This review may contain spoilers
Realistic Female-Centric, Slice of Life, Dual Timeline Journey
This show sucked me in from start to finish. It is a slice-of-life , female-centric drama that doesn't sugarcoat anything. The episodes feel full, and the pacing is excellent—it will absolutely keep you interested and hooked, even if the dual timeline jumps can feel a bit jarring at times. In the dual timelines, she stays in her hometown and continues the relationship with her boyfriend and in the other, she gets on the bus to Shanghai to start a new career and sees where city life takes her. We get to see both played out quite well, with a full story for each timeline.
The Characters: Refreshingly Flawed
One of the best parts of this drama is the realism of the characters. There are no perfect "green flag" men or completely evil, bad people here—just deeply flawed human beings navigating real life. Some people watch dramas to escape reality, this definitely is not the case here! You will be deep in the trenches with her.
The Hometown Timeline: This seems to be the safe path. She has a boyfriend who is her childhood sweetheart. His parents accept her as theirs. In this timeline, she has a mother in law who operates as the toxic CEO of the family and her partner is a byproduct of this deeply enmeshed family ecosystem. It's not perfect but she is loved in their own way. She also has her own push-pull relationship with her mom that adds fuel to the fire. As the timeline continues, she navigates raising their child while trying to jump start her career. This path seems like a safe choice, but is it really what she wants?
The Shanghai Timeline (My Favorite): This path is a climb towards independence and empire-building. It is not without heartache and twists. We get an open ending with the male lead in this timeline, but I am thrilled that marriage was not shown as her happy ending. She gets to decide what place he'll take, if any, in her life. She navigates the grind of corporate life and learns that everyone has their own personal and professional agenda, and that she should take the time to figure out what exactly hers is. This path was super satisfying to see her growth, especially when she decides to take time to be on her own.
The Final Scene
The literal face-to-face meeting between both versions of herself was poignant. Neither version looks back with regret or plays the "what if" game. They are two mature women who have lived through life's ups and downs and toast each other to continue to find the best version of themselves in their own timeline. Isn't that what life's about? Asking "what if?" is futile, we can only look forward and refine who we are in the process.
Final Thoughts
It was never actually a story about choosing between two men, or choosing between the big city and the small town. It was about a woman realizing that she needs to be the anchor of her own life, no matter the coordinates. I will be thinking about this show for a very long time. I'll also put to rest any hesitation to watch this due to cheating! There's definitely misdirection in both timelines that come to light.
The Characters: Refreshingly Flawed
One of the best parts of this drama is the realism of the characters. There are no perfect "green flag" men or completely evil, bad people here—just deeply flawed human beings navigating real life. Some people watch dramas to escape reality, this definitely is not the case here! You will be deep in the trenches with her.
The Hometown Timeline: This seems to be the safe path. She has a boyfriend who is her childhood sweetheart. His parents accept her as theirs. In this timeline, she has a mother in law who operates as the toxic CEO of the family and her partner is a byproduct of this deeply enmeshed family ecosystem. It's not perfect but she is loved in their own way. She also has her own push-pull relationship with her mom that adds fuel to the fire. As the timeline continues, she navigates raising their child while trying to jump start her career. This path seems like a safe choice, but is it really what she wants?
The Shanghai Timeline (My Favorite): This path is a climb towards independence and empire-building. It is not without heartache and twists. We get an open ending with the male lead in this timeline, but I am thrilled that marriage was not shown as her happy ending. She gets to decide what place he'll take, if any, in her life. She navigates the grind of corporate life and learns that everyone has their own personal and professional agenda, and that she should take the time to figure out what exactly hers is. This path was super satisfying to see her growth, especially when she decides to take time to be on her own.
The Final Scene
The literal face-to-face meeting between both versions of herself was poignant. Neither version looks back with regret or plays the "what if" game. They are two mature women who have lived through life's ups and downs and toast each other to continue to find the best version of themselves in their own timeline. Isn't that what life's about? Asking "what if?" is futile, we can only look forward and refine who we are in the process.
Final Thoughts
It was never actually a story about choosing between two men, or choosing between the big city and the small town. It was about a woman realizing that she needs to be the anchor of her own life, no matter the coordinates. I will be thinking about this show for a very long time. I'll also put to rest any hesitation to watch this due to cheating! There's definitely misdirection in both timelines that come to light.
Was this review helpful to you?
