Lost potential

I don’t usually write reviews. But I managed to finish this show and want to dissuade as many others as I can from spending unnecessary hours of their lives on a show that unfortunately did not live up to its potential if they have any alternative way to spend their time. I read reviews before watching and expected some of the faults but not all.

What I liked:
- I found the costumes to be very beautiful but usually it was side characters
- I liked the overall story and was invested in its central conflict
- Chinese historical dramas often have, imo, bland side stories with confusing relationships but those were kept to a minimum.
- There were aspects of the FL’s personality that were warm and kind and could help me imagine why someone might fall in love with her for reasons other than just a pretty face

What I Didn’t Like:
- Story became repetitive and the same story could have been not only delivered but better served by 24 episodes if not fewer.
- the FL’s acting was more horrendous than I was already anticipating based on the comments and reviews. Almost completely unbearable. She ran awkwardly, her facial expressions were exaggerated and often didn’t match what was happening—it reminded me of the male models from Zoolander. She wore a pout even when there was nothing to pout about and twisted her face around a lot.
- Character inconsistencies: how the FL was able to evade capture so often with just the tiniest little shove was unbelievable. Seemed like lazy writing or they should have gone with a less weak acting angle for her. I can think of many other examples.
- This story didn’t adhere to basic logic all around but mostly this foolishness was concentrated among the four leads. People made decisions that, from a logical standpoint, made no sense. This got worse as the story progressed.

I really liked the premise of the story but the execution left so much to be desired.

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