The story is fairly simple and somewhat typical. The female lead, Wei Wei works at the same company with her boyfriend, Hao Yi, who she has been in a relationship with for three years. Their relationship is going well and they love each other, but all of that changes when she meets Ke Huan, a guy who makes her reevaluate her relationship with her boyfriend. They meet, they fall for each other, but of course, they can’t be together. Cue the sparks, the hot scenes, and the love affair. Right?
I’m going to be honest. If that’s what you’re looking for, then this drama isn’t it. There are some *hot* scenes, but don’t expect much from them. At times, it seemed like the writers were afraid of making the leads go there. A part of me thinks they were afraid of Wei Wei being seen in a bad light, despite the fact that she crosses the line many times in the drama anyway. Because of their refusal to have Wei Wei do anything, the story stops around episode 5. And let me set this straight. I don’t think this drama necessarily needed an affair. I’ve seen many dramas handle affairs in great ways without the leads ever having sex with each other. But unfortunately, Before We Get Married isn’t one of them. For starters, BWGM’s plot is pretty weak to begin with because it only hinges on an affair alone. The characters barely have goals outside their relationships, so the show focuses on nothing else. This becomes obvious halfway through because when Wei Wei starts to go into denial, the story stops as well. And when I say it stops, I mean it feels like we hit a wall. Nothing changes; the characters talk and argue about the same thing, the conflict is the same and the dialogue is too. At one point, I thought to myself that they needed more episodes, but then I realized it wasn’t that they need more episodes, but the writers should have done a better job exploring the story with the time they had. But they don’t, and so the drama drags. This drama would have been better off with 9 to 10 episodes.
That leads me to the characters. Majority of them are very one-note and bland. And that’s including our leads too. Luckily, these characters are depicted with good actors like Jasper and Puff, who really deliver amazing chemistry with each other. They alone sell this drama, along with the character of Wei Wei’s best friend, Ke Fei. She was refreshing and when the drama started to drag, her scenes gave life to some of the boring episodes. As for Zi Yuan, Ke Huan’s fiancé, and Hao Yi, they were extremely one-dimensional characters and there wasn’t much to work with there. Zi Yuan was a pyscho, to put it plainly. And it actually annoyed me that the writers didn’t try to give her any depth whatsoever. It felt like I was watching a lakorn, but Zi Yuan lacks all the crazy fun qualities a Nang Rai has. Hao Yi is made out to be a much worse boyfriend than he actually is. And in the last episode, his character makes a complete 180 that just annoyed me. I thought this would have been more interesting if they would have made Hao Yi and Zi Yuan more complex, but they aren't.
This drama isn’t bad, it's just disappointing. The writing doesn’t push the characters anywhere and doesn’t do anything with the good cast it has. And I think what makes it worse is that the first few episodes were really good, but then suddenly it just becomes dull and very skippable. Literally, it became Wei Wei denying her feelings, Ke Huan chasing after Wei Wei, Hao Yi being oblivious, and Zi Yuan being a pyscho every episode. It was boring and frustrating.
If you're a fan of Puff and Jasper, I recommend watching it. The first 3 or 4 episodes are fun, and the drama isn't terrible. It just somehow manages to take a plot that is entertaining and halfway through making it not entertaining and very predictable.
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Weiwei was initially charming and sweet but her repeated bad choices through too many episodes, dragged out scenes of her feeling lonely and drowning in self pity were a bore and an irritation to watch, to the point i started wondering what in heaven's name Che Kehuan even saw in her besides her looks. He already had a caustic relationship with another one dimensional FL and now fell for Weiwei who remained stubbornly faithful to an unbelievably cheap, clueless and heardheaded boyfriend.
The show had some steamy scenes but eventually the tension between the leads was lost through the episodes that finally when they did get together there was no joy. They did share a good chemistry and the drama could have used it better. Unbelievably illogical plotlines like the old gf becoming a wedding planner and then the executive secretary of the chairman were absolutely ridiculous to watch and cringey.
Overall, this show was meh. It had potential, good chemistry, an interesting plotline and yet somehow didn't manage to stand out as a memorable one in the end. The ML deserved better, for the consistent friendship and care he showed, they didn't show enough reciprocation from the FL until the end.
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This review may contain spoilers
After finishing all 13 episodes in my opinion I felt like it was missing things that were left unanswered I mean I haven't read the novel at all so I don't if they were just trying to stay true to the story.I decided to watch this drama because I've recently been addicted to watching the 'infidelity' genre dramas (don't ask me why). The whole idea of you should hate that couple for what they did but at the same time you want to see their relationship develope, you also feel that "it's so bad that it's good" type of way and that's how I felt about Wei Wei and Ke Huan like I was sooo convinced that the should be together because their partners were soo shi**y and annoying and they should be together despite what everyone thinks but that was the problem they didn't do that they just decided to hold it back so that more problems could be made those problems were:
a) Ke Huan's crazy ex, yes I do understand that were together for 10 years and you wouldn't want to let that go but like every around already know that the relationship was deteriorating and I feel like Ke Huan did a HORRIBLE job of getting that in her head (well i do think that the credit card cutting scene was a massive round of applause) he needed to completely cut her off not just of his his money and because he failed to do so she easily found an excuse to come back into his life and stick around him and cause disruption like disease.
b) Wei Wei's stubbornness, the number of times I said WHAT!??? WHY???? MAKE YOUR MIND UP!!!!! literally, at times she was really annoying her stubbornness was really the reason why Haoyi/her ex-fiance became soo aggressive and mad towards the last episodes, her conflicting feelings were just dragged on for ages I mean I wouldn't blame him even though he wasn't that great of a person as well if only she was FREAKING HONEST with her feelings to him and to Ke Huan's ex their outbursts would have been handled better in my opinion but no she spent half of every episodes arguing with everyone about how wrong the whole situations.
To be honest my favourite characters Ke Fei and Ke Huan literally everyone needs a best friend like Ke Fei she was the reason why I still watched the drama after it got boring she's not afraid of what anyone has to say about her she is just an actual QUEEN as for Ke Huan I really had no problem with him despite him cheating you could see/feel that the passion and love he felt for Wei Wei like he was giving me boyfriend material !!!!!!! though at the end I really thought he was not gonna let her walk away but I also feel like he did because he knew it was what's best for her but... I feel like I need another season or a special ep because the ending just wasn't it for me.
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And those who are not are a fan of them or haven't watched them earlier, this is a great show.
Okay! This is probably one of my favorites Taiwanese shows.
Jasper and Puff's chemistry is excellent! Acting, music, and emotions are on point.
This story is about people who've been in a relationship for so long that they forget the reasons why they got together in the first place. It tells how people usually forget that it is essential to take care of oneself. Continuously trying to fulfill your partner's wishes, while ignoring your own happiness, will not make it a happy relationship no matter how hard one tries.
How relationships are affected by things like society, money, status, and comfort zones, this story portrays it beautifully.
The main lead's characters are well defined. The pace of the story is great. However, towards the end, the plot gets a bit draggy. The ending is good, though. (My RomCom lover heart want more cute scenes of Japer and Puff)
The second leads are very set in their beliefs and live like an ostrich with their head buried in the sand. The male second lead is still toleratable, but the female is a walking disaster. Her character made me feel suffocated and helpless. She is clingy & manipulating. Her role was well written for the antagonist.
As mentioned earlier, the acting is great. And I cannot get enough of Japer and Puff's scenes. The side characters are funny and have the right amount of scenes.
Now what I didn't like. The excessive use of the antagonist's drama, it gets a bit boring. And turning a good enough guy into a temperamental psycho for the sake of confirmation to the plot is not very original. Maybe they were running out of ideas to wrap the story? But, thankfully, it didn't last long and was tolerable. The last episode was more about wrapping the story than any major development.
This story is not about adultery. It is about love and relations and how complex they can be, how much courage is needed to come out of the comforts of familiarity and pain. It shows real-world relations and complications.
I am satisfied with this show. I will definitely watch again!!!
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This review may contain spoilers
Ah so I just blew through this drama even though I usually pace myself. Overall I enjoyed the ride even though it has a few weak spots What worked for me:
The chemistry between the lead pair: Oh my god, Jasper and Puff together was everything. The long intense looks the lead pair shared were just incredible. I don't find Jasper really handsome per se, but man he sure has something about him that makes you go all aflutter. And the way he looks at her! My internet sleuthing tells me they aren't together but I was convinced there was something between them, looks like it was just great acting,.
The romance: I love mature romances and this fit the bill. We actually find out just why the lead pair fall for each other. I also liked the real world look at what happens when one partner loses sight of what the other needs and becomes pushy. Also like that there is consistency in showing how FL finds her love waning when her fiance refuses to actually listen to her.
The BFF character: Han Kefei was a riot and the actor did a great job (for most parts). I would kill to have a friend like her
The ending: A kind of open ending nonetheless i thought it fit the story line. What i felt lacking was that the FL's 'confession' did not match what we are led to believe regarding the depth of her feelings
What did not work for me
The office plot: As someone who's worked in corporates (although in a different country), the office plot in the middle of the series was just pure cringe. No CEO is going to working that directly on a project all the time! Ugh, took me out of the drama
Uneven build up: The first few episodes were superb but then it got repetitive; everything that had to said was already said, and the lead pairs were just repeating themselves.
Treatment of the ex-girlfriend: This might not be a popular view but the way the way the ML's ex was portrayed was a little unfair. Sure, she went a little unhinged but after 10 years of her caring for him, he just shakes her off? Why not give her the house he bought?
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MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND: Don't let those who judge Dramatic FICTION...
...by their individual morals make your choices for you.Dramas are all works of fiction that are meant to be dramatic.
- [ ] We suspend our disbelief every time we watch a series with impossible storylines, cliched tropes and unrealistic romances.
- [ ] We overlook some of the more egregious plots because the MC are good looking and the chemistry between them is palatable.
- [ ] We will slog through episodes that are nothing more than recycled scenes under the guise of flashbacks just for those moments that make us tense with anticipation, laugh out loud, and our hearts flutter.
- [ ] We ignore narrative devices such as the plot armor that protects protagonists from certain death over and over because we like the character.
- [ ] We suspend our disbelief at yet another 2nd Lead who stalks the Lead , laying claim and demanding reciprocation of a one-sided love based on the fact that they grew up together.
- [ ] We happily pretend that silly interns enter into glamorous marriage contracts with rich CEOs in the 20th century and it ends up in life long love.
- [ ] We snicker at the thought of a cold landing you in the hospital.
- [ ] We play along with grown adults pretending to be 30 year old virgins.
- [ ] We shake our heads at the notion of wearing tiny jean shorts, a blazer, sneakers and hair in pig-tails is completely acceptable in a corporate office.
- [ ] We roll our eyes when females trip on air only to have the male catch them and spin a full 360 circle in the middle of the street.
Yet when any gray area, no matter ridiculously over-the-top it is presented, causes some offense great or small to some viewers, suddenly the fiction in the drama becomes real. The fantasy bubble is popped for them and now they must pop it for everyone else who still understands that it is still just fiction. It is like watching a cartoon and freaking out when dogs start speaking. "Dogs can't talk!" but it was fine when the hero flew the spaceship?
The controversial and polarizing plot has many people unable to separate their personal biases, from the other viewer's biases, and those of the show's creators. But it is still fiction, it didn't really happen. It was a twist designed to stoke moral outrage, as most are crafted to do. This one just happened to be more controversial than the norm, but more importantly, it is original and unexpected. It respects your maturity and intelligence. The plot choices caught us off guard while we were pacified in a fugue of romantic stereotypes. You may not agree with how they got you, but they did, and as long as you keep it within the confines of the dramatic fantasy, enjoy the ride. It is okay to scream, holler, cry, clutch your pearls and wag your judgmental finger at the CHARACTER within the confines of the in the DRAMA! And try to appreciate the fact that it made you think and feel some type of way in a way you never have before, and rejoice that you got more than you bargained for. How often can you say that these days?
Please don't take the magic of storytelling away from others because it doesn't follow your moral playbook.
That's not fair. Every time a few create an unnecessary moral frenzy over a fictional story, more and more productions are afraid to take chances on fresh and original material. Then we all have to suffer endless, boring repetitions of 'safe' and predictable series, books, films, all of which are art, and art is not supposed to be 'safe' and predictable.
The reviews for the Chinese series’ "Well Intended Love", "Circle of Love", and the Taiwanese series,
"Before We Get Married", has suffered unfairly at the hands of armchair, self-appointed moralists who have ceased thinking for themselves, but want to think for you, don't let them. Protect Asian Media, Protect Art! We need to encourage writers, directors and actors to continue to create original takes on familiar themes even if you don't agree with them. I think we can all agree that the Nazis are reprehensible, but the movie "Schindler's List" resplendent. I am morally opposed to war, all wars, and I adore "The English Patient." I don't agree with adult females acting like school girls, it affects my moral feminism, but I will never dismiss a series for it, I will suspend my disbelief because that is part of the viewing contract. The dynamic and exciting relationship between the ‘observed’ and the ‘observer’ is one to cherish, not admonish.
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This review may contain spoilers
This drama started out as a steamy, temperature rising story of a good girl tempted by the wild side in the form of the gorgeous, sexy Jasper Liu. Waiting for a new episode each week to be English subbed was interminable. Then the writers slammed on the brakes and morphed the story into an office drama dousing everyone in an ice cold shower. Maybe they got cold feet about besmirching the FL and ML and making them look like cheaters.
By the time the abbreviated who gives a fork third act came around I’d already queued up An Affair with Lee Mi Sook and Lee Jung Jae to show those young whipper snappers what it could have been.
Even though I found the whiplash inducing change of tone frustrating in this drama I still dutifully waited and watched every week. My disappointment is over what could have been and wasting Jasper Lui on what ended up being a boring office drama for the most part.
The leads did a good job. I even enjoyed the best friend’s over the top acting and story.
The music was ok, but not memorable.
Rewatch value-I’ll probably go back and watch parts of it sometime in the future.
I would definitely not discourage anyone from watching this, just don’t have any expectations of where the story is going based on the first few episodes and intro. Enjoy it for the flawed story it is.
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Went downhill
7,5/10Judging only the first half of the drama my rating would be higher, sadly it really went downhill...
The chemistry of main leads was really good, I loved male lead in this.
However everything went south after firsts episodes. It seemed like director forgot what the plot of this drama was supposed to be. What started as mature drama ended truly all over the place. Scenes between the characters felt recycled over and over again, killing any suspense.
Honestly, I finished it only because of main lead.
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So I knew what I was getting into when i was watching this. And the most important thing i knew was not to take this show serious, the first couple of episodes we have the whole chaining thing, the female lead made no sense, it was a just a dumb stupid stuff but I didn't mind it. The show is very interesting, however I have come to a point where I'm taking the show seriously. I cant even ship the two leads.
ACTING/CAST The female lead is still stuck on her old love, SO HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO SHIP THE TWO????HUH? TELL ME? Otherwise the male lead deserves better. I dont get what he sees in her?Why would you want to get with a person who still has faith in her relationship?? If I was him, sweetie, I wouldmove on. love her best friend. She is the best. really. The EX- I dont even want to talk about her. Just thinking about her characteR irks me. Btwy her acting is not soo good. The girl dont know how to cry THE GUY WITH THE PLAN????? I CAN NOT STAND HIM? I JUST WANTED TO KICK HIM OFF THE SHOW. SO ANNOYINGGGGG
MUSIC
I couldnt stand the music in the first few episodes but I started loving it and would you sing along. However I cant stand the music at the begginning, I always forward the beginning of the epsiodes
OVERALL
This show gives you a wishy washy feeling. It was good, interesting, made you watch more, but completely started to be frustrating which I didnt want it to be. Im not even done cause I lowkey feel like I wasted my time watching this.
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Before We Get To Be Lovers
Opening credits are artsy, and... erotic. Full of bedscenes of two people who each are in SERIOUS relationship with someone else. These serious-relationship partners both dutifully create occasions for the two mains to meet, and then conveniently leave them alone. Even other side-characters create situations where the two mains end up alone. It's like the whole universe is pushing them to be together:-) Well, after each episode attacks the viewer with an opening filled with visions of them together in bed, one can understand they had to get there SOMEHOW, lol. But perhaps it would be better if the series started with them already lovers. They had convincing onscreen chemistry together, just the way the writers made them meet and involved was not that convincing.I found it fascinating that they have these karaoke booths on the streets:-) It got me thinking various crazy things which could be made into a street booth:-) During first episodes, I busied myself with thoughts like this more than the actual plot. I already knew who will be getting together with whom, and it was no fun watching the early beginnings, taking step forth and step back, and even having a couple of "break-ups" BEFORE they started sleeping together. Their interactions were more silly than exciting, also it looked like their "feelings" developed out of thin air. As we DID watch them from their first meeting, so we KNEW they did not have much of a hi/story. Had they been lovers since the episode 1, the viewers could use their fantasy to imagine how that happened, which would most probably be better than what we watch here. So, I more or less just waited for them to become REALLY lovers, lol. In the end, that took a more than half of the show. (EDiT: It must have happened so late in the show that I actually didn't get to that part, LOL.) What happened still earlier was they both did properly break up with their long-time partners... and failed to do it. That was also funny. The partners both simply did not accept the break-up. Who does that? I felt like watching some stage play and not real people. Clearly we just HAD TO get to the main leads having an affair while both being taken, because that was the plot. But the way the writers were getting to it was dubious.
Watching the opening credits 8 times, with the actual episode NOT matching them was more and more disappointing and I wondered WHEN it will really start. At least 8th episode, there is a scene where the main guy sees the main girl in a VERY sexy wedding dress:-) Meanwhile, she argues with her longtime guy about banalities. He postpones their wedding 6 months and she's angry like such little thing matters. The two of them had everything planned for decades to come. They were both obsessed with planning and lived on their shared financial plan:-) I wouldn't mind it, if the two were cool about it. At the beginning, they looked like cute couple of weirdos who happily found each other. But mere couple episodes later they were all tense. So, I really wished them to better break up. I suspected the writer made this so we would cheer the main girl getting on with the main guy. But I didn't agree with this kind of writing. It's not real drama when the other partner is shown as unsufferable. Real drama is when he is GREAT, and she STILL has an affair with someone else. Same with the main guy and his girl with the dead parents he made promise to. In short, this drama failed in what I expected from it at the basics. It was getting more boring than exciting.
The main two get in bed in epi 9/13, at stage where I no longer found it exciting (he had to "infiltrate" her office, become her new "boss", go to "bussiness trip" with her...) and even that bedscene is interrupted by a phone call (seriously). This proved a very long and dragging episode... Our "fatal attraction" couple shared yet more office scenes... I say, if he needs to be in her office, then it's a failure. I really cannot praise the writer of this.
At episode 10, I was dead tired of it even if the expected plot WOULD finally begin (which it still did not). Mostly the scenes consisted of yet more debates going in circles... I'm afraid I no longer cared whether the main girl breaks-up with her longtime boyfriend, or whether she does whatever. The only entertainment in this series was provided by her eccentric best friend, but it was tenth episode already. It was all past funny. So, while I don't know whether the main girl & guy really become lovers or that stayed in the opening credits only, or who ended up (breaking up) with whom, I DO know I'm not interested to watch 3 MORE episodes.
I recommend to watch the opening credits and to skip the series.
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As I'm writing this, I'm currently at episode 8, waiting for episode 9 to air.
I know I should've waited until all the episode were aired but I couldn't wait to write a review anymore. Before I'm going to explain to you why I'm giving this drama such an high rating, I just want to say that this is my first Taiwanese drama that I have ever watched and I'm glad I did! I really don't know how to put this drama in to words. I don't want to exaggerate it by saying to much but I also don't want to left any important information out. Let's just get right into it.
Story
It's an 13 eps drama and every episode has a duration of about 1h 13 min. When I read the summary I thought the whole storyline is predictable but don't let that fool you because even I was sitting on the edge of my seat to see what would happen next. It's 13 eps so there are no fillers because every single detail has to fall into the right places. Those 1h 13 min goes by way faster than expected hahaha. The character developments is clear and you can understand their decisions and thoughts. To keep it short, I completely understand that it's not everyone's cup of tea. It's an mature story (compared to other dramas) but it's funny, cute and definitely entertaining at the same time. It's an realistic story, this means that the ending is still unpredictable and it could be the other way around. As I'm writing this, I don't know the ending yet but everything happens for a reason and you and I have to patiently wait and see what would occur.
For the people who still have to watch, don't let those negative comments stop you from watching because it's really worth the try. It's not to late to hop on this roller coaster with me and thousand others who are still watching!
Acting/Cast
Everyone portrays they're characters so well. From the colleague at their job to the waiter at a restaurant, everything felt so natural. You could really feel their pain and anger but also their joy and happiness. The chemistry between the handsome Jasper Liu and the gorgeous Puff Kuo is so amazing. I'm glad the director chose them to portray Zhou Wei Wei and Chu Ke Huan in this drama. You could really feel the connection between each other and the way they would handle things will give you a bright smile. When you unconsciously hate an character in a drama, you can already tell that the acting is perfect. And believe me on this, you definitely will hate and be annoyed by some people hahaha.
Music
The music fits very well on every scene. I unfortunately can't understand Taiwanese myself, but that definitely won't be a problem. I have searched for the lyrics and it actually really suits the storyline. You won't even notice the music because it's so natural how they have put the scene with an specific OST.
Rewatch Value
Even though I'm still at episode 8, I will definitely watch this again after finishing. It's 13 eps so I can guarantee you that there are no fillers or any unnecessary parts. I really wanted it to be more episodes but we just have to wait and see how this drama will end. 10/10 as I have given.
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