Summary of Seasons 1 and 2, as well as the 2 movies!

For those who are incredibly confused about the difference between Season 1 and 2, as well as the 2 movies in-between, let me lay it out.

In Season 1, a student named Liang Weiwei accidentally transmigrates into a historical drama starring an idol named Jing Qing. In that drama, her character is doomed to die within the first three episodes as a result of assassination. Throughout the season, she finds ways to avoid death, and eventually overturns the Emperor Jing Qing’s mistrust of her. They then end up in a happy marriage, which was cut short because she’s suddenly brought back to her own time where she meets a version of Jing Qing who seems to remember her from within the drama because they immediately embrace once they set eyes on each other. I don't know if this is the idol Jing Qing, but I suppose it has to be.

In Season 2, we realise that following the end of Season 1, she started dating Jing Qing back in her time. We are also led to believe that Jing Qing actually remembered her from when they were both in some alternate universe within the drama from Season 1. However, one fine day, Jing Qing just vanishes into thin air, and so Liang Weiwei finds her way back into the drama to meet him again, and ends up in another story where the characters are all largely the same, but the plot is different. This time, Liang Weiwei is the daughter of the previous Emperor and is now a villainous Empress destined to be usurped by her General Jing Qing. This General Jing Qing isn't the same as the Emperor from Season 1, but eventually, he does regain his memories of her in Season 1, and also falls in love with her anew in this new storyline. In the end, the General Jing Qing takes on the role of the villain in the story so Liang Weiwei can be spared countless deaths. When he dies, she vanishes and is transported back to her own universe. Compared to Season 1, I felt that this story was less exciting, although thanks to the ML and FL's good acting, I did shed tears when it came time for them to part again. The ending was left open, with the timeline fast-forwarding to 1 year on, when Liang Weiwei finds herself transmigrated into the same drama again, this time, slightly earlier in the storyline, as a princess while her father the Emperor is still alive. Presumably, this will then lead to a Season 3, which will hopefully be more exciting than Season 2.

The 2 movies in-between are actually just 1 movie split into 2 parts. It somewhat continues on from Season 1, but with a slightly different premise, so the entire continuity arc can be confusing. Just know that technically, it occurs in an alternate universe from Seasons 1 and 2. For the movie, a novelist named Liang Weiwei is dating an up-and-coming actor named Jing Qing. However, because she's always neglecting him in favour of writing, he eventually breaks up with her. While she's busy being devastated by the break-up, she gets forcefully pulled into a historical drama with a premise similar to Season 1, except this time, she isn't the Empress, just someone who looks exactly like the Empress Liang Weiluo, who is a woman scorned and has set her eyes on the throne. The Emperor here is the Jing Qing from Season 1, who has been searching all this time for his Empress Liang Weiwei. However, it's important to note that the Liang Weiwei from Season 1 is different from the one in the movie, so while she has some affection towards the Emperor because he looks like her ex-boyfriend Jing Qing, she doesn't love him. Because the main attraction of the entire series is the romance, I felt that the movie wasn't as much of a draw as Season 1 because it's almost like a one-sided love between Season 1's Emperor Jing Qing and the movie's Liang Weiwei. When the movie's Liang Weiwei returns to her own universe, she finds that the novel has written itself, and the Emperor Jing Qing never fell in love with anyone else for all 56 years of the rest of his life, as he promised her. To prevent that from happening, she rewrites the story and reunites Emperor Jing Qing with Empress Liang Weiwei starting from the day of their wedding. As for the novelist Liang Weiwei, she goes to find her actor ex-boyfriend Jing Qing, who welcomes her back with open arms.

So that's about it! I love how tiny and adorable the FL is, and the ML's acting isn't shabby either even though he isn't quite as eye-catching as the FL. Would definitely recommend a watch especially because the episodes are all so short. Hopefully a version with English and other subs will appear on YouTube's MGTV channel soon. Enjoy!

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[Spoiler] This show isn't as bad as everyone says it is!

Where do I begin? For starters, I'm not sure why this show garnered so much negative discourse and opinions. It's just a regular Chinese historical drama, with the usual healthy dose of palace intrigue and relationship politics.

Just to be clear, I've liked Ju Jingyi since "The Legend of Yunxi". Not only was the show a riot to watch, the chemistry she shares with Zhang Zhehan is brilliant, though I have to admit that even that couldn't save the poorly directed "The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion".

As for "Rebirth For You", it was my first time watching Zeng Shunxi in action. He is a decent actor with enough chemistry with Ju Jingyi to pull off the romance in this show, so kudos to him. Not to mention that he's well-muscled enough to make his shirtless scenes a joy to watch. Ju Jingyi suits characters like Jiang Bao Ning - a little wilful and stubborn, but kind-hearted and just. She just makes characters like these come alive with little things like the way she scrunches her nose and such when expressing her characters' emotions. That said, I liked the main leads a lot, but have to admit that the side characters wore on my nerves a little - not all of them were well or even decently written, and they took up way too much screen time.

For those who are looking for spoilers, here you go -

From Episode 1 to 12, the main leads are helping the Emperor take control of the government, which has been under the Empress Dowager's de facto command since the previous Emperor passed. Throughout the process of doing so, they fall in love and get married.

From Episode 13 to 32, Jiang Bao Ning settles into her husband's home, and overcomes the usual petty and not-so-petty household squabbles and external schemes to remove her from her husband's side. This is where many side characters take up too much screen time, and you might have to fast-forward quite a fair bit to get through it all.

From Episode 33 to 40, misunderstandings abound, and Li Qian is made to think that Bao Ning's father is the murderer who took his mother's life. In the midst of all this, the Grand Empress Dowager also passes on, and Bao Ning is made to think that Li Qian is the one who infuriated her enough to catalyse her death. This is also where Bao Ning pretends to abort their child and everyone watching the show freaks but it's really just a ruse to get palace politics off her back. Of course, our main leads resolve their misunderstandings and get their happily ever after, and most if not all of the side characters have their storylines resolved too.

Do I think it's worth watching? Yes, especially if you like Ju Jingyi or Zeng Shunxi. But be prepared to fast-forward through a lot of the side character plots and scenes if you have no patience for such things, like me.

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Good for a Quick Watch

Those looking for a quick-fix romantic comedy should give this drama a shot. The story is clichéd but well-rounded, with an ending that can be considered satisfactory, which is rare in Chinese period dramas.

The supporting cast in the form of the ML's brother and sister-in-law are adorable, and the warm relationship between the sister-in-law and FL makes the show even better. Discerning viewers may feel that there are a lot of minor plots or tropes that are left at loose ends in this show, but it will not affect anyone who's casually watching the show.

Something this short typically wouldn't have any complex or serious plot lines anyway. If you're looking for something light-hearted and nothing too long or serious, this is a good one to catch!

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A Good Short Drama Packed with Emotions

If you're looking for something short, yet has the ability to evoke a range of emotions, then this is the drama for you. For such a short drama, the pacing is decent, although transitions can be a bit choppy at times. The actors are decent, and the chemistry between the ML and FL is worth watching. It could even be considered a very short, comedic version of period dramas like Scarlet Heart, with the FL transmigrating to Ancient China, and the usual angst inherent in such romance plot lines. The ending is satisfactory, so if you want a short drama that can make you laugh, cry, and then feel more or less content, then give this a try!

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Good Storytelling, but Love Destiny is Better Mak Mak

I see so many opinions on this show, both good and bad, and have so many thoughts about the whole thing that I needed to write this review for my own peace of mind. This review is also full of spoilers, so read only if you want to know what happens.

Before I begin, I just want to commend the drama for being very well-written as a whole. Overall, the characters in the story were very well-rounded, and the story itself was very neatly completed, with all the plot threads beautifully tied up. However, I would not rewatch it purely because it's very painful to get through all the messy emotions and villain arcs within this story.

For those coming here after Love Destiny, Pope and Bella do get a lot more sweet moments and skinship here, but I still prefer the yearning and pureness of their connection in Love Destiny, without all the messy misunderstandings and villains present in Deceitful Love.

// 1. Max and Aim’s Marriage

The saddest thing about it all is that it’s clear that Max and Aim care for each other, which is why they married in the first place. Max wasn’t lying when he said that Aim’s the best woman in his life. But it’s also a fact that there are men who adore having an innocent, gentle woman as their wife, but like playing around with promiscuous women outside of their marriage. Because at the end of the day, most men are fully capable of separating love from sex and do so with alarming regularity. And this is what makes women suffer, because most women are incapable of doing so. Humans aren’t innately monogamous creatures – it is an active choice that one has to make; to love and respect your chosen partner for each and every second of your life the moment you tie yourselves together. And when you don’t, this is what happens.

It is incredibly unfair to say that Aim doesn’t care about her marriage, and that it contributed to her marriage falling apart (in addition to Max’s infidelity, of course). She’s not a robot – no one can expect her to continue giving when she’s constantly being slapped in the face every time she tries to turn the other cheek. It is also incredibly unfair to say that she was too forgiving and soft-hearted towards those who have wronged her, when she’s just trying to pick up the pieces of her life as best she can. And for those who think that Aim’s hot-headedness is just “too crazy”, let me just say that it is not wrong for someone who has been hurt beyond measure to lose all sense of rationality and go mad at every slight against her. It’s only human.

She made her stand when she filed for divorce, and it was the right choice.

// 2. Min and Aim’s Relationship

Firstly, I wanted to say that they were adorable in Episode 5. Following her despair about her failing marriage, Aim says she feels like the sky is so dark that there’s no way out, and Min tells her that he’s here and he will find a way out for her, then he bites his lip while looking at her laughing next to him, like he wants to say something he shouldn’t.

The show doesn’t make it clear whether Min and Aim were ever together, but what’s clear is that they are each other’s could-have-been and almost-was, which is a more painful existence than someone who’s been truly loved and lost. Back in school, I think they were a couple in every way except they never formalised the relationship. My favourite thing about Min is that when they get their second chance, he tells Aim, “You don’t have to take my word, but you can take a look at my actions.” It is a very romantic and convincing way of getting Aim to see for herself whether trusting him was a worthwhile endeavour.

However, I hate how Min inadvertently made Aim feel like she was crazy or overreacting to Nim’s manipulative tactics (i.e. leaving her panties in Min’s toilet) when he should know that when dealing with this woman, a stern talking-to is far from enough. What he needed to do was file for a harassment and protection order, which he failed to do. Aim had every right to be vocally angry about the fact that Min gave Nim an opening to manipulate the both of them. It’s not that Aim doesn’t trust Min, it’s that Min is inadvertently giving Nim chances to undermine him and Aim’s relationship over and over again, which is extremely silly of him at best, and thoroughly disrespectful of Aim’s PTSD at worst. Instead of helping her process her feelings of trauma, he’s telling her with his actions to forgive, forget, and essentially to just get over it. He’s not doing it maliciously, but his cavalier attitude towards her trauma is unacceptable. She needs to process before she can begin to heal, and he’s expecting her to be at the final stages of processing her trauma already? Min, your love is a balm, but it’s not a miracle. That said, Min does have very romantic lines which I love, especially when he tells Aim, “You’re my first love, my only love, and my last love.”

The whole second half of the drama was where Nim got truly ridiculous – yes, she can actually get worse. In sum, she half-pretended to get depression –but actually has borderline personality disorder– then went through the whole show-and-tell of acting like she wanted to commit suicide, then structuring her redemption arc, with the final brushstroke being her multiple attempts to murder Aim and her baby. Min and Aim were extremely silly to have brought Nim into their home to take care of her, but it is what family does –as stupid as that sounds– and it’s hard to begrudge them for making that hard decision at the end of the day.

Finally, I just want to say that it did not surprise me at all that Aim had to take things into her own hands and resolve the threat of Nim by thwarting all her underhanded attempts to hurt her (e.g. pour detergent into her eyes under the guise of helping her apply eyedrops). Truly, when it comes to scheming women, men are utterly incapable of dealing with them. It takes another woman to thoroughly resolve such matters. Men are good at dealing with outright threats, but a woman’s surgeon-delicate touch is required for insidious ones.

// 3. Aim’s Relationship with her Sisters

At the end of Episode 7, Aim’s friends were cheering her on about something, and it truly showed that Aim has an amazingly strong support system in the form of her friends and family. This is why I always advocate for women to maintain close friendships with trusted friends even after they enter a relationship and their significant other also becomes their best friend – because it’s never wise to place all your eggs in one basket, and a person should never make another person their sole reason for being. You are made up of all the people around you who love and support you, and that should never be one person only, just in case the worst-case scenario happens like it did for Aim.

There were comments saying that Aim and her friends forgave Nim too quickly and easily, but I just wanted to say that I don’t think they did. Her friends continued to be wary of Nim even after Aim accepted her back into her life and brought her into her home with Min so that she could take care of her. It’s just that they are supportive of whatever Aim chooses to do, and understand that Aim is incapable of abandoning her beloved sister, regardless of the treachery and betrayal that Nim has perpetuated.

Also, her friends expressed their concern about Nim to Min at the end of Episode 15 as well – they certainly did not leave Aim to Nim’s nefarious hands without blinking. It is not their fault that Nim was manipulative enough that she managed to convince everyone that she had changed for the better.

Finally, I love Mint as Aim’s sister, I wish she had been Aim’s sister instead. Also, Natt and Mint are adorable together – I love their chemistry!

// 4. Frequently Asked Questions

Things I wished someone could have shared with me while I was watching the show:

(a) Nim feels weird – is it just me or is she dodgy?
o Yes, she’s the evil bitch of this show.

(b) Aim keeps feeling faint – is she pregnant with Max’s child?
o No, it’s just exhaustion.

(c) Why does Nim hate Aim so much?
o Nim’s the daughter of a mistress – that’s why she always feels inferior to Aim. But honestly, a mistress’s daughter will always hold a lower position in the household than that of the principal wife’s, and that’s a fact that Nim needs to learn to accept with grace. The fact that Aim’s mother treats her so well is already a boon that she should be grateful for.

(d) Nim said that neither her dad, Min, nor Max ever cared about her – did she ever like or dated Min?
o No, she’s just delusional – the only affection she ever held towards Min was born out of her desire to hurt Aim.

(e) Did Nim really sleep with Min back when Aim first left him for Bangkok University?
o No, she lied. But I did think that it was very silly of Min to hold back the full story from Aim in the name of protecting Aim and Nim –but mostly Aim– from being hurt. While it was silly of Aim to get so upset over Min’s perceived betrayal back then –since they weren’t technically together– it is perfectly understandable that she has trust issues after everything that has happened to her.

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Can't Praise This Drama Enough

This is quite possibly my most favourite low-budget period drama ever. For something that was produced in 2015, the plot remains fresh and through-provoking, even through all the clichéd tropes and recycled storylines common in palace intrigue dramas. All the summaries I've seen about how Zhang Peng (FL) transmigrates into a female's body make the plot sound cookie-cutter levels of boring, but as much as the drama doesn't take itself too seriously and leans into the comedy of a low-budget production, this is one plot point that was beautifully rendered. The way Zhang Peng truly became Zhang Peng Peng and fell in love with the Emperor was masterfully done, thanks to Zhang Tian Ai's brilliant acting elevating the quality of this production way beyond its low budget. The drama's OST is also gorgeous, and will completely immerse you into the world of these characters.

For period drama purists, this show isn't for you, but if you are willing to overlook -or even enjoy- the cheesy costumes and overdone comedic lines, this is a drama that will make your heart ache in the best possible way.

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Good Show That Takes Itself Too Seriously

A remake of 2015's "Go Princess, Go!", Mr Queen is a production that clearly has a higher budget than its predecessor, and it shows. However, the show sometimes takes itself a little too seriously, and struggles to balance between the slapstick humour inherent in the original with the seriousness of the plot, which weaves in actual Korean history. That said, while the ending was a little too realistic for my liking, it was an overall satisfactory watch and the drama provided both leads with as happy an ending as it could have. Perhaps in another life, the main characters will be able to live life together as they should.

For viewers that are looking for a more satisfying ending, I would suggest checking out the multiple endings filmed for "Go, Princess, Go!" and perhaps rework the storyline with your imagination as I often find myself doing. The main leads have good chemistry in this show, and it's overall a good watch!

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