So, so true! The audience wants that real reunion! But they snatch it away! Its unfair to drag #Minglan into this again but, damn, it makes me think of the incredible scene after Gu Tingye saves Minglan during her labor when he makes that speech to baby Tuan (reunion) about the meaning of life.

I have to go out to do some chores, so I can’t make a full reply

But the contrast with #Minglan is very apt. The two dramas overlap somewhat in terms of style, characterisation & even thematically in places

But the romance in #Minglan is a real contrast 👍

Risked again in the political arena. But though there are these three parallel scenes what are we to make of them in light of her refusal to continue the marriage into the next life? Again the emotional valance is sad but cool and distant. Contrast this to #Minglan when she draws him a bath while

Great list! ☺️

I’m definitely a fan of all these 👏

I guess some additional considerations I might have for a complete newbie is that the drama shouldn’t be too slow-paced or long (much as I adore #Minglan
& #NiF, these may tax their patience 😅), & be relatively recent so it ‘looks’ accessible

Yes, I agree with all this 💯

I personally, subjectively, find it helpful to use a similar interpretive lens to the one I used when watching #Minglan:

just as #Minglan was originally a transmigration story (while the AtC novel was actually a rebirth story, which is a bit different),

Haha! Ok then I will put this here since here is where the discussion happens! There is a #Minglan connection embedded in the slap (I think). In #Minglan Gu Tingye really knows Minglan inside and out and spends the entire drama trying to get her the freedom she craves...

Try it! 🙂 - it has all the feeling of a new #Minglan

For me it’s a little like #Minglan - that wasn’t a revenge story either, & Minglan was mainly focused on surviving & living her life

But once she had the power to do something, restoring her dead mother’s standing became important to her 🙂

It really does feel like it has #Minglan vibes, so I’m hopeful it continues in this vein

While (I’m speculating) the story will have it’s measure of pain, there is so much human interest in the subtle interactions & relationships between characters, that every scene feels necessary

Cracking up at the observation #SwordAndBrocade and #Minglan loved each other and had a baby. So, so, true! These are also my most rewatched dramas of all time. I wouldn’t call episode 1 charming as it contains the suicide of all the women in the Shen family—contrast to #AutumnBallad where our FL