6
3
This review may contain spoilers
This show is an instrument of torture sold as a comfy chair
Where shall I begin?
I'm not going to mince words. Our screenwriters love to bait us with moments of fun and sweetness and then trap us in their circle of hell. Let this be a cautionary tale for you, dear readers.
Them are fighting words, yes? Nay, I say. I threw away two drafts already because I'll be banned for using offensive languages and excessive ranting. Consider this the sanitised version. Still reading? Good!
To be fair, moment-to-moment, this drama is watchable. There are flashes of romance, growth and fan service. However, it failed as far as I'm concerned.
This drama looks like an idol rom-com from afar. When you combine the enemy-to-lover with the forced cohabitation trope, it should be a slam dunk. Alas, this show swam against the tide with determination.
To wit, our leads work, eat and play under the same roof. So far, so cliché. Easy win, right? Yet our OTP made no progress WHATSOEVER during the bulk of its run. The fact that our OTP looks good together and has decent chemistry made the whole situation even more baffling.
There are near kisses, near hugs, near confessions. They’d push each other away with extreme prejudice. Every. Single. Time. Then loudly proclaim they will never be together; there is absolutely nothing going on between them. You can hear me groan in frustration two doors away.
It is not just our OTP’s “relationship” that is problematic. As written, our FL is beautiful, diligent and smart. I won't dispute that, but she is a mess of contradictions as well. Not dumb enough to win the Darwin Award yet not smart enough to read the room. She reacts impulsively when she shouldn't and doesn't react when she should (mostly involving the ML). This FL's persona is diabolical. What have you done, dear writers?!
How does the FL survives in the cutthroat business world? Two words . . Male lead!
Our ML is her silent protector. He exists to coach her and to undo the worst of her mistakes. He fell for her soon after they meet. The fact that the FL ignores all his signals is mind boggling. She had a long-term BF, so she is not ignorant. If this is a xianxia drama I would have said she is some kind of rock spirit who has been cultivating in a cave!
So, after pushing through 30+ eps (help me!), I thought the HEA ending is nigh. How wrong was I! The writers hit us with the Angst Titanic™.
Not only are they pining for each other after a self-inflicted separation. She kicked him out of their shared home as soon as he confessed to her. Eh? What?! Her reasons are nonsensical to me. Does she love him or not? She is so self-centred and contrary. She stayed temperamental all the way to the end. Our writers should be sent to a re-education camp just for this crime against romance.
Of course, we ended up with more yearning and suffering. I am numb by now. The reappearance of the SML is a waste of time.
Oh, speaking of the SML (FL's ex-BF), I will just say the face swapping is sad. It ranges from passable to downright embarrassing. By the time this series was released years late, the original actor has cleared his name. Such is life!
Let's cover a few other issues while we are distracted. The 2CP (FL's BFF) is boring. They run through the usual couple issues. Fun!
The 3CP (ML's BFF) is worse. He is a mommy's boy. Naive and inexperienced to the max. He behaves like a stalker. His mum is next level. She is so controlling. Some of their scenes are cringe+. We got there in the end . . yay . .
OBTW, there are no Big Bad Antagonists. Some annoying co-workers/friends, meddling parents and typical backstabbing business shenanigans, that's about it. Most of them have their redemption, especially the SFL.
Speaking of the SFL, the pairing of the second leads is designed to fail. Their union was tenuous from the start and only becomes more strained over time. There is no rejoicing when they broke up.
In the end, this show is a letdown. The first few eps look promising. I was tempted to sloth quit mid run, but I was weak and I stayed for the small sugar hits. Then sunk-cost took over. Where is my therapy teddy?!
I won't lie. It is watchable at times. I kept hoping it will get good and we can frolic with the unicorns. It did happen in the very end. By then, I'm exhausted. Could this show be saved if it was 26 instead of 36 eps? Probably, but we will never know.
I think this is the first time I didn't drop a series with such a low score. That’s on me. Peace.
I'm not going to mince words. Our screenwriters love to bait us with moments of fun and sweetness and then trap us in their circle of hell. Let this be a cautionary tale for you, dear readers.
Them are fighting words, yes? Nay, I say. I threw away two drafts already because I'll be banned for using offensive languages and excessive ranting. Consider this the sanitised version. Still reading? Good!
To be fair, moment-to-moment, this drama is watchable. There are flashes of romance, growth and fan service. However, it failed as far as I'm concerned.
This drama looks like an idol rom-com from afar. When you combine the enemy-to-lover with the forced cohabitation trope, it should be a slam dunk. Alas, this show swam against the tide with determination.
To wit, our leads work, eat and play under the same roof. So far, so cliché. Easy win, right? Yet our OTP made no progress WHATSOEVER during the bulk of its run. The fact that our OTP looks good together and has decent chemistry made the whole situation even more baffling.
There are near kisses, near hugs, near confessions. They’d push each other away with extreme prejudice. Every. Single. Time. Then loudly proclaim they will never be together; there is absolutely nothing going on between them. You can hear me groan in frustration two doors away.
It is not just our OTP’s “relationship” that is problematic. As written, our FL is beautiful, diligent and smart. I won't dispute that, but she is a mess of contradictions as well. Not dumb enough to win the Darwin Award yet not smart enough to read the room. She reacts impulsively when she shouldn't and doesn't react when she should (mostly involving the ML). This FL's persona is diabolical. What have you done, dear writers?!
How does the FL survives in the cutthroat business world? Two words . . Male lead!
Our ML is her silent protector. He exists to coach her and to undo the worst of her mistakes. He fell for her soon after they meet. The fact that the FL ignores all his signals is mind boggling. She had a long-term BF, so she is not ignorant. If this is a xianxia drama I would have said she is some kind of rock spirit who has been cultivating in a cave!
So, after pushing through 30+ eps (help me!), I thought the HEA ending is nigh. How wrong was I! The writers hit us with the Angst Titanic™.
Not only are they pining for each other after a self-inflicted separation. She kicked him out of their shared home as soon as he confessed to her. Eh? What?! Her reasons are nonsensical to me. Does she love him or not? She is so self-centred and contrary. She stayed temperamental all the way to the end. Our writers should be sent to a re-education camp just for this crime against romance.
Of course, we ended up with more yearning and suffering. I am numb by now. The reappearance of the SML is a waste of time.
Oh, speaking of the SML (FL's ex-BF), I will just say the face swapping is sad. It ranges from passable to downright embarrassing. By the time this series was released years late, the original actor has cleared his name. Such is life!
Let's cover a few other issues while we are distracted. The 2CP (FL's BFF) is boring. They run through the usual couple issues. Fun!
The 3CP (ML's BFF) is worse. He is a mommy's boy. Naive and inexperienced to the max. He behaves like a stalker. His mum is next level. She is so controlling. Some of their scenes are cringe+. We got there in the end . . yay . .
OBTW, there are no Big Bad Antagonists. Some annoying co-workers/friends, meddling parents and typical backstabbing business shenanigans, that's about it. Most of them have their redemption, especially the SFL.
Speaking of the SFL, the pairing of the second leads is designed to fail. Their union was tenuous from the start and only becomes more strained over time. There is no rejoicing when they broke up.
In the end, this show is a letdown. The first few eps look promising. I was tempted to sloth quit mid run, but I was weak and I stayed for the small sugar hits. Then sunk-cost took over. Where is my therapy teddy?!
I won't lie. It is watchable at times. I kept hoping it will get good and we can frolic with the unicorns. It did happen in the very end. By then, I'm exhausted. Could this show be saved if it was 26 instead of 36 eps? Probably, but we will never know.
I think this is the first time I didn't drop a series with such a low score. That’s on me. Peace.
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