JudgeSunday

The Early Spring has a very good rating on here, with many people praising the drama, its characters, and its story. I’m finishing episode 20, and I’ve decided to drop it.

I probably would have stayed until the end just to see how much Flora would flourish and grow, but the writers’ decision to remove Yuan Zhu from the group was the last straw for me. From the very beginning, I loved the relationships that developed between these roommates. I especially enjoyed Yuan Zhu and Sun Yu and found myself genuinely rooting for them as supporting characters. I understand that not every character can remain until the end, but the way Yuan Zhu was removed felt unnecessary and disappointing. It completely changed something I had really enjoyed about the drama.

There are, however, characters I absolutely love. Lu Mi and Tracy are my two favorite characters in the entire show. Lu Mi is beautiful, kind-hearted, capable, straightforward, intelligent, tough, and, most importantly, a great friend. Tracy is elegant and kind, and I simply love her aura and sense of style. Whenever they are on screen, I find myself much more interested in their stories and personalities.

As for the leads, I do appreciate that this story isn’t a fairy tale where Cinderella finds the perfect man and the perfect relationship. I’ve seen many comments praising how beautiful the love story between the leads is, and while I neither agree nor disagree, I have to admit that I’ve gradually found myself drifting away from them.

The awkward silences during their car rides and the constant back-and-forth between them brought me back to some of my own experiences, memories I honestly wasn’t looking to revisit through a drama. More importantly, I find their relationship quite toxic.

If this had been a temporary infatuation situation between a mature, successful, good-looking boss and a newly graduated, inexperienced employee, I could perhaps understand some of their dynamics. But they were together for six years. Six years is a long time. At that point, I have a much harder time accepting the idea that their communication problems are simply the result of youth, inexperience, or not knowing how to express their feelings. Especially when they have broken off and gotten back together quite a few times. Then there was that time when Flora mentioned about one of the thing on her list is to be married with someone she loves, Luke said he could not give her that without even a consideration after all that years being together. Personally as a woman I would not invest 6 years of my youth with a guy if he doesn't want to get married. What is worst about this situation is Luke doesn't even want to introduce Flora to his parents after all these years being together, let alone marriage.

To be honest, if I were Flora, I would never choose to be with a man like Luke.

I do believe Luke cares about Flora, and I don’t think he is necessarily a bad person. He clearly has feelings for her and often shows that he cares in his own way. But being a good person and loving someone does not automatically make the way you treat that person healthy.

There are many moments when Luke talks down to Flora in a way that, to me, crosses into verbal abuse. I’ve seen comments saying that Luke is simply “telling Flora the truth.” But I always wonder: would we be so quick to call it “the truth” if we were the ones on the receiving end of those words?

What bothers me most is how often Flora seems nervous around him, constantly watching his reactions and looking for his approval. She seems to second-guess herself and worry about whether she is saying or doing the “right” thing in his eyes. That dynamic is difficult for me to watch.

I also find Luke manipulative at times, particularly when he asks Flora to repeat something she has said, seemingly waiting for her to correct herself and give him the answer he wants to hear. That is not healthy communication to me. It creates a power imbalance where one person becomes afraid to express what they genuinely think or feel. There are many comments criticizing Flora for keeping everything in and not telling, or confront Luke. I sure wouldn't if I think I will be corrected.

Metaphorically, Luke feels like a wolf and Flora like a deer. There are moments when the way he looks at her and interacts with her feels predatory to me, not necessarily in a literal sense, but in the sense that there is such a significant imbalance in power and confidence between them. He can be controlling, demanding, manipulative, and extremely harsh with his words.

I honestly cannot imagine how exhausting it would be to be in a relationship like that, regardless of how deeply the other person may love you.

And this is something I feel strongly about: there is a difference between telling someone the truth and intentionally hurting someone with the truth. You can be honest without belittling another person. You can disagree without making them feel small. You can communicate your frustrations without constantly making your partner question their own worth.

Ladies, please remember that someone saying “I love you” does not automatically make the relationship healthy. If someone treats you like you are beneath them, does not respect you as an equal, constantly puts you down, or makes you afraid to speak your mind, that is not a healthy expression of love.

There are many ways to love, and some ways are healthy while others are not. Unhealthy love can be incredibly draining. It can slowly wear you down, affect your confidence, and make you question yourself. That is why I’m actually happy to see Flora beginning to recognize her own worth and learning to love herself more. That growth is one of the things that kept me watching this long.

As for the constant lack of communication, that is something we see in practically every drama. Miscommunication becomes the starting point for misunderstandings, conflicts, and endless mishaps. And honestly, it happens in real life too. We all fail to communicate properly sometimes.

The flaws we see in these characters are also flaws we encounter in countless dramas and stories. For that reason, I don’t necessarily think these elements deserve special praise simply because they are portrayed here. To me, they are fairly common storytelling devices.

At this point, though, I’ve realized that I simply don’t care enough about the leads anymore to continue watching their journey. I understand why The Early Spring resonates with so many people, and I can certainly appreciate that others see something beautiful in this story that I don’t.

For me, however, the emotional connection just isn’t there anymore.

I stayed because I wanted to see Flora grow, find herself, and flourish. I stayed because I loved the friendships and the roommate dynamic. I stayed because I genuinely cared about characters like Yuan Zhu, Sun Yu, Lu Mi, and Tracy.

But removing Yuan Zhu was the point where I finally said, “That’s enough.”