Eleison

Slo mo staring is just a drama thing (big in Kdramas, too, though I don't think I've seen nearly as much chatter about idol drama designations vs. non-idol dramas when it comes to Kdramas), but idol dramas have it in a way that's just... overkill. All you can see is the stunning beauty of the actors, like in POJ, the leads were so beautiful they almost don't feel real, but the leads in this feel much more "normal," and far less drop-dead gorgeous vibes (nor is that something the dramas tries to focus on).

😅😅😅 POJ to a T

I would have said the same on the dramas for whether they are idol dramas or not. 👍

Yes, but I don't remember it being too painful.

Cool, thanks!

I'm super behind, but does it seem like there'll be enough time to wrap up the leads' story in a satisfying way?

I think her falling in love with him can avoid being toxic, but it all depends on how they write both characters.

In what way?

Are you talking about the Marquis? I like him... that would be sad!

😬 For what reason does he drug her?

Yes, these are all great points. I guess it just feels kind of out of character for Jin Qi when he's doing lots of other really thoughtful and respectful things that would have been uncommon for the time. And I don't want Lan Xiang to just eventually "get over it" because he does nice things for her and fall for him because he dotes on her without him admitting to what he did. I would prefer that he opens up to messing up and give her an out (like the option for a divorce) when he realizes how unhappy/upset she is by being forced into this while also admitting he did wrong and showing through his actions that nothing like it will happen again.

Yes, there's already too much anachronism in the drama to make a consistent case for his actions historically.

Haha, no I'm not. But I'll take that as a compliment, I think? 😏

Isn't the fact that Jin Qi wants to make Lan Xiang his wife already an anachronism? I don't get why people are arguing that "it was common for the time" for people to have no say (particularly women, but it seems for men in ancient China as well) in who they marry, so it's not uncommon or problematic for the ML to do this?

If this is historically accurate, both parties would have had no say, and I imagine there would have been no mixing of classes when we're talking about official wife stuff.

If this system was remotely like the social hierarchy of the western feudal system, there would have been no mixing of the classes as "equals" in any way, shape or form. If so, men during this time wouldn't have "fallen in love" (back then this would have no doubt meant something very different than it does today) with a maid in such a way that they would make her a proper wife (because love today implies a foundation of some sort of equality between the sexes, which would not have even been a category during this time; but it IS a cateogry for Jin Qi (anachronistically), which is why I judge by his awareness). They'd just make her a concubine.

So, for me, if they play up his decision as a mistake--a lack of care for Lan Xiang and a selfish decision of sorts--then I'm seated to find out how they handle it. But if they try to make it romantic... then this scenario is falling solidly into toxic romance tropes (but the rest of the drama has not felt that way, so I have hope this ship can be righted?🤷🏼‍♀️ 😅).

That's a great point; he's doing the very thing to her that his family did to him. It doesn't feel nice--so why do it to someone you supposedly care about? And it doesn't make it better that he actually had feelings for her. If he truly loved her he would let her decide if she wanted to reciprocate.

If they show it as a mistake on his part, that he realizes was a mistake, then I think I can find the way they deal with the fallout interesting. I'm willing to give it a chance, at least.

I mean, they won't consummate anything until he knows she's ready (I can see that a mile away as that's the typical made-palatable-to-conservative-modern-audiences-Cdrama-way), so he's not forcing himself on her in that way, which is comforting, but I do agree that him making her marry him is disappointing (from a modern lens; and I feel like I can use a modern lens because clearly so much of the story is already being filtered into what they know modern audiences can tolerate, so I think I can personally still think this was a selfish decision on his part. They've written him as a character who is self-aware enough to have these categories). I am curious to see how they'll handle the fallout, though.

I do think this is the first time I've seen a drama where there's a forced marriage between FL and ML where only ONE of the two wants the marriage. Usually they both don't want it. Though I guess LLTG had that, sort of, but they didn't get married until much later when both had clearly fallen for each other.

Does the ML know her identity before he goes through with the marriage decree, do you know?

He's grown in admiration for her as she's helped his family and demonstrated how intelligent, discreet and thoughtful she is, but he is now head-over-heels. She doesn't seem to think of him that way at all, so far. She seems completely oblivious of him and his special attention (as of Episode 21, which is how far I've gotten). 😅

I'd be more okay with it if they had never met! Because then at least the ML isn't scheming behind her back and they're both unsure and scared/unfamiliar together.