Reviews

Don’t call me darling and double 9th festival

The episode opens with Jia yu’s mom wanting a divorce. That he calls her darling has to grate on her ears after what he has done and how he used their daughter. It was also revealed she was not his biological child so maybe that is why he could toss her out as a pawn. I loved her presenting him all accounts settled into nice neat his and her stacks. He picked his son and killing 30k people. She picked their daughter and wanted nothing more to do with him. When he wanted to know where she would find a place to stay she reminded him that the world is vast and it was no longer any of his business. 👏🏻She had the phoenix heart token and its presence was supposed to indicate peace. JiaYu now knows her parents are divorced and she is sad. I hope this opens up a path to her mother. And who is the one she met in the road as she was leaving the city? She is not aware of the extent of WuYi’s injuries or that at best he will have 3-5 years unless some miracle cure shows up. As everybody prepares for the double ninth ceremony, WuYi disguises JiaYu as JingLing for the evening and even gets them a date. He has shot himself in the foot and heart letting his consort have a rendezvous with her favorite guy. It is starting to bug him that she makes gifts for everyone under the sun but him or tosses him one as an afterthought. She is trying to get true crossbows made to help the army and he has agreed to let her try. the empress dowager is as low as they come making the sister choose between her brother or best friend. Some of the subplots have been handled but there are more in the works he is sure of it. The Empress dowager is hoping for a clean sweep of all the people she most wants rid of. Snoopy JiaYu found out all the family secrets on the prayer tree. Her friend was spared being the traitor, but JiaYu sees the fake Xiao Sheng and she falls into their trap anyways. WuYi sees her run past and who is following her when the episode ends. This episode has WuYi melancholy that he has feelings for his new bride that aren’t reciprocated. He also sees no honorable way to steal her from his friend who loved her first. He has resigned himself to work with the hand he is dealt and make the best use of it possible. He is hoping he will have just enough time to sort it all. JiaYu’s mom is going to try to find the crown prince because the last thing she wants is a Xie on the throne. Long wait til next episode.😭

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**whew**

How do I even review KinnPorsche when my brain is still just elevator music and gunshots?This show really looked at the concept of a mafia BL and said, "What if we gave them trauma, daddy issues, family wars, emotional damage, incredible suits, and enough chemistry to power an entire city?"Kinn and Porsche had me giggling, kicking my feet, screaming into pillows, and then questioning my emotional stability ten minutes later. Mile and Apo's chemistry wasn't chemistry — it was witchcraft.Vegas and Pete arrived and collectively decided that therapy was optional and suffering was mandatory. Their storyline altered my brain chemistry permanently.Kim and Chay had me believing in soft love, stolen glances, and guitar songs until the universe remembered happiness isn't allowed in this family.Tankhun? The absolute king. The icon. The legend. The emotional support cousin we all needed. Every scene he appeared in instantly became better.Big deserved better. Arm and Pol were criminally underrated. Macau was just trying to survive whatever the hell was happening around him. Porchay deserved the entire world and a lifetime supply of happiness.And can we talk about the production? The cinematography? The soundtrack? The fight scenes? The outfits? The budget was budgeting.One minute you're laughing at Porsche's chaos, the next you're crying over family trauma, and five minutes later you're staring at the ceiling wondering how a mafia drama managed to emotionally destroy you this badly.KinnPorsche wasn't a show.It was an event.A lifestyle.A collective mental illness.10/10.Would absolutely let this cast ruin my life all over again.

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The man behind the mask

This episode revealed the greedy ambition of the Grand Tutor. He and the Empress dowager had someone pose as Xiao Sheng to have the Miraculous Craft Creator make crossbows. She knew the design had flaws and said so, but the design was purchased as is. WuYi’s brother revealed the memorial board that had 30k memorial tablets on it representing the cavalry soldiers that lost their lives to a defective weapon. They have reason to hate JiaYu. She never bothered to think they were anything other than decoration. She did not bother to ask what they were used for. She was shopping for Mao and the cash was her only concern. For the first time she felt the weight of the souls lost due to her creation. It took the deaths of her guard and maid for her to realize there are consequences for choices. What was obscene is that her father knew what he was doing. He deliberately culled the ranks of the bravest to lower the strength of WuYi’s army. Not only that, he deliberately split up the two lovebirds so he could manipulate Mao. I really don’t have words strong enough for how despicable these acts were. They were especially heinous because he did this to his own family. It was wicked enough out of loyalty to a ruler towards an enemy. But to one he supposedly loves?! He must know that JiaYu isn’t his daughter or he would have made greater effort to discourage the match. What I did appreciate, was the emperor revealing to Mao the depth of Grand Tutor’s amorality. The end justifies the means no matter how many innocents suffer as a result. The look of pride on the mom’s face when Jia Yu renounced her family and why. We don’t know what all the mom was aware of as far as his politics went or why she sticks with him. It is definitely not because love has anything to do with it. JiaYu stuck up for herself well and made it clear she understood the tragedy he caused. I can’t wait til he’s the pawn. I like that Jia Yu and WuYi’s wife are getting along. That certainly doesn’t have to be the case and usually isn’t. It is also surprising that WuYi understands what happened with her design, and while furious, recognized that she was a pawn in the machinations of the Tutor and Empress dowager. Jia Yu even told her dad when the day came for the debt to be paid to the army, she would take it on instead of him. She now understands that a blood debt is due because of her. And her questions about people at the festival helped her visualize just how many soldiers should be alive. WuYi is touched by her sincerity in promising to create something that would give them victory. He is disappointed that she thought Mao got her the candy, and she is annoyed that he asked for his favorite treat when it was supposed to be for Mao. Because of the hate towards her, he really had no choice but to ground her to the residence unless with his permission. She is still really naive about how many people have cause to truly hate her. This episode took a look at the dark side of the powers that be. Tutor’s quest for power in wanting to look out for the nobility by killing off their protectors. He’s a damn fool and I hope he hears that loud and clear from his son. I also hope the mom finds a way to stay in touch. I will really hate it if she is as vile as her husband is.

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well glad this ep focused on the actor's…

well glad this ep focused on the actor's & not their character's. almost from the start Zhen Xin's been calling his gf wanting her to come & snap him out of his growing attraction to Zhang Zhun, ironic when they finally were starting to get close she shows up. even though Zhen Xin did tell Zhang Zhun he would give him time, but the next sec he was trying to take him to his hotel room. so it's good the gf showed up & actually gave Zhang Zhun the time he needed to sort out his feelings. *********************feel sadder for Zhang Zhun's gf. not cause they might've been dating longer or were already talking about marriage but cause she was blindsided & seemed more invested in the relationship with Zhang Zhun. Zhen Xin gf looked like she had her sh*t together & she for sure wasn't dependent on Zhen Xin emotionally. so glad she took Zhang Zhun's gf under her wing & offered her some sage advice. time will tell if she will follow it. either way am sure this not the end of it - *********************************regarding the press at the end - i don't think it was Zhen Xin's gf exposing's their relationship now that Zhen Xin was moving on, i have a feeling it was their agency or management making sure Zhen Xin & Zhang Zhun relationship wouldn't come to light - so they shifted focus - damage control.

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So many plot twists already

Wow, this episode turned everything upside down! 😳​The big schemer of sorts was actually Grand Tutor Xie, who wanted to get his illegitimate son, Li Mao, instated as regent. 😲​Poor Jiayu — what will she do when she finds out that her big love is actually her half-brother? That just means their marriage was never meant to happen, because China's censorship would never allow such a thing. 🤨​And now Wuyi and Jiayu have to stay married for Li Mao's sake... well, what a convenient inconvenience! 😏​And now the arranged marriage with the enemies-to-lovers trope will finally start... I am clapping my hands with excitement! Their chemistry is amazing and I just want to see more! 🥰🤗

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The masks coming off

Empress Dowager wants Xiao WuYi gone. She went to great lengths to set him up and she does not want him to have any military strength. He refuses to give it up and is surprised by a counter move from the Grand Tutor. He has arranged for Mao and the emperor to talk and Mao has pled for WuYi’s life. Here he is asked if he is willing to be sworn to him to live and die together. Mao believes in their friendship and pledges. This leads to two events that are non negotiable. Mao will become regent and JiaYu will marry WuYi to protect Xie family and Mao. We learn that Grand Tutor and Consort An had a child….Mao and he has been strategically placed to become regent. To see the unbridled ambition of JiaYu’s father and him deliberately slaying her guard is kinda surreal. As usual the daughter is the pawn to be sold off to either highest bidder or most strategic politically. What is unique in this situation is that WuYi truly cares for Mao and is actually trying to get him together with JiaYu in spite of decree. It is funny that after misgivings with the wedding wine he uses her own cuff links to bind her. It is just as fun when he reminds her he could have killed her much sooner and releases the bracelet lock. The conversation between the friends about JiaYu. To be fair WuYi knows nothing of her but that she likes to make gadgets and knows how to use poison and knockout powder. So he has to find it a bit annoying having his friend trying to push off how to take care of JiaYu lessons. 🤣Are the parents really his parents or stand ins for the parts? Is the odd behavior an act for her benefit to maintain family secrets or are they just rather odd for real. I think JiaYu likes them. The Empress dowager has taken Mao’s sister as apprentice and wants her moved to the palace as leverage. She will be a way to keep both the new regent and JiaYu in line. Jia Yu and WuYi both think things went down too easily and there is still more things going on, He does warn Grand Tutor that this should be his limit in meddling. Empress dowager’s eunuch was reminded that the Regent needed some space and she should respect that. Jia Yu is wondering what the hell has happened to her life and is most stunned with the images of the father she adored cutting down her guard with a sword and threatening her maid as well. The shoe thing was just weird after the mini bloodbath there between the different factions of guards. The Grand Tutor’s thirst will hopefully be quenched soon.😝 Empress dowager is letting her evil out with the fish. She is resenting the need to pivot and it remains to be seen what her rule teaching will bring to Mao’s life. She seems to want another wedding set up. 😝So the family that seemed so normal —isn’t. 😱 Both parents have kept JiaYu in the dark and have raised her to walk to her own drumbeat. This will hopefully assist in her threading the needle with the palace hierarchy. So I am wondering if it’s mom or dad that actually designed the real military crossbow. Somebody is hiding behind her Miracle Craft Creator label and is out to cause chaos. For as smart as she is with machines they make her rather silly in the common sense department. 😝Officials and Empress dowager were expecting WuYi to go out on a north deployment. He informed them that they could handle the politics personally and his dad would be leading the troops for awhile.

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The wedding that became a rebellion

Seems WuYi and Mao are friends. WuYi tells him up front about the wedding and that it will happen no matter what. 😂🤣 JiaYu carries an arsenal of weapons that could rival Wednesday.😂🤣 Ya have to admire her brazenness to get WuYi’s assist and hide her dropped daggers. What was fun and completely unexpected was him flipping her over his shoulder and escorting her to the palace on his horse. He instructs his wife and maids to be sure JiaYu is kept quiet while he drinks with the guests. Then he makes sure JiaYu and Mao have maps to find their way out of the maze of the palace. Now if only JiaYu had the arrow You are here to see where she is and needs to go.😂🤣 WiYu rolls his eyes that she can’t find her way out even with directions. He gives a location far away and threatens her with death if found. Mao is where he needs to be waiting for her to escape but is taken by Grand Tutor to assist giving meds to the emperor. With all the plots it is hard to tell if JiaYu’s parents are interfering with the escape or another subplot of WuYi. What does become clear is General WuYi has figured out that the Empress dowager set the plot for his troops and wanted Changsha to take the fall. She was hoping they would take care of each other while she set the stage for her choice of the throne. Changsha is struck by a sword as WuYi is close….did the General finish him off or was it a suicide attempt? He confronts the Empress dowager directly if she could reign with peace throughout the land. If not, he had 100k troops outside the gate with the Emperor. This episode tests longstanding friendships and lines being drawn of who backs whom. And what happens to JiaYu when she learns Mao is not there as planned? Is WuYi stopping Changsha from causing a rebellion or creating a counter one? With troops outside the gate he can play it either way. Things are progressing quickly and the cast is doing an excellent job with their roles to draw us into the story with growing anticipation to see what comes next.

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