MadelineMaureen

So that new guy talking to ML and Neighbor Uncle is definitely mask guy right? I don't know the actor well enough to tell body movement and unmasked areas well enough to put two and two together.

I think I've gotten confused. Are the two Lu families related and just different branches of the same family or are they two completely different Lu families? I can't read Chinese so I can't tell if their Chinese spellings are different.

Imma need the 2ML to get to the "find out" part of the "eff arounding" he's been up to.

"You told HER!" no bitch, he didn't tell her shit, YOUR dumbass told her when you couldn't mind your damn business. Shit.

Edit: please read the above in a Southern(USA) matter of fact accent.

A lot of issues with the acting actually fall on the shoulders of the director. As it's their job to make sure they get the emotion from the actor that is necessary for the scene/shot. More so in this one because I've seen her performances from better directors and she's is honestly a very talented young actress.

He's really naïve in his thought process and reasoning. I've gotten tired of him constantly popping up. He says he wants it to be her choice, but his actions in public are putting her in difficult situations & yet he's mad at the ML for being close to her when everyone, including FL, think they are siblings. It's hypocritical naïve behavior.

During the middle section 2ML's story is getting fleshed out a bit more so it's evening up to ML's screentime. I personally find him annoying because he doesn't think about how his actions may effect FL's reputation or situation at all. He's overall a good guy, but blatantly announcing your interested in a woman of lower status than you in front of everyone not only makes her a target for other women, but could potentially force her into a relationship because of rumors and reputation being ruined. He's very naïve in his thought process.

The story is very similar to other dramas that have recently released, but with a lower budget and questionable creative choices made bts. If you like any of the actors these things can be overlooked, but if you have been watching a lot of cdramas lately you will notice the similar plots/story. It reminds me of the "teen/YA version" of certain plots/tropes.

If you aren't watching anything else I think it's fine, but if you currently have a heavy watch load this one might start to slip your mind. It's not horrible, but it's not great....as the meme goes..."not bad, but not good" just middle road meh...so the rating being in the 7s makes sense to me.

I haven't timed it out, but as of now...imo...2ML has gotten more screentime overall to ML in the middle section of the drama. They are fleshing out his character more and his family dynamic. I think I'm just noticing him on screen a lot because it actually annoys me every time we cut to him with FL or his family when we could be learning more about the case or ML's current situation. But I think the screentime overall has been even...ish.

It's very low budget, lack of directing and repeated tropes are going to be noticeable. If you are okay with repeated plot points from other dramas you should be fine. BUT I think the only thing keeping some people watching is because they enjoy one or more of the main actors in the cast. As a production girlie.....it is a struggle for me each episode because the choice made by the creative behind the scenes falls short every time. The actors are doing credit to their characters motivations and understanding of the world around them....but the choices made by the cinematographer, director, and editor......I have SOOOOO many notes. Honestly the cutest couple imo right now is Prince Rui and his Consort.

I'm hoping my mother is correct and that the front half is just heavy with setting up everyone on the board and that the back half will deliver an actual tangible love story between the ML and the FL. (I personally like that he was slow to understand his feelings and that she truly treats him like a brother when she is told that is who he is to her. But I am ready for them to shift their dynamic.)

I don't think this is ever going to finish. I'm sure there is going to be a legal/contract issue soon. Personal opinion, there is too much bad press around the working conditions on this set/interpersonal relationships that backers might start pulling funding if they haven't already. If they do finish they will most likely have to reshoot the whole thing as I highly, doubt, short of a court order, Lusi is ever stepping foot back on that set.

She can't retain short term memories well aka lines that she needs to perform. This isn't as simple as dubbing someone over. She has to be able to emote and her lips need to at least move to the words being dubbed.
To put quotations around sick indicates to me that you are horrible person. Not believing something is one thing, but when an illness that is highly documented and shown & for you to say she is faking for whatever reason....just go outside and touch some grass. Reconnect to your humanity, if you had any to begin with.

tops they filmed 6 months but more likely 3 months. So theoretically they could have filmed his scenes within 3 weeks if they filmed for location over episode. some shows shoot per episode others will block shoot & film all known scenes in each location at one time.

reread my original comment & then read the added edit underneath. you somehow doubled down on the "nice guy" mindset underlining my point.
I can understand misunderstanding a comment because cultural differences & English may not be everyone's first language & grammatical/spelling errors may occur. I'm dyslexic, and misread/write things all the time. But "nice guy" mentality is people believing they are owed something for their "niceness". & that is the individual's perception of nice, it might not always actually be a genuine kind gesture. https://youtu.be/8JkZ55np3z8?si=Z2Vo766FhkAFH2T8 here is a video explaining "nice guys" trope in media. again the character of the 2ML is NOT a "nice guy"

I need all the women complaining about the FL not taking the 2ML, to hear me.

Just because someone is nice or kind to you does NOT mean that you need to love them romantically. You do not own that person anything. The "nice guy" mentality in the comment section is honestly concerning.


edit: please for the love of all that is holy, Google search "nice guy" just like that with the quotation marks included before commenting. almost every single response I have had to this comment completely missed my point. As I'm not calling ANY of the characters a "nice guy" im saying the commenters calling the FL stupid for not accepting 2ML just because he likes her & is nice to her are giving "nice guy" behavior.

also I didnt even mention the ML. this has NOTHING to do with the ML. Just because someone's actions are preceived as kind, nice or even loving toward another person, that person is not beholden to them for their nice/kind treatment. FL doesn't own anyone her feelings or her acceptance of THEIR feelings.

Siding with the man that killed your own father and made you a slave is actually wild.

Once you have a few dozen period Cdramas under your belt you'll see similarities when it comes to certain stories/plot devices. This one is getting the job done & I'm enjoying it.

Mr. Lu was more concerned about him having a younger sister....that man is 100% connected to Lu Chang's mother...most likely Lu Chang's father or uncle or some other connection that would make him question another sibling's existence.

From your watchlist I can tell that you've just starting dipping into the Cdrama side of things.
So....the reason this show's ratings aren't very high is because the tropes are common and the production quality overall isn't very good when comparing it to other productions with similar storylines/plots.
It's like the CW's Reign s being compared to seasons 1-3 of Game of Throne . This show is Reign in this equation.

I feel like her core personality is fully intact even without her memories. But those past experiences really influence a person and she is under false impressions about her situation so....yeah...messy. And because 2ML isn't really in the full "know" of the situation he is living in a very naive world when it comes to FL. Add on to the fact he takes her drawing and adds bamboo leaves to his clothing....confusing her even more....I can't remotely ship them because they have very little communication. He hasn't even fully thought about their class differences and what that would mean for her if he attempted to marry her. He is related to the royal family and is the eldest and only son(as far as i can tell) of his family) in reality she would NEVER be in the running for a 1st(legitimate) wife of a noble.

At least with the ML and with her memory loss all he is seeing is how truly sincere she was with things he thought of as pretense with him in the past.

I'm putting a lot of blame on the editors too. As there are shots that need to pause a bit longer before cutting to a different angle.

In episode 13 or 14, I think, there were two scenes that stuck out to me where the editing missed...the second couple, when the Princess Consort is dressing the Prince the camera shots didn't flow properly or really capture that HE is catching feelings while SHE is just doing a job. (There was one in particular that they cut off her hand before she finished a movement during a panning shot....I was like...wth was that? Half of have hand was still out of frame before they cut to a different angle.)

Then later in the same episode ML pulls the FL out of a tub and the edit again was choppy and had no flow or weight. The shots should have held a bit longer. Time, like the score, or lighting of film/television, doesn't need to exist in reality when it comes to romance. Time is what the character FEELS not what is actually logical. Like up the frame rate a bit or something so that a look has a moment of linger....

The actors are doing their best, but when the camera doesn't get the right shots or the editors chose the wrong angles there's really nothing that can be done.

But yes I 100% agree about the viewers not going beyond surface level. That's why it's so important that the camera shows(not tells in dialog) some of the story. (PS...in case you've never come across my comments before I'm a film(cinematography specifically) nerd)

The show did a really poor job establishing the leads NON sibling relationship enough before they are made to act as siblings. Less than 2 episodes with no new flashbacks to their interactions to they childhood/teens together.

The editing never stays with ML long enough to really get a good understanding of his feelings for her prior to him returning from studying for 2 years.

I normally wouldn't think much of it, but from the comments I can tell that production failed in gaining the viewers interest in the leads relationship.