I hate character assassination by a writer. It is one of my number one biggest pet peeves. It works both ways, when a villain is randomly reformed, and especially when a good guy is made evil for the sake of throwing him under the bus to prop up another character. I mention this because the TW-netizen fans of King Flower are collectively shitting a brick over what happened in King Flower episode 12, and especially over what appears to be happening in the preview for episode 13. This would be amusing to watch the rising levels of horror and rage plastered all over the official drama FB page if I weren’t so personally invested myself. Something has to give as this drama heads into its second half with a huge narrative impasse on its shoulders. One one hand all the promotional materials made it seem like the story of a country girl’s crazy rich adventure and her happily ever after with her childhood oppa. On the other hand is an actor singlehandedly stealing the entire show by his acting alone. I’m not going say Chris Wu‘s Ouyang Tai is written to be the greatest male character ever, because he’s not. But by sheer acting intensity he sucks in the majority of the viewers that his journey becomes the focal point of the show. I love him because of the way he loves.
If the upcoming K-drama When a Man Loves has a stupid title, I’ll actually apply it to Terry and say KF is really the story of how much a man loves a woman and experiences the joy of having, the devastation of loss, and the strength to go on. Everything else in KF is either boring filler or inconsequential trifle. Da Hua’s plastic surgery and face change isn’t life altering as she can go back to her original life only prettier if she chooses. Guan Jun just needs to grow up and get a job and stop being a hotheaded lout. But Terry – there is no going back for Terry as he stands on the precipice where one side is a life without Liang Yen and the other is him being backed into a corner by a false hope given by Qin Mo so he went and got himself a temporary substitute for Liang Yen. But Liang Yen is dead now, and despite Da Hua’s insistence on staying out the year, episode 12 reveals the pretense to even more people. So the story feels backed into the same corner as Terry, either acknowledge him as the male lead whose story underscores this drama, or else turn him possibly evil so there is no choice for the fans but to root for Guan Jun. I hold out a sliver of hope the preview is misleading, or else I’ll be resigned to watching this off-the-tracks trainwreck just to absorb some of the finest eye-acting I’ve seen since god knows when. Chris “the eyes” Wu – thank you for giving a total absurdity as KF emotional depth.
Stage 12 recap:
Da Li ends up taking the NT 2 million offered by Hu Jing Biao to Guan Jun as payment for helping him win the land auction. Guan Jun has decided to quit gambling and all other vices, and Da Li suggests they use the money to buy a truck and open their own delivery business. They guys agree they aren’t suited to work for others and hope this new career path will make their ladies happy. If the money didn’t come at the expense of Terry, without any justifiable reason on Guan Jun’s part other than some ham-brained decision to bring Da Hua home, then I would be happy for them. Alas, I think they are both still idiots even if the drama wants to keep building up their characters and future by dropping money on them that Guan Jun earned by pointlessly backstabbing Terry.
Da Hua happily tells Terry that Guan Jun has agreed to let her stay out the year and will keep the secret. Da Hua is amused that Guan Jun appears worried that Terry might fall in love with her. Terry stares back at her in silence which makes Da Hua nervous and she asks if he’s falling for her. She tells him not to, as it will make their interactions awkward going forward.
Terry smiles and says not to worry, he doesn’t fall in love easily. He’s more worried about President Du’s health and they agree to visit him regularly to make sure he recovers quickly. Kai Le runs in to inform Terry that a protest has broken out in front of a Sheng Da construction site. Terry rushes out to handle it and Da Hua asks to tag along and he lets her.
As Da Hua leaves the office, she feels a pair of vengeful eyes staring at her and she turns and makes eye contact with Kai Le, who does not temper her glare of evil. LOL, Lene Lai is quite possibly one of the worst actresses ever. Thank god the other second female lead Yuan Ai Fei as Hu Xiao Fei is the one getting more airtime, because if I stare at Lene even one extra minute I might turn into stone from her painful Medusa glare.
Terry and Da Hua arrive at the construction site and he tries to calm down the mob who accuse Sheng Da of ruining their neighborhood. Da Hua takes the loudspeaker and uses her experience with market protests to try and calm the protesters. One angry man accuses her of being married to the Managing Director so she’s not to be trusted. Da Hua and Terry are pelted with eggs and water balloons and Terry shields her and rushes her to the car.
As Da Hua gets into the car, she notices Ouyang Shen sitting in a car across the street.
Da Li brings flower for Ah Xi to try and make up with her after the incident where the well-endowed co-worker came to visit him and he flirted with her. He manages to placate Ah Xi until the woman calls and Da Li tries to juggle both ladies. Ah Xi furious and tosses him out of her flower shop. I could not possibly care less about this sub-plot if I tried.
Terry and Da Hua are at home and she tends to the cut on her forehead. Terry’s eyes betray how affected he is by her nearness as she applies the medicine. Didn’t I say he was Chris “the eyes” Wu? He definitely unleashes a world of feelings in one subtle glance and blink.
Da Hua notices his strange look and asks if the wound hurts. He says it does and she offers to blow on it. Finally Da Hua gets a clue as she notices his stare and she awkwardly backs away. She grabs a bandaid and puts in on the wound.
Terry thanks her and she moves to sit across from him. Da Hua suggests that he let her handle such matters in the future since she grew up in a rowdy market place and is not scared of angry protests. Terry stares before smiling and asking if she really thinks he would leave such a responsibility for her to shoulder? Sheng Da is his obligation and burden to bear, he would never shirk it.
Terry also reminds Da Hua that she’s Liang Yen now and this is not something Liang Yen would handle. Also, people see her as Liang Yen. Terry tells Da Hua that when a person gets plastic surgery, what changes isn’t just their appearance. The course of their life will also be altered. Da Hua thinks Terry is being too serious, she’s still the same Jin Da Hua inside. Terry smiles and says she might not understand now what he means but she will someday.
Terry gets up to pour her a glass of water and Da Hua mentions that she saw Ouyang Shen outside the protest site today as they were leaving. Terry absorbs this information and tells Da Hua that her hunch could be right, Johnson could be behind the sudden protest, he wouldn’t put it past him. He assures Da Hua that he’s guarded against Johnson every day of his life and will continue to be vigilant.
Terry then invites Da Hua to dinner, promising to take her somewhere with yummy food. Da Hua happily agrees.
Jin Mom sees her useless husband outside playing cards and is sad that no one seems to remember that today is her 50th birthday.
Terry takes Da Hua to a fancy restaurant and they sit down to sample a bottle of wine. Da Hua takes a sip and rattles off an impression knowledge of wine as she takes a savors the flavor, which amuses Terry to no end as he watches her.
Terry asks with a laugh when she memorized all that and Da Hua admits she was just reciting something she read. Terry teases that her memorized spiel was pretty accurate for this bottle of wine, though he didn’t taste any mineral acidity in the wine. They smile and sit back to drink some more.
Guan Jun, Da Li, and Ah Xi all arrive at the store to have dinner with Jin Mom. Everyone acts like its just another regular dinner, while poor Jin Mom stews inside that no one remembers her birthday. Guan Jun tells Jin Mom that he and Da Li are planning to start their own delivery service business.
Dinner is served and a plate of expensive Wagyu beef is brought out for Da Hua. Terry says she took him to her favorite steak restaurant, so now he’s taking her to his favorite. Terry explains in a teasing way that the Wagyu beef is raised to eat expensive feed, listen to classical music, and get massaged every day. Da Hua is weird out that the cow lives better than some humans do.
Before she can take a bite, she gets a text from Guan Jun to hurry home since its Jin Mom’s birthday. Da Hua freaks out since she forgot and begs Terry to let her go celebrate with her mom. Terry reminds her that she’s Liang Yen now but Da Hua promises not to slip. Terry smiles and says he will drive her there, and along the way they can buy a present and its his gift for Jin Mom.
Da Hua smiles and thanks Terry as they get up to leave even before eating. Da Hua takes one step before turning back and grabbing at least one bite of the expensive steak. She chews with her eyes closed in bliss, exclaiming about how delicious it is. Terry watches her and breaks into a beaming smile at how cute and artless she is.
Before Jin Mom expires of sadness, her surprise party starts and a cake is brought out. She is so happy her family remembered and blows out the candles to make the wish that she wants her Da Hua to come home.
Terry pulls up to the store and hands Da Hua the present for Jin Mom, a jade bracelet that Jin Mom has been eyeing for years but never bought because it was too expensive. Da Hua remembered her mom always wanted it and she thanks Terry for buying it. He declines to go in and tells her to stay as long as she wants, spend more time with her mom, he’ll wait for her outside.
The lights come up and suddenly Da Hua walks into the store. She pretends to be Liang Yen and says she’s here to celebrate Jin Mom’s birthday. She hands her the present and when Mom opens it to see the bracelet, she is startled. She declines the expensive gift but Da Hua grabs it and tries to make her Mom put it on.
Jin Mom touches Da Hua’s hand and asks if she is Da Hua. She tells Da Hua to tell her the truth. Da Hua stays silent while Guan Jun looks alarmed and everyone else is shocked. Suddenly Jin Mom stands up and slaps Da Hua, which is when she gets on her knees and calls her Mom. Mother and daughter tearfully hug.
Guan Jun goes outside to talk with Terry, who is waiting in the car. He tells Terry that Jin Mom found out the truth about Da Hua’s identity. Terry turns to go inside but Guan Jun stops him. Terry asks how the truth came out since Da Hua is so careful. Did Guan Jun tell? Guan Jun scoffs, he said he would keep the secret and he did. But mother-daughter bonds are just too close so Jin Mom guessed on her own.
He asks Terry to let Da Hua spend the night. Terry says he has no place to object.
Jin Mom drags the whole truth out of Da Hua and later the two of them prepare her bed for her to spend the night.
Mom can’t get over how pretty she is now, and Da Hua says she’s still the same Jin Da Hua and grabs an old pictures and pretends to be bucktoothed still. She tells her mom not to feel sad, didn’t her mom always lament she couldn’t make Da Hua more beautiful?
Jin Mom wonders about Terry and whether she should be living with an unmarried man. And now that his fiancee is dead, what if he falls for Da Hua and won’t let her leave when the year is up? Da Hua tells her not to worry, Terry is a good man who has kept every promise he made to her. Mom worries about Guan Jun and Da Hua says this is a obstacle she and Guan Jun must overcome together if they want to be together.
Terry is home alone and he thinks back to all his past interactions with Da Hua, such as her getting drunk and hugging him to cry about how difficult his life is as the Managing Director having no one to confide in. Drunk Da Hua promises that she’ll always have Terry’s back.
Terry asks out loud to imaginary Da Hua – he’s kept every promise he made to her, but what about the promises she made to him?
It’s morning time and the whole family sits down to eat. Da Li stares at his sister and can’t get over how pretty she is and how her manners have changed. Mom tells him to zip it!
Dad comes down to breakfast and is especially nice to Da Hua. Mom wonders what he’s up to and Dad merely wants to know about Terry. He’s super rich and the Managing Director of Sheng Da, so what if Da Hua marries him for real. They would be set up for life. Da Hua looks stricken and worried to hear this.
Mom says no way, Da Hua is marrying Guan Jun! Dad says he was merely discussing a possibility. He also heard that Hu Jing Biao’s only daughter likes Guan Jun. He can marry her and also be set for life. Dad suggests that both kids have an alternative and better future spouses than each other. Both Guan Jun and Da Hua looks perturbed to hear this while Mom argues that will never ever happen.
After breakfast, Guan Jun drives Da Hua back to Terry’s on his scooter. They stop midway and discuss what Dad suggested. Both say that will never happen. Guan Jun says he is not interested in Hu Xiao Fei, and Da Hua says she will never fall for Terry. They promise to trust each other and happily ride off together.
Thoughts of Mine:
I know for a fact that live-filmed TW-dramas are like K-dramas, the writers and production keep their ears to the ground. Fan feedback and audience reaction often plays a part in driving the narrative, and extensions for highly rated dramas happen at the last minute because ratings are taken into account for earlier aired episodes. I felt like Jin Dad was acting in the role of the production company when he casually threw out the possibility of Da Hua-Terry and Guan Jun-Xiao Fei, much as the audience has been clamoring for the past few weeks. Of course both Da Hua and Guan Jun insisted it would never happen, but their awkward reaction underscored that something didn’t quite sit right with them. I normally would take that as a sign the writer is exploring the possible changing ships, except the preview for episode 13 was like a splash of cold water. Seeing Terry become territorial with Da Hua at the wedding picture studio, pointing out that Xiao Fei likes Guan Jun a lot, and telling Guan Jun he’s not good enough for Da Hua – that all rubs me the wrong way. Terry has always been a straight forward guy, arrogant and condescending at times, yes, but never petty and calculating. Especially when it comes to love. His love for Liang Yen was passionate and caring, doting and candid. I refuse to accept that as he finds himself falling for Da Hua, his behavior would change to that of a man who resorts to cheap shots to gain some leverage. When Qin Mo suggested he have Da Hua be Liang Yen for life, Terry shot that down so quickly I got whiplash. He said Da Hua doesn’t want her life to change, she likes who she is. He uses what she wants as a barometer and not what he needs. He knows Da Hua likes Guan Jun, and how optimistic and kind she is, I cannot accept he would do anything underhanded to win her heart.
I sit back and look at all of KF and I think the writer wrote Terry without intending him to be so compelling. It’s all Chris’ acting that makes him win hearts left and right. Terry is a good person but he’s not terribly fleshed out initially. He loves Liang Yen, he runs a major corporation, he is a confident man. That is all. He doesn’t do anything wrong until Liang Yen’s accident, and the only bad decision he’s ever made is to trust Qin Mo’s medical diagnosis that Liang Yen needs 1 year to recover and he can’t let the truth of her injury get out. If he had made it clear Liang Yen got injured in the mountain climbing expedition from the outset and then Liang Yen died, he would have absorbed the pain and consequences like a man. It was only at the prodding of Qin Mo that he let himself get talked into the hare-brained scheme to find a substitute. And the moment Liang Yen died he wanted to come clean, company and inheritance be-damned. And even afterwards he’s repeatedly tried to come clean, not because he’s a sucker for punishment, but because he thinks ITS NOT FAIR TO DA HUA to stick around. How could this guy, who has always placed Da Hua’s interests first aside from offering from a really life altering contract which she willingly accepted, suddenly turn grasping for her affection. Even if he falls for her, even if he thinks Guan Jun isn’t good enough for her, I see Terry as respecting Da Hua’s wishes. I hope the writer understands that and doesn’t twist his personality around to stack the tables in Guan Jun’s favor. That would piss me off to no end, and I might just break up with SETTV if the network pulls this shit just because James Wen is a bigger star and got higher billing initially.
I’ve actually loved many SETTV dramas for how well they write their second leads and refrain from making them caricature antagonists to the male lead. Chris Wu in Autumn’s Concerto and Zhong Wu Yen, James Wen in My Queen and PS Man, Baron Chen in Fated to Love You – none of them got the girl despite being way more sympathetic than the male leads, and while I rooted for them I didn’t dislike the drama because they lost out. I felt like the drama was more meaningful by writing good secondary characters and letting the central love story stand on its own merits. The problem with KF is the love story between Guan Jun and Da Hua has no depth or sizzle. She liked him since they were kids, he never once noticed her as a woman until she left, then he suddenly realized he loved her romantically. That’s it. What I can’t stand about Guan Jun’s attitude towards Terry is that Terry did nothing wrong to him. If Terry did anything wrong, it was changing Da Hua’s life even if she willingly accepted the contract. But without Terry, Guan Jun couldn’t pay off the debt and they would have lost the family store. How could he judge Terry? Could he have stepped up? No, so his antagonism feels rooted in a feeling of insecurity and helplessness, but one of his own making since he’s hasn’t tried to make something of himself before. Redeeming Guan Jun’s character is fine, but it cannot be at the expense of making Terry bad. That is a cheap shot and I adore Terry too much to watch him suffer this ignominious fate. I did like episode 12, but the inkling that something terrible is brewing makes me unable to appreciate the cute Terry-Da Hua moments on its merits. I like that the truth is out with Jin Mom, but this episode wasted too much time on her birthday and other secondary characters. I hope the story shifts back to Sheng Da and whatever Kai Le and Johnson have up their respective sleeves. Perhaps a joint enemy will bring Da Hua and Terry naturally even closer and we’ll see if the writers will let them continue to interact naturally.
Thanks for the recap! Glad to know that I wasn’t the only one who got worried after watching the preview for episode 13… Seriously I hope the writer and the production company will have enough sense to realize that at this point Terry has pretty much emerged as the a male lead for the majority of viewers, however unintentionally. So run with the flow and please PLEASE don’t ruin everything by suddenly changing Terry’s character! T______T Gah I’m so worried it’s not even funny!
I’m so worried, too. Word on the street is someone saw KF filming a few days ago and what they saw suggests the writer does intend to turn Terry bad. T____T
I am going to cry……
I am not watching this (waiting for the semester to end), so I am only reading the recaps. It is/was on my list to marathon, but I could not stand it if they turn Terry bad. What would be the point? They could just make James Wen’s character better and give him more screen time or are we taking the easy/Miss Rose (yes, I am bringing this up–how can I not when we all know WHO is playing Qin Mo here?!?!?)way out because the writers cannot think of a way to switch tracks for this OTP train.
Poor Yi Chun. I’ll always remember the ridiculous hack job the writer did on his character. There is no way to make James better without assassinating Terry’s character because the gap between them is so vast at this point he can’t catch up.
indeed indeed
Part One: The comment box won’t let me do a comment longer than four lines, and I have ideas people! They could always send him away for two years. Doesn’t everyone in dramaland have to study something in some other country to prove their worth? It could be a case of noble idiocy (which I would buy–even welcome–rather than making Terry evil). He realizes that he is drawn to Da Hua, but he feels guilty because he does not know whether he is falling in love with “her” or if it is just because she looks like his first love. He gets exposed at the company (after his father-in-law to be dies–another great death scene because the father-in-law confesses that he knew all along that Da Hua was not his daughter, but he loves him like a son and did not want him to lose the company), but not before he has bought a ticket to Switzerland to learn the chocolate business. In his absence Ga Hua and Guan Hun reconnect. She rejects him at first but after she gets kidnapped by the mob boss and after he rescues her and after some cute date scenes,they fall for each other again but not before he has bought a ticket to
Part Two:After the bonding Da Huaactually falls in love with him for the first time. She realizes that her love for him is different now that he is not so bossy and now that she is sure that he loves her not just because she had her teeth fixed. They get married, and as we pull back fromt eh scene of their wedding, we get a shot of Terry looking fondly upon them from a hillside or bluff (depending on whether they could get a good beach wedding scene or not. Hey. This could happen! With s time jump, anything could happen!
Thanks for the recap. I was rather bored with the non-Terry, Da Hua bits and quickly fast forwarded through it. For me, they are the OTP. Hope to see the story unfold logically rather than for Terry to turn into some caricacture baddie ….
Everything non Terry-Da Hua bores me to tears. I hope the writer can appreciate what a wonderful performance Chris has done as Terry and not flush it down the drain…….
AMEN! As soon as they skip to another person, like Da Li and Ah Xi, and what’s her face… the gangster’s daughter… I can’t help but skip! and oh my goodness I think I fell in love with Terry’s character, in ep 12… so…beautiful :’) Chris is such an amazing actor, and if the writers do this to Terry, I will stop watching the drama >:( right then and there.
I am a little behind on this drama, as I just finished episode 8, but Guan Jun is already too late, as I see it. This was his last chance to admit his romantic love for Da Hua before he discovers she is now pretty, and he blew it. At the playground, he told Miss Du that although he knew Da Hua liked him, he still thought of her as a sister. This really killed their romance for me, because it means he does not admit romantic feelings until he sees her new, pretty face. Could they make him out to be any more of a stupid lout? On the other hand, Terry is falling for her in spite of her face.
On one hand, you have a guy who has taken a girl’s unselfish devotion for granted for Years, who is a liar a cheat, lazy and vindictive, who sees nothing wrong with working for a murderous gangster… and on the other hand you have Terry, honest, sensitive, and hardworking. Show, how could you go so wrong? I just want Da Hua to get over her unrealistic childhood infatuation and see the gem in front of her.
Isn’t that the typical dichotomy between first leads and second leads in Asian dramas? The overwhelming message always seems to be that the heart wants what it wants, logic be damned.
At this point I don’t even care anyone whether Da Hua picks Terry or Guan Jun, AS LONG AS the writer does not murder Terry’s amazing character trajectory and decent personality for the sake of adhering to some dull-as-beans OTP train.
ockoala, thanks so much for your recaps! I may have to depend on them for awhile, because if they are going to turn Terry bad I just can’t watch. It would not be good for my blood pressure.
Bad show, bad! Go sit in the corner. Don’t come out until you can play nice with Terry.
I have no problem with Guan Jun becoming a better person. But if they make Terry bad, I’ll stop watching.
Hope Chris Wu’s character has a better end. He’s been short-changed many times. But great acting on his part.
I want to stop watching if that happens, too. But Chris’ acting is just so amazing……..
I don’t have the time to watch the drama, but I LOVE your recaps. Thanks so much, Unni! But, NOOOOOOOO. Do not turn Terry into a bad guy. When I think about how this is supposed to be Da Hua’s extraordinary adventure – how can she return back to her old life and old love? So far, the story doesn’t make sense. Cross fingers!
Nothing about this story makes sense other than Da Hua’s growing connection with Terry. I can’t figure out from the get go what makes her so enamored of Guan Jun other than he was nice to her when they were kids.
I started feeling queasy when Terry started caressing the sofa while flashing back to a drunk DH promising to watch his back. The piano playing scene was creepy too.
It just doesn’t make any sense to turn Terry into a crazy bad guy. I don’t even want him falling in love too quickly with DH. It hasn’t been long since his fiancee passed. This is a guy who was so upset with his parents for being more concerned with the company than his fiancee. DH has seen him for the lonely good guy that he is. Let him remain that so she’ll fall in love with him. She’s the only one besides the dead fiancee who knows him well. Even his parents are not there for him .
I am just loving how Chris Wu smolders. Those sensitive eyes, the sexy stare, the sexy walk….
I love everything about Chris. Loved him since I first clapped eyes on him years and years ago. If he gets shafted here, chances are SETTV is going to make it up to him. They do that all the time. I wouldn’t be surprised if KF was SETTV’s way to make it up to James Wen for going from second male lead to third male lead in Office Girls when Patrick Li upped and stole his thunder.
ah man… it sucks that company politics always interfere with quality… doesn’t the viewer preference trump everything else?
even if settv going to make up for Chris, they still rob him of a (potential) good role. If settv continue to write terry the way they have been, this role could propel chris to greater height (as in viewers wise)
who can be guarantee that the next drama settv (might) make up for Chris will have a character as compelling as his current one?
look at james wen, this is suppose to be his make-up drama but his role sucks.
Thank you for the recap. It is not fully subbed on viki yet. Oh, did anyone ever notice Terry’s beautiful smile. He lights up the room when he smiles.
Did you try Dramafever.com ? It’s fully subbed on that site.
yes…….Terry has a beautiful smile and I love how he can’t stop smiling when he’s around DH.
Thanks. I will check it out. So busy with school work though. What to do? 🙁
When Terry smiles, my heart just skips 5 beats and I forget to breath. He just beams and lights up around Da Hua. Stupid girl, how can she not see what is so perfect in front of her!
I agree – she is too stupid to see what a fine specimen Terry is. 🙂
Maybe it’s inconceivable to her that Terry would like someone like her. She’s still DH inside….
I was a bit taken aback when she warned Terry not to fall for her…….but I think that was said more in jest…..I think? Since I don’t speak the language ….I feel a lot of nuances is lost. But later she did feel a little uncomfortable when putting that band-aid on that handsome forehead. Her body is reacting but I don’t think it has entered her mind that he may be attracted to her. I don’t think she even realizes how protective she’s become of him. She even told him she would handle the street protests…..and that he should not be involved in such situations. …So naive and sweet of her. She also got very annoyed on his behalf with his cousin ….I found that so cute. DH has come to care for Terry and she doesn’t even know it……She hasn’t had time to think about it. …..It’s so nice to have someone caring for T……since he seems to have no one.
So hesitant to watch the coming episodes because I can’t watch them make Terry turn evil. My heart wouldn’t accept that. I’ll probably stop watching if that happens. I can accept if DH goes back to her GJ ge but not at the expense of Terry please.
So many TW-netizens are declaring they are refusing to watch episode 13 onward because of the implications that Terry is going bad. I hope SETTV chokes on its ratings crash because of this.
I am not Taiwanese. Heck, I am not even Asian. But I am willing to fly over there and protest too.
I won’t watch the drama if they turn my Terry evil.
(Btw, I am African)- love Asian dramas!
Count me in too to stop watching this drama if they turn Terry evil 🙁
I watched the drama on Sunday without any subs and…I flippesd out when I saw that THEY ARE ACTUALLY turning the most perfect guy ever a D-Bag to make Guan Jun step as the MALE Lead!If they did it STORY WISE? That could be a nice thing but….Really????
I am so pissed off right now, I invested so much watching this! I really feel betrayed by the drama!
Guan Jun is so uninteresting as a character, no growth at all!!!He’s not compelling ! That sucks, I am officially taking a break from that drama 🙁
Oh gosh! I can’t accept the latest turn of events. Terry becoming the bad guy is obviously the last resort of the writer to redeem James Wen’s boring character. After watching episode 6 I was pretty much sure Chris Wu was the lead. I was starting to have my second thoughts after watching episode 11 though, but then this episode recap confirmed my doubtful thoughts which I’m really sad about by the way. This is unacceptable I believe, to sacrifice a character just because they want to give the glory back to an actor who didn’t get more attention from a previous drama is plainly unfair. Its like high school grades being purposely lowered or changed just so the most preferred child will have the higher spot than the other one who did a better job. However, if they’re going to do that to Chris Wu I demand he must come back with a better drama where in he’s the lead actor.
Ps. I can’t help but say Da Hua is the weirdest and most shallow character I’ve watched so far. How can you be so blind and ‘innocent’ towards Terry’s adoring stares and longing physical connection. OH MAH GOSH?! SERIOUSLY GIRL! Even a 14 year old can determine that you slowpoke! AUGH! (I’m really sorry to vent out, I’m really team Terry and watching my pet lose the game in a drama is the worst thing ever!) Although there are a lot more heroins written the same way as she is, I can’t help but feel bitter towards her character because she’s obviously slow and blinded by boring Guan Jun. I mean like I don’t see the charm or likeable aspect from his character. Yes he shows he’s in love with her and very much willing to put his life on the line but all I seem to comprehend is that it simply stems from childish immaturity and low self esteem. In the end, Chris Wu indeed acted his part very well that all of his viewers not only in Taiwan but also around the world are very much ready to fight for his character’s sustenance.
Da Hua is nowhere near the worst TW-drama heroine ever. I suffered through Luo Si Yi in Miss Rose (“I’m not good enough you! You deserve someone who can help you in your career!) and at least Da Hua is fiesty and fight for what she wants. She wants to stay with Terry for the year, she tells Guan Jun up front. She likes Guan Jun, she tells Terry candidly. I think its her love for Guan Jun that baffles us all. How is it so strong she’s blinded by everything else. I don’t need her to fall for Terry, but finally in episode 12 she was alerted to the possibility that he’s got some feelings stirring for her.
I’m new to TW dramas, and I’ve been blown away by Chris Wu’s acting. I’d like to see them turn Terry into the main lead, but I don’t buy the idea of him falling in love with Da Hua. It seemed that he had found a soul mate in Liang Yan. They were so free and in love with each other…After the accident, he seemed to be feeling burdened by family and so created a substitute in Da Hua. He seemed to be an ethical person with moral integrity and that’s what I want to be kept intact. I’d rather there be personal growth on his part in the direction of realizing that money and his GM position isn’t everything. I get that he could become attracted to Da Hua because she now looks just like Liang Yan, but if his love LY was genuine…I don’t think it just transfers a month after the death. That said, I’m not particularly enamored of Guan Jun either. We’re just past the halfway point, but I know there must still be something in store for Da Hua since they keep talking about how quickly she learns. I’d rather have all the leads “grow up” – morally, intellectually, etc..than having the writer come up with the “correct” romance.
Agreed! I wish you were the writer for the drama.
I think I also agree with you in the part where you said you’d rather not have him fall in love with Da Hua…. I nowgot to deduce a theory as to why it wasn’t originally planned for Terry’s character to become the main lead mainly because Liang Yen was his soul mate and one true love. Da Hua’s character was for Guan Ju because they already grew up with each other therefore future romantic relationships that may spur out of their present relationship is only normal and inevitable.
I’m torn about Terry’s feelings for Da Hua. I found his love with Liang Yen to be really sweet and tender and passionate and totally shippy. And then the drama killed Liang Yen. I don’t need Terry to suddenly have another person to replace her, even if he found Da Hua to be the substitute for the world to see. But the problem is that Chris and Nikki’s chemistry is so explosive that it exists even when she’s Da Hua or Liang Yen. And that messes with my heart, because logically I think its the worst possible thing for him to fall for Da Hua. Now or even in the future. Even if she reciprocates, imagine the horror of telling the world that he’s marrying a girl who looks JUST LIKE HIS DEAD FIANCEE. And he’s the one responsible for making her that way. It’s like a horror movie plotline, except not in this case. Conceptually it’s grody and I’m not for it.
I don’t mind everyone growing up, but this drama doesn’t have the balls or maturity to go there. There will be a couple (and more) by the end of the drama. Chris Wu’s acting is a thing of beauty and makes everything about KF better than it really is. Take him out of the picture, and this drama isn’t worth watching at all. The only other TW-actor who has the acting chops to nail the subtlety of Terry is Roy Qiu.
Sigh…I guess all of us are getting ready for whatever will be the end of King Flower….gosh, STRESS. Anyways, I’m gonna try my best to look forward with whatever ending that will happen in the future. However, even if a lot of people would rather choose Terry to end up alone or with a different girl and not with Da Hua, I’m silently rooting for the both of them and if that ever happens I hope its due to the most possible reasons and the closest realistic situations why they fell in love. sigh..But still, if they don’t really end with each other I’m still gonna write a novel about them.. 🙁
okay i really do see what you mean by Terry telling everyone that he’s marrying a girl who looks just like Liang Yan and that he made another girl look like her and fell in love with her too, but really… i just really love their chemistry and its messing with my mind and my sense of justice lol
Nononono! It has been so long that I loved a character so much. If they turn Terry bad it will not make sense but will also be ridiculous…
I won’t watch it anymore, unless they make it seem like Terry being petty and selfish for one episode and realizing he hurt DH and coming back to his real self again…. I mean, I could buy Terry losing his mind for a short time because Terry can’t loose DH too now that lost everything that he treasures, so he might be a bit selfish with DH… but later realizing it isn’t right and coming back to his old self, and of course, I hope it happebs in JUST one episode please. I can’t take more.
whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, whyyyyyyyyyyy
I’m glad I’m not the only that was bored to death in this episode and hesitant to watch the next one!! The sub-plot or is it fillers? of her brother and her friend is a snooze fest. I was looking forward to all the Terry-DH interaction but there was barely any!! I felt a little cheated cus of the preview haha. But I would really really be pissed if Terry turns evil and what not. I haven’t watched a Taiwanese drama in a while, so this better not disappoint!!
Though I can’t see how they’re gonna make the fans happy… everyone ships Terry-DH but man… that is one tough love they’re gonna have.
i might be the minority here but i actually like the scene in the preview where terry pushes da hua in for a kiss on the cheek. was it evil? yes, was it sexy? hell yes. haha. all guys can be a little territorial, more so when they’re in love.
like you im not in for terry to become scheming and underhanded in order to win da hua’s affection. but the preview (at least to me) show that terry is finally fighting for da hua outright. what probably happen is that guan jun confront terry about that little push he did during the photoshoot and terry admit he like da hua and think he’s better for her than guan jun. I think that’s in line with his character (he’s a bit arrogant and an alpha-male).
he’s nice but it’s not like he’s gonna have to go ask da hua if he can confront her lover about his interest in her. and terry know da hua is too naive and unable to accept his advances at this point so he need to wait before he reveal his affection to her. something need to happen for da hua to realize either she TOTALLY unaffected by terry and choose guan jun or that she’s falling for terry.
we need to wait before jumping the gun. sorry to be blunt but at this point, there is very little the writer could do to make guan jun a better man than terry. even if terry go ball-shit bad, he’s still much more interesting than guan jun.
YEAH that’s what I thought the preview was indicating; that he was just actually going to make his feelings clear so it’s more of a fair playing field. Terry will be the #1 dude forever, it’s going to be way too hard to make Guan Jun look better than him for Da Hua. I, for one, and just really anticipating her realizing which one she actually likes >:( she’s totally clueless right now about her options!
Just started watching and enjoying this drama.I thought Guan Jun was a lazy, shiftless punk and a loser. Dua Hua must have low self esteem to like him at all when he ignored her all these years when she was ugly.I didn’t realize James Wen was the lead. I thought Terry (Chris Wu)was the male lead instead because his part seemed bigger.I liked (as well as many others)the chemistry between Terry and Dua Hua. I think Terry has fallen for Dua Hua not because she looks like his former fiancee, but for Dua Hua’s innocence and good personality. Please DON’T turn Terry into a bad person against Dua Hua because I will be totally pissed!!
Totally agree with you, Ms. Koala! This drama is only addicting so far ONLY because of the chemistry between Terry and Da Hua. Can’t stand James Wen’s character — a total loser. Argggggg!
So I marathoned the episodes up to 10 then watched the rest as it came out. This is one of Taiwanese drama that captured my attention wholeheartedly. I never thought Guan Jun and Da Hua had any relationship to stand on based on their interaction. I could buy the fact that Da Hua has a crush on Guan Jun but he on the other hand only had brotherly love for her. So how in the world can the network push their relationship to us viewers without any development? Oh Guan Jun suddenly realized he loves Dua Hua after she saved the whole entire family and without his aid. How convenient. Conversely, Terry and Da Hua’s relationship started from the beginning. Although it is a bit creepy that Terry is now starting to love someone whom he made to look like his dead fiancee, it is more plausible than the Guan Jun-Da Hua pairing. Now they are going to make Terry a bad guy, it is contemptible to say the least. I will watch the next two episodes to see what happens and I’m cringing at how Terry is acting based on the preview (hoping that the writer is not actually going there) but I will go berserk should they butcher Terry’s character.
Glad that I’m not the only one who thought of it that way. Urgh, why make Terry be bad, he’s the reason I’m watching the whole freaken drama in the first place. Sighs, I agree with completely everything you said. The protests better work and warp away those SETTV’s crazy ideas, and bring justice back to Terry’s character or all else hell breaks loose! I’d be so pissed off if that’s the only solution that they could resort to because he was having a nice time, why kill his fiance then.
The main relationship focus has been Terry and Da Hau’s relationship. Da Hau’s childhood crush on her brother Guan Jun needs to be examined by Da Hau in reality. In 28 years of her live Da Hau was never courted by her brother Guan Jun because he was actually turned off by her in that way. I believe she has to be disappointed in Guan Jun eventually by his screw-up behavior discovering he is not a good life partner and that allows her an opportunity to grow up thus freeing her to open up to her feelings for Terry which she already has formed. Da Hau’s relationship with Terry is a real partnership (she doesn’t have this with Guan Jun). Two months is a very long time to live intimately together and work closely together. Long enough to grow close and form feelings on both sides. Terry and Da Hau are the only real couple here. That’s the way I see it. Don’t make me mad SETTV!!!!!!!! A 28 year old Da Hau must grow up and pick the adorable Terry. Don’t stick her with that loser Guan Jun…what woman would want a man her own mother says is just like her shiftless father!!!
P.S. What man wouldn’t do a few things to keep the woman he has feeling for like grabing her for the peck on the cheek. It shows he will fight for her and nothing is wrong with that my friends.
Anyone else notice that the band-aid on Terry’s forehead is an allusion to the bear, and get confused by that since the bear is supposed to represent Guan Jun? Maybe it’s meant to be foreshadowing that Terry’s the one who really makes Da Hua feel secure.
To the author, why was it not OK for Da Hua to fail to act jealous in your last summary, but incredibly wrong for Terry to potentially act jealous in the next episode? That comes across as though you think a man can’t show love by being jealous but a woman should or she isn’t really in love. I think both behaviors in the show make sense. Da Hua has blind confidence in her future with Guan Jun, though she does do the “eye acting” to transmit her confusion about Hu Xiao Fe’s presence. Terry knows that Da Hua has declared her love and intention to return to Guan Jun’s side after leaving his, giving him reason to feel jealous.
That said and having seen the next episode, the moments of petty jealousy come across more as Terry trying to one-up Guan Jun than him feeling affection for Da Hua. So while I think it made sense for Terry to feel jealous, it was a bad move on the writers’ part to not balance that out.