MDK17

@Tiano and @arpar there is a bonus episode (looks like cut scenes but from his perspective and his thoughts) on Tencent/WeTv that’s slightly more than 18 minutes long. Just in case you want to check it out .

Im almost finished with it and...that second lead (The Heir) grows on you lol. He comes across as a total jerk but, he turns out not to be lol. He talks horribly but he ACTS like a decent guy. The Nephew...ugh lol. He's the one I FF through lol. I have 3 episodes left and right now it's a 9.5 for me. Prisoner of Beauty, Fated Hearts, Blossom and Melody of Golden Age are all 10's for me to give you an idea (if you've watched any of those) of where this falls for me in the "great drama" range lol. The Crown Prince, later Emperor, stole the show though. His scenes are so good.

ohhh, yeah, im pretty much right there with exactly what you said :-). A lot of the time I don't mind a 3rd party at all AS LONG AS it's one sided. I really like it when the leads 'put them in their place" lol. I think I already said this (I didn't reread my posts lol) but thats why I differentiate between love triangle and third party interest. I have a hard time when the lead has feelings for someone else for any length of time.

Im all in for the romance, it doesn't have to be the main component, (even if I love that lol) but there has to be SOME there, and it takes away from that for me when there's wavering between love interests.

The one I had to drop because of the absolutely non stop, unrelenting 3rd party was "Under the Power". The story itself was pretty good but that guy really took away from it. I can't even remember details EXCEPT for his behavior. He totally ruined the whole drama for me.

that makes total sense. I think I "paired down" my definition because there were to many dramas that I was going to skip because of "love triangles" that after I gave in and watched anyway they weren't as I thought they would be. I dropped a drama the other day because of a third party. he was SO annoying! the FL flatly told him SEVERAL times that she wasn't interested, that in her eyes he was her BROTHER. He just would not leave them alone. I got so irritated with him that, even though I loved the main couple and the story, this guy was in almost every episode and I just had to stop watching. so yeah, in your explanation he would absolutely fit the "love triangle" definition.

In other dramas the third party is annoying but the way the leads handle it make me tolerate it and not consider it a "love triangle". It would be third party interference the way I define it.

Im rambling, sorry about that lol. I guess for me I need to know if the interest is reciprocated or not, and if it's not I can handle that better, (usually lol) because if the lead isn't interested I don't really consider the a threat, I just see it as a (dumb) plot point. So I was looking for a way to define the differences.

Still, now I see why people call it a love triangle even if it's not reciprocated. I guess I could have googled it myself lol, I'm just interested in how others define things so I'm speaking the same language as everyone else :-)

@Taino Quick question (it's a real, I want to know your answer question, not a sarcastic or snarky one lol) how do you define a "love triangle"? I've found that there are many different definitions so when I read comments or reviews I'm never sure if it's what "I" consider one :-). MY definition of a love triangle is when the lead (for drama purposes I'll specify the ML or FL) either RECIPROCATES the third parties feelings, or likes them but they don't like him/her back. For example: The Princess Royal and Shine On Me. Using those because it's the same actress for both and I just watched them lol. Basically, if the ML or FL has feelings for anyone OTHER than the person they end up with. If there is an outside party pursuing one of them BUT they don't have any interest in that person then I don't consider that a "love triangle" though i'm not sure what to call it, usually I just say "third party interest".

*I have NOT watched this yet so I'm semi guessing*
so...if im reading @arpars comment correctly there is ONE love triangle and ONE third party interest. The FL WAS interested in the guy from the last part of the show but that was BEFORE she knew the ML and had already stopped liking him by the time they met. So, that isn't a love triangle to me thats a toxic person who can't understand that he missed his chance. He causes issues because he's a jerk but SHE doesn't have any feelings for him anymore at all. The ML is jealous that she had past feelings but she's fully committed to him. IN THE FIRST PART she DID have feelings for the other guy so that IS a love triangle, by my personal definition. So to me, this show has ONE love triangle and ONE toxic "not quite" ex. They weren't together she just pursued him and for some reason, at the time, he didn't like her back.

Anyway, I'm interested in how you define a "love triangle" just for ideas on how others look at things. I'm asking you but if anyone else wants to jump in with their definitions I'd love to hear them :-)

Thank you! I was so looking forward to this show but all the clips (on social media) I was seeing imply that she loves one guy but "settles" for the hero THEN grows to love him but still likes the other guy romatically. I don't mind her having a crush before she gets to know the ML but I do mind if it drags on forever and they are it seem like she's still liking him even after she is with the ML. *by liking him I mean in a romantic way, I don't mind if she likes him in a friend way after she gets over her crush.*

I was trying to figure out if I could watch this and actually enjoy it or if it would annoy me to much...

Based on your information I can watch and enjoy this without much irritation with her wavering between men. *side note* I hate it when its the ML the wavers between who he loves too, but it seems to be more of a FL trope than a ML trope lol

its been a long time since I watched it. I think there is a sorta breakup, He's older than her and (my impression, which could be wrong) he thought he was too old for her. He tries to stay away from her for a while. it's a good show. Im not big on the "girl chases first" thing, and she did chase him for a while. Im saying "sorta breakup" because I can't remember if they were together when he decided it would be better to stay away or if that happened before they were "official".

The way I watch dramas, I don't care for the "noble idiocy" of "for your own good Im staying away" even if they aren't official. so I consider that when watch something.

I did like this drama though, it was a good story, I just didn't like that he tried to make decisions for her (staying away even though he liked her) because of age. I don't think it lasted long. when it lasts a long time I give up lol.

sorry if this was rambling or I didn't explain well. Im in a crowded room and slightly distracted by all the conversations going on around me (that im not part of but can hear LOL) so I might have not been very eloquent :-)

Yay!!! I love that this drama turned out this way. I think I've said this before but these are my favorite type of dramas lol. I don't mind "drama" in the story but I prefer it to be from outside sources. I want my couple to be fully committed and supportive of each other from the beginning. From the beginning for me is when the relationship starts but a cherry on top is if they are supportive of each other even before there is an actual romantic relationship. It seems like this might be one of those type of dramas lol

I really appreciate all the info you took the time to give us. it helps me go into the drama with confidence that I will enjoy it.

life is super stressful for me right now so watching stress free dramas is my escape.

thanks!

Me too! I’ve rewatched Hidden Love 3 times in the last 2 months lol. And Prisoner of Beauty and Hello, The Sharpshooter each twice. They are my top 3 favorite dramas. I love OUTSIDE the couple drama and watching them navigate it. Obviously a little between the leads is good too but when it drags on I can’t watch, I just fast forward 🤣. I am so looking forward to watching this drama now that I’ve seen this review.

Thank you! This is exactly the kind of drama I love. I don’t mind toxic SIDE characters as long as the main leads deal with them lol. Like @umang Patel said, this kind of detailed review is SO appreciated by me. It has all the details I always look for 😁. Again, thank you so much!

This exactly lol. I live real life. I want my books/dramas to be unrealistic of what real life is like. If I want real life I’ll listen to my friends tell me about their cheating partner or watch the news *sigh*

I like “real” stuff in my shows but I don’t need them to to be 100% like “real life”.

*preface with, I haven’t watched this yet. Just reacting to your comment in a “my life” kind of way lol*

I’m married to a service man. I’m VERY independent. I have to be because I’m alone a lot with 2 kids. HOWEVER when he comes home he “takes over” he (with my input) makes decisions, cooks, cleans, even runs my bath and tucks me into bed (if I go to bed first) and I LOVE IT.

I’m so busy, and everything falls on me when he’s not home. So to have him come and just “take over” and “do everything” is so amazingly nice for me. There are so many wives here in housing that claim “when my husband comes home it’s like adding another child” because it’s never ending for them. I, at least for a few weeks at a time, get an almost total break. Obviously I live our lives but…I don’t have to be thinking and making all the decisions all the time.

To me, if that’s what this main guy is like. Well…he IS the perfect hero lol. To just let her bask in being cared for is what most of us really want in life.