for the Qing family, and the stepmother is from the Wang family. Besides, that person did pretty nice wrist-snap on whomever reached for the badge.

Does anyone know what's going on with the airing schedule ? Right now it says:

22, 23 air on 12/16 (today)
24, 25 air on 12/17
26-29 air an episode a day, 12/18 to 12/21
30 airs alone on 12/22
(here's where it gets wierd)
31, 31 air on 12/20... the same day as ep28?
32, 34 air on 12/29... the same day as ep29?

What on earth is going on? Even better: anyone know the real/correct schedule?

I know the submissive act was part of her plan. And she got mad at Ji Yong because his method would've ruined her family. With Song Mo, it felt to me like she considered it more important (to her) to keep him at arm's length, even if he could lend her some muscle. In the end, her clever plan consisted of switching the turtle shells (which failed) and then setting the palanquin on fire so she'd leap to safety? That second one doesn't stop the engagement, at least it'd delay and at most it could put her in the hospital.

The problem is I'm not certain she'd really been planning for a decade, given how she was caught off-guard when the engagement was signed. That seems to be around the time she starts asking herself whether it's just fate she'll marry WTY and there's nothing she can do about it, and if she could, would she be right to do so. The mysterious old guy's telling her it *could* be possible (but that's not the same as it being the right thing) and meanwhile she's back in the same situation as her first life. It seemed reasonable to me she'd have a bit of a crisis and second-think herself.

I think part of the problem is a) she's not actually that decisive as a person (in that she considers, then rethinks, then considers again; she's very cautious, basically) and b) at that point it seemed she was still waffling over whether she could really change fate at all (and also whether she should). Her attempts to get out of the marriage seem not really thought through, and I got the impression if it weren't for the step-mother going along with DM, that DZ would've ended up married again. It took someone else to force her into action.

Stay with it, with SM at her back, she slowly gets better at being active, even proactive.

What irritates me about Netflix is they're just like iQiyi -- they'll put something on "worth the wait" but not actually tell you when (and I know some have sat in that category for a month or more). The show isn't listed at all among the planned releases in 12/2024 or any time in 2025. There is a press release (link in the comment below me), but where you'd expect a paragraph like "look forward to this in March 2025!" or some such, there's nothing.

The show still has to pass censors & get its distribution license (since it is a Chinese production) -- but I don't think either has happened yet. My sense is Netflix is betting on all that happening sometime in the next few months. But I've seen enough cdramas that still never air (or air so butchered they might as well not bothered), so unless someone's got a sense of where the show is in the legal pipeline, I'm not in a betting mood.

The only thing worse than a bad translation is none at all. Near the end of ep18 when the uncle's talking, the version I'm watching starts with "Just look at the Duke..." and the subtitles disappear for the rest of the uncle's line, only reappearing when DZ speaks. Is anyone watching a version that translates the rest of the uncle's line, and could tell me what it is? thank you!

The shenanigans midway through ep18 made me laugh so loud I startled the dog! It's the kind of thing that I love best in a story, where someone plots so hard they come around to the other side. Such wonderful just desserts! (And it wouldn't have worked had the story not set up every single detail well in advance.)

that makes a LOT more sense. sheesh, not really impressed with whatever batch of translations I ended up with. thank you!