Wynndzofchange

Communication is Key

I will preface this with saying that I have seen a lot of reviews saying not to watch all of this drama, that it is a waste of time, frustration with the fl, etc. While I agree that she was often infuriating for her stubborn and know-it-all attitude, most of her behavior is understandable. Exaggeration of responses by characters in dramas is nothing new as they keep us coming back…to see how it will work out. Right?

Now my thoughts on the story:

I think that the point of a lot of these stories is largely overlooked because viewers want heart flutters and characters that are nearly oerfect in their affection once the couple unites. This drama is too close to realty and that is what frustrates viewers and doesn’t give the dopamine hit required to give them heart shaped clouds and fast beating hearts.

This drama is more focused on the extreme importance of open, honest communication between couples. It’s not only important or reserved for your best friend. It’s something rarely communicated between parents and their children, especially when parents are more focused in marrying off their children than they are in teaching them how to live life together with their future spouse.

This drama exemplified a gap between two strong, romantic and sensitive people who focused on happiness together and dreams of the future rather than the process of understanding how the other processes thoughts and responds to difficulties.

Granted, the ml was better at listening to the fl than she was to him, they both viewed everything through the happily ever after lenses of their love goggles - and when life’s difficulties and bitter realities hit them, those lenses cracked, and woke them up.

They both wanted to tell the other about their difficulties but their internal dialogues made assumptions based on their thoughts and not the reality of what the other person felt or needed. This is a dangerous and often disastrous thing for relationships. Trying to keep the other person from feeling any unhappiness (which is temporary in difficulties), neither had the courage to bear their struggles to the other. The result? A rift in the trust they had built, romanticized dreams crumbled and anger lead to resentment. This resentment resulted in defensive barriers to shield the fl from pain and her anger into bitterness. The ml was riddled with guilt and remorse.

None of their attempts to move on or accept the reality of their situations had any affect on their feelings, so they both dived into their professions and channeled that energy into success.

When they reunited both wanted to go back to the other. While the ml did everything he could to rekindle, the fl fought him off. And nothing would have worked until they both faced their part in the failure of their past relationship.

This step was imperative to their relationship. True reconciliation cannot happen if only one person recognizes their contribution to the failure - and the ml had done that.

The fl on the other hand was incredibly stubborn, and it took her a long time to finally recognize what was truly important. She’d lost herself in her anger and hurt, and it took the scare of losing her best friend to cancer to wake her up.

Frustrating for the viewer yes. But also the reality of life and a good lesson to keep in mind. Nothing in life is guaranteed. Loving someone well does not mean you or they will be around and you’ll both leave the planet at the same time. This is a reality I have seen many times over in my life. People leave us in various ways, but those who leave when the grim reaper calls are the hardest to lose. This then should be an impetus to spur us on to looking at everyone in our lives in the realistic view of they could be gone in a moments time.

This is another lesson from this drama.

While romance and warm fuzzies are great diversions fueling our desire for someone to love and to love us in return, the true meaning to having a spouse or friend for that matter is that openness and honesty - transparency - that exposes your good, bad and ugly sides is what is needed along with open and frank communication, is what makes and keeps a bond strong and lasting.

And then at the end of one’s journey, sadness can linger, but the relationship of two people who loved well through all circumstances will never die.

Other things:

Music was good
Production was done very well. Scenes, prop placement, timely music cues and locations chosen to reflect the mood of each scene were excellent.
Casting was also very good. You were drawn to each character with excellent introductions and development. Enotinal responses to the good-guys, the bad-guys and the cutesy 2nd couple were well dispersed and added to the tension and relief very well.

Ovet all I gave this a 9, as the ending was too rushed and focused more on the recovery of the ml’s business than the resolution and redevelopment of the lead couples relationship.

Maybe another label type is needed for classifying dramas - business, business romance. A lot of dramas are labeled as romance when that seems to be the secondary part of the story, and would give the viewer a much better impression of the drama. Tge romance label is used too liberally when classifying dramas, and many seeking warm fuzzies are disappointed which results in bad reviews for the shows and negatively impacts the actors and production crew.

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Too Sweet

There is not much I can add to the reviews already about this drama, other than it can tug at your heart strings with the story and acting of the ML and FL.

One scene in particular made me cry, not just get teary eyed, but cry to the place where I had to open a box of tissue. Her surprise trip find out if the ML really was seeing someone. Zhso LuSi did this scene so well, Ang it was easy to empathize with her pain and the disappointment she felt.

Big lesson in this drama that they all learned, and was exemplified by the FL parents was to speak about what you’re thinking and your concerns in a gentle, kind and truthful manner. So many misunderstandings in life occur because people try to figure out what someone else is thinking without asking them.

This will be on my list to watch again. Multipl3 times.

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Not Disappointed

I watched this drama based on a review, and I have to say that I was not disappointed. Aside from being written from a very mature, adult perspective give, the story dealt with a lot of issues in regards to work, health ;physical and mental), and interpersonal relationships with family, friends, colleagues and romance.

There wasn’t a lot of typical drama cheese in the romance story line, it was very well done. The female and male protagonists had equal billing, and they were portrayed beautifully.

There is a lot of business interaction on both sides, and that too was well scripted. This was pivotal for both of the protagonists and it attributed a lot to their outlook on relationships.

This was a refreshing drama, and I will be watching it again.

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Friends

This has to be one of my favorite dramas. Everything about it touched my heart.

Every villager, from the innocent little children to the beautiful wise grannies became friends that made me laugh, frustrated me, made me want to defend and protect them - and brought me to tears.

Every cast member was perfectly chosen and the story was brilliantly developed. Each character was given time so that you learned about them empathized with them, cheered them on, and wept with and for them. I can’t say there wasn’t a character that annoyed or bothered me due to tropey storylines. You’re able to watch them struggle and overcome things while being supported by each other. There was no backstabbing or crazy childhood friend being goaded by an overly controlling mother trying to force an arranged marriage.

The Ml and FL had sparks flying off the screen the whole drama. It was a joy to watch them draw closer and build up a solid, mature friendship before they committed to each other.

I just have to say that the ML’s granny had to be my favorite. She loves hard, fights back, teaches and protects her family and friends without reserve. The actress that portrayed her made me want to get to know her. This was a beautiful way to portray healthy familial love.

Some people might give this drama a low score because it takes so long for the leads to become a couple, but I think that’s one of the great things about this drama.

If anyone notices the FL’s obsession with time represented by the clock in the intro, at the hotel, her need to always know what time it was - even to rent one of the children’s wrist watch, and the comment made by the clock repairman at the beginning which basically said if one gear breaks the whole clock shuts down. After a few days the FL stopped obsessing with time As her heart and mind began to unwind from all the pressure she put on herself because of work, that is when her healing began. Then eventually she was able to remove her self from the clocks mechanism and realize that life is what we make of it, while strict adherence to her former jobs regulations, the importance of recognizing that rules and time can be their own prison. And, it is much better to let life roll on and do what you can to the best of your ability.

The friends she made in this little village were more understanding and loving group. Every quirky character was portrayed beautifully.

Needless to say, this one deserves rewatching. I feel like I missed a lot and want to go back to see them all again.

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Morality, Admission, Forgiveness & Acceptance

I’d like to start my review with a song: “I’m an alpaca. I like carrots.”

Now that the music is out of my head, I’ll commence with my review.

There is a lot to say about this drama, and aside from my initial issues with the way the ML was treated, and the seeming indifference by the women involved, were resolved.

As an aside, honesty, the admission of your mistakes, apologizing and forgiveness are paramount to any relationship - whether with a potential mate or a friend. One’s pride or lack thereof are no excuse to withholding the apology owed to someone you have wronged. Being judgemental about a person because they don’t meet your standards for beauty is no reason to belittle, bully or humiliate another person. Misinterpreting someone’s words and intentions doesn’t mean that you are free to hurt them or treat them poorly. These character traits put you in the same category and EQ as the person who may or may not have harmed you.

These are the things that brought this drama into a class by itself. The screen writer did an excellent job bringing the unrealistic standards of beauty, the prejudices against those who, by no fault of their own, miss the societal mark. Misunderstanding someone because you assume you know what they meant by their words because of the ‘filters’ of your internal dialog doesn’t mean your understanding is correct.

Tan Jian Ci’s portrayal of the ML is spot on. He is a scientist, his mind is built to analyze, solve and create something new for his chosen field - makeup. He is a little nerdy, very naive and very persistent in his pursuits. This gets him in a bit of trouble in various circumstances. He doesn’t know how to let go because he is used to finding a solution, and even though his persistence may have initially been annoying, it is understandable when you consider his profession. He is also the King of the awkward first kiss.

Lindy Li plays her role well. She is cheerful, happy, caring and highly protective of the bullied and underdogs. But to herself, she has believed the bullies and judgemental attitudes of children and adults that base a woman’s worth on their looks and appearance. Yet she clings to a belief that someone out there will find her true self worth fighting for, while she also tries to temper her disappointments by non-adherence to fashion or makeup.

Enter the bracelet that contains the filters. The FL is drawn by the ability to change her appearance and by using it, accomplished many good things, but also caused a lot of hurt to the ML - which she seemed to ignore based on her misinterpreted thoughts of his current and past behavior. Her bff and sister did not help matters when it came time to end the charades of the filtered people, and created some terrible resolutions to end the existence of those fictitious people.

However, they overlooked the depth of the pain their poorly planned exits would affect the one person involved with all of them - the ML. He was deeply hurt emotionally and suffered through physical and emotional backlash from these plots and took responsibility on his own shoulders that never should have been placed there.

So while I initially had issues with this line of progression in the story, it began to unravel the lies and misconceptions and brought everything into the light. The ML, once he figured out that all of the people he had been attracted to and fallen in love with were the best qualities that the FL possessed, began to pursue the FL with gentleness and great care, even though the FL still held a false prejudice against him.

Once they were able to get past their misunderstandings from the past and present, they actually started forming a bond that was unbreakable.

The screen writer brilliantly brought in the topics of forgiveness (but wasn’t really emphasized) and communication being paramount to any relationship. There was also acceptance of one’s self, respect for the thoughts and opinions of others, as well as the need for transparency in relationships even when it was uncomfortable, or when you feel like no one can see you for who you truly are.

There a moments of hilarity built in to relieve the tension, and Tan Jian Ci played them to perfection. The dance at the photo shoot, the alpaca, the attempted rescue of one of the fictitious characters - there were many - and they broke the angst of a lot of the heaviness in some of the situations.

I appreciated the way the concept of having a strong support network around you is important as well. Friends and family can support without interference or pressure. This is quite different from a lot of dramas where parents and friends try to manipulate and force an outcome that is better resolved between the parties involved.

The 2nd ML and FL were uniquely built for each other and worked through their issues by doing a lot of talking and taking the time to understand each other - and giving each other time to process their own thoughts. This was another area where this drama stands out.

The music itself added a bit of humor and more fuel for thought about the relationship between perceived physical beauty and the deeply attractive beauty of a persons heart, soul and care for others.

I loved the imagery of the ML proposing on the glass walled pier in the middle of nowhere with the beautiful flowers at the time the FL was invisible to everyone. He saw her not in her physical form but from his heart and loved her for who she is (the often invisible hidden part of every human being). That was a brilliantly subtle scene that spoke volumes about the MLs character.

There is so much hidden in the depths of this drama that it deserves a rewatch, which I will be doing because I know there is much I missed.

All in all this is a drama worth watching. When a story invokes an emotional response, it is well worth the watch, and the experiencing of those emotions whether good or bad. Just like people around us, this story brings to light our own prejudices and misconceptions of outward appearances and words taken out of context.

The moral of this drama is two-fold:

People are more than their appearance, and should never be judged on that concept alone.

And second, communication in any relationship is imperative. Assumptions, internal dialogue based on your own filters are often wrong, so ask questions before you make a judgement call that could hurt someone or yourself. Find ways to dispel the self-aggrandized comments of people who think they are superior to you based on their own looks or prejudices picked up from other small minded people. Appreciate your own uniqueness and embrace the totality of who you are - no one can define you as ugly or unworthy unless you give them that authority by being ashamed of what you look like.

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Incredible

I have to say after watching this drama, that I have a whole new respect for Zhao LuSi. This role allowed her to show everyone that she is not just a pretty face made for rom coms.

Her range of character development from abused slave to an incredible business woman in a time where women were anything but respected and cherished by a male dominated society that treated them as punching bags and were sold like cattle at auction was breathtaking.

This was a hard watch for me, especially knowing the abuse and overworking issues she has recently made public with her health from things very similar to this drama. It must have been extremely hard for her to do. I could see even when this was made how she had started to decline in regards to her health.

I have rad a couple of reviews here that say the script didn’t make sense and they dropped the drama. That is too bad, because the finished product seems to have had a lot of footage cut out. But it is a story about a woman who fought against incredible odds to make a life for herself and to help other women along the way.

The ML, Yuning Liu was impressive. I had seen him in the Long Ballad and found him to be a very good actor - giving the role such a performance that you both hated and pitied him and loved him at the same time. His performance of Tang Zi Jing was stellar, and has made me want to see more of him.

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Brilliant Cliffhanger

I loved everything about this drama. Every character was played well. You experienced the gamut of emotions - loathing, sorrow, joy, frustration, disappointment, injustice, compassion, ire.

The bad guys were truly bad. The women were treated worse than livestock, parents used their children to curry favor with corrupt officials, abuse was everywhere.

And yet our ML and FL refused to buckle to the tyranny of authority and wanted to pave the way to where all human beings were treated with dignity and respect.

The flowers were beautiful. Male abusive dominance, manipulation and threats were not. Yet both were living lives that aware markedly different,m. Even though the ML had a reputation of a philandering playboy, it was all an act.

The tacit communication and cooperation of the ML and FL was done very well in both the writing of the script, direction and acting.

While this is a period drama, the battle for female rights are very modern but played out extremely well.

I look forward to part 2!

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Not bad

I am not a fan of this type of drama episode format. They always feel like you’ve just ridden you bicycle to the top of a steep hill only to find the roadway turned into a cliff and you fall onto another hill and cliff until all the episodes have been viewed.

This one was a little different as there were bits of recappin.

Overall, the story could have been very good had the episodes actually fleshed out to allow for more time to develop the story and characters.

I have to say the ML, even though he looked innocent enough was like watching a panther stalk prey. ML is very good at exuding sex appeal, so good that he left singe marks on my tv screen.

The fl lead did well also. Shy and innocent with scruples and not willing to compromise on her integrity.

The rest of the cast just felt awkward - but that could be because there wasn’t much about their characters outside of the vengeful, the ex-girlfriend, the pervy boss and a psychotic jealous peer.

I’ll give this a 7.5/10 because of the leads, and -2.5 for making it a bumpy ride.

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Weirdly Addicting

I must preface that I was completely captivated once again with the acting skills of Byeon Woo-seok. I was in shock for a while because the other two dramas I have seen him in had characters that were so sweet, and his eyes reflected something wholesome and kind. Yet this character was deeply sinister and violent.

Most of the story was good, super human strength passed down to the females in the family. They were smart, fearless and capable to a point.

My favorite was the Grandmother. She way coy and flirtatious, but carried about her business in a no nonsense attitude. She loved her family and was willing to sacrifice herself for them.

The stunt work wasn’t that good. When Nam-Soon was carrying men or heavy things her body placement and angles made the scenes look cartoonish rather than believable.

The story line wasn’t too bad. It was entertaining for the most part. Some of the acting was odd and didn’t really fit the character buildup of the FL in the first few chapters. There was no growth into her character except for the little bit in regards to the fire and her jumping in and out of windows to rescue people. She goes from naive free-spirit to instant actress and investigator in a heartbeat. She was eccentric and her character was over-acted in my opinion. (side note, they should have left her hair long, the haircut she had was t flattering at all.

The FL’s mother was portrayed beautifully. She appeared narcissistic and self-absorbed but had a heart for justice and second chances. And let’s face it, she rocked that leather riding suit like a pro.

The story progressed at an excellent pace, and the breadcrumbs that were left of Si-o’s character made you feel a little guilty for disliking him so much.

The only side story that was ended oddly was the homeless couple she first met when she arrived in Korea. The way the female character treated her male counterpart was a fitting ending. But it should have ended with him regretting his choices as she walked away.

I don’t really remember much of the music as it seemed to blend in too much and didn’t stand out enough to make an impression.

Overall, it was a good show, but it will be a long time before I rewatch.

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Great Story

The only drawback for this drama is the awkwardness of some of the cast from the Dahl Hospital scenes. The language gap and lines were often difficult to watch because those actors were unaccustomed to the rhythm of line recital by the Chinese actors.

Aside from that, the chemistry between the protagonists was palpable. They did an excellent job of portraying two people that love each other deeply, but had difficulty communicating their thoughts and feelings, blaming each other and assuming the others intentions.

Overall, I was impressed with their performance and the way the story developed.

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Heart and Mind

I am impressed with this drama all the way around. From the OST to the ending is a masterpiece.

The story grabbed my attention immediately and held it until the very end. Every detail, character and scene transition was flawless. The story was captivating, and the filming locations were stunning. The martial arts stunts were executed beautifully and were a visual delight. The cast was incredibly talented down to the smallest role. I am actually at a loss for words as to how impressed I am by this drama. Watch it, you won’t be sorry you did. But be prepared for the ending - have a couple of tissues nearby.

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Wow

I normally don’t watch short dramas because there’s just not enough time to develop the story or the characters and jump over much needed content like the cow jumping over the moon - nice try, but it’s always a miss.

But this one, even though it felt a little disjointed at the beginning grabbed me from about ep 3. And talk about chemistry? I had to open doors and windows for fear of the fire coming off my TV triggering my smoke alarm.

The story was good. Rich heiress finds the man she had a one night stand with 6 years prior, manipulates him a bit by holding money over his head to help his sick mother get the treatment she needs. Little does she know he still harbors feelings for her, and she for him, but her desire to have another child so that the baby can donate bone marrow for the son who has just entered the critical stage of leukemia.

They get married after signing a marriage contract with a 3 month duration.

Enter crazy gossipy neighbor who wants her daughter to be with the ML, but he wants nothing to do with her. The acting from these two is terrible. Alrhough the mother pulled off the vicious gossip harpy to perfection - something that either takes a lot of practice, comes naturally or she’s experienced that in rl. The daughter doesn’t care if the ML is married. She wants what she wants and will do whatever it takes including lying and aiding in kidnapping and putting the ML’s mother in situations that cause her many health related attacks. Nasty family. Their acting was terrible.

The ex boyfriend is one of those characters you hate right away. Anither one of those people who won’t take no for an answer, fabricate situations to achieve his end, and even attempted assault and murder. He’s awkward and creepy.

The ML’s mother is overly dramatic and prone to having fits, feigning illness and screaming to manipulate her son. Some of her antics are understandable based on past events.

Then there’s the crazy doctor who is the FL’s exboyfriend who turns out to be the creepiest stalker and manipulator ever. His acting was okay in some places, but mostly it was like watching a chunk of wood lumber awkwardly around and recite lines.

Then the FL’s jealous and crazy brother. Worst actor ever. He had crazy in his eyes, terrible morals and used his wealth to have goons beat and harass people into submission. His character reminded me of a cornered chihuahua who would bite and snap and attack, then whine and blame his insanity on the FL.

The FL’s best friend was finally one who wasn’t an airhead or bounced around from partner to partner. She spoke her piece and then left it at that. This was a refreshing change of pace.

Two more overacted characters were the FL’s father and the wicked stepmother. Neither were convincable in their roles, and the stepmother wasn’t really needed to make the story better.

I have not seen the ML and FL aim any dramas before, but I was impressed by both of them. Their dialog, interaction as a couple and intimacy screens were spot on.

The FL is not a pushover. She doesn’t buy into lies nor does she fall for manipulations for very long. She’s a protective mother and despite her sharp words to the ML, she loves him as much as he loves her.

The ML was very much a master in his role. Strong, proud, protective and completely dedicated to the FL and has a pretty strong EQ. He risked his life and reputation to help her and protected. And let’s face it. He’s got the visuals. Plus, he knows that a kiss between lovers is not supposed to look like dead fish meeting dead fish.

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Destined for Greatness

I stared watching this drama because of Bai Jing Ting after seeing him in The First Frost. And, I have to say I was not disappointed in any way.

40 episodes might seem like a lot. The ML and FL in constant danger built up anxiety, but never once did I fStfoward through any of the characters.

The cinematography was incredibly well done. There were no mechanical horses, no wobbly swords, no blood flying before a sword came close. Tge scenic sites were selected well and blended into the story well.

The acting was superb. Every characters role was done well and convincing by their portrayal.

The court scenes and fight scenes were flawless, including parts where war machines were involved.

The best part of the series was the interaction betweeen the ML and the FL. They started out disliking each other, but through various circumstances they learned to trust, rely and love each other, even when villains attempted to hurt them or break them apart. They grew closer through their adversities and were able to work together flawlessly.

If you’re looking for fluff, this is not a drama for that purpose. It is gritty, it is filled with angst and non-stop plotting and scheming typical in royal court dramas. But there was never a doubt about the integrity or honesty of the leads.

Tgeres so much that is good about Destined, and I could go on, but it’s better if you watch it yourself; even if you’re not a fan of period drsmas, Destined will win you over.

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