1
amusedbush
This review may contain spoilers
Lovesickness and a Case of Bad Directing (Major spoilers ahead!)
I. The Good
I have always thought YZX looks like a kissing gourami-- the man's lips are made for kissing, pouting in petulance, and smiling mischievously. We finally get to see all that in this drama as he plays the cheerful playboy for a few episodes.
The drama had an interesting premise and a fitting ending which closed off the paradox of time travel. That, the titular OST, and YZX's acting chops carried drama. Everything else was as flat as your taste buds and as confusing as your fevered brain were when you had Covid-19, and I got sick of the show pretty quickly.
II. The Bad
YZX's cast members struggled to play their respective roles. YYL as the FL was very good at furrowing her brows and aegyosal to look confused, crushed, and conflicted, and as her mother must have warned her, she was stuck with that face. She had the same face even when she was supposed to be confident, cheerful, or contented. WZF as the 2FL/villainess performed better in her role as the innocent, kind young miss than in the villain arc. ZWL looked like he was a college kid in his first improv class--not willing to make a fool of himself and commit to the role.
The story starts with the 25-year-old FL reading a love letter uncovered in an archaeological dig and noticing that the jade ring illustrated in the letter looks exactly like the one she has at home. The ring transports her and she meets the 28-year-old ML. The ML, however, has met her before and accuses her of abandoning him 7 years ago. The FL also meets the 2FL, the dowager empress, who greets her as '姐姐 Jiějiě'. The FL assumes she bears the appearance of the ML's 'white moonlight' and he is merely treating her as a substitute. However, that does not explain how the ML knew about her dipping sauce composition, birthday cakes, and Jay Chou's lyrics. The FL meets the villain and describes him as gentlemanly, much to the ML's ire.
The 2FL and villain form an uneasy alliance, as the 2FL wants to murder the FL and the villain wants military power. We get to see YZX's naked shoulders and cleavage in episode 6, when assassins chase the FL. While the FL got to see other things, we the audience are not lucky enough. In yet another assassination attempt, we see that the 2FL has Feelings™ for the ML. In episode 9, frustrated with the FL's continued denial, the ML shows her their selfie painting, which does absolutely nothing as the FL attempts to escape his residence before being kidnapped by the villain. The ML appears to die trying to save the FL in episode 10 (it's only episode 10, nobody really dies until the penultimate episode or there'd be no story).
For absolutely no reason whatsoever, the villain demands to marry the FL. She neither holds power nor wealth so there was absolutely no reason for the villain, a royal prince, to marry the FL, a maid in the ML's residence. The villain attempts a coup on their wedding day, which is interrupted by the very-much-alive ML. The ML carries off the FL (God knows why because she wasn't injured in any way) and before his deceased parents' tablets, declared his feelings and promised to let the FL leave if that is her wish. Who knows when on earth the FL developed feelings for the ML, and yet somehow she agrees to marry him and they perform the rites before the tablets and consummate their marriage in episode 11. How could the 2FL allow this, so of course she releases the villain and drugs the FL in episode 12 for the villain to kidnap. The ML kills the villain but the 2FL have both the ML and FL killed before they could escape.
The FL returns to her time in episode 13 and of course the first thing she does is check Wikipe-dead. She finds out that the ML 'died during the villain's rebellion'. Distraught, she runs to her apartment building's rooftop to time travel (because she cannot just disappear in her room?). This time she meets the 21-year-old ML in his playboy era. She discovers that the people she knew were not around (yet), the ML was an unskilled fop who had yet to inherit, the old emperor was still alive, and the 2FL was still a lowly concubine's daughter being bullied by her legitimate elder sister.
The FL considers trying to kill the 2FL now, but is unable to bring herself to do so and develops compassion for the 2FL's situation. She tries to stay away from the ML and 2FL, but ends up befriending them instead. Through a series of events, the FL realises that she's the one who taught the ML Jay Chou's lyrics for a poetry contest, the existence of birthday cakes, and the composition of dipping sauce. Realising her deepening feelings, she tries to pair the ML with the 2FL instead. This, of course, fails miserably because the ML is not a pair of Prada boots. She attempts to run away but meets the villain instead, and plots to serve at the villain's residence for an opportunity to murder him. She ends up encountering the ML again, and inadvertently confesses her feelings when he pretends to be dying in episode 21. YZX was absolutely adorable in this scene.
The 2FL is understandably upset when she discovers the FL and ML together in episode 22, but she gave them her blessings. The FL advises the 2FL to take control of her own destiny and reject the edict to marry the old emperor. The 2FL takes this advice and attempts to run away, but is caught by her elder sister. Believing that the FL had betrayed her, the 2FL agrees to marry the old emperor and poisons the FL. The FL willingly drinks the poison in exchange for a promise from the 2FL to never harm the ML. In episode 23, the FL dies before the ML returns from the palace, leaving behind a goodbye note, causing the events to come full circle.
The FL finds out that the ML still died during the rebellion, and time travels yet again. This time, she meets the 7 years old ML and dies saving him from assassins. When she returns, the distraught FL realises the ending still remains unchanged. She faints and dreams of the time when she was 18, and she nearly dies in a car accident. She was saved by a bearded, long-haired man who hands her a jade ring, telling her to 'go find him' and that he had left a letter for her. The FL wakes up from the dream, believing that the ML did not die and that it was the ML who had saved her from the car accident (which makes absolutely no sense because did the 28-year-old ML just pick his body up from the floor and walked off after being shot by numerous arrows??). The FL runs to re-read the love letter again, with the jade ring in hand this time. The drama ends with her dropping the ring, and someone in traditional costume picking up the ring, presumably the ML.
Many have commented on the abrupt ending, but frankly, if you leave a plant out with no water or fertiliser for ages, it will curl up and die a slow death like this drama.
III. The Ugly
Other than the random plot devices thrown in there (e.g., the villain insisting on marrying the FL for absolutely no reason, how the ML handed the jade ring to the FL, and when did the FL fall in love with the ML enough to marry him), nothing was particularly ugly.
IV. The Verdict
It's worth watching once, to see YZX play something else than his usual somber characters and salivate over the 5-second view of his bosom.
I have always thought YZX looks like a kissing gourami-- the man's lips are made for kissing, pouting in petulance, and smiling mischievously. We finally get to see all that in this drama as he plays the cheerful playboy for a few episodes.
The drama had an interesting premise and a fitting ending which closed off the paradox of time travel. That, the titular OST, and YZX's acting chops carried drama. Everything else was as flat as your taste buds and as confusing as your fevered brain were when you had Covid-19, and I got sick of the show pretty quickly.
II. The Bad
YZX's cast members struggled to play their respective roles. YYL as the FL was very good at furrowing her brows and aegyosal to look confused, crushed, and conflicted, and as her mother must have warned her, she was stuck with that face. She had the same face even when she was supposed to be confident, cheerful, or contented. WZF as the 2FL/villainess performed better in her role as the innocent, kind young miss than in the villain arc. ZWL looked like he was a college kid in his first improv class--not willing to make a fool of himself and commit to the role.
The story starts with the 25-year-old FL reading a love letter uncovered in an archaeological dig and noticing that the jade ring illustrated in the letter looks exactly like the one she has at home. The ring transports her and she meets the 28-year-old ML. The ML, however, has met her before and accuses her of abandoning him 7 years ago. The FL also meets the 2FL, the dowager empress, who greets her as '姐姐 Jiějiě'. The FL assumes she bears the appearance of the ML's 'white moonlight' and he is merely treating her as a substitute. However, that does not explain how the ML knew about her dipping sauce composition, birthday cakes, and Jay Chou's lyrics. The FL meets the villain and describes him as gentlemanly, much to the ML's ire.
The 2FL and villain form an uneasy alliance, as the 2FL wants to murder the FL and the villain wants military power. We get to see YZX's naked shoulders and cleavage in episode 6, when assassins chase the FL. While the FL got to see other things, we the audience are not lucky enough. In yet another assassination attempt, we see that the 2FL has Feelings™ for the ML. In episode 9, frustrated with the FL's continued denial, the ML shows her their selfie painting, which does absolutely nothing as the FL attempts to escape his residence before being kidnapped by the villain. The ML appears to die trying to save the FL in episode 10 (it's only episode 10, nobody really dies until the penultimate episode or there'd be no story).
For absolutely no reason whatsoever, the villain demands to marry the FL. She neither holds power nor wealth so there was absolutely no reason for the villain, a royal prince, to marry the FL, a maid in the ML's residence. The villain attempts a coup on their wedding day, which is interrupted by the very-much-alive ML. The ML carries off the FL (God knows why because she wasn't injured in any way) and before his deceased parents' tablets, declared his feelings and promised to let the FL leave if that is her wish. Who knows when on earth the FL developed feelings for the ML, and yet somehow she agrees to marry him and they perform the rites before the tablets and consummate their marriage in episode 11. How could the 2FL allow this, so of course she releases the villain and drugs the FL in episode 12 for the villain to kidnap. The ML kills the villain but the 2FL have both the ML and FL killed before they could escape.
The FL returns to her time in episode 13 and of course the first thing she does is check Wikipe-dead. She finds out that the ML 'died during the villain's rebellion'. Distraught, she runs to her apartment building's rooftop to time travel (because she cannot just disappear in her room?). This time she meets the 21-year-old ML in his playboy era. She discovers that the people she knew were not around (yet), the ML was an unskilled fop who had yet to inherit, the old emperor was still alive, and the 2FL was still a lowly concubine's daughter being bullied by her legitimate elder sister.
The FL considers trying to kill the 2FL now, but is unable to bring herself to do so and develops compassion for the 2FL's situation. She tries to stay away from the ML and 2FL, but ends up befriending them instead. Through a series of events, the FL realises that she's the one who taught the ML Jay Chou's lyrics for a poetry contest, the existence of birthday cakes, and the composition of dipping sauce. Realising her deepening feelings, she tries to pair the ML with the 2FL instead. This, of course, fails miserably because the ML is not a pair of Prada boots. She attempts to run away but meets the villain instead, and plots to serve at the villain's residence for an opportunity to murder him. She ends up encountering the ML again, and inadvertently confesses her feelings when he pretends to be dying in episode 21. YZX was absolutely adorable in this scene.
The 2FL is understandably upset when she discovers the FL and ML together in episode 22, but she gave them her blessings. The FL advises the 2FL to take control of her own destiny and reject the edict to marry the old emperor. The 2FL takes this advice and attempts to run away, but is caught by her elder sister. Believing that the FL had betrayed her, the 2FL agrees to marry the old emperor and poisons the FL. The FL willingly drinks the poison in exchange for a promise from the 2FL to never harm the ML. In episode 23, the FL dies before the ML returns from the palace, leaving behind a goodbye note, causing the events to come full circle.
The FL finds out that the ML still died during the rebellion, and time travels yet again. This time, she meets the 7 years old ML and dies saving him from assassins. When she returns, the distraught FL realises the ending still remains unchanged. She faints and dreams of the time when she was 18, and she nearly dies in a car accident. She was saved by a bearded, long-haired man who hands her a jade ring, telling her to 'go find him' and that he had left a letter for her. The FL wakes up from the dream, believing that the ML did not die and that it was the ML who had saved her from the car accident (which makes absolutely no sense because did the 28-year-old ML just pick his body up from the floor and walked off after being shot by numerous arrows??). The FL runs to re-read the love letter again, with the jade ring in hand this time. The drama ends with her dropping the ring, and someone in traditional costume picking up the ring, presumably the ML.
Many have commented on the abrupt ending, but frankly, if you leave a plant out with no water or fertiliser for ages, it will curl up and die a slow death like this drama.
III. The Ugly
Other than the random plot devices thrown in there (e.g., the villain insisting on marrying the FL for absolutely no reason, how the ML handed the jade ring to the FL, and when did the FL fall in love with the ML enough to marry him), nothing was particularly ugly.
IV. The Verdict
It's worth watching once, to see YZX play something else than his usual somber characters and salivate over the 5-second view of his bosom.
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