Scent of Time (2023)

A new outlook on villainess(es)

I was on a search for time traveling story plot right after watching A Time Called You with Ahn Hyo-seop and Jeon Yeo-been with a great twist compared to regular time-traveling dramas these days.

I watched two of Zhou Ye’s previous works and loved her sparkling eyes, her acting needs some improvements however. So
I ventured on another one with her acting as a main lead hoping this will be something that would make a mark. And it did. More than expected. The feeling of overachieved is so much better than a disappointment. FR!

I didn’t think I’d have liked it as much as I do, probably 2 eps and left. Well, I finished 11 eps in one night. Needless to say, though I could hardly stay awake the next day, I couldn’t wait for the night to come so I could continue with her time-traveling adventures.

The story isn’t new yet how the director’s and script writers’ new takes on villainess(es) was beautifully done. The viewers get to see the reason behind the villainess(es)’s action. They are not a bunch of bad eggs. Sometimes, circumstances and their over-achieved character aka passion for love drive them to a rather darker road especially, when there are no one who would wait for them in the other end. The villainess(es) can change once they realize the ugly truth thus, knowing they are loved, care for like every other person.
On the other hand, the so-call kind and smart protagonist such as Mu Yao, Zhong Ye Lan could be so annoyed and heartless when the camera rolls are on them. The situation makes us viewers feel sympathy towards them however; their stubbornness and silliness (with a weak nature) are part of many reason we feel frustrated towards their decisions and actions. How could you be so one dimensional and still be loved by many (male partners?!)

This storyline gives me hope in a smarter, calculated yet kind and strong characters. For those that not naturally evil, they simply are strong-willed and know what they want, and go get it. As human, we all make mistake. They can change the path if they are given a new start. Though not everyone is lucky enough to have that. The same goes with Hua Qian, she thought she was given a second chance to revert her action and be a better person, to fix almost everything.
*******Spoiler: however, it was only a dream. She still needed to wake up and deal with the consequences. She was lucky to have someone who cared and stood by her the entire time. Some were perhaps not that fortunate.

I wish there was a couple more ep to really define a happy ending and how she recovered from her mental breakdown, start over. But, I understand how the writers wanted to leave it at that for us to linger, to imagine and to wish her a new start with her man, who had loved her since the beginning of time.

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Worth watching!

No drag scenes. Sad/painful moments in the drama can make you cry too and heartbroken. Especially in her dreams,it felt so real. I just love that in her dream, she didn't become a damsel in distress though she dont know martial arts and no other important skills (like best in making poison ,medicine or business*she owns shops but not the one who actually manages it*). In other dramas,i hate it when FL was not given any skills coz they become damsel in distress. But not Qian. I never skip any scenes. The only thing that this drama can't be 10 (for me) is because i need more of it. Surely i am happy that Ziwu's smile at the end means he's happy Qian already woke up from her dreams and she called his name. I JUST WANTED A FEW MORE SCENES LIKE THEM BEING A HAPPY COUPLE.

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Dream to escape reality

Very interesting drama of redemption. Making up for mistakes you made. I have to watch Hua Qian's eloquent dialogues is what I like the most about. I really admire Zhou Ye's acting prowess. I saw her at Love Me Love My Voice, totally different kind of romance from this - the reason I watched Scent of Time. I wanted to see more of Zhou Ye.
After episode one I knew, I would want to continue watching more episodes. I thought I will see some kissing scenes but none. That did not stop me though. Even without it, I was very interested on what she will do and say next. All the supporting cast including the main leads acted very well. I really like the ending that's for sure unexpected, she created Rong Zhou in her dream because of the trauma she experienced in real life. He symbolized her safety someone she can rely on for help, protector savior, worth living for. Rong Zhou played a very important part in making her wake up from her dream and return to Xi Wu whom she really had feelings for.

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IAM BEING CHEATED BY WISHFULNESS

When I got to the end of series, I felt like I am being cheated by Hua Qian. At first I thought 'Scent of Time' is another drama version 'Story of Kunning Palace', a story of reborn woman whose redeeming her mistakes to her new life but there's a twist that makes it different from other. The tragic love between 4 individuals Zhong Xi Wei, Hua Qian, Zhong Ye Lan & Mu Yao. Beginning episode Hua Qian was being hunted by soldiers and witnessing the dead of her mother and brother. She's collapse and wake up in different reality on the time marrying Zhong Ye Lan, the man she's fallen in love with since childhood. Hua Qian realize then that she's reborn and determine to redeem her mistakes from previous life so instead of being a jealous and hateful wife, she tries to reconnect her husband Zhong Ye Lan to his childhood love Mu Yao, she approves her to be concubine and demand divorce for herself. Hua Qian comes clean for all the wrong doing and determine to be a nice person to people around her. While Zhong Xi Wei is still in love even after her marriage to his brother, as the head of Zhong family he happily agrees to give divorce degree so he can pursue her as a single woman. As taboo as it sounds, a divorcee woman can't remarry the brother of ex-husband. He pursue her tirelessly...convince her that he'd be there if she would just trust him. Besides all the disputes between Hua & Mu family, fragrant big family business, death of love ones, hatred and misunderstanding, also appearance of faithful lowly guard Hua Rong Zhao (Zhang Yi Jie) as her sole console and protector in her position.

Hua Qian's desperation is the fruit of hope to start her miserable life all over again, admitting mistakes as a new person . Curiously this drama should be ended in ep 26 but no...continue to more lighter version to finally grand finale. I like Zhong Xi Wei (Wang Xing Yue) here although Xing Yue has been taking similar character in his other dramas (Zhang Zhe in Story of Kunning Palace & Liu Zixing in One and Only) the guy with irreconcilable love, in this drama though he's more stellar to fight for the woman he loves. Wu Shuo Mo (Li Yun Rui) is outstanding, better than his role the Last Immortal, he can take role both coarse or dignify (in LLtG) character as his next project. Hua Qian (Zhao Ye) though isn't too convincing in few of scenes (drunk scenes and traumatic life experience scene on last episode) her dimple is so pretty when she smiles. Sadly, none of them smile. I find this despondent love story is beautiful...we implore emotion in love, regret, hope, struggle, trust just to be forgiven.

What I like about this drama?
* Beautiful costumes in my favorite dynasty with little hair ornaments and bare make up
* All actors are collaborating nicely, great supporting actors, love the OST
* Unusual plots and twist in very creative story telling
* It's a beautiful tragic love stories with happy ending

Last episode Hua Qian says sober farewell to Hua Rong Zhao as she go back to consciousness after 26 months coma where she's been recreating her imaginative longing different life as the real life struck in bitter facts that she has to deal with. All 29 episodes are wishful aspiration from a woman who realize many flaws and errors she committed but there is a man who won't give up on her and love her no matter what. Whispering calling his name soft 'Zhong Xi Wei'.......he's so happy. That's love.

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Scent of Time - a truly apt title

Little hints are dropped throughout the drama and I am so happy to be surprised with the twist during the final episodes. Heartbreaking as it was, it felt so much more real in many senses and so very well grounded when compared to Story of Kunning Palace.

While this drama and SOKP both have a do-over storyline, I was more touched with this storyline and how it was told. Not overly dramatic and more relatable showing the FL as a real person - hair completely down and no make up when sleeping - something SOKP wasn’t good at as they seemed overly focused on giving us a FL and ML to drool over all the time.

The romance between the FL and the various men were very well portrayed and provided just enough angst to keep me watching to find out how the events would unfold.

Some minor things left hanging and I would have liked a longer happy ending but overall, I am surprised by how much more I liked this compared to SOKP. Once the twist is revealed, it’s best not to think too much as certain events doesn’t bear close scrutiny. Bittersweet ending…

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Refreshing and Unpredictable Chinese Drama Experience

I recently had the pleasure of watching this drama which has truly left a lasting impression on me. Unlike many others I've seen, this particular drama managed to captivate my attention from start to finish, offering a refreshing departure from the typical clichés and predictable storylines often found in the genre.

One of the standout aspects of this drama was the exceptional acting. The performances were top-notch, devoid of the exaggerated expressions and over-the-top bloodshed that sometimes plague Chinese dramas. Instead, the actors skillfully portrayed their characters with depth and nuance, drawing me into their world and making it easy to emotionally invest in their journeys.

What truly sets this drama apart is its ability to keep me guessing. Throughout the series, I found myself pleasantly surprised at every turn, unable to predict the outcome. This rarity in Chinese dramas allowed me to experience a sense of loss and emotional attachment that lingered long after completing the series.

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A thoughtfully crafted historical drama

Pros:
- You can tell the production team really put a lot of thought into making this drama. It's unlike other historical dramas; the concept feels fresh. The whole "travel back in time" thing makes more sense as the story progresses.
- They reveal the truth gradually, making everything click perfectly by the end.
- The characters are well-developed, especially the female lead. She's morally gray, which is understandable given her backstory. It makes the story feel more realistic. The chemistry between the characters is amazing. The emotions portrayed by the leads are palpable.
- I enjoyed it. Some might find it slow, but it's all about the build-up, and it pays off.

Cons:
- I don't know much about royal rules, but it seems off that private matters always need to be reported to higher authorities.
- Qian keeps talking about her "rebirth" and past life, but no one really reacts or questions her, except her maid. It's bizarre how this becomes normal, and no one questions a noble lady rambling in public.

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a powerful journey for redemption

I started this show on a complete whim not knowing anything about it but it ended up taking my breath away. I could not stop watching it and ended up binging it for two days with very little sleep. But each episode left me wanting to see what happened next and on more than one occasion it left me in a puddle of my own tears. Such a well thought out drama about transmigration/ going back in time. Every character worked in this drama since they are all developed and multifaceted. Their motives and moves all make sense as the plot plunges forward. The pacing kept me from being able to turn it off with never a dull moment.

The two leads did a fantastic job and I could feel the chemistry between them. What really sent these two over the top is their emotive acting in their eyes. The story is by far more about redemption for the main character and the love line takes a side seat as you watch Hua Qian make different choices to change her fate. You see her become a kind and generous woman while remaining strong and stubborn.

The only thing that takes points away from this drama for me is the slower pacing in the last few episodes and the ending. It makes sense and worked in teaching a lesson to the viewer but also in a way it feels like it invalidates your emotions as the viewer having watched and been emotionally involved in storyline. It also fails to give enough explainations to satisy all of the 'whys' I have about it so the ending is not ver satisfactory. I almost feel like it would have ended better at episode 26. Still I will probably talk about this drama for a while for its mere impact it had on me emotionally. I love any drama that can bring out enough emotion in me to make me actually cry. Very well shot, produced, and acted. Two thumbs up. Just start watching it and I promise you wont be able to stop.

One note is on Mu Yua. I do not know if it was the actress or the way the character was written but she was the weakest performance. I never once understood how she could have been so well liked in the previous life nor did I feel any chemistry between her and YeLan. The story tells you that they love each other but is very weak in the reasonings and the lack of chemistry makes it hard to believe so I had a very hard time understanding why in the end her chose her and not Hua Qian.

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POV is EVERYTHING!

How many dramas have we seen where the fl's family is framed or wrongly accused and punished to death while the fl escapes narrowly and vows to avenge? Well that's the story of our 2fl Muyao here. Then there is a girl who drugs the guy she loves just to marry him, schemes and harms the other lady love of her beloved to get her out of her way, physically assaults a girl for revenge, colludes with enemies etc. Villainess, right? This mastermind behind everything going awry in the 2fl's life is our fl hua qian.
Even so, we as viewers are mostly sympathizing with hua qian for what she went through and bashing mu yao for her actions, including me, because the story is from her perspective entirely.


Story and characters: Let me start with hua qian's redemption arc. She does everything she can to prevent her family from being massacred again, assuming that she has got a second chance at life after doing countless evil, losing everything and dying once. Unfortunately, her redemption isn't real. The past cannot be changed, the dead cannot be revived unless it is a dream, which is exactly what it is. There, she goes back in time to when she has done whatever evil was to be done, and now she has to deal with the aftermath to prevent what happened before from happening again. We see in her pov, how she tries to do whatever possible to save the day, without doing further evil, to the point where she didn't even avenge her brother's murder. Now onto her brother's character, he is crap. He sexually assaults women, has countless concubines taken by force, a useless good for nothing. But, he is very sincere to his family, to the point where he takes the fatal arrow meant for his sister just to protect her. Her small family of four is tightly bound, with deep love for each other. Her character's biggest saving grace is her love for family. Even most villains sacrifice their families and close ones for their own benefit. She did everything to protect them in this second chance after knowing the outcome. But does that mean that she is a good person? No, she regrets losing her family and everything else so she tries to repent after making mistakes. She is a grey character at most.
Onto the men in this drama, Zhong yelan is the root cause of for everything to begin. It was to get him that hq did evil to get my out of the scene. But he still chose my both times. Albeit in the second chance, she chose to divorce him. And also, zyl is a very trashy 3ml. When hq drugged him or her father framed her family it was evil. But when his beloved my did evil, like when she caused her brother to die, caused her to fall off the cliff, those were justified to him. A duplicitous hypocrite is all that i can say about him. Next i don't know who is the 2ml and who is the ml. So first i will say about hua rongzhou. He is a dog for real. Loyal, ferocious, protective, possessive, all for his only master, the fl. He is willing to do absolutely anything for her, even despite all morals. But he overestimated himself often, didn't know his place considering the era and his position as a servant, proud and very rude to everyone else. I know why she would choose him over the one she possibly loved, the one who came with burdens, because she wanted love from zyl which led her to do the evil, so if she had someone as devoted as hrz already, perhaps she wouldn't do that. Alas he was just an imagination born from this exact sentiment in her "second chance", who doesn't exist in the real world. Onto the last male, zhong xiwu. He is not perfect but in the second chance, his love for her was intense but she didn't reciprocate it. The most important point to be noted is, since the second chance that spans over 28 episodes is just a dream, so we don't get to see the real povs of anyone else. Whatever we see is in the fl's pov, so i doubt its credibility and are led to believe that nobody did the fl right since that's how she feels. So all the men are rather twisted and seemingly not good enough for her. Coming back to reality, i think zyl's actions were justified as he hated her for what she did. She really caused 2fl's family to die, drugged him to marry her, tried to separate them, etc. Even so, that doesn't make muyao any good, she is still a bitch. In any other drama shown from the victim's pov, we would have been elated to see this happening to hq. As for zxw, i have to commend him for being this kind and patient. He saved her in the 1st ep, he slowly nursed her back to health all the while she was living her perfect life in that dream. But i also think he is quite foolish to like a woman like that. I believe he must have done his part in reality too to protect her as much as he could although we aren't shown much of that part. I wonder how pure and true his love has to be to save this kind of person. Must say that the dream was dragged out for way too long and ep 28 was unnecessary. In reality, she was not good enough for zxw. But didn't she deserve love? Yes of course she did. She knew what she did was wrong and was repentant and wanted to turn things around. Also losing her whole family and everything else was a pretty big punishment already. I won't spoil the final ending. But this really needs a s2.


Cast: That young man is fine af. First saw wang xingyue in one and only, he was good there. And he has even improved manifold since then here. He looks way more mature than his age. If he takes good projects and is in a good agency, he is going to shine real bright in the future since he is so young now and already so good. His acting as zxw was perfect as a conflicted man in a difficult spot. I first saw zhou ye in back from the brink and knew that she was good and here i wasn't disappointed too. She did her role perfectly. About zhang yajie and peng chu yue, i found the former too stiff considering his intense character, and the latter did good at the micro expressions that were needed for his character. As for others, nobody particularly stuck out.

Production: decent production. Didn't like the costumes and styling of the women. They just looked weird with those hair scarves. The soundtrack was so good.

Overall i would 100% recommend watching this. I was this close to crying so many times while watching this, that's how emotional it was. A hidden gem of 2023. It has a message being conveyed too. I got the rating down for its stupid pacing, useless filler ep, incompleteness, ending, misleading description and i really hate 2fl. I will rewatch this someday too.

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They had us in the first 29 episodes I'm not gonna lie

This review will cover up to the last episode, with a rant about the ending at the end. I'll avoid spoilers until then.

This drama is a unique twist on the currently popular trope of "I became a villain in a novel," except here our FL, Hua Qiang, isn't a self-aware book character but the villain herself who has a chance to redo the 2 years of her life that originally led to her and her family's death. She basically was the cliché antagonist in a c-drama who devoted all her efforts into an unrequited love, Zhong Zelan (who is a block of wood at that), and is overthrown by him and the "true" perfect female lead, Mu Yao, (who has such resting evil face it's hilarious, and also is super skilled at martial arts because she is our perfect wronged main). Her jealousy along with her father's greed, her brothers rampant misogyny, and her mother's coddling of him, lead to everyone dying.

But then she wakes up 2 years earlier, just as she's been married to ZZL. The past her tricked him into marrying her, but she knows now that he ain't worth it and her only wish is to live a safe and happy life with her family, but the problem is that they haven't experienced the death of everyone they love so they basically brush her worries and desires off .

HQ is so likeable. She's strong and ready to own up to her mistakes, and also find out who she actually is outside of her decade long obsession with a man who was not worth it. She's flawed sometimes but trying so hard, and mostly feels like she's fighting alone since no one else knows what the future may bring.

Everyone in this show is morally grey. Her family would be 1 dimensional villains in most dramas, but here they are loving parents and siblings even if to the outside world they're evil. MY and ZZL took u way too much screentime and honestly if your husband treats his ex the way ZZL treats HQ please run.

The surprise ML, Zhong XiWu, is the lord of the business HQ's dad works for, and he sort of is in the shadows watching this new and improved HQ, until he's a proper love interest. Then he becomes controlling, overbearing, and dangerous He basically makes decisions for her and about her with no consideration for her wishes, constantly talking about just wanting to "have her by his side," treating her as someone with no autonomy.

Then there's my boy Hua RongZhou. I fell in love at first beggar-y sight. He's an adorable cinnamon roll/puppy dog and must be protected at all costs. His trauma dump backstory is a little much but his devotion and silent bodyguard protection and small smiles and true support kept me going.

This drama kept me guessing, I never knew where it would go and I loved that until....

SPOILERS AHEAD

...it was all a dream. She never went back in time but was in a coma for over 2 years while ZXW cared for her. The major problem is that we don't actually know anything about him then. We just know he's the lord and he loves her, but we know nothing of who he actually is or why we should root for him as endgame. We never see more than a couple of scenes of what he actually was like, and honestly caring for someone's comatose body who barely knew you existed with so much devotion and expectation is kinda yikes for me. Just leave out an endgame romance if you want to stick this weird ending where HZR DOESN'T EXIST

That is the second huge problem. they wrote our boy HRZ as a dreamed up hallucination because HQ felt no one could love her. The show is basically saying, "see this sweet boy who is super devoted and supportive but also is learning to stand up for himself, and who can give her the free, happy and simple life she wants? Well, that is obviously just a figment of her imagination and she needs to wake up to the harsh reality" that ZXW (who we basically know nothing about in the real world). She decides to treat HRZ as a piece of herself that wanted to love and support herself.

oh, and the grand princess (ZXW's mother) is amazing until the twist where she becomes the typical matriarch villain, as opposed to a complex character of an older woman torn between her appreciation of HQ as a fellow woman trying to forge her own path who she genuinely likes, and her own responsibilities. She's so kind and interesting until the twist ending and I hated it.

Apparently this ending was shoved in to get through censorship, but they didn't change the story enough for it to make sense... I loved the story until this ending twist. Everyone was growing, and a lot of the "dream" endings were bittersweet and felt realistic. But now this was all a dream to make herself cope? So much shit still happened, and she worked so hard for the happiness, peace, and freedom she wanted. Almost everyone was learning and growing, and finding a world away from greed, money, power, and revenge. If this show ended where apparently the book ended it would be basically perfect imo.

SPOILERS OVER

This drama really moved me and made me feel and think (and binge watch it so quickly). I really do recommend it. It has such a unique take on reincarnation as a villain, and to me did a beautiful job showing why women (and and vulnerable group) need to stick together for all our sakes, and how important it is to choose kindness and compassion over selfishness and greed. I just really really loved the first 29 episodes, and it was pretty much a perfect drama until then for me.

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its good

the story is good, its worth to watch


here what i suddenly feel after ending
turn out most heartless punisment you can get is experience it again and to make you feel like you can fix something that already have done but you cant

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