I swear The Early Spring kept making me ask the same question:
DO ANY OF YOU KNOW HOW TO HAVE A CONVERSATION?! 😭😂
Because this drama is basically misunderstanding after misunderstanding after misunderstanding.
One problem gets resolved and I'm thinking, “Okay, surely we've learned something.”
No.
Here comes another one. 🙄
And this is exactly the kind of romance conflict that gets on my nerves.
I don't mind couples having problems. I don't need everybody to be happy and perfect for 24 episodes. Conflict can actually make a romance better when it helps the characters grow.
But there is a huge difference between meaningful relationship conflict and two people creating their own suffering because neither of them knows how to communicate.
And The Early Spring LOVES the second option. 😂
🎭 The Acting Is Excellent
Let me get this out of the way first:
The acting is excellent.
Jing Boran and Sun Qian both did a fantastic job.
Even when their characters were frustrating me, I believed the emotions.
Jing Boran plays Luan Nian as this extremely capable, confident man who can apparently handle complicated professional situations but becomes emotionally ridiculous when his relationship is involved. 😂
Sun Qian also does a really good job showing Shang Zhitao growing from a young employee trying to establish herself into a much more independent woman.
So my 3/5 is absolutely not because of the acting.
The performances are one of the strongest parts of the drama.
❤️ The Pairing Is… Okay
The pairing is okay.
That's really the best way I can describe it.
I don't dislike Jing Boran and Sun Qian together.
They have believable chemistry.
There are affectionate scenes and actual romantic payoff.
But I was never sitting there going:
OMG I LOVE THESE TWO. 😭❤️
The acting impressed me more than the pairing itself.
And I think part of the problem is that I got tired of watching the relationship constantly create problems for itself.
Every time I started getting comfortable with them, somebody would hide something, assume something, misunderstand something or decide they knew what was best for the other person.
PLEASE TALK. 😂
🤦♀️ The Misunderstandings
This was my biggest problem with the entire drama.
There is jealousy.
There are hidden problems.
There are exes.
There are situations that look suspicious.
There are sacrifices one person makes without telling the other person.
There are moments where one character thinks they're “protecting” the other person by keeping something from them.
And naturally, instead of simply sitting down and explaining what happened, everybody chooses emotional chaos. 🙄
This is exactly the kind of thing that irritated me about Yunxi in Stolen Love.
You love this person.
They love you.
So WHY are we deliberately making everything ten times harder?!
I cannot stand the whole:
“I'm going to hurt you for your own good and refuse to explain why.”
Or:
“I saw something suspicious and instead of asking you about it, I have already written an entire tragedy in my head.”
😭😂
At some point, excellent acting cannot save me from communication nonsense.
💔 And Yes, There Is An Actual Breakup
After all those earlier misunderstandings, the drama eventually gives us a real breakup in Episode 21.
Not an argument.
Not somebody storming out of a room for twenty minutes.
Not temporary emotional withdrawal.
An actual breakup.
Then Episodes 22 and 23 deal with the separation, regret and the beginning of reconciliation.
By Episode 24, they finally start having some of the honest conversations they should have been having MUCH EARLIER. 😂
So if you hate breakups and repeated communication problems the way I do, be warned.
This drama will test you.
❤️🔥 Romance & Chemistry
The chemistry is decent.
There are multiple kisses and physical affection, so this isn't one of those dramas where they finally touch lips in the finale and we're supposed to throw a parade. 😂
There is real romance here.
But for me, chemistry isn't only about kissing.
I need to enjoy the actual relationship.
And because so much of their relationship is spent dealing with misunderstandings, secrecy, assumptions and poor communication, I wasn't as emotionally attached to them as I wanted to be.
🌱 What The Drama Was Trying To Do
I understand what the drama was going for.
These aren't supposed to be two perfectly emotionally healthy people.
A lot of their problems come from who they are.
Shang Zhitao wants independence and doesn't want Luan Nian solving everything for her.
Luan Nian often expresses love through actions, protection and solving problems instead of simply communicating what he feels.
That difference creates real tension.
So I understand the point.
I just didn't need the drama to demonstrate that point SO MANY TIMES. 😂
Eventually I was like:
YES. I GET IT. THEY DON'T COMMUNICATE. CAN WE MOVE ON NOW?
💍 The Ending
Thankfully, after putting me through all of that, The Early Spring gives the main couple a clear happy ending.
Luan Nian and Shang Zhitao reconcile.
They finally address the problems and misunderstandings that damaged their relationship.
And Luan Nian proposes.
She accepts.
So yes:
MAIN COUPLE ENDS TOGETHER.
Happy Ending.
Engaged.
No vague staring-at-each-other-from-across-the-street nonsense.
Thank you. 😂❤️
And honestly, after 24 episodes of these two making their relationship approximately 700% more difficult than necessary, I DESERVED that proposal too.
✨ Final Thoughts
The Early Spring isn't a bad drama.
The acting is excellent.
The leads are good.
The production is strong.
The characters actually have development.
And the relationship has genuine emotional complexity.
But this romance hits one of my biggest drama pet peeves:
problems that could have been prevented if people would JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER.
I survived Yunxi.
I do not need another relationship where people love each other while simultaneously making each other miserable because complete sentences are apparently illegal. 😭😂
The pairing was okay for me.
The acting was much stronger than my attachment to the romance.
And while I understand what the drama was trying to say about imperfect people learning how to love each other better, I was tired by the time they finally figured it out.
Excellent acting.
Okay pairing.
Way too many misunderstandings.
⭐ Final Rating: 3/5
