American Perspectives: A couple of different topics "Scarlet Heart" C-Drama Ep. 20-22 Response

There was a lot going on as I was watching Episode 20-22 that I couldn't pick just one theme to talk about. 

First things first, I don't care what anyone else says, I still love the 4th Prince.  I feel like a good portion of his family cornered him, and as a fellow scapegoat myself, I feel that his reactions to all of it are justified.  Because 14th Prince is a supporter of 8th Prince, and played a part in conspiring against 4th, I definitely do not feel he is sweet and innocent.  What happened during that time was that 4th and 8th Prince were working together to prevent Ruoxi from having a marriage she didn't want to the Crown Prince.  8th, being like my ass kissing older sister, used 4th's work on the project as evidence that 4th was betraying and slandering the Crown Prince. 13th stood up for 4th, took the blame, and got served with 10 years of house arrest.

Because of this, it is suspected that 4th was the one who killed the hunting bird that 8th gifted to their father, the Emperor.  Such a gesture left the Emperor feeling grossly insulted, and he deposed the 8th Prince.  If it was indeed 4th's doing, it is entirely justified.  8th had taken advantage of his help during a vulnerable time, and had almost effectively destroyed not only 4th, but temporarily destroyed Ruoxi's relationship with 4th, and I feel that was a huge reason why 8th did it in the first place.  He could not stand the idea of Ruoxi choosing 4th over him.  I honestly wouldn't be suprised, however, if it was the Emperor's doing, because there have been moments where Emperor wasn't always so virtuous and benevolent in regards to his family, either.

The strength of the women in these episodes is admirable.  It makes me wonder if in the present day, Western women have moved backwards instead of forwards with regards to empowerment. I am seeing the women in these episodes fighting some really tough battles, and facing some very heart wrenching, highly consequential choices.  I feel like our Modern Western Counterparts have reverted back to the Victorian Era mentality of using anxiety and mental health as the quintessential get out of jail free card at the first hint of an unpleasant feeling.  You see 8th Prince's  primary wife facing a room full of estranged princes with class and enthusiasm.  She knows damn well they are judging her seven ways until Sunday, she knows the Emperor does not want her there, and he explicitly gave her a message during the meeting to "Stay Home."  But yet, when the other Princes are showing each other the positive messages they have received, with enthusiasm, optimism, and grace, she shares her's, and is congratulatory to the princes for their's.  

You see Mingyu and Ruoxi moving on from their rough past, which really wasn't about conflict between the two of them, but more about them supporting their respective sisters who share the 8th Prince as a husband.  And, as I've mentioned before, the 8th Prince is very inept at keeping the dynamics between his two wives harmonious, and yes, I do strongly believe, if you have a polygamous household, it is absolutely the husband's responsibility to keep it harmonious.

You see Yu Tan demonstrate her fight for survival as a dirt poor 10 year old girl. You see her doing everything in her power to hold her family together.

And while Ruoxi grieves her temporary break up with 4th Prince, she knows it's just that: temporary. It's temporary because she knows the 4th Prince has to play a rough political game in order to restore his credibility.  Therefore, she does not hate him, and she does not experience a long term emotional crisis over it.  She plays the long game.  She presses on.  In the west, we look down on these women for being so "self sacrificing," but if we're being honest, they need to be tough as nails to survive.  Many of these women were in polygamous situations, and handling the baggage that comes with that was most certainly not for the faint of heart, or the very easily offended.  Something I may add about multiple spouses, as I've been learning more, is that it isn't the simplistic issue that we portray it as in the West.  There are a multitude of layers to it, and unfortunately, there are times when I find East Asian writers and filmmakers catering the Western Shame and Stigma attached to it, when there's really nothing to be ashamed of.  The circumstances were very different back then, and it was a fight for survival. I have no problem admitting that I couldn't handle it, but just because I couldn't handle it, doesn't mean it's something I have any right to stigmatize it and look down on it.

As I've gotten older, I've realized that life and love are complicated.  There is no one size fits all model of what an ideal person or relationship is.  The concept of right and wrong isn't so absolute as different circumstances change the methodology.  I appreciate these shows because they cater to what I've experienced during my 41 years of living.  I've noticed younger viewers tend to be very judgmental, as they have yet to learn the full on complexity of this thing we call life.