Nepeta 22

When I am watching this, I am thinking about The Story of Minglan. When FL of that drama learns of what happened to her own mother, she plots and schemes in a measured way because in the world she lived in, she would never be able to fight it in a simplistic way because of the social norms. What I am saying is, she would not start shouting at her father. Because it's just not the done thing in that time.

You respect the elders no matter what because that is the system. Breaking out of that system would throw the whole drama off. The scenes where the whole family sit in the hall and her standing up and raising her voice at her step mum and then her father is very out of character for the Ming Dynasty. It's OK if she's voicing her opinions with her maid, but this is in front of her parents.

I am not expecting everyone to act in one uniform way, but I am saying her behaviour in this scene doesn't feel right especially when the father doesn't even reprimand her poor attitude for a father of his consistency should. Suddenly he's seen cowering.

OK, I understand now. Let's see how it goes from here 😊

Yes, it's seen more often where this type of attitude is normalised. Maybe we're in the minority as I don't see that around me either. You just do not behave that way to ones older than you even how wrong.

Maybe these storylines are written to a niche young audience to liberate those that feel they need to have an outlet to have this release? I'm fine with that, but in this drama, it feels too soon for her to be like this. The only way I see it is, she must have been spoilt a lot by her grandmother to end up like this.

OK, thanks for letting me know about the rebirth and this now taken out. Useful to know. Let's see how she matures here. Hopefully I will put this spoilt feel to the back as it seems like I'm the only one that feel it's weird. Her behaviour seems very smart and a lot older than that of a 15 year old.

Not at all, of course as a viewer it is made clear he was not a good parent at all. But in the current situation, I think his character is so badly written it's not believable. He's just a character to uplift the FL with his bumbling ways and so not subtle scheming. When the FL runs circles around him, it's cringey watching him squirm and yes, I feel for him because he has to endure this level of poor writing of a stock character.

Thanks for going into detail. I likened that like a debutant thing. But I guess, you can't always compare.. No I didn't watch The Rise of Ning.

Yes, the upstaging was used because it felt like someone had used her to hijack her special event. I guess, I had my biases as I thought the drama would be more like The Story of Minglan where main lead would be put upon, meek and always trodden on. Here, she's the eldest and not a concubine's daughter so she has more privileges here.

Thanks for responding and an interesting comment. I am definitely older than FL but not old enough for grand children. Maybe stamp on seemed like a wrong wording. I meant she doesn't seem to show the understandings of what motivates maids and how it came to be that way.

Also same for how concubines may be trying to better themselves. They also have limited rights so it is natural they will do anything to take out potential opposition. I thought being FL material, she may show a bit more understanding on that.

Yes I saw that but maybe I am a bit old school. I didn't expect the FL to be so hard nut so early on. She's definitely feisty but laced with being a bit spoilt and bratty. Maybe it's me, I do not resonate with this character type because I find it too modern and not at all believable in the way she would have been brought up in the Ming dynasty era. It just feels like a modern day drama with characters playing dress up.

No problem, others have also made this point. Maybe I am a bit old school and not expecting a FL to be so hard-nut so early 😉

OK, thanks for letting me know. I will continue to see how this drama version pans out.

Yes thanks for explaining. I did see that part. But maybe I am a bit old fashion. Usually FL characters need to bide their time and show restraint and the comeuppance happens much later down the line 😉

OK, I guess I have to adjust and get used to these roles.

Yes, I saw that bit but maybe the way the drama is adapted, it didn't really dwell on that for long. It was all quite vague. Even with that, for FL status, usually don't do the eye of an eye angle. The restrained pain works well in these types of stories and usually their comeuppance happens further down the line. Here, it's happening all at once.

OK, I am not that far ahead. Yes, he does seem like a very horrible person.

I'm not defending the parents but the writing of the parents are not convincing in any way. They're all stock characters that all fall neatly in place to uplift the FL. It feels that way. The way the father behaves and always ends up looking silly is cringeworthy and not at all believable. The concubine ( a Yang Zi Lookalike) is also a typical one dimensional character.

BTW, I am not saying she shouldn't do what she does, but it's the pacing of when she starts doing it and how she reacts afterwards comes across as smug and spoilt and not coming from a place of being scarred or put upon. If anything, she had been spoilt for too long by her grand mother. This makes her act too modern and takes away from the Ming dynasty behaviour of the time.

Thanks for letting me know. I feel the drama version for me makes her come across as spoilt and controlling. She seems to get her nose everywhere and happily utilise the maids to do her scheming. I understand her feelings for her parents but when she returns to the household she's not at all afraid or reserved but more in attack mode ready to get her revenge. You can almost feel her rolling up her sleeves. By episode 4 she's already shouting at her step mum and father.

It just feels like I'm watching a modern day drama with actors playing dress-up.

Yes I get that, but if you are watching a costume drama, at least 50% needs to follow a bit of the etiquette of the time and that is not just bowing to elders or those in higher status, but also showing a core restrained behaviour in the early stages of the drama. But in episode 1-2 she's already declaring ML is trying to upstage her coming of age (if there's a thing) ceremony... that was meant to be amusing for the audience?

Who is the SML. Is it the character played by Zuo Ye? Or Win Win? If the latter, yes that character is the classic playboy. But not the whimsical type but more like a lazy teenager type.

Thanks for replying back. That's the scene where she walks past her step mother's maid and sort of had a smug look and walked off while she was being whipped. I was a bit surprised by her reaction. She definitely showed no compassion towards those lower down the social pecking order and had no awareness of the social structure that caused the maid to be whipped in the first place. Worse still, she utilises them to do all her scheming.

Scheming is all good, but they seem to be all for short term gains. Like using her step sister to be able to get out the house and then more or less going off on her own to buy cakes for herself without fear of being spotted. I found these scenes strange.

In no time, she's then seen shouting at her step mum in front of the whole household and even at her father. As for the father, he is just a caricature and not in any way a challenge to her. Even when she bows to Ye Xian, she does it in a way that is so obvious to him and everyone else, she's not at all respectful and not afraid. I find this all a bit too far. I get we the viewer need to know this, but the way it is done is off putting. She comes across as a spoilt brat that is milking her past abandonment as an excuse to behave this way.

For me, it doesn't make her likeable at this stage. I hope it isn't one of those dramas where the "master" ML makes her see "the way" through his commanding mature outlook against her babyish sulky tantrums. She already knows she has pretty privileges and being the eldest another privilege.

Not sure whether adaptation has changed the FL's character or not but if not then it's just a modern day girl playing dress up. Her behaviour does not show even 10% of what a girl her age and background would behave like. She's just coming over as a spoilt brat that likes to stamp over others. This makes the whole drama very difficult to watch. Especially when she has difficult father and classic step mum. Her character has managed to make me feel sorry for her parents.