I would like to preface this post by saying that in principle I don’t have any problems with characters committing acts of idiocy or self-sabotage to advance a story or even to promote a particular message. However, regardless of what the authorial intentions are I reserve my right as a viewer (and the occasional dabbler in fiction) to make my own judgments regarding the efficacy of plot devices and plot points especially as it impacts on characterization. While I concede that character choices and behaviours are open to more than one interpretation, ambiguity, deliberate or otherwise, can pose storytelling problems.
Aug 25, 2022·edited Aug 25, 2022Liked by 40somethingahjumma
Queen Lily has spoken! I promise to be back because we are so similar in our thoughts on what has panned out. I have not had a chance to write a comment to your previous ones either, because I've spent basically 7k writing out my frustrations in various ways that I need to clean up and losing sleep over being upset. Lily, HALP. LOL. Hopefully I'll catch you later, friend :)
I know a lot of people are saying what Zisheng did was awful and they shouldn't have gotten back together. All i saw was a young man burdened with guilt of being alive when he shouldn't have been carrying a burden that could have broken him.
The noble idiocy on both Zisheng part and the wallowing in misery on NiaoNiao's part was totally unnecessary. After the revenge was done and SS went to meet him, he explained why he had to do it at that time, there was no other time they were able to meet privately. The empress bringing SS out after asking HBY that question was also wrong. What was she trying to achieve? The adult should have helped them to sort their issues by allowing them to meet privately. About the abandonment, I won't lie that I really understand that. When they were at the edge of the cliff, the General was hell bent on killing Zisheng. So SS swearing that she won't forgive him was totally uncalled for. Was Zisheng was supposed to allow her to die for his sins? Live together, die together was not a reasonable plan.
If anything what I believed is that SS felt used, and that is a reason for the breakup I could get behind.
At the end of the day, his revenge has higher ramifications but that was never his plan. He could have killed the Ling guy all this years but he wanted evidence to present to court but that didn't pan out. Everybody connected to the case is dead, with him and his father's murderer all that is left.
At the end of the day to me, they both didn't fight for their love, SS in being stubborn without seeing the bigger picture of the whole situation, HBY deciding to wallow in guilt for using her. What has happened as happened, if they truly care for each other then a little bit of bending is always necessary.
All that will be left when they are older is regret and unhappiness of what could have been.
Someone definitely needed to stage an intervention for CSS, and I agree that the Empress is the last person who would do so. Despite all of her wonderful traits, she is passive to a fault and over indulges her children and CSS. However, I understand why an utterly heartbroken and depressed CSS chooses to withdraw from the world and isolate herself with the Empress--it's her safe space, since the Empress has done nothing but shower her with love and affection. (Unfortunately their relationship is a bit co-dependent, too, and during those five years, it does more harm than good.) But in doing so, I also felt like the writers were trying too hard to bring CSS and her mother's relationship full circle; Yuanyi left CSS behind out of loyalty and now CSS gives Yuanyi a taste of her own medicine.
I felt Jitong's reappearance was completely unnecessary, but perhaps the writers thought a love rival would be the wake up call CSS needed. I haven't watched the final two episodes yet so I very likely could be wrong, but so far it seems to be a bit formulaic and predictable as we go down the checklist of people and relationships to resolve. Have a grudge against CSS? Get in line and wait your turn. It's like we're crossing people off a list here.
Queen Lily has spoken! I promise to be back because we are so similar in our thoughts on what has panned out. I have not had a chance to write a comment to your previous ones either, because I've spent basically 7k writing out my frustrations in various ways that I need to clean up and losing sleep over being upset. Lily, HALP. LOL. Hopefully I'll catch you later, friend :)
I know a lot of people are saying what Zisheng did was awful and they shouldn't have gotten back together. All i saw was a young man burdened with guilt of being alive when he shouldn't have been carrying a burden that could have broken him.
The noble idiocy on both Zisheng part and the wallowing in misery on NiaoNiao's part was totally unnecessary. After the revenge was done and SS went to meet him, he explained why he had to do it at that time, there was no other time they were able to meet privately. The empress bringing SS out after asking HBY that question was also wrong. What was she trying to achieve? The adult should have helped them to sort their issues by allowing them to meet privately. About the abandonment, I won't lie that I really understand that. When they were at the edge of the cliff, the General was hell bent on killing Zisheng. So SS swearing that she won't forgive him was totally uncalled for. Was Zisheng was supposed to allow her to die for his sins? Live together, die together was not a reasonable plan.
If anything what I believed is that SS felt used, and that is a reason for the breakup I could get behind.
At the end of the day, his revenge has higher ramifications but that was never his plan. He could have killed the Ling guy all this years but he wanted evidence to present to court but that didn't pan out. Everybody connected to the case is dead, with him and his father's murderer all that is left.
At the end of the day to me, they both didn't fight for their love, SS in being stubborn without seeing the bigger picture of the whole situation, HBY deciding to wallow in guilt for using her. What has happened as happened, if they truly care for each other then a little bit of bending is always necessary.
All that will be left when they are older is regret and unhappiness of what could have been.
Someone definitely needed to stage an intervention for CSS, and I agree that the Empress is the last person who would do so. Despite all of her wonderful traits, she is passive to a fault and over indulges her children and CSS. However, I understand why an utterly heartbroken and depressed CSS chooses to withdraw from the world and isolate herself with the Empress--it's her safe space, since the Empress has done nothing but shower her with love and affection. (Unfortunately their relationship is a bit co-dependent, too, and during those five years, it does more harm than good.) But in doing so, I also felt like the writers were trying too hard to bring CSS and her mother's relationship full circle; Yuanyi left CSS behind out of loyalty and now CSS gives Yuanyi a taste of her own medicine.
I felt Jitong's reappearance was completely unnecessary, but perhaps the writers thought a love rival would be the wake up call CSS needed. I haven't watched the final two episodes yet so I very likely could be wrong, but so far it seems to be a bit formulaic and predictable as we go down the checklist of people and relationships to resolve. Have a grudge against CSS? Get in line and wait your turn. It's like we're crossing people off a list here.