Cortanaherondale

I honestly thought this drama would end up being one of my favorites. I love Allen’s dramas and usually enjoy watching him even when they're sad or flawed. For most of the show I was sitting at around an 8/10, but the final two episodes dropped it to a 7.5.

The drama isn't bad. It's perfectly watchable and decent entertainment if you're just looking for something to pass the time. The problem is that it never quite reaches its potential. The story itself is actually interesting, but the execution doesn't fully deliver. There are too many storylines, too many characters, and not enough focus on what should have been the heart of the show.

My biggest issue is that neither lead ever truly felt like the center of the story.

Xin Mei started off incredibly strong. I absolutely loved her in the first episodes. Her revenge arc was one of the best parts of the drama and made me excited to see where her character would go. She was capable, determined, and interesting. Unfortunately, after the amnesia arc, I felt like she lost a lot of what made her compelling. She became less interesting and less impactful. The actress did a good job, but Xin Mei herself never felt like a true main character to me. Sometimes I genuinely forgot she was supposed to be the lead.

The male lead had the more interesting storyline. His desire to become human was unique and one of the things that drew me into the drama. We're used to seeing mortals wanting immortality, so seeing someone desperately wanting to become human felt refreshing. His journey had so much potential, and I found his struggles far more interesting than most of the plot around him. I just wish the drama explored his character and motivations in more depth.

Allen was great as always. I loved his styling in this drama—probably one of my favorite looks of his—and he carried many scenes for me.

The romance was another disappointment. For a couple that starts off married, there was surprisingly little chemistry. I don't need kissing scenes, but I do need to feel the relationship. Most of the time they felt more like companions than romantic partners. The story keeps telling us how important their love is, but I never really felt it. It also didn't help that they spent so much of the drama apart. Sometimes it felt like they were in two separate dramas and only met when one needed to save the other.

The drama also suffers from having way too many side stories and characters. There were so many plotlines competing for attention that it became hard to stay invested.

Sheng and Jin Lun's storyline did absolutely nothing for me. Honestly, I think most of it could have been removed and very little would change. Bai's storyline wasn't much better. Aside from his sacrifice, which I did find meaningful, I wasn't invested in his character, romance, or overall arc.

There were entire stretches where it felt like 15–20 episodes passed and nothing significant happened. By the time the story started picking up again, I was already getting bored.

For a fantasy drama, it was also surprisingly low on excitement. There are some good action scenes, especially involving the male lead, but overall it feels like there's far more talking than action. My heart rarely felt like it was racing. It never really gave me that excitement I usually look for in fantasy dramas.

One storyline that did surprise me was the Wushang Society. At first I kept wondering why the drama spent so much time on them trying to recover books. Later on, though, I really appreciated it. Their determination to preserve knowledge, history, and culture despite persecution was genuinely moving. Watching them sacrifice themselves to protect knowledge and rebuild their world was heartbreaking. In many ways, that storyline made me sympathize with mortals more than anyone else and highlighted how selfish many of the immortals actually were.

As for the side characters, Lin Mu Han and Mei Shun Jun were easily my favorites. Every time they appeared, I became interested again. They brought energy to the show and had some of the strongest character development. Honestly, they're the only characters whose growth felt truly complete to me.

I also really liked Chu Ying and wish he had gotten more screen time.

Xin Mei's sister, however, drove me crazy. Her obsession with her senior became exhausting. She was immature, jealous, and desperately needed to grow up.

The ending is where the drama lost me.

I genuinely don't understand how the writers had two entire episodes left and still gave the main couple so little closure. Xin Mei spends forever looking for him, only for them to reunite in the final seconds. Technically it's a happy ending, but that doesn't automatically make it a satisfying ending.

The final battle was also underwhelming. Throughout the drama, the male lead had amazing presence and some great fight scenes. Then the climax arrives and he basically shows up, defeats the villain, destroys the tree, and it's over. For such an important battle, it felt surprisingly small.

What frustrated me even more was the resolution of the curse. The male lead sacrifices everything—his body, blood, heart, and future—to protect the people he loves. Then Xin Mei simply goes, removes the curse from a book, and comes back. It felt far too easy compared to everything he went through.

I was also disappointed that after everything, he ended up becoming the very thing he spent the whole drama trying not to be. The idea of someone desperately wanting to become human was one of the strongest parts of the story, so the ending left me wondering, "What was the point?"

Then there's the memory-loss ending. The drama itself tells us that without his memories, he's basically a different person. So when they reunite, we're left wondering if this is even the same man we've been following all along. Instead of giving closure, the ending leaves everything up to interpretation.

Overall, I don't regret watching Fate Chooses You. It has a genuinely interesting premise, strong performances, beautiful styling, and some memorable moments. I just think it got lost under too many storylines, too many characters, weak romantic development, and an ending that didn't do the story justice.

It's a good drama for passing the time and definitely watchable, especially if you're already a fan of Allen. But it's not one I'd go out of my way to recommend, and for me it ended up being a drama with a lot of potential that never fully reached it. But also, Liu Yuning’s OST was really beautiful and the cinematography is quite nice as well.