If you are new to Cdramas and are reading this review because it’s on everyone’s must watch list, unless the number one thing you are looking for is PAIN, I would put it off for later.

It exists on those types of lists for a reason. You can tell that an incredible amount of care was put into its creation and in the context of 2017, you can understand foundational is to the 2024 Cdrama landscape. But I don’t think it’s a good introduction to the world of Cdrama, nor satisfying enough for the casual viewer. To put it clearly, what I’m trying to say is, I’ve seen about 70 Cdramas and I’m glad I watched this one, but I don’t think it would have been worth it, nor would I have appreciated it, had I watched it sooner.

There are so many exhaustive reviews of this drama that I will only share what is lingering with me about a month after finishing it.

**LIGHT SPOILERS BELOW** Themes and alluding to plot points, but no outright descriptions or explanations.

I also wouldn’t watch this one if you are looking for your next painfully shippable couple. There is some great chemistry, but the male lead fundamentally does not view her as complex, as feeling, or as human as he is. After doing maybe one of the worst things you could do to another person and watching her breakdown, he says to his friend, “Is what I did so bad?” And that really summarizes his relationship with all the woman in his life.

The male lead’s fundamental misunderstanding of the female lead directly ties into this drama’s larger feminist themes. The unapologetic joy and female friendship against a back drop of a (realistic) world entirely controlled by powerful men, is what made this show shine for me. I cried at how some of them supported each other. These women are not lone stars trying prove that they can exist outside of societies proscribed rolls, they are trying to love and be loved, protect their family and stand for ideals larger than themselves. Even the women who scheme against the female lead are ultimately also victims of misogynistic empire. This is even further highlighted by the one man who is able see the woman in his life as more than tools (no it’s not Gu Jian) also finds himself powerless to help. You could argue that his onetime choosing the morality of empathy over the morality of duty was the climax of the drama.

I found this drama as beautiful as it was tragic. And the hopefulness I felt in the face of knowing it ended badly is a testament to its quality. This tale will linger in my heart for long time to come.