Welcome to the Open Thread, everyone! Thanks for joining in on this group watch of this very special show! ❤️
As I mentioned in my announcement post, these are my notes, exactly as they appear on Patreon.
ZERO SPOILER POLICY
We will be adopting a ZERO SPOILER POLICY for this Open Thread, except for events that have happened in the show, up to this point.
This includes, but is not limited to, how characters &/or relationships develop, later in the show.
The spoiler tags don’t work in email notifications, therefore, please take note that WE WILL NOT BE USING SPOILER TAGS FOR THIS OPEN THREAD.
We need to protect the innocent! 😉
Without further ado, here are my reactions to this set of episodes; have fun in the Open Thread, everyone! ❤️
My thoughts
Episodes 1-2
E1-2. The reason that I’ve been wanting to check out this show, and soon, is because it feels like almost everyone has been raving about this, lately.
When Show had first premiered, there had been some rumblings of dissatisfaction, along the lines of Wu Lei being too skinny, and Zhao Lu Si not having good enough diction for a period drama.
Since then, though, all the rumblings and grumblings have turned into murmurs of satisfaction and praise, which, YAY.
I’ve heard that Wu Lei’s character in this is wonderfully written and delivered, and I’ve seen some of the swoony scenes, and heard the squees.
So that’s definitely one of my reasons for checking this out; I certainly don’t want to miss watching Wu Lei being a swoony, smoldery male lead.
On top of that, I’ve also heard that Zhao Lu Si’s character is likable, which is always a plus. I mostly do need to like my characters, in order to want to watch them.
Additionally, I’ve heard people compare this show to The Story Of Minglan, for the family drama part of the story. And since I did enjoy The Story Of Minglan quite nicely, I count that a plus as well.
So far, two episodes in, it’s still early days yet, to say definitively that this is excellent and that I love it.
But, I will say that I like what I see, so far.
First of all, right away, I like the production values, and the sense of space and scale. It definitely doesn’t feel like we’re on some dinky production set.
Everything looks real, and it feels like there’s an entire world in front of our characters. On top of that, the costuming looks believable and authentic to the times, ie, none of that modern nylon fabric that cheaper productions tend to favor.
In terms of characters, even though we only catch a few glimpses of Wu Lei’s character Buyi so far, I like him.
He really does have a regal air about him, from the way he carries himself. And he’s got a stoic, intense sort of vibe that befits a general of his stature. Like, I can believe that this man successfully led thousands of soldiers to victory in war.
On top of that, I like that he’s smart, and quick on the uptake.
When Shaoshang (family pet name Niaoniao) gives him clues, this set of episodes, he’s able to understand her hidden meaning, and act accordingly.
I was most impressed with how he deciphered her cryptic gift of a small bundle of straw, with a few scraps of fabric, to indicate that the fabric store was involved in her uncle’s crime.
I’d had no idea what the gift had meant, but Buyi figures it out right away. I do like a smart leading man. And I also really like the idea that Buyi and Shaoshang are able to get on the same wavelength so naturally.
It’s the flip side of the same coin, when Buyi pronounces a few barbed praises about Shaoshang to her father. Shaoshang is quick to decipher the potential underlying meaning of those words of praise, and gets peeved right away.
We don’t see them really interact a great deal, in this initial set of episodes, but the way they are so swift to understand each other, bodes well for future communication, yes?
As for Shaoshang herself, I like that she’s quick-witted and scrappy, because that makes her interesting to watch.
At the same time, I haven’t made up my mind in terms of how right she is, in the various situations we see her in, this set of episodes.
While my sympathies are quick to go out to her, for being locked up in that house in the village and apparently starved to some degree, I don’t discount the possibility that she really has been aggravating to her grandmother and aunt, with her less than traditional sensibilities and way of looking at the world.
The thing that really brings me to see things from this more balanced perspective, is how Show portrays Shaoshang’s mother, Yuanyi.
For a start, I have to say that I really like Yuanyi, on sight.
I love that she’s a woman of arms; isn’t that just so badass?? Certainly, she’s not the first female warrior that I’ve come across in a Chinese drama, but it’s still pretty cool, that the Mom in this story, is a strong warrior type.
And, in line with that strong warrior characterization, I find it fascinating to watch Yuanyi make sense of the world around her, when she comes back to the family home after having spent 15 years away at war.
(On a side note, my subs keep saying 10 years, but the literal dialogue says “10 plus years” and since it is mentioned that they haven’t seen Shaoshang for 15 years, I’m going with 15 years.)
The way Yuanyi is so quick to be quietly observant of her surroundings, without making an immediate judgment, makes me like her right away. I like how she basically spends time collecting data for her analyses, before arriving at a hypothesis or conclusion.
She strikes me as a wise woman already.
That said, I do think that she’s a little impatient, when it comes to straightening out her daughter.
I get her sense of urgency, because in her estimation, with Shaoshang being of marriageable age, if she doesn’t get Shaoshang sorted out in terms of her manners and discipline, it would be too late, once she is married, and then she would end up being a burden to her husband.
However, she really could use some of her husband’s goodwill and patience, when it comes to dealing with Shaoshang.
They have been apart from their daughter for basically all of her life, so to come on strong on the discipline front, so soon after their long-awaited return, is surely not going to go down well.
But perhaps that’s why Mom and Dad are such a good match? They do complement each other very well, from what we’ve seen so far.
And I do love the detail, that Dad isn’t judgmental of Mom’s past (that this is her second marriage), and he’s unabashed about wanting her and no one else. Aw. That’s really sweet.
On the family front, it does get a bit much this set of episodes, with Gran putting on a big ol’ wailing show at the drop of a hat, but the silver lining is that Show treats it with a comic sort of touch, so we know that Show isn’t taking it too seriously, and doesn’t expect us to treat it too seriously either.
And, happily, by the end of episode 2, Gran seems to have come around to the error of her ways, and is tearfully repentant at how she hadn’t realized how much her son has suffered, all these years, while out on the battlefield.
That’s a good start, yes? I’m almost certain that Gran will find something else to wail about soon enough, but for now, I’m glad that this first bone of contention seems to have been sorted out.
What I’m curious to see more of, is how Buyi and Shaoshang are going to cross paths again (of course), since that’s the Main Event of this show, based on the title and the trailer.
On top of that, I’d also like to see how this estrangement between her and her parents gets healed, with time and patience. That should be heartening to witness too, I’m sure.
All in all, this was a pretty solid pair of opening episodes, and I’m looking forward to more, mostly because I’m pretty sure that things are going to get even better, from here on out.
Episodes 3-4
E3-4. I am slightly disappointed that we don’t get any scenes with Buyi and Shaoshang sharing screen time this set of episodes, but I rationalize that we’re still in set-up, and with a long show like this (technically 56 episodes, if we add Parts 1 & 2 together), set-up could take anywhere from 8 to 12 episodes.
We do get a little more time with Buyi this set of episodes compared to our opening episodes, so I’ll count that a plus.
He’s still investigating the fake arms case, and we’re only given fragments of story around this, like how Shaoshang’s uncle had been bribed by Xu Jinzhong, who comes from a blacksmith family.
Honestly, though, I don’t really have much vested interest in the fake arms case, so the details aren’t super important to me right now.
I just like watching Buyi be intense and focused on my screen, and I like that we get to see all over again, how quick-witted he is.
Like in the way he’s able to deduce that there’s a secret room behind the figurine of Zhu Rong (god of fire, in ancient Chinese mythology – which is why iron smiths revere him).
So far, I have to admit, I’m finding Buyi rather hard to read.
What I mean is, I can’t figure out if he’s being sarcastic or serious, when it comes to Shaoshang.
Like in episode 1, when he’d said those words of praise about Shaoshang to her father. Shaoshang had interpreted them to mean that he was actually paying her a backhanded compliment, but I can’t help wondering if he’d been sincere in his praise.
And now, when he instructs that Shaoshang’s uncle be allowed to visit his family one last time before being banished, he says that it’s to repay her kindness for her assistance in the case.
But, as we see, the visit turns pretty ugly, and Uncle openly blames Shaoshang for his fate.
I can’t help but wonder if Buyi had known that this would happen, when he’d allowed the visit. And if so, then what his intention had been, in allowing the visit.
I’m sure we’ll come to understand him better as we go along, but for now, I do find him pretty cryptic.
On Shaoshang’s side of things, it seems that she spends this set of episodes becoming more and more convinced that her parents don’t truly care about her, and she doesn’t have anyone to depend on, in the world.
First, there’s the thing with Yuanyi’s dissatisfaction with Shaoshang’s poor reading abilities.
After getting to meet her parents for the first time, Shaoshang had hoped that she would finally have their protection and affection, after having been treated like an eyesore by her grandmother and aunt, all these years.
It must be rude shock for her, to find herself being consistently disciplined instead, particularly in areas that she really dislikes, like studying and reading.
From Yuanyi’s perspective, though, I can understand why she’d be so horrified at Shaoshang’s inability to read, given that they are not a family without means.
On a tangent, I thought it would be interesting for some of you, if I mentioned a bit about the Chinese language, at this point.
Unlike many other languages like English or Korean, there is no phonetic system in Chinese. In order to be able to read and write, you literally memorize each character, in terms of its strokes, pronunciation and meaning.
Every character is unique and therefore, to know 10,000 characters, you’d simply memorize 10,000 characters.
That’s why Shaoshang hates studying (you literally spend hours upon hours just memorizing), and that’s also why she’s so incapable of reading the scroll that Yuanyi puts in front of her.
There’s no phonetic system for her to fall back on, so she can’t even guess at the way the words are pronounced.
It actually makes sense to me that Shaoshang is unable to read much, because she hates studying. Based on her personality, I just can’t imagine her spending hours upon hours in rote learning, even with strict supervision.
Not that our girl isn’t smart, certainly.
When Uncle is home for his visit and lets slip that Gran had said something to him about how she’s treated Shaoshang, Shaoshang is quick to ask a probing question, which then leads to Uncle spilling all the beans – which then inform her parents of exactly how she’s been mistreated in their absence.
I thought that was pretty quick of her, to use the situation to her advantage.
And of course, there’s also that whole house thing at the end of episode 4, where I thought Shaoshang was very clever indeed, in how she read the situation, and then made a calculated move which ended up in Aunt’s removal from the family.
It’s true that the consequences are bigger than she’d anticipated, and it’s good that she admits as much to Yuanyi and promises to change. I’m just.. quite blown away by the fact that she could calculate that the family would end up moving soon, and why.
In this sense, I do feel like Show is somewhat similar to The Story Of Minglan, with certain annoying characters being suddenly written out of the way, in what feels like a sudden manner.
That said, I’m not at all sorry to see (what I think is) the last of Aunt. She really is a toxic character, and I was pretty darn shocked this set of episodes, to see the way she literally abuses her husband, and with a great deal of vitriol, too.
I have to admit, I got a great deal of satisfaction from Yuanyi walking in and giving Aunt the sharpest slap she’s probably experienced in her life. Aunt absolutely had that slap coming, she was being so horrible and violent towards her husband.
And also, gosh, I do love how badass Yuanyi is.
I don’t know how Aunt seems to forget that she’s literally up against a legit warrior, as she embarks on these petty politics.
That said, I found that I had to suspend some serious disbelief, in the flashback around how Yuanyi had ended up leaving Shaoshang behind, those 15 years ago.
I mean, don’t get me wrong; I do appreciate the drama of the scene. It really is a poignant idea, that Yuanyi would be forced to leave Shaoshang behind, due to a bout of petty plotting by Aunt, in a bid to separate Yuanyi from Cheng Shi (Dad).
BUT. The woman has literally just given birth to not one, but TWO babies, and I’m expected to believe that within 2 hours, she’s able to suit up in armor, and walk out of there without assistance, with a baby in her arms? To go to WAR??
First of all, that’s humanly impossible, even for a female warrior, is it not?
And second of all, why would anyone think that it’s a good idea to bring small children to war?? We literally see Cheng Shi and Yuanyi leave with not just Shaoshang’s twin baby brother, but an older brother who looks to be about only 5 years old.
I.. don’t understand? Maybe I haven’t watched enough C-dramas to know (so please educate me if you do know), but was this A Thing, back in the day, to bring children with you to war??
The other thing which I find myself having a bit of trouble with, logic-wise, is the situation around Yangyang.
Earlier, we hear Aunt accuse Yangyang of sneaking food to Shaoshang, every time Aunt tried to starve her in order to discipline her.
And then later, in episode 4, we’re told that Yangyang had been brought up by her grandfather and aunt, who did a splendid and loving job of teaching her not only how to read and write, but also, all the values that she needs to know.
How does that work, especially since we are also told that Grandfather Ge lives very far away (so it’s not like Yangyang could pop back over to see her mom anytime she wanted)?
I’m tentatively rationalizing that perhaps Yangyang spent her early life with her grandfather and aunt, and then came to live with her mother, which is how she ended up being able to sneak food to Shaoshang, but I have to say, it’s really not very clear right now.
Right now, my drama instincts are guessing that it won’t be long before Shaoshang decides to run away from home.
After all, we’ve just spent these past two episodes exploring how she feels, as she gets disciplined by Yuanyi, and also, as she watches Yuanyi promise to treat Yangyang as her own daughter, and then embrace Yangyang in a way that she’s never embraced Shaoshang.
Plus, there’s how Shaoshang feels hurt that Yuanyi always seems to assume the worst, when it comes to Shaoshang’s intentions.
It feels like it will just be a matter of time, before Shaoshang decides that she has no reason to live in this rejection and misery, and go out there to conquer the world on her own terms.
Of course, this is just my guess at this point, so.. let’s see!
My friends, I’m here to eat my words about it being unrealistic that Yuanyi had put on armor and gone to war the same day she’d given birth – and with kids in tow, at that.
I was chatting with a friend of mine, and mentioned this show and this detail, and he told me that his granduncle had been a police commissioner in China, and when he’d gone to battle, his family had gone along. Like, the family would take care of rations, and the kids (his uncle) would basically run along, without shoes, even.
This blew my mind, and also, made me realize that in that case, with this as a benchmark in the not-so-distant history of China, it’s not that unrealistic that the kids would follow their parents to war.
And, given that my friend’s grandmother had gone back to work in the fields the very afternoon of the day she’d given birth, I have to believe that a lady general like Yuanyi might go to war, the day she gives birth to twins.
It’s wild and my mind is blown, and like I said, I’m eating my words. Chomp. 😜😅
Mind blown too!!!!!!!!!!! After giving birth to my own kids I was pretty weak and in no shape to go marching off to the shopping centre for a few days, let alone war!!
I wouldn’t beat yourself up, @kfangurl. I mean, there aren’t many of us who could empathise with the situation or recognise it as plausible… Any woman who can get dressed two weeks after giving birth is impressive in my book, let alone after two hours…
I did not know this. Mind also blown. People are truly strong
I didn’t comment on this at first cause it’s not my goal to bring everyone down, but some women, such as those enslaved, have had no choice but to return to work immediately after giving birth. Many decades ago, I read a book entitled The Good Earth. It’s a Chinese story and in it, the first wife returns to the rice fields immediately after giving birth. If I recall correctly, the book is about the difference in the first wife’s life of drudgery and the second wife’s life of luxury once the husband had come up in the world. I think there were bigger themes in the book about the husband’s life but the only thing that I to remember is the first wife’s plight. (I tried to go back and fix my typos but earlier as I kept trying to get my cursor in the right place, I lost everything I’d typed so…
These setup episodes were honestly a bit slow and arduous for me to get through! As you point out, this is a 56-episode series so understandably the setup takes a more languid pace compared to a 16-episode K drama. Maybe if I was in a more contemplative mood I wouldn’t have minded? It just so happened though I was in the mood for cracky thriller so I also started Money Flower which was very very eventful from the first episode haha!
For LLTG I do think the writing is pretty solid so far. Who these characters are and what drives them, their mindsets and world view. I mention in other comments below that I feel Niaoniao is too clever for her own good. She is very perceptive and observant of others, and quick to think of a stratagem to turn things in her favour, which range from petty tricks (getting her maid to open a locked door at just the right moment so a charging enraged head maidservant falls flat on her face) to betrayal of a family member (ratting out her granduncle, which is correct according to pure legalism but ghastly in a society used to respecting elders first). I think her mother is not wrong that if she continues down this path she really could bring disaster to the family through unintended consequences (was she unaware that the penalty for treason often includes punishment of your entire family clan?!)
@Elaine – Hang in there!!!! Its does get cracky good! I finally started my rewatch and forgot how much I laughed in the first four episodes and was blown away that a Chinese Period piece would have so much humor. I remember and still am very pleasantly surprised 🙂 Especially after that EPIC opening shot and scene. I was so drawn into this Show.
Since you speak Mandarin what do you think about the dialogue? I am sure we are missing so much nuance in this Show.
YAYYYYYYY!!!! I don’t think I’ll have time to do a full rewatch, but I’ll try to keep along with notes and try to jump in. Luckily, past me jotted down some notes so I’ll have some things to add.
I really do believe these first 10 eps or so are so critical to setting up Niao Niao and why she acts the way she does later on. What if Yuanyi had showed just a little bit of tenderness when she came home, instead of taking out her guilt/anger at herself on Niao Niao? To Niao Niao, her parents must have seemed like mythical creatures. In fairy tales, the happy ending would come when they returned, but how disappointed she must have felt with her mom’s censure.
@uyen – YAY! You are joining us!!!! Well, when you can 🙂
You are so right!! I kept thinking the same thing about Yuanyi!!! Couldnt she have been just a little softer? Just a micron or something. Sigh. So hard to watch.
During my previous watch of LLTG, my impression was that Niangniang was just a mischievous, intelligent, bratty girl in these early episodes. That colored my impression of her for most of the show. This time, I’m seeing more nuance in her character right away.
We’re shown that she hasn’t experienced love in her first 15 years, except perhaps from her maid. In that context, while her actions are still mischievous (and bratty), they appear to come, at least in some measure, from a place of hurting. Sometimes she strikes me as almost feral, in her inability to play by rules and her reflex to seek revenge. Still, love that girl.
I’d forgotten about Grandmother’s histrionics and Aunt Ge’s evilness. I’m glad the latter was dispatched with quickly, and Grandmother is being relegated to the side courtyard with her riches.
Love Niaoniao’s Mother, Father, and brothers. What a great character Xiao Yuen Yi is! It’s so interesting to already encounter a number of flawed, yet sympathetic and compelling characters. Bring on more Buyi! 😉 Delicious.
It’s so fun to watch LLTG a second time, with only a general memory of exactly how we get from Ep. 1 to 56. Almost like a new show! On the other hand, I’m able to focus more on the details rather than figuring out who, what, where, when and why – at least in these early episodes – because I already understand the bigger picture and who the characters are. On to Ep 5-8.
You say Niaoniao, I say Niangniang. 😂
@Leslie – I’m so bad with English names so much more with Chinese and Korean… BUT! For this group watch I made a conscious effort to write down names so I was able to check my notes to see who Xiao Yuen Yi is! (*feeling very proud of myself right about now*😄)
@Beez – 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Oh, @kfangurl, the JOY of having an excuse to watch Love Like the Galaxy again, then read your notes again, and then all the comments here – it is just lovely!! Thank you for doing this group watch for us. I barely had to nag at all!!
So, for me, these opening episodes set the tone very well for what’s to come, but also maybe don’t, given the emphasis on the nasty aunt and to a lesser extent, the grandmother. For those less pleased with these, fear not, other equally annoying and evil characters are on their way!! But I mean that in a good way. I love the show (much like The Story of Minglan) for its cruel characters as much as its kind, honourable ones. That’s because the author of those original novels (Guanxin Zeluan wrote Love Like the Galaxy and The Story of Minglan) ensures they either realise their folly and soften, or they get their comeuppance. Who doesn’t enjoy seeing a truly bad character be humbled? I find it gratifying anyway.
What I love in these episodes is Niao Niao. I did on my first watch, and do again on this second. I think Zhao Lusi plays her with the right amount of belligerence, defiance, and hurt – so familiar to anyone who’s been a teenager and experienced an injustice or slight. I understand how easily and quickly she’s bruised by her mother’s disapproval and sterner discipline; the thin tether they share since her mother left her at birth only exists through hope. Niao Niao hopes her mother, despite leaving her behind, loves her. The way she knocks Niao Niao’s learned less-than-desirable behaviours down (or tries to) only tramples on that hope. Of course Niao Niao believes she’s alone and unloved and unwanted and – worse of all – not good enough. Poor Niao Niao.
As for the mother, crikey, I really found it horrible to watch her treatment of Niao Niao on my first watch. With my second, I am better prepared and while I still don’t like it, I see that she too only has that same thin tether of attachment to Niao Niao, based on the hope she will be a good daughter. Maybe she was expecting Niao Niao to reject her, given she’d left her for all these years. Maybe she’s rejecting Niao Niao first in some way. Perhaps, even if Niao Niao had been as quiet and meek as Yang Yang, she still would have found fault. That thin tether sure doesn’t look like it will survive this military tiger-style mothering…
Oh, General Ling! Of course, I was smitten the first watch, I’m entirely gaga again! Wu Lei plays him with such steely determination. First watch, I hadn’t quite appreciated the darkness lurking in those eyes, but it is there. Viewers, the kneecaps torture shown to scared uncle was no ruse. That’s all I’ll say!
Well, I could hark on and on – and on – but I will try to spread my enthusiasm over the coming weeks so as not to exhaust everyone!! But, yah, I love this show!!!! 🙂
@Ele – I’m really noticing how Wu Lei’s makeup makes him appear older and more hardened. Furrows between eyes, darkness in cheeks and eyes. Well done. I resonate with all of your comments, Ele. Thanks!
@Leslie – yes, there’s a point in the show much later where the clever make-up people manage to make him look even older and worn and then contrasted it with a memory scene of the past (to do with shoes on a stirrup, in case you recall) and I remember gasping at how effectively they’d done it, and how dull Wu Lei managed to make his eyes. All jaded. So clever and also painful.
@Ele – Oh WOW! I had no idea the same author wrote LLTG and Story of Minglan!!! Thank you for sharing that tidbit. Minglan then will be my summer watch 🙂
Keep harking!!! I love it!!
Harking? Oh, please stop encouraging me @JJ 😅 The Story of Monglan is really quite different to LLTG, even slower, meandering in its storytelling. Oh, but so brilliant!! I adored it but you have to watch with a kind of patience and leisurely appreciation 🙂
I recall the epic opening of the show and the set up with Bad Uncle and NN’s family dynamics, but one detail that won me over is that we (I think) and Buyi (I’m pretty sure) were introduced to the heroine as a disembodied hand pointing from inside a wagon (or whatever those fancy wagons-for-rich-people are called).
Yeah, the whole takin’ the family to war thing is disturbing and I’m glad that I wasn’t raised that way.
One of my favorite things about the show is the complicated relationship between mother and daughter. Right now I’m watching another drama where Zeng Li and Zhao Lusi are playing a somewhat more conventional mother and daughter pair (“Hidden Love”) and they’ve just got that down pat. I think they should be required to reprise similar roles at least once every 3 years.
Great start on the comments, everyone! Enjoy.
@j3ffc! No, you’re not watching?! That’s a shame. Am sure kfangurl’s notes will remind you so you can still join in.
General Ling was introduced to Niao Niao via a delicate wrist and hand pointing out where her scallywag uncle was hiding. Did he fall in love with the hand, the gesture, or the fact she helped him find the criminal?! Ah, but I do believe it was love at first sight! That’s quite some hand.
Oh, it was nice to see Zhao Lusi and the great Zeng Li as a more functioning mother-daughter in Hidden Love!
@Ele, it is indeed a shame, as I enjoyed the show and would love to watch along, but shoehorning an additional four episodes/week into my current schedule is very daunting. Maybe I’ll see if I can make some progress this next week. It’s especially hard though, as I have a big writing project that I’m working on right now….
@j3ffc – Its really sad to hear you have to prioritize work over dramas. Sigh what is the World coming to with those types of priorities??? 😝😂
May the Drama Gods forever be on your side and find you time for a rewatch! So Say We All 🥰
At least you have already seen LLTG so you can join in the chat!!!
Don’t I know it!! 🤯🤣
But at least I am making good on my promise to watch more C-drama with “Hidden Love” (which is just what I needed following my recent horror-fest)!
He has very important writing projects!!
Just a point to KFG’s question on how Yang Yang shared food with Niaoniao if Yang Yang was raised by her Grandfather and aunt on her mother’s side. I think it’s mentioned that Yang Yang’s Ge relatives (Grandfather and aunt) live in “the village”, so quite reasonable to assume that’s the same “village” where mean 2nd Aunt sent Niaoniao to live to be disciplined, it would make sense that she sends Niaoniao to her own home village. That’s the village where in ep 1 Niaoniao and her maid are holed up and starving for food, and also where Grandma’s brother is hiding? I’m guessing? That’s probably when Yang Yang shared food with Niaoniao.
@Elaine Or Yang Yang at least would have visited her parents often and maybe every time she did, she would help Niao Niao (who would most likely always have been in the doghouse every time she did). It would explain why they’re not exactly close, like sisters, but share a kind of camaraderie and mutual sympathy.
@Elaine – Ohhhhh EXCELLENT catch!!! Make so much sense 🙂 Thank you!!!
Right from the start I remembered again how much I loved this show. It is obvious from the first 5 mins of ep. 1 that this is a good show. Also, one of the very rare shows I never skipped the intro! I just love the music+the graphics.
Episodes 1-4 are really set-up episodes, and they are doing a great job in giving us insight on mostly the FL.
In these episodes, we get to meet:
A. China’s grumpiest general
B. China’s naughtiest fourth Miss
and also
C. China’s strictest soldier mom
D. China’s fluffiest general dad
E. China’s loudest, most selfish, entertaining Drama Grandma
But also
F. China’s teddy-bearest personal guards.
For me, it was Shaoshang who stood out first. It was love at first sight. She is clever but irreverent, prudent in her interactions with the General but so very naughty. The way she rats on her uncle did not give starry eyes only to the General but to me too. Although I had the advantage over him, in the sense that I could continue watching her shenanigans, whereas he tried hard but failed to get even one glimpse of her when he went over to praise her (and he did praise her in his own mindset, even if she misunderstood – in a modern drama, I guess that would have resulted in her blacklisting him).
And then we see her difficult relationship with her mother. Watching for a second time helped me understand more the mother: right from episode 1 we see her see through her daughter’s antics (which, by the way, resemble much her grandmother’s) and realises she must educate her because otherwise life (and her future in-laws) will. I keep wondering though if her methods are what Niao Niao needs, and I do feel for her being jealous of her perfect cousin. I think Zhao Lusi is doing an excellent work here.
As for Ling Buyi, I was immediately intrigued by him: so young but so dedicated to his duty and apparently also not mindful of etiquette as he ignores the Emperor’s invitation –although we will soon find out that there is good reason for that. In episode 2 and following we also get a glimpse at Ling Buyi being a problematic character. I remember myself deciding to ignore the torture interrogation and wondering if we could have possibly misunderstood and that guy in prison didn’t really have his kneecaps removed but rather had a minor accident with a ketchup dispenser (most probable scenario, judging by the colour). But yes, although he’s strong on the romantic side of the story, and he has many positive character traits, Ling Buyi is a character that tends to go overboard. Still, I loved Wu Lei in this role!
Ahem, may I also say that I too, did not have the slightest interest on what LBY is investigating… Second time watching, I still haven’t managed to properly follow that… 😊
With the nasty aunt out of the picture, things are advancing towards the moment when our OTP will finally meet properly!
Yay @Natalie!!! I love the title music too – but I am a stickler for always watching the intro and outro as mostly they’re excellent!
Teddy bear bodyguards?!! Aw, they truly are!!!!!! I love them. I love all the characters. I even enjoyed the truly nasty aunt because I knew she was going to get her comeuppance, thank god.
I remember too the torture scene the first time around and thinking, nah, has to be a faux torture, surely? Oh, It is most definitely a foreshadowing of the darker side to our General Ling…
@Natalie – Oh, I love how you connect Niaoniao and Grandmother’s antics. Hadn’t thought of that, but the possum-playing and mini dramas are strikingly familiar. Guess, Niaoniao did learn a thing or two under Grandmother’s tutelage.
Oops. Sorry “Natalia.” 🙏🏼
I think mine auto-corrected… Sorry, Natalia!
“Overboard” indeed. But… oh. hasn’t been shown yet. Nevermind.
Rewatching this to be part of the group watch. I’m reminded that I loved the first two episodes but felt less engaged with the next two. Grandmother and aunt drive me crazy. However, I recognise the importance of these episodes as set up. Our FL does wind up her relatives but she is only 15. A trying age whatever century you live in. And her mother just doesn’t have a clue how to handle a teenage daughter so treats her like she’s a soldier. Maybe because she recognises her daughter’s strength of character , she’s harder on her than on her niece?
That’s an interesting point about how Momma might be responding to NN’s “strength of character.” I’m deep in the throes of parenting teens (one of mine is 15yo), and we definitely handle things differently based on their differing personalities. So I agree that NN and YY’s different personalities would impact how Mother interacts with each of them – wise parenting, actually – but we’ll see as the story develops (this is my first time through).
It’s also worth considering that for each of us, our different character qualities can be strengths or weaknesses, depending on in which direction they’re allowed to develop. So maybe Mother sees that NN has strength of character and quick thinking, but as she was raised by manipulative, bitter, and overly dramatic women, that’s all she knows about how to handle a situation, and so maybe Mother is trying to change the direction of her development – wisdom and shrewdness, yes, but self-oriented deceit and manipulation, no.
I’m looking forward to seeing where this relationship goes.
So far, the show hasn’t seduced me with its super awesomeness, but on the other hand, I am cautiously drawn in and willing to see how it develops.
I feel like I have had about as much Cheng family dynamics as I am in need of at the moment, and thus hopeful that we have a change of venue to something other than nasty Madam Gu and our very 夸张 (excessive, over the top) Granny.
I am impressed with Ling Buyi (Wu Lei); I was expecting a bit of residual difficulty differentiating him from Fei Liu, but he is pretty bad-ass right off the bat.
I don’t have a really solid read on Niaoniao (Zhao Lusi) just yet; the jury is out. I am not convinced that her perspective is 100% accurate nor am I entirely clear on her character just yet. I spent some time trying to figure out how old she is supposed to be, but it appears her parents left her fifteen years ago, and then we see that they left her literally the day she was born, apparently, so… Zhao Lusi does not look fifteen years old to my eyes, but it’s a minor point, so we’ll roll with it.
Curious/hopeful to see where we develop in the next set of episodes, at least..
@Trent – who is Fei Liu?
Hi Beez! Fei Liu is the character in Nirvana in Fire who was played by ML Leo Wu (aka Wu Lei in Mandarin) when he was just 14 years old! Fei Liu was quite a memorable character for those of us who watched Nirvana in Fire, he was a teenage martial arts prodigy with probably some learning disability who got pouty and petulant when he didn’t get his way, and loved candies. Very cute.
@Elaine – I loved, loved, 💜 loved 😍 that character. I’m just not good with names of characters, especially when they get referred to while discussing a different drama. Totally flies over my head! 😆
@Beez- he is ‘Lil Bit’ from NIF1 allgrown up.
@Rita – I suspected so I did go look at NIF’s cast list – “Ohhhhhh. L’il Bit!”
@Beez – I still remember the nicknames you gave all the NIF characters, You are quite good at doing this Beez!
Haha! It’s not really a talent. It’s just easier to remember their descriptions rather than their names (e. g., Hideously Annoying Grandma; etc.) 😆
@Trent, I’m with you on Niaoniao not having a perspective that’s 100% accurate. Starting with General Ling’s praise and also with some of the things her mother says, we see her repeating to herself, or her maid, and putting the worst possible spin on it, convincing herself that everyone is looking down on her and no one has her best interests at heart. In other words, Niaoniao is too clever for her own good and has way too negative and almost paranoid a view of the world. By the end of episode 4 however, I could definitely empathise with her, she just could not catch a break. Her clever schemes just get her reprimanded by her mother, and her cries of hunger and complaints of past ill-treatment by her grandmother and aunt get her no sympathy and loving attention either. It’s a lose-lose situation and I do feel badly for her. As a mother myself, I feel for Yuanyi being very cross at all the duplicity and wanting to stamp it out but I also know that without some TLC all the stern warnings and discipline in the world will fall on deaf ears.
Elaine — Yeah, upon due consideration, I have to do a better job of recalling that Niaoniao is supposed to be fifteen, and this is actually probably a pretty good/accurate depiction of a clever but not very well educated teenager who has been left to her own devices in a relatively hostile environment.
I do see her mother’s perspective (having just raised my own teenage daughter!), but also, one’s teenage offspring are not just little soldiers, susceptible to battlefield discipline. More’s the pity…
Ah, @Trent, yes, Niao Niao is quite complex and it’s not immediately obvious how kind she is and how much she’s been influenced by the manipulative neglect of her aunt and grandmother – plus the abandonment by her parents. It may interest you to know that in the novel this is based on, Niao Niao is in fact from the present day, somehow time-slipped into the body of Niao Niao in the past. This better explains how ‘modern’ she is in many ways, and that respect is not given because that’s the way it is, but rather it’s earned. Chinese sensors make time-slip stories awkward to do (I can’t remember why…) so the show left out that but has retained a modern, audacious Niao Niao – especially when compared with a more typical young girl from that period like Yang Yang.
Anyway, I LOVE Niao Niao and empathise greatly with that sense of hurt that she’s always fighting alone and via any means available to her. She’s I think a good soul not allowed to actually behave well by years of neglect. She’s constantly put down – and now even by her long-lost mother. It is hard to watch. But she really is an excellent character. I’m sure you’ll warm up to her!!
Ele — that is interesting, that the source material is based on a modern time-slip for the FL… Something to keep in mind.
@Ele, this is a revelation! No wonder I noted below that there’s something fairy-tale like about NN. She’s not a girl of her times! She’s too sure of herself, too impertinent and unafraid. Thank you for highlighting the source novel’s character of NN.
@GrowingBeautifully It does explain a lot, though I liked that the show didn’t do it that way. xx
@Ele, if NiaoNiao is a time-slipprd character, at what point did she slip into Ancient NiaoNiao? I’m asking because I’m thinking that would make Modern NiaoNiao only a recent recipient of the abuse and neglect, not having experienced the full – from birth to 15 years of neglect, punishment, and abuse. That would change my view on her personality somewhat.
Hello @beez! In the novel, Yu Cai Ling (her actual name) is a university student in modern China. She dies, and wakes up in a fever in ‘ancient times’ in Niao Niao’s body. So the start of the novel is the start of the drama, only the drama doesn’t have the soul of Yu Cai Ling trying to work out where she is and why, though she’s essentially in the same situation as Niao Niao – put in that shack-house as punishment and getting extremely ill with fever.
I just looked back at the translation, and it says Niao Niao had been mischievous, with a violent temper and prone to beating servants, but that now (as in, now she isn’t Niao Niao but Yu Cai Ling) she is very good. So, make of that as you will! I think Yu Cai Ling as Niao Niao has the same straightforward intelligence as Niao Niao in the drama – but her reputation as being a bad sort is because of the real Niao Niao.
Hi @kfangurl, I watched the whole show!!! Yes, binge watched it over 5 or so days. I’ll leave my semi-review comments til later so as not to spoil.
The set up was somewhat over the top (I guess deliberately so that we can see developments in relationships). Horrible relatives mistreating Niao Niao, a loving father but weak in the presence of his wife and a judgmental, ill-advised mum who wants the best but in the wrong way for her headstrong daughter. My heart kept aching for NN and I kept shaking my head over mum’s parenting. It was the precise way to alienate NN from her.
I applaud NN for never taking out her frustrations on her cousin Yang Yang. She comes across as relatively fair and just, but strangely unafraid of authority and ‘very individualistic in her decisions’ in that culture that stresses obedience to elders or conforming to the group. She’s the antithesis of Yang Yang who is probably placed side-by-side with NN so that we can see what was expected of NN and which she totally failed to deliver LOL.
While we get to see quite a lot about NN, I feel that we get too little of Ling Bu Yi/Zi Sheng. His character is somehow shrouded in obscurity. He is so stiff, so stern, so cold but with little micro changes in his expressions when he is interested. The way he is portrayed makes me want to know him a lot more, but Show is obviously going to dole that out in bits and pieces.
One way our leads match each other, as you also said @kfangurl, is how they automatically understand each other. They have a similar intelligence although they differ in experience. At this stage NN is 15+ years old living in seclusion, and I believe ZS is 20+ years old and already has led battles. In many ways, so young and yet so knowledgeable, so quick in understanding hints/clues and making pretty good guesses.
However, there are still rough edges to be smoothened out, and I like that this series gives us lots of time to see how our characters grow. 🙂
@GrowingBeautifully – ha! I am forcing myself to not binge and stick to the four episodes per week of the group watch. It is HARD!!!!
I agree that Niao Niao is pretty gracious about the suffering she’s been through and that she is clearly a kind soul given that she never treats Yang Yang badly out of jealousy – no doubt because Yang Yang has never been mean to her and has evidently suffered similarly at her own mother’s hand. In fact, I can imagine Niao Niao being glad in some way that Yang Yang is getting positive attention from Niao Niao’s mother – though of course it would be lovely if she’d give Niao Niao that same praise too!
Hello @Ele,
I thought at first that I might not even manage 4 episodes a week, but I got sick and stayed home a lot. I took the opportunity to watch as much as possible before I became busy again. At least it would be a rewatch for me then (assuming I could rewatch at all!), instead of a first watch.
But props to the show that despite stuff I can criticise, it still kept me watching most of the time. There was seldom a time when I thought that it could have done without a scene or a character.
Like you, I came to appreciate the weak, crude, ridiculous, greedy, ignorant, but doting-as-a-mother, Granny. She’s been played to be over-the-top (OTT) but her traits are relatable in life. There are many ‘mums’ who dote on sons and ignore their daughters / daughters-in-law / grand-daughters. We are never given a reason for the cruelty towards NN. I guess it was nothing but 2nd Aunt’s resentment and Granny’s being easily led.
I agree that NN was probably not the easiest child to live with as well. Precocious, highly intelligent, and with no guided outlet for all her creativity. What show fails to give us, though, is how she knows what she knows. She had to have garnered knowledge from somewhere or someone but Show has never explained that. NN is made out to be a character who is just talented and just knows.
Her way of thinking and interpreting what others do, might indeed have been picked up from listening to her elders speaking. Her ability to build might have been learnt from the servants.
Another remarkable thing about NN, is her not being intimidated. Basically powerless, she goes around unafraid despite meeting strangers. There’s something fairytale-like in her character in these amazing traits, but otherwise she’s quite a normal teenager, who does make mistakes. By the end of Episode 2, she was definitely a character I was invested in.
I’m so glad you found yourself invested in Niao Niao so quickly too – she gets better and better for me. And the OTP is excellent!
I watched this whole show previously and thought…sure I’ll watch again. But found Gran and Aunt so overacted that I feel I can’t go on. Gran always screeching and whining. And her warrior son acting like a weakling in front of her. And Aunt beating on her husband. Can we have some nuanced familial behavior. Boo!
Aw.. I kinda know what you mean, Beverly. I had a similar reaction to Gran at first, but it really helped to think of it as the actress hamming it up for the camera. I wonder if that lens would help you? Also, I do find the mother-daughter dynamics quite well-explored, if that helps.
Alternatively, you could just FF to all the great OTP bits. 😁
@Beverly House @KFG – This time around, I could more objectively look at NiaoNiao’s behavior. 😆 I was able to set aside (somewhat) the abuse and see how much NiaoNiao actually has learned from Annoyingly Obnoxious Granny by way of theatrics and manipulation. But because AOG is so horrid, that makes NiaoNiao’s imitative response so funny. But also, this time, I do see NiaoNiao’s Mom’s observant point if view as opposed to wondering why she’s being so mean to her recently reunited and abused daughter.
One more thing – how was Niao Niao starved yet her personal maid seemed fine? I’m willing to believe Niao Niao was starved for the sake of the story. I’m just questioning the writer overlooking that it seems odd for Niao Niao to be hungrily chowing down while her maid is fine and saying “they starved you”; or to NN’s parents “she was starved”. I would’ve expected her maid to also be starved and if she were fed, to have shared whatever she got with NiaoNiao, thus leaving them both hungry. I just found the way that was shown kind of weird.
@beverlyhouse I hope you can carry on – my memory tells me the theatrics of Granny are there but less in your face. I am a lone voice, I think, but I love the granny in the same way I love, say, Lady Catherine de Burgh or Mrs Bennett in Pride and Prejudice. Often ridiculous, even cruel, but quite fascinating / amusing in their own way, as much as they are annoying!
@beez Yes, I thought, poor maid must be starving too, can’t you share some food with her Niao Niao!!