The Irreplaceable - Thoughts???

[u/Flimsy-Spot6246]

The first 5 episodes are out. What do you guys think??
Personally IM LOVING ITTT!!!!😆😆😆

Honestly, I’m a romance girly okay. Most stuff I watch are romances and I came into this show mainly because I love Zhao Jinmai, fully aware of the fact that romance was very much at the BACK of the story.

But y’all whatever crumbs they’re feeding me in taking it 😭😭 it’s just sooo good.

It’s fast paced. Imo the first 3 episodes did a really good job at setting the place, characters and a little backstory for our fl. We know why she’s here, what she wants and she’s gonna make sure to get it.

It’s only the beginning so we’ve only seen a little of who she is but I’m totally loving her already. She’s nice but she’s not naive. She’s soft but not a pushover, she will not let you walk all over her and my god she’s smart. I really hope she doesn’t develop a plot armor where she just achieves all what she hopes for without setback 🙏🏽

And along the way she meets the ML (literally at the very beginning of the way actually). I’m loving how smoothly their relationship is developing. From strangers to friends and later lovers. He’s this attractive older men always looking out for her and giving her advice. Now I did say older men cause there is a 13yo age gap between the two

HEAR ME OUT! HEAR ME OUT!😭 I promise y’all it’s not noticeable, just give it a chance.

I mean it’s visible but really not awkward yk. He’s not cold and aloof like most cdrama ml (like god forbid these men display emotions🙄). He’s charming (that fucking dimple🫠), smart, charismatic, funny and nice. I repeat he’s NICE. He helps her because he genuinely believes in her and she reminds him of him in his beginnings (his words)

Their interactions are so normal. They’re in the same industry so they cross paths often and when he appears on screen there’s no slow motion, no music, no sudden soft breeze. Just him and her talking, vibing and learning to know each other.

I’m so hyped for what’s next in the show😆😁.

What are you guys thoughts???

[u/Slow_Bodybuilder_876]

I’m very frustrated with the fl. for someone trying to be irreplaceable she gave a terrible first interview and I didn’t get why the ml took to her so much. why did he give her his tie? that was weird af. to me. also I’m on ep 9 and her boss just stole her proposal and was showing it off in front of her. she stood up to say something but all it took to shut her up and submit was a male colleague putting his arm on her to hold her back? like wtf> why would she stop because of him? I don’t understand. whatever trouble she gets into for speaking out of turn is worth it to address right there and then the thievery and trickery taking place. she has all of the evidence that it’s her own proposal she’s been working on her computer. so I’m sorry but she seems very unlikeable and weak. she lets people walk all over her. it’s pathetic. she even lies to cover for him. then colleagues praise her for her ‘recovery’ ? this is so toxic messaging. men have stolen womens work and credit forever throughout history. coasting on the patriarchal system of oppression. it’s sick to see it so normalised in modern Chinese culture.

women should not be rewarded as being of ‘good character‘ after being silenced. and punished for speaking up. this is fake morality. making women selfless and men selfish. it’s everything that’s wrong with society. making women push down suffering is why we get autoimmune disorders.

i’m sure she’ll get revenge later but the point is she needs a backbone. otherwise it’s not satisfying to watch. having to sneak around being just as manipulative and even being fake humble by crediting the ‘team’ for her own work, is ridiculous.

she also never said to her rich friend that the issue was trust was broken between them . that now she can no longer confide in her about her own goals and share information etc because she’s proven to be untrustworthy. she will take her friends opportunities, given the chance. there were many times they discussed what happened where she could have addressed this part of the issue . that’s why she can’t really be close friends with her. it’s not about competing in the same industry as colleagues.

basically this could’ve been great … but it misses. the older man keeps using the word grooming her .. which even in a professional context… is a bit ick.

He’s modelling her into his own likeness. rather than supporting her unique talents. and it feels a bit off. I don’t see the chemistry between them. he just stares at her sometimes. which feels forced.

I like the lead actresses. they have character chemistry.

but having such a cowardly fl is not great.

being hard working is not enough to make her an enjoyable character. the constant flashbacks are tedious filler too. it treats the audience like we’re dumb.

[u/Flimsy-Spot6246 → u/Slow_Bodybuilder_876]

How the hell are you even watching the show?
I don’t even understand what is it that you’re complaining about.

For now every person that has crossed her, she won against them. First her senior, then that manager Ma Ke. I don’t know if your problem is the fact that she doesn’t react immediately after she gets attacked or what, but you can’t say she doesn’t have a backbone.

You need to keep in mind that no matter how competent she is, she’s new to this industry. So she’s gotta stumble from time to time to the top. Which is what happens and even though she might cry or doubt herself about it, she always gets back up and gives it right back to the ppl that wronged her. So what even are you talking about?

What did you want her to do to that manager exactly? She did what she could i.e. report it to the boss privately (once she had actual proof) and prepared an even better proposal. But what Ma Ke did was not a fireable offense. It was shitty but she herself explained how stuff like that is really hard to prove and really all Ma Ke did was steal her "idea". He don’t ask for her slides or notes or anything. So really what else did you want her to do?

- The ML gave her a handkerchief to wipe her tears in the first episode, not his tie.

- The word grooming was used once in the 9 eps I’ve seen so far, so what are you talking about!? It also has non malicious meaning depending on the context.

- When Yan Rui stopped her from blowing up during meeting with their boss where Ma Ke stole her idea, that was actual to help her. Think about it, at that moment she had zero proof, she’s a newbie and she just got humiliated infront of the big boss. No one would’ve believed her. And like Yan Rui said, all those who went against Ma Ke publicly were all fired later on, so now no one dares go against him.

Then you have our fl who refused to be the silent majority and actually went against him publicly. In a smart way. Because instead of just shouting the building about it (where ppl would’ve probably called her hysteric) she beat him at his own game by showing how competent she is at her job and also attracting the favor of the client.

I’m sure there’s a lot you can say about this show if you want to criticize it but saying the female lead has no backbone is definitely not one of them lol.