I realized that I never left a review for LLTG and could not understand why, especially considering it was my first cdrama. So while I'm on my third rewatch, here we go:

This show surpasses all expectations. The quality, the writing, the acting, the characters... All of it is perfect.

Now, I've seen a lot of people say that this show inverts tropes. And that is 100% correct. The leads are petty, vengeful, and selfish. Unlike a lot of leads that are forgiving and kind, here, the leads can be kind, but only to those who are kind to them. If someone doesn't treat them right, they reserve the right to be equally brutal. And I love it. Even with each other they can be uncompromising.

The Emperor , empress, and consort are absolute scene stealers. Another example of how they invert tropes - there are no disputes between the three. The empress is not paranoid or evil, the consort is not ambition or evil, and the emperor is not unqualified or evil. They are just genuinely good, competent rulers who value each other. Absolute scene stealers.

I can't articulate the love I have for this drama. The characters are so well developed. Not only the leads, but the support and side characters as well.

That said, of course there are some cons with the show. There are so many characters and while they all have their own plots, because there are so many, some do just get wrapped up quickly or are just dropped all together. The beginning is very very slow (I think you have to get through a good 10 episodes before things begin to pick up pace), and the end could have been better in my opinion.

But even with those cons, the pros far far far outweigh it. I mean.. it's no contest. This show is perfect and I think it's going to withstand the test of time because I already return to it as one of my go to shows whenever I need a comfort show or an enjoyable watch.

Highly highly recommend.