Demzlw
Melb, Aus
This review may contain spoilers
Good Bones, Happy Ending.
If you’ve watched One and Only (周生如故), then it’ll be pretty easy for you to be love swept in this drama. Forever and Ever is the sequel set in a modern time period with indications that the female lead, Shi Yi has ‘dreams’ or memories of her past life without stating the obvious due to China’s reincarnation censorships. The drama follows their commitment and mutual understanding to overcome multiple challenges in their careers and families so they can pursue the love they both yearn for.
Though I haven’t read the novel, I’m sure many who have would vouch that they did try and follow the book very closely and it was definitely evident in the first few episodes. Do you need to watch O&O or read the novel to be able to understand this show? In some ways, yes? I think without the understanding of O&O, I don’t think you’d be able to understand why it was so heart wrenching and why we viewers have such strong emotions for the characters. So I’d highly recommend you watch the prequel first! But be prepared to be broken, and then come back to watch O&O to get mentally fixed up on love. :P
So instead of doing the usual break down, I thought, why not do 11 things I liked or disliked about the show, in tribute for (十一/时宜):
1. I think it goes without saying, what kind of an actor Bai Lu and Allen Ren are. The chemistry on-screen and off-screen are both fantastic. Considering that Forever and Ever was filmed prior to One and Only, you can definitely see in all the BTS clips how their friendship grows and how comfortable the two become with each other. I loved ZSC’s character in this series, I loved how aloof and innocent he initially was. SO different to how he was in O&O and it was albeit quite refreshing! I couldn’t help but giggle when he was all shy around SY. That said, realistically, in a modern day setting, if someone were to get engaged over the phone, I can’t imagine anyone who would have said yes willingly after only meeting 3 times in person and emailing for 6 months. LOL. Reality aside, the two made you root for them like they did in O&O and I think fan’s would be happy to know that they got the ending they deserved, FINALLY. I do admit, after say a whopping 15 episodes+ in you’d think the aloofness would subside, but it didn’t and it was starting to get a bit old and too cringey for me.
2. I loved all the Easter eggs they had. Here are just a few of my fave:
- Shi Yi dropping her surname ‘Cui’ as a continuation from the last episode of O&O where she denounces her family name before she jumps off and request that she only be ‘Shi Yi, of the Nanchen Royal Mansion’.
- The fact that she was a voice actor for ‘O&O’ in this drama.
- The hints about the library comment in episode 8.
- When she sleep talks about pomegranates and ZSC goes out to find some for her.
- When Mei Xing says “I feel like I owed him in my past life” in episode 24, because word is he’s technically the reincarnation of the crown prince in O&O.
- The Fu in Imperial Park poem that she wrote on the wall and that ZCS finished for her
3. I loved that they kept the same songs, especially the opening credits, and there were clips of Allen’s song in the instrumental version. But god damn, give me Mao Bu Yi any day! He’s got a way with creating such beautiful hits for dramas, the melody is so haunting and beautiful. His single “Give you, Give me/ 给你给我” is such a beautiful track. Even Bai Lu commented on it on her Weibo.
4. I loved the way it was post edited. Most scenes flowed so smoothly and didn’t feel rushed. The first 1-10 episodes were done very well.
5. I think if anything it was the storyline overall that felt rushed, but that’s just basing it off the novel. The first 1-6 episodes moved so quickly. The production setup in itself, was great! With the exclusion that there were maybe 1/2 scenes that could have been filmed better, some poor choices of scripts or words (scroll through comments) and some scenes that felt ‘lazy’. I think it’s noted that some scenes did get cut, we’re unsure why or which to be exact. I think him piggybacking her in Bremen early on was one of them. I think the conversations about them deciding to have kids and choosing the words ‘I’m ready’ before sex scenes just felt awkward to me. Episode 27 was a bit cringey to watch. I said it in the comments, but I stand with the fact that there are so many diff ways of creating a scene that’s supposed to be meaningful yet not overdone or uncomfortable. I think even Bai Lu made a comment on it in the BTS videos.
6. I didn’t like that there really wasn’t a proper introduction to ZSC family. Without reading all the comments here, I probably wouldn’t have known the family tree and what the relations are with all the ‘siblings’ and why it’s so complicated and why there’s so much issues and dramas arising within the family. At the very least iQiyi could have done like a diagram for us like how some dramas do.
7. Episodes 23 onwards were such a breath of fresh air! There was so much more punch to it! Lots of emotions and it was definitely a whirlwind of a rollercoaster ride we all were hoping to see. Episode 24 had me like a mess! Despite all the hurdles the family threw at Shiyi, I loved that she didn’t blame anyone for all the mishaps, she stood by ZSC when he just needed space and time to overcome his loss. But I felt these episodes really showed them coming closer together and it wasn’t as awkward and you could tell, he was becoming more and more comfortable around her—which he should be by now!
8. LOVED her outfits, I thought they were great! Bai Lu looked amazing in everything they had on her.
9. Side characters I did enjoy would have to be Xiao Ren and the driver, Uncle Lin. Both like a real brother and father figure to both SZC and Shi Yi.
10. I wasn’t sure if I liked the old and new mixing, like the idea that this was a modern day drama but that Zhou family house gave me the creeps a little. That and the mixing of modern vs the old Qi Pao’s the Wan’s made. It grew on me, and I like that it was heavy of tradition but I guess still acknowledging the current period they were in and that they did things out of the ordinary like obtaining their marriage certificate before the actually ceremony. The excessive poetry was beautiful but I wish I understood it.
11. Lastly, episode 29 probably hit me the most. I feel this is where we really get to see ZSC and his commitment for Shi Yi. Dealing with in-laws is always a hard and troublesome task. What he did and what he was willing to say to her parents at the hospital and his actions clearly showed that he wasn’t going to waiver and proved to her parents that he was worthy of her love. This really hit hard for me dealing with my own personal experience of something similar. The scene where he submits and finally bows in front of his ancestors just proves that nothing is bigger than his love for her and omg I couldn’t stop the waterworks!
Overall, I think it was a beautiful drama, albeit slow, but so deserving. I think the last few episodes picked up and I really enjoyed watching them get closer. Would I watch it again anytime soon? Probably not. But I’m so so happy they got the happy ending they deserved.
So instead of doing the usual break down, I thought, why not do 11 things I liked or disliked about the show, in tribute for (十一/时宜):
1. I think it goes without saying, what kind of an actor Bai Lu and Allen Ren are. The chemistry on-screen and off-screen are both fantastic. Considering that Forever and Ever was filmed prior to One and Only, you can definitely see in all the BTS clips how their friendship grows and how comfortable the two become with each other. I loved ZSC’s character in this series, I loved how aloof and innocent he initially was. SO different to how he was in O&O and it was albeit quite refreshing! I couldn’t help but giggle when he was all shy around SY. That said, realistically, in a modern day setting, if someone were to get engaged over the phone, I can’t imagine anyone who would have said yes willingly after only meeting 3 times in person and emailing for 6 months. LOL. Reality aside, the two made you root for them like they did in O&O and I think fan’s would be happy to know that they got the ending they deserved, FINALLY. I do admit, after say a whopping 15 episodes+ in you’d think the aloofness would subside, but it didn’t and it was starting to get a bit old and too cringey for me.
2. I loved all the Easter eggs they had. Here are just a few of my fave:
- Shi Yi dropping her surname ‘Cui’ as a continuation from the last episode of O&O where she denounces her family name before she jumps off and request that she only be ‘Shi Yi, of the Nanchen Royal Mansion’.
- The fact that she was a voice actor for ‘O&O’ in this drama.
- The hints about the library comment in episode 8.
- When she sleep talks about pomegranates and ZSC goes out to find some for her.
- When Mei Xing says “I feel like I owed him in my past life” in episode 24, because word is he’s technically the reincarnation of the crown prince in O&O.
- The Fu in Imperial Park poem that she wrote on the wall and that ZCS finished for her
3. I loved that they kept the same songs, especially the opening credits, and there were clips of Allen’s song in the instrumental version. But god damn, give me Mao Bu Yi any day! He’s got a way with creating such beautiful hits for dramas, the melody is so haunting and beautiful. His single “Give you, Give me/ 给你给我” is such a beautiful track. Even Bai Lu commented on it on her Weibo.
4. I loved the way it was post edited. Most scenes flowed so smoothly and didn’t feel rushed. The first 1-10 episodes were done very well.
5. I think if anything it was the storyline overall that felt rushed, but that’s just basing it off the novel. The first 1-6 episodes moved so quickly. The production setup in itself, was great! With the exclusion that there were maybe 1/2 scenes that could have been filmed better, some poor choices of scripts or words (scroll through comments) and some scenes that felt ‘lazy’. I think it’s noted that some scenes did get cut, we’re unsure why or which to be exact. I think him piggybacking her in Bremen early on was one of them. I think the conversations about them deciding to have kids and choosing the words ‘I’m ready’ before sex scenes just felt awkward to me. Episode 27 was a bit cringey to watch. I said it in the comments, but I stand with the fact that there are so many diff ways of creating a scene that’s supposed to be meaningful yet not overdone or uncomfortable. I think even Bai Lu made a comment on it in the BTS videos.
6. I didn’t like that there really wasn’t a proper introduction to ZSC family. Without reading all the comments here, I probably wouldn’t have known the family tree and what the relations are with all the ‘siblings’ and why it’s so complicated and why there’s so much issues and dramas arising within the family. At the very least iQiyi could have done like a diagram for us like how some dramas do.
7. Episodes 23 onwards were such a breath of fresh air! There was so much more punch to it! Lots of emotions and it was definitely a whirlwind of a rollercoaster ride we all were hoping to see. Episode 24 had me like a mess! Despite all the hurdles the family threw at Shiyi, I loved that she didn’t blame anyone for all the mishaps, she stood by ZSC when he just needed space and time to overcome his loss. But I felt these episodes really showed them coming closer together and it wasn’t as awkward and you could tell, he was becoming more and more comfortable around her—which he should be by now!
8. LOVED her outfits, I thought they were great! Bai Lu looked amazing in everything they had on her.
9. Side characters I did enjoy would have to be Xiao Ren and the driver, Uncle Lin. Both like a real brother and father figure to both SZC and Shi Yi.
10. I wasn’t sure if I liked the old and new mixing, like the idea that this was a modern day drama but that Zhou family house gave me the creeps a little. That and the mixing of modern vs the old Qi Pao’s the Wan’s made. It grew on me, and I like that it was heavy of tradition but I guess still acknowledging the current period they were in and that they did things out of the ordinary like obtaining their marriage certificate before the actually ceremony. The excessive poetry was beautiful but I wish I understood it.
11. Lastly, episode 29 probably hit me the most. I feel this is where we really get to see ZSC and his commitment for Shi Yi. Dealing with in-laws is always a hard and troublesome task. What he did and what he was willing to say to her parents at the hospital and his actions clearly showed that he wasn’t going to waiver and proved to her parents that he was worthy of her love. This really hit hard for me dealing with my own personal experience of something similar. The scene where he submits and finally bows in front of his ancestors just proves that nothing is bigger than his love for her and omg I couldn’t stop the waterworks!
Overall, I think it was a beautiful drama, albeit slow, but so deserving. I think the last few episodes picked up and I really enjoyed watching them get closer. Would I watch it again anytime soon? Probably not. But I’m so so happy they got the happy ending they deserved.
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