Shrimpy

Ratings today
Ep7 1.6260%
Ep8 1.8350%

Steadily up. It can be said we have a settled audience now for WDB. CVB is probably going to be around 1.6 which is also great. Tomorrow is Monday, which is pretty much the biggest test for the drama because CCTV 1 is also back to broadcasting dramas while Monday is the worst ratings day as it is.

You are promoting other dramas and other people on a page that has nothing to do with them. It has been 4 years. Learn to swim by yourself or get out of the water.

How about you go and promote your faves somewhere else? This one is obviously way above your head.

I think there is a major rift there. In ep8 when the narration mentioned he wondered about what would have happened if he hadn't listened to XCS, combined with the rest, it seems he blames XCS for it all. I am not surprised he won't take any personal responsibility.

But there are other things happening, not just that. Douban has more spoilers. Once the army starts we are really starting Act II with new people coming in.

Sister marries QT! I used a magnifier glass for that ED too 😂

It is connected to what happened in ep 7 and 8. There is no way that a marriage that started in this way is going to turn out all right. His low self-esteem, a domineering mother in low, feeling humiliated. Then the money comes in and he will finally feel powerful. Very good set up for a bad turn.

ML2 and FL2 leave next episode so we will have some space then, it should be easier and yes, in the army there is the big accident that changes everything.

He joins the army in 11. Hold on, almost there.

Chunsheng does deserve better. At this point I wonder how much is ML2 chasing FL2 because he likes her and how much because he wants to win over Chunsheng, just once. He wanted to humiliate him in that restaurant. That is not what a friend does.

I am ready for the story to finally start turning towards Chunsheng. I do enjoy others but I want to see something finally happening with him. Not him helping the FL2, not him and ML2, I need plot movement for him. Too many things are about everyone else. Qi Tian warned him but he hasn't listened. At least the FL had several excellent moments. 7 and 8 clearly show why it is FL and ML that fit together and why it is FL2 and ML2. FL has a spine of steel and is an upright and moral person, who is willing to do the difficult thing because it is the right thing. I really love her character.

Now I can safely say I highly dislike the Ye family. I don't think there is much to say about FL3 because what she did has no justifications. The narration after XCS and ML3 had talked is a clear premonition. Ye mother is not any better than her daughter and the father is a coward.

ML2 has done absolutely nothing at this point that isn't completely selfish. He is helping FL2 for his own goals and he lied twice in this episode in relation to it, once to FL2 and once to XCS. The behaviour in the restaurant was appalling and again, I wish XCS had listened to QT.

In any case, I really hope the plot starts turning to the ML now that the army situation is like this. I am tired of everyone moving but him.

9, FL2 and ML2 go to the army. 10 there are things with Heizi and the gang issue. 11 and 12 Chunsheng in the army.

Yes, he is going to have a major accident that is basically a turning point in his life. He has to learn to walk again and if spoilers are true he stars a business related to medical equipment.

CHJ is going to turn bad apparently. I did not expect that!

I haven't seen today's yet but there is a major spoiler on Douban about the plot further on. Grain of salt as usual.

Horrible. It is anything but a pleasant read. Ironically, most historians today say that thanks to that terrible period the explosion of development that followed after, happened precisely because it was so awful. Life's ironies.

It was a horrible period. Even in China it is acknowledged as a deeply problematic time.

They will never outright state these things because of censorship but they can point to it enough that the audience will go aha, I know what this is. The timings all fit for XCS's father because the drama starts in 1975 so the whole case is around 4 years long and on going.

Another classic thing was actually mentioned when Qi Tian says his father graduated from University but committed suicide. Highly educated people were often purged, killed or most often exiled. He probably committed suicide to avoid this and his wife followed because she too would have been caught up. This way they saved their son.

Actually the current president was caught up in one of these purges because his father was exiled to the country and it took a lot of effort for him to claw his way back. History is very interesting.

Yes, very different times from those in the west. The college entrance examinations were stopped for a full ten years, some people call it China's lost generation.

This drama is full of little things that are difficult to catch the meaning of unless you know in advance. For example, XCS's father state is more than likely connected to the famous person from that time, Lin Biao. He was Vice Premier, Vice Chairman and the Minister for Defense (longest standing ever) at that time. He was also Mao's successor. That should explain his huge importance.

Everything went normally until suddenly in 1971 he was killed in an accident. This is called the "Lin Biao incident". The official explanation was that he tried to stage a coup against Mao and was attempting to defect to then Soviet Union when the accident happened. Though USSR confirmed this, nobody really knows for sure what happened (it could be he and his family were set to be purged and he was running). After his death, the Party officially called him a traitor.

Now there is always a cascade od events after something like this and many people suffered. Going by military units XCS father was involved with, and his status as commander, he seems to be one of these who got caught up in the purge that followed. So his case is nothing small and this is why it is dragging for so long. Well, I hope that was a bit interesting 😂

Don't worry about it, we got introduced to a lot of characters in a very short time 😂

That is not XCS sister, that is ML2's sister and yes, she marries CHJ.

XCS's sister is the short-haired woman who had dinner with XCS at their house. She will marry Qi Tian.

They are talking about Qi Tian marrying XCS's sister.

This is a male lead drama. You are never going to get an equal screen time for the FL because the main character is Chunsheng and we see the changes of the times through him.