DramaAjumma

My first impressions of the first five episodes. Under spoiler tags.

Unfortunately this is all of human history in a nutshell. So is slavery by the way.

If you're going to copy, copy from the best. Nothing wrong with that. There's nothing new under the sun.

Not in the US. Australia.

Really? I have a standard pass and I have no problems watching it.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." -- George Santayana

The lads going off to war reminds me of accounts of WW1 when everyone with patriotic fervour went off to war thinking they were embarking on some great adventure and that they would be back home by Christmas. Nothing against patriotism but the idealism always feels misplaced and palpable with dramatic irony.

War changes everything. Some people do well in peace time and others rise to the occasion for war.

Nothing like good old fashion siege tactics.

This is the best kind of sageuk. Tragic, brutal, melancholic and gritty.

I think with contemporary dramas they cut the production team a lot more slack. I don't watch a lot of contemporary romances but I remember the one with Hu Ge and Elvis Han called Good Time. Hu Ge's character was involved with three women all up.

Wow... this is so good. It has the potential to be the best K drama this year. The script is amazing. It makes really good use of the geopolitical context. It's hilarious one minute, deeply moving the next and then the end of Episode 2... utterly heartbreaking.
The leads as expected are great together and apart.

Right. :D
I spend a large chunk of my weekend arguing with Tushan Jing fans here. I expected a ship war and honestly it's not that bad in this fandom. I've seen much worse. At least it gave me some material for my blog and perhaps even ideas for a review. :P

Well done and beautifully written. You've definitely covered all the bases here.

I also agree that Tushan Jing is the weakest link here. The way he functions in the narrative makes it difficult for me to root for the romance. I was just thinking that a more experienced, maybe older actor could bring something else to the table. It boggles my mind too that such an acclaimed chess player would be so easily outsmarted by his own family.

I think that's more the case with South Korea. (Although that's changing too) I have watched Chinese shows where the ML and FL have other love interests before they become a couple.

I love the direct way you put things. :D

I don't think you really understand what I'm saying or have said elsewhere.

I've never said that he doesn't love her. I've also never said she's not in love with him. I've also never said that she can't love a nice guy. What I've said on other occasions is that he isn't more deserving of her than anyone else because all the guys are good to her in their own way. I only don't agree that he is "better". And I also think she is very strongly attracted to Xiang Liu.

I've also been clear that it's his niceness is what she fell for. Absolutely. But his niceness is a double edged sword. This is what you don't seem to understand. When a man is nice that's very attractive to a girl with abandonment issues BUT a man as nice as him seems incapable of dealing with external threats. He let his family walk all over him. Do you not think that is a problem? Do you not think that a man should be able to protect the woman he loves from his family's infighting and fulfill his promises to make her feel secure. Their romance doesn't exist in a vacuum in this context. He has serious family issues and he is officially engaged to another woman. This has nothing to do with whether he ends up with her at the end of the story.

I don't mind what your preferences are. All I'm doing is pointing out the flaw in the character. He is not perfect and there's nothing inherently wrong with that. I don't need to read the novel to understand something as rudimentary as that.

So are you saying that the performance has not adequately portrayed the character's inner life? :D That the performance is somehow deficient. Because I have no problems understanding the inner life of other characters without reading the novel.

I don't use the words "deserve" or "undeserving" in these kinds of contexts. It's not a competition. I have accepted the inevitable but all I'm saying is that Tushan Jing has his flaws and he doesn't get the girl purely because of his own merits. He has a lot of help.

Well, to me it's just another side to the same coin.

That's my problem with your OP. You used the word "abuse" but it's not technically abuse. I have nothing against other people's preferences or dislikes but I do insist on the accurate use of words and facts. :D They were not in any kind of familial or romantic relationship. She was acting suspiciously and by her own words was trying to poison him. They weren't friends nor allies at the time.

Xiang Liu himself knows better than anyone else whey they can't be together so this isn't about the romance for me at least.

Not everyone is cut from the same cloth and I accept that. But my problem is that pesky word "deserve". And the crazy notion that Jing is "better" than all the rest.

I'm not blaming Jing for getting the girl. I'm explaining why the narrative structure itself demonstrates the foundational flaws of this relationship and why he lost her in this first phase of the show. People say that he "deserves" her. I don't agree with that characterization.
I don't disagree that she could have found someone and she had resolved to but is it so easy for anyone just to move on if they were actually serious? He made promises to her. She made promises to him. He kissed her and gave her hope. Sure, he got tricked by his family but he didn't take that threat seriously enough despite being tortured by his brother.

Are you saying that he has no agency while Xiao Yao does? I'm confused.

None of these guys are perfect. We should be able to accept the flaws of every character. Nice is good at times but not always. It's certainly not adequate to deal with external threats. This is not a romantic comedy, it's still a political show with historical elements.

I can't wait for this show.

This is all prior to the Geneva Convention too. :D
I don't think some people watch historical dramas the way you and I do.