Thoughts

 Thoughts on Meteor Garden-- My now 4th watch through. (The show is available on Netflix and is rated TV-14. For more information see my first review on it titled "Meteor Garden".) 

With the stress of school and daily life I thought it would be a good idea to rewatch Meteor Garden one of my all time favorite asian dramas. And I AM SO GLAD I DID. It was like watching it for the first

time again and it was completely different from the last 3 times I had watched it. (Don't judge)  I don't know if it is the fact that I am older or just at a different place in my life but there were a lot of things I saw with a new perspective. So I am just going to write a (hopefully) short blog post about my favorite things about the show as well as the new things I noticed this time around. (Side note: This has made me want to watch the original Taiwanese version that came out in 2001 so I should have a review out for that sometime when I get the chance to watch it) 

{I recommend reading my Meteor Garden review first before reading this or at least watch the show because there are SPOILERS BELOW READ AT YOUR OWN RISK} 

Okay, so I first want to talk about the fantastic character growth of my favorite person--Daoming Si. Rewatching this show I realized just how much of a jerk he was at the beginning. He was incredibly self-centered and immature--which is why he acted like a possessive jerk. But slowly he starts to see that people shouldn't have to cater to him and that continuing to act like that is ridiculous. I think his growth was one of the best parts of the show because it was so incredibly well done. He didn't change overnight it took many, many experiences for him to slowly be shaped into the amazing person he is by the end of the show. I think it is one of most satisfying parts of the show and it really hit home this time around. We, as the viewers, are there for every moment and we see just how long of a journey he went through. Which is probably why the break up sequences were so brutal. He was making progress but then it was halted by his heartbreak. His growth is definitely worth all the time it takes. Fun fact: Hilariously enough I noticed that his hair changes as his personality does. As long as he has the "pineapple head" hair he still has stuff to work through--just something to notice. 

Continuing on this line of thought I'd like to discuss the main romance. What I like about this romance is that it is two imperfect people who grow together. Daoming Si can be aggressive and overbearing while Shancai can be entirely too selfless (It can happen) and she has a seriously hard time being direct about how she feels. (It took her until freaking episode 34 to admit that she loved him.) Through their relationship Daoming Si learned to see outside himself and think before he acts. It also taught him to respect others as well as take responsibility for himself and his future. It taught Shancai that it is okay to put yourself first and to fight for the things you care about. It taught her to be open with her feelings and not run away from them. But that made the break ups all the more brutal. However, this time around the break ups actually made more sense to me. The super long breakup especially was eye opening this time around and I actually could get behind the whole Meizuo, Caina, and Terence love triangle. It bugged me for the longest time because I thought to myself, "What is the point of having this romance when Meizuo doesn't even end up with the girl?" And then it hit me. 

The point of that romance is to show a parallel side to Daoming Si and Shancai's relationship. The big part of their relationship is the fact that Daoming Si continually fights for her even before she is interested in him. Meizuo is the reflection of another path--one where he gave up the girl he loved so that she could be with someone else. Obviously there are circumstances that make them different but I thought it was interesting that we see an instance where the guy gives up the girl for love instead of fighting for her in the name of love. And I think it did wonders for Meizuo's character too because he really matured and learned how valuable love is. Which sounds cheesy I know but it is seriously so important. But this brings me to the london arc. This is the second major break up and actually the most emotionally destructive one in my opinion. I have never sobbed so hard in my life it was so depressing. When they were having their last date and were trying to just enjoy the day together and not think about the fact that they will never see each other again.... It is some of the best acting in the show. They really make you feel just how devastating this sequence is. 

(Actual footage of me crying my eyes out) 

On a lighter subject I do want to talk about Lei--the captain of the ship. 

There were moments in this show where he seriously bothered me. Mainly the part in episode 8 where he kisses Shancai even though A. He knows that Daoming Si likes her B. He, himself does not like her and literally says so RIGHT BEFORE he kisses her. Overall I think it was a jerk move on his part and I was upset for a couple episodes after. He made me upset a couple more times but those times he had an ulterior motive to get Daoming Si and Shancai together so I forgave him. Honestly, I don't know if Daoming Si and Shancai would have lasted very long if it weren't for Lei stepping in. Bless this dude. 

And that brings me to the most...special character Qinghe. I had to do a brief thing on him because he was seriously so hilarious. I felt like he didn't know what was going on 75% of the time and so his reaction to things was always really out of place. My favorite thing is when Qinghe keeps thinking he's a part of F4 and acting like he is best friends with all the guys and they are so done because he just doesn't listen to them. I also talked about this in my last review but that moment at Si and Shancai's wedding when he announces, "This is my 120th time giving up on you." I thought I was going to lose it--come on Qinghe this is clearly not the time for this conversation. 

I also want to briefly mention how let down I am about how the mothers character ended up. I can't just believe she magically becomes a good person at the end. I barely consider her a mother and the fact is that she would have let Daoming Si and Shancai starve themselves to death at the end if F4 hadn't found Si's plan to save the company! But no one in the show seems to blink an eye at how fast she changed. I don't think I can ever completely forgive her and it is sad to me that her character was not written as well as she could have been. I would have actually liked to see her character growth instead of this sudden 180. 

Thanks for taking the time to listen to me talk about this show again... it was fun to rewatch it again and experience it differently. If you haven't taken the time to watch Meteor Garden I highly recommend you do so it is one of my absolute favorite shows ever.