PeachBlossomGoddess

Lost cause. She is prolific in mediocrity.

With this kind hairstylist let's just say one head is more than enough.

It's too bad it's not a Xianxia or he can grow many heads.

Nope, it is the same one. Much earlier on @Skibbies was already expressing reservations over her.

Is that possible after he slashed all those elders of House Drizzle to death like that?

Chi Pan, you are ugly. And your momma dress you funny! 🤣🤣🤣

Don't understand - how does BCF survive with his head off? Does he turn into DFJ?

Ah yes, I forgot about Qi Mu - you are right they can shove all the blame on him. In addition to that, I recall that the peace treaty with Liao was controversial even among the Song people at the time. Sometimes not seeing eye to eye on an issue like that doesn't make one guy good or bad. Those past generation feuds should just stay there.

This is interesting tyvm for sending it. These Chinese netizens always seem to know so much more about their history. I just wonder whether it makes sense to go so deeply into this historical feud considering the plot is supposed to be about the women. It sounds like her dad was some kind of political dissident. Is QF father that bad for executing his orders to preserve the Song/Liao treaty?

I did not know his dad and Panér's dad were in direct conflict. I don't like that kind of trope either but hopefully their dads just were on different sides but QF's dad didn't frame Panér's or something like that. That is too tired a trope and Tencent must really love it bc Heroes has that one too! Geez.

Glad to see its turned around so well for you considering your previous comments. Enjoy the rest of it.

The guy is finding out at almost 30 (in a time where average life expectancy is in the 40s) that the world the way he understood it is completely turned upside down. The entire narrative of his parents story and upbringing is being challenged. While super talented, he turned down better opportunities for advancement to work at the Capital Security Office where he thought he could make a difference - remember his guiding principles to the CSO team after taking over. So to discover that the CSO prosecuted Panér's father to the letter of the law for simply trying to do the right thing makes him question his own role there. The ONLY thing I don't like is how he kind of shuts down and cuts off communication but I think he is still processing. And its kind of bad luck he gets sent away at this critical juncture. From a story perspective, they also needed an excuse to focus on the women making it on their own. Not the best way to achieve all that but I have seen way worse writing in many other recent dramas.

As for the rest of the small anecdotal sub plots about Zhaodi , Yinzhang etc, this story is written kind of as a sweeping panoramic account of life during Song Dynasty from the perspective of these low status women and the hardship and prejudice they have to deal with. Even though they are the main characters this is not a pure romance drama and it is not all about the FL and ML. This is a social commentary kind of story. Other recent dramas like Court Lady, Song of Youth, are written in this manner, no doubt inspired by the great vernacular classic Dream of Red Mansions. There is a very strong social commentary element in the storytelling that meanders into seemingly loosely related anecdotes and side characters. They are all meant to illustrate a point and depict society as it was then. Its kind of like the famous painting from the period that @CloudA shares depicting life of common people during the time which is also the closing illustration in every episode. The drama also draws heavily from a famous diary of daily life and cultural practices from this period and that is where the Chinese title Menghualu comes from. Highly educated Chinese audiences love this kind of stuff thus the super high Douban rating that did suffer somewhat for the unrealistic and unneeded obsession with purity.

Even though I am not thrilled with the recent turn of events I am willing to cut some slack to Qian Fan:

I think they more or less told us from the get go that the last man standing is WXS. I also think SMZ was exaggerating. I think many of us can could write a better end to this than those jokers at this point.

Yes indeed the director is in a class of her own.

Idk I think the director also has a lot of input. I dropped enough of her past work to know this is by far her best effort and she is at best a very average writer.

Yups it’s not just Chen Xiao, Pan’er’s business acumen also took a nose dive.

I don’t think some challenge or angst is a bad thing in a relationship so I am not avoiding that. But the latest two episodes Chen Xiao is out of character and that I don’t like. I know the intent is to let the women make it on their own but there are so many better ways to write that. I am not shocked however. This writer is quite experienced but has never produced anything exceptional. Without strong IP behind this I am not shocked she did this.

Idk bc I only have the first two volumes of the books but there are book readers here that may know.

Noted tyvm. It gave me a bit of a not so good version of the Danger Zone vibes like the perp just likes to torture women. I don’t mind filler crime drama but not that kind.