I was expecting a fun/funny time-travel drama in which the protagonist accidentally gets transported from the modern world to the Tang Dynasty, Initially, the story went very much as expected, and this may or may not be a great thing. On the one hand, I do enjoy the time-travel part of the drama, with the protagonist using his modern knowledge to get his way around in the past. On the other hand, when things fall within expectations, there is hardly any surprise.

But the series comes with some surprises. And this may or may not be a good thing once again. For about half the series, we see the more innocent side of the main characters. The Crown Prince whom the protagonist meets is a reasonable and righteous person, and we have typical rom-com vibes with two couples. However, after we have gotten used to the general rom-com trajectory of the story and characterisation, the series takes a dark turn. It makes some of the important characters more nuanced and rounded, showing a more realistic picture of political figures. Yet, the viewer has not been watching a drama about political intrigue for about half the series, so the shift becomes hard to swallow.

On their own, the two parts of the series are quite well done and engaging. Nevertheless, it doesn't work out that well when put together. Then there is the rushed and clumsy ending with (spoiler coming .........) the protagonist sustaining a fatal injury, This part was unnecessary. To make matters worse, he is transported back to the modern world seemingly because of the fatal injury (apparently it is impossible for him to die in the past) ... and his physical injuries disappear when he finds himself back in the modern world. (??!!) And while he does not magically get dressed in Tang-dynasty dressing when he travels to the past, his Tang dressing and fake hair conveniently get replaced by modern clothes and his original hairstyle when he returns to the modern era. I was almost expecting the series to end with some silly "it was all a dream" nonsense.

There is an additional 5-minute segment for the finale that seems to have been released separately from the final episode. This is where we get a happy ending, with the protagonist time-traveling back (we don't know how) to the Tang Dynasty and reuniting with his lover. (Time travel gets rid of fatal injuries?)

The drama is overall an interesting watch, and there is a lot to like about it. However, I wish the story had been steered back from its darker turn, which will make it more coherent as a whole.