themarchioness

@Phikyl, well said!  You know you're preaching to the choir over here.  It's been so frustrating reading the tear down of XQ's character online and the general lack of empathy people have shown towards her.  I've said it before, I'll say it again -- people, go back and watch the episode where SJ saved the suicidal girl from the office building.  Did we learn nothing about how careless words from bystanders can affect a person??? 

Today's episodes (17 & 18) were the best!!!!  So fun, so flirty, and not just from the mains but the supporting cast as well.  I kept alternating between laughter and sighs of adoration.  

On 7/11/2023 at 11:36 PM, Phikyl said:

Having not read the novel before watching, sometimes the show is a little too vague with the snippets of their past but tbh, I just want them to treat the past as water under the bridge and I'm hoping the symbolism in episode 16 means we're going to do just that

I think we're going to continue to get past flashbacks sprinkled throughout and over time the whole story of the past will tell itself.  Hang in there!

3 hours ago, Tofu said:

They have this mentality like she owes them for adopting her -- that she should be grateful and do everything they ask her to do. This family is so possessive and constantly gaslighting her -- what broken family?! How does loving someone break the family? The family must already be broken if something like that is enough to "destroy the family".

That mom... that mom is the worst.  I mean, you have one child likening herself to a beast raised by a trainer and the other child likens himself to a butterfly that's dissected while still alive to preserve perfection.  If that doesn't say it all, I don't know what does!  

One of my friends asked how come they didn't sing "Happy Birthday" when they were celebrating the brother's birthday and I was like, uh... I don't think they know how to celebrate Joy.  LOL.  Instead, the birthday discussion launched into how much the mother labored to give birth to him but she didn't regret it because he never disappointed her, never gave her trouble, never worried her, and never made any mistakes -- from any other parent those would sound like loving words.  From this mother?  It's like each "compliment" was a warning - don't you disappoint me, don't you give me trouble, don't you not listen to me, don't you make mistakes.  You could practically see the bullet sweats from his oppressed smile.  

Suffice to say, I really hate the mom.  Haha!  

3 hours ago, Tofu said:

Have you noticed that SY is becoming softer with her? 

Yes!!!  I love it.  The bee sting scene was hilarious, but I really loved when he brought her coffee.  That was a great talk.  

I know some people have been complaining that these are filler eps, but I actually like that the drama is taking the time to show us how they got to be where they are currently, how they're developing themselves currently, as that will lay the foundation for the next stage in their story.  Her chasing after him was great in that it brought them back into each other's spheres, but it wasn't productive either in the sense that she still has to figure out what she wants and whether she's going to go after it.  So it's good they're in this chill down moment and now they can rebuild that relationship as adults.  

3 hours ago, Tofu said:

Enjoyed this scene of YY and his firefighters too. I loved that he complimented them

It was really sweet how he said the only thing he wanted after each mission was to know that the roster was complete - forget the exact words, but we know he meant that everyone would still be alive.  He really cares for his underlings. 

Another highlight from today's ep was that convo between SY and MYC outside the hospital.  Way to call out the brother on his secret feelings for XQ!  

1 hour ago, Tofu said:

The mom is on another level, but the dad is what surprised me most. He is the approachable one and sees the wrong his wife is doing, but he doesn't do/say anything about it.

Right?  On the surface one could look at the adoptive dad and think, well, at least he's kind towards the FL and treats her nicely as compared to the adoptive mom.  But really, look one layer deeper, and we can see how he's not any better.  The mom is outwardly controlling and emotionally abusive, but the dad is negligent through absenteeism.  He knows his wife is in the wrong but would rather keep the peace and so lets her continue on and the price of that is his children's mental health and well-being.  I really quite dislike her adoptive parents. 

1 hour ago, Tofu said:

The ending of episode 10! That was really intense, but I'm glad that they are having a different kind of conversation. I was kind of getting tired of watching them have the same conversation and not getting anywhere. With the FL getting drunk, one of them is finally honest and open with their feelings. 

Me too.  I thought the actress did a great job with that scene.  And I think that scene tells us a lot, too, about the ML's character because he would rather let her stay ignorant about the past to protect her from the truth about her family, with himself as the sacrifice.  How does one's heart not bleed for the both of them?? 

As for ZBB's fiancée... that is such a hard one.  You want to believe she'll stand by him regardless, but as he recognized, it'd been so many years already and she'd done a lot for him and his family without any sort of recognition or status... at a certain point, from her perspective, she's just being strung along and losing her youth and other opportunities if this isn't going to work out.  I have a hard time blaming her, to be honest.  At the same time given how things did turn out for Suo Jun, I'm glad she came back so that he didn't end up with nothing.  I think this incident will make them appreciate each other more and they will have a happy future together.  I also hope that he and Song Yan will be able to reunite in the future because they had the best bromance!!!

42 minutes ago, Alice Wonderland said:

Is FOMH airing already? I googled first, ah, the one with yanf yang yes?? 😍

Yes, come watch so we can discuss! Already 10, soon to be 11 eps, available. Haha!

@Tofu It's definitely not a rom-com that's for sure!  It's more of a romance drama category.  I love the angst, though!  The emotions.  The pulls.  Ugh, it gets my heart.  I love it, haha!  But as angsty as this first part is where they're reconnecting, once the FL learns what really happened in the past and they move on with their futures together - in the book, at least, it's not angsty at all.  It's sweet.  I appreciate their devotion to each other.  

The ZBB addition was great.  (His character exists in the book, but not in any meaningful capacity so the drama really expands on it and gives him life.)  I loooved his bromance with YY!!!  Gonna miss him.

As for the adoptive brother, well, he disapproves of the ML and he's got feelings for her so he's extra protective - especially against the competition.  Ultimately, he cares for her, he would never harm her and someone she cares about, so he won't do anything untoward against the ML, and he'll see the light.  I actually feel bad for both the FL and the adoptive brother because the mom.  She's the real creep!  Yeesh! 

35 minutes ago, Alice Wonderland said:

The poster looks so good! When will it air?

Probably not for a while given that the drama only wrapped filming a month ago.  Will still have to go through post-production and then the approval process.

As a fun fact, this drama is based on a book authored by the person who wrote the book that currently airing "Fireworks of my Heart" is based on.  In fact, XK's character has a brief moment in the other book.  ;)  

Is nobody else watching this drama???  It dropped on July 5, 2023, and I'm enjoying it a lot so far.  Also, the English title has been updated to: Fireworks of My Heart.  

26 minutes ago, Tofu said:

@dramabler I haven't started because I read they have auto translated subs. I don't know if I have the time to try to figure out what's being said. 

It was only a few eps that were really bad.  WeTV went back and subbed them and now Viki is subbing/releasing the drama too (they're just behind the WeTV schedule).

46 minutes ago, dramabler said:

Anyone else watching this? I'm so behind in drama land but I couldn't miss out on Zhang Binbin! And I haven't gotten there yet but that kiss scene has been circulating and OMG!! 🥵 ZBB does not disappoint. 

I'm watching and up-to-date with all the eps.  That kiss scene really is something else, hahaha!  It's a winner that's for sure.

12 hours ago, Tofu said:

I finished the series, but I'll be honest, the issue at work dragged on a bit. Once XQ and MH got together, we get less scenes with QQ. I was especially sad about this. This drama is at its best when the three of them are together. 

 

I had the same reaction towards the last 6 episodes.  It was great when they finally got back together- felt like that made up for the torture the drama put us through this past week.  But then the story transitioned to the work stuff and I could've dealt with at least one less ep of that.  It was all handled well... just started to drag.  

I loved the very last scene of the drama, though!  It was great to end with a burst of laughter because really, that has been the best quality of this show - its humor (and of course, adorable Quan Quan).

@Alice Wonderland Yes, there are 28 episodes total.

13 hours ago, Tofu said:

by the way, was it also odd to anyone that he could come into their locked hotel room like that?

That was the first question I asked after that episode, LOL.

Another friend asked - how are they going to spin this into 28 episodes? And my response was: BY HAVING EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING INTERRUPT AT INOPPORTUNE MOMENTS.  

13 hours ago, Tofu said:

We see the breakup that happened five years ago in today's episodes. In all honesty, it was XQ who did not want to believe MH and pretended she was ST. He really can't give MH all the blame, because he had equal parts in it too. 

And I think he realizes that now, but I can see how in the heat of the moment he felt betrayed and there was just no amount of reasoning that was going to work on either side.  He wasn't ready or willing to listen.  They needed time.  And in a way, we saw the flip side of that recently after MH found the child custody lawsuit papers on his desk.  He had nothing to do with it, but MH wasn't ready to hear his explanations either because she too felt betrayed and played.  It's like each had to handle the fall out with kid gloves to help the other see things from the other side/another perspective.

11 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

He found out in quite a dramatic fashion but I am glad that he did.

I loved the moment of reveal - it was well done!  I also loved how moments later he was all, "Right, you're not a father, so you wouldn't understand," towards his assistant.  Hahaha!  The humor of this show.  It's totally my jam.

11 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

Quite interesting how they tell us their past. Though at this point I am a bit confused with when he finds out that she is Su Tian. Has to be after they had been together? 

It would appear so.  In MH's drunk scene, she very frustratingly reminds that she did tell him she wasn't Su Tian and indeed, we see that she did except that he then passed out and then when he woke up, he had rationalized it all for himself by telling her that she must be MH because her adoptive parents changed her name.  It's like he didn't want to believe or hear what she'd said earlier, and out of concern for his health, she didn't press the point - she just wanted him to get better, so he'd get the surgery he needed. 

I can also see, though, at a certain point where if she was growing feelings towards him, she wouldn't want to tell him the truth because she'd be afraid of his reaction.  And I can also imagine how she would've felt conflicted and guilty over those selfish, but very human, feelings.  There's a lot of heavy, conflicting emotions and we can't blame MH for them because, indeed, I'm all but certain that all the anger he has towards her is because he did eventually learn she was not Su Tian and then blamed her for faking being her friend just to approach him.  But MH's not that kind of a person, we know that's not how things really happened, and when he has his wake-up moment, he'll realize he had a part to play in the "deceptions" of the past and feel bad.  He has a lot to feel bad about when it comes to all his misunderstandings towards MH, and I can't wait for him to figure it all out and make up for them. 

5 hours ago, Tofu said:

At the end of the day, regardless of what happened five years ago, they both have unresolved feelings for each other.

100%.  I love that sparkling tension between the leads!  It's like the saying goes - there's a thin line between love and hate! 

5 hours ago, Tofu said:

Confession -- I am kind of skipping the storyline with MH's colleague and the young man she's seeing. They don't really interest me much. However, I'm a bit intrigued by the ballerina and the doctor.

Haha. Whenever I see MH's colleague I can't help but think of how she played the annoying girl in Love O2O.  I hated her so much in that drama, but she's so delightful here - and now that she's not being a sneering snob all the time, I find her beautiful.  As for the swimmer guy, I actually can't wait for him to connect with the leads and for them all to figure out he's Su Tian's younger brother. How will that impact the storyline?  I also chuckled in Ep 6 when we learned more about the ballerina because after Ep 5, I'd just asked my friend -- do we think the ballerina will be connected to the characters in any way, or is she just the random person the drama had to bring in to give the doctor his own pairing (so he'll get over his heartbreak when he finally realizes he and the FL are not meant to be).  And then literally, one episode later, we learn she's his senior colleague's daughter.  Haha, fancy that!  As always with these dramas, small world where everyone is connected! 

First ep hooked me hard and now I've watched all four episodes and the trailers for Eps 5-10.... and now what?!  LOL.

The drama is full of tropes, but they're all the tropes I adore - and most importantly, they're presented in a fun and fresh way.  Every time the ML kept messing with the FL, delaying their meeting and stuff like that, when she had more important things -- like being by her son's side for his surgery -- I kept thinking, "I can't wait for him to find out the real truth.  He's gonna feel sooooooo bad and pay hard for regret."  Haha.  I love those kinds of set-ups!  And I really can't wait for him to find out (soon!!!) that her son is his son.  It's going to be so fun, so full of hijinks.

As you can see, this drama makes me giddy -- it's like a burst of sunshine in my day.  

7 hours ago, NiteWalker said:

no one change their character overnight...

Especially when it's that HUGE of a change!  

I guess dramas are all made up of fantasy anyway.... hahahaha.

LOL @OsmanthusTea, I'm not normally a xianxia watcher. But maybe I can be persuaded.... 

10 hours ago, NiteWalker said:

same it kinda pop up again in my youtube when i open it.....lols

Those YouTube algorithms!  They always know what we're watching and what to recommend.  Hahaha.

Just finished watching Ep 30.  It was a nice wrap-up.  After a wedding, child, etc., in Ep. 29 I wondered what story there was left to tell. And then I remembered as I was watching Ep 30 - oh right, there's an epilogue in the book.  I always forget about that.  There are some things I wish had been included from the letters each wrote in the epilogue, but it was nice getting to see how they actually fell in love way back in the day.  All in all, this was an excellent adaptation and fairly faithful to the book, so I don't have any complaints.

(Although if there was one thing I would complain about, it would be the transformation in his dad's character -- I know that may sound weird given that his dad became a better person in the end and, of course, I am thrilled about that.  It's just... it seemed really random, inorganic, and came about way too easily.  So easily that it leaves me wondering - why couldn't he have his wake-up call earlier if this was all it was going to take?  Sheesh.  In any event, this part was all added for the drama anyway, so no biggie...the focus of the book, as was the drama, on the OTP anyway.)

And what a beautiful story it was for the OTP... to see them reunite, reconnect, and continue building the love they'd never let go.  One of my favorite quotes from the book is, "She was very clear that without Lu Chen, she could still live her life at one hundred percent, live it to the fullest.  But with him, her life would undoubtedly be even better."  (She said something similar in the drama, I believe, when talking with her coworker one time.)  I love that sentiment... GX is a truly capable person.  She doesn't need a man in her life.  She's living a perfectly good life.  And she would've been happy to continue living as she was.  But how much better was it with LYC in it?  And I think the same could be said for him.  That's what makes their relationship so special - they don't need each other, except that it's so much better because they are together.  

One other thing I wanted to share for those of you who've not read the book.... this drama is called Road Home... and that's because Hoju, the online translator of the novel came up with that title.  How cool is that?  I wonder if she realized what lasting impact her decision would have one day.  The original English title of the published book was, "The Return," and the literal translation of the Chinese title is, "the road back."  In one of her translator's notes, Hoju explained:

To me, "home" is less a physical place and more the feeling it gives or invokes; we feel safe there, we can rest there, we are supported there, etc.  "Home is where the heart is."  That is a saying that many of us know.  Beijing was never Lu Chen's home because he never had that sense of belonging, be it with his family or in that town.  That is why the "the road back" is not leading him back to the place he once resided.  The road back is leading him to his home, back to his heart, back to Gui Xiao..." 

And that is why she decided to go with "The Road Home," for the title, and discussed this with MBFB and obtained the author's permission.

The other thing I wanted to mention is that The Road Home was the third in a series of books written by MBFB, which highlights unsung heroes.  The first was Together Forever, which features a doctor-turned-lawyer (if I remember correctly) after he contracted SARS while treating patients in Beijing.  The second is Healing Sunshine, which has a small connection to Gui Xiao in The Road Home, actually, and features a war journalist.  The third is Road Home, which as you now know highlights military servicemen.  If people have felt hammered over the heads with the heroics of LYC and his colleagues and the notion that there is a lot of sacrifice involved on their part and in the people around them, that's why - it was very intentional.  I appreciate learning through books and dramas like these, though, so I don't mind it personally.  Plus, uniform = , lol. 

Anyway, this has been a fun ride and I've appreciated - as always - getting to chat with you guys about this drama!  

22 minutes ago, NiteWalker said:

i mean there were an image side by sides of BJT with JBR, tell me who you prefer **ahem**

 

oh i love both to be honest however if you ask me to pick...i definitely say JBR fit the image of a task force officer more...

Haha, same, same!  In fact, in that recent scene where JB was on the shooting range (and looking mighty fine), I was reminded of a very similar sort of scene in YAMH where BJT was also lying on the ground with his legs splayed for a shooting competition and thought to myself, "Sorry, BJT... I think your friend is hotter in this moment."  LOL.  

I suspect BJT would secretly agree.  While waiting for new eps, I've been going back and rewatching Season 6 of Go Fridge where JB and BJT guested.  Those are some fun eps!  Really ship that friendship.  

Anyway, all that said, it's all a matter of personal taste and one of my friends recently told me JB/LYC wasn't quite her taste and she actually preferred BJT's looks.  To each their own!  

(And to clarify. I do like BJT a lot, too!  In fact, I find him quite compelling in the dramas I've watched him in and he always manages to steal my heart... but on a comparison level... hehehehe.)

39 minutes ago, NiteWalker said:

 

this is the drama with so much kisses that i lose counts, however he is definitely gentle with her and only her

I love the way LYC looks at her and the way he smiles every time he sees GX.  It's like he's falling in love with her each and every time.  

Well done, JB!  Which is why I totally cannot imagine what this drama would have been like if they'd casted RJL instead.  I'm so glad MBFB stepped in and said something.  I'm sure it's nothing personal against RJL.  After all, he was casted in her last project.  But I agree with her that JB definitely looks more the part for the LYC character.

Ren Jialun Was Supposed To Be The Male Lead In Road Home - Chinese Drama World

Just saw this reel from Youku in which the 4 leads talk about what will happen once the twin flowers revive. 

https://www.facebook.com/reel/779675259887475

In summary: 
- Yetan suggests that this time, she won't recognize Youqin and so he'll have to collect her shards.

- Qingkui says because she won't recognize Chaofeng, he'll be crazy about her and chase after her, so she'll torture him by ignoring him.

- Qingkui's response has Chaofeng saying that he hopes the flowers grow slowly - lol.  And then he says that he and Youqin will have a gardening contest to see which of their flowers that they take care of grow faster.

- Youqin says that after the flowers grow up, they'll travel the world together.

1 hour ago, Tofu said:

In episode 19, I thought they forgot to feed him because it showed Gui Xiao eating everything Lu Yan Chen made, but didn't show Qin Xiao Nan eating with them.

I was totally waiting for the moment where the camera would pan out to show him wretching in the background from all their lovey-dovey sweetness.  The drama got there eventually but I wanted to see more of his reaction, haha!  I do love the way he and LYC pick on each other.  

Episode 19 was full of sweetness. I think I watched the episode with a sappy smile on my face the entire time.

2 hours ago, Tofu said:

@themarchioness In the novel, what happens after LYC finds out they are having a baby? He doesn’t go on any more missions, right? 

 

Road Home has been such a pleasure to watch. A reason why it's so important to have the novelist be part of the script. 

 

It's LYC... what do you think the answer is to that question?  

22 minutes ago, Tofu said:

Tomorrow is Monday (for me)! Finally new episodes! 

It’s the only thing that’s making Monday okay for me.. 😝

3 hours ago, Tofu said:

Considering BJT did this, I would reckon they have. Hahahaha! 

Hahaha, see, this is why I love their friendship so much.  I also love that when BJT posted the video, he said: "Ge, I was wrong.  Next time I'll still dare to do it again."  HAHAHA.

40 minutes ago, OsmanthusTea said:

After that I continue with Fall In Love....  He is so sweet with ZJY, different chemistry.

I loved that drama a lot. He was great in that role and showed a lot of different sides through that role. I also enjoyed seeing him reunited with his little sister here. 

I've been watching GO Into Your Heart (it's okay) and I'm constantly reminded of Starry Love... Ye Tan, Qing Kui, their dad (the Mortal Emperor), Di Lan Jue, Chaofeng's sidekick, and music by Sa Ding Ding... they're all in GO Into Your Heart.  I knew there was overlap with Skate into Love, given the production team, but the overlap with Go Into Your Heart escaped me.  t must've been quite the reunion when they were filming Starry Love.