First Marriage (2024)

Everyone, and Their Mother

This story is definitely not new. We often see the “during the Republican Era the female lead enters the home of male lead to exact revenge for this or that family member” storyline in mini dramas. Feng Yu Ji, the female lead, although had a knack for becoming a damsel in distress, didn’t irritate me as much as some other female leads, actually had some plans, and managed to put quite a few of the culprits on the spot. Shen Tan Qian, the male lead, although suspicious of the female lead at the beginning because of justifiable reasons, wasn’t a whole fleet of red flags all by himself. That is not true for almost everyone else, with the exception of a few allies. Everyone and their mother (possibly quite literally) in this drama were out to get the female lead and were dark and twisted characters, except for the little sister.

The acting and chemistry between the main leads was good. This drama wasn’t high in the level of intimate spiciness. Instead, it gave you the spice in the form of blood and violence, which to be honest, I wasn’t put off with. Give me death and blood is my motto. The show’s cinematography was visually pleasing as a whole. The ending scene, similar to other scenes throughout the show, had a beautiful composition and felt soothing and nostalgic at the same time. The OST was nice too.

And I guess it can be considered a happy ending for the main leads. Although, ‘m sure they will have nightmares for the rest of their lives. Was this show a masterpiece? Definitely not. Did it do the job of keeping me entertained? Yes, it did!

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till death do us part

I decided to watch this drama because it was a mini-drama. I'm all for "quickies" and as a snack, I felt that this drama did not disappoint much.

What I Liked:
- The ML and FL had chemistry. They weren't sizzling hot but they were full of amorous gazes. They looked good on screen together. Quite a pleasing pair to watch. I liked how manly the ML is. The FL had her charms too.
- The plot had enough intrigue despite being a mini-drama. While many parts were quite guessable, it was still watchable enough and suspenseful enough.
- I liked the cinematography. I liked the slow-motion of the snow and the reflections of light. I found the drama quite artistically filmed. I liked the feel.
- The acting was quite decent for everyone.
- I liked the good people and rooted for them.
- Happy enough ending.

What I Didn't Like:
- The "differently abled" brother was all sorts of "cray cray". He saw the world from his own warped point of view and this resulted in him killing his wife who did love him. Then, he wanted to find a replacement in the form of her twin sister. Hmm...
- Quite a lot of deaths. Even the good people died. Aww...

Personally, I'd rate this as pretty watchable despite the usual tropes. This mini-drama is a light snack that is quite savoury. I'd rate it quite generously with an 8/10 which means that it is OK to watch IMO. I was toying with a 7.5/10 or an 8/10 but decided to be generous since the ending was happy and I always like happy endings and everything tied up rather well.
:o)

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