When was the last time a drama made you smile like an idiot?
I can only speak for myself, but it's been a long time. Sure, there are many romantic dramas that I have watched and loved in the last few years but the last time I held a pillow while watching a TV Show was when I was still into CW shows. But somehow I found myself squeezing a pillow a couple times thinking "damn, this is soo good!" while watching 'Fake It Till You Make It'.

Even as a somewhat drama veteran (thanks to excessive binge watching) I counted several "Firsts" and unique dialogue in this drama. The writing of the two leads, as their relationship grows as well as their individual character writing, is exceptionally good and ultimately what makes me rate this drama so highly.

A quote from Neil Blumenthal says "Details matter. They create depth, and depth creates authenticity."
I would say this, aside from superb acting and chemistry, makes it stand out.
These days many romantic dramas leave out details left and right.
It's all about Girl meets Boy in an awkward way, they go back and forth for a bit, she trips, he catches her - boom! They are in love (ofc there have to be some slo-mo shots too). - In the world of romantic tv dramas I would even go as far as to say it's acceptable because it's so cleary fiction.
However with FITYMI you get the realism of not just falling in love but also the uncertainty, the feeling of "what are we?" and the many details that ultimately lead a pair to decide to start a relationship together. The flirting in this drama is creme de la creme (hence the giggling I mentioned earlier) but also the daring moves are very exciting. Taking one step forward, which often is enough to become gf/bf in dramas, can be just a flirt in reality and here it's just that sometimes. A kiss is just a kiss as they say.

A few more things I loved about the couple:
- truly intellectual dialogue
- joking with each other a lot, without it being a plot device
- everyday talk and actions, laying on the couch playing some Nintendo switch - just people being people (4 dimensional characters)
- friendship rings, phone calls, texting - all the goodness of flirting!
- best confessions scenes ever

A little detail (among many) that I want to highlight so you get the idea of what I mean when I say it's a very real drama.
The ML scratches off his address from his mail and packages before throwing them away. This is just a normal scene, no explanation added nor does it spark any dialogue. Just something he does, like so many of us. THIS! That's how you create tangible characters.
Especially considering that the drama only has 14 episodes it's amazing how they fit so many details in that episode count. Thankfully that also meant there was no dragging. Yes, it's a slowburn love story but not in the way you are probably used to. Slowburn as in, we're actually going from encounter, flirting, friendship, some more flirting to testing each other, becoming more comfortable, many deep talks and then relationship. And even then, being in a relationship isn't the goal nor is it ever a goal in general. That's when the real work begins because you grow as a person and as pair. A relationship where everyone stays the same, is one doomed for failure.

ANYWAYS, I definitely got carried away here.. I could talk about what I think every move of the characters meant for hours (hit me up if you want to do the same, lol).

(big spoiler alert)
Moving on from the main couple, there is also a storyline earlier on that I think could have been easily dismissed but I want to mention it because it has, again, some very important context details that many other dramas lack. Lin Xin Zi and Xu Jia Bai's relationship and especially how it ended. Big city life dramas often have at least one pairing with an obviously toxic relationship that is bound to end. A guy that is slowly but surely getting more and more controlling. At some point (in dramas) they start to get physically violent and or verbally abusive. Sadly, this often serves as a plot device for the ML to swoop in and save the girl from the hands of her violent ex. Case closed. But is that what happens in reality? Rarely. Unfortunately being in a controlling relationship that start with things like, asking where you went (in a normal tone), to asking you not to wear revealing clothing is far more common. When the relationship ended, it was really heartbreaking because it was so obvious an unhealthy relationship, but on both sides. Someone that is deeply insecure and has a psychological problem needs treatment, not shaming and I liked that he was not painted as this "monster" but rather as someone with a problem, while still being responsible for his actions. That scene on the bridge was probably my favorite non-lead moment of the drama.
I wish other dramas could take a slice of this and at least stop portraying unhealthy relationships in one way only because the audience almost gets trained into black and white thinking. Either someone is good or bad, either they ship someone or not. Red Flag or Green Flag. Is that really how life works? I don't think so. We all have flaws, we learn to grow, we change, we mess up but we also take responsibility when it comes down it.

Now for the last part of this review / love letter, the more uncomfortable part. No drama is without flaw and although I want to state that the short comings of this drama did not negatively affect the main story of the leads, I still have to admit that it's not flawless. The business talk in the first half was somewhat too much for me, yes it was needed in a way and I liked the general writing too but it was just too much in my opinion.
The director, Li Mo, is also behind another MangoTV hit called "Remembrance of Past Things" and I can definitely see the similarities in realism, intellect and storytelling. But like with ROPT I wish he would focus a little less on the business side. I am patiently waiting for a drama of his, that is focused only on human connection and interpersonal relationships because I believe that would have massive potential. In case you have seen the 2021 Korean Drama "Lost", I believe he and the scriptwriters he works with could pull off something in that direction.

All in all this drama is just so FLIRTY and so good! And I loved every single bit of it! ... I was supposed to be on drama break while it was airing but I could not help but to sneak each episode in my full schedule and it was just like candy!
I also want to note that I left many things out my review (aka glorified long comment) but I decided to just focus on a few details :)

I will leave you with some quotes from the drama:

"Having you by my side is like having candy in my mouth.
No matter how bitter life gets, it always tastes sweet."

"if you can't solve something with a kiss,
try with more kisses."

"Tang Ying, you're not looking for someone out of your league,
You're waiting for a worthy rival."

"I've met many people in this city and they eventually taught me that
the word is big, too big to imagine, so walk your own path,
not according to the script.
Throw away the script and struggle to find your own life.
It's okay to fail, it's okay to take the wrong road.
Life freely.
Isn't that the most stylish thing?"