So, I have a question, guys. When XQA was imprisoned for accidentally causing life-threatening harm to Silver Gong Zhu, didn’t he also tell Xu Ninian to ask Heng Yuan for help by saying that No. 3 needed assistance? Why didn’t his brother, Xu Ninian, deliver that message to him? We don’t see any acknowledgment of it. He only asked Grand Princess for help and no one else.
I just caught up to eps 19 and I disagree with the things you said. I havent really seen are you the one , but…
I get where you’re coming from, but I still strongly disagree. First, saying this is a comedy/action show doesn’t mean the issues within it can just be brushed aside under the “comedic relief” label. Comedy or not, Lin An’s actions—identity theft, no less—were serious and could have led to life-threatening consequences for Ningyan if the Grand Princess were portrayed as evil, like in most dramas. Just because the tone of the show leans toward comedy doesn’t mean the double standards in how characters are treated should be ignored.
Also, the fact that Lin An is a “cute comedic relief” character doesn’t absolve her of her actions. Sure, you might find it funny, but for someone like Ningyan, who’s at the mercy of the royal family, it’s no laughing matter. As for her supposed apology, I rewatched episode 19 twice, and she never truly apologized. She admitted her mistake but brushed it off by saying they’re “even,” as if her deception didn’t put Ningyan at risk. If you have timestamps for where she apologized, I’d genuinely love to check them out.
Regarding Are You the One, the tone of the show might be different, but the premise of misunderstandings leading to identity-related mistakes is the same. In that case, the ML faced endless groveling, even though the misunderstanding wasn’t entirely his fault. He was stabbed, humiliated, and had to beg for forgiveness over several episodes. Why is it that when a man commits a similar mistake, he’s treated like a villain, but when a woman does it, it’s comedy?
Finally, you mentioned her goons trying to make her not forgive Ningyan. Let me flip that: if this were a male character and his entourage tried to convince him not to forgive the FL, the entire comment section would be calling him immature or petty. The “genre” doesn’t justify the imbalance in how male and female characters are held accountable. It’s not just about one scene or one show—it’s about the consistent pattern across dramas where men are vilified for mistakes and women’s actions are downplayed as comedy or justified because they’re “cute.”
She did admit her mistake in ep. 19. The ML is also lied. So many times and they called it even. She is not the…
Exactly! Lin An might have admitted her mistake, but she didn’t apologize—she just brushed it off by saying they were even because he caused her embarrassment too. How convenient, right? By that logic, Lin An isn’t really responsible since Ningyan "started" the misunderstanding. But let’s be real—if XQA mistook her for the Grand Princess, she could’ve just cleared it up instead of playing along. If she really did apologize, then please, feel free to provide timestamps because I rewatched episode 19 twice, and I didn’t see anything close to an apology. Maybe it happened in your dreams because, let’s face it, you seem to justify every action of a female character just because she’s a woman.
And speaking of double standards, let’s not forget Are You the One. There, the FL also misunderstood the ML as her husband, so by your logic, it wasn’t his fault either. But look at how much groveling he had to do—10 to 15 episodes of begging just to earn her forgiveness. He even had to take a literal stabbing from her before she decided to forgive him. The misunderstanding was caused by her, yet the poor guy was treated like a criminal for it.
My original point wasn’t even about why Lin An didn’t apologize—it was about the ridiculous double standard. When women commit something serious like identity theft, it’s treated as comedy and they’re forgiven easily. But when men do the same, they’re forced to grovel like a puppy just to get their partner to acknowledge them. It’s frustrating, to say the least.
Remember that she is a princess and has never had to apologize in her life.
Exactly! In Are You the One, the ML was a nobleman and a general too, someone who had probably never had to apologize to anyone in his life. But look at how much groveling he had to do just to earn the FL’s so-called forgiveness—even when she was partially responsible for some of the things he did. She even stabbed him with her hairpin, yet not once did we see her apologize for it.
Meanwhile, everyone treated the ML like he had committed some massive offense against the FL, even though she wasn’t even a princess. The least she could’ve done was own up to her actions and apologize too. This double standard is infuriating. Crimes or mistakes against men are brushed off as comedy, but even the smallest thing against a woman suddenly makes the man out to be some kind of serial offender. It’s so unfair and frustrating to watch.
The most annoying princess award definitely goes to Lin An. How can a princess be this clueless? She deceived Ningyan by pretending to be the Grand Princess, yet she expects an apology from him? And to top it off, she doesn’t even apologize to him, but he forgives her way too easily. Where’s the justice in that?
On the other hand, in Are You the One, when the ML did something similar, he had to grovel for almost 10-15 episodes before the FL reluctantly forgave him. These writers, I swear, have no sense of balance at all. If a woman does something wrong, it’s treated as comedic or brushed aside, even though Lin An knew full well she was committing identity theft. If the Grand Princess had been like the typical evil princesses in other dramas, Ningyan could have been executed. But when men make mistakes, they have to beg as if their entire existence depends on forgiveness, and it still takes forever to be resolved.
That's because dramas like this one have a completely different target audience.SMLs who chase after FLs are only…
Yes, there are dramas like that, but they’re so rare, and most of them don’t even include romance—makers usually turn them into bromances instead. That’s why this one surprised me; at least it had some small amount of romance. I wish there were more dramas like this because I’m honestly tired of the usual trope where multiple SMLs are chasing after the FL, while the ML is written as someone who rejects even the slightest touch or interaction with any other female character. It’s starting to feel repetitive.
This drama did so many things right and felt really different in a good way. Ningyan’s family—his aunt, uncle, and basically everyone—was portrayed as kind and supportive, which isn’t something we usually see. Even the Grand Princess and Crown Prince were shown as genuine, caring siblings to Lin An, unlike in most dramas where they’re often depicted as villains. The Grand Princess stood out even more by helping Lin An multiple times.
What I found really interesting was how the FL was written—she’s immature and not exactly kind-hearted, which is pretty rare. Plus, there’s no typical SML chasing after the FL. Instead, the ML had more female companions, which made this drama feel so different from the usual ones.
I was absolutely furious mid-season about Do Jae only wanting to hurt the feelings of ML… by MURDERING the…
Yeah, exactly. His actions like the kidnapping and helping Sa Eon can still be excused to some extent, but killing Hee Joo, who didn’t even do anything wrong, is just outright evil. Drugging her and keeping her in the same place where he called Sa Eon (the killer), fully knowing how dangerous it could be for her, was reckless and cruel. And yet, the leads forgave him so easily—it feels completely unjustified.
Didn't Do Jae become quite dumb in episode 10? He was such a strong and intelligent character when dealing with the fake Paik Sa Eon, but despite knowing that his partner is the real Sa Eon he wanted to take revenge on, he didn't prepare much for it. I didn't even feel any sympathy for him at all. Also, how did he even manage to find the real Paik Sa Eon?
Also, the fact that Lin An is a “cute comedic relief” character doesn’t absolve her of her actions. Sure, you might find it funny, but for someone like Ningyan, who’s at the mercy of the royal family, it’s no laughing matter. As for her supposed apology, I rewatched episode 19 twice, and she never truly apologized. She admitted her mistake but brushed it off by saying they’re “even,” as if her deception didn’t put Ningyan at risk. If you have timestamps for where she apologized, I’d genuinely love to check them out.
Regarding Are You the One, the tone of the show might be different, but the premise of misunderstandings leading to identity-related mistakes is the same. In that case, the ML faced endless groveling, even though the misunderstanding wasn’t entirely his fault. He was stabbed, humiliated, and had to beg for forgiveness over several episodes. Why is it that when a man commits a similar mistake, he’s treated like a villain, but when a woman does it, it’s comedy?
Finally, you mentioned her goons trying to make her not forgive Ningyan. Let me flip that: if this were a male character and his entourage tried to convince him not to forgive the FL, the entire comment section would be calling him immature or petty. The “genre” doesn’t justify the imbalance in how male and female characters are held accountable. It’s not just about one scene or one show—it’s about the consistent pattern across dramas where men are vilified for mistakes and women’s actions are downplayed as comedy or justified because they’re “cute.”
And speaking of double standards, let’s not forget Are You the One. There, the FL also misunderstood the ML as her husband, so by your logic, it wasn’t his fault either. But look at how much groveling he had to do—10 to 15 episodes of begging just to earn her forgiveness. He even had to take a literal stabbing from her before she decided to forgive him. The misunderstanding was caused by her, yet the poor guy was treated like a criminal for it.
My original point wasn’t even about why Lin An didn’t apologize—it was about the ridiculous double standard. When women commit something serious like identity theft, it’s treated as comedy and they’re forgiven easily. But when men do the same, they’re forced to grovel like a puppy just to get their partner to acknowledge them. It’s frustrating, to say the least.
Meanwhile, everyone treated the ML like he had committed some massive offense against the FL, even though she wasn’t even a princess. The least she could’ve done was own up to her actions and apologize too. This double standard is infuriating. Crimes or mistakes against men are brushed off as comedy, but even the smallest thing against a woman suddenly makes the man out to be some kind of serial offender. It’s so unfair and frustrating to watch.
On the other hand, in Are You the One, when the ML did something similar, he had to grovel for almost 10-15 episodes before the FL reluctantly forgave him. These writers, I swear, have no sense of balance at all. If a woman does something wrong, it’s treated as comedic or brushed aside, even though Lin An knew full well she was committing identity theft. If the Grand Princess had been like the typical evil princesses in other dramas, Ningyan could have been executed. But when men make mistakes, they have to beg as if their entire existence depends on forgiveness, and it still takes forever to be resolved.
What I found really interesting was how the FL was written—she’s immature and not exactly kind-hearted, which is pretty rare. Plus, there’s no typical SML chasing after the FL. Instead, the ML had more female companions, which made this drama feel so different from the usual ones.