Tea of Destiny (2023)

Nice little short show

Sadly, this must be one of the more boring comedies I’ve seen - at least the middle part. I have seen the cast before, so I know they are good actors, but the comical part is somehow off - or it cannot decide whether to be a comedy or a romance, so it lands in the middle. As a Danish saying goes, it’s neither bird nor fish.
I admit that the last third was pretty good (great twist) so I’m glad I stuck with it and had myself some good laughs every now and then. It also had some nice character developments which is somewhat rare in these short format shows.
Character wise:
FL is a strong but simple (borderline oblivious) woman in search of a certain pill to save her father.
ML is a cunning and calculating thief who wants to rob the place.
Acting wise these are good actors but the directing or storyline lets them down a bit.
Well, if you have some time to burn - and like the cast - this is a nice watch.

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Endearing and Fun Bunch of Nonsense

TLDR; A pretty alright minidrama with a simple, rather nonsensical storyline and an endearing lead couple. It definitely doesn't try to be more than it is or can be.

Whump meter: ◭△△△△ (almost none).

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►CHARACTERS:
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Characters were alright. None stood out as particularly good, but they worked nicely for the drama. I will say that the main lead's dynamic was rather refreshing. FL is actually allowed to be fully rowdy and tough while remaining feminine and endearing. They don't dumb her down or make her always need to be saved by the ML. She is a heroine, and they commit to the part, having her save the day, fight bad guys, and be the cool hero everyone looks up to. Meanwhile, ML is more like her sidekick husband, supportive of her and relying mostly on his smarts. He's very dramatic, posh, and proper when compared to FL, so they contradict and compliment each other nicely.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎Side characters weren't particularly memorable, and they honesty didn't add much or do much. Neither SFL nor SML really had an arc of any kind; they were kinda just there for the most part, occasionally adding comic relief. ML's mother was quite endearing, though. Unfortunately underused but fun. The villains can't really be called villains, which honestly works pretty well for the format, length, and story.

►ACTING:
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Performances were average to me. No one really stood out as particularly good or bad, so rather average. I had seen the lead actress in Ye Cheng first, and I gotta say she did a lot better in this drama.

►STORY:
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ The story is pretty nonsensical from start to finish. It's not the kind of drama you watch for the plot, but even so, it was particularly underwhelming. The main arc is forgotten halfway through and only brought back for the final wrap-up. Side arcs, more often than not, don't go anywhere and are left unfinished, and a lot of questions are left unanswered by the end.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ There were also a lot of very strange decisions scattered throughout the drama that I wasn't very fond of. Particularly in how the main couple treated each other from time to time and the SML did some very sketchy stuff nearing the end, which was quite uncomfortable to sit through and I don't feel was handled with the care such topics should have. Maybe I'm overthinking a silly minidrama, but I still think that certain topics shouldn't be sprinkled in for a quick laugh. Idk

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nearing the end, there are some very WEIRD decisions that take away so much from the story and leave one with more questions than answers, as well as feeling some kinda strange and uncomfortable way...

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ I must give credit where credit is due, though, and that is that the drama doesn't try to be more than it is, which is rare for these minidramas (that so often delve into bigger plots, palace drama, etc., which take up way too much of the runtime and feels very underwhelming). This drama focuses on the leads' relationship and the little plot that surrounds them.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ The comedy was pretty hit or miss. Some moments were quite funny, but there was also an unfortunate amount of embarrassment and gross humour, so...

►PRODUCTION:
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Production value was pretty legit. More in the style of those short-ish webdramas (The likes of The Romance of Tiger and Rose) than other minidramas. The world and everything within it didn't seem quite as small as in other dramas of similar length. As for the cinematography, it was rather nice. Overall, pretty good.

►MUSIC:
‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ The music was fine, not particularly memorable, and the main theme did get a bit tiring after a while, but that's a minor detail.

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◇ Was it what I was expecting? Not really, in a good way
◆ Did it live up to its potential? Pretty much
◇ Would I watch it again? Unlikely
◆ Would I recommend it to others? Sure

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