About 2 TV series

The 2 TV series are "The Legend of Zhen Huan" and "The Making of an Ordinary Woman", which have been on my mind for quite some time.

On Friday night, as I was making wonton to reserve in the freezer for the coming week, I watched some episodes of The Legend of Zhen Huan. I believed it was a classic TV series that people can go always back to. I first watched it in 2014-2015 and I thought it was a very good TV series because the plot, the characters, the costume, etc were all delicately arranged. But after 8 years, i thought the story in it was nothing more than a cliche love story that was transferred to an ancient royal palace. The heroine : Zhen Huan is talented, intelligent and beautiful, and this makes her attractive to three men: the hero-the king of the country, the king's younger brother, the doctor in the palace, who is also her childhood friend. In the story, Zhen Huan experienced so many ups and downs because of the conflicts between different king's wives to compete for the King's love and higher ranking in the imperial harem. She finally survived all the conflicts and became the mother of the king, but she lost her love and expectation for the king in the struggles she experienced. She realized that for the king, she was not as important as she considered the king to be. A romantic loving relationship is almost something impossible between a king and one of his wives, because there are obstacles from so many forces in the background. One reason I no longer appreciate this story very much is that some of the key plots are so strangely and mysteriously coincidental and favorable to Zhen Huan and I feel it does not feel realistic at all. Now I prefer more realistic historical dramas.

The Making of an Ordinary Woman, I feel the name is very thoughtful. The name indicates the family experience Jialing had explains and determines what kind of woman she is in her later life. Also the TV defines Jialing as an ordinary woman, which is a concept that can be understood in versatile ways. An ordinary woman may have an ordinary job, ordinary family, but she has a sympathetic soul and loving heart for her family and friend. More importantly, she knows what she wants for her life and is courageous enough to break away from the old and pursue the new. This story tells me how important a loving family is, only love and tolerance nurtures sympathy and love. This is elements are invisible yet the most important for a person to have a fulfilling and peaceful life. 

However, I also wonder what Jialing would be like if she had a mom like mine. What if she married Jiang Xianrong, would she enjoy her life. Jiang Xianrong is a great candidate for marriage in a worldly sense. Jia Ling gives up in their relationship because1. she could not see her future life with Jiang. Her life is fast paced with a demanding job and also unsettled with a nosy landlady who keeps bothering them;2. she could not bear living with Jiang's mom, who is bossy and so all over her life. Even worse, Jiang Xianrong keeps persuading her to comply to his mother. But what if she makes it clear to her that there should be boundaries between them. What if she gradually make Jiang understand that his mother should be too involved in their marriage. Anyways, there are so many possibilities. 

However, it is a very good TV drama that is worth watching. It tells us how a loving family can nurture a loving and brave person.