Platinum Fox

Thank you so much for your response. Did you read The End of Eternity? I can see that these issues are very sensitive to you, so I hope I have not offended you in any way. I am only looking at it from a limited point of view based on the drama. I agree with you it is not enough to change people's minds immediately, but you have to start somewhere. A journey starts with the first step.

Correct me if I am wrong, I understand that TV is the most efficient way to get out a social message as most people, especially in the rural areas do not know how to read. TV and movies are a powerful medium to promote social change. I can only think of two other dramas that carry a positive social message: Love Like The Galaxy and The Legend of Shen Li. If more dramas promote what should be the right way to do things and if people (young and old) see a model of how things should be, then wouldn't this go a long way in changing the laws and behaviors of a nation? Hollywood has been using the media for social change since its conception. Also, The End of Eternity promotes that change comes in small doses can't this be a small dose? However, with change comes costs.

Also, I am sorry to hear about your friend. No one that young should be forced to marry someone. Have you heard from her? Is she okay?

Yes, your interpretation of the story is just as valid as mine. I have enjoyed reading it. For me, I have a different interpretation on Bong Hwan. He loves the king and queen and wants to see them happy and successful. It is why he runs out of the hospital once he wakes up to see what has happened to them. He is very happy that he was able to help the king succeed in changing his destiny. Then, because Bong Hwan has helped the king succeed in changing his fate, Bong Hwan has also changed his own fate and comes home to hero's welcome. In addition, he learns what it is like to be a woman and feel what women go through, especially when it comes to love. From then on we know that he will treat women differently. Both of these things make me happy which is why I say it mostly a happy ending.

In the end, I do see your point and agree with you. He loved the king, the queen, and the maid and he did lose them. That is sad and I am sure he will mourn them like he would his own family. Thank you for pointing that out to me. This point makes this drama a bittersweet ending.

Again, thank you for your interpretation. I really do enjoy seeing how other people view a drama. It's what this discussion forum is all about.

I see your point and understand what you are saying, but I have to disagree with you. One, the king fell in love with the queen when they were in the well as children. He just didn't know it at the time because of how dark the well was. Also, his family was being slaughtered by her family, and Hwa Jin assumed So Yong's identity as the person who saved him. Remember the queen was someone who was very well read in all forms of literature, poetry, and politics. She had acted like a boy since she was young. She read things she was not suppose to, like the book she gave to the king in the well. That book held the code to the insurrectionists plan to overthrow the powerful families and create a more democratic society. We can already see that she was much like him in her beliefs even back then. For her time, she was a boy in behavior and ideology in a girl's body. This leads us to the present day.

In the first episode the maids reported that the queen was acting weird even before Bong Hwan entered her body. We don't know what those weird things were, but they were weird enough to report to the king and family members. In her suicide note, she wrote that because of her family she was not able to be her true self (the girl the king fell in love with many years ago). She was not able to tell him that she wanted the same things he did. Because the king perceived her to be someone who stood for what the powerful family believed and was sent to spy on him. He would not even listen to her.

When Bong Hwan entered So Yong's body, she literally became a boy in a girl's body. Bong Hwan told the king at the very beginning that he was a guy from the future, but the king did not believe him because all he could see was So Yong. As the drama progressed, the king only started to really pay attention to So Yong when Bong Hwan told him about the future and explained the parts of democracy. The king realized then that the queen and him shared the same goal. He also learned that the queen was the one who saved him from the well. As Bong Hwan slowly completed his mission throughout the drama, So Yong's personality slowly started to come through. Once the king was ready to fully listen to the queen and accepted her for who she was, was Bong Hwan able to go back to his time.

At the end the king and queen run around trying to find each other. By this time, Bong Hwan had disappeared, but it's okay because he had completed his mission. He had changed the future for all of them. The king now loved the queen for who she was and they began a new life in making the country a democracy. The queen could now express herself as a girl even though she had boy behavior, ideology, and beliefs. Bong Hwan learned to treat women better and went home to hero's welcome.

If you look at it in the bigger picture as you say, then you have missed the point of the two queen scenes at the end. Bong Hwan has definitely rubbed off on the queen. She now curses and enjoys expressing herself differently than what she did before. She is now acting like her true self, and the king is in love with that girl, not Bong Hwan. When the king says, "it feels like something is missing," I interpret that as he finally realizes that his queen was telling the truth about her being a different person. However, he is not concerned with it because his queen is now his ally and is able to act like her true self, a girl in a boy's body.

Thank you for the discussion and your interpretation of events in the story. I still think, everyone gets their happy ending. Hope this helps.

The show had three premises. One, the king needed to learn how to look at someone as an individual, not as someone from a powerful family. He accomplished this. The queen needed to learn how to express herself. She learned how to do this even learned to swear. Bong Hwan needed to learn how to treat women better and save himself from the mess he was in in the present. He accomplished this as well. This is why I don't see why everyone says this is a sad ending. Everyone learns what they are suppose to learn. They did it by working together and learning from each other.

So sorry, I just can't say that the king had a sad ending. In the end, the king said something to the effect that it seemed like something was missing, but he couldn't really figure out what it was. He did not seem sad about it as she started using honorifics. He became even more intrigued because she had never used them before. My interpretation of this is that he is eagerly awaiting to see what new things he could learn about her which I think is quite romantic. He seemed happy with the results based on what we learned from the history book.

Hope this helps you not feel so sad about the ending.

Thank you, happy reading!

This drama started out with a great premise, but soon became predictable. However, I do like the social message that it gives.

You are right. Most people will look at this drama as a simple love story and it can be deemed as such. That was the outward intention. However, when you look at all the easter eggs in this drama, it adds up to so much more. The End of Eternity is just one easter egg and the most important one as it provides the structure of the drama for the first 8 episodes, explains the female's childish voice throughout the entire drama, explains the parents gentle way of disciplining her, and so much more.

Another "hidden" easter egg is her fox drawing. It is a picture of a fox drinking milk saying, "Mia, Mia or girl, girl". There is a small girl with hearts coming out of her eyes looking at the fox. It is signed Rosy. She drew this when she was 17 right after the conversation in the dorm room, and she met DJX to get her essay workbook. He did not know that she was allergic to milk. She kept the bottle because it came from him. At this point in time, she looks and treats him like a brother, that is his identity and thus the unrequited love story begins as she misinterprets a great many things about him. But if he would have asked her to have sex with him when she was 17, she definitely would have consented based on that picture. It's because of his identity to her that it does not happen. We find out later in episode 23, that he liked her when she was 17, but he was just too embarrassed to say anything. Again, he believes her to be his sister. However, there are scenes that let you know that he is interested in her as more than a sister. This is why when you say it seems like he fell in love a little too quickly, it is because he was already in love with her before she turned 19.

As for your observation that they answer the question in the drama about when and whom. I disagree. Sang Zhi had three love interests throughout the entire drama. First, the boys who liked her when she was 14, 17, and 18/19. If she had chosen either of them, we wouldn't be having this discussion. Viewers accept same age sexual relationships, and there would have been no need for a social commentary on the age of consent law. By the way, the age of consent in China is 14. Age of majority is 18 (being an adult). Marriageable age is 20 for females and 22 for males. I will let you wrap your head around this one. Now do you understand why they started with her being 14 and not at the university level?

Also, this is why DJX had to be older than her. When he met her at 14 and he was 19, they could have had a sexual relationship legally, but was it morally right? The drama was saying, "No 14 year olds are still children." The same when she was 17 and he was 22 (by this time he was of marriageable age, but she was still a minor (even by the age of majority law). However, there is a gray area here. Biologically she is ready to have children, that is why the period scene is so important. But is she emotionally ready? Her family says, "No." That is why they are concerned about the "fake" older internet boyfriend. Again, legally, DJX and her could have carried on a sexual relationship, but is it morally right to do so. The drama is saying no, get to know each other first. This is why he became her tutor and her "brother". It is why he fell in love with her so quickly because he already knew her and cared about her and according to episode 23 was interested in her when she was 17, but was too embarrassed to say anything as this is not morally right.

When she reached 19, she is now considered an adult in the business world, but not socially (marriageable age), This is why the hospital scene is so important. She is considered adult enough to make her own choices about sex and employment, but she is not ready for marriage. Thus, why she speaks in a childish voice throughout much of the drama. She is still considered too young to get married.

There is so much more to this drama then what you have pointed out. It even reflects Zhao Lu Si's other popular work Love Like the Galaxy with the parents. You are right, how many people will think about a drama this much? The age group that it seems to be geared towards will not stop and think about it because their mindset is probably already changed. However, the older generation will still need convincing, and that is why the social commentary book is something that would be familiar to them.

Thank you for the discussion, I enjoyed your review and agree with you on most things, except that this is more than just a simple love story. Happy pondering.

This drama obviously left an impression on you. I happen to agree with you, but I also ask myself why are the writers putting that message out there. What's the point? Could this be a social commentary on many different topics such as parenting, love, honor, filial piety, bullying, nepotism, favoritism, etc. All these topics seem to be relevant to today. Dramas don't have to be just a commercial work. Hollywood has been using TV shows and movies as social commentaries for years.

I apologize if I hurt your feelings with my previous comments. I have tried to correct them.

Yue, you're right. Why is everybody, especially the girls, jealous of SS? This is a costume period piece of the Han dynasty where women had no say over their own lives. The only thing girls could control was whom they chose to love, and then all they could hope for was that the male loved them back. If the male didn't what choice did the girls have. They could remain single at home or join a nunnery. Hence, why all the female love interests for LBY. Power is a strong motivator for jealousy.

As for SS her love interests are based on the types of persuasion: ethos (law and order) LBY; pathos (emotions) Lou Yao; and logos (logic) Yuan. Remember she does not want to get married and is trying to make a name for herself, not her husband. She needs to be persuaded to marry any of them.

As for being homicidal, wouldn't you be if someone massacred your whole family? Even though it doesn't bring back the dead, at least you would feel like you did something to avenge their undeserved deaths. Put yourself in the male leads shoes and then in the female leads shoes. How would you have responded to everything knowing all the limitations placed on you?

Felt like I was watching real life happen before my eyes. The actors were so comfortable and natural with each other.

Just finished watching this and the social message of this is so true even for today.

Here are four places you can go: Kindle (Amazon), Google Books (chapters 1-9 for free); or Internet Archive. You might also get it online at your local library.

Here is a brief summary of the book. It is a social commentary on the use of nuclear weapons during WWII intertwined with a love story.

Here are the three main relevant topics. First is the age gap of the couple. In The End of Eternity (TEE) the couple are five years apart: the male 32 and the female 27. The drama writers of Hidden Love lowered the age to five years and began at 14 for SZ which is the age of consent in China. Age of majority is 18 (able to conduct business and employment). Marriageable age is 20 (f)/22 (m). The four most important scenes in the drama for the age gaps: the doorway scene (14), the dorm and car scenes (17), and then the hospital scene (18).

Second is the male's job. Harlan is a Technician for a time-travel program called Eternity. His job is to travel through time and find places where inventions end up hurting many people. Then, he figures out a reality change with the least amount of impact on the present and future people called Timers. He is good at playing the "what if" game. During one of his trips he meets a woman named Noys and falls in love with her. Their love is forbidden because no one besides the people who work at Eternity know about Eternity. It is outside the realm of reality. When a reality change writes out Noys' existence, Harlan, takes her out of her reality and places her in the hidden centuries reality (outside of Eternity's reach). DJX is a gaming programmer. If I am correct his programs deal with making interactions between the characters more realistic and providing different outcomes based on those interactions. DJX starts hiding some of his interactions with SZ (the milk bottle scene, the bike ride, the promise he makes with SZ at the museum, and getting her a stuffed animal). All things that can be interpreted as dating interactions, but are also considered brotherly affection according to most commenters. In addition, these are done at her age of 17 (a moral gray area).

Finally, at the end the novel, we find out that Noys is the one who actually manipulated the present scenario. She wants Harlan to destroy Eternity, so that she and he can live happily ever after in a past reality. This includes sending a letter to a man in Italy to make sure the atomic bomb goes off in 1945. Sang Zhi is the manipulator from start to finish. She wants a happy ending just like the author of Hidden Love. She does everything she can with the limitations that she has to get the desired outcome, the paper stars. However, there is a cost for doing this her unrequited love from 14-17. DJX gives her an essay expressing how happy he is to see her again. He is manipulating the outcome as well just like his job.

This is a very well done story from the acting to the editing of each episode. The screenwriter(s) played the "what if" game with the characters in Hidden Love. Given the author's age at the time of major events in the novel Hidden Love (13-15), would the audience see DJX as a pervert? My answer is yes. This is why they went with the brother scenario. It was the safest choice. An even safer choice would have been doing a historical drama, wait already been done. But if they go with the brother scenario at 14, how will that play out three years later when she is 17and again when she turns 19? Hence the introduction of the fox toy, TEE, and the "essay". I will let you ponder the rest and let you draw your own conclusions. For me this is more than just a simple unrequited love story (been there, seen that), it explores women's sexuality at different ages. The perceptions held by the audience at the age of the girl determine how the next stage will be interpreted.

The novel will also give you another reason why Sang Zhi speaks in a childish voice throughout most of the drama. There are many other relevant items of the story to the drama, but I will let you discover those on your own if you choose to read TEE. Happy reading.

For me, this is the Korean version of My Fair Lady and Pygmalion.

No problem. Happy watching!

She says this about him, he, "repays grace with a grievance" (Viki) or "How can you repay kindness with evil?" (Fresh Drama). Before they break up, their whole relationship is based on this statement. He does everything that is romantic to win her favor (rescues her, makes her clothes, gives her a piggy back ride, etc.). She does the same thing rescues him, makes him armor, changes her reputation for him, etc. But the one thing neither of them do is treat each other as an equal. This is why they break up. He repays her grace with a grievance. I hope that I have not said too much.

Actually, it is shown five times and a part of it is read by Sang Zi.

Yes.

Instead of reading Hidden Love read The End of Eternity; the book shown multiple times in the drama. It will give you further insights behind the drama and why it was made the way it was.

No, it's not. Think about what SS says at the end of episode 1 about LBY.

Yes, they do split up for 5 years. It is from episode 50 to episode 55. However, there is a good reason for the break up and many things go on during that break up that need to be dealt with. But I promise you they do get back together, and there is a happy ending.