MORE TWISTS AND TURNS THAN A BAG OF PRETZELS...
BLOSSOMS OF POWER - 8 stars
This drama keeps up the pace and intensity to the very end.
Directed by someone with a sure hand and a clear vision. Interpreted by some high-wattage actors.
The FL is a no-nonsense powerhouse who not only knows what she wants–but what she doesn’t want--in a husband. She’s willing to engage in mayhem and murder if necessary, but she can also be kind and generous.
Her goal is to ferret out the true motives of the many suspicious characters surrounding her, including the nine princes vying for her hand–well, some of them are vying, others not so much. She sweeps away every gossamer wisp of duplicity that floats across her path.
I find it a little annoying that EVERY man who sees the FL immediately falls in love with her–there are other attractive women around–some of them with a lot more verve and animation.
*********************
“A marriage contract gives a husband the privilege of helping his wife with her troubles, not the right to interfere with her thoughts.” --said no Chinese prince...ever.
Except Xiao Huayong, the ML, DID UTTER THIS VERY SENTENCE in Episode 10. This man knows what women want to hear. But does he mean it?
******************************
At first I thought that the ML was bad news, a manipulative, unscrupulous villain. And I thought that the poor FL was headed for a fall.
Well, he IS manipulative. But she’s much worse.
Could you marry someone who (at first) seems to have no capacity for love? Someone who doesn’t think twice about dropping a fellow human being into a pit of tigers? Someone who’s only marrying you because you’ll be dead in a year–and out of her hair forever? That’s our FL in Episode 19.
Also, why is this woman accorded so much respect and deference? What has she done to earn any of it? She’s beautiful. And she’s got a great sniffer. That’s about it.
Episode 25 --Our FL hurries someone off to the executioner–you can hear the screams in the background while she talks calmly with someone else. But the victim is just a maid–so not to worry, folks.
My 21st century moral compass makes it hard for me to deal with such random cruelty and still have any affection for this woman--even though she's beginning to soften. She offends my humanity. The crown prince, on the other hand, is easy to like–warm, kind, and lovable. I’ll keep watching to see what happens to him.
Special kudos to Lai Weiming, who played Xiao Changying, the passionate, unpredictable ninth prince--a man torn by obsessive love and erratic, intense hatred. He grabbed my attention whenever he appeared on screen--I never knew what he was going to do. A fascinating character played with consummate skill by a marvelous actor.
NOTE: Ending – not OK to have one of the two leads go missing for 4 episodes then brought back with no logical explanation for either the disappearance nor the return. Writers–what were you thinking?
This drama keeps up the pace and intensity to the very end.
Directed by someone with a sure hand and a clear vision. Interpreted by some high-wattage actors.
The FL is a no-nonsense powerhouse who not only knows what she wants–but what she doesn’t want--in a husband. She’s willing to engage in mayhem and murder if necessary, but she can also be kind and generous.
Her goal is to ferret out the true motives of the many suspicious characters surrounding her, including the nine princes vying for her hand–well, some of them are vying, others not so much. She sweeps away every gossamer wisp of duplicity that floats across her path.
I find it a little annoying that EVERY man who sees the FL immediately falls in love with her–there are other attractive women around–some of them with a lot more verve and animation.
*********************
“A marriage contract gives a husband the privilege of helping his wife with her troubles, not the right to interfere with her thoughts.” --said no Chinese prince...ever.
Except Xiao Huayong, the ML, DID UTTER THIS VERY SENTENCE in Episode 10. This man knows what women want to hear. But does he mean it?
******************************
At first I thought that the ML was bad news, a manipulative, unscrupulous villain. And I thought that the poor FL was headed for a fall.
Well, he IS manipulative. But she’s much worse.
Could you marry someone who (at first) seems to have no capacity for love? Someone who doesn’t think twice about dropping a fellow human being into a pit of tigers? Someone who’s only marrying you because you’ll be dead in a year–and out of her hair forever? That’s our FL in Episode 19.
Also, why is this woman accorded so much respect and deference? What has she done to earn any of it? She’s beautiful. And she’s got a great sniffer. That’s about it.
Episode 25 --Our FL hurries someone off to the executioner–you can hear the screams in the background while she talks calmly with someone else. But the victim is just a maid–so not to worry, folks.
My 21st century moral compass makes it hard for me to deal with such random cruelty and still have any affection for this woman--even though she's beginning to soften. She offends my humanity. The crown prince, on the other hand, is easy to like–warm, kind, and lovable. I’ll keep watching to see what happens to him.
Special kudos to Lai Weiming, who played Xiao Changying, the passionate, unpredictable ninth prince--a man torn by obsessive love and erratic, intense hatred. He grabbed my attention whenever he appeared on screen--I never knew what he was going to do. A fascinating character played with consummate skill by a marvelous actor.
NOTE: Ending – not OK to have one of the two leads go missing for 4 episodes then brought back with no logical explanation for either the disappearance nor the return. Writers–what were you thinking?
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