strawgal

I have was emersed at the start as the idea had some basis in reality, history is littered with marriages where old no money marries new lots of money, who marries up for status. The US had the 'fishing fleet', of heiresses.
For once I think it was shorter than it should have been, the relationship between father and daughter and the dynamic of the whole family was a bit of a puzzle with most of the pieces missing, so the characters appear extreme.
The last two episodes looked like they had run out of budget so let's finish this quick so it was a bit of the soap opera.
The script just didn't give the actors space to give rounded characters, and the actors were directed to act in mannered way, so I think they did their best with what they were given.

I just watch the last two eps because I just find the humour really loud and forced, which is a shame because it is a great concept.

Finished, and I am still digesting it like a heavy meal, thinking perhaps was it worth it?

I watch clips of old Chinese dramas and some are pretty toxic, with downtrodden wife, cheating husband and the MIL from hell, but somehow they feel less toxic than this.
If this how Chinese society has moved on no wonder they have a marriage and birth rate problem.
In this every character is either only thinking of their own wishes, or trying to manipulate someone to their own ends. It may dressed up as ambition or caring , perhaps even love but really every relationship seems to be based on some self interested transaction, and if they do not get what they want, the way they want it in the relationship,, what there was of it becomes a battlefield.

If you are thinking of watching it I suggest you start with the voice over at the end, it is repeated at the end of every episode. I suppose it is a self love story, that self love/needs are greater than any connection with another person, be parent, child or lover. Not sure I would want to live in a world like this.

Its very well produced, looks realistic, the hotel room a real character in the plot because it show how you can be passed over an leave nothing behind, where are the office is full of the messy races of ideas and work that can be passed on and used.
All the performances are good, the leads are exceptional, but I found it pretty depressing.

Ah that it explains a lot. What looks good on paper often needs cutting and framing for the screen.

It looks lovely, but it's has little dramatic tension in the narrative, like reading a text book. I have seen the FL character represented so often before, its a yawn. Perhaps its is the way it is directed, like you are watching a play.

I can never understand why people like this, it is so detached from the reality of MH treatment, I have worked in long stay mental health care in the past, and makes MH problems an excuse for violent manipulative behaviour. The 'treatment' in the long stay unit was laughable.
The character of the female lead is like someone I have met in real life, but not as bad and honestly I wouldn't wish them on anyone. If the FL character swapped traits with the ML's I am not sure people would be so forgiving.

I watched this a long time ago, and apart from a lot of the office silliness I think it stands up well.
It tackles some very difficult subjects especially how family see even someone they treat someone really badly as resource, to be used and abused.
The main positive for is is really the ML saves himself on his terms, and moves on to value himself.

The confrontation on the road is just dross, they both know they can reverse but its is a lot harder with a trailer. The fact that she is rude and has no competence to reverse a car, how does she park normally, is just stupid.
My husband has just walked in, he says they sound bonkers.

I afraid that it has lost me in the first episode, adults behaving like children, and a FL lead whose voice could cut glass, and of course she goes to the county side in four inch heals and a short skirt, with no basic manners.
OMG the trope that people that people who live in the countryside are either old ,stupid and completely unaware of the world around them, to be treated as comic relief and little else.

You are allowed to have different opinions, its OK, its not bullying people.
I do not feel bullied in any way, shape or form.
I am just bemused, I obviously must pay more attention.

Not a lot really.

I watch a wide variety types of drama and basically I view them in same way, you can enjoy some parts and be critical of others, but it still usually has some value. Things I drop I am usually bored by, or in c drama my ears hate bad dubbing.
The production companies are making so much content that often the script is often the most neglected part, because what people see is often watch catches their attention first. They have so many hours to fill for advertising revenue, so unless something is huge success there is temptation to produce more eps to get more adverting time.
Most of the very successful international drama now has only 8 eps, because it costs so much to produce and even with a team of writers getting the script / screen play right in every episode is hard, and people have so much choice they will drop it, even the big budget ones.
I think we are coming out of a period where in general especially in films visual effects has over powered good story telling, some of the most profitable this year have focused on character and plot.
I think in this particular drama they have decided like The Next Prince the look is important and it has over powered what is a basic plot, and performances.

Ah, something where most of the time adults behave like adults, but when embarrassed revert to being bashful idiots and/ or terrible liars.
Nice to see a women in control who is not some deluded idiot for once. Reminds me of my friend an absolute b!ll buster but so funny.

I think all drama is made with basically the same ingredients to tell a story, depending on the genre it may have more of one or less of another, and its only human to compare how well that mix works for you in a particular drama.

As a basic historical romance with a twist of time travel, there are a lot of these types of drama to compare it to. IMO it would have been better compressed for the amount of eps, and there is a lot of filler which doesn't concentrate on the main couples, when it does most of the time it works.

I think there is the idea you have to need a large complicated set to give an idea of time and place, when is not always the case.

This suffers from the same thing as The Next Prince, they have spent a lot of money on production, sets, costume, supporting artists, so it looks authentic but somehow managed to use a script that is so lacking in focus that makes the main characters not the centre of the drama. The scenes that work are the ones that are set in enclosed spaces, giving the the idea we have spent all this money so we have to show you all this.
The way it is directed and shot, there is too much static and filler, when the core of any plot is how people react to situations. The director work and was credited as the screen writer on Shine, so this should have had a tighter character driven script.
The actors are trying their best, I am not sure what direction they were given but even in historical setting where perhaps speech is conservative or mannered you can still snow emotion in speech, perhaps the most impressive example of this is the recent drama Shogun. There are enough 16thC plays still being performed with basically their original scripts to know that communication has not really changed.

When He Han's father dies, is she crying for the father or the future that He Han could have, and like a lot of people who have family members who abuse substances she has tried to emotionally with draw to a safe distance.

This reminds me of the joke about hedgehogs having sex, how do they do it, carefully, because someone could be injured.
It's almost dystopian in how no one seems to have a normal relationship, it is all about guarding , saving face, manipulation and deception, in the name of love? Or just self love, thinking more about your needs, so the end justifies means.
Yes, competition does often bring out the worst in people, but losing is not always the worst outcome, and if you around people long enough you see poor behaviour, but this an emotional blood bath where everyone gets splashed.
In most drama where most of the characters are people you wouldn't wish to know, they usually give the worst ones they are not nice but they are good to their children, to show some humanity and relief, but not in this. Self importance in life, what ever the cost wins, even if you bulldoze relationships.

Hated the pseudo romance and the very neat ending.

Couple watch. We liked the 7 eps, some good twists, a couple of antagonists you love to hate. The last 2eps were just a mess, like they needed the big finish so they threw everything in and actually it made it have less impact and actually weak.

Perhaps because I have been in a relationship for a long time I have a different perceptive.