Don’t confused this with the anime series on Netflix called “The Apothecary Diaries.”
Here’s the basic 411.
The main actors?
Landy Li: She’s the cutie in “GO Into Your Heart” which I enjoyed watching. She looks like Zhao LuSi.
Ao Rui Peng: He was the male lead in “Wrong Carriage, Right Groom.” In some angles, he reminds me of Wang Hedi of “Love Between Fairy and Devil.”
Genre? Serialized mystery series in a historical setting. The mystery unfolds across 5+ episodes then after it’s solved, the lead couple moves on to the next.
Episodes? 38 (ugh!)
Start Date? It began a few days ago, on July 13. It’s still ongoing. 12 episodes are already out and you’ll need membership to watch after Ep 5. It airs two episodes every day. You can binge-watch it after July 31.
Where to Watch it? iQiYi (I can FINALLY put to use the subscription I paid $12/month for. I was about to cancel it.)
The backstory?
The first episode speeds (thankfully!) through the heroine Shen Wan’s backstory. She’s the only daughter of an illustrious justice official Shen Yi who was falsely accused of professional misconduct in a royal murder. To silence him, he and his family are massacred but Wan manages to escape. She assumes the identity of the daughter of a family friend, Mr. Qin Liang, and seeks refuge in his residence, far from the capital city. Conveniently, Mr. Qin and the daughter are also dead, and, more importantly, estranged from the Qin family. Thus, no one can contest Wan’s identity when she arrives in town. With her faithful maid, she joins the Qin household to bide her time in clearing her father’s name.
Although the Qin family isn’t wild to see her, the matriarch and female members have no choice but to welcome her. Initially, they treat her like the spare granddaughter that she is. But when she quickly distinguishes herself with her medical and forensic expertise, she finds herself a kinder and richer patroness…who turns out to be the hero’s grandmother.
The hero Yan Chi is also involved in the same royal murder as Wan.
He, too, wants to clear the name of his dead friend, Prince Jin, who was accused of murder but was championed by Wan’s father. So, he and Wan team up. Although Wan is introduced to him as a Qin family member, he suspects early on that she isn’t who she says she is, given her extraordinary knowledge of medicine and her staunch defense of the legacy of justice minister Shen Yi. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had met the real Qin daughter or seen Wan before at work in some medical capacity. After all, in their first meeting, he said in passing that Wan looked familiar to him.
Their meet-cute?
Yan Chi is sparring with his female cousin when he almost punches Shen Wan in the face. Of course, it’s love at first sight for him. (Do you like it when the guy falls in love with the girl first? I don’t mean to be sexist, but I find it entertaining when the guy has to do all the work to get the girl to even notice him.)
I’m not sure about her initial feelings for him, though. She first sees him when he rides into town with his small retinue of soldiers. He catches another soldier bullying a citizen and he orders the execution of the soldier on the spot. I can’t tell whether she views this instant street justice as admirable or ruthless. Given that she likes to get her facts straight, she might want him to be more measured in his approach. But in her current vengeful state of mind, she might desire justice to be meted out speedily.
The organization of the plot?
The first five episodes are about the headless bride. The second five episodes are about the dirty secrets of the Qin family. I’m assuming then that every five episodes will revolve around a new mystery that Shen/Qin Wan and Yan Chi have to solve together and that the heavy romance will take a back seat to the investigation. Which is fine with me.
For instance, I’m so used to seeing a kiss scene by the eighth episode in a 16-episode kdrama that I find it amusing that much ado is made every time Yan Chi unconsciously holds her wrist (and vice versa). The camera first spotlights the hand resting on the wrist then plays up the shy reaction of the couple as they become aware of their accidental physical contact.
I think her maid and his bodyguard have a quicker romantic arc.
But I don’t mind the slow burn. It gives us viewers a chance to see that:
a. he’s falling for her brains instead of her beauty (although she is lovely to look at)
b. he respects her line of work
c. she’s falling for his probity and judgment, as well as his swift delivery of justice.
d. they’re finishing each other’s thoughts.
Is the hero a green flag?
Yes. He respects her opinion and is supportive of her decisions. Although he appears to have some quarrel with his father regarding military campaigns, he has a loving relationship with his grandmother and is very close to his other relatives. He shows signs of jealousy but he’s quick to think it through. He isn’t petty.
The most memorable romantic scene for me?
I found his concern for her (working) hands very romantic.
In Episode 2, he notices that she hesitates to use her plain gloves before an autopsy and asks her why. She explains that her gloves aren’t waterproof and during autopsies, the hands may get injured by the corpse fluids. In the following episode, he gifts her with an embroidered pair of water-resistant gloves made of deerskin. He also presents her with acupuncture needle kit. (This reminds me of the clueless hero in “Prisoner of Beauty” who gifts his beloved with 500 war horses to her utter vexation.) Then, in Episode 10, he stops her from handling an item owned by a criminal, saying, “Don’t dirty your hands.”
Are the autopsy scenes gruesome?
No, not really. The autopsy scenes looked low-budget at times, and I found them more funny than gruesome. For instance, the headless neck looked like a reddish stump, and the corpse – when it was undressed — looked like it was a body of a man so huge where its torso and thighs.
Are the women favorably portrayed in this cdrama?
So far, so good. If we are to do the Bechdel Test on this cdrama, then yes, it fits the three criteria of the test, namely:
a. there are at least two women featured. Aside from our heroine Shen Yan, there’s also Yan Chi’s cousin, Princess Yuening who’s a talented martial artist, Yan Chi’s grandmother (who I’m guessing was somebody heroic in her heyday), and her maid Fu Ling.
b. these women talk to each other. Not only do these women talk to each other, they also help and look out for each other.
c. they discuss something other than a man. Princess Yuening, in particular, likes to bring up that women aren’t valued and are limited to what they can do in their society. I think she’s the screenwriter’s voice of feminism in the story.
Will I continue to watch this cdrama?
Yes. But I don’t think an episode-by-episode discussion of the drama is necessary.
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Thanks for this @pkml3!!! I’m hopefully going to have a bit of time so I may start something like this.
BTW, did you see my reply to the question on our NEXT REWATCH show? It’s going to be ‘While You Were Sleeping’ (2017).
I listed the 16 episodes with dates in the ‘I Hear Your Voice’ Episode 17 thread.
All are welcome to join us!!! See our watch time on the 🙂 ‘I Hear Your Voice’ threads.😌
😁🥛🍪🥛🍪🍬🍨🍮🍡🍰🍦🥧🍢🥠🍩🍿🍫🍘☕🥛🍪🥛🍪🥰
Hello, @packmule3; hello @Growing Beautifully. I hope you are both well.
I don’t have a subscription, so I will have to watch this bit by bit. I liked the near knock-out meeting of the leads. Ironically it’s he who is knocked-out by her looks, but although he’s attracted to her, he won’t trust her. But wasn’t it funny how he was loitering around his grandmother’s room trying to watch the FL out of the corner of his eye.
Like the Apothecary Diaries, there’s an inept official doctor or two. Those here can’t stomach a proper autopsy. I have to suspend disbelief on her background, all the while wondering if there were indeed any women skilled in pathology operating covertly in historic times.
Yes, I got them, @GB. Thanks.
I don’t know what happened to my original reply, though. It disappeared!!!
That’s great to know @pkml3!
Hello @Fern! How nice to see you and to know that you’ve started on Coroner’s Diary! I like a mystery drama now and then. I seem to have seen another cdrama where autopsies were carried out by a woman, although I cannot recall the title. The girl was the apprentice of an old man pathologist and picked up all his skills and then some.
I don’t know exactly when I can start with this show, but I might try tonight if I can stay awake!
@GB Was it the imperial coroner? I really enjoyed that drama.
@fern My thought exactly. How likely would it have been that there were women with these skills in ancient china?
Makes for good Drama though.
A note On organization. I think people are posting to 2 different threads About this drama.
@GB,
So far, only 14 of 38 episodes have been released on iQiYi. Two new episodes per day so there’s plenty of time to catch up.
Episodes 1 to 5: Mystery of the beheaded bride
Episodes 6 to 10: Dark secrets in the purple bamboo grove
Episodes 11 to 15: The monster of Samyuan village
I like the little details in the story, e.g., she bows in respect for the dead before she performs the autopsy;
the male lead inadvertently became her recorder when everyone else left the room as they couldn’t stomach the sight and smell of the procedure;
her solemn and stony face when she’s performing the task;
the thoughtful gifts he prepares for her (no flowers and jewelry for her yet!) — I thought it was cute when he advised his male cousin to give Wan a medical book instead of a popular fiction with a dashing hero (or was it heroine? I can’t remember). I’m sure that later in the story, he’ll give her something sentimental like a sprig of medicinal herbs.
It’s okay for now, @monmor. If people keep posting on the WAWW thread, then I’ll move them here.
Add the cdramas “Miss Truth” and “Maiden Holmes” to “Imperial Coroner.” “Miss Truth” interested me but as it wasn’t subbed quickly on Viki, it got shoved down my To Watch list until it disappeared. As for “Maiden Holmes,” it was my first time watching Zhang LingYe. It was so-so. The romance was forgettable and the cases were nothing remarkable. I guess the main draw was Zhang LingYe.
I have not heard of miss truth. I started maiden holmes But never finished it.I think I just lost interest.
Thank you for the additional suggestion.
@pkml3 I’ve watched the first 3 episodes. I like the way the male lead is observing her closely and hiding how impressed he is.
I’ve noticed in modern day Kdrama as well as cdrama that they pay respects to the dead first before doing anything with the corpse. This is the first time I’ve seen it in a period cdrama. It’s a nice acknowledgement that the one before them is not just an object but used to be a person, like themselves, and deserves respect.
I’m excited to know what happened to the would-be bride. I’m almost certain it was an imposter (poor woman) who was likely killed first and then dressed as a bride (from the clues found about the lack of blood in the right places inside the palanquin).
@MM, how far into this series have you gone?
The show obviously made little impression on me and I don’t believe I actually completed it, hence I recall nothing of the title. All the titles mentioned in this thread sound familiar to me!! LOL. So that’s no help.
I was pleased to see that this show has Landi Li (or in the Chinese way, Li Lan Di) in it. I enjoyed her style in Filter (that was a show that got me breaking down in laughter unexpectedly). She has a ‘solemn’ or ‘senior’ sort of disposition even when she acts as someone young. And I forget that she’s actually young at only 25. But she’s been in many shows and is ‘seasoned’.
@GB,
Li LanDi is exquisite. I notice that the camera likes to shoot a close-up of her face and resting face is serene and stately. She and the male actor have matching great visuals.
@GB, with this cdrama, it’s hard for me to predict how the story will twist and turn, but it’s easy to tell who the guilty party is. 😂😂
There’s this scene when Wan lifted the covers to check the corpse’s pubic area and Yan Chi instantly turned away and so did the prefect Huo. There’ll be a scene in Episode 13 when Chi is visibly uncomfortable about nudity while Wan is totally unfazed because seeing naked bodies is part of her job.
@GB I am watching episode 7 of A coronary’s diary. I really like this type of c drama where the pace is quick Investigative and suspensful. The romantic leads work together and have respect for each other’s professional abilities.
I mentioned imperial coroner earlier and that cdrama is very similar in style, as I recall.
@PM3 I noted how unreal the headless corpse looked, almost laughingly so. It looked so obviously like a mannequin. Made one wonder right away about why it was not bloody. Yes the corpse laid out on the table definitely looked like a man or a large woman and not a bride.
I did not think about it possibly being because of a low budget for the drama.
Hi @pkml3 and @MM
I’ve reached Ep 6 and of course the show pushes forward the sinister Steward Liu as a likely suspect. I figure that we’ll get a few red herrings and possible other suspects as well to keep us guessing.
The other thing I like about the male lead is that despite being smitten, he still has his wits about him. He’s still cautious even when it comes to Wan. I like that he does not jump to conclusions, and when he does, he’s still prepared to listen to Wan who disagrees with him.
There is an interesting trail to do with an infectious disease that leads them To the suspects.
Not sure Which episode this shows up. I am somewhere.
In episode eight.
Yes@GB I am enjoying their mutually respectful relationship With hints of attraction.
@monmor,
Did you see what Shen Wan did to the skull when she finally reattached it to the rest of the body? Nice touch there.
I forgave the Props Director for the poor choice of mannequin after that. 🙂
@pm3 No I did not notice that. I was.
Watching at bedtime and sleeping through snippets!
Do you recall which episode?
Maybe I’ll split the threads up roughly based on the mysteries. What do you think?
Yes, I like the male lead (so far, so good) because he isn’t a doofus. I like “Prisoner of Beauty” but at some point, I can’t help but think the male lead was dumbed down and his character became one big fan service to Liu Yuning/the actor. For a general, he wasn’t good at strategy and dropped the ball once too often.
@MM restoring the body of the bride as best she could, was in Episode 5.
@pkml3, I liked that she replaced all that she’d removed during the autopsy and sewed up the cuts she’d made. She placed a man-made head in the image of the dead woman in place, made up the face to look nicer and then tied a red band of cloth over the wound so that the head looked like it belonged to the body.
Before this I liked even more that she started addressing the dead by her name because the corpse was no longer evidence but a person, and deserved to be treated with dignity.
@pkml3, if you prefer to not have spoilers where the different crimes are concerned, then splitting the threads according to each crime/mystery is a good idea.
I did not manage to watch Prisoner of Beauty although I’d already glanced at it. I’ll not watch it now if the ML there had to be ‘dumb’ to make the FL look better. However I’m glad that Liu Yu Ning is getting good attention now after the times he used to be called ugly, just because he did not look like the usual pretty boys.
@GB I recall her putting on her lipstick.And wrapping her neck to hide to hide the attachment. I will need to take another look at that segment.
Thank you
@GB
Liu Yuning’s acting Was even better in dream within a dream. I think he is poised now To do even better and to garner more positive accolades.
That means we’ll see more of him on our screens😃
Don’t get me wrong, @GB. “Prisoner of Beauty” is a fun watch. I like the besotted husband trope. I like the “you’re in the doghouse now!” trope. I like the groveling trope.
The male lead was bullied? (no, that’s too strong a word) hen-pecked? and totally undone by his lovely wife.
As for Liu YuNing being ugly/pretty, I don’t know much about that because I don’t have the Asian standards of beauty. But I don’t find him displeasing to look at. Perhaps he doesn’t have the chiselled features (like his cheekbones), or bold features (like an aquiline nose or prominent forehead) but I say he has a comfortable face, i.e., a face that you can live with. I mean, I watched 18 episodes (so far) of “Prisoner of Beauty” and my eyes aren’t sore yet from watching him. 🙂
@pkml3, oh I can look and listen to Liu Yu Ning for hours. I like his singing voice and his face looks okay to me. I did start A Dream within a Dream too partly for him and also for the funny meta on badly written cdramas.
@MM, I’ll have to watch more of ADWaD to see more of Liu YN, but for now, I’ll concentrate on ‘Coroner’s Diary’. I want to savour just 1 thing at a time!!! Glad to know that he’s doing well now. I believe it’s been a longish uphill climb for him but he kept at it and is now being rewarded.
If you watch dwad My advice to you is to pay attention to Unusual screen glitches and symbolic motifs. I wish now that I had Particularly noted the scenes where these occur.
Hi, I might actually get a subscription to iQiyi to watch this….I am a little late in this thread, not reading what I am not watching just in case I might watch it?
But re Monmor’s question, would it be likely? I just cant help myself from putting in my two cents….
I am always interested in the historiography, which here is the question of evidence for a historical practice vs. the likelihood/logical arguments for the possibility of its happening.
Most of the problem with writing the history of women is that extreme care needs to be used. History of the ancient world is written by men, for men, for purposes other than an investigation of the other half of human existence. We use actual records of land use, divorce practice etc, to write the history of women.
Which is to say that most accomplished women we catch a glimpse of in historical narrative are of upper/professional class origin, and must be sponsored or taught by family members since access even to prescribed apprenticeships is blocked.
So yes, a woman could learn to do autopsies and, protected by her class and her family, could be able for short periods of time to function professionally. But that space is essentially fragile, dependant on the support of more powerful persons. At any minute your family can decide that marriage is necessary etc etc.
I got into this with another person over Mme. He’s floricultural business in Flourished peony. The question is, is it deceptive to engage in happy fantasies of women in some imagined past fighting for and gaining a degree of autonomy?
My position is this: that in all periods of time any woman struggles for as much autonomy as she can find within the structures of her life.
From history what we can see is that periods of great disruption do not provide women with enough resources to be independent and withstand ill fortune. That stable societies which are in a generally sustained flux offer the kind of opportunities a woman might need to enter into business or a profession under cover.
But most importantly of all there will almost always be no lasting direct testimony to this. If women cannot technically run businesses it is usually extremely common that they obtain the licenses needed in the name of a brother/father/husband/uncle, And so on. So what we have is invisible lives energetically, actively being lived hidden from history.
We/women now are no different in will and desire from those in the Tang or the Ming. So it is safe to imagine rare possibilities and opportunities in the midst of even enormous obstacles which rendered many womens lives only barely endurable.
Well said (or written!) @ibisfeather!
@ibisfeather, I had wondered if women worked historically in male-dominated professions. I would think that yes, sometimes they did, but their participation wasn’t noted, whether in Asian history or anywhere else. Even into the 20th century, some women scientists had their discoveries published under men’s names.
I have just started watching this thanks to all the enthusiasm and thank you @Packmule for your introductory impressions and recommendation.
It starts very strongly with that rapid and rather beautifully shot opening sequence. I was immediately drawn in.
I am loving everything visual about this show. It looks like a very expensive production with gorgeous interiors and attention to detail.
I like Landy Li in this role too. I’ve also liked her work in the past. I enjoyed her in ‘Dreaming Back to the Qing Dynasty’ – although the costumes didn’t suit her frame. I liked her a lot in the recent fantasy Rom Com with Tan Jianci – super show and great performance: Filter. Great scenes with an Alpaca playing a key role. I haven’t seen ‘Go into Your Heart’ – must check that out.
She looks beautiful. I have her pegged very much as the girl next door and she is often cast in that type of role. They are styling her with more of an elegant feel.
I really like the ML. New to him. He is very handsome and has an intense gaze.
Back to the visual feel of the show – dark and lush and reminds me of classic BBC Victorian/Edwardian shows with that kind of lighting and intricacy of decor. I don’t know what era this is depicting.
I am on Ep 3 and anticipate watching the whole show. The story is moving at a good pace and I think it will continue to grip.
@Kate Yes this drama is engaging from the very start. Like you, the ML is new to me and I have particularly noticed his intense gaze.
Good combination of sleuthing and romance.
I need a reference though for all the various male characters, to keep them straight.
I want to check out Go into your Heart, as well.
I am in the third mystery arc but need to retrace my steps back a few episodes.
Hi @kate and @MM, yes this Show is certainly gripping. I’ve just finished the 2nd mystery. I wept with the actors (you’ve or you’ll see why).
The building of the OTP’s relationship is organic with lots of intense looks and gazing. They make a great team. He’s always by her side as she looks at the clues, listens to her knowledgeable remarks and knows quickly what needs to be done next to support the investigation.
I like that they do not agree on everything but even when emotional or fed up with each other, will still listen to reason and acknowledge their errors.
Old fashioned forensics is quite intriguing. They have to know the smells and looks of so many things to identify them correctly.
OK, I’m heading into the thick of Episode 10 now!
@Monmor and @GB
I’ll be catching up with you over the weekend!
Looking forward to more intense looks and some of the moments you describe @GB.
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@kate and GB
Yes about crying with the characters. Those scenes were so well done.
His comfort hug seemed to be stepping on some boundaries but it was lovely.
I will beback here later to look at the threads. I think I will go back to episod 10 or so and watch from there again.
@pm3 Thank you for the threads.
@GB Yes it is very interesting to see how much she uses the sense of smell. That requires a lot of experience I would imagine.
I just opened two more threads so we can discuss the mysteries freely with spoilers.
You’re welcome, @monmor.
Feel free to post your thoughts on the specific threads from now on.
Hi @pkml3! Thanks! Yes I noticed the emails and popped in already in all of them, but not necessarily to comment yet.
It’s great to be able to comment freely without worrying about spoiling others. 🙂
@Kate,
Yes, in some scenes, the cinematography effectively conveys the mood of scenes. For instance, in Episode 2, when the groom-to-be pulled the curtain of the bridal chariot and saw the beheaded bride. He shouted, “The bride…why is the bride beheaded?”
Of course, the bride was dressed in red. And since it was a wedding, all decorations were red.
But when those banners floated down from the roofs and landed on the chariot, the image I had was of a bloodbath. If the bride had been beheaded where she sat, then blood should have splattered all over the inside of the chariot.
Also, what do you think of the director/cinematographer’s use of mirrors and reflections? The director has found unusual ways to show reflection from smooth surfaces like water. And sometimes, when there’s not even a mirror, he creates an illusion that we’re seeing the character through a mirror by framing him/her in something round.
I don’t mind all the creativity, but I must admit that there were times when I found the double images from the mirrors and reflections jarring, unsettling. The double images gave off an unreal, dreamy, surreal feel to the scene.
Just a heads-up (and a challenge to the BoDers watching this cdrama) —
I think that, at the beginning of each mystery arc, the director/screenwriter gives us a hint as to the main issue or theme(s) of the mystery.
Just try to observe and guess what it is.
For instance, in the Mystery of the Headless Bride…it’s obviously the missing head.
But in the end, the head was the solid piece of evidence Shen Wan and Yan Chi needed to find the killer. Shen Wan pieced together the burned fragments of the skull she retrieved from the killer’s own hearth. And the hole from the stab wound matched the killer’s weapon.
So, the lesson here is that the dead can and do tell tales. Through forensics, the mystery can solved by analyzing the remains of the dead, and contrary to common belief that hidden crimes die with the victim/witness, justice can still prevail.
And that’s why — as I mentioned to @monmor — that I forgave the props director’s use of that ugly mannequin as corpse. The skull was re-fashioned with something that looked like flat wooden face (to cover the holes of the eyes and nose) which Shen Yan was then able to beautify into a semblance of the bride.
Replacing the head to the body was the way of humanizing the decapitated bride once again.
@Packmule3,
The beheaded bride wedding scene didn’t work as it was intended for me because I couldn’t work out, amidst all the red, if I was looking at a tailor’s dummy (bride disappeared or kidnapped) or a body. There was a lag between the reveal and my working out what I was looking at. Perhaps they over amped the redness and other visual elements of that scene at the expense of the story telling.
Re mirrors and mirror-like effects – that’s an interesting observation. I’ll keep an eye out for this and feed back later.
@Kate @pkml34, I’ve been noticing the use of mirrors in a few episodes.
They nicely bring in characters in different parts of the room so that we get to see them moving or see their expressions.
They are a reminder too that the image Wan portrays is both true and false since she is herself but under a false name.