This drama didn't look like much from the get go; in fact they wrapped filming this year so was very surprised when it popped out. I was only watching because BJT is one of the people I follow and wanted to see how he fared in a costume drama. He definitely delivered the goods and so did the rest of the cast. This drama had literally a little bit of everything on a robust menu.
Pros: First time I saw BJT was in YAMH last year so I knew he could play fierce and comical characters; I wasn't sure if he could handle a costume drama where some mild fighting was needed. He very pleasantly surprised me though and his character YZ was my favorite. The facial expressions, in between lips talking, loyalty, drunk kissing etc made his character really stand out amongst the plethora of princes.
This is the second costume drama I've seen this year that very heavily focused on sisterhood and made even the most annoying female evolve into someone likable. The outstanding bonds that were grown between all of the women thanks primarily to the FL's ingenuity and grace, was quite beautiful to see. There was very little pettiness and infighting which is so common when there are multiple women involved in these dramas, that it made it very much like a breath of fresh air as there were a lot of women in this one. Same went with the men; though they divided themselves into two factions of good vs evil, the brotherhood of good was full of kind and talented men.
The comedy was the best part of the series. You were constantly laughing at the antics of literally everyone. The 3 antagonists were all handled appropriately and when the time came though at the beginning it did feel like the 2nd Prince got away with murder while YZ was either ignored or punished. What I liked was that every single character except him evolved during the duration of this series. Even the Emperor understood when he was wrong (though it took a bit of time) and grew to make his kingdom the most modern. Not a single character was without flaws and that made them even more realistic. But there were almost no cliches or tropes and misunderstandings were cleared up very quickly and in a smart manner where each character grew from their mistakes even the 2 last antagonists where it didn't feel like a redemption arc but actual evolution. The romance was subtle until the end and it made the right kind of sense for the leads.
The costumes, scenery, sets, OSTs were all stunning and fit what was needed. It was very obvious that this production team was in the upper tiers and knew what they were doing.
Cons: You'd think with so much positivity how could this drama not get a perfect score but it did have a few cons though they were minor. What I wish they didn't do was focus on the side couples so much, for starters. There were episodes in the beginning and middle that barely had the leads have onscreen time or together. One of the strangest was Song Wu, who I legit fast forwarded in the beginning because she was a spoiled annoying brat, but the way she got with her husband was way too fast. Here you had an entire show filled with princes and their wives slowly getting to know each other and deciding whether to stay together or not and she meets him in the street one day because they share a name and she's magically in love and so is he and after just two more episodes of them barely seeing each other, they're ready to get hitched. It just didn't fit the speed of the rest of the drama. Her evolution was the fastest out of the entire cast and also could have been slowed accordingly. It was like they spent so much time on the other side couples, they had no time left for her.
With all the talk and addition of food, this show needed a new title at first. In the beginning it was very annoying that the FL spent most of her time talking, working on, doing things with food. Like it didn't seem that there was more to her but thankfully as more palace intrigue took over, all of that was tapered and moderated. For many episodes, she was the human talking menu and it got old quick. Was very glad the character of Yuan Ying was brought in when she was because she was the perfect addition to the household and leveling that portion out. That's it. No more cons.
Would I recommend it? Do you even have to ask lol! 100% would. It's a feel good drama bringing comedy and modern thinking into ancient times. So if you want to laugh a lot, love great sisterhoods, brotherhoods, and strong family bonds (be they immediate or cultivated), this is the show for you! 9.5/10 rating.
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