How Dare You!?

✨Mischievous Besties, Multiverse Madness & Cheng Lei’s Weaponized Eye Smolder✨

This has been sitting on my PTW list for what feels like a geological era.

The visuals? Visualing. Relentlessly. Every frame looks like it went through a “make it extra” committee and got unanimous approval. I love how the drama pays tribute to the donghua adaptation while still carving out its own identity. It doesn’t feel derivative — it feels celebratory. CL and WCR absolutely understood the assignment.
The overall energy is very much “mischievous besties accidentally causing chaos while low-key saving the country,” and I am having tons of fun.

At its core, we’re dealing with a transmigration story — but not the basic, single-layer kind. This one plays with multiple levels of reality, and the plot unfolds in a way that feels deceptively light at first. It starts off playful and unserious, almost familiar… and then gradually reveals more complexity and emotional layering. Gotta love that.

The chemistry between the leads? As expected: chef’s kiss. CL and WCR bring so much texture to their roles. And yes, we get Cheng Lei’s signature eye-smolder-and-suffer-in-silence package deal. His portrayal of the “mad tyrant” is magnetic — intense, wounded, slightly unhinged, but deeply human. Add the fact that he fell first and harder? That’s the good stuff. That’s the premium subscription tier of romance angst.

That said, I do feel some frustration in the middle stretch. There were moments where the leads seemed to drift into supporting-character territory due to limited screen time, which slightly disrupted the emotional momentum for me.

I’m currently on episode 20 and genuinely enjoying the ride.

But I still can’t say this drama is giving me butterflies.

It’s nice. It’s charming. It’s the kind of show I’ll happily watch instead of working on my papers… but not the kind that hijacks my entire nervous system. I’m invested, just not unwell about it.

Maybe not every drama has to rearrange my brain chemistry. Some can just be… good company.

We’ll see if it eventually decides to emotionally attack me..

Now, about the ending. Given that this is technically a transmigration drama, censorship realities limit the possible conclusions. We’ve already had subtle hints suggesting “maybe we’re fictional characters who transmigrated into a story,” which introduces a double — maybe triple? — layered reality situation. Are we in a story inside a story inside a story? Is this narrative inception? Who knows. I’m cautiously predicting an ADWAD-style resolution, but I’m really hoping they commit to a satisfying and emotionally coherent finale.

I’ll be back with a full verdict once I finish.

Cheers.

✨UPDATE✨

Finished it — overall, a decent and fairly engaging watch.

The leads were adorable and emotionally mature. No dragged-out breakups. Just communication and loyalty, which was refreshing.

The tragic deaths hit as expected. The SFL was a highlight and deserves more roles.

I was invested, but no butterflies. The romance occasionally felt diluted by side plots I wasn’t interested in, which flattened the emotional impact for me.

The ending went full ADWAD — triple-layered reality confirmed. Inside the book world, the leads get a satisfying conclusion. In the modern world? A last-minute reunion.

Sir.

For this genre, we technically got more closure than LGIEF gave us, so I’ll acknowledge that. But I cannot pretend I didn’t want more. Show me the reunion properly. Show me the conversations. Show me the emotional unpacking. Especially from ML’s perspective. He returned a decade earlier than FL. A whole decade. I need answers. How did he track her down? What was he thinking all those years? What did it feel like to remember everything alone? The narrative potential was right there. Maybe censorship made extended modern resolution too sensitive territory — maybe not. Hard to say. But it does feel like we only got the appetizer of what could have been a very satisfying epilogue.

Overall, 8 - 8.25 for me. Strong performances and visuals, ambitious concept — just occasionally flat for my personal taste.

Still, a triple-reality transmigration romance with stable leads and a confirmed reunion is a small victory in this genre.

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Fun Antics with Unexpected Depth: A Seamless Transition of Laughter and Heartache

Let me start by saying how much I’m in love with this drama. Somehow it has just the right amount of comedy, tragedy, fluff and angst; the romance here is romance-ing, the chemistry is chemisty-ing, the flow is flowing - everything is just perfect. And I absolutely love the OSTs. I understand that enjoyment is subjective and not everyone might share my sentiments but personally, I have not come across a drama which I enjoyed this much in a very long time.

This is one of the rare dramas where watching the trailer actually inspired me to watch it. I went in expecting lots of comedy and was not only not disappointed but was also pleasantly surprised by the depth of the story and the characters. All the characters (both main and side) are complex and layered, and the actors did such an amazing job at bringing them to life that you can’t help but end up loving or hating them.

On that note, this was my first drama of Cheng Lei and Wang Churan as main leads and am I in love? They are such a talented and beautiful duo that I couldn’t even decide who I liked more and literally loved every second they were on screen. Not to mention the visual fest - the costumes and the styling are totally on point and simply so beautiful that I had to rewind a few times just to appreciate their beauty.

The chemistry between the main leads is also impeccable. They are balanced characters and match each other’s energy really well. I love how much they trust each other and communicate quickly to prevent unnecessary misunderstandings, and while some secrets still remained, it’s not frustrating and if you see it from the ML's POV, it's really understandable.

I didn't watch any of the other adaptations before so I went in with a pretty fresh mind, minus the very blatant spoiler the synopsis gave out but personally I feel like knowing the ML's situation made a lot of his early actions make more sense and added more depth to them, like his absolute trust in the FL, his interactions with other people, the court sessions, etc. so I can't really say I mind it.

The plot itself can come off as a bit shallow at first, but it gradually dives deeper into a darker and more complex storyline without it ever feeling too overpowering. The flow and balance are so good that the comedy and tragedy can coexist without either losing its charm.

The pacing of the story is also just perfect for me, and I was hooked from the first ep but it could be considered a little fast for some people, especially since the transmigration plot and timelines can be a bit confusing but when it all clicks, the story is really good and it gets better with each ep. I watched it while airing and every episode was worth the wait, so props to the entire production team for creating this amazing drama cuz I loved every minute of it.

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Generic in Disguise

Attracted by the warm glow, the sparkly dresses paired with fairy-like make-up and accessories, and the funny, almost “never-seen-before” atmosphere in a wuxia/xianxia-ish historical Chinese drama, I thought this would be a refreshing take on the transmigration-into-a-novel trope. But I was proven wrong… unfortunately.

Transmigration was merely a backdrop for a straight-up royal political intrigue, and a generic one at that. Your typical struggle for the throne, with revenge turning a supposed male lead into a villain and a greedy queen who just wants power and money.

The villain, Xiahou Bo, is a hell-bent character who wants the throne and hates Dan at every turn. But his hatred doesn’t feel justified. It often comes across as if his actions are driven by whim rather than depth, which makes his character feel flat and underdeveloped.

The Empress is similar, existing mostly for the audience to hate and condemn for her actions toward Dan.

Our male lead, Xiahou Dan, has so much more to his character and story. He represents the darker side of transmigration, different from the glamorous fantasy one might imagine when traveling into a novel. He entered the novel at the age of fifteen and had to endure everything from that young age. The trauma he experienced and the life he lived are deeply tragic. Yet the way other characters reacted to his story felt lacking, almost as if they never truly processed what he had gone through. Had the lens shifted more toward his perspective, it would have been a far more intriguing drama to watch, even if it meant embracing a darker tone.

Our female lead, Yu Wanyin, is head-on and headstrong. However, the way she processes waking up in a fictional novel feels far too quick and almost unrealistic. Her goal is to survive the story, not by trying to escape the novel, but by making sure she is the one who has the last laugh in the end. That, to me, is the entire issue. There is no moment of grief, no confusion, no desperation to return to her original life. It was strange how easily she seemed to throw her previous life away and fully integrate herself into this world. She barely thought about her family, only bringing them up later when convincing Yong-er to side with her. Her attitude did remind me of Ting Yan from When Destiny Brings the Demon, where she accepted her fate and did not care much for her real life because of how overworked she was. But the drama never showed Yu Wanyin or Wang Cuihua having such a difficult life to justify that kind of detachment. Without that foundation, her mindset feels less like strength and more like narrative convenience.

The chemistry between the leads is there. But perhaps the circumstances placed them together too conveniently and too quickly, leaving no real room for proper development. Because of that absence of growth, the chemistry never moved beyond a slight spark. It was not bland or flat. It simply existed. Not the kind of chemistry that makes you swoon or feel something deeper beyond what is shown on screen.

Other characters also felt used for convenience, with little depth to properly sympathize with or feel intrigued about what happens to them.

Overall, the story failed to meet the expectations built from what the trailer teased. It was not a story about a transmigrator finding her way through a pre-written narrative. Instead, it was your usual historical political plot with a dash of sparkly dresses, pretty make-up, and good lighting.

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A chaotic yet worthwhile journey!

I'd like to start by writing some words about STORYLINE. The subject is quite appealing and engaging. The series has served the dramatic plot well. The most beautiful aspect is how the writer seamlessly blended the modern and historical eras at the start of the series! Throughout the drama, the story matures. However, at the end, I was disappointed because I expected more screen time for the lead when they returned to the modern era.

In terms of ACTING, each character performs admirably as scripted. Notably, the MAIN LEADS are fantastic; they gave their all to portray the characters accurately. Mainly, actress Wang Chu Ran played every mood—chaotic, funny, and serious—perfectly. Ryan Cheng also delivered an excellent performance as his character. Overall, the CASTING was flawless.

However, the genre of "HOW DARE YOU!" is HISTORIC COURT POLITICS with TIME-TRAVELING elements, which I believe is rather cliché nowadays.

To sum up, the series is fantastic!

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One more episode and surely…

I feel i spent all my time watching this hoping fervently to eventually like it more than i was liking it. “One more episode, and surely I’ll come to love it”

It never manifested for me. I feel this execution is uneven, tonally jarring and often undermines its dramatic moments.

I did like the relationship between the leads. Also, in particular the friendship between yu wanyin and xie yonger.

Otherwise most of the things fell flat. The conflicts and setbacks were on easy-mode, all was predictable, tension wasn’t allowed to fully build. Stakes seemed unconvincing.

And no one, not one person gave one shit about the crown prince who was just a child. Maybe Dan’s situation made it understandable, but everyone else also did the same. They more often vilified him than considered him. He was given no humanity at all. What a cruel display.

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Entertaining but not captivating

Very nice casting, from the leads to the supporting cast. Great chemistry, well written lead characters and support roles too. Very nice costumes and make up. Enjoyed most of it, it's a funny drama with a nice romance. However nothing remarkable in the script to make this drama topnotch. It's not boring but not so captivating either. There's something missing. That thing that makes you want to see the next episode right now and makes you feel like tomorrow is in a longtime. I can't tell if it's in the pace of the drama or in how the story unfolds. Nonetheless, it was a refreshing transmigration drama! ^-^

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The Art of Wearing Masks: A Deep Dive into How Dare You!?

In a genre often defined by fleeting trends and rapid consumption, How Dare You!? stands as a quiet revelation. While it is packaged as a short-form web drama, viewing it merely through that lens does it a disservice. At its core, this is not just a story about transmigration or court intrigue; it is a sophisticated study of identity, isolation, and the profound relief of being understood. Having followed the journey of these characters to its conclusion, I rate this drama as an exceptional piece of storytelling, and I love it for the courage it displays in tackling complex emotional themes within a condensed format.

My review centers on one specific idea that defines the brilliance of this show: the burden of the "mask" and the desperate human need to take it off.

The Architecture of Isolation

To understand why this drama resonates so deeply, we must look at the specific nightmare its male protagonist, Zhang San, endures. Unlike the typical narrative where a hero arrives and immediately conquers, Zhang San has been trapped in this fictional world for over a decade. He is a modern man forced to play the role of a feckless, tyrannical emperor to appease a "System" that dictates the plot.

This premise sets the stage for a character study that is heartbreakingly realistic. Imagine the psychological toll of being the only sentient human in a world of scripted characters. For ten years, he has had no one to speak to, no one who understands his references, and no one to trust. He has survived by becoming a master actor, hiding his competence and his true self behind a façade of mediocrity. This element of time creates a heavy atmosphere that anchors the show. When we see the weariness in his eyes, it feels earned. He is not just a romantic lead; he is a survivor of profound loneliness.

The Spark of Recognition

The arrival of the female lead, Wang Cui Hua, transforms the story from a tragedy of isolation into a dynamic thriller of connection. She is the anomaly, the variable that breaks the ten-year silence.

What makes their dynamic so compelling and why I admire the writing so much is that their bond is not formed through instant attraction, but through shared reality. They are two spies in enemy territory. The script requires them to act as enemies or dysfunctional royals in public, reciting archaic poetry and cruel lines. Yet, in the private moments between scenes, they drop the act.

The review of this drama cannot be complete without praising the acting required to portray this duality. The actors are essentially playing two roles at once: the ancient stereotype and the modern person underneath. There is a specific thrill in watching them navigate a banquet or a court session. They communicate in code, using modern logic to solve ancient political problems. This partnership is the "true idea" of the show: love is not about grand gestures, but about finding the one person with whom you do not have to pretend.

Fighting the Script

The drama creates tension not through physical battles, but through an existential war against "The Plot." This is where the narrative engages the viewer most effectively. We know that in the original novel they are inhabiting, the villainous Empress and the Tyrant are destined to die so that the "protagonists" can succeed.

This creates a layer of suspense that hangs over every comedic moment. As Wang Cui Hua and Zhang San work to improve the kingdom implementing disaster relief, changing tax laws, and actually caring for the citizens they are fighting a current that is trying to drown them. The "cruel prophecy" is not just a plot device; it is a manifestation of fate.

I found myself deeply moved by their defiance. They know the ending is written against them, yet they choose to build a life anyway. There is a beautiful, melancholic bravery in their actions. They try to be good people in a world that forces them to be villains. This thematic conflict elevates the show above its peers. It asks the viewer: If you knew your time was limited and your end was scripted, would you still try to make the world better? The answer this drama provides is a resounding yes.

A Professional Execution

From a technical standpoint, How Dare You!? maximizes its resources to tell a focused story. The cinematography often utilizes tight frames and close-ups, which works to the narrative's advantage by emphasizing the claustrophobia of the palace and the intensity of the characters' private conversations.

The pacing is breathless but never rushed. Because the episodes are short, there is no room for filler. Every conversation carries weight. The transition from the comedic misunderstandings of the early episodes to the high-stakes survival drama of the latter half is handled with a steady hand. By the time you reach the critical moments in the final stretch, the emotional payoff is substantial because the show has spent its time building a genuine partnership between the leads rather than relying on clichés.

Conclusion

I love How Dare You!? because it is a story that respects the intelligence of its audience. It takes a premise that could have been entirely silly and infuses it with genuine heart and philosophical weight.

It is a review of the human condition as much as it is a review of a drama. It reminds us that we all wear masks in our daily lives at work, in society, in public and that the greatest fortune is finding someone who recognizes the person beneath the costume.

If you are looking for a drama that offers more than just surface-level entertainment, this is it. It is a polished, professional, and deeply affecting series that creates a perfect balance between the absurdity of fiction and the reality of human emotion. I rate this highly, not just as a consumer of media, but as someone who appreciates storytelling that dares to find hope in a hopeless script.

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Manifesting the end of the transmigration genre in cdramaland ~

The drama was quite entertaining in the beginning, the chemistry was lovely between the cp and they had a unique dynamic between them, rarely display in other cdramas.
The progression of their feelings felt quite natural, it was refreshing to see.

For the rest, to be honest it was pretty average ... directing & writing.
Nothing truly was thrilling, fascinating or intriguing.
The cp was cute, but honestly I feel like the writing didn't let the ml and fl display more intensity between them.
I was struggling to finish it ... The whole transmigration plot is so boring to me, I really don't get china obsession with it. it rarely done properly ...

anyway, yet again ... another forgetable drama for me.

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Easy 10 out 10

Honestly, this drama is just so solid. I really think 32 episodes was the perfect length. It didn’t feel dragged out, but it also didn’t feel rushed. Everything was paced really nicely, and every episode actually meant something.

What I love the most is how well it balances all the genres. You get comedy that genuinely makes you laugh, romance that feels sweet and natural, and then suddenly the angst hits you hard. And somehow, it never feels messy. The transitions between funny, romantic, and emotional moments are so smooth.

The acting? So good. Everyone really fits their roles, and the emotional scenes feel real, not exaggerated. When it’s funny, it’s funny. When it’s heartbreaking, you actually feel it. That’s how you know the acting is strong.

Visually, it’s beautiful too. The cinematography, the costumes, the overall vibe everything looks so well done. Some scenes honestly feel like a movie.

And the OST? So solid. Every song fits perfectly with the scenes. It really adds to the emotions instead of just being background music.

Overall, it’s just a complete package. Plot, acting, visuals, music . Everything works. Easily a 10/10 for me.

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Lots of Comedy, Scheming, Lies, Truth, Many Strong Bonds, Untouchable Love; Oh & Some English!

I was watching back to back transmigration stories and I was really curious how this one would pan out. I like both WRC and CL and they really did do a good job here. Seriously, give this awesome series its dues, it really deserves it!

Pros: "How are you? Fine. Thank you and you?" In English no less! There was no way that was going to be how they met after she transmigrated into the historical book from the modern world and yet that's exactly how it happened and it was hysterical. The comedy was fantastic. Because the original concept of the story was cheesy and FL didn't like it, upon meeting the ML aka "tyrant emperor" she decided that she was going to rewrite it the way she saw it especially after she saw how things really were, that it was the SML that was the tyrant while the ML was considered the puppet by the wicked witch of the west (who had been poisoning him ever since he transmigrated into the novel and probably even before then) and the SML who took his vengeance and whatnot for the wicked witch out on ML. Once the audience learned that ML had been stuck in that book not as long as the FL but for over a decade, a lot made sense and your heart went out to him. CL's range of emotions was also impressive; he went all out for this one. Huge props to him for really embodying the character. He had secret guards and a crossing dressing master fighter (Bei Shu) as well as another army general/martial artist (A Bai/ General Lin) who came to protect him but he was still incredibly lonely until the FL popped in.

They went through a lot to make the emperor formidable against the two enemies; wicked witch and the SML. As well as turning the SFL from the bad side to the good side. The majority of the drama had a lot of comedic elements which were all spot on. As the drama progressed however, a more serious tone was introduced but it never took away from the eventual love that blossomed between the leads. Especially when the FL learned the truth about ML being stuck in the book for as long as he had been through the long letter. We the audience learned that he was drugged and SA'd by the wicked witch and some maid so a CP was born. It was horrendous all the stuff he had to go through as a kid. A lot of double crossings from people but FL was also very clever and used her modern day knowledge to outwit the bad guys. There's so much that I can't put it all down, you have to watch it. We did lose some good guys like 3 of the original 6 scholars, the Shu master, and Yong'er which was hard especially Bei Shu. You just wanted to shield ML and go, “stop hurting him!”

I loved how we ultimately learned that the prophecy in the synopsis was real but FL was not going to give up and with her and A Bai working nonstop, they along with the doc, found a cure. Also the ending though they did return to the modern times, right before, her in that red gorgeous dress at their dual coronation and his proposal using their real names to her amidst fireworks was chefs kiss. A lot of great characters that haven't been mentioned, the harem girls that evolved, the Eunuch, secret guards, etc. I have never seen TXT in an antagonist role but he absolutely nailed it as did the Empress Dowager actress, though I think I've seen her before. Both played exceptional villains. Costumes were gorgeous as were sets. And the ending came full circle with them reconnecting in the subway and the "How are you" greeting being used. It was maybe 2 minutes long but it ended just how they met originally. Third transmigration series that had a good HE without some nonsense off screen.

Cons: Last few episodes had a lot of dialogue as if trying to stuff in as much as possible. On top of that, it was more confusing because after ML was cured, you didn't know how much time had passed because there was never any thing written on screen in regards to time skips, and it was quite obvious that there were quite a few of them. But the most annoying thing and that got the .5 ticked off was that the OST's drowned out both the dialogue as well as obscured the faces of the actors speaking. The translations of the music covered the actors faces; even if you didn't understand what they were saying, you were stuck, trying to read the subtitles as they were whizzing by the screen and still be able to somehow focus on the characters. Things were definitely sped up in the last few episodes, especially dialogue wise to the point where you had to actually slow things down or rewatch things because you couldn't keep up with what everyone was saying at the speed they were saying it plus if there was music with words, you couldn't see who was saying what or why as faces were obscured. And when people were speaking and the music was playing, even if you had the subtitles, you couldn't hear what was being said because the music drowned everyone out. The powerful rock ballad in the final fight was important but the lyrics could've been put anywhere else on the page even sideways the way they were done in Mandarin. Same went for the enthronement and proposal scene; turn the damn volume down and move the lyrics.

Also felt that during important moments meant for the ML and FL; the scholars scenes could've been less. Otherwise, I had no problems with them. Lastly, though ED was a formidable antagonist they could've stopped her from cackling as that automatically brought down her evilness level in my book; people who have read my reviews before and seen my comments know how I feel about cackling, evil characters, and how that makes them seem like Halloween store witch decorations. That's it; no more cons.

Would I recommend it? 100%. The cons were annoying but minor. This story has a little bit of everything and don't underestimate it because of the comedy, it's quite powerful with the was it's told with all of the twists and turns.

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The "villains" against the world (the plot).

I went into "How Dare You?!" almost blind. I had not read the original novel, watched the donghua, nor seen the vertical drama. I only knew a few trigger warnings and the general direction of the ending. However, as someone who reads a lot of isekai manhwas and manhuas, I expected something trope heavy and predictable.

In some ways, it is exactly that. Modern people transmigrate into villain roles, navigate palace politics, and try to escape a written fate. But the execution surprised me. It is more emotionally aware and character driven than I anticipated.

The tone balances romance, humor, politics, and angst well. The comedy never undercuts the tension, and when it turns dark, it commits. The shifts never felt jarring to me.

Cheng Lei and Wang Churan were perfectly cast. Their chemistry and skills carry the emotional core of the story. Many scenes rely almost entirely on their expressions rather than dialogue, and they deliver. Wanyin’s wardrobe is also consistently breathtaking and deserves special praise. Dan’s long hair and styling suit him so well that it enhances his lonely presence and as emperor.



⁂ Wang Cuihua becoming Yu Wanyin

The setup is simple and effective. No dramatic accident, no truck-kun, no tragic prelude. Just two ordinary modern people suddenly thrown into a poorly written palace novel as villains meant to die. Wang Cuihua becomes Yu Wanyin, a doomed concubine of the emperor. Zhang San becomes Xiahou Dan, the tyrant puppet emperor.

What I liked immediately is that there was no long drag of them hiding from each other's identities. Immediately, we sense relief from Wanyin. But for Zhang San as Dan, it is far more overwhelming. And his reaction hints that his loneliness might have ran much deeper than hers.

As Wanyin, Cuihua is not overly dramatic about her situation. She approaches it with practicality, sometimes cynical. She does not have encyclopedic knowledge of the novel, so she cannot outmaneuver the plot with foresight alone. Instead of trying to steal the original heroine’s route, she aligns with another villain with the same tragic written fate.

Between her and Dan, she is the one constantly forming plans. Part of that comes from her having the main gist of the story. But more than knowledge, it is motivation. Where Dan feels worn down by years of surviving, Wanyin feels activated. She has urgency, and most importantly, she still has hope. She has something to fight against because she has not yet spent a decade being defeated by the system of that world.

Another key difference is that Wanyin builds alliances. She believes certain people can be convinced. Dan, having grown up in betrayal and manipulation, had long defaulted to isolation and control. Wanyin still operates with the assumption that trust, while risky, is possible.



⁂ Zhang San’s life, diary, and his life after meeting Cuihua

The biggest emotional punch for me was slowly realizing that Dan had been in that world since he was a teenager. He was not freshly transmigrated like Wanyin. He had grown up there. He has lived longer as Xiahou Dan than he ever did as Zhang San.

That reframes his cruelty. All along, the tyranny was not an act. He grew up under manipulation, poison, and constant danger. He learned to be cruel because the world around him was cruel first. In a palace where kindness is punished, he adapted. He learned to distrust and strike first. He learned that survival requires hostility and distance. Dan is not just lonely. He is resigned.

The diary entries deepen that impact. They begin almost humorous, then turn devastating. We see a lonely teenager trying to test fate and slowly realizing the world will not bend for him. The helplessness in those entries hurt when connected to Dan's current actions and attitude towards Wanyin.

When Cuihua arrives as Wanyin, the tone in his life shifts. For the first time, he has proof that his original life as Zhang San was real. That he was once loved and valued somewhere else. You can see how much that grounds him, because he can be Zhang San again. Before her, his alliances were transactional. After her, they become collaborative. He relearns trust. He allows trusted people closer. His softer expressions, smiles, and decisions not driven purely by calculation show Zhang San resurfacing within Xiahou Dan. Through their partnership and relationship, he slowly allows himself to hope again.


⁂ The villains

The drama presents two central antagonists. One who has been always the villain, the Empress Dowager, and another who became a villain, Duan. I would argue that he was made a villain because of his past, because his stubbornness and insecurity led him to refuse reality.

The Empress Dowager initially comes across as almost theatrically frustrating, even pathetic. But as we watch more of her, she is actually really despicable. Her obsession with power was not shallow ambition. Her connection to Qiang adds dimension and maybe a bit more context to her actions, but it does not redeem her. If anything, it explains why she consistently prioritizes control. She did not care about the empire and its people at all. The cruelty she inflicted, especially on Dan, reframed so much of his behavior. Growing up under someone like her would twist anyone.

Duan, on the other hand, is more complicated.

As the original protagonist of the novel, he was meant to be the righteous hero of the story. He is intelligent, observant, and politically capable. But, as trashy the novel was, he is also written to be deeply insecure and rigid in his worldview.

His mother’s suffering apparently defines him. Even knowing the Empress Dowager is truly responsible for that, he redirects his anger toward Dan. Part of it is cowardice masked under practicality. The Empress Dowager is too powerful to confront directly. Dan, as her puppet, becomes the more accessible target.

But it is also psychological. He needs Dan to embody cruelty so that his resentment feels justified. If Dan is not monstrous, then Duan’s hatred loses its moral clarity. When Dan begins acting more righteously, Duan cannot process it and interprets it as manipulation. If someone else occupies that moral ground, especially someone he has defined as the villain, it destabilizes his entire identity. And instead of reassessing his assumptions, he doubles down. His refusal to accept reality slowly pushes him into antagonism.



⁂ The allies

This drama is ruthless with allies.

Xu Yao’s early death immediately unsettled me. It came so soon after he aligned himself with the leads. And my guts were right on the impending deaths. The allies were on a countdown spree. Every time a new ally joined, I got anxious for them. The scholars, Yonger, Mr. Bei, even the late introduced ally. The drama kinda conditioned me to expect loss early on.

Yonger’s arc is one I have mixed feelings about. At first, she felt shallow and mildly irritating. But after she learned the truth and chose to align with the leads, she softened. She began to feel like a younger sister to Wanyin. That is why her death should have devastated me completely. It did hurt. But when I think about how she died, the impact becomes emotionally underwhelming. Instead of some last heroic move, she was killed suddenly, stabbed mid conversation by one of Duan’s cronies. Realistic, perhaps, but I wanted more weight given to her end.

Mr. Bei’s death, on the other hand, shattered me. He brought so much warmth into an increasingly heavy narrative. So, when the reveal surrounding his death came, I was sad. I had suspicions before the reveal of his death, but I still was not prepared. In a narrative point of view, it made sense that his abilities would circle back in a tragic way. But predictability did not make it hurt less.

The repeated loss of allies made the victories feel heavier, and that is why I understand Wanyin’s guilt so well. Many of her plans succeeded strategically, but they left a sad and bitter taste behind.



⁂ The ending

The final stretch felt dense and slightly exhausting, in a way that makes sense for a story that has been stacking consequences for so long. A lot is still happening, and they need resolution. Between Dan waking from his coma, Duan’s downfall, and the political aftermath that follows, the narrative is clearly closing in on its conclusion. Yet emotionally, it does not feel entirely settled. All of it was compressed into a short span of 2 episodes. Some questions were resolved emotionally, while others were left hanging.

Dan’s poisoning is one of the concerns that still linger for me. We know most of the poison was expelled and that he wakes up, but we never receive full reassurance that it is completely cleared. After investing so much in his survival, I wanted stronger confirmation.

Tiancai's situation also left an ache. He never learns the truth about Yonger. He just learns she went home. I understand Wanyin’s choice not to tell him, but it denied him closure. He cannot properly grieve because he still believes she is alive somewhere.

On the positive side, Dan proposing as Zhang San to Wanyin as Wang Cuihua meant a lot. He did not need to propose anymore. Wanyin was already empress and the harem was dismantled. But this was not about Dan and Wanyin anymore. It was Zhang San and Wang Cuihua. It acknowledged both identities and promised that they would choose each other beyond the novel world.

The return to the real world and the brief reunion on the train left me conflicted. It wasn't clear if they lived the rest of their lives in the novel after the proposal, before they returned. I also usually dislike short reunions that is alike quick epilogue or a fan service. Here, however, it worked just enough because their happy ending had already happened in the novel world and they have promised to choose each other in the real world. Still, I cannot deny that it felt slightly incomplete because of some details that are left unanswered, probably because of censorship.

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When the jokes land but the feelings don’t.

How Dare You was so high on the entertainment value side, it kind of lost me on the emotional impact it could have potentially have. The comedy was easily the highlight of the whole drama, they did pretty good job with the romance (be warned, it is rather slow burn in terms of developing feelings and figuring them out), but with how much the characters had to go through it felt somehow emotionally empty.

Out of the two leads, I do believe Wang Cui Hua’s story was better written and delivered, mostly because it was far more simple, less impactful and with that, blended better into the overall silliness of the tone. Not to say the whole drama was completely emotionally flat, because that’s not true. One of the aspects I loved about it was the internal conflict the female lead had between knowing she is in a fictional world and nothing is real, and feeling emotionally connected and caring for the characters she interacted with, since they did feel real to her. I appreciated how we slowly witnessed the shift in her thinking and how far she is willing to go and use “people” around her, the longer she stayed in that story.

With that, I feel like overall the women were treated better here in terms of writing and development. Xie Yong Er became my favorite character of them all. The best character development and surprisingly consistent writing (with one “small” hiccup). Not gonna lie, there were moments when I wished she was the lead and her story was the center of it all. Maybe because her stakes felt higher than Wang Cui Hua and her plotline had more ups and downs, I was more invested.

As for male lead - his set up would fit better into a show without the “comedy” genre. It was way too traumatic and tragic for the “entertaining idiocy” here, it actually made me feel uncomfortable a few times. Mostly because many things that were extremely serious were shown as a background drop never to be fully addressed nor explored. Maybe I’m just a watcher that focuses and connects to characters too much, sometimes it overshadows the plot for me, but the constant sadness behind his eyes and the lack of proper elaboration on the source of it took away from the fun and comedy that the drama centered around. Still, this is for sure the best role I have seen Cheng Lei in - sad, tragic, silly, fun, sexy, domineering, soft, caring, unhinged, the role truly expected him to deliver everything, and everything he delivered.

Then we have the menace in two personas - Xiahou Bo and Empress Dowager aka probably the weakest part of the writing. Did they feel like a threat? Not really. Rather than being scared for the leads life and well-being, I felt more annoyed with the background shenanigans. At least Mommy Dearest was consistently stupid, but Xiahou Bo was turning his brain on and off whenever the plot needed it.

What was good though, was the supporting cast. The small support system the leads had gave a good feeling of found family trope. While I did not find the stakes concerning leads high, the supporting cast for sure gave me more anxiety about their well-being.

Plot wise, big props for making me question everything in terms of “who is whom, how much they know, and what reality are they from”. It was well crafted confusion and I appreciate that.

Sadly, I struggle with deciding how much of a silliness and illogical things and lack of explanation, convenient twists I can excuse by the plot happening in the trash cheap poorly written novel (as stated by the leads themselves). This seems a bit too much like a cope for me. “This smart character acted dumb this one time, because the writer of the original novel is dumb” is not exactly an excuse I can just accept and move on.

The music was great, but sometimes the placement was questionable. Why are we getting badass fight music during sad and emotional scenes?

Production was great, though for once I wish it was more simple especially in the make up department. Wang Chu Ran’s face was whiter than my white walls.

Overall, it was a fun watch, but I just wish it was more emotionally impactful.
And that ending was awfully crafted.

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