Mo Li (2026)

The Final Episodes Were Disappointing

The first half of the series was captivating — Ye Li came across as formidable, with sharp schemes and remarkable foresight. She was always a step ahead, and those glimpses of her fighting skills in her delusions gave me hope for more action against worthy opponents. I was heartbroken when Mo Xiu Yao divorced her, leading her to the forsaken Li Shan Academy in a disillusioned state of mind. Another painful blow came with Princess Ling Yun’s murder, leaving Feng Zhi Yao devastated.

As the story moved toward its conclusion, the pacing slowed. Ye Li’s drive for business expansion faded, and she shifted into more of a supporting role. The formidable combat skills I anticipated never materialized, nor were there signs of a larger family or future offspring. Her rhetorical exchanges with the dying Empress Dowager felt subdued compared to her earlier sharpness. Most disappointing of all, Ye Li never fulfilled her revenge arc of killing the four people she had sworn to destroy.

Sadly, the final episodes left me struggling — the brilliance and intensity of the beginning gave way to a muted close that didn’t deliver on the promise of Ye Li’s character.

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Started with so much potential... but slowly lost its spark.

When I started The First Jasmine, I was genuinely excited. I love Cheng Lei, and he usually has great script choices, so pairing him with Bai Lu made me think this drama was going to be something special cuz yk she's good actress.

The beginning was honestly really good. The female lead was smart, straightforward, and focused on getting her revenge instead of creating unnecessary drama. The male lead was cold and ruthless, which made their dynamic interesting. I also liked the backstory between the male lead and his brother because it added another layer to the story.

But somewhere around episode 20–25, the drama completely lost its momentum. The pacing became painfully slow. It felt like the story stopped moving, and even the characters seemed stuck in place. I kept waiting for something exciting to happen, but it never really did.

One character I absolutely loved was Ye Ying. I was really hoping her relationship with Mo Jinglin would develop more. She sacrificed so much for him and loved him no matter what, so I wanted to see him slowly realize her worth and genuinely fall in love with her. Instead, their scenes were cut short, which was disappointing. Even though he was one of the main villains. I love his acting. I found him far more interesting than some of the main plot. 😭❤️

The romance between the Cangbei princess and the male lead's friend, though... I honestly couldn't care less. It felt unnecessary and only slowed the story down even more.

I also expected the female lead's illness to lead to something much bigger, but it ended up feeling underwhelming. And don't even get me started on the male lead. The moment he learned the truth, his first reaction was divorce? Seriously? Then he rushed to Lishan Mountain after realizing she wasn't there, and somehow his hair turned grey in what felt like a few hours. That was just way too dramatic and made no sense to me.

One character I really enjoyed throughout the drama was the Emperor. The actor gave such a strong performance and made every scene interesting.

Overall, I don't think this drama is bad, but it definitely didn't live up to the expectations I had after such a strong start. It had good actors, interesting characters, and plenty of potential, but the slow pacing and some questionable writing choices made it hard for me to stay fully invested.

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