The Flawed Portrayal of Strong Female Lead

Let me start by saying I held on as long as I could, but I can't continue. I believe a drama should be judged as a whole and not just based on the last few episodes. We're in the final stretch, and this constant portrayal of the SML getting so much attention just isn't right. So many scenes of the ML have been cut to show the SML.

Now that this little rant is over, let me start the review again. This is just my opinion—feel free to have your own and disagree with anything written here.

"TPR" tries to show a strong female lead, but it falls into a lot of the same old traps that many C-dramas do.

First off, why do strong FLs always have to have multiple love interests? In this drama, the FL treats the male lead like a doormat. Fans try to justify this with weird reasons, like claiming the FL has no feelings for the second male lead (SML) based on "scientific research." It's as if they think they know better than the writers and directors. They might be right, but the way the FL keeps giving SML the googly eyes, the sudden slow motion, and romantic OST (Note: SML, in my opinion, has the best OST) starts playing, sorry, but as viewers, we can only judge what we see. The FL failed to set boundaries with SML for the majority of the show. The anger she showed to ML at the start was not conveyed to SML even after all he has done and after the full truth was out. And those who say she loved ML in both lives—she was behind ML’s killing and couldn't wait to marry SML in the second life.

This drama really highlights a big issue in C-dramas: to show a strong FL, she’s never single, there's always a love triangle, and she can't show too much emotion because that’s seen as weak. Meanwhile, the ML is often portrayed as a pure virgin who’s been waiting for the FL for years. It's an outdated and unrealistic portrayal of relationships.

In this show, the FL’s supposed strength is overshadowed by her lack of emotional expression and her constant involvement in a love triangle. Showing too much emotion is apparently a sign of weakness, which is just wrong. Real strength comes from being able to express and manage emotions.

The ML, on the other hand, is just waiting around for the FL to decide what she wants. This passive role is frustrating and reinforces an outdated double standard.

Overall, while the drama had potential, it falls short by sticking to tired tropes and unrealistic dynamics. A strong FL doesn’t need multiple love interests or to treat others poorly. And the ML should have his own story and emotional depth too. Until C-dramas make these changes, we'll keep seeing the same flawed portrayals.

This drama could have been great, but instead, it just repeats the same old mistakes.

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