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[Mainland Chinese Drama 2018] Meteor Garden 流星花園


kokodus

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Just dropping by to share some info.

 

Apparently, the MG Movie Version (one of the special episodes) released yesterday is literally just clips/scenes from the drama that they cut and put together into a movie. So Chinese fans felt scammed. I mean, who wouldn't? What did we do to deserve this from the production team??? Lol 

 

Anyhow, will share my honest thoughts about the last episodes and the drama as a whole when I get to finish watching the rest with subs. 

 

Hope we can still keep this thread alive, because really, I don't think I'd be able to move on from this anytime soon, just like what @kokodus said. Major separation anxiety it is.

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Only started watching this recently. I have not watched MG2001 also. But i watched the japanese one with Inoue Mao and Matsumoto Jun. It seems like this one has better romance from what i've seen in the thread. But the japanese one from 2005-2008 has the best ending in my opinion when you include the movie from 2008 and also i love the soundtrack.

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4 hours ago, cantbreathe said:


I noticed that too! I think the shot was sudden and did introduce Lei as a creeper who was just standing hunched waiting for them. Also, this is very ungentlemanly of me (haha), but I think it was also the shock of Lei looking weirdly unattractive in the shot. How? What?? Who are you and what have you done with Guan

 

 

6579de2c42c02f432691c7ac7efb053a.jpg

*taking the pic out of the quote*

 

Don't you guys think he looks so weird and artificial in this still, like someone has photoshopped him into the frame? LOL. Seriously I want to know what went wrong with the production team in the last eps that they gave such a strange collab of scenes filled only with PPL galore. 

 

I'm hoping against hope that a MG movie with the same cast will happen somewhere in the near future, say 2 years from now. I'm willing to wait if Angie Chai give us an confirmation now. LOL. Also who knows, all the actors will become ultra busy after this, so Angie need to book them now itself. Please make it happen AC!!!!!!

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My guess is that:

 

1. Lei went to study music in London hence he was with DMS and SC to celebrate the New Year as they were in London as well. 

2. The frame focuses on him this part because of the background song: it is the original Meteor Rain song sung by the original F4, and particularly this line and part was sung by Zai Zai who played Lei as well in the 2001 version. So I think they want to kinda give some homage to the 2001 version.......

3. Everyone is shipping Xiao You with Ximen because in MG2001, their arc never got resolved and there was chemistry between Ken Chu and Rainie Yang (the actors)........so everyone wanted XY/XM to end up together. They did get together in this version, but they made the XG story too compelling......in the original, after 1 year XM found out that XG had moved on and had a new boyfriend, so he and XG were done for good. Their story was completely over, leaving room for him to begin something new with XY. This time though, XG never moved on. And yes they should have spent more time where XM shows why he loves XY.......they just got together too suddenly, and this version of XY is way more aggressive than Rainie Yang's one.......she pushed for the relationship and XM passively accepted.....perhaps also not wanting to miss a chance like how he screwed up with XG?  Rainie Yang's version was alot more gentler, understanding and not so obsessive. Then again, their story never progressed so we would never know.....maybe her version would have been written like the 2018 version....? 

 

 

Do watch the original 2001 one if you can. Old is GOLD!!! Its alot more succinct but effect is still there. There's a reason why it was on fire popularity throughout Asia back in the day. Though that version of DMS isn't as bright as this version, haha. But Jerry Yan is as handsome as ever. Zai Zai as well. 

 

But all in all, I think MG2018 did tie all the strings for all the stories as best as they could. It answered many unanswered questions from MG2001, so it feels alot more completed. Plus less quarrelling between Caisi. In the original, Barbie and Jerry were quarrelling almost non-stop. Haha. The sweet moments were super super duper sweettttttttttttttt!! So can't complain. Think Angie Chai did a good job in this re-adaption..............unlike Qiong Yau who mutilated Huan Zhu Ge Ge when she remade it in 2011. Arghhh, still can't get over how she destroyed it! 

 

There's a rumour that they are going to do a movie with the original F4 cast?!?!? Really? How would that look like? The originals can be the fathers of the new F4 lol. 

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1 hour ago, kellentia said:

My guess is that:

 

1. Lei went to study music in London hence he was with DMS and SC to celebrate the New Year as they were in London as well. 

2. The frame focuses on him this part because of the background song: it is the original Meteor Rain song sung by the original F4, and particularly this line and part was sung by Zai Zai who played Lei as well in the 2001 version. So I think they want to kinda give some homage to the 2001 version.......

3. Everyone is shipping Xiao You with Ximen because in MG2001, their arc never got resolved and there was chemistry between Ken Chu and Rainie Yang (the actors)........so everyone wanted XY/XM to end up together. They did get together in this version, but they made the XG story too compelling......in the original, after 1 year XM found out that XG had moved on and had a new boyfriend, so he and XG were done for good. Their story was completely over, leaving room for him to begin something new with XY. This time though, XG never moved on. And yes they should have spent more time where XM shows why he loves XY.......they just got together too suddenly, and this version of XY is way more aggressive than Rainie Yang's one.......she pushed for the relationship and XM passively accepted.....perhaps also not wanting to miss a chance like how he screwed up with XG?  Rainie Yang's version was alot more gentler, understanding and not so obsessive. Then again, their story never progressed so we would never know.....maybe her version would have been written like the 2018 version....? 

 

 

Do watch the original 2001 one if you can. Old is GOLD!!! Its alot more succinct but effect is still there. There's a reason why it was on fire popularity throughout Asia back in the day. Though that version of DMS isn't as bright as this version, haha. But Jerry Yan is as handsome as ever. Zai Zai as well. 

 

But all in all, I think MG2018 did tie all the strings for all the stories as best as they could. It answered many unanswered questions from MG2001, so it feels alot more completed. Plus less quarrelling between Caisi. In the original, Barbie and Jerry were quarrelling almost non-stop. Haha. The sweet moments were super super duper sweettttttttttttttt!! So can't complain. Think Angie Chai did a good job in this re-adaption..............unlike Qiong Yau who mutilated Huan Zhu Ge Ge when she remade it in 2011. Arghhh, still can't get over how she destroyed it! 

 

There's a rumour that they are going to do a movie with the original F4 cast?!?!? Really? How would that look like? The originals can be the fathers of the new F4 lol. 

 

You should watch the Japanese live version tho.

After watching all the versions for HYD manga, I could say that the Japanese & this Chinese live versions are the best adaptations.

 

Honestly, MG 2001 has one of the worst storyline especially in its season 2. plus you don’t want to rewatch it again because it is just so outdated already, so some scenes might be cringeworthy  :(

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Since I've been avoiding this thread for the past 1 week in fear of getting myself spoiled, I missed spazzing about some important squeee moments. So i'm going to do it now. Hehe. 

 

The MAJOR squeeworthy moment for me in this finale week is definitely the 520 roses scenes. I was screaming and kicking my pillow so wildly that my mom got worried. hahaha. The best part about the whole scene is when SC calls and complains to him that there are only 519 roses and orders him to give her that missing one rose, no matter what. And the fact that Si knows that SC will count and check whether there are 520 roses and planned to hide one rose so that he can give her that by himself. Hella swoony. 

 

I liked the scene where he wore that green shoe to the uni and SC looked at it with such nostalgia. And his reply when she asked why he wore that was even more amazing. He wore that green shoe so that she can find him easily amongst the crowd. ./SWOOOOOOOOON. LOL. And then Mei zuo and Ximen's usual roleplay had me in stitches, of course. Hahaha. 


When I first watched the door scene I was too mad at SC to appreciate how awesome Si reacted to her. This is the scene where you can really tell how much Si has grown. Some 10 to 15 eps before, when SC said the same thing, he threw a fit and behaved like the whole world has come to an end. But now even without seeing her face to face he could see through her and read her like a book. From pestering her all day to confess her feelings out loud to understanding that SC will never not hate him or fall out of love with him. That right there is not character growth, but relationship growth. The whole scene was beautifully done actually. 

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@marielou92 Totally agree w/you MG2001.I started watching it after I started watching this version. Yes, it looked hella outdated (though F4 and Shancai looked really handsome/pretty) and the violence in that version is unbearable. Another thing that annoyed me so much was SC's parents; greedy, lazy, careless, and in a way really stupid. Whereas 2018 version, they are caring, loving and just trying to make a living wherever they live without hoping for their daughter to marry a rich guy and live off of his wealth. But, I liked that version tho, because it was super funny and exciting.

As for this version, I like it slightly more just because it is current and less violent. The cast is amazing and beautiful, talented people who I'm obsessed with at the moment. But, it also has its flaws. I'm not angry or complaining about the ending; a happy ending but I think they literally wasted perfectly long 1.5hrs on the last two eps. Weird wedding plot, too many flashbacks and in your face ads that made me feel like I was watching commercial breaks. It was sweet to see their post wedding scenes in those ads though. One thing that bothered me a little is WHY in the world they made Lei look like a 3rd wheel in that last ep meteor scene. Why couldn't they just have him happily watching the m/shower somewhere alone or with Meizuo? Anyways, it was a fun, exciting drama. I will look forward to these actors and actress' next projects.

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57 minutes ago, marielou92 said:

 

You should watch the Japanese live version tho.

After watching all the versions for HYD manga, I could say that the Japanese & this Chinese live versions are the best adaptations.

 

Honestly, MG 2001 has one of the worst storyline especially in its season 2. plus you don’t want to rewatch it again because it is just so outdated already, so some scenes might be cringeworthy  :(

 Oh haha I was referring to original MG2001 Season 1. Season 2 was plain awful so I don't even consider it canon. I still like MG2001 S1. It's funny to watch how far we have progressed from 17 years ago.....trends, technology etc. 

 

Oooh so the Japanese one is good? Ok will try it!! 

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@kellentia Yeah the japanese is good. There is 2 seasons. First one is called Hana Yori Dango(2005). Sequel is called Hana Yori Dango Returns or season 2. The series conclude with a movie. First season has 9 episodes and season 2 has 11 episodes. I love the soundtrack, Especially "Planetarium" by Ai Otsuka.

 

Beware of ending spoiler down.

 

Spoiler

The thing that makes the japanese ending the best is because Makino(female lead) ends up pregnant in the movie at the end.

 

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15 hours ago, marielou92 said:

so in reponse to those people who are confused with what Daomingsi had plan, here is what I understand on how he will update the Daoming group:

 

Daomingsi will launch a start up incubator platform project which will be just one of the businesses of Daoming group.

 

And this incubator platform project that Ah Si is launching is a managemement consulting wherein they help those entrepreneurs or those small-sized firms develop their own business. 

 

the F3 would also be in partnership with the start up incubator project.

 

Then with the help of start up incubator platform, they will expand the special eight treasure sauce of Shancai, this is just one of the start-up businesses that Daomingsi’s start up incubator platform project will help/improve

 
 
okay that’s it guys!! sorry for the letter size, I’ve typed in my iphone note first then copy pasted it here :D

 

He basically stole Xioami's business plan. Incubate a bunch of startups and collect them under your own ecosystem. All the other big Chinese tech companies do this too, it's not even original DMS :joy:

 

Also sorry Dee Hsu, but this little girl does it better. She's Sinostage Amy and she is amazing!!!

 

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Sigh... With the current issues China is facing, it would have been a perfect time to redo meteor garden. A fresh beautiful cast, massive budget, experienced producer, what can go wrong?

 

Apparently, lots. With the water crabbing of wealth gap and school violence, much of the primary conflict that defines meteor garden is gone. You have a well off son of an entrepreneur vs a daughter of a fledgling takeout business. While there is a difference in level of wealth, It's unclear from this what dao family drive their insurmountable sense of superiority from.

 

Because of this, so many scenes between the main characters make little to no sense. Many scenes just come to be there just to be there, not driven by the characters.

 

Then there's the directing. So many scenes are rough and uneven, breaking you out of the story. Pauses are too long or too short. Camera pans for dramatic effect end up stilted.

 

Then there's the voices. Dubbing to even out accents ended up causing the scene to be acted out twice. Level of voice acting intensity often don't match the actors. The actors are fresh and inexperienced, so they don't provide the level of consistent acting to balance with experienced voice actors. So, in mg2001, HZL's line mumbling, DMS's awkward delivery are consistent with their screen performance and provide awkward charm missing here.

 

All that aside, it would have been a ok drama if it wasn't supposed to be based on Hana yori dango source material. The Shell is there, the spirit is gone

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4 hours ago, Lunkera said:

@kellentia Yeah the japanese is good. There is 2 seasons. First one is called Hana Yori Dango(2005). Sequel is called Hana Yori Dango Returns or season 2. The series conclude with a movie. First season has 9 episodes and season 2 has 11 episodes. I love the soundtrack, Especially "Planetarium" by Ai Otsuka.

 

Beware of ending spoiler down.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

The thing that makes the japanese ending the best is because Makino(female lead) ends up pregnant in the movie at the end.

 

 

For some reason I haven’t had my attention drawn to the Japanese one, but I just had a look and DMS looks how I’d expect him to here (but not as incredible as Dylan Wang, usual worshipful phrases/so hot/face melt/dies).  Also, the spoiler bit sounds amazing! I’m still floating around on a MG high, so I think I’ll give it a try too!

 

This is a random clip of Dylan Wang on a game show that made me laugh. It’s Dylan versus some little kid, and he won’t even let the kid win, haha. I love him.

https://youtu.be/qr_0X6NSbwo

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3 minutes ago, cantbreathe said:

 

 

For some reason I haven’t had my attention drawn to the Japanese one, but I just had a look and DMS looks how I’d expect him to here (but not as incredible as Dylan Wang, usual worshipful phrases/so hot/face melt/dies).  Also, the spoiler bit sounds amazing! I’m still floating around on a MG high, so I think I’ll give it a try too!

 

This is a random clip of Dylan Wang on a game show that made me laugh. It’s Dylan versus some little kid, and he won’t even let the kid win, haha. I love him.

https://youtu.be/qr_0X6NSbwo

I just watched that too and was dying laughing that he didn't let the kid win lol. Just what I would expect from him.

 

@kokodus I was wondering where you were! Glad you're back for discussions now that it's over.

 

I'm still gathering my thoughts about those 2 final episodes, LOL. So so so many thoughts. Some good, but mostly bad. Everything post the amnesia fake out has been a miss for me. While I didn't love HYD manga ending, I would have preferred it to what we ended up getting even if it included the real amnesia. I don't have much negative things to say about Eps 1-45, I can't wait for a rewatch.. yet these last episodes have been sooo disappointing. Why would they stick so true to the manga and then totally curve off path and deliver this mess in the end. I also shudder to think what must have been going on in Yoko Kamio's head while watching this week's eps.

 

I'll get more in depth with my thoughts later when I can process it more.. haha.

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1 hour ago, auroragb said:

Sigh... With the current issues China is facing, it would have been a perfect time to redo meteor garden. A fresh beautiful cast, massive budget, experienced producer, what can go wrong?

 

Apparently, lots. With the water crabbing of wealth gap and school violence, much of the primary conflict that defines meteor garden is gone. You have a well off son of an entrepreneur vs a daughter of a fledgling takeout business. While there is a difference in level of wealth, It's unclear from this what dao family drive their insurmountable sense of superiority from.

 

Because of this, so many scenes between the main characters make little to no sense. Many scenes just come to be there just to be there, not driven by the characters.

 

Then there's the directing. So many scenes are rough and uneven, breaking you out of the story. Pauses are too long or too short. Camera pans for dramatic effect end up stilted.

 

Then there's the voices. Dubbing to even out accents ended up causing the scene to be acted out twice. Level of voice acting intensity often don't match the actors. The actors are fresh and inexperienced, so they don't provide the level of consistent acting to balance with experienced voice actors. So, in mg2001, HZL's line mumbling, DMS's awkward delivery are consistent with their screen performance and provide awkward charm missing here.

 

All that aside, it would have been a ok drama if it wasn't supposed to be based on Hana yori dango source material. The Shell is there, the spirit is gone

 

??? At least they added some depth to the source material. Sure it wasn't perfect, but what do expect from such an outdated ridiculous story?

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I found an interesting article about the original source manga Hana Yori Dango. It gave me a lot to think about in terms of how successful this drama was in staying true to the themes of the source material (as listed in this article), since there was a lot of debate  among viewers and manga fans about the changes made in this drama due to Chinese TV restrictions. Anyway, one thing I learned is the meaning of Tsukushi's name in Japanese. I didn't know it was an actual weed/food source.

 

https://www.npr.org/2011/04/15/134563204/head-over-heels-for-boys-over-flowers

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4 hours ago, auroragb said:

All that aside, it would have been a ok drama if it wasn't supposed to be based on Hana yori dango source material. The Shell is there, the spirit is gone

 

3 hours ago, rocky689 said:

??? At least they added some depth to the source material. Sure it wasn't perfect, but what do expect from such an outdated ridiculous story?

 

@auroragb While I agree with you that this drama version has its flaws, and I will say the toning down of the bullying did make the first few episodes a bit hard going for me personally, I disagree that the drama doesn't carry the spirit of the source manga. I think the spirit of the manga is still there, and it did delve into the themes of the manga.  How well the manga themes were explored is a matter of opinion, and I respect that you felt this drama did not do a good job with that.  But I do believe that the spirit of the manga was kept. 

 

@rocky689 I agree with you that the drama did try to add depth to the source material, along with updating a story that was begun 25 years ago,  and did the best they could dealing with the Chinese TV restrictions. Frankly, this manga storyline has a lot of problems  and there were criticisms of scenes as being too silly or outdated in the drama that were pretty much shot for shot remakes of scenes in the original manga.  I liked some of the changes that they made here in MG2018 as it helped with making the story fresh.

 

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On 8/31/2018 at 1:11 PM, kokodus said:

Ok I can't be the only one who thought the whole wedding ploy was completely ridiculous. I just wanted a simple, straightforward yet beautiful wedding. What is it with Daoming Zhaung's sexy dance and F3 proposing and all that?? I would've preferred a prom dance or the graduation dance with all the F3 members for this. Seriously so awkward and off putting. Honestly they didn't have to trick  SC to marry him, she already agreed to marry him. They could have done a straightforward wedding like in the Japanese version. And where are their parents?? SSighhh. The more I think about it, the more I feel that they messed it up big time. They gave us plenty of post wedding scenes to make up for the disastrous wedding. Even though they were all just PPL scenes that they had to force in the ending. I'm fine with that though. I have to say that the J version had the most beautiful and satisfying ending ever. I had high hopes that this show's ending will be like the J version.

 

Sigh, but it's ok I think MG 2018, for me, surpassed the J version already when they decided to not include the amnesia version. LOL. Not only that, there were plenty of other small and big plot points that made this version far more superior that it's counterparts. If I had to list them all, I'll be here all night. LOL. 

 

@kokodus my thoughts exactly. I actually laughed when DMZ started dancing because it was just so ridiculous. I’m happy we got a wedding scene but I’m disappointed with how it was done. Like you, I just wanted a simple and beautiful wedding. It’s funny you were looking for their parents because I had done the same! SC’s mom made a point of saying how family is important in a marriage and they’re not at the wedding?! I also didn’t think it was necessary for DS to trick SC because like you said, she had already agreed to marrying him. The wedding came off as very gimmicky and immature. I would have preferred a traditional wedding where SC is walked down the aisle by her father and handed off to DS and then being wed in front of their parents and their friends. 

 

I’m glad they showed us a little bit of postwedding life but was kinda disappointed that it’s mostly PPL. The one thing I did like about it was the bit where DMF attempted to cook breakfast for them and where she tells them about her plans of travelling. I kinda liked that we got to know a little bit more about her in the last episode. 

 

I, too, did not care for the hunger strike here. It honestly didn’t move me. I guess the point they were trying to make here is that DS and SC would rather die than be apart. I was also disappointed that F3 couldn’t think of a way to support SC other than attempting to give her food. I mean they could have stood with her or kept her company or maybe gave her some cover for the rain? And why did it take so long for Lei to remember DS’ “secret” plan? Oh and the part where Lei goes “who knows DS email?” How could you NOT know if you guys have always been so close? Just plain weird. 

 

@insertusernamehere I laughed so hard reading your comments because they’re so true!! Hahaha especially the part where you say “didn’t DMS have a contingency plan? Like what if he actually died?” Hahaha! If he already had a plan prepared, then why did he resort to the hunger strike? Couldn’t he have tried to show his mom his plan first? 

 

And guys, just wondering here but did any of you actually understand what the plan was? Honestly it sounded like a bunch of mumbo jumbo to me. To me, it basically said this “the only way to move forward is to let go of the past and to find creative ways to evolve. I did a lot of research and basically we can be anything to anyone and my friends (F3) can achieve anything considering Ximen is tea expert, Lei is genius musician and Meizuo (I don’t even know what he does) can convince anyone to invest.” 

 

I mean honestly couldn’t understand what was so great about it because it didn’t really explain what it was! And somehow it will also make SC’s special squid sauce sell like crazy. Lol

 

 

 

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18 hours ago, cantbreathe said:

 

I noticed that too! I think the shot was sudden and did introduce Lei as a creeper who was just standing hunched waiting for them. Also, this is very ungentlemanly of me (haha), but I think it was also the shock of Lei looking weirdly unattractive in the shot. How? What?? Who are you and what have you done with Guan Hong? 

 

6579de2c42c02f432691c7ac7efb053a.jpg

 

 

And @starry58 YEAH!!! I’m gonna fangirl Dylan so hard on every drama he’s on forever and ever now. He was the most charismatic and hot DMS. Although, granted, I haven’t seen the other HYD adaptions. I just... can’t, the 2001 F4 just look so dated to me. Like I just LOL looking at their hair. I think I’d die watching them strut around. 

 

@cantbreathe Hahahaha!! I literally cried laughing at your comment because I was thinking the same! Like the camera couldn’t even focus on his face properly and he did look so unattractive and creepy!! It made him seem like such a stalker too! 

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12 hours ago, kokodus said:

Since I've been avoiding this thread for the past 1 week in fear of getting myself spoiled, I missed spazzing about some important squeee moments. So i'm going to do it now. Hehe. 

 

The MAJOR squeeworthy moment for me in this finale week is definitely the 520 roses scenes. I was screaming and kicking my pillow so wildly that my mom got worried. hahaha. The best part about the whole scene is when SC calls and complains to him that there are only 519 roses and orders him to give her that missing one rose, no matter what. And the fact that Si knows that SC will count and check whether there are 520 roses and planned to hide one rose so that he can give her that by himself. Hella swoony. 

 

I liked the scene where he wore that green shoe to the uni and SC looked at it with such nostalgia. And his reply when she asked why he wore that was even more amazing. He wore that green shoe so that she can find him easily amongst the crowd. ./SWOOOOOOOOON. LOL. And then Mei zuo and Ximen's usual roleplay had me in stitches, of course. Hahaha. 


When I first watched the door scene I was too mad at SC to appreciate how awesome Si reacted to her. This is the scene where you can really tell how much Si has grown. Some 10 to 15 eps before, when SC said the same thing, he threw a fit and behaved like the whole world has come to an end. But now even without seeing her face to face he could see through her and read her like a book. From pestering her all day to confess her feelings out loud to understanding that SC will never not hate him or fall out of love with him. That right there is not character growth, but relationship growth. The whole scene was beautifully done actually. 

 

@kokodus lol you can tell I’m just catching up here because I’m reading all the posts one by one and trying to respond. Haha!

 

but yes, I thought the roses were such a nice touch because it showed how much DS knew SC. He knew she would count them which is why he saved the last rose. Question is - how long was he standing out there waiting for her to finish? Lol she said she counted it 800 times! 

 

I also liked it when he wore the green shoes so she could find him in the crowd. And I also loved that when SC was being annoying at the door, he saw through her and calmly talked sense into her. 

 

Which is why the whole wedding thing was so upsetting! It made DS seem

immature! And what was up with DMZ kicking him too? 

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