This review may contain spoilers
Started strong, then lost the plot
This drama started really well. The first 10 episodes had a promising setup—the women-empowerment angle, the challenges and obstacles our FL had to face to establish herself as a court official, and ML as an Emperor trying to take his power back from the Chancellor so he could rule according to his own vision of a prosperous country.
Unfortunately, after those first 10 episodes, the plot took a nosedive into the same tried-and-tested formula. The FL went from being smart and capable to a speech-spouting damsel-in-distress who needs the Emperor to save her almost every other episode. It genuinely feels like she left all her wits back in Shaozou. And somehow, the Emperor can travel all over the place without guards or even shadow guards. And there is so many issues happning in the empire and the only thing the court officials are concerned about is how to get the FL fired, or get the emperor married.
What is working is the acting. Almost all the actors, except the FL, have done a great job with the roles and the material they were given. The costume designer and team have done exceptionally well as well.
Unfortunately, WJY’s portrayal of the FL isn't as impressive. The first 10 episodes were good, but as the story progressed, her performance became repetitive and increasingly self-righteous. There is a thin line between defiance and disrespect, and assertiveness and arrogance". The dialogues convey the intended conflict well, but the performance of the role by the actress doesn't always convey those nuances, making the FL come across as more drama-heroic than genuinely strong, and at times even disrespectful.
It is still an enjoyable watch if you're watching it simply for the drama. For the dramatic impact and a casual watch it can be a 7/10.
For those who were drawn in by the first 10 episodes and expected the same level of intelligent plotting and storytelling, this is likely to be a disappointment.
Unfortunately, after those first 10 episodes, the plot took a nosedive into the same tried-and-tested formula. The FL went from being smart and capable to a speech-spouting damsel-in-distress who needs the Emperor to save her almost every other episode. It genuinely feels like she left all her wits back in Shaozou. And somehow, the Emperor can travel all over the place without guards or even shadow guards. And there is so many issues happning in the empire and the only thing the court officials are concerned about is how to get the FL fired, or get the emperor married.
What is working is the acting. Almost all the actors, except the FL, have done a great job with the roles and the material they were given. The costume designer and team have done exceptionally well as well.
Unfortunately, WJY’s portrayal of the FL isn't as impressive. The first 10 episodes were good, but as the story progressed, her performance became repetitive and increasingly self-righteous. There is a thin line between defiance and disrespect, and assertiveness and arrogance". The dialogues convey the intended conflict well, but the performance of the role by the actress doesn't always convey those nuances, making the FL come across as more drama-heroic than genuinely strong, and at times even disrespectful.
It is still an enjoyable watch if you're watching it simply for the drama. For the dramatic impact and a casual watch it can be a 7/10.
For those who were drawn in by the first 10 episodes and expected the same level of intelligent plotting and storytelling, this is likely to be a disappointment.
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