Eleison

I haven't seen much of the drama yet, but every time Lejun comes on screen I have the urge to skip her scenes. She does not hold my interest at all.

From what I can see, the main wife is the women he meets for the first time in Episode 1 or 2, and the concubine is the one who treats his injuries (they feel more like siblings/good friends). She's the same actress that played the main wife of the ML in New Life Begins, if you've seen that.

The implication seemed to be that he was badly wounded, but he did that to make the enemy think they'd gained the upper hand. He did almost die, that's why he keeps having health problems afterwards (like the issue with his eyes that we see in the trailers?).

And there must be some explanation in the industry for it? This has been a critique of Kdrama watchers for a while, so unless they have their heads buried in sand (I don't think that's possible in Korea. Koreans make their opinions KNOWN on social media in Korea), then networks/production companies are aware of the problems, but unwilling to fix them for some reason. One MDL user was arguing that only the first few episodes mattered, from a production standpoint, but I didn't quite grasp why. Regardless of the reason, it's really too bad. 😭

Maybe they're like, "Well, people keep watching them! Even with bad endings, so why put the money out for good ones if we know we'll get them to come back regardless?" My response to that: "But really, we keep coming back because the rare gems were that good, and we keep hoping there'll be another one. And besides, don't get too comfy. You've already lost many Kdrama watchers to Cdramas--so, have a care! Don't cave to the utilitarian, purely money-making mindset and please just let let your screenwriters tell good stories with the Kdrama formula from start to finish!"

I didn't start trying airing dramas until a few years ago, so maybe it's always been this way, but it does seem to have become slim pickings these days. I usually wait until a drama is done or almost done to start it since so many do face plants starting at the halfway mark (or before). I feel like older dramas at least had the decency to stay good until the last 1/3. These days, many don't even make it that far. 🙄

😅 True!

Right! I just don't know why they portray teachers like that, doing so much for kids. Like... where are their parents? 😅

Teachers are not meant to do as much as public schools expect them to do (this is true even in the U.S.). Their job should be to just help students become literate in their area of expertise (and maybe something of a mentor), not therapists, social workers, chaperones for every fun extracurricular activity students engage in (of which schools have MANY) or surrogate parents, and they shouldn't have to be! It boggles my mind how many parents leave parenting to teachers.

I worked in education for ten years in California, and many of the students (after being with their parents online/at home for almost two years during COVID), came back to school almost FERAL (and these were high schoolers). I'm speaking somewhat hyperbolically, but yeah, so much for parenting...

I thought so, too!

I haven't seen it much in costume dramas, but I'd like if he did. He would be a good emperor (and Jiayu would be a good empress).

Are you saying he can't do that here because he's being careful with his female costar (because she was a minor when they filmed?)

Haha, a good comparison!

Building suspense is something Kdramas love to do. 😉

Agree. He's good in roguish roles. ☺️ He's channeling charismatic flirt more than rogue so far, but they are adjacent types, so it's working for me so far! The last drama I saw Hye Ri in was My Roommate Is A Gumiho and I thought it was so boring (she was adorable and hilarious in Reply, though). I liked her in this so far, and I'm mesmerized by her glorious hair. 😅

Yeah, and that comment the FL made about the ML taking the beating from the drunk dude without making any noise was clearly pointed out for a reason.🫣

I am sure there will be more to both of their stories. I think it's too early to be mad at anyone yet?

Feels a little more upbeat and hopeful than Our Beloved Summer, which I like. That drama was good, but the whole mood was a little melancholy for my taste.

It weirdly started dubbed for me on Viki (though I never watch dubbed versions), too, but I switched it back to Korean and subtitles.

When was this potentially foreshadowed, please? I must have missed it.

It's also unclear how much he knows about what happened to her and her family? If he had no idea, but she didn't know that, she might feel super betrayed that he was completely MIA during all of that? It seems like a stretch that he wouldn't know anything, though (and it's obvious he at least feels bad for SOMETHING that happened, though it does seem like we don't have all the details yet), but it's a Kdrama, so if they don't want him to have known anything that happened to her, they'll find a way to explain his ignorance without making him an utter jerk. I mean, he wouldn't be putting up with how rude she's being towards him if he didn't feel terrible about something in their past...

Teachers there seem way more involved than they are in the U.S., for instance (that other episode with the mom contacting the teacher is another good example). All that behavior would be a liability in the U.S., and misconstrued, but it seems fairly common in SK (and often a way they show a "good" teacher).

Have you noticed that when high school kids get in trouble in Kdramas off-campus (or caught by the police doing something), they don't call the parents, they call the homeroom teacher? Homeroom teachers will also go to the hospital with students. (This is all based on Kdramaland, so I have no idea if it's really done in real life).

She did seem naive, and got a little too personal with the student, I don't disagree, but I do think that behavior is more normal in SK as far as Kdrama teacher behavior.