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Decent romance and love triangle but full of plot holes in the second half
Despite a low rating, I really want to give “Serendipity” a try because I like the leads, Wang Zi Qi and Lu Yu Xiao. I adjusted my expectations yet I still come out disappointed. The romance is the least of my worries, because I have more complaints about the writing and the many plot holes. “Serendipity” also doesn’t seem to have a large budget and that also affected my viewing pleasure.
Plot/Pace
The general plot is nothing we’ve never seen before, especially if you have been a long time C-historical fan. And that is OK with me if the execution is done right. The characters are all so smart and can do no wrong (esp. Our male and female leads). I actually enjoy the first half of the drama when the focus is on the new-found family, developing sibling relationship, romance, women empowerment and solving small mysteries. The drama actually did a pretty good job in having all these developed side-by-side and intertwined with each other. But then, the amnesia lasted too long. The love triangle lasted too long. The happy moments of the couple lasted too short. The last 10 episodes were primarily on futile repetitive assassination attempts, plotting for revenge, continuing with the investigation and palace politics. Plot holes are everywhere (poisonous food, poisonous blood, poisonous gas, standing around and doing nothing to save lives, a small knife can kill someone in full armor, etc). Actions by the characters become illogical to just move the story along. The drama lost my attention in the last 5-10 episodes and I don’t care how the villain is going to end.
Acting
I guess another disappointment is the average acting by the cast. I’ve seen Wang Zi Qi and Lu Yu Xiao in plenty of other dramas. Even though Wang Zi Qi has never amazed me, I have never called average. He’s average here and I don’t think it’s because of his character. I’ve been a fan of Lu Yu Xiao for a while and have loved her in many roles. Unfortunately, this is not one of them even though her character is smart, sweet and almost perfect. She’s fine and better than Wang Zi Qi, but still not up to my expectations. The rest of the main cast is OK with Yang Shi Ze being the worst of the bunch. He was so wooden and bland. The super ugly makeup is not helping either.
Romance
There are many complaints about the romance and many watchers have second lead syndrome. Not me! I was on the male lead, Lu Chang’s corner the whole time. I enjoy Lu Chang (ML) and Jiang Ming Shu’s (FL) romantic journey for the most part. The wedding scene in the first episode was heartbreaking but needed. I can see how ML was focused on other important matters instead of this girl who’s in love with him. I can see how he could have misunderstood who she really is. When the amnesia happens, I love how they start to get to know each other from the very beginning and fall in love with each other again. The progression is natural and realistic. Song Qing Zhao (2ML) seems like the perfect guy, but he never really had a chance. Both male leads are lovely and caring in their own way. ML cares in a more practical way (remembering to get a softer pillow and peeling longan shells), yet 2ML cares in a more sweet and romantic way (desserts, hairpin, dates). Unfortunately, this love triangle lasted way too long, but at least it was a very healthy love triangle. The secondary romance could have been cute, but not enough time is given to them to develop their romance properly. I wanted more on how 2ML/2FL slowly fall for each other.
Production
The first things I noticed and disliked about the production are the super ugly white makeup on nearly everyone, and that all the actors were dubbed. I have mixed feelings about the costumes and accessories. Sometimes I really like the styles, e.g. the wedding gowns and the emperor outfits in the end. At times, actors seemed to be wearing clothes a size too big or have layers of thick fabric draped all over them. The OST is fine but nothing extraordinary. The sets are average-looking but never give me a sense of grandeur.
I thought romance would be the area I will be most disappointed in but it ended up being the least of my worries. Romance is not perfect, but it’s what I enjoyed most in “Serendipity”. When the plot starts to get serious, that’s when plot holes start to happen. I am sad to say that this is probably not a drama I would recommend, unless you are super fans of the actors.
Other Random Observations:
1. ML is superman. He’s a scholar, crime investigator, action hero/fighter, lawyer and government official. He’s the smartest and can do no wrong.
2. One of the few C-dramas I see a prince walk around like a commoner with no bodyguards.
3. This prince also has a talent in finding a secret door in record time and minimal effort.
4. Did I see some sped up fight scenes and running?
5. Wang Zi Qi definitely looks better in a modern look. He does not look good at all here.
Completed: 6/1/2025 - Review #586
Plot/Pace
The general plot is nothing we’ve never seen before, especially if you have been a long time C-historical fan. And that is OK with me if the execution is done right. The characters are all so smart and can do no wrong (esp. Our male and female leads). I actually enjoy the first half of the drama when the focus is on the new-found family, developing sibling relationship, romance, women empowerment and solving small mysteries. The drama actually did a pretty good job in having all these developed side-by-side and intertwined with each other. But then, the amnesia lasted too long. The love triangle lasted too long. The happy moments of the couple lasted too short. The last 10 episodes were primarily on futile repetitive assassination attempts, plotting for revenge, continuing with the investigation and palace politics. Plot holes are everywhere (poisonous food, poisonous blood, poisonous gas, standing around and doing nothing to save lives, a small knife can kill someone in full armor, etc). Actions by the characters become illogical to just move the story along. The drama lost my attention in the last 5-10 episodes and I don’t care how the villain is going to end.
Acting
I guess another disappointment is the average acting by the cast. I’ve seen Wang Zi Qi and Lu Yu Xiao in plenty of other dramas. Even though Wang Zi Qi has never amazed me, I have never called average. He’s average here and I don’t think it’s because of his character. I’ve been a fan of Lu Yu Xiao for a while and have loved her in many roles. Unfortunately, this is not one of them even though her character is smart, sweet and almost perfect. She’s fine and better than Wang Zi Qi, but still not up to my expectations. The rest of the main cast is OK with Yang Shi Ze being the worst of the bunch. He was so wooden and bland. The super ugly makeup is not helping either.
Romance
There are many complaints about the romance and many watchers have second lead syndrome. Not me! I was on the male lead, Lu Chang’s corner the whole time. I enjoy Lu Chang (ML) and Jiang Ming Shu’s (FL) romantic journey for the most part. The wedding scene in the first episode was heartbreaking but needed. I can see how ML was focused on other important matters instead of this girl who’s in love with him. I can see how he could have misunderstood who she really is. When the amnesia happens, I love how they start to get to know each other from the very beginning and fall in love with each other again. The progression is natural and realistic. Song Qing Zhao (2ML) seems like the perfect guy, but he never really had a chance. Both male leads are lovely and caring in their own way. ML cares in a more practical way (remembering to get a softer pillow and peeling longan shells), yet 2ML cares in a more sweet and romantic way (desserts, hairpin, dates). Unfortunately, this love triangle lasted way too long, but at least it was a very healthy love triangle. The secondary romance could have been cute, but not enough time is given to them to develop their romance properly. I wanted more on how 2ML/2FL slowly fall for each other.
Production
The first things I noticed and disliked about the production are the super ugly white makeup on nearly everyone, and that all the actors were dubbed. I have mixed feelings about the costumes and accessories. Sometimes I really like the styles, e.g. the wedding gowns and the emperor outfits in the end. At times, actors seemed to be wearing clothes a size too big or have layers of thick fabric draped all over them. The OST is fine but nothing extraordinary. The sets are average-looking but never give me a sense of grandeur.
I thought romance would be the area I will be most disappointed in but it ended up being the least of my worries. Romance is not perfect, but it’s what I enjoyed most in “Serendipity”. When the plot starts to get serious, that’s when plot holes start to happen. I am sad to say that this is probably not a drama I would recommend, unless you are super fans of the actors.
Other Random Observations:
1. ML is superman. He’s a scholar, crime investigator, action hero/fighter, lawyer and government official. He’s the smartest and can do no wrong.
2. One of the few C-dramas I see a prince walk around like a commoner with no bodyguards.
3. This prince also has a talent in finding a secret door in record time and minimal effort.
4. Did I see some sped up fight scenes and running?
5. Wang Zi Qi definitely looks better in a modern look. He does not look good at all here.
Completed: 6/1/2025 - Review #586
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