Reviews

What Makes a Heroine? A Reflection on Ye Pingjun in The Lament of Autumn

What Makes a Heroine? A Reflection on Ye Pingjun

I consider The Lament of Autumn a masterpiece, albeit one with its flaws. What I particularly love about this drama is how deeply it draws you into the lives of its characters. It is an immersive experience where you don't just watch their emotions unfold; you feel them. Every joy, frustration, heartbreak and disappointment somehow becomes yours.

Interestingly, much of the conversation surrounding this drama has centred on Yu Changxuan, who is also a favourite of mine. I particularly admire Cheng Lei as an actor, and his performance in this drama is yet another reason to appreciate his talent. However, I want to take a different direction with this review. I want to talk about Ye Pingjun.

What makes a heroine?

Ye Pingjun starts out strong, bold and clear-headed. These attributes were a major part of her appeal at the beginning of the drama. However, as the story progressed, I began to notice how subtly these very qualities were taken away from her.

Her assertiveness, which initially made her admirable, gradually became overbearing in the eyes of some viewers. This was particularly evident in the scene where she slapped Yu Changxuan, having misunderstood his visit to the refugees. Those who had initially rooted for her boldness began to find her too much.

It made me question the purpose of this character shift. Was it necessary to make us gradually accept her seeming irrationality? Meanwhile, Yu Changxuan's character arc was being developed progressively, and I would argue that this happened, to some extent, at the expense of Ye Pingjun's character.

Was the drama beginning to push a gender contrast, or am I overthinking it?

Now, back to the question: what makes a heroine?

Ye Pingjun, despite being widely unappreciated as a character, is someone I see differently. I see her, I understand her, and I empathise with her as a woman. To me, she represents many women of her era.

Does a woman's story become irrelevant simply because she cannot achieve the traditional heroine's victory? Must a heroine always win, overcome every obstacle and emerge triumphant for her story to matter?

I think The Lament of Autumn attempted to show us the rather pitiful circumstances of women in that era. And while I believe the drama did not execute this message particularly well, I could see what it was trying to portray.

Ye Pingjun tried. She had dreams, aspirations and ambitions. She wanted to win. She wanted to become something beyond what society had already decided a woman could be. But she was held back, repeatedly, by circumstances beyond her control.

One of those circumstances, ironically, came in the form of Yu Changxuan, a man who wanted to love her but, for much of the story, could not understand what loving her truly meant.

She knew that being with this man, under the conditions he demanded, could cost her the very dream she was fighting to achieve. She did not want to be reduced to simply being Lady Pingjun, a woman defined by her relationship with a powerful man. She wanted to be more. She wanted to write, to be recognised, to have her work read far and wide. She wanted an identity of her own.

But Changxuan wanted her. He wanted to have her, even when having her meant caging her.

He himself acknowledged that he could not offer her the pure love, equality and respect she deserved. It was only towards the end that he began to understand what it meant to love her in a way that did not diminish her.

And this is where I find Ye Pingjun's story particularly heartbreaking. Her struggle reflects that of many women of her time who dared to dream of freedom, independence and a life beyond the limitations imposed on them.

Yu Changxuan got to live through his dreams. His ambitions, achievements and personal journey were clearly woven into his character arc. But what about Pingjun?

Even when she seemed to have developed feelings for him, she struggled to accept him fully. She resisted acknowledging him and giving him her heart, perhaps because, on some level, she understood what surrendering herself to that relationship could mean for the person she wanted to become.

Then comes another development: she becomes his wife, loses her memory and gradually assumes the identity of the gentle, seemingly perfect Lady Pingjun. The wife of a deputy general, loved and adored, standing behind her husband.

Yes, she is loved. Yes, she is cherished. But she is now at home.

And I find that incredibly sad.

This was not the Ye Pingjun we were introduced to at the beginning of the drama. This was not the woman whose boldness, dreams and ambitions first drew us to her. It felt as though the woman who wanted to make a name for herself had been replaced by the woman society expected her to become.

To me, this is where her story reflects the fate of so many women of that era.

So, I ask again: does her struggle, her inability to attain her original desires, and her failure to become the prominent writer she dreamed of being make her any less of a heroine? Does it make her story irrelevant?

Absolutely not.

Her story matters precisely because she tried. Because she wanted more. Because she fought, even when the circumstances surrounding her made winning almost impossible.

I believe the drama eventually gives us a glimpse of her achieving her dream, albeit much later than I would have liked. She finally gets to pursue that ambition beside her husband, rather than simply existing behind him. It is a development I appreciate, but I cannot help feeling that the drama could have done so much more to communicate her individual journey.

And that, for me, is one of its biggest shortcomings.

The drama did not effectively establish Ye Pingjun's perspective as an independent narrative. As a result, many viewers ended up interpreting her entire story as a complicated love story with Yu Changxuan. Meanwhile, Changxuan's journey is presented much more clearly as both a love story and a story of personal ambition, dreams and achievements.

Why couldn't Pingjun receive the same narrative attention?

I choose to celebrate Ye Pingjun. I choose to empathise with her, not necessarily because I agree with every decision she made, but because I understand the woman behind those decisions. I understand the dreams she was trying to protect and the life she was struggling to build.

She may not have been the conventional triumphant heroine, but that does not make her any less worthy of being celebrated.

Despite its storytelling flaws, The Lament of Autumn remains a drama I would seriously recommend, particularly to viewers who are not necessarily looking for a fluffy romance but are willing to engage with a story that provokes thought, invites questions and leaves you reflecting long after the final episode.

I will definitely be rewatching it.

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One of my top favourites

I'm in the middle of my first rewatch, and man I still love it.
The cast??? Park Bo Gum??? even a bad story can make a great drama with him in it. But that's not to say this had a bad story. Not at all, the whole plot and pacing was great.
I loved the team, their individual struggles, how they came together, and oh, of course, the chemistry between the two main characters! The second lead was great as well, though I don't like triangles, I like when the second lead is actually a good addition to the story.
Oh and the villainnnnnn, I can't believe Oh Jung Se played the villain!!

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Finally, a K-Drama that isn't afraid to be different

A conservative woman, a CEO who challenges everything she believes about love, and a romance that proves sometimes stepping outside your comfort zone is exactly what you need. Instead of following the usual formula of a cold CEO falling in love with an ordinary woman, or two people who misunderstand each other for ten episodes before finally confessing their feelings, this drama introduces two characters whose ideas about love, relationships, and intimacy are almost completely opposite.
And honestly, I loved that. Most importantly, it dares to talk about things that many Korean dramas would normally avoid or approach much more cautiously. And that is probably one of the biggest reasons why I enjoyed it so much.

Gong Yeon-su is a woman who has grown up in a traditional and conservative environment. She believes in established values, proper behavior, and the idea that relationships should follow certain expectations. Her views on love and marriage are deeply influenced by the way she was raised, and she approaches romantic relationships with a fairly conventional mindset.
Dokgo Dal is the CEO of a company specializing in adult products, and he is practically the complete opposite of everything Yeon-su believes in. He has a much more open-minded approach to relationships and intimacy. For him, love is not something that needs to fit into a predetermined set of rules, and he believes emotional and physical intimacy are equally important parts of a relationship. Yeon-su finds Dal's attitude difficult to understand, while Dal cannot help questioning the rigid expectations she has placed on herself and her relationships. But as they continue working together, their differences gradually become the very thing that draws them closer.
Instead of simply asking whether two people are attracted to each other, the story explores what happens when two people have completely different ideas about what love should look like.

It feels genuinely different from the usual Korean romantic comedy. And I mean that in the best possible way. It embraces the awkwardness, the humor, and the potential misunderstandings that come with bringing these two characters together. The drama uses its unusual premise to explore questions about intimacy, personal boundaries, expectations, and the way people understand love. It challenges the idea that there is only one correct way to approach a relationship. The story feels more open-minded than many traditional romantic comedies, and I loved seeing a drama that was willing to approach these subjects without making them feel unnecessarily scandalous or uncomfortable. It treats them as part of human relationships.

Yeon-su is a character I found particularly interesting because her personality is so closely connected to the drama's central themes. She has very definite ideas about what relationships should look like, and she believes that following certain principles will help her make the right decisions. Her development is not about abandoning everything she believes in just because she meets a man with a different perspective. Instead, it is about discovering that she can question her own expectations and decide for herself what kind of relationship makes her happy.
Dokgo Dal is another reason why this drama works so well. His character brings a different perspective to the story, and his interactions with her allow the drama to explore its central themes in a more entertaining way. He challenges her, questions her assumptions, and makes her think about things she might never have considered otherwise. At the same time, their relationship gives him the opportunity to understand that being open-minded also means respecting someone else's feelings and boundaries. He can be playful, teasing, and occasionally frustrating, but there is also something genuinely appealing about his character. And I think the relationship becomes much more interesting because he is not simply trying to turn Yeon-su into someone who thinks exactly like him. He is challenging her to discover what she actually wants.

The comedy is another major highlight. The premise naturally creates situations that are awkward, unexpected, and occasionally ridiculous. And I think the drama understands how to use that. The humor comes from the contrast between Yeon-su's traditional mindset and Dal's much more open approach. Their conversations can be incredibly entertaining because they often have completely different interpretations of the same situation.

Overall, I absolutely loved Make Me Tingle.
It was such a refreshing experience, and I think its biggest strength is that it dares to be different. It challenges traditional expectations without making the story feel unnecessarily complicated. It embraces awkwardness, humor, and the idea that relationships do not have to follow a predetermined set of rules. And honestly, I think that is exactly what makes it so refreshing. It is a drama that feels like it has something different to offer.

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Where was this all my life

AAAAAAAAA
I love Alchemy of Souls. It's been a while since I watched it, so maybe the review won't be that in depth, but it left me with PTSD, and I still love it.

It was my first time watching Lee Jae-wook, and I really liked his acting in this! The chemistry of the main couple was CRAZY. Through the ROOF.
The story was perfect as well, also really unique, the whole fictional world. I really loved it.

Anyone who watches kdramas must watch this. What are kdramas without alchemy of souls??
I like to say, Alchemy of Souls has my soul, and Lovely Runner has my heart.

The ending left me with PTSD, and I was in physical pain from it for several days. As if I was the one who was stabbed. But I must say, season one was the only one worth watching, and you only watch season 2 because you can't let it end that way. Season 2 sucked tho, even if it at least left us with a happy ending. Watch till the rings scene in S1EP20, and just imagine it ended there. I like to imagine it just ended there. Would've been much better.

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KIM HYE-YOON

This was my first time watching Kim Hye-yoon, and I planned to watch Lovely Runner right after this, without knowing the FL is the same in both. And I LOVED finding out that she is, was super excited to watch more of her again. She became my favourite actress after watching the BTS and interviews of Lovely Runner. I should remember this is a review of No Tail To Tell, but no one can stop me from yapping about Lovely Runner and Kim Hye-yoon every chance I get.

The acting and cast is great, the story issss okay, good enough, nothing else really stands out, overall it was... okay... lol. Would recommend solely because everyone should watch Kim Hye-yoon LMAO. She carried it.

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Textbook Marriage-of-Convenience K-drama

This was, as the title says, a textbook marriage-of-convenience kdrama. The story was literally like every other drama in the category. But the interesting part was that they showed Korea as a monarchy in the present day.

I watched it for the cast, the actors are really good. Byeon Woo-seok and IU?? Sign me right up. Their chemistry was good as well, as well as that of the secondary couple. It was a nice watch, and importantly for me, the pacing was good as well.

Btw, the Gwangju from Alchemy of Souls??? The moment I saw him, I knew what was coming, lol.

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I would like to share with you all this little entry I wrote after watching the show.

This letter was written by Mishima's wig:

To my dearest Futoshi,

They cut you, they shame you, then call you divine.
One crumb of affection and everything’s fine.
You still love that boy, though I can’t fathom why.
Meanwhile, my bangs are greasy and my ends are bone-dry.
I was there when you cried. I was there through it all.
Now I shed when you so much as look at a wall.
I’m as stiff as Kirino’s acting. It’s getting quite tragic.
At this point, any conditioner would feel like magic.
For the sake of gayness, you’d forgive any crime.
My dearest Futoshi, some people deserve jail time.
Save a little of that tenderness for yourself and me.
And if you’re wondering what tenderness looks like, it’s a salon appointment. Preferably at three.

Yours truly,
Your wig

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As Perfect As Perfect Gets

When Lovely Runner first released back in 2024, I thought it was overrated and DNFed it after just the first episode. After giving it another shot two years later, it has become my all-time favourite out of all I've watched in my 9 years of watching kdramas, and I simply can't get over it.

Everything about it is just about as perfect as perfect gets. The plot, the characters, the chemistry, the writing, the DIALOGUE, the OST, the acting, the actors, even the BTS, God, I love it all.

I posted my whole review (handwritten, can't share images here) at https://www.reddit.com/r/lovelyrunner/s/CgNYZ9VZnE

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teach u lesson inspired by this

honestly just thought but
I'll say this is underrated bcz so many like teach u lesson so I think this drama deserves sum
although I understand the story is not fully developed bcz the main focus was not to devolp so many bonds the drama is good first it bored me but I'll say good to cure boredom

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Looked promising, was disappointing

Decided to watch this one as the synopsis sounded fun and it has been awhile since I watched a Seo Jin Guk drama.

It was disappointing to say the least. As a rom com watcher I was surprised how hard this one was to watch. The basic storyline is fun in theory but the execution wasn't done well and to be honest I found the characters very uncharming with no chemistry.

My favorite parts were just the virtual boyfriends like KangJun, Hongseok and Siwon.

Morally this drama is very low too - confiding and looking for comfort/advice from virtual (unreal) sources and encouraging relationships with multiple people at the same time.

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perfect story

this is so comforting I'll say
not so complicated but still amazing I loved every love story friendships and exes relationship too this is like a vanila butter .....
I just can't watch that season 2 bcz the cast change these s1 is aboulste I'll watch this again definitely!!!!!!!

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I feel disappointed.

I've been looking for ways to let out my thoughts and opinions and I'm glad MDL provided this.

I have lots of things to say but let me start with why this drama didn't go well with me.

I've always disliked dramas whose storyline are too common. I don't like dramas where the female lead has to chase the male lead. This drama even worsens my dislike because the supposed Male Lead already likes her. He's secretly been in love with her for years. So what's the problem with you taking the lead after she's given so many green light? I hate playing dumb and this Male lead keeps getting on my nerves.

I thought that was a personal issue so I kept going, just I like I did with When I Fly Towards You.

However, with every episode, I'm getting more pissed and it's very sad. I've been anticipating this drama since the first announcement was made because I've been a fan of the Female Lead since Love In The Cloud and Love Between Lines.

I keep trying to stay and watch but nooooo. The acting and storyline is a No for me.

I personally feel like there shouldn't have been a lot of couple in the drama. I hate dramas that have lots of couples. Can we just focus on the Lead? 2 Couples is enough for me. Having too many is stressful and it doesn't help in anyway.

Also, the character of Feifei is too common in East Asian dramas. I expected something different. Something more. The Storytelling is too poor. I'm so sad.

My expectations were very high but now, it's been cut short ridiculously.

I saw some reviews about the editing and shooting. Yes, that too. The cinematography is great at all. It all boils down to the storytelling.

I really hope I later enjoy this drama. I plan to keep going until I see them fall in love. I may probably enjoy it more when the Male Lead starts chasing the Female Lead.

Until then, this is where I drop my ink!

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