Jiao Cang (2024)

Perfect Ending

Wow, beautiful! I must admit, this is the first time I've seen a perfect ending in all the cdramas I've watched. Initially, the first 5 episodes felt slow and even boring to me, but I persisted. As I finished each episode, I found myself wanting to know what happened next, and by episode 11, I was hooked! I even felt sad when Cui Xingzhou told Liu Miantang he was leaving for about a month or so - I actually cried in that episode! That's when I knew I had grown invested in the drama. The chemistry between Cui Xingzhou and Liu Miantang was wonderful. What a series! 10/10 rating from me.

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How to get into a relationship after deception 101 (aka amnesia trope done right!!)

I'll just start off by saying I am NOT a fan of deception in a relationship as I believe it establishes an unequal relationship dynamic that makes it uncomfortable to watch. I am also not a huge fan of amnesia plots because it opens the door to lots of miscommunication, frustration (to the characters AND viewers), and feels like drama for the sake of drama.

SO. How did I end up liking ARE YOU THE ONE so much despite the deception and amnesia? I think it's because you get:
- amazing character growth from the ML (from using the FL as a pawn to treating her like the badass, independent woman she is)
- a quiet, but strong-minded FL who holds her ground (she made him work to get back into her good graces but doesn't draw out the process. We stan a woman who knows what she wants!!)
- a dynamic duo couple who complements each other well (physically, mentally, romantically via chemistry, you name it)
- interesting writing that focuses less on angst and more on the logical flow of a relationship progression, mostly since the characters are down-to-earth, like-minded, and decisive.

If you're on the fence about watching this because you've been burned bad by amnesia tropes, I would say give this one a try! The ML's grovel is gooood and the romantic scenes are super sweet.

PROS
❀ We love a good grovel
I thought the ML Xing Zhou was a bit of a punk in the beginning. He was okay with his arranged marriage while playing house with the amnesiac FL Liu Mian Tang in order to sus out his enemy, Lu Wen. He even thought about keeping the FL as a concubine for a hot sec. Talk about a bombastic side eye!!! BUT, the ML recognizes his feelings early on (I would say around ep 12) and starts to go against his family's wishes with the arranged marriage. And after falling in love, he pretty much only has eyes for the FL.
On the FL's side, I love how the drama showed her brilliant mind and capable demeanor from the get-go. Even though she had amnesia, she was determined to make the best of her life with her fake husband, who came off as a dandy who played Go all the time. Even then, she was still suspicious of his lies. She regains her memories around ep 17 and keeps up the act because she wants to use the ML for her own gain. She cuts ties with the ML after their business is done. If you like a good ML chasing FL/grovel session, this drama delivers. I love how the ML not only loves her, but also respects her. His dialogue constantly mentions how he could even gift her the moon, but he knows that if she wanted it, she could get it herself. And that's on feminism!!

❀ Quieter depictions of female independence
I am a huge fan of these types of shows that highlight women characters' strengths without being super in your face with "rah rah girl power!!" scenes. Those are good too! But quieter depictions hit harder. I feel like most of the (main) female characters were written with consideration, and their growth really shone in different ways.
- Miantang: she was smart and strong-willed from the beginning and remained so until the end. She constantly reminded her grandpa that marrying wasn't her main goal. When she set her mind on something, she made it happen (whether it's a porcelain business, escort business, or figuring out the villain via a tea party lol). Honestly she was almost OP (overpowered) to an extent, but I still love her for it.
- He Zhen: her journey was establishing her own independent porcelain venture without the oppression of her silly dad and brother. I feel like this actress has a propensity for independent, business-minded female characters lol (I remember her from New Life Begins), and she delivers yet again. Of course, the help from ML's physician cousin Zhao Quan is also welcome. I thought their interactions were both sweet and hilarious.
- Xue Ji: tbh she annoyed me the most in the beginning because of her meek and mild manners but that just makes her development even more impactful. She's used to being in the background but still analyzes things with wit and speed. And when she finally stands up for herself - SO satisfying! Her and the emperor/Ziyu ended up being a great match and I enjoyed their slower, softer romance throughout the series.
- Even side characters like the ML's mom and his ex-fiance Bing Lan have their own moments of clarity and growth.

❀ Simplifying a lot of intricate relationships
To be honest, I like how the show didn't draw out misunderstandings or angst. The plot certainly set up the characters for a LOT of angst. Like think about it: the FL liked this dude and then gets amnesia and has a husband, the ML, who ends up falling for her, but the ML not only has a fiance but also some girl who wants to be his concubine. And the dude the FL liked actually likes her back but ended up "betraying" her with a girl who's obsessed with him and also he gets engaged too, to another girl. Like bruh.
Worry not, because I promise the show neatly de-tangles all these entanglements and we get three solid couples by ep 30ish. Instead of focusing on worrisome angst, I like how the show highlighted the cute and endearing scenes between each couple. The entire opening theme is the main couple being lovey-dovey with each other, which gives you a clue on how much screen time is devoted to them lol.

CONS
✕ Executing of the political schemes could have been better
Miss 10 minutes and you'll miss an entire plot - LOL. A lottt of things happen and the writing glosses over them. This includes wars, rebellions that get quelled, an emperor getting deposed, evil ministers with their nasty plots... honestly a lot of plotting that gets told and not shown. This starts from the beginning as well: we're given the backstory of Lu Wen vs. Lord Huaiyang (ML) but their battles, plots, and "betrayal" gets told via a couple lines of dialogue. Despite it being a huge foundation on the main couple's relationship. So I feel like we as watchers miss out on critical moments that pertain to the political intrigue part of the plot. And I'm not gonna lie, it's hard to keep your interest when plot points get bulldozed through with dialogue. I didn't find the main villain intriguing either and after the reveal of the main characters' identities (ep 20ish), nothing about the plot surprised me anymore. I honestly kept watching to see the main couple kick butt.

✕ Give the people what they want!!!
What we (or maybe it's just me) wanted that they teased us with:
- Moreee action! Especially the FL + ML combo. We got one INCREDIBLE scene with them together and I wanted more.
- More secondary couple development!! Why was the He Zhen/Zhao Quan couple's main storyline focused on making freaking porcelain??? Lol, I get that it was important for her dream/goal. But I'm sure they could have fit a couple of romantic scenes.
- More FL emotion: looking back, I do recognize our FL was OP and that kind of stunts her emotional range. Or maybe it's the actress's range herself. But honestly her two modes were: 1) hard-working and loyal woman who goes after what she wants, and 2) mad at ML for lying to her. I'm not mad at this, I just feel like her character could have been elevated with a bit more range.

✕ Misunderstanding level: 5/10
This is hard to rate because the amnesia storyline is inherently a misunderstanding, which is why I gave it high marks. BUT, the cats are outta the bag by ep 20ish and there are no more deception from there on out. Just our ML and FL standing on a united front against their enemies.

OVERALL
These are new to me actors and I'm a fan!! The ML actor looks like he could be a 2ML (lol) but his presence is good. The FL actress delivered but hoping her future roles allow her to explore more emotions. For a drama I wasn't too sure about, and jumped in almost blind (as I started watching it right as they were airing the last episodes), I'm impressed. And honestly, my favorite execution of the amnesia trope to date.

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One of the Better Romances

I have to say I really enjoyed this one. As always, I am impressed with Zhang Wan Yi's earnest performances and this did not disappoint. He has the most expressive eyes I have ever seen and handsome to boot. He is the perfect leading man and I am looking forward to seeing him in future roles.

This romance was different from most romances where two people meet, like or dislike each other, until the romance grows. Here we have deception, a better written amnesia plot and an interesting, albeit simple plot line that does not meander and is easy to follow. The secondary characters don't overtake the leads and everyone gets a satisfying wrap up to their story.

Our FL is the breathtakingly beautiful Wang Chu Ran. I first saw her in The Longest Promise and knew she would one day shine as a main lead. She is very talented and was so natural in her part as Liu Mian Tang. This was a fun watch and there was no character I found annoying or inept. There was chemistry between our two MLs and watching them together was a joy. I want to try Crab Roe rice!

My favorite secondary characters were Yuan Yu Xuan as the Empress and Xu Mei Ling as Nanny Li. I first saw Yuan Yu Xuan in Novoland: Pearl Eclipse and loved her from the beginning. She is just so cute and a fine actress. I enjoyed her character in this one, though similar to her part in Pearl Eclipse. Huan Can Can returns as yet another evil rival similar to her role in Lost You Forever. It's unfortunate when the supporting actors get type-cast.

I was impressed with the depiction of the struggles of women working to make a name for themselves, while enduring the lack of esteem by their families. Although this is unrealistic for its time period, I appreciate the effort in appealing to modern audiences.

I recommend this drama for romance lovers who want an uncomplicated plot with a happy ending.

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Inconsistent Characters and Missed Potential in Are You The One

"Are You The One" had so much wasted potential to be a really great drama, but it is filled with inconsistencies and very typical historical drama tropes. Liu Miantang went from being a housewife to a mountain bandit and then back to being a housewife. Her personality and aspirations change in a split second, making her entire character hard to understand and illogical. Similarly, Ciu Xingzhou, a supposedly cold-hearted general, becomes a literal simp for a woman he originally planned to use and had no interest in. The second couple had little screen time, which is good—they weren't very interesting or relevant to the plot. I would say I enjoyed the latter half of the drama, as things became more eventful and moved a bit faster. The first half dragged a lot, and the drama is more slice-of-life-centered than anything else. Overall, this drama was a massive disappointment and is definitely skippable. After watching this, I'm not entirely sure I'm a big fan of Zhang Wanyi's acting. His articulation is very well-spoken, but after watching a few of his dramas, nothing really seems to have changed in his acting style. I would rate this a 7; it’s tolerable but not great.

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Are You The One is a great drama set in a historical time with a beautiful love story. It has well choreographed action scenes, beautiful cinematography, and a pleasant OST. The leading couple, Liu Mian Tang (played by Wang Chu Ran) and Cui Xing Zhou / Lord Huaiyang / Cui Jiu (played by Zhang Wan Yi), is a force to be reckon with. They are both capable, cunning, quick-witted, smart, and warm-hearted toward each other. Their relationship begins with a farce but, through their interactions and as they work together to resolve obstacles and complications, they grow to love each other. This love is tested when the lies are unveiled and each other’s real identity is revealed. Up to this point, the drama is provoking with the mix of mysterious characters and a lovely budding romance. The cast did a great job bringing their characters to life and the leading couple has a great playful exchange of teasing remarks, very well written dialogues, and a pleasant romantic chemistry. Yuan Yu Xuan did a great job portraying the seemingly shy Shi Xue Ji that surprises the audience with her character’s shy and clumsy demeanor while concealing her true nature’s maturity and cleverness. Even though the drama starts to slow down on the second half after the drama reaches its pinnacle, and the finale feels rushed, the drama is entertaining.

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Not the best out there but pretty good

So our main lead Cui Xinzhou is a local lord who is has to capture the bandits. In the process he finds our female lead Liu Miantang who was severely injured. Since he believes she was the lover of the leader of bandits he keeps her to lure the bandit. He then proceeds to lie and pretend to be her husband upto about 17 episodes. This all happens as Miantang suffered from amnesia. So the story is roughly divided into two parts- before she gains her memories and after she gains her memories. This was a summary.

To start my review I would rate this drama a 7.2/10.
The plot is somewhat bearable compared to other idol dramas. It is intriguing, has a bit of mystery and comedy elements to it. The main problem was that it had a lot of major skips that was necessary for us viewers to understand the story better. Firstly, we don't know about the leads background properly. Cui's mother is called consort dowager but isn't that a tern used for a king's mother?? And who was his father? How was he involved in the fight for throne. Nothing is explained here. The same goes for female lead. Her family dynamics were not shown when it was relevant to the story as she lived in mount yang for 3 years.

The pacing is somewhat good. But as I said there is a major skip in the middle of the drama. And it was quite important. Left me all flabbergasted. Many plot lines which had a lot of potential was not executed nicely. Miantang was a martial arts expert and quite intelligent but after the first few episodes she did not showcase anything important. And there was no end goal for the drama. Like what is the purpose of our characters? They are not explaining it properly. Plus many characters end is not shown to us. Like what happened to them? How were they defeated? How did they dieee. We want to know.

I'd say Cui Xingzhou was the best character in this show. With all the problems he faced in every episode I am glad he did not turn mad. And you can clearly see the difference when he is with his wife and others. Shows how great of an actor he is.

Overall it was an okay drama. Cute, fluffy with some thrilling scenes. A well written plot is not the drama's strength but nevertheless was pretty enjoyable.

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YOU are certainly the ONE

I went into this drama blind and boy, I was in for a very nice treat! :o) I'd divide this drama into 3 segments: 1st - ML deceives FL with amnesia; 2nd - FL leaves ML after she recovers her memory; 3rd - FL and ML get together and become a formidable and yet, loving couple.

The drama was captivating from the get-go and while I may have watched both leads somewhere prior to this drama, I did not recognise them and so, I'd consider them fresh faces to me. And I certainly liked these fresh faces very much.

What I Loved:
- The FL was so pretty to watch. She looked so lovely. Additionally, I liked that she that she had a strong will as well as a strong, sound and smart mind of her own. She was both soft and firm, both beguiling and ruthless. She would smile charmingly while killing mercilessly. I loved that about her.
- The ML was handsome in his own way. He was manly. While he wasn't particularly tall and muscular, he was manly enough and owned the role of CXZ. I liked to see how, after he had fallen head over heels in love with FL, he was a totally smitten and jealous man.
- The ML's bestie was, despite not being a hottie, a cutie. He was a true bestie and showed up for CXZ whenever CXZ needed him. I loved how he supported CXZ and was a great support role.
- I liked to see the strong females in the show, such as LMT, who stood up for themselves and spoke their minds in this patriarchal society. LMT was so resourceful and shrewd while being all feminine and beguiling. I liked how she charmed everyone including CXZ. I liked that SXJ, the empress, developed a strong backbone and stood up for herself in her own tactful manner. What I learnt was that we did not have to be boorish and aggressive when dealing with asses and imbeciles. We could still be refined and respectable.
- CXZ's men were loyal and at times, cute to watch too. Mo Ru and Nanny Li were great support roles.
- Plot was fairly intriguing and interesting. I wanted to watch one episode after another.
- Acting was fairly good. As mentioned, ML and FL were a lovely couple and I loved watching them together. The scene which stood out for me was when they decided to part in the 2nd segment. I felt their pain and longing. Their tears moved me. When she stabbed him with her hairpin and he pulled it out, cleaned off his blood and returned it to her, I swooned just a little. It was a very endearing and moving scene.
- A fairly happy ending which, IMO, could have been happier. :o)

What I Did Not Like:
- Indisputably, I hated Lian Mother and Daughter duo. They were self-entitled. The mother was shrill and shrieky and bordering on "cray-cray". She was awful to watch. The daughter looked awful in this drama (having seen her in another drama which she looked normal). I found the telling-off and slap from CXZ's mother particularly satisfying to watch. That bit*h totally deserved plenty of slaps to "wake up her idea". Such a silly and hateful woman she was!
- Prince Sui was also another "cray-cray". Hateful to watch his audacious schemes. Same for Yun'er - that bit*ch - without much brain and poise.
- He Zhen was rather hard to watch for me as I did not find her acting very natural. She came across as kind of awkward and spoilt.

Finally, suspend disbelief (as usual with reference to such dramas) because the scene in the last episode was really unbelievable. CXZ and LMT paired up to kill the guards sent by Prince Sui and they managed to kill them all without soiling their clothes at all (still total wrinkle-free and bloodless; pristine off-white). That scene left me scoffing. Other than this, I really loved watching this lovely pair. FL was very lovely indeed - so pleasing on the eyes, total eye candy - and ML was all smitten and such. I liked that he only had eyes for her and loved just her. This applied to FL too. They formed a formidable couple with brain and brawn for the ML and brains and charm for the FL.

Overall, I would have given a perfect 10 for this drama if not for the slight flaws which I could not reconcile with. Thus, I gave it a 9/10.

This drama entertained me tremendously and I looked forward to watching each episode. I highly recommend this drama!! :o)
<3 <3 <3

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The trailer delivers

I enjoyed this.

I was intrigued by the trailer and the trailer delivers! Storyline, plot, acting, pace, cinematography was good. It was refreshing to watch a well written plot. I also found out that this drama was a novel adaptation but the writer decided to give it its own twist, which was perfect, I think the drama stands out on its own.

Chemistry wise- this may be unpopular opinion, but I'm not feeling it. I think both leads act well together but I don't ship them. Someone quoted the leads like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in Mr. & Mrs. Smith, well I agree.

Cast - I'm biased towards WCR, I think she is so pretty and this role is perfect for her. The supporting cast is great too, The one who play Prince Sui impressed me in the last 2 episodes. I was moved. I love cute, grumpy He Zhen and my foodie empress Xueji too.

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Surprisingly, the main conflict plot is holding on and yeah, you will fall for this Fujun & Furen

Basically i crawled my way out of drama slump to finish it within this year. That's how determined i am. The good part is i enjoy it. It didn't feel like i forced myself to finish it as if someone put a gun on my head. Well, i already love the characters when i started it a while back yet it's not enough. The plot is always the key for me, among many factor ofc.

Idk whether it's true or not, i heard this drama lost more than 10 eps (that damn regulation) yet they still able to wrap it all neat and clean. I said wrap, the end, not the path since it was a bit rough. From the beginning, we know who is Lu Wen, they don't try hard enough to hide it, it was intended imo. With that alone, it also obvious they'll separate once the cards open. Personally not a fan of hidden identity, hence the reason i put it on hold, and they reeeally took their time. It needs more than halfway to separate the couple which also mark of the new chapter, understandable yet dragging. The reunion and reconciliation aren't force nor ooc, both stay true to their value and work it out together. That's power couple for you.

The main conflict is engaging enough. The villain's motive is acceptable and make sense. All the stuff unravel till the last minute but it's okay, i got it. Especially after i learned about the lost episodes. The main conflict is holding on yet you can see many side characters plot are underdeveloped. I believe second cp has more to offer and needless to say, i want more of our emperor and empress. Shi Xueji is hard not to love character, not only to viewer but also to Liu Yu. It just bound to happen, for his heart to blossom again. Their tacit understanding and silent companionship is perfect palace romance for me. I love it that much. Furthermore, like many others, i, too, wary of Cui Xingdi. This is what happened when you watch enough cdrama to understand some actors is givin certain vibe and Leon Lai is that one. The most obvious is his role is just "too small" and easily passable, plus his filmography isn't helping. Understandable if he listed as guest role but he listed support role. Technically i doubt him till the very end. Turns out, his character is in fact, a villain in the novel. They probably cut many of his scene to fit the max 40 eps.

On a final note, i enjoy this more than i expected. I admit the bar is low since i come without expectation and only curious to see Zhang Wanyi acting for the first time. Still, i devoured it all.

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Love Amid Lies!

This series took me longer to finish, but it was worth it for the storyline alone. The plot centers on Liu Mian Tang, the female lead, and Cui Xing Zhou, the Huangyang Prince. The beginning immediately grabs your attention, introducing them as enemies: Xing Zhou is determined to capture Lu Wen, the notorious bandit leader. After an injury, Mian Tang is found and nursed back to health by Xing Zhou. However, with her memory lost, she mistakes Xing Zhou for her husband. Xing Zhou (posing as "Cui Jiu") decides to use this misunderstanding to his advantage, hoping to lure out Lu Wen, as Mian Tang is believed to be Lu Wen’s concubine.

Their initial interactions are pure comedy gold. Mian Tang showers Xing Zhou with affection, completely unaware that he’s not her real husband. While this dynamic is hilarious, it’s also bittersweet because Xing Zhou is exploiting her for his benefit. Over time, their relationship evolves, and they genuinely fall in love. But when Mian Tang regains her memory, she realizes the truth: Xing Zhou is her enemy. The twist? As the story unfolds, Xing Zhou discovers that the person he’s been trying to capture is none other than Mian Tang herself—Lu Wen and Liu Mian Tang are the same person.

Their relationship goes through cycles: enemies to lovers, lovers to enemies, enemies to allies, and finally, allies to lovers. It’s a whirlwind. While the storyline is engaging, the pacing is uneven. The series starts strong and captivating, dips in the middle, picks up again during the angsty, scheming-filled episodes, and unfortunately becomes bland towards the end.

The cinematography is quite good, but the costume design is underwhelming. Given Mian Tang’s various identities—bandit leader, obedient wife, and princess—the costumes and hairstyles could have been more striking to reflect her transitions. The casting is decent overall. Zhang Wan Yi delivers a strong performance as Cui Xing Zhou, bringing depth and nuance to his character. However, Wang Chu Ran as Liu Mian Tang falls short in emotional scenes, where her expressions don’t always convey the intensity required. That said, her action scenes are fantastic and among the highlights of the series, showcasing her intelligence and physicality.

The music complements the series but is largely forgettable. While I wouldn’t rewatch the entire series, some scenes are worth revisiting. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions, with a gripping beginning and middle but a somewhat lackluster ending. Overall, it’s a decent watch with its fair share of highs and lows.

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Storyline gets better & better ~ FL Not “sweet/dumb/klutzy” etc! Yaaah!

Not familiar with the main leads, the synopsis intrigued me to watch this series. I enjoyed the storyline right away, as I love strong, independent FLs over the so-called “sweet/dumb/innocent/klutzy” types.
As the story progressed, I found myself alternately getting trusfrated or laughing as the characters drew me in. A few veteran actors also worked as great finishing touches to keep my attention glued enough~ to binge-watch.
All three couples were entertaining enough and different, so their stories weren’t boring for me.
Other than the Main Leads, played by Zhang Wan Yi and Wang Chu Ran, the character who I liked the most is the young Empress played by Yuan Yu Xuan! She’s absolutely adorable, more sensible than me?, and down-to-earth.
Shoutout to the entire cast! They were awesome!
I would definitely recommend!

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Do I Not Support Women's Rights AND Wrongs?

I want to start off by saying this drama was able to capture my attention from the first episode. It is very well done
within the cinematography. The scenery is beautiful and I love that they allowed for a more natural undertone within the musical composition. The instances where you were just hearing the bustle of the market or the vibe in the palace really allows for you to fully immerse yourself. Really well done.

Now, for the bad, or perhaps more accurately: the infuriating.

This drama is by no standard within the realm of which characters are inherently only good or only bad. They are very much all grey and we see this immediately from the start when it came to the ML. His decision to pretend to be the husband of what he knew to be his enemy's mistress was diabolical. I didn't agree with the lies he conjured up to take advantage of her amnesia. (I am not a fan of amnesia plotlines at all. I find them a scapegoat for plotline.)

But I continue my rant to say, the ML was not an issue for me. He was doing what was necessary for the good of the people and city he was in charge of. His enemy is a bandit, known for a lot of terrible things and honestly, this mistress would have ended up also being charged and sentenced alongside of him for his crimes. So to me his decision to start his deceit didn't make me upset as much initially once I learned of what was going on within the first three episodes. It was kind of like how police do a sting operation and pretend to be a criminal to get into the mob or something. You have to do the unthinkable a lot of times to achieve.

Plus he was actually thinking of giving her an out in a way by letting her go to a temple or something. He did find this woman half dead from an attempted murder. He sympathized with her the best that he could given what he knew of her and her correlation to the person he was after.

Now fast forward this to him being unable to catch the 'enemy' he wants because the emperor pardons all of them from their crime when he finally goes to arrest them. So he is left with this mistress and this fake life and is unable to break it off because he is falling for her.

I can understand despite being unable to rationalize his reasons for why he continued his ploy.
But does that mean he is the worse character I have ever seen as a main lead?

No.

He never took advantage of her or crossed boundaries. He knew his feelings and that he was wrong, he consistently spoke about his guilt for what he did. And even when it came to a point he realized she regained her memories and was playing in the role still, he lamented he would take her wrath and the punishment that came from his wrongs.

This man is not perfect, but he is not a bad person. He made a stupid decision.

I segue now into focusing on the FL.

I'll be 100% honest, it was clear from the very first scene she was the enemy. The buildup to the reveal of her remembering and him realizing fell short. Even if you are not an experienced drama watcher, it was not difficult or hidden well to not realize this fact.

The issue is, like i mentioned ML lied for a greater good, fell in love and kept lying to not lose her. FL remembered and wanted revenge. The revenge in question for his TERRIBLE action is to kill him. Mind you she is an actual criminal who was smuggling goods that started a war and lead to so many deaths and was the reason for a good majority of the corruption going on within the capital.

ML's entire plotline was to capture this bandit that was doing this and put an end to it. Funny enough he only knew about the stealing and the murders but had respect for the criminal at large because he saw through all of the ploys how smart and tactful this person was. But then he found out that they were not just doing petty shit but was smuggling resources which were affecting the nation. AND KNEW ABOUT IT WITH NO ISSUES. Like it wasn't as if FL lead agreed to a job not knowing the reason behind it. SHE KNEW EVERY SINGLE THING AND HELPED PLAN IT OUT. She consistently was talking to enemy nation and even after regaining her memories and understanding why ML started his lie, had no damn remorse.

She felt justified somehow in her actions. Even more confounding was how after stabbing ML for revenge she decided to go right back into selling to the enemy countries? Like why? She goes on this crazy revenge scheme against this other Prince who worked with her in the smuggling but then killed her side to hide everything.

I am not sorry to say I couldn't resonate or sympathize with her because I understand your people had the rug pulled from under you, but everyone knew the risks of this business and nothing that you were doing was righteous and was instead harming those around you.

So tell me why or how I'm suppose to be feeling all this emotional hrumph everytime she mentions avenging her brothers?

I feel this FL was meant to be strong and amazing in everyway to match up to the strengths of the ML. And while I can see that in a lot of instances, I do not think she is at all a good person. She does not reflect on anything she does nor cares if it is not for her benefit. She wants to live out this bandit fantasy life among her uncle, and it seems whenever their endeavors catches up to them , in her head its unthinkable for them to be met with any penalty.

Cause after all they are simply living young and free in their actions.

I say all this to say, it was very difficult to engage in this drama seeing all of this going down. Then currently being in the era of the ML pining over her and trying to get back this woman and her thwarting him every step of the way.

Because she hates him and can't forgive him for his lies. Like please be so for real woman. Your entire character is a lie in itself, you go around pretending to be actual workers but then murder, steal and all of the likes. Why do you feel as if you are so deserving and better than this prince who simply wanted to stop all the bad shit you and your brothers have been committing?

I think this was ten times harder to stomach because it was on viki. This was the first show I had to turn off the comments because they were excusing her every step of the way. None of the characters are perfect, but the FL gets off in everything she does, learns she is doing, and continues to do. I further hate that her and her loonies actions in their gang were exempted and essentially allowed them not to face any penalties for what they had been doing for the past several years.

It was crazy seeing people literally say her actions amount to nothing in comparison to the ML's lies. I simply seem to although being a woman myself, can not excuse all the things she did and continued to do. This woman does not deserve an excuse for any of the wrongs she committed.

And I hate that she was never given an instance like the ML had to and was called out on multiple scenes to realize that what you think is correct is not the way to do things. I did not feel growth from her character nor any semblance of my definition of a strong woman. She is simply a character who is intuitive and cunning but missing the qualities of a strong woman by integrity definition.

She did not have to be perfect. Honestly, if she realized her actions were not good and admitted her part in the inner turmoil going on within the court and still decided to avenge her brothers. I would respect her. But she fucked off instead on some wild revenge plot and immersed herself back into the lifestyle that started the ML on his lies.

I want to give her a zero, but that's not possible so instead I give her a 1.

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