ztravs88

I'm enjoying this show and I loved the first part, but as a viewer, I really don't like being lied to. I can understand the format and I like the way the story is presented, but deliberately showing scenes that literally do not exist just to hype up tension feels so disingenuous to me. Cos why did they make it seem like JH saw GC when the captives arrived at the end of ep 1 only to say "sike" and show entirely different scenes in ep 2? I was gonna tune in regardless but now I just feel annoyed. It makes me not trust anything that happens in the final minutes of any episode and now I'm not as engaged any more.

I can't remember if this was the same tactic used in part 1 but it's too noticeable now and I'm not into it.

I think the moment Jang Hyun made the choice to go with the crown prince, it was certain that things would end up tragically. I didn't expect Gil Chae to leave her family behind so I wasn't surprised at the ending. However, I do have beef with some characters. First is Ryang Eum for lying to Gil Chae about Jang Hyun being dead. I knew he was going to do it but that didn't make it any less annoying. I hope he's happy now that JH is alone and miserable. He felt very much like a child who doesn't want their single parent to love anyone else and acted like a child to the very end.

Next people I have beef with are everyone around Gil Chae. She worked so hard just to keep them all alive and at every turn, all they did was make things harder for her. From Eun Ae being the reason she killed someone for the first time, to the servant losing the bowls she poured her heart into. Gil Chae kept stepping up and finding a way for them at the expense of her reputation and peace of mind. I firmly believe that if she had a more competent support system, then maybe (just maybe) she may have felt confident enough to leave with Jang Hyun. Instead, she sacrificed herself again for everyone else.

I think the final scene in ep 10 could've been left for part 2 cos it almost feels like a bait and switch now where I've been invested this whole time in GC and JH, only for the show to throw in a new FL at the last second. It almost makes the previous episodes worthless. I'll still watch whatever comes next but now I'm not sure why I spent all those hours growing with Gil Chae and going through heartbreak with her (and Jang Hyun).

I also find it amusing how everyone blames Gil Chae for the failed relationship, completely ignoring the fact that Jang Hyun chose to go with the crown prince instead of staying with her. Yes, she was "in love" with the scholar for most of her life but each time she tried to explore her feelings for Jang Hyun, he would say some out of pocket shit because in his mind he had to keep her on her toes - until Gil Chae couldn't even trust her feelings or his words any more.

And after over a year of thinking he was dead, I think she had every right to choose security for her family. Even the soldier knew she still loved Jang Hyun so idk why so many people in the comments say she didn't love him. I don't think it's necessary to prove love by making the worst possible choice that would eventually lead to resentment and more sadness cos she'd blame him and herself for leaving her vulnerable family behind.

I started this drama on a whim and now I'm heavily invested in the outcome. I'm really enjoying these characters and I like that Xiao Yao is open to a bit of darkness. The performances are really good and every character has a little something to catch the eye, even the spoiled Princess.

I don't know what to expect with the end yet but I'm not really vibing with Tushan Jing yet (23 episodes in) although it's obvious that he can be depended on to do whatever Xiao Yao asks without question. Cang Xuan schemes so much and has to navigate so much palace intrigue that I wonder if he knows what it's like to just feel anything that isn't affection for his immediate family. Xiang Liu is too busy being all dark and mysterious and pretending not to feel feelings, which I find really adorable for such a dangerous 9-headed demon.

It's all very entertaining and I'm having a great time so far!

they don't have to destroy it. I just want them to at least try. they did say the nanyin people practiced magic so I would accept a magical explanation for why it can't be destroyed. as others have pointed out, there was a line about that in an episode here so I accept that. most of the time these shows just don't address it at all lol.

LLH didn't even know what was going on the whole time until FDB came and disrupted his life lol.

I must've missed that line cos that was the only part of the episode I didn't concentrate on. thank you. cos it was really bothering me that they kept talking about collecting the ice without any talk of destroying it.

I'll never understand how, in dramas like this, the plan is never to destroy the world ending object. Instead they just went round collecting the pieces for the bad guy to get all at once. I would've appreciated even a line of someone saying the ice can't be destroyed for magical reasons cos at least that would've made sense. It's just frustrating and stupid.

Also, it's not a Cheng Yi drama if there isn't a tragic love story lurking about.

Yeah, that entire village is sus and he also lost his mother to this monster so I don't think she should be as hard on him either. I think she resents him more because all she got out of this whole thing was living a burdened life without even knowing why, while he got to grow up rich. But even he didn't know just what his family did to get where they are now. Plus, when her father found out, he also wanted a piece of the action for personal reasons. Even now, she was contemplating living with the evil spirit to keep her eyesight. This show shows a lot of morally grey characters and I like that too.

That man the detective talked to said he saw the CEO the day his father died and he wasn't the target so I think whoever opens the door can see the spirit as well as whoever it is going to kill. Cos she likes to taunt whoever opens the door and she can't do that if they don't see her.

Why didn't Hae-Sang tell the detective to keep the door closed even if he was the one at the door? Don't we all know that the evil spirit imitates people? I'm mad cos the preview doesn't even hint at what happened next and I need to know right away.

The detective said Lee Mokdan wasn't the second child, so that must be why all the rites have failed so far, since they don't have the right name. I wonder who started the tale that the child who was sacrificed was Lee Mokdan. I guess her real name is in the family register and she needs to get rid of it so they can't banish her.

I also wonder why Gu Gang-Mo decided it was time to banish the spirit after using it for so long. My guess is that he promised to pass her down his family line and then had a change of heart when the time came for her to be handed to San-Yeong. He should never have started down that road but he really thought he could control the evil spirit and then just cast it out when he no longer wanted anything to do with it.

I am excited to see how or even if this whole thing will be resolved. San-Yeong may lose her eyesight at the end if she doesn't lose her life, but I'm not sure she will actually survive this. One thing is certain, Hae-Sang's family is garbage through and through.

Finished and while I was okay with the way it ended, I still believe we could've arrived at that conclusion without the needless massacre in the end. To waste a strong female character like that just irritates me and it didn't serve the plot in any way to me.

As for LZS, I have always maintained that the "beef" he had with Jiusi would be something stupid and I was right. He couldn't even lay the blame for his delusional behaviour on the right head and instead caused so much suffering to so many people for no reason. What a colossal idiot. The young emperor should be dumped in a hole somewhere for the rest of his days so he can wallow in his insanity.

I still blame the emperor and Jiusi's uncle for a lot of the things that happened in the final 4 episodes.

I'm finally watching the final 4 episodes and I can't help wondering how much of this tragedy could've been avoided if Jiusi's uncle had simply taken care of LZS when he had the chance. Even the emperor knew that LZS was responsible for the crown prince turning out the way he did but he still let him go. I love this drama, but tragedy for tragedy's sake is very exhausting as a viewer. I'm gonna finish it but I'm quite disappointed at the way the story is panning out.

With a crown prince like this, all their enemies need to do is wait for Da Xia to collapse in on itself. Why bother going to war when the leader of the nation is doing your job for you. The emperor seems to have been overwhelmed by just how useless his son is, which is surprising since, once again, this is the same person who almost got himself sold into slavery the first time they let him leave home, and all because he's a degenerate gambler. How convenient that when he finally accepted the truth, General Zhou was miles and miles away so the crown prince can do whatever he wants.

I wish I could say things will calm down now, but in typical cdrama fashion, the final episodes will be nail-biting until the very end. Shout out to Jiusi and Yuru though cos they always rise to the top no matter where they are and I'm always proud of their achievements. I just wish Yuru's mother could've been spared the pain. Looking forward to when someone finally takes out that delusional idiot, LZS.

I thought the guy who became the emperor was supposed to be smart and cunning? Did he lose his sense on the battleground or what?

It may still happen once LZS puts the idea in their heads. And it's obvious the prince would let himself get manipulated completely by the Dowager Empress.

I thought Jiusi handled the old lady very well. All those days and nights of studying paid off in the end! LOL. I am also coming round on his uncle in prison. He doesn't seem to have any schemes going that would cause problems for our protagonists and he's even trying to help. Just like a cockroach that'll survive even a nuclear apocalypse, LZS is back and his delusions are stronger than ever. I just know when they finally reveal what his beef with Jiusi is about, it'll be something ridiculous that Jiusi had no control over. He seems like that kind of idiot.

I'm not looking forward to the princess being a nuisance but I hope she gets an intellectual and verbal smackdown every time like she did now. Lol! Almost forgot to mention, the new crown prince has turned out to be exactly the type of fool I expected. I suppose one can't be surprised since he's the same person who almost got himself sold off to a gambling house.

For the future, I really hope Jiusi keeps his distance from his royal relatives no matter what. I didn't appreciate his mother bringing up the uncle in prison and ruining everyone's mood, then saying Jiusi shouldn't do anything about it when we all know that he'll do anything to keep his loved ones safe and happy. Does she expect him to look at her being miserable and do nothing? I trust him to be smart about whatever he chooses but I don't trust his emotions completely when it comes to his mother. Thank heaven for Yuru and her calming presence. They're in a much bigger playing field now and they don't need the help of so-called family to bring them down again.

I was also gonna talk about Zhou Ye's father being a dumbass but I finished ep 28 and he finally let reason win instead of pride.

Ep27 traumatized me. On some level I knew how it would end but getting there was a completely gut-wrenching experience.

Bai Jing Ting and Song Yi are really interesting to watch together. I'm enjoying seeing Yuru and Jiusi's relationship grow steadily. They're clearly influencing each other for the better. They're very well balanced together and this show is surprisingly endearing.

I'm glad I gave it a chance.

P/S no hate to Liu Xue Yi, but since Love and Redemption it's been on sight. I want to fight him so bad 😂