Reviews

Despite the high rating I'm so conflicted about this one

This one absolutely had me deep in my feels. And the story was more interesting than a lot of dramas. But I also found it frustrating to watch.

On the positive side, Earth is soooo dreamy when they let him play a grown ass man. I don't enjoy boyish roles for him, so this was peak (along with Moonlight Chicken). It was a good casting decision and he did a good job.

I cannot overstate the fabulousness of the coming out scene for Tian. I think it might be the best one in BL history. That alone made this worth watching!

The story was pretty interesting. There were kids, villagers, and a villainous overlord with more control issues than business sense. All very intriguing!

Now for the negatives. I liked the relationship development...to a point. There was good romantic development but then it got to be annoying to me. It was a slow burn but with some unnecessary complications. Slow burn is usually tension, catalyst, confession. This series was more of a tension, catalyst, no confession cycle ultimately leading to a confession very late in the storytelling.

Full disclosure, I'm not a fan of the final episode confession. I'd rather see the dating era of the MLs. It's admittedly complicated here, but I felt like I never really got to fully enjoy them being in love.

Also, some of the emotional moments needed to be edited down. I feel manipulated when shows drag out scenes they know will make you cry. That happened a few times here.

Overall I'd still recommend, but there was room for improvement.

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Ma Deong Seooookkk!!!

Got bored at work and surprisingly, I was able to finish a movie. LOL. 😂

I’ve seen one scene from this movie everywhere on my social media since IDK when, but I always knew I wanted to watch it one day. Well, today is that one day. 😂 And honestly, I had quite a lot of expectations going into this.

First, it’s made in Korea. Second, it has Ma Dong-seok. So yeah, I was expecting something good. 😂

And well, it did NOT disappoint.

It was such a quick watch that I didn’t even notice I was already done. The pacing was good, and even when the story slows down a little, there was always something that kept me interested.

Acting-wise, no questions. They did great. The cinematography? No questions again. Everything looked good, especially during the intense scenes.

For the storyline, I’m not really familiar enough with the subject to say whether everything was realistic, but one thing I know is that while watching it, I actually felt like, “Yeah, this could really be happening.” The way they delivered the story made it believable enough for me to get immersed in it.

Some might say the plot is predictable, and I honestly won’t disagree. You can probably figure out where some things are going. But even knowing that, the tension and the way the scenes were executed still kept me hooked. For me, that’s what matters. A predictable story can still be enjoyable if it knows how to build the tension and keep you invested.

And of course, having Ma Dong-seok there definitely helps. 😂 You already know you’re going to get those satisfying action moments, and he delivered.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable and easy watch. I came in with expectations because of all the clips I had seen online, and thankfully, it actually lived up to them.

Not bad for a random “I’m bored at work, let me watch a movie” decision. HAHAHAHA. 😂

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Just finished Against the Current and I genuinely don’t know how to put into words how wonderful this felt.

The storytelling, acting, narrative, cinematography—everything was so beautifully done. But what stayed with me most was the FL.

She’s intelligent, yes, but more than that, she’s wise. The kind of wisdom that made me stop and think, How does someone see things from so many different angles?

Things don’t always go according to her wishes, but she doesn’t waste herself fighting reality. She looks at the situation, understands the people involved, and finds the best way forward. Calmly. Thoughtfully. Often with nothing more than her words.

She doesn’t need a weapon, money, status, or brute power to be formidable. She can be delicate and still be powerful. She can be gentle and still navigate an entire world through understanding, diplomacy and sheer emotional intelligence.

A woman doesn’t have to become hard to become powerful.

I’ve only encountered this kind of FL once before—in A Prisoner of Beauty, which I love dearly.

And perhaps that’s why this drama felt so peaceful to watch. Not because nothing difficult happens, but because watching someone meet difficulty with wisdom instead of chaos is strangely comforting.

I wish I could feel this kind of peace every day.

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Should have focused on the story when they barely had 1.5hrs

The only reason I'm giving this a 3 is cz i see potential and I see what they were trying but failed.

This is how the story should have went from what I understood - Pruek and Natee have known each other since they were young cz of their moms being friends and have a crush on each other but both don't know about each other's feelings. Natee moves into Pruek's house for his education. Now he sees that Pruek is no longer the fun person he knew but now he has become a nagging old man. Days go by and the more time they spend together Natee realizes Pruek is just tsundere, rough on the outside but soft on the inside. Just when they begin to soften towards each other Sun enters and falls for Natee (half heartedly). This triggers pruek's insecurities which leads to misunderstanding and distance. While natee on the other hand also believes pruek doesn't love him and decided to leave. Years of bottled up feelings then burst open fearing losing natee, pruek finally confesses and they end up together... but fate had other plans.

I believe that it was supposed to be something super emotional like this but... failed horribly
Things that went bad according to me
- the whole series is literally 1 week worth of story. How do i know? Cz they kept saying let's meet tomorrow, tonight etc so day 1 tee comes home, day 2 goes to college and sun sees him, etc
- the background music was wayy too loud. It was dialogs were barely audible
- seemed like it was shot a decade ago and released now
- the camera person had no idea what he was doing. For example in the shower scene the camera is supposed to move with the actor's actions but brother ended up messing that and making things look off.
- NC scene the leads are having a intense kiss and the camera man is focusing on their torso which is barely moving 🙃 like he just forgot he was shooting
- also from what we saw during the NC phruek was the bottom which was shocking to me but then i was like well works.. but then the next morning bro is saying all the top dialogs (not hints but literally) did they forget who was the top or bottom or... if they're a switch that's a really bad way to show it
- the 2nd couple's kiss. That kiss was wayy too intense for a 1st accidentally drunk kiss. Idk wth the director was thinking
- the scene where natee comes back home drunk. Why the hell did phruke take off all his cloths?? Bro didn't even vomit🙄 he was the same guy who didn't wanna see him with his shorts and this was 2 days later. The whole wiping him off reason just didn't seem right. I was kinda disgusted when he did that and he didn't bother putting pants on him (those pants shown in those scenes are safety pants visible cz of bad camera angles)
- phruke feeling jealous seemed more psychopathic than jealous especially when he tried to make up the next day
- both leads really need to work on their acting. It was BAD
- The ending🙄 absolutely unnecessary
- the whole college track also absolutely unnecessary they could have spent more time showing both the couple and their story. Both couples barely had any screentime together

What was good
- the female friend, i think her acting was the best off all. She was cute
- the 2nd couple's story seemed fun until the unexpected intense kiss. But they barely has 5 mins in the series

Overall not good. The 3 is for the potential not for the drama

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The Difficult Business of Living

Xu Lanxiang begins Against the Current with a fairly modest ambition.

Live.

Forty seven episodes later, this has involved two identities, several households, employment problems, marriage problems, family problems, political problems, pirates, and at least one man discovering that an imperial decree is not, in fact, a substitute for courtship.

Living is complicated.

Fortunately, Against the Current is very good at complications.

Its greatest strength is that the world around Lanxiang never feels like scenery waiting for a heroine.

People work here. Money matters. Reputation has practical consequences.

Marriage can change a woman's entire material existence. Family can protect you until protecting you becomes inconvenient. Servitude determines where you can go, what you can refuse and who gets to decide what happens next.

Even survival has administration.

It takes its time. If watching people live sounds less interesting than waiting for the plot to arrive, forty seven episodes may feel considerably longer than forty seven episodes.

Lanxiang fits this world beautifully.

She's intelligent without developing supernatural competence by episode twelve, resilient without treating compromise as moral failure and proud without becoming allergic to help. Sometimes she wins. Sometimes she gets outplayed. Sometimes the smartest available move is simply surviving long enough to have better options later.

Tan Songyun understands the assignment. Anger gets swallowed. Fear becomes calculation. Grief waits because something more urgent needs doing.

The women around her are equally well observed. Madam Lin, Guihua, Xiuwan, Cuique, Xingtang. Different positions, different resources, different ideas about what can and cannot be endured.

Zhao Xingtang could easily have become a thesis with excellent hairpins. Instead Li Meng gives us someone intelligent, wounded, perceptive, selfish and occasionally appalling.

She remains a person.

Much better.

That's Against the Current at its best. It doesn't ask whether these women are strong. It asks what strength is worth under different circumstances. Sometimes quite a lot. Sometimes very little.

Liu Xueyi's Jinqi is another good example, at least initially.

He arrives intelligent, arrogant, observant, politically capable and just amused enough by most of humanity to be entertaining.

He's also a man accustomed to power, which matters more than the drama sometimes seems willing to admit.

Jinqi can convince himself that deciding for someone is the same thing as protecting them. The imperial decree is the obvious culmination of that.

He's wrong. Lanxiang knows it. Eventually, so does he.

I liked the growth. I was less convinced by how thoroughly the later writing domesticated the man having it.

Early Jinqi feels like somebody produced by his world: soldier, eldest grandson, political animal, a man for whom hierarchy is ordinary and power is something you use. Watching him learn restraint is interesting precisely because restraint doesn't come naturally.

He should change. The problem is that somewhere along the way the writing begins confusing growth with sanding.

By the later stretch, some of those rough edges, along with his politics, ambition and alarming competence, have been polished down enough that I could see the romantic ideal arriving.

I preferred the flawed man.

Liu Xueyi, fortunately, plays both.

The romance is less convincing to me than the relationship.

Romance isn't the drama's primary concern, nor did I need it to be. But secondary doesn't mean dramatically irrelevant.

Jinqi's feelings are easy to follow. Lanxiang's take considerably longer, as they should. Trust accumulates, reliance becomes mutual, and I can believe these are two people who know each other well enough to build a life together.

Whether the drama quite convinced me they needed to, given their history and how they came together, is another question.

But the writers chose that direction. Once they did, the relationship deserved more than a convincing foundation. It deserved the emotional payoff that foundation had been building towards.

The graveyard scene finally brings them somewhere new. Lanxiang understands something about Jinqi she hadn't before, and the possibility of a different relationship between them opens up.

And then the drama starts skipping time.

That's precisely the stretch I wanted it not to skip.

Not because I needed more romance, but because I wanted to see understanding become attraction, and attachment become love. Instead, the drama is much better at showing me why Lanxiang trusts Jinqi than when, or quite how, she falls in love with him.

The performances create warmth, intimacy and platonic familiarity, but that final shift into romantic attraction remains implied rather than written. Two or three carefully chosen scenes might have been enough.

Tan Songyun and Liu Xueyi are skilled enough individually to fabricate the rapport the writing leaves between the lines, and I remained invested anyway.

I'm not entirely sure the writing would have been so fortunate with another pair.

This is also roughly where my problems with the second half begin.

Early Against the Current is comfortable with unpleasant choices. People compromise for understandable reasons. Good intentions produce ugly consequences. Women living under the same restrictions respond to them completely differently.

Later, things become tidier.

Not bad. Just tidier.

Lanxiang's empowerment becomes more explicit, and she gradually becomes a character the script seems determined to prove right. Characters occasionally fail to notice things for exactly as long as the next twist requires. Some promising ideas are introduced with more conviction than they're developed.

The script starts showing its hand.

I preferred when it kept the cards closer.

Visually, though, this world is superb.

Rooms feel inhabited rather than arranged. Clothing communicates status without turning everyone into a fashion editorial. Courtyards, doors and seating arrangements establish power before anybody says a word.

And yes, people have pores.

We remain grateful.

All that care makes it more noticeable when the thinking inside this carefully constructed world feels less rooted in it.

My issue isn't that these characters resist the values of their time. People have always resisted the worlds they were born into, and historical dramas have always used the past to speak to the present. The best ones do.

But if you're going to make me take this social world seriously, and Against the Current very much does, then I also want to feel what growing up inside it has done to these people.

The inherited belief you can't quite discard. The compromise you hate but still make. Knowing something is unjust and knowing you still have to live tomorrow.

The drama can be excellent at this.

And then, especially later, someone arrives at an impressively clean conclusion while all that historical conditioning quietly leaves the room.

Possible? Certainly. As interesting? Not even close.

The politics never quite reach the same level either. Give this drama a household and it knows exactly who speaks, who stays silent, who pays, who inherits, who gets protected and who becomes expendable.

Give it the imperial court and things get considerably fuzzier.

Bigger stakes. Less interesting power.

The cast rarely has the same problem.

There isn't really a weak performance worth complaining about. Tan Songyun carries Lanxiang without making restraint monotonous. Liu Xueyi gives Jinqi enough presence that his later narrowing feels like a writing decision rather than a performance problem. Li Meng is a particular standout in an excellent supporting cast, and the ensemble gives the whole thing the feeling that everyone had a life before the camera arrived.

The cinematography and direction are equally assured.

Even the music mostly knows when to shut up.

Which leaves me with a drama I liked enough to be irritated by.

There are worse problems.

Because underneath the uneven politics, compressed stretches and occasional urge to make its ideas cleaner than its people, Against the Current remains unusually interested in something costume dramas often rush past:

the difficult business of building a life.

Lanxiang begins with one instruction.

Live.

At first, that means surviving because there is no other option.

Work gives her something. Money gives her something. Other people give her something. Love eventually does too.

None makes her completely free.

Together, they give her room.

"Live" begins as an instruction given to a young woman with almost nothing left.

The drama ends only after she has done exactly that.

Not merely survived.

Lived.

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Meh.

So here I am, I was able to finish this series. 😂

Honestly, I’m here for Shane “Frame” because I already loved him in Love Sick 2024. And again, I have to admit that I usually found myself focusing on FrameBook’s screentime. 😂

One thing I was kind of uncomfortable with was the casting of Tee and Fuse. It’s not really the age gap itself that concerns me, but the fact that the actor playing Tee is already 21, while Fuse is only 15. One is already a legal adult while the other is still a minor. Yes, there weren’t really any mature scenes in the series, but there were still moments where they were quite touchy. I just wish the casting had been more mindful of that, especially since this is a high-school setting. Having the cast within a similar age bracket would have made me feel more comfortable watching their interactions.

Acting-wise, there’s still a lot of room for improvement. But I also understand that this is the first project for most of them, so I’m still hopeful that we’ll get to see these familiar faces again in future projects with more experience and improved acting. They definitely have potential.

For the storyline, I honestly can’t remember much from the 2016 version, but I’m pretty sure a lot was omitted here, and I think that’s fine. However, since this is a remake, of course I was expecting a little more from it. Especially in today’s era, there are so many resources available to make a remake stand out. But unfortunately, there wasn’t much that gave me that “WOW” feeling throughout the series.

So, in summary... I don’t even know what story I was rooting for while watching this. HAHAHAHA. 😂

I was just here supporting the babies. That’s it. That was my storyline. 😭😂

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You must live well

While this could have turned into a straightforward revenge story, "Against the Current" tells a more complicated tale of how a young woman in Ming Dynasty-ish times must survive after her entire family is destroyed by order of the emperor at the time (modeled after Zhu Di). From servant, to maid, to free woman and finally marchioness, Shen Jialan/Xu Lanxiang becomes entangled with her former betrothed Lin Jinqi, and throughout the story they learn to forgive, to love and to fight for what they believe in for themselves and their family.

The script does better than most in C period dramas in fleshing out the various characters (particularly female characters) that inhabit this world. Unfortunately, on a more technical level, it also resorts to some clunky exposition and head-scratching moments here and there. The direction, however, is fairly solid and elicits some true emotion and meaning in some key places: the opener is particularly memorable and tragic, and the depiction of the Ming court is nuanced and refreshingly does not hold back in its critique of power and how it corrupts.

The cast do a fantastic job of bringing their characters to life - although, I'd have to say that the leads' romance is a bit too constrained or even absent in the narrative (e.g. when they consummate their marriage, there is no build up). After the huge disappointment that was The Unclouded Soul, I am glad to see Tan Songyun much more engaged with this role. And finally, I think I found a drama where I can watch Liu Xueyi contentedly and not hate on the drama as a whole.

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THIS is how you write a female lead

This is is exactly the kind of historical drama I have been waiting for.
And I think the biggest compliment I can give it is this: finally, a drama where the romance is not the entire story.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the relationship between Xu Lanxiang and Lin Jinqi. But what made me love this drama so much is that their romance never completely takes over the narrative. There is an entire world happening around them: family, social status, injustice, politics, survival, loyalty, ambition, revenge, and, most importantly, Lanxiang's own journey toward becoming the person she wants to be.

The story begins with Shen Jialan, the granddaughter of a powerful family, whose entire life collapses when her family is falsely accused of treason. To survive, she takes on the identity of Xu Lanxiang, the deceased daughter of servants who once owed a debt of gratitude to her mother, and enters the Lin household as a low-ranking maid. The cruel irony is that the Lin family is also the family of her former fiancé, Lin Jinqi.

It is a classic "from riches to rags" setup, but what I really appreciated is that the drama doesn't reduce Lanxiang to a poor woman waiting for a man to rescue her.
Lanxiang saves herself.
She is intelligent, observant, resilient and, above all, incredibly determined. She understands the limitations imposed on her by her new identity, but she refuses to let those limitations define her. She learns how to survive inside a completely different social world, how to deal with people who have more power than her, and how to recognize opportunities without losing herself in the process.
And watching her gradually regain control over her own life is far more satisfying to me than simply watching her fall in love.Lanxiang is constantly moving against circumstances that should have completely destroyed her. Every time the story seems to tell her that she has no choice, she finds another way forward.
Lanxiang experiences the world from the bottom of the social hierarchy, and that changes the way she sees people. She encounters kindness, cruelty, hypocrisy and genuine loyalty. More importantly, she learns that status does not necessarily determine someone's worth.
The Lin household itself becomes an important part of the story, with its own relationships, conflicts, expectations and power dynamics. Lanxiang has to navigate all of this while keeping her true identity hidden, and that creates plenty of tension without needing the romance to carry every episode.

The romance is important, but it is only one piece of the puzzle.
And honestly, thank you.
The relationship between Lanxiang and Lin Jinqi works better because the drama allows both characters to have lives outside of each other. Their relationship develops alongside everything else that is happening, rather than replacing it.
I also really liked that their relationship is not simply about instant attraction.
There is history between them, but their circumstances completely change the way they see one another. Jinqi has to confront the reality of Lanxiang's situation, while Lanxiang has to decide how much she can trust him and what she actually wants from her relationship with him.

And then we have the female characters, which deserve a special mention.
One of the things I appreciated most about this drama is that the women don't simply exist to compete for the male lead.
Their relationships, choices and personal struggles have weight of their own. Characters such as Zhao Xingtang add another layer to the story and help make the world feel much bigger than the central couple. The drama is interested in how women survive within a society that constantly tells them what their place should be.

Overall, Against the Current was a wonderful surprise for me. It has romance, but it also has family drama, social commentary, political intrigue, personal growth, revenge, survival and some genuinely interesting characters.
Finally, a historical drama where the romance is part of the journey rather than the destination.
And that is probably why I enjoyed it so much.
I came for the costume drama and the romance.
I stayed for Lanxiang.
And by the end, I cared much more about watching this woman take back control of her own life than I did about simply seeing her get the man.

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Almost a Masterpiece

This is the first C-Drama in a long time that kept me captivated every second of the way - yes, even during the fifteenth feminisim speech. It was still THAT good. Characters you truly cared for. Well-rounded and beautiful storytelling. Deaths were not used as a shock value plot device, but carefully thought out, immersive, and reflective. Love was everywhere, as was hate. Villains were well structured and you could literally feel what they felt during their breakdowns and actions. There are a few sore spots that unfortunately rob this important and legendary drama from a score of ten, for me personally. First of all. us cdra,a fans are used to sprinkles of buddhism, taoism and daoism in our dramas. That is to be expected. Other religions were present in ancient China but CCP regulations oppress those religions so you will not see any representation of them. That said, Against the Current is overtly Buddhist. I mean, Buddha was an unpaid cast member and you have to suspend your belief that much mroe when Buddha is supposedly making all these moves in th ebackground. The Buddhism is heavy handed, and a constant worldview. If you have any discomfort with Buddhism or take any issue with Buddha, it does impact your ability to enjoy the drama. The scriptwriter is clearly a devout Buddhist and wants the audience to follow suit. Second, the romance is unbalanced to the point of feeling painful. The lead actress is amazing, and the main character has lots of internal growth but her POV is rarely divulged; we are left to infer what she thinks and feels. She is an acts of service gal but thirty plus episodes of the male lead preaching his devotion and love to her and we cannot get even ONE SINGLE whipser of a kind word in return, that is very frustrating. This could have been an epic romance (besides 'not being a romace', it was marketed as one) if she even matched half his energy. She would cry, she would hug, she would run, but the dialogue was nonexistent from her. This was really HER story, but we grew with the ML instead. We were indifferent, then laughed at him, then hated him, then loved him. There is speculation that the feminist undertones prevented her from ever expressing love for him, but other couples had it, so why can't she? That was the biggest letdown and prevented me, in clear conscience, from awarding a 10. However, the cast was stellar, the performances were memorable, and I laughed, cried, and reflected on life. This is a very special drama.

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A capable woman doesn’t require a diminished man.

Strong opening, then disappointing. The Shen family women’s death scene and the identity swap were great. After that, it’s downhill.

It uses a historical lens when it benefits her stakes (treason means wiping out the whole clan) and swaps to a modern lens when it needs her to win (she slaps the hell out of him in front of his family at the wedding, withholds sex, acts as a lawyer, and so on). Without the lens change, the slap, the withholding, and the defense of the abused wife would have earned her, at the very minimum, a beating. He didn’t have to be softened to make her strong. A capable woman doesn’t require a diminished man.

The Lins broke the engagement because standing with a family condemned for treason would have gotten them killed too. What were they supposed to do? The show treats it as Jinqi’s fault and a moral failure of the Lin family, and as her reason, other than the arranged marriage (another jump to a modern lens), for her actions.

It’s also very unevenly paced. Painfully slow at points, then it jumps ahead years. I thought I had skipped an episode when she finally relented on consummation. After 30-something episodes of making a point of her withholding, don’t we deserve to see her decision to change her mind? (I don’t mean the act itself).

Finally, it’s billed as a romance. That’s intellectually dishonest. The couple is mostly there to make a point. I’ll give it credit for showing just how bad things were by modern standards, but that isn’t what I started watching for.

I like the actor and actress. They did a good job. My criticism is of the structure of the drama itself.

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50% Infuriating 50% Good

Cast ... They were very good.
Characters ... Most were good.
Quality/sound etc. ... Overall, good.
Storyline ... Heartbreaking.

I got so angry watching this. It may be a personal issue as my own experience, my empathy/emotions, overtook my ability to enjoy the first half of this show. The FL and her families' reactions and the way they delt with the situation felt all too real.

The FL. I thought she was fantastic. I believed her character and empathized with her. I was impressed by how strong she was. I would not be as strong and resolute, but her character was believable. The numbness and utter despair were heartbreaking to watch. I was impressed by her mental aptitude.

The ML. Infuriating. He was written as an intelligent, diligent and focused character, yet he was nonsensical. He and his family were unashamed, irresponsibly absentminded, and selfish. I wonder if my personal preference was what made me finish this show. I enjoyed him visually and found his chemistry with the FL intriguing. That was very shallow, and I am upset (with myself) that was what made me continue to watch. I did find his personal story heartbreaking, so I felt some empathy towards him, but it was sadly overshadowed.

The other characters were written well. I liked their realistic, not overly dramatic way of dealing with certain situations. Some side stories and characters seemed unnecessary.

If the writer wanted me to feel anger and hatred, that was successful, but I think they pushed it too far and for too long. It was almost irredeemable and as I said, my female brain overtook my judgment.

But, overall, I enjoyed the ending and felt satisfied.

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A story of a woman's success.

It was a great series. I watched it with curiosity and excitement from start to finish. It is yet another story of a woman's success—at least, that’s how I view it. This is a common theme in Chinese dramas; I’ve watched many of them, yet I still love this genre. Stories about achieving success—whether the protagonist is male or female—resonate with me. They capture my interest and feel worth watching, though I am particularly drawn to stories of female success.
This series tells the story of a young woman who loses her parents and close relatives; she grows up in a poor family that has lost its own daughters and eventually manages to reclaim her former status. I enjoyed it.
The cast was excellent, too. I particularly liked how well-suited the lead actors were for their roles and the chemistry between them. The supporting cast was wonderful as well; the young actors, in particular, showed great promise.
There were some simplistic elements in the show, however. I dislike attempts to drag out such a beautiful series with an interesting premise using cheap plot devices or clumsy, tacked-on transitions.
For instance, bringing back a woman who was presumed dead just to cause trouble and extend the episode count was a lazy idea. I didn't like it, and I docked points for that reason. A note to the screenwriters: please don't disrupt the flow of the story, don't use "patchwork" writing, and please avoid tacking on new additions later in the game.
Despite these minor flaws, I really enjoyed watching it. I would certainly recommend it to viewers who enjoy this type of story.

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Shadow Punisher: A Detective Series Worth Watching

“Shadow Punisher” is exactly the kind of series you want to watch without looking away, admiring every frame. With each episode, the intrigue builds, and you feel as if you’re piecing together a puzzle alongside Li Si: one detail, one glance—and a new version of events appears.

Luo Yunxi as Li Si is a pleasure all its own. There is so much wisdom and depth in his character.

I’m also especially impressed by how the atmosphere is crafted: there is so much mystery in every frame that you want to examine every detail.

For fans of Luo Yunxi’s talent, this series is a chance to see their favorite actor in a new light, while for detective fans it’s an excellent choice for a pleasant evening, when you want to immerse yourself in a mystery and watch it all gradually unfold.

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The art of becoming.

It’s a story about how often women have no say in making decisions, but also need to face the consequences of the decisions men made. How not only do they survive, but learn how to thrive in any environment. This is not a story about revenge, but a story about adaptation of oneself to the environment, but also their environment to their own goals. I appreciated how the drama tried to keep some balance and realism to the positive outcomes - you don’t always get all you wanted, but you are satisfied with the result you were able to achieve. At times it was sad to watch how even women use the vulnerability of being a woman against each other, but that also added more interesting layers of depth to analyze. Women are neither good nor bad, as people are neither good nor bad. A person’s nature is complex and has to be judged individually.

I think we all agree that Lan Xiang was the heart of the story. She might have been more stoic and reserved, but she was not a stagnant and passive character. She observed her surroundings and acted according to what's best for her survival. She is the person that teaches by example, that stands by her morals. That seeks peace and resolution, not pity fights and revenge.

She was the heart and brains of the story, but what’s more important, she was the storyteller. She was not really a central character, but rather a central storyteller. None of her personal stories are truly explored, but she is there to convey what other people struggle with, bring solutions, and empathize. And most of the things that development wise would be important for her character happen in the "time skips" or are presented with one scene solution. They often showed turning points, but never the actual development. Be it how her relationship with Lin Jin Qi changed after marriage, how she was accepted by Lin elders, how her personal goals and dreams developed. Her role in the drama is not necessarily a bad thing, but because her situation was in fact so complex - both internally and externally, I just crave for more focus on her as an individual.

That said, I do appreciate how consistently she was used throughout the show to convey all these amazing stories. Be it the tragic end of the Shen family, the hardships of the servants, the misguided pride and need for power with noble ladies, the maturity that comes with experiencing hardships. Each character had a specific role in the drama, specific life lesson and, in a sense, advice that was given to the audience. Some of my favorite supporting characters were Lin Xiu Ru, Lin Xiu Wan, Zhao Xing Tang, Ji'er and surprisingly Grandpa Lin.

I think both Xiu Ru and Xiu Wan exceeded any expectations I had. The way their stories were not stereotypical and both had amazing, yet such a distinctively different development was just beautiful. Xiu Ru, who was extremely smart and observant, yet so timid at first, found her voice and confidence. Xiu Wan who was spoiled and did not care for the consequences, learned how to depend on others, but also help them if needed, without losing her spark and want for freedom. I adore how the shy lady was not also this naive wallflower - she had all her strength from the start, she just had to learn how to use them. Or how the silly and free spirited one did not get a complete character change into a mature lady - she was still a bit childish by the end, but also good natured.

Even grandpa Lin was such a surprise. I think many of us were ready to send him to hell for what happened in episode one, but I love how the drama slowly was able to present the events from his perspective. He might have been more strict and seemed cold, but he was also wise and cared deeply for his family. He understood the dangers of politics and the consequences one might face if they get too deeply involved. Truth to be told, I believe he was far more similar to Lan Xiang, than Lan Xiang’s actual father.

Then we have Ji'er. What a journey. I honestly think her arc was the most moving of them all. She was never a bad person, but she was someone who was competitive and felt like they always had to find new opportunities and use them. With lack of experience and young age she was not able to correctly assess risks and that brought her trouble. She was naive and childish in how she viewed the world, and then the world made her mature in drastic circumstances. But she never lost that spark and drive. She just redirected it into more reliable and honest ways.

Even during her maid era, she was spoiled and made many mistakes, but she was never evil. She did think about herself first on many occasions, but in a really honest way.

And then when we witnessed the brothel era - she could easily turn bitter, and even blame Lan Xiang for not stopping her in the past. But she knew it was partially her fault, and instead she was grateful remembering how Lan Xiang actually did try to warn her and cared for her. And now she decided to help her back even if the risks are high.

I also adore how she truly was the only person who treated Lan Xiang exactly the same whenever she was a maid or now Lin madame. She was the only one who did not care for the title and saw the person in front of her.

"Not as a maid of the Lin Residence, not as Young Lady Shuang, not as Concubine Lu. I want to truly live as Lu Ji'er once. (...) From this day forward, the person who will treat me best in this world is myself"

And can we talk about Liu Mei Han? What a performance. I think she stole the show for me. I love every second of her acting and how expressive and raw it was. I cry even thinking about that scene in the brothel.

While I enjoyed all the positive supporting women in the show, I have to say I was completely captivated by Zhao Xing Tang - what a perfect performance with intense and complex writing. She was not a good person, but she was not bad at the core. She was also trapped in her position and wanted freedom. I think making her illiterate was such a brilliant writing choice - the ultimate wall that stopped her from truly being free. Unable to read or write any documents, even if given a way to enrich herself, she would still need to rely on someone for all the paperwork, she would be unable to do it herself. A perfect example of a bird in a golden cage given as a gift to whomever benefited the family the most, abandoned when deemed to bring no value.

For the man, sadly I do not have much to say? Most of them existed as either love interest, or the antagonists against the female characters. Even our male lead does not truly present much complexity. Don’t get me wrong, I really like Lin Jin Qi. I loved how he did have actual flaws, how he was at times extremely selfish and impulsive. How he always wanted to gain first and deal with potential consequences later. That led to realistic and slow paced development with him learning how and when to give up his desires and ideals, how to focus on what truly matters, how to be patient.

I also really liked his dynamics with Jiu Gao and Nan Ke. On the topic, Nan Ke was such an unexpected comedy king. I am curious if he found all the butterflies already.

I am not sure how I feel about romance though. The build up and anticipation was one of the best I have seen in any slow burn romance, but the payoff was just heavily discounted. I am not really mad that I never, not once felt like Lan Xiang truly romantically loved Lin Jin Qi. I think she loved him, but she was not in love with him. She cared for him, she admired his strength, she appreciated his character, but she was never in love with him. On paper I love it, and I find it a realistic and fascinating subject to explore, but in the drama the set up made me anticipate something more grand.

But I also love how smart the big picture of the story is with her family’s fate in the past and how the fate of her, Lin Jin Qi and Scholar Han concluded. By all means the ending mirrors the past - Lin Jin Qi did not care for the grand morals and political integrity, he made choices that let him come back to his family. Scholar Han could not abandon his principals and would rather die, leaving his family alone to deal with the consequences. Isn't that exactly what happened with the Shen and Lin families in the opening of the drama? Isn’t that just amazing writing?

Best romance though? Xiuwan and Xie Zhao.

For the schemes, the focus was on the smaller politics between social classes - on how lower class lives and how the nobles’ decisions impact them. Even if the story dived more into court politics, it was still all mostly contained in how it affects the characters we follow in a local area.

The production had many amazing touches that enhanced the quality of viewing. One aspect I truly loved was how they kept highlighting the contrast between different character’s environments and their current situation. A good example of it was the wedding between Lin Jin Qi and Zhao Xing Tang, while Lan Xiang was suffering alone. Or Lan Xiang leaving Lin’s home with her newly found freedom while Zhao Xing Tang is being shipped to the capital for another unwanted marriage. Mixing scenes that emotionally have contrasting messages was an extremely effective way to emphasize the impact they are supposed to have on the viewer.

I also liked how they didn’t verbalize everything that was happening and every decision that was made by the characters. They showed details and assumed you would get it from the context. Or how they framed the characters with architecture, which made the scenes feel fuller.

And then we have to talk about the acting - almost perfect casting. I had almost no complaints. Almost. We get back to it later, for now let’s just focus on the positives. First of all, Tan Song Yun has a more stoic and grounded character, over the more hype one she often plays, which was an amazing choice for her career development. She shined so much as Lan Xiang. Especially during the “silent suffering” scenes - perfectly capturing the deep pain she felt while trying to control it and keep it inside.

And did Liu Xue Yi graduate from toxic male lead into soft potato? Because that role fits him so much more than anything he has played (or at least anything I watched with him). Give this man more roles when he just has to look at the female lead with soft eyes full of love, let’s skip the glaring and smirking - that can be used for the villains. This man delivers being in love so well, I was left speechless and breathless.

I did have some issues though - not ones that would strongly influence my watching experience and the rating, yet ones worth mentioning.

I heard some sentiments in comments that this drama is anti-men, but for me it’s completely uninterested in men, which might be actually worse writing wise. When a show focuses on showing men in a negative light, they might still write complex and compelling villains with it, but here we got none of that. The men were by all means just props to tell women’s stories and I’m not sure how I feel about it. You can have a drama that centers around womanhood, and still have well written and interesting male characters. Except for male lead, I’d say all the other men had good moments, but in general were just… fine.

I also truly believe Lan Xiang was too perfect of a character. One could say her flaw was the fact she always took the burden of helping others without complaining and asking for help, but I disagree. Not only did she ask for help and cooperate with people around her, she rarely ever truly fixed things herself - she actually knew how to use her support system extremely well. Yes, she was the mastermind for the majority of solutions, but it was a natural course since she was in fact written to be the most intelligent character in the whole series. I think her taking charge was less about her not wanting to ask for help, and more the result of the character’s strength. I truly wished to watch her make at least one major mistake that would lead her to deal with the consequences, whether internal or external. But it never happened. She always made the correct assessment, she always managed to help others.

What’s more, I think they ended the show with the weakest villain out of all they presented throughout the drama. Du Cui Que just ain’t it. She was the most flat in both writing and delivery, her motivations were the most obvious and stereotypical and she did not have the presence to give us the high stakes ending. She did go with the bang at the end though, gotta give her that.

The biggest flaw that was actually infuriating in one of the episodes - time jumps. I am sorry, but the number of time jumps we had, and how ill fitted they were for the flow of the story was crazy. What do you mean you hit me with “6 months later” after a major revelation/confession? What do you mean you won’t show me the actual aftermath of it and how the characters dealt with it? Episode 39 was a whole ass math exercise to keep track of how much time passed.

I think they were a little bit too ambitious with the timeframe of the story. The period of the time they wanted to cover just did not work, whenever we talk about transitions between certain eras, or the casting. I see these young actresses that have baby faces making them look like they are in their teen years, but the characters tell me they are in their mid thirties. Can I ignore reality and what I see to this extent? Not really, no.

For me, the story should have ended when Lan Xiang took over the Lin’s household - a powerful and fitting conclusion. All that followed after seemed unnecessary and did not expand on the story nor the characters at all. I think they were so hyperfocused on that touching ending and showcasing truly the whole life of Lan Xiang, they kind of lost the plot, or rather the idea of how to tell it and how to get that dreamed ending scene and conclusion. I do appreciate the “many years later” at the end, instead of giving us the specific number. No one knows how many years have passed, they knew the math was gone and we were lost good 15 episodes ago.

And honestly, the scene of all the ladies together right after offing Lin Jin Qi kind of did leave a bad taste in my mouth. What I liked about the show were the moments of brotherhood, sisterhood and partnership. I liked the moments when it was focused on being a good person and helping others in need. So this shot after the lead man of the show died, with no man in frame… with Xiuwan standing next to a freaking horse and not her husband? What’s going on? It would be a great scene… but it was so poorly timed I just rolled my eyes. You gotta put something between these two scenes.

Overall, it’s still an amazing watch. Might be a bit overly ambitious and that’s where the majority of the issues come from, but emotionally it had such a strong impact on me, and I was so impressed with how well connected the motivations and events were from different periods of the story, I just cannot care too much about the flaws I saw. Highly recommended for sure.

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