Well, I'm so glad I gave this drama a chance despite the ratings.
The drama is about broken individuals who are lonely, hurt, shattered and refuse to let go of the past. It was like binge reading a book in one sitting about two individuals who find love against all odds. Not to say there weren't some plotholes but overall the story was woven together very well and the main leads' chemistry was compelling. Some powerful themes about society's stigma towards LGBTQ+ (Especially in Korea), how the ones closest to you can cause you the most harm, feeling lonely even while in a relationship, and protecting your love at all costs. The villains did a good job and got what came their way (in some sense) and the acting was great. Personally, I think that nude scene (between second main leads) was unnecessary so that caught me by surprise.
The length of 8 episodes was perfect, anything more would have been unnecessary.
Firstly, the siblings to lovers was really poorly done. It was hard to cheer for the main leads when the FL only…
There were other positives like a strong FL and good chemistry with the SML that kept me continuing to watch and finish it but it was very difficult (especially the last 15 episodes). Others seemed to enjoy more than I did and I can see why that may be the case.
Dragged myself to finish this drama but had a number of problems with this plot and some of the acting.
Firstly, the siblings to lovers was really poorly done. It was hard to cheer for the main leads when the FL only finds out they're not siblings in the last quarter of the drama. Then he confesses and she tells him she likes him which was too sudden and came out of nowhere for the FL. There is no inner conflict or her slowly developing feelings. No, she finds out they're not siblings and 2 episodes later, boom she tells him she likes him. That made it unbelievable.
Secondly, the morally grey villan aka SML had more chemistry and backstory with the FL than the main leads. His acting showing his obsession, madness and twisted love was compelling and kept me going right till the end.
Thirdly and relatedly, I found the ML's acting too stiff and lacking especially compared to the SML. I've watched his other historical drama in which he acted well but somhow his portrayal of his character was lacklustre and two dimensional.
Fourthly, while we can appreciate the main leads are smart, they're always outmanoeuvring and winning against all opponents (I mean each time which starts to get repetitive and boring). A lot of the plot consisted of lazy writing where the audience is shown convenient flashbacks, timely friends eavesdropping and solving problems too quickly etc. What happened to giving the audience a little credit and showing rather than telling us how the issues were resolved? I love my slowburn dramas and watch historical cdramas mainly for this reason but this drama just wasn't it for me.
Goes without telling that because of the above reasons I mostly fast forwarded the last 10 episodes and the second pairing which was not very interesting and I thought showed a lot of fat shaming in the beginning. At least she didn't lose her weight to find love so that was something I suppose.
Joining the Netflix gang on finishing watching it. Thoroughly enjoyed the drama and all the lessons embedded within it. The ending was pretty good, all things considered and taught an important lesson: It is important to love and believe in yourself before you'll be capable of wholeheartedly loving someone 😍 Not a single kiss scene between the main leads but it didn't feel empty without it because their connection was deep and emotional, not just physical.
I loved the friendship themes and how Miao Miao never gave up on her friends and family, no matter what.
Hats off to Esther Yu and Ding Yuxi for their stellar performance as well as all the cast and crew that put this together.
I thought HT was pretty nice when he told Tang Song to let it go and just take down her phone no. and then he…
I see your point. HT stayed true to his principles and wanted to protect the FL. As he's a businessman, he should have supported her dream to start a business (or not strongly objected to it as he did). I understand he wanted her to join his company but that was due to his personal reasons without really thinking of what's good for her in the long run. His attitude in the beginning seemed condescending which was what rubbed me off the wrong way but I understand that's also part of his character. It wasn't until he sees his cousin invest in her and later how passionate she is about AI medicine at the fishing village that he somewhats softens towards her business plans.
If there ever was an unreliable MDL rating, it's for this drama. I have been stuck in a rut with being unable to enjoy dramas so had low expectations going into this and this drama just blew me away. 40 episodes were finished in no time.
What I enjoyed: - Both characters had growth and developed with the passage of time. Unlike 80% of cdramas, the FL's actions were sensible and rational. She is very naive when it comes to business but is willing to learn and rely on herself to grow. I liked that the FL solved her own issues most of the time rather than being the damsel in distress. The ML also starts out cold and unfeeling but towards the end, he realises the value of love and sacrifice and learns how to communicate better to avoid misunderstandings. - The wholesome and complete happy ending gave me butterflies. To find a love like that, is enviable. I thoroughly enjoyed the extra episode - The leads had great chemistry and the plot was easy to follow and interesting that I was willing to watch 15 episodes of very little romance. I think even the SML at one point states the ML is filming a commercial drama rather than romance and that cracked me up - The second leads were not ALL boring. Unlike most cdramas, where I skip the second and third lead stories, I enjoyed LL's storyline and how she fell for someone who was not right for her and not willing to make room for her in his life. She also learns and grows and accepts someone who has been patiently loving her all along. That was a nice cherry on top of the main leads' storyline. -Their breakup was believable and realistic. Their values, and perspectives differed quite a bit and the relationship was not ready to be tested like that. The FL did not forgive him right away and the ML had to grovel and ask for forgiveness multiple times before she returned to him. He learned to value her more and realised he couldn't be without her and she understood his actions better and reflected on how much he had done for her. Dramas that have no closure and unnecessary breakups annoy me but here it seemed like it was part of their growth and story. Without it, the drama would have lacked something and their love would have been less believable.
Did not enjoy as much: - I skipped past the third leads story (the influencer friend and the bar owner as well as the grand aunt). It didn't add much to the story and I found it quite boring - The ML rubbed me off the wrong way in the beginning with the way he sometimes looked down on the FL because he thinks she's clueless and will fail in her business. Ultimately I moved past it because he learned to behave better over time and it was part of his cold and business-like demeanor with everyone. - The second male lead inserted after the breakup (in Germany) was unnecessary. They could have resolved issues without the jealousy aspect.
Overall, this drama took me along on a journey and I'm more of a fan of the main leads than before. This drama had continuity, chemistry, character development and a very satisfying ending.
There were many postives to this drama but it was a struggle to get to the finish line. The characters sometimes acted strangely or out of character which would throw me off e.g. FL is supposed to be smart but always needs to be rescued by the ML and is reckless and has no self-preservation, but it was mainly the ending 10 episodes that almost made me drop this. The villain became two dimensional and it was lazy writing to show the Houe sect so easily defeated when they were invincible in the beginning. The last few episodes involved the viewers being told what happened behind the scenes and treated like they were clueless when the plot was pretty layered and interesting in the beginning.
In particular, I was not a fan of classic 'breaking up to protect you trope'. In the process, the ML says many hurtful things and never directly apologised to the FL. Yes, he brought gifts and overall repented but it was resolved too quickly and left me feeling annoyed. The first half of the this drama was good but then the writing deteriorated and became lazy. Watch it if you like historical romance, and the actor but leave your wits at the door.
I just finished watching this drama, and I genuinely want to give it a high rating but I felt like it is not fair…
I agree with your assessment. The plot dragged towards the end and the FL's acting in certain parts was strange or artificial. Her smile a lot of times including the way she scrunched up her eyes felt fake at times. Their chemistry was on point so it wasn't too bad.
This drama started out very strong, pulling you into the main characters but went on for 9 episodes too many. It could have easily finished at 24 episodes as there wasn't much else to the story. Some of the client stories and the main lead interactions started to get boring and repetitive in the last third of the drama but the ending somewhat salvaged it. Of course I skipped all the parts of the FL's best friend though I enjoyed the competition and banter of our second couple and it kept me interested enough to keep going including the depth and range of Miles Wei's acting. He really outdid himself in this drama!
I enjoyed the mystery, thriller and the guessing element of this drama the most. The storyline kept me engaged and intrigued though the last few eps were a drag. The offspring reveal in the last episode salvaged it all.
However the leads had no chemistry but you wouldn't watch this purely for romance any way. I also thought the ML's acting was a bit bland in some places or he had an impassive face where there should be more emotion. I have enjoyed his acting in other dramas but maybe I was expecting more of a reaction from him. He was very impassive when he was getting arrested or when YY confessed. Overall, it didn't detract from the drama too much as I was more focused on the murderer's identity and reversing the future.
The drama is about broken individuals who are lonely, hurt, shattered and refuse to let go of the past. It was like binge reading a book in one sitting about two individuals who find love against all odds. Not to say there weren't some plotholes but overall the story was woven together very well and the main leads' chemistry was compelling. Some powerful themes about society's stigma towards LGBTQ+ (Especially in Korea), how the ones closest to you can cause you the most harm, feeling lonely even while in a relationship, and protecting your love at all costs. The villains did a good job and got what came their way (in some sense) and the acting was great. Personally, I think that nude scene (between second main leads) was unnecessary so that caught me by surprise.
The length of 8 episodes was perfect, anything more would have been unnecessary.
Secondly, the morally grey villan aka SML had more chemistry and backstory with the FL than the main leads. His acting showing his obsession, madness and twisted love was compelling and kept me going right till the end.
Thirdly and relatedly, I found the ML's acting too stiff and lacking especially compared to the SML. I've watched his other historical drama in which he acted well but somhow his portrayal of his character was lacklustre and two dimensional.
Fourthly, while we can appreciate the main leads are smart, they're always outmanoeuvring and winning against all opponents (I mean each time which starts to get repetitive and boring). A lot of the plot consisted of lazy writing where the audience is shown convenient flashbacks, timely friends eavesdropping and solving problems too quickly etc. What happened to giving the audience a little credit and showing rather than telling us how the issues were resolved? I love my slowburn dramas and watch historical cdramas mainly for this reason but this drama just wasn't it for me.
Goes without telling that because of the above reasons I mostly fast forwarded the last 10 episodes and the second pairing which was not very interesting and I thought showed a lot of fat shaming in the beginning. At least she didn't lose her weight to find love so that was something I suppose.
I loved the friendship themes and how Miao Miao never gave up on her friends and family, no matter what.
Hats off to Esther Yu and Ding Yuxi for their stellar performance as well as all the cast and crew that put this together.
Is this worth watching?
What I enjoyed:
- Both characters had growth and developed with the passage of time. Unlike 80% of cdramas, the FL's actions were sensible and rational. She is very naive when it comes to business but is willing to learn and rely on herself to grow. I liked that the FL solved her own issues most of the time rather than being the damsel in distress. The ML also starts out cold and unfeeling but towards the end, he realises the value of love and sacrifice and learns how to communicate better to avoid misunderstandings.
- The wholesome and complete happy ending gave me butterflies. To find a love like that, is enviable. I thoroughly enjoyed the extra episode
- The leads had great chemistry and the plot was easy to follow and interesting that I was willing to watch 15 episodes of very little romance. I think even the SML at one point states the ML is filming a commercial drama rather than romance and that cracked me up
- The second leads were not ALL boring. Unlike most cdramas, where I skip the second and third lead stories, I enjoyed LL's storyline and how she fell for someone who was not right for her and not willing to make room for her in his life. She also learns and grows and accepts someone who has been patiently loving her all along. That was a nice cherry on top of the main leads' storyline.
-Their breakup was believable and realistic. Their values, and perspectives differed quite a bit and the relationship was not ready to be tested like that. The FL did not forgive him right away and the ML had to grovel and ask for forgiveness multiple times before she returned to him. He learned to value her more and realised he couldn't be without her and she understood his actions better and reflected on how much he had done for her. Dramas that have no closure and unnecessary breakups annoy me but here it seemed like it was part of their growth and story. Without it, the drama would have lacked something and their love would have been less believable.
Did not enjoy as much:
- I skipped past the third leads story (the influencer friend and the bar owner as well as the grand aunt). It didn't add much to the story and I found it quite boring
- The ML rubbed me off the wrong way in the beginning with the way he sometimes looked down on the FL because he thinks she's clueless and will fail in her business. Ultimately I moved past it because he learned to behave better over time and it was part of his cold and business-like demeanor with everyone.
- The second male lead inserted after the breakup (in Germany) was unnecessary. They could have resolved issues without the jealousy aspect.
Overall, this drama took me along on a journey and I'm more of a fan of the main leads than before. This drama had continuity, chemistry, character development and a very satisfying ending.
In particular, I was not a fan of classic 'breaking up to protect you trope'. In the process, the ML says many hurtful things and never directly apologised to the FL. Yes, he brought gifts and overall repented but it was resolved too quickly and left me feeling annoyed. The first half of the this drama was good but then the writing deteriorated and became lazy. Watch it if you like historical romance, and the actor but leave your wits at the door.
However the leads had no chemistry but you wouldn't watch this purely for romance any way. I also thought the ML's acting was a bit bland in some places or he had an impassive face where there should be more emotion. I have enjoyed his acting in other dramas but maybe I was expecting more of a reaction from him. He was very impassive when he was getting arrested or when YY confessed. Overall, it didn't detract from the drama too much as I was more focused on the murderer's identity and reversing the future.