A Good Wife (2013– ) User Reviews

A Soap Opera With Surprising Depth and Characterization

[deonier · 7/10 · 13 January 2018]

The pace and production are very much in the daytime television soap opera tradition--camera lingering in close-ups, tears, bright lighting, hospital scenes, etc. But the story deals with the role of women in society and in marriage, and how women's personal development can be held back by tradition.

What I like is that the characters are not two dimensional. Yi-Zhen is not perfect, but she maintains her integrity. I thought that the actress did a good job of portraying the developing coldness in her marriage. Shao-Wen is not a bad husband--he is supportive, honest, and in his way loving--but he doesn't understand what his wife is going through until the end.

I was pleased that this avoided many of the cliche's one often finds in this type of television. I didn't predict how it would end. I think that the screen writing and acting were very good. I would have preferred more varied lighting on the sets (why didn't Shao-Wen and Yi-Zhen turn the lights off when they went to sleep?). I also thought that Yi-Zhen's hair and make-up were too perfect during the daytime scenes--at times it almost felt like she was wearing a mask and wig. Her natural attractiveness was on display when she was writing in her diary.

The subsidiary characters were each interesting. Xiaoqing as the driven career woman was well portrayed, as was Nina Pan (the actress playing Nina must have enjoyed playing the slithery, tactile vamp). The mother in law was also very well done.

A drama that touches your emotions

[msubhactd · 8/10 · 22 June 2020]

Quarantine time made me to try series in different languages, that's how I ended in finding this when searching in NETFLIX. First time saw a Taiwan series.. wonderful.

A Good wife" .. after watching all episodes I felt that series could have been named " A good husband". Title in original lamguage is "Dearest I have fallen in love with someone else".

Totally 15 episodes are there. After watching first two episodes you may think it is story of wife cheating husband. You may think a husband is neglecting his wife's need, he doesn't care her. You may hate him or scold him. We may feel pity on wife or we may hate wife. We will feel pity on both husband and wife. We will confuse , whom to support, husband or wife ???

But as we pass on to more episodes , we can understand feelings of.both wife and husband.

Hero is from a rich affluent family . Heroine too studied with him in his Architecture school. She is so intelligent and studious. Attracted by her, hero proposes, she too accepts it immediately to escape from her career burdens, for a woman it is difficult to thrive in architectural field.

Hero Shao-wen forced to follow his dad's direction, except in marriage. This is the only choice he made in his life against his dad. So he want to prove his dad that his choice is correct and good.

For his family , A Good wife means " fertile, docile, obedient " . Heroine Yi-zhen tries to be like that, but she couldnt succeed. She struggles to cope up with inlaws.

Due to stress she faces miscarriage. So she gave up her career and becomes 100% hosuewife. .

Her husband never have time to hear her. He is a very busy successful architect . But she has so many things to share with him. But he always comes home tired. So she started writing dairy. She writes everything what all she wants to share with her husband . Her writing used to start with " Dearest ...." . She writes everything as if talking to him. That's interesting aspect in this series.

One day she meets a man, Shan-en who owns book store. He is younger than her. He is a very friendly person and who converse with his customers in friendly way. They both started having friendly conversations like that, which in due course of time connected them emotionally.

Friendship with him brings out her self. She is able to decide clearly what she really wants in her life. But we can't think anywhere in the story that she is cheating her hubby though she started loving.him Till the end I couldn't feel them as lovers, but as friends only.

Two miscarriages completely shatters her. At same time Shao-wen too started feelinv stress since his dad expects him to take over his firm since.he is entering politics.

The real story starts here. Shao-wen comes to know about his wife's relationship with that book keeper. Then he tries to find out where he went wrong. He remembers that she used to write dairy daily while he goes to sleep. Without her knowlege he read her diary to know her secrets, but he understands that all the messages in dairy is for.him. He understands her expectations and needs. So he decides to change himself as per her expectations .

He decides to fulfil her dreams.which ends in creating big financial crisis to him.

I don't want to tell full story. Please watch the series to know how story goes. Whether wife will accept changes in her hubby or will she go away with that book keeper . Couples battles and struggles makes the story interesting.

The story is very emotional. Sure our eyes will be filled with tears while watching few scenes. I loved the character of.both husband and wife.

Some of.the dialogues which registered in my mind are

In a relationship, whoever cares more will always end up the loser"

"But you'll never know what will happen next in your life. Maybe tomorrow morning you'll wake up, and the first thought that appears in your mind is that ... you want to run away."

"The time we have shared together, be it good times or bad times, are an important learning experience for me. I got to know myself better and also what I really want, I owe you my gratitude"

"Women like it when their men listen to them. All you have to do is listen. That is enough to keep her happy, try to understand her needs. Tell her you love her a few times a day, every day. Trust me , this really works well. Please pray that you and I always will have wonderful future"

I think everyone.who watches this series, whether man or woman, sure will understand their spouses more.

Very different climax. By seeing climax I felt that husband really loves his wife most though whole series tries to show that they are not truly loving each other. Many may think husband is trying to dominate her, keep her under his control, but I felt he is really good. He becomes "Good Husband ".

A very emotional touching series.

Some flaws are there, but overall it is so good. I become fan of Taiwan series now.

.

Sensitive portrayal of temptation

[Can06 · 7/10 · 26 February 2017]

This Taiwanese TV drama turned out to be a pleasant surprise, upon discovering it on Netflix recently. Although marital infidelity has been "done to death" in television and movies worldwide, the writers of "A Good Wife" took the time to fully develop the two lead characters, the tormented wife Yi-Zhen (beautifully portrayed by Tian Tsin) and the out-of-touch husband Shao-Wen (convincingly played by Christopher Lee).

This story manages to avoid the clichés and simplicity of so many other shows by methodically uncovering the layers of motivation, inspiration and unresolved disappointment of the two main characters. The temptation the wife encounters to have an affair is not out of pure physical desire or even boredom, but rather because her husband is so blind to his family's needs and demands, he's totally lost touch with his wife's needs. He is not a bad person...just too oblivious to be self-aware of the neglect his wife has endured during their 7-year marriage.

Most of all, the gradual pace allows the viewer to feel the frustration and pain from each character's perspective...no simple "good" or "bad" person here. For anyone who has had challenges with a relationship or marriage (who hasn't?!), you will likely find emotions and words which will seem very familiar, both spoken and unspoken.

Though the show is not perfect (e.g. very repetitive background music, some secondary characters are a bit simplistic), both the sincere storytelling and excellent performances by the two leads makes this show worth watching.