Pei Yi is faced with the quandary of what to do about an 'ally' - indeed, a longtime close family friend - who has turned out to be a homicidal maniac. Worse - as insane as he is, he's aligned with her own personal revenge goals. Later, a tiny moment within Pei Yi's conversation with Consort Shu; When Consort Shu reveals that she knows all about the nursery rhyme, Pei Yi inhales, raises and lowers her shoulders in one those small but incredibly emotive gestures that only a really skilled actress like Bai Lu can pull off convincingly. I actually missed it the first time because it was so natural. Spotted it when I replayed the scene. Love to see good acting like that, where the attention to detail is so deep.
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My Girlfriend Is an Alien Episode 6
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Both Wan Peng and Bie Thassapak Hsu are just killing me with the comedy bits. Six episodes in and they are still catching me by surprise with 'snort my drink out my nose' moments. Watching Fang Leng rehearse the role of 'romantic CEO lead' with a pillow was precious! And man, Wan Peng has totally surprised me with how good she is. I had only seen her in a later role as the tough sister in Love's Ambition (in which she was fantastic) but that was a more dramatic role and not so much comedy. Her comedic skill with expressions and body language and just moving around quietly to skewer a scene is wonderful. I'm so glad I decided to bing this comedy series, even if it is a few years old.
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My Girlfriend Is an Alien Episode 5
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This episode seemingly tipped the key factor that will be important for the romance in that ML still remembers Xiaoqi after a rainstorm even though he forgets all other females. On the other hand the episode closes in mixed fashion with him on a date with the stereotypical 'scheming girl' and Xiaoqi innocently trying to help him on the date because ... well. She's an alien. The two are already bantering like a married couple but it's clear that she is still too naive and he has way too many neurosis that their romance is going to be slow to develop.
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This episode, like almost all recent episodes, was very well executed. And there is nothing major wrong with the plot, acting or production. But it's nevertheless ... just a bit sad and depressing. If there is a 'flaw', it is of course the plot making use of the 'noble idiocy' trope in having Pei Yi and Huaijin both stubbornly sacrifice their love, "for the good of the other". But it's not completely idiotic like it is in so many dramas. Their concerns and behavior is reasonable given their situations. But it is frustrating and sad to watch. Of course we know this is just part of the larger story, right?
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My Girlfriend Is an Alien Episode 1
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Wan Peng is hilarious. Her comedic talents are a total surprise. I was not expecting just how good she is with physical comedy. Not the fall-down-stupidly type of comedy either. Shey uses nuance and quiet motion brilliantly. Just the way the moves around a scene even when other characters are talking and _should_ be the focus., you can't take your eyes off her She's a total scene stealer.
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While the prior episode was about quiet, dramatic tension followed by sweet romance, this episode was cold calculation leading to dramatic violence followed by romantic collapse. I know some viewers might rate this lower because of the romantic 'downer' of an ending, but the overall quality of the episode cannot be denied. It's also, unfortunately, a simple inevitable trope that in c-dramas, the writers will contrive to separate the lead couple right about now, with just a few episodes remaining. So I wasn't really surprised by the ending. It just kicks off the final arc which will have the two climbing inevitably back together.
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What an episode. No exciting martial arts battles this time, but wow, some very high stakes quiet tension as Li Pei Yi puts her life on the line, coming to the brink of death while her colleagues and Xiao Huaijin work desperately to save her. The clock ticks relentlessly and the obstacles are subtle but seemingly insurmountable. But the episode isn't just about the race to save Peiyi's life. It also features a romantic arc as she and Hauijin are finally officially engaged for marriage and the episode features some sweet romantic moments and a very passionate kiss!
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The story is starting to really finally build out the emotional stakes for Li Pei Yi (and also, to a lesser extent, Xiao Huaijin) by fleshing out her back story. This is the first time we get a real look (through flashback) at her Mother and Father and it was cool to realize they are being played by the great veteran actors Ma Xiao Qian and Geng Le, respectively. Li Pei Yi's "forced" return to confinement in her ancestral family home feels like a calculated move on both her part and the Emperor's. Yes, it confines her. And yes, by putting her outside the palace, it makes her a possibly easy target for the villains. But it also serves to bring a seed of new life in the ancient manor and it also presents opportunities to lure the villains into making a mistake. I feel like the Emperor did exactly what Li Pei Yi wanted him to do by confining her there.On a side note, I'm really loving the side-couple of Wu Ren and Gu Ling Zhou.
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For much of this drama series, while the individual cases have been intense of themselves, our protagonist has usually been in the role of dispassionate investigator. But these more recent episodes are starting to really ramp up her emotional investment in the plot events and that is carrying us with her. This episode features a moment of remembrance for her late mentor that is achingly sad. Fortunately the sad is balanced somewhat by some incredibly cute flashback scenes featuring the young Pei Yi and the young Huaijin.
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After the Flower on the Wall I thought the villains were bad. Then came the absolute horror show villains of Secret of Auspicious Time. And now we get this disgusting word-weasel Wan Anping! How much more disgusting can the villains get? I'm guessing pretty bad because we haven't really gotten to the main villains responsible for the Le family massacre 15 years ago yet!
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This was a fantastic episode in almost all respects. So much plot closure on the Secret of Auspicious Time plot. There was tragic evil both revealed and avenged. And great fight action scenes as well. But man, the last few seconds ... that hurt.
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She moves around with such swagger in this episode. Constantly encountering resistance and each time boldly pushing right through it with her competence.
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The reveal about the true identity of "Pei Yu" was quite a twist. I wonder how the case will finally be resolved? She's kind of a fascinating character and I hope she can be a recurring character. But all that depends on how Li Pei Yi resolves the case next episode, I guess!
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This episode revolves around an epidemic and is clearly inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic. A lot of the issues and behaviors by people are straight out of how our modern world acted.
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This is a very interesting episode with multiple plots moving forward and some great acting performances. In particular, in wrapping up the complex-by-itself Weeping Child case, this episode features a wonderful dueling ladies conversation between Consort Wei (played by Ma Rui) and Lady Wang (played by Hu Ji Xin). The tension and verbal sparring between these two is both subtle and intense and I really found Hu Ji Xin's performance, brief as it is, to be magnetic. Hope she gets a main actress role at some point. And then in the final climactic reveal conversation where it becomes clear just who's child was actually inside Lady Wang when she was murdered, the verbal sparring between Ma Rui (again) and Bai Lu is so powerful. Bai Lu is always great at micro-expressions so her cold cruel prosecutor mode delivery is so good. The way she dominates and breaks down the Consort Wei - a woman who is probably used to _always_ being in command of situations is fantastic.
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