ibisfeather

Ep 30
So all of Shan Bao's problems with her sisters and Grandmother have been a test. It i is a possible plot twist but the cruelty with which the Grandmother has accomplished this was gratuitous, painful and very dangerous to the business. If the clan really goes through this paroxysm every two generations it would be unlikely to have survived.

There is a red line for violence and betrayal which these women within the clan cross without reflection. This resembles some of the more over-the-top palace intrigue shows where poisonings relentlessly pile up, but placed in an 'exotic' locale and a fantasy culture.

When I started this I thought I was looking at a mockery of a fantasy of 'female power' for exploitation's sake. The initial scene of flagellation of a male lovers seemed simply smutty. While I became beguiled by the actors and the plot, the jury is still out on the exaggerations which twist the emotional life of these women living together.

The saccharine innumerable 'female]-centric' shows and, on the other hand, shows using this exaggeration of unrelenting cruelty amongst women are all in essence insulting. Some have more quality and should be judged by that. As a fan of both HMH and GB, I am enjoying this show and think it is a worthwhile watch. But a caution is in order. There is a certain intellectual weakness in the underpinnings of the plot.

@Ivy You may be onto something...ok I will root for this.

Great comment. Read it all happily.
3. Slow burn can have a more reserved woman. It just isnt usual. I like the 'I love you' with my eyes that LJL pulls at every possible moment. But I am a girl, melting in my boots.
4. Trust is also hot, although maybe better in fiction (personal experience ouch).
5. You made my wait happy. Thx.

ep25
LJL comes galloping down an alleyway on a white horse on the diagonal. Woke me up! Cdrama camerawork is often total snooze -- who let that cameraperson off the leash? I will be watching, hoping to see sim again!

You are thinking of Kim JaeHan. I had to go check.

Just past the halfway point now. Still really enjoying this.

That must be it. Thanks.

"Something's wrong..."
Maybe not?
I dropped Moon River when I heard this was coming.

I would rather see an excellent actress like Nam Ji Hyun give this a try. She has to pretend to be Moon Sang Min/Prince Yi Yeol all stuffed into her smaller frame....so a slower, very romantic princely person?

And I am now totally on the side of that big cutie, Moon Sang Min. I dont know if he can really pull this off either -- how can he really be Nam JiHyun/EunJo? Can he be as crisp and funny as she is?

I think jae i and hae rim still will get together, although I have no idea how they will make it happen.

Ep23
So today while talking to Yun Yin in the plantation, Shan Bao herself offered the explanation for her 'coldness'. Just as she wasnt taught to be a kind gentle sister because she was sent on the tea caravans at a young age, so was she never trained to be a gentle flower, despite her looks.
Instead she was trained to always be on the defensive, if not the offensive, against those who would resent her leadership.

So she does not trust LJL? That I am not sure of. Sometimes I think she trusts him at the most basic level. But that doesnt appear to be enough for the troubles she is going through.

I think she would still call him if she really needs him. He has made absolutely sure that she knows she could do so, even while she has made no response of acknowledgement.

A faithful soul, our HMH.

I am watching on viki -- there must be a coordination problem?

I dont see a new episode listed -- where is 24 plus?

Actually I want to add that the strength of this drama is in the conversations and smaller interactions of the characters. Like when reading a good book, you suddenly say to yourself," is this the first time I have seen [a drama enact] this? It reminds me of people I know!"

And the script actors and production team deliver those small miracles over and over again.

A really lovely show. A keeper.

I see the mdl ratings are rising as more and more people enjoy this.

Ep.2-3
Didnt Jae I's friend say something abt Jae I deliberately trying to scare off his little fiancee....?
Maybe he does have a secret crush on EunJo? There must be somebody...

Ep 22
One episode at a time is starting to be painful. Why is viki doing this?

His murderer looked like he was over six foot but also about six inches taller than our ML, so that makes JiSung pretty shorrt.

Ji Sung. My new idol. It is great to watch an actor who has this big a range -- how many psychological states has he raged through in these three episodes? Of course, my faves are the funny parts of episode 2.

I like the way you describe it.

ep19, the vow before the tea ancestors that RSB will put family prosperity above her love if LJL betrays her (or was it the family?).
Now I am all in for the show. Drama, conflicting priorities. true love, bring it on.

I trust and believe in Hou Ming Hao's taste and Gen Z POV, enough to have kept on with Glory even though it looked like a tacky mocking of 'female power' to begin with.

The murder mystery makjang is great now, the characters are becoming more defined and I can relax and just be an HMH fan!