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Good Fathers Absent (the drama wouldn't have happened, otherwise)
A reckless, indulged son of wealth and position took offense at Liu Yu Ru, the unfavored daughter of a businessman, and bullied her in thoughtless prank, which caused misunderstandings that led to their engagement and marriage. On their marriage night, he made his feelings known and promised her a divorce as soon as it was practical. The playboy and the puppet had to learn to work together to survive the impending chaos the country found itself embroiled in.
The character growth of both leads was enjoyable to watch: silly boy into a meticulous, thoughtful man and timid, careful girl into a capable, competent woman. I especially enjoyed watching their relationship grow from reluctant allies to friends and to lovers. ML learned his wife wasn't a manipulative schemer but a powerless pawn who had been forced to her way of life in order to survive. FL learned her childish husband was decent and intelligent, but his pampered upbringing had left him few aspirations with no one having expectations of him. Their relationship was the highlight of this drama. Once they were on the same page, they never deviated; they always believed in one another, they had no nonsensical misunderstandings, and they were a true partnership.
Once the ML was sent away to work on the dam, the story suffered. The drama needed the leads to be together to work well and keep my interest. The story shone brightest when it was involved with regular townspeople and the main couple; it dimmed dramatically as soon as the stage was shifted to the palace and court issues and away from our one true pair.
As an "historical" drama, the writers indulged heavily in intellectual fallacies, assigning today's morality and culture to the past. An Emperor with a troublesome dowager Empress and princess should have quickly found a solution to dealing with them (Empress banished to the Cold Palace; princess married to a far land). As for women in large businesses and as generals, those would have been exceedingly rare, also. However, I'm sometimes relieved to have the past sanitized for me: it was personally shocking to see a cockfight depicted.
Miscellaneous meanderings: I wonder what happened to that smart beggar boy who kept an eye on the streets for the ML. What happened to FL's stepmother, youngest stepsister, and little stepbrother? And, wow, in that scene of moving rocks at the dam, skinny Bai Jing Ting had great arms. Until I read the credits, I didn't realize the charismatic villain was Liu Xue Yi, the bald monk of The Blood of Youth. What range he has as an actor!
The character growth of both leads was enjoyable to watch: silly boy into a meticulous, thoughtful man and timid, careful girl into a capable, competent woman. I especially enjoyed watching their relationship grow from reluctant allies to friends and to lovers. ML learned his wife wasn't a manipulative schemer but a powerless pawn who had been forced to her way of life in order to survive. FL learned her childish husband was decent and intelligent, but his pampered upbringing had left him few aspirations with no one having expectations of him. Their relationship was the highlight of this drama. Once they were on the same page, they never deviated; they always believed in one another, they had no nonsensical misunderstandings, and they were a true partnership.
Once the ML was sent away to work on the dam, the story suffered. The drama needed the leads to be together to work well and keep my interest. The story shone brightest when it was involved with regular townspeople and the main couple; it dimmed dramatically as soon as the stage was shifted to the palace and court issues and away from our one true pair.
As an "historical" drama, the writers indulged heavily in intellectual fallacies, assigning today's morality and culture to the past. An Emperor with a troublesome dowager Empress and princess should have quickly found a solution to dealing with them (Empress banished to the Cold Palace; princess married to a far land). As for women in large businesses and as generals, those would have been exceedingly rare, also. However, I'm sometimes relieved to have the past sanitized for me: it was personally shocking to see a cockfight depicted.
Miscellaneous meanderings: I wonder what happened to that smart beggar boy who kept an eye on the streets for the ML. What happened to FL's stepmother, youngest stepsister, and little stepbrother? And, wow, in that scene of moving rocks at the dam, skinny Bai Jing Ting had great arms. Until I read the credits, I didn't realize the charismatic villain was Liu Xue Yi, the bald monk of The Blood of Youth. What range he has as an actor!
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