Wow. This is an especially good drama. Even if I'm not too excited about the prospects of 60 episodes, what I've seen so far suggests that it could be worth the investment. It's been a while that there's a historical drama that I can sink my teeth into.
I absolutely love the insight into Khitan culture and political history in this transitory period.
The more recent episodes were downright laugh-out-loud funny with all the plotting and scheming going on. I do enjoy how the show balances the humour with the more melodramatic elements.
I wish Xu Ping wasn't such a one-note petty schemer who comes across as a self-absorbed teenage boy. I'm not totally unsympathetic about his mummy issues but his resentments are misplaced and his plotting utterly reckless. I realise he's probably not the chief villain of the piece but boy, the guy needs to make better use of his wealth.
I'm not ready to write-off Fu Rong because I think this is precisely her arc to come to grips with the complexities of the world out there and who she should be trusting. The more I think about it, the more I think that there's a lack of trust and knowledge rather than a lack of intelligence. I had to remind myself that there's a fair bit of baggage between the two from the start. The premonitions, the bickering and the protracted issues with the bracelet. She hasn't been privy to Liu Ruyi's secrets and let's look at the matter from her perspective she does have some justification to be suspicious. Maybe Xu Jin did do everything to get close to her and to pump information out of her regarding her Teacher and mentor. There is something to that. That's what happens when you treat someone like a mushroom to "protect them". When reality hits they can't navigate the waters. Direct confrontation would have been the right thing to do but she was running around carrying a world of guilt and the man beside her advising her had his own agenda.
With regards to Xu Ping, it's a case of misplaced trust. She thinks she knows him better because they have a childhood connection. But he's a man of many masks and he can use their past friendship to keep her from seeing what he doesn't want her to see.
What I'm most annoyed about are the non-dream scenes that seem to have been cut. As others have pointed out, there…
I have stopped angsting over the censorious nature of what goes on in the production process because it's a constant issue. To me it's par for the course. Plus the new restrictions they've brought in regarding the length of dramas because of all the abuses of the past. I don't think they had to apply those limits to historical dramas but they did.
Frankly I don't think we should be too hung up on the missing dream sequences. If the show chopped them off it means that they're not essential to our overall appreciation of the storyline. What do the dreams represent? Who knows? A possible reality that can be changed or a reality without its context. They might tell us something but they don't tell us everything. At best they're just pieces of the puzzle.about destiny and self-determination. I haven't cared about them since Day 1 because it seems to me that the primary purpose that they serve is to keep Fu Rong from falling for Xu Jin too easily.
Is this drama really bad? Can someone explain to me what makes it bad?
It's not really bad. The disappointment lies in the fact that it could have been much better than what it turned out to be. The first six episodes were great and built expectations accordingly. But the show made a number of missteps -- either broke its own rules or mischaracterized what it was doing. Plus it seemed to be flirting with certain kinds of romance taboos.
Some of us got attached to the ensemble cast but in the second half of the show most of them were neglected in favour of the leads.
If you can be forgiving of plot holes and sloppy storytelling, there are things you can enjoy.
4 
I absolutely love the insight into Khitan culture and political history in this transitory period.
With regards to Xu Ping, it's a case of misplaced trust. She thinks she knows him better because they have a childhood connection. But he's a man of many masks and he can use their past friendship to keep her from seeing what he doesn't want her to see.
https://janghaven.com/topic/80-2020-airing-the-bloom-at-ruyi-pavilion-%E5%A6%82%E6%84%8F%E8%8A%B3%E9%9C%8F/
Some of us got attached to the ensemble cast but in the second half of the show most of them were neglected in favour of the leads.
If you can be forgiving of plot holes and sloppy storytelling, there are things you can enjoy.
Xu Ping on the other hand is becoming more ridiculous and despicable.