I seem to be criticising this drama a lot, but it’s been fun trying to count all the dramaland clichés it can throw at the audience. HOWEVER, as much as I loathe the lack of originality displayed by the writers, I’m still laughing so hard (in the middle of the night mind you…). For an actor mostly known for being tall and pretty with not much facial expressions (at least that’s how I thought of him years ago), Dylan Kuo has improved so much and has great comedic timing. I simply love Dylan and Tammy as a couple – even though this was their first collaboration they have been friends for a number of years which has really helped them click.
Episode 10
Xiang En goes to find Ai Ya where she’s working to promote some products. Even though she’s sick she has to soldier on. Xiang En ‘rescues’ her by buying all the products, and asks Ai Ya to deliver them to his house. Can’t help but think this guy is a bit condescending and impractical, bearing in mind Ai Ya has no freaking idea what the hell is going on…
Ai Ya: Sir… you bought so many products, can you use them all?
Xiang En: Stop talking rubbish. Quickly organise a truck so you can deliver the products to my house.
Xiang En is way too smug and this happens A LOT. Then Ai Ya faints… (no she isn’t the one who’s having an illness, it’s just a cold.)
This leads to the most hilarious scene in the episode, where Xiang En tries to cook for Ai Ya, since he thinks she’s lacking in nutrition. So he just throws everything in a pot… and of course it tastes disgusting. Someone take him away from the kitchen please.
Ai Ya: Why are you like this? One minute you’re giving me $300k and tell me to stay away from you. The next minute you’re telling me I can’t go anywhere.
Xiang En: Since you’re sick you’re not going anywhere, what’s with all the reasons. Lie down!
Ai Ya: What if I’m sick? In your eyes I’m just a money chasing girl with no dignity.
But he insists on her staying. Talk about sending the most confusing signals.
Ai Ya: You’re so strange and contradictory. Are you schizophrenic?
Xiang En: Just lie down.. for one afternoon, no work, nobody else and quietly rest. OK?
Ai Ya: Ji Xiang En… you’re so weird…
LOL Ai Ya’s pretty scared at his strange behaviour. This is exacerbated by him pretty much force feeding her whatever soup he cooked for her. She did feel touched that he cooked especially for her… but that only lasted for a micro-second until she tasted it!!!
Adding to the weirdness, he starts asking her why she didn’t answer his calls – like a jealous boyfriend. I’m sure there was pouting in there. When Ai Ya tells him her phone is broken, he immediately went out to buy a new one. Ai Ya gets up and shows herself around his house…
She sees this tent and starts playing with the soft toys inside… then somehow this leads to the second accidental kiss between Xiang En and Ai Ya. So contrived it was… but the important point – after they initially pulled away he leaned in and wanted to kiss her for real…
Xiang En: What am I doing? Why do I want to kiss her? Does that mean I’ve fallen in love with Qin Ai Ya? Impossible! It was just a moment of weakness. It’s definitely not love, just…
That completely shattered when he sees her walking out of the shower. Yes he’s gawking again. Then he even blow dries her hair… they almost kiss! But got interrupted by a doorbell.
This leads to the next obstacle our couple will face – the meddling ex girlfriend Tong Hua. She is the most annoying character in the whole series! She was the one who dumped Xiang En in the beginning, but now when things aren’t working out with Wu Wei, she runs back to Xiang En. Wu Wei is right, she only loves herself. They’re trying to make her at least a little sympathetic by saying she’s afraid of loneliness because her parent didn’t pay much attention when she was growing up, but if she was a little grateful of how well Xiang En treated her before, she might’ve been more likeable.
So Tong Hua plays the innocence card, acting like she’s giving advice to Ai Ya. Eventually Ai Ya is convinced Xiang En will get back with Tong Hua, since she’s just a substitute in the first place. Plus with their class differences they should remain in separate worlds anyway.
Episode 11
I have a huge gripe against Episode 11. It has its really cute moments but there is one scene which should’ve been longer… and there is another that doesn’t make sense, at all. First, the good…
I’m a sucker for those scenes in a romance flick where the girl tries to avoid the guy… then he tries so hard to find her… but they keep on passing each other in various locations. I would also love to see some big confession at the end of all this, where he would say – “Please don’t avoid me anymore… I love you~” You get the idea.
Here, we have Ai Ya deliberately avoiding Xiang En, and she even sent him a text message wishing him happiness with Tong Hua. Xiang En didn’t get the message straight away, since that brat ex girlfriend of his threw his phone away. So he runs around trying to find her, but keeps missing her…
At least he knows one place she will definitely be at, that’s the movie they’re shooting at Yuan Zhao Island. Xiang En tries to talk to Ai Ya but she just keeps brushing him off.
Xiang En: I need to talk to you. Are you avoiding me? Or did Tong Hua said something to you? Why did you send that message?
For a moment I was sucked in and felt for Xiang En. I just want him to admit his feelings to her already, or at least hug her. This limbo land is frustrating. Of course they were interrupted by Tong Hua, who can’t make up her mind who she wants. One minute she was all happy seeing Wu Wei on set, the next minute she gets all jealous seeing the way Xiang En looks at Ai Ya.
So the next scene calls for Tong Hua and Ai Ya standing on a high platform, where Tong Hua was supposed to (pretend to) push Ai Ya down. But Tong Hua ended up pushing Ai Ya for real and Xiang En rushes to the rescue again so Ai Ya landed on top of him. Did he need to do that? The crew had already put mattresses on the ground as a precaution… but okay.
Xiang En ended up with a broken arm and guilt tripped Ai Ya into staying in his house to look after him! We get lots of cute OTP scenes again and I’m laughing so much at what a baby Xiang En can be.
Xiang En: Ouch… it hurts so much. What can I do? How can I eat? How can I brush my teeth? And my facial hair…
Shippy scenes galore follows – she feeds and helps him shave… then he tells her, “I need to shower.”
HAHAHAHA She has a daydream… (which leads to gripe no 1) – just look at these stills! They only showed about 1 second of it on TV – where was THIS? WATCH the behind the scenes for this episode as well because they were showing how they filmed this scene in the tub. OMG I MUST USE CAPS.
I was completely flailing over this and can *almost* overlook the next scene who makes no sense. NONE at all. Xiang En gets a text message from “Love idiot”:
Discount coupon, my love for someone has ended before it even began. He didn’t get the chance to find out I like him and it ended like that. Is that love? How come it hurts more than being dumped?
Ai Ya then gets a message, from “Discount coupon”:
Maybe you should be more brave and tell him you like him! A girl had told me before if you really like someone, then it’s like a starfish, you need to fight for it, giving love another chance.
WHATTTTTTTT. They had a whole subplot about them being ‘penpals’ (what is the modern equivalent? SMS pals?) and how he’s helping her anonymously and I am fairly certain we saw NONE of that before. I admit I don’t pay attention 100% to some of the earlier eps but I cannot have missed this glaring detail. What the hell is this editors? Now I’m wondering whether they cut all those stuff out for the Taiwan version? Gah. I am tempted to go back to the Mainland version to verify this.
So Ai Ya was about to say something… when Xiang En’s mother walks in. *facepalm* When they eventually confess their love for each other it better be GOOD. Gees.
Speaking of Xiang En’s mother – she might be Apple Grandmother’s biological daughter? And then there’s a whole conspiracy about Xiang En’s parents cheated some boats from the Yuan Zhao Island residents or something… hrm.
Not only does our OTP have to deal with a meddling ex girlfriend, now it seems Wu Wei is also pursuing Ai Ya. For revenge I’m assuming. He stole Tong Hua to hurt Xiang En anyway, and now that Xiang En likes Ai Ya, Wu Wei wants to steal her too. Ai Ya leaves Xiang En at home for a job, which she didn’t know it was to be Wu Wei’s tour guide. When Xiang En finds out, he gets all jealous…
Xiang En: You don’t owe me anything, I can’t control who you date. My arm is better now, you don’t need to take care of me anymore.
YES he is being an idiot again. You are right Ji Xiang En, it’s not like you guys are boy/girlfriends so she can do whatever she likes! pfffftt. Stop taking your anger out at Ai Ya!
*BEHIND THE SCENES*
SO CUTE. Why did they cut this out? (It’s suppose to be romantic, but then Tammy started to pick at the blackheads on his back and it turns hilarious again.) Stop it you two!
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