mycloverformrdarcy

Disappointing sequel

😔… Oops. I’m surprised how much I didn’t like this drama to be honest. I skipped a lot in the second half of this, and the final showdown in episode 28 was just absolutely ridiculous and over the top. It felt like a hysterical soap opera and I did not enjoy it.

“One and Only” was a masterpiece and I loved every second of it, but I dislike “Forever and Ever” with the same intensity I would use to describe its prequel. Had I watched F&E on its own, I would have never understood why the characters like each other and why they feel any kind of attraction to one another. I loved the male lead in O&O, but here?? He was so painfully ALOOF, it made me mad sometimes. At first, I liked how awkward he was, but after a while I was so annoyed. Shi Yi is probably the only person on earth to have this much patience and to love the man – no one else would want to put up with someone this … dense (sometimes). The characters were also so… prudish for their ages. Like, you already slept with each other, but then can’t sleep in the same bed or change clothes in front of each other? The male lead really stood in the rain while Shi Yi changed her shirt, as if he couldn’t have just turned around IN THE CAR. Like, that is just too much. Also, wtf was his deal with timing her night routine?? So weird, and to do it standing outside her apartment. That’s creepy, not romantic lol.

I also heavily disliked the script. I don’t think it did Bai Lu or Ren Jia Lun any favors – it rather led to me thinking that these two talented and capable actors were only delivering a sub-par performance. Interactions between characters felt wooden, stiff, awkward and uncomfortable. While O&O had a nice rhythm and flow, F&E felt weird and choppy. This series felt like… a series – in the sense that it just felt like I knew this was being filmed. It didn’t feel like I or the actors fully immersed themselves into it and became the characters (because this is what O&O felt like: I was fully immersed and believed everything I saw/it was convincing).

The family drama…. Bro, wtf was that. I felt like it was so much more dramatic, intricate (not the good kind) and hysterical than it could have EVER been in the prequel. Too many (old) people – I didn’t CARE, sorry.

I loved the cinematography, locations/sets, coloring, OST and styling for this show though. The leads also shared some really nice moments that made me hopeful, but … eh. Most of the time, I felt let-down. Overall, quite disappointing and not worthy of being O&O sequel.

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When the leads match each other's freak on an intellectual level ??

Xue Fang Fei taking her revenge was so important to me and reminded me so much of Kang Ji Won from “Marry My Husband” – I rooted for these characters so, so much🧡. I think this show offers really great characterization; the mains are all very complex and compelling, and you can interpret so many interesting things.

Wan Ning and Fang Fei were literally two sides from the same coin. Both experienced traumatic events because of men/a man, however, the way they dealt with those experiences was very different. Fang Fei said it best: she never targeted innocents. But can we really blame Wan Ning? She was not a very kind character whatsoever, but was she treated kindly? Her actions cannot be excused, but her backstory made it easier to understand her and her pain. She was used and abused, humiliated and treated like trash. Her retaliating and using men/people however she wanted was her way to assert back dominance over the very same sex that had oppressed her.
Fang Fei was such a smart character yet so sensible, Wu Jin Yan’s performance reminded me a lot of Wei Ying Luo from “Story of Yanxi Palace” (which I am currently rewatching🤭🤭), she just knows how to do revenge. Her acting in this was so, so good. I cried when she cried, I was mad and happy with her – she delivered a nuanced performance, I really enjoyed it.
Shen Yu Rong… drowned in an inferiority complex and a river of self-pity. There’s more to say about him, but I don’t want to waste energy typing about this loser. I share Duke Su’s disgust about this man.🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅
The overall acting in this was really good, there was so acting hole, everyone pulled their weight and added something to the scenes.

The styling, sets, OST (!!) were also so stunning (the flowy dresses!!)!

The revenge was great too. First half was to reclaim Jiang Li’s tarnished reputation, the second half was to use that reputation to advance Fang Fei’s own revenge. I really liked it even though we had to be a little patient, I wasn’t bored. The romance with Duke Su🪭 was also so good. The subtlety, their word plays… just ahh😈😈! The chemistry between them was so good, the tension they created was crazy to be honest (the rain scene…💀💀🤭🤭). Their reunion at the end felt a little underwhelming though… We didn’t even get to see his face😭😭But at least everyone got their revenge and our main couple got happily together💮🌸

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Absolutely Amazing

I am in tears. I cannot believe that I actually watched this monstrosity (I say this with love) of a show in less than a month. It was worth every second, every minute that I invested into it. Such an elaborate, intricate show with twists and revelations around every corner.

Wei Ying Luo was such a smart and interesting female lead! She got shit done in no time and also stood her ground (I ignore the strong plot armor)💅🏻. She even planned her own downfall on purpose, who does that?? Her relationship with Fuca Rong Yin was so beautiful. Both women saw something in each other and depended on one another greatly. RY was like a big sister and mother figure and YL represented freedom. I absolutely adored the development of YL and Ming Yu’s friendship and sisterhood. Ming Yu was such a childish and petty girl in the beginning but grew into YL greatest confidante. I wept like a baby when she died (I’m still upset about this)😭👶🏻. About that sneaky snake Yuan Chun Wang: I never liked him!! He was so incredibly weird towards YL from the beginning. I always felt like he had a very weird claim towards the female lead, a sort of entitlement to *have* her. It was so uncomfortable🧍🏻‍♀️.

Despite her nasty nature, I also loved Noble Consort Gao. I think she left us too early (though the show did not lack drama – even without her). It would have been nice to have a deeper dive into her character/family since she was so interesting but not explored enough. Her loving the emperor so much was her downfall – as was all those women’s downfall. YL played the long game by never explicitly saying "I love you" to Hong Li lol. Though she did admit it in her own way in my opinion. I also would have loved to have more of Chen Bi, not going to lie!

I liked YL with both Fu Heng and the emperor to be honest. Her first love was sweeter while her second was more teasing and chaotic. But I loved the scenes with the emperor, they were such a fun couple to watch on screen😅💞.

Hoifa-Nara Shu Shen💅🏻. The woman that you are. I don’t blame her one bit for all the things she did. She did everything so smartly and proved again and again how cunning she is. She never *really* got her hands dirty, she just made her enemies feel insecure and they’d ruin themselves. I also liked how she and YL were on eye-level. They respected each other’s wits and it went well for 10 years until Shu Shen kind of lost her mind a little lol (aging is a little annoying when the emperor has 7123918320 other wives that are younger than you (and especially when he favors your enemy – I get it)).

The last two episodes were… chef’s kiss. The twists, the emotions, the revelations were amazing. Only thing… if they really needed to kill my man Fu Heng (mind you, his existence was already sad since he married Er Qing – if delusion was a person – and thus lost his real love), then they could have done so on the battlefield. Why did he die of Malaria😭😭

The OST was also great! Both the songs and the instrumental greatly supported the scenes and made everything feel grand. I never skipped a single second of this drama. When I first stumbled upon this show, I wasn’t really that deep into C-Dramas. I thought “Damn, what are you going to tell me in 70 episodes?! As if that won’t get boring!!”. I was proven more than wrong. I had a marvelous time. I laughed, I bawled my eyes out, I cheered, I got mad. This show made me feel all the emotions, and I can actually see myself sitting down for a rewatch.

Standout episodes from the top of my head:
- Episode 19 because that is the very first episode that YL and the emperor spend the majority of the episode together with little interruption.
- Episode 40… Rong Yin ☹
- Episode 54 Er Qing dies, YIPPIE
- Episode 59 because YL and the emperor finally reunited again after he found out she was on birth control
- Episode 61… I cried buckets of tears when Ming Yu died
- Episode 64 because YL successfully planned her own downfall to uncover Chen Bi, plus her reunion with the emperor, who had already understood her plan. The way they teased each other and finally were back together just 💞 I believe the emperor was always 100% confident that YL would be able to get out of ANY situation, which is why he always let her do whatever!
- Episode 69/70 simply iconic. Simply amazing. When Shu Shen cut her hair… I had seen that scene several times in edits and had been waiting (!!) for it to happen because the actress had perfected hatred, betrayal and defeat all visible on her face and man… it did not disappoint. So good.

Overall, a 10/10 show, I will miss it so much😭😭😭

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Even more intense than season 1

This was an excellent watch. I cannot believe they managed to make the second season even more intense and action packed than the previous one. As I was scrolling through the clock app the other day, I saw some people comment how they found Ho Yul's "iPad era" cute and I didn't understand what they meant by that. By the end of episode one though I could only ask myself how the fuck they could "cutiefy" and romanticize him. Due to the events at the end of season one (and all his previous trauma he clearly has), Ho Yul basically went non-verbal and used the iPad as a means to cummunicate. The only cute thing about this whole thing was the fact that he decorated his device with stickers. Other than that, his trauma response and PTSD are not "cute" and I'm honestly a little annoyed how some people either decided to miss the point or weren't able to fully understand the severity of his mental illness. Moving on to better things than people lacking comprehension skills: the acting and story were even better in season 2 than in season 1, which is crazy because both things were already amazing before. There were talks of a third season, and I would love to see Jun Ho get discharged and reunite with Ho Yul to be honest.... Overall, an amazing and intense show!

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messy ...

This show would have been so much better with a slightly different storyline. Instead of the virgin ghost trying to get laid, she should have investigated her death from the beginning. Then, Bong Seon could have maybe still been possessed for two weeks but after that they could have worked together, and we would not have had that weird ass love story. I mean honestly, why was she more obsessed with sex than her death that she doesn't remember?? That should have been more of a priority, to find out what happened and act accordingly with BS.

The romance between Chef and BS was so sweet when she wasn't possessed (and unfortunately, we only got that sweetness in the last couple episodes when the ghost finally decided to NOT possess BS any longer), it was truly annoying how the ghost knew that she wasn't acting according to BS true character. It was equally annoying how the ghost didn't care about consent and just acted on her own selfish feelings (until BS allowed for the possession to happen), abusing BS body for her own benefit for .... what exactly? To get laid once? Only to find out in the end that her vexation stemmed from her sudden and unfair death and not because she died a virgin.

The chefs were a mix of hella funny and annoying tbh but in the last couple episodes they were kinda wholesome. I really wish we could have seen more of BS and Chef and less of the ghost in BS's body, she was always harassing everyone, pushing boundaries, and I cannot believe that the majority of the reviews don't really talk about these problems. Like it's not funny that ghost-BS was looking at her coworkers taking a shower, or that she was throwing herself at Chef to get him to sleep with her. Her unreasonable reactions to his rejections just solidified my dislike for her. The ghost's story might have been sad and she kinda became better in the last episodes, but I disliked her character overall.

Unfortunately, this drama was not that good. The music is forgettable, the main plot complete garbage and the romance between the actual leads falls short because of the stupid writing/script for the plot. The chemistry between all actors and especially the leads was great though, and PBY was really good in this drama. I have never seen her in anything so far, but I am excited to see her in some other dramas - same goes for Cho Jung Seok, he was so charming and funny!!

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Underwhelmed :(

Bro, I am quite disappointed with this one, the hype on Tik Tok was so huge but the final product was… underwhelming🧍🏻. The male lead was great (he was the second lead in “Count Your Lucky Stars”!!), but I wasn’t really a big fan of his character because I felt like he was always hindering the female lead in her work and sometimes he was just a little too much💀. I did like his little eyebrow twitch though, quite fun. The female lead was fun and cute, nothing to say. The actress was super pretty and I really loved whenever she was annoyed with the male lead, her face really captured the sentiment perfectly. I did like her bestie but as always, I didn’t enjoy any of the side stories to be honest, they’re always the same: rich CEO playboy guy falls in love with the female main character’s best friend. It gets old and I just don’t care💔. Xiaobao was the cutest little bean in the whole world, he made the whole show so much more fun and worth it. What a cutie patootie💗🧸👶🏻.

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It Was Okay

The last episode of this drama was the most “go girl give me nothing” ever. It could have been an email. At first, I was bummed when I saw it’s “only” 73 minutes long, but for what it gave me… the episode was too long. The Prime Minister’s betrayal had zero impact on me because we never saw I-An and the PM BE friends despite the characters insisting on that for whatever reason. The fact that the revelation of the PM’s murderous actions against the Grand Prince brought I-An to tears … why? Lol? We’ve never seen these dudes interact in a friendly manner that suggests genuine comradery, so what are we doing here? The best bit of the last episode was probably when the two secretaries kissed lmao.

Generally speaking, the show is a bit of a let-down. The first half gave me nothing but complaints. I am one of those people that fixated on the terrible press-on nails of the female lead. Not because I am bored, but because the director himself brought them to my attention. Several times. (Even in the last episode he thought “let’s give her one more close-up of her ugly nails <3”). I don’t care if the female lead has “nail picking problems” due to anxiety or something. She’s rich, she likes to flaunt her wealth, she should have enough money to invest in nice nails. An absolute bummer to focus on her hands so much only to have the nails be such an eyesore.

In the beginning, I found it hard to like IU’s character. All she did was yell at her employees or glare at them. That’s not badass or girlboss, it’s annoying. Especially in the beginning, her little chuckle was so annoying… I don’t care if it was meant to be pretentious or whatever, I did not like it. Throughout the whole show I actually wondered why I-An and Hui Ju even like each other to be honest. He was a bit bland and well she was hot tempered, I guess. It got better in the second half, and I started enjoying the show from episode 7-11. Despite the script maybe not being the best, and certain things not making that much sense, I appreciated the added political intrigue and drama taking the center of the stage because the romance did not give me much. Or the comedy. (This changed as the show went on, it was just in the beginning that the comedy didn’t do much for me)

The styling was also eh. I wasn’t the biggest fan of some of Hui Ju’s clothes, although the wardrobe improved as the show went on. In the first episode, apart from the color, I didn’t quite get the frenzy over the suit combo she wore (More than that, I hated the shoes?? They looked terrible and ruined the outfit for me). The biggest let-down for me was the proposal scene. It was so anticipated, but fell flat in the end. For one, Hui Ju’s dress was beautiful and I liked everything but the color. It was too pale and washed her out in my opinion. On the other hand, the Queen Mother’s dress was stunning. It looked like the midnight sky on her, with the gems sparkling like the stars… just stunning. Both dresses had a nice shape and were elegant, I just took issue with the color of Hui Ju’s. Next came the waltz. Was the dialogue between HJ and IA meant to excuse the lack of actual refinery, or was the choreography of that whole scene meant to be… kind of bad? Okay, they both never liked those dance lessons, but that’s not an excuse for whatever they were doing. The concept of that scene was nice; the PM and Queen Mother switching partners to dance with HJ and the Grand Prince respectively was a nice idea! It should have added some tension as each character had their own agenda, but … eh. I wasn’t that impressed. It lacked the whimsy and magic I had been looking for since the beginning of the show.

One thing I begrudged in the beginning, which actually got better in the second half, was COLOR. I feel like the show was so bland and bleak at first. The end of episode 5 was visually stunning; for once we had vibrant colors such as green and pink actually POP with life. The editing was choppy at times, especially in episode 11. It shouldn’t be that way since the show had a considerate budget.

The best character in the whole show was probably the boy king. He was just a cutie patootie.

Anyway, the show is somewhat worth watching. The styling is okay; the OST has some beautiful instrumentals; the political stuff is interesting (except the last episode) although one should not expect to see much of on-screen scheming from the villains because apparently the scriptwriter didn’t care. I enjoyed the show as a no-brainer-end-of-the-day kind of show the best and had a good time from ep7-11. The first half was okay, the second half was better (minus the last episode). I personally think the show is overhyped; people attribute depth and nuance, attention to detail and layered storytelling to it when there really isn’t any. It is a worthwhile show to watch in-between, but I don’t think it’s a highlight in any of the actors’ portfolios. Good for them for the successful airing time, but this is not representative of IU’s acting talent or characterization for example. It was nice while it lasted!

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Crazy Good!

I don’t usually watch these types of dramas, but it’s Kim Go Eun, so I had to. And what a feast both she and Jeon Do Yeon delivered, damn. Such good acting from the entire cast, but the female leads definitely delivered stellar performances and I hope they get a ton of awards for the show! The reveal of the murderer may seem out of place, and the motive a little weak, but I think I am happy with how they concluded the affair… Some people just think so highly of themselves that they become delusional and crazy. It fit the characters lowkey…! I do think that Yun Su’s plotting was a little sloppy at times, when she wasn’t actively trying to be seen, she was still … so painfully visible lol. Also, she went through the incredible trouble of burning any proof of her supposed murder, only to bury some of the proof in her own garden? That is so … messy and dumb!! Anyway, this had me hooked; every episode managed to make me crave more as it always ended on a cliffhanger. It always made me anticipate the next part of the story, so I ended up watching the show pretty quickly for my own standards. Great!

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Fun but also "Meh"

Just some thoughts:

- Big question: why? What is the point of that sleazy looking rich guy having his little gang full of dumb idiots who don’t study? Like? What? He’s got a gang full of drop-outs like it’s admirable and cool lmao? So dumb?

- Last episode was so annoying with the dumb gangsters lol

- I think Geon Yeop’s character was underutilized, I expected him to have a more interesting arc and to be part of the group more

- Male Lead is so aloof and daft—it gets to a point to be honest.

- Fight scenes are obviously overly dramatic, but fun though.

- Some questionable/illogical things: female teacher being comfortable taking the phone call mid-conversation while three gangsters broke into her apartment? Of course you’ll get knocked out? The fight afterwards in the underground parking lot? Are there usually not security guards and cameras? After all that ruckus, no one came to check? Lol?

--> Fun and entertaining show if you don’t think too much about the logics of it.

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Beware of the mother-in-law!

I love the feeling of finishing a show🤭. A couple of thoughts on this one…

The costumes and sets were absolutely stunning, the female lead’s chambers were breathtaking—especially that window that looked like a moon! I also quite loved the detail of her evolving hairstyle, signifying her growth as the lady of the house.

Now, the monster of the show. Mommy dearest, big mama, mother-in-law. Girl. This woman was such a hypocrite and biased, it was actually infuriating. The ending scene also just made me laugh to be honest. Praising Shi Yi’s embroidery business, only because it ended up being mega-successful. Meanwhile, throughout the whole show, she held it against the female lead😐🧍🏻‍♀️. The mother-in-law was such a brainless woman, who was easily manipulated by anyone, and who could not once admit her mistakes. Not once did she apologize to Shi Yi for the abuse and mistreatment she faced. Every single time, she had to be reminded how amazing the female lead actually is in doing her duties as the legal wife/ladyship, only to immediately turn against her in a matter of seconds. No matter how many good deeds Shi Yi did, one bad thing and POOF, the mother-in-law just complained what a bad wife she is… Give me a break! It was so annoying, because the female lead’s submission was used as an excuse to push the narrative that “actions are louder than words”. It would have been really nice had Shi Yi just cussed out her mother-in-law… even just once, honestly. The female lead never complained, blabla, and I’m supposed to believe it’s aspirational, meanwhile, she faces unjust treatment all the time. No matter how much I like that man, having that kind of family-in-law is just a big no-no. Ugh, I would hate to live in that house.

Another time the writing pissed me off was when Shi Yi had a lapse in judgment and actually believed that Ling Yi had killed her mother. The show spends every single episode establishing Shi Yi as a level-headed female lead, who thinks before she acts. A female lead who is one step ahead, and when she is not, she adapts quickly and turns a situation back around in her favor. In order to create several episodes’ worth of conflict and tension between the two leads, they made her emotional and guided by irrationality when it mattered most to stay calm. Now, you can argue that 1) Shi Yi is still very young, literally a teenager, and 2) her mother was one of the very few people in her life that genuinely loved her, thus, her death was obviously a big blow—especially since she found her dead. Therefore, 3) finally finding some evidence, even if it’s collateral (as she did admit herself), it is not surprising that she would hope and be over-eager. But taking Ling Yi’s ambiguous and DRUNK confession as the absolute truth is just so dumb lol. Again, I just think the writers wanted some tension among the leads, but I did not like it (the conflict itself was annoying, however, the pay-off was … nice…. I guess… 👀 since we did get a really nice kiss… and yearning and longing… I’ll take whatever I can get!). Shi Yi, until that point, was rational, but not heartless, caring and sensible. In a critical moment like that, I wish the writing had been better.

The last 3 episodes were so … I just wanted to finish the show, so I skipped the part when girly was almost beheaded lol. I do think the show was good, and had sweet moments between the leads, but they dragged it a little. I think more than 40 episodes was just too much. However, the sets, costumes, the stunning OSTs as well has the yearning portrayed by Wallace Chung really did make up for it. I did enjoy the overall acting performances by the whole cast as well. I would not rewatch this show, though. Big Mama annoyed me too much… 🤭💖

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Comfort ?

The tears I have cried while watching this drama… I’m lowkey in shambles, this was such a nice and heartwarming story about friendship, your first love, growing up and maturing😭😭 It brings a similar comfort like “Hidden Love” (same author I think), I had such a good time with the characters. The friendship between ZaiZai and co was so adorable and sweet, they supported each other unconditionally – those are friends of a lifetime🥹🥹. And Zhang Lu Rang… that man breathes acts of service as his love language. It was never not obvious that he liked Su ZaiZai – his eyes spoke more than a thousand words. She really brought him comfort and love and light and I just really loved them together as friends and then lovers. The fact that we got to see a little from Gu Ran and Guan Fang and their families was also a nice touch! And the fact that we got such a nice happy ending – just pure bliss to be honest, what a comfort show 🥹😭🌸

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Good start, lost its momentum

“Like you. Care about you. Pine for you.” – Jiu Chen.

I cannot help but make a comparison. While “Eternal Love” pierced my heart, this one only gave it a little nudge that was forgotten just as fast as it came. I was immediately sold, episode 1 had an engaging start and I knew I had another banger on my hand. I think the show was nice up until Ling Xi was killed (episode 23 I believe). The beginning of her mortal arc was good too, but in the middle of the 30s, I started to get impatient. Starting episode 40, I started skipping like hell🫣.

The villains are a little more interesting here than they were in “Eternal Love” – at least for the most part. At first, I thought no one could outdo Su Jin, but Yuan Tong gave her a run for her money. YT is delusional on a different level because she was irrational and simply the cause of all her problems. Instead of accepting the fact that she was responsible for all bad things that happened to her family, she put the blame on others. Her victim complex got on my nerves so quickly, and of course, the stupid Heavenly immortals who put up with her crap for so long. The Shan Ling tribe adoptive daughter was annoying from start to finish, I skipped her parts a lot. She was just a spoiled and childish brat, and did not add anything vital to the storyline.
Another unfortunate thing is the female lead being such a reduced character. Supposedly a High God by the end of her three trials, we do not get to see her in action that much. Generally, I felt like she could have been stronger overall. Ni Ni’s acting was impeccable though🔥.
I really liked Qing Yao a lot – she was such a good big sister. Loyal and focused and always standing on business. She was a very consistent character💪🏻!

The acting in this was pretty nice. I think the leads had a good amount of chemistry, however, “Eternal Love” felt so much more sizzling and passionate🤭💞. EL had me in a chokehold, even with its annoying characters and plot. L&D on the other hand… after episode 40, I started getting a little tired of its length, meanwhile, I could not have dropped EL at that point – not even at gunpoint, that’s how obsessed and invested I was with the leads. I must admit that I skipped episodes 56-59 and watched episode 60 to be done with the show. The story would have been better if it had less episodes. Ling Xi’s second and third trial took so long to come after her first, the middle 30s to middle 40s episodes just… kind of dragged. Bit of a shame😪.

The sets, costumes, and CGI looked stunning – maybe even a little better than in EL; it just looked so good and fresh. Truly an eye candy! The OST… reminded me a lot of EL, but not as good. EL is so recognizable and iconic to me that this one felt like a cheap copy…🫣

The ending… it’s okay. How did Jiu Chen get out? A secret we’ll never know. The fact that they’re gatekeeping this part of the ending is a little annoying, but at least we can say it’s a happy ending, right? Overall, I’m a bit disappointed. Good start, weak middle, annoying and tedious in the end😞.

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Welcome to Samdalri and the Power Rangers!!?

Ah, I’m sad it’s over.

The negative first:
1) The handling of Eun Joo at the end felt rushed and wasn’t satisfying at all because we didn’t see any consequences. We know that the truth came out, but her suffering should have been part of her karma!

2) The beginning of the drama felt like the writer didn’t quite know where to go. While I enjoyed the early episodes, I think it’s only starting episode 7/8 that I really, REALLY enjoyed the drama since it seemed like the writer finally knew where to go with this drama. Especially because…

3) … the characters finally stopped consuming so much alcohol. In the beginning, the alcohol consumption was astronomical, it was terrible and a bit of a turn off!

The good:
1) The cinematography was amazing!

2) The OST gave the perfect coastal-drama vibes: some up-beat cutie songs, but also some ballads, I like!

3) The acting and especially the emotional depth and delivery of the lead actors and whole ensemble at that was undeniably great. I like JCW anyway, and know he can deliver, but Yong Pil’s breakdown in front of his father was truly a great scene. Acting in love is also one of JCW strengths, his eye-acting is always great, so all the scenes we got with him and SHS were just – 100% believable. This was my first SHS drama (and not my last). The subtle acting, the changing expressions in a heartbeat, the conflict, heartbreak, everything is controlled and yet so natural and easily believable. I really enjoyed her performance and I am so(!) excited to watch more of her dramas because her talent really came through in this drama. Kim Mi Kyung is generally known as everyone’s mom in Kdrama-land (or also hacker ahjumma in “Healer” lol), but I think this was the first drama of hers where she had something more to play with. When Ko Mi Ja confronted Cho Sang Tae after 20 years of keeping her suffering and pain to herself – that scene went straight to my heart like a knife. What a great performance. The overall performances were charming, heartbreaking and always 100% perfect!

4) I enjoyed the overall final episode! Everyone got a good ending; it was a little sentimental yet happy. Everyone was able to go after their dreams without having to compromise for the other, and I really liked that.

5) The representation of grief. Sang Tae is definitely not a great character for the majority of the drama. However, he is a good example of how grief can make a good person bad. And how grief is really ugly sometimes. We see through Sam Dal and his own memory that he used to be a kind man, a man that took care of Sam Dal (and her sisters, I might assume) like an uncle and how he accepted her as his daughter. Because that is what the two Mi Ja’s of Samdal-ri decided: Yong Pil is also Ko Mi Ja’s son and her own daughters are Bu Mi Ja’s daughters. Sang Tae’s grief made him resentful, petty and selfish. It doesn’t erase the pain he caused his own son and Sam Dal’s family, but grief is never fun. And we can see at the end that he is working on his relationship with Sam Dal and her parents.

Overall, the drama was great and made me laugh, cry, giggle and kick my feet. I had a great time and will surely miss the Power Rangers!🐢🐢

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Comforting Romance Drama!!

Where do I start? This show was so, so, so good! I loved our female lead so much; she was confident, knew what she wanted, endearingly cute, and so much fun! She really worked hard to earn her place, and I really appreciate how healthy and encouraging the work environment at Dynamism was. Despite her initial lack of practical experience, Hu Xiu quickly proved to be hardworking, dedicated, and always willing to learn, making her instantly likable to her seniors!

The VR game was a lot more prominent at the beginning of the show, but it did really help establish the competitive nature of our leads, as well as their wits and humor, I really liked that. Just the way they conned each other was hilarious! What made Zhi Yu and Hu Xiu’s relationship so wonderful was the maturity with which it was handled. They listened and heard each other out, and always met at eye-level. From the beginning, they met each other as equals! The fact that they went from strangers to friends first, without ever entirely dismissing the apparent physical attraction between them was the perfect move. By the time they got together, they were so comfortable around each other that there was no shyness or awkwardness to be physically close!

One relationship I really loved from the get-go was Hu Xiu and Xiao Rou’s friendship. They supported each other (emotionally), and were truly ride or die. It was mature, grounded, and sweet. Girl friendships always rock, but seeing it depicted so warmly in the show made me really, really happy. Xiao Rou’s arc with her loser husband was so sad to watch to be honest. She carried the relationship on her back; despite his best intentions, Wang Guang Ming’s execution of bettering their life just backfired and cost him his marriage. By the time Xiao Rou handed him the divorce letter, she’d been left alone for so long that she had enough time to get over him. What really baffled me was when the pipe burst, and how she used it as an analogy to her marriage; Gong Huai Cong’s unconditional help in that moment was such a stark contrast to how Wang Guang Ming was towards his own wife. GHC didn’t hesitate to help her, advise her, and be there for her; her husband, on the other hand, couldn’t even be bothered to defend her when another man slaps her across her face. Right. Anyway, I like how Xiao Rou and GHC’s relationship progressed: it’s clear there’s attraction and possibly some feelings, but we only get glimpses. This is honestly enough for me, go get that (rich) man, girl!

Halfway through episode 23 to 25, the show kind of became wonky. Not bad, but just lost its balance for a little. I understand that Zhi Yu’s investigation of his father’s case and the stadium collapse is deeply personal, but Hu Xiu is right: in a way, since her father was directly impacted, this was also a little about her. I think making him keep secrets from her, and not being transparent wasn’t the right way. They communicated so well before, and I think giving her something to hold on to would have only strengthened their relationship. The angst wasn’t terrible, the rift between them could have just been prevented had Zhi Yu given in slightly. Meet her halfway; tell her it’s dangerous, and that you don’t want her involved, but that you have strong evidence to close the case. Just something to put both of them at peace, I don’t know. Anyway, despite the drama, this was overall a great show. The music was comforting (sometimes, it reminded me of the OST from “Meet Yourself” with its coziness!), the leads mature and grounded, sweet and teasing, and sometimes very funny. The romance paid off, and I just had THE best time during this cold month of January. Truly, a great start into the year for me💛

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I loooove smart women and their general husbands

This was so, so good. I LOVE Liu Yu Ning and Song Zu Er was such a gift in this show as well. They both brought strength and vulnerability to their characters, making them human and complex. Their chemistry was also amazing, making them one of my top CP I think!💖

The ending was admittedly a little rushed as the final battle against Liu Yan went by way too easily, and I would have loved to see a reunion between Wei Shao and our ManMan, but it is what it is. The villains were also kind of low stakes, and sometimes I did not really understand their motives (forehead flower delulu queen…. ??). Bi Zhi’s characterization (or rather lack thereof) was also very disappointing as they just dumbed him down and didn’t give the actor any material/substance to work with, which made his character annoying, bland, and useless.

However, the focus on the leads’ relationship development was done really well. From enemies to seeing behind the veil and realizing that there is more to both of them to slowly falling in love and finally admitting that love. Their petty little fights were fun, but serious moments were done very well as well. The whole main cast proved great acting and the comedy was not overdone, but just right! I would definitely rewatch this show because there are too many good moments, and LYN looks so, so dashing next to stunning, smart SZE💖🙂‍↕️ I will miss them ☹. OH, and the MUSIC… SO GOOD TOO!!!

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