While waiting for Once You Are Married to finish airing, I just thought Hold On, My Lady (夫人，大可不必) will be a good filler drama to pass my time. This is a very short production which is a change from the usual mainland dramas that could stretch up to 50 episodes and more. A long drama can end up being draggy. But can a short one be much better at capturing viewers’ attention? Check out the Hold On, My Lady review below to find out more.
My rating: 6/10
Episodes: 4 or 12 depending on version
Type: Romance, Contract Marriage
Aired: April 2021
Images Credit: MGTV
The Cast Of Hold On, My Lady
- Yakisa Peng Ya Qi as Bai Yun Feng / Lu Wan Er
- Gao Zi Tian as Huang Fu Yao
- Han Qing as Zhou Yuan Jun
- Zhao Yi Ming as Huang Fu Mu
- David Ren Yu as Chen Da Wan
- Gao Zi Jian as Si Yi
- Liu Yu Jun as Yue Qing Rou
Main Characters
Bai Yun Feng / Lu Wan Er
Wan Er is a bandit with a straightforward personality. She is tomboyish and uncouth. Wan Er is also a good cook.
Huang Fu Yao
Huang Fu Yao is the younger son of a general. He is a scholar with interests in reading and poems.
Supporting Characters
Zhou Yuan Jun
Yuan Jun is Huang Fu Yao’s sister-in-law. She is an obedient wife to Huang Fu Mu and is always trying to placate her husband.
Huang Fu Mu
Huang Fu Mu is Huang Fu Yao’s elder brother. He is a general with a bad temper. He dislikes Wan Er for her unrestrained behavior.
Chen Da Wan
Da Wan is Wan Er’s attendant. He is also a bandit and used to be Wan Er’s late father’s subordinate.
Si Yi
Si Yi is Huang Fu Yao’s servant. He is loyal and is always thinking of his master’s welfare.
Yue Qing Rou
Yue Qing Rou is the daughter of a minister. She is also Huang Fu Yao’s childhood friend and is adamant on marrying him.
Synopsis
Bai Yun Feng is the leader of a bandit group. She and her members were caught when they tried to raid a general’s wagon. The general made a deal with her. She will have to marry his younger son, Huang Fu Yao, in exchange for the safety of her bandit members. This is because many ministers have propositioned for their daughters to marry Huang Fu Yao and the general didn’t want to offend them by having to choose one over another.
Hence, the general came up with the idea that his son already has a fiancee named Lu Wan Er. Thus, Bai Yun Feng will assume this identity and she will have a one year marriage contract with Huang Fu Yao. After a while, both of them start to fall for each other. But the reality that theirs is a contract marriage is always on their mind.
Hold On, My Lady Ending (Spoilers Alert!)
Hold On, My Lady has a happy ending. Wan Er and Huang Fu Yao’s fake marriage turns real as they both have expressed their feelings for each other. Wan Er doesn’t want to leave Huang Fu Yao even though she is free to do so with the release of her bandit group members from prison.
Although their relationship becomes loving, Yue Qing Rou refuses to give up. She kidnaps 2 of her bandit members to use as proof that Wan Er is their chief with the intention of reporting her to the court. But Huang Fu Yao and Wan Er put up an act to free the 2 bandit members with Da Wan and Si Yi’s help.
In the last scene, Huang Fu Yao tells Wan Er that he intends to report to the emperor that he has fallen for a bandit. The scene closes with them kissing and consummating their marriage.
Hold On, My Lady Review – A Short, Low Budget Drama
It is obvious that Hold On, My Lady was not created to be a masterpiece. It is a low budget flick that is extremely simple and short. The drama has a total of 12 episodes and each episode is only about 15 minutes in length. The YouTube version has 4 episodes but each episode is lengthen to about 45 minutes each. Hence, if you don’t want to spend too much time on dramas, this one would be really economical in terms of time investment.
However, a low budget drama does have its drawbacks although cheap doesn’t necessarily mean it cannot be good. After all, The Eternal Love Season 1 started off with really cheesy and outdated CGIs but it still managed to spawn 2 sequels. For Hold On, My Lady, it will be hard for it to garner the same success because the plot is overused that it would be difficult to capture viewers’ imagination.
Simple But Overused Plot
This drama is like a condensed version of Fake Princess. With only about 180 minutes of screen time, there is no room for fillers and complicated plots. It is a very fast-moving drama that starts with a bandit marrying a general’s son. By the second episode of the 4-episode version, the female lead already expressed her feelings. Basically, you have a contract marriage, discovering of feelings, falling in love, and overcoming a jealous love rival in that 4 episodes.
There is certainly nothing new offered in Hold On, My Lady in terms of plot. If you have watched enough of romance dramas, this is just another overused storyline. It may resonate with those who like brevity and simplicity but it will fall far short of expectations for those who like better quality productions.
New Actors
The drama has used a largely new and inexperienced cast. Therefore, the lack of acting skills shows especially for some supporting characters. They seem to be reading from the script at times which makes the acting look very unnatural to me. The female lead is the most adept of the lot and I think Yakisa did a good job considering her lack of experience. She did make Wan Er look like a bandit with her expressive manner.
To me, Yakisa overshadowed the male lead with her performance. Gao Zi Tian is unable to bring Huang Fu Yao’s character to life. As a result, he seems a little bland although I understand he is supposed to be reserved and cultured as a scholar.
When the 2 leads are put together, there is some chemistry but nothing earth-shattering. I just don’t see enough of that romantic feeling between them to pull this drama out of mediocrity given the simple plot. I think Yakisa’s effort is there but Gao Zi Tian is unable to keep up with her that their interactions couldn’t generate more sparks to entice viewers.
Abrupt Scene Cuts
Hold On, My Lady has this obvious weakness in its scene transitions. There are quite a few instances whereby the scene cuts are abrupt and they don’t flow naturally from one scene to the next. Perhaps it is because I watched the 4-episode version which magnifies the problem. The abrupt cuts could probably be the end of those 15-minute episodes in the longer version. I don’t know because I didn’t watch the 12-episode one.
Nevertheless, the editing could certainly be better done. At the very least, it shouldn’t leave viewers with the feeling that it is poorly done or a rushed job.
My Verdict – Well, It’s Short!
This is the only reason to watch Hold On, My Lady – it is short! Other than that, I can think of no other good reason to recommend you to watch it. As the time needed to complete it is just about 3 hours, there is really nothing much to lose if you give it a try compared to those long-winded sagas like The Long Ballad and Ancient Love Poetry. So, if you are not keen to spend another 30 to 40 hours on a drama, this could be an alternative.
However, short is also not necessarily captivating. If you want to watch this, just dive in with a low expectation. I think it is easier to find enjoyment in the drama this way. Everything moves very fast and simplistically with little room for fillers. But on the downside, the quality can’t be compared to dramas with a high budget and more popular cast. From the set locations to costumes to dialogues, you can see that it is a lower grade production.
For this Hold On, My Lady review, I think a score of 6/10 would be apt. Cliches and an overused plot wouldn’t inspire viewers. I guess if you can sense the chemistry between the leads, then this would still be watchable to relax and pass time. After all, it is a stress-free drama which is super easy to follow. But if you can’t feel the chemistry, then this would really be a waste of time notwithstanding the short length.
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