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| Liu Yuning & Li Yitong’s ‘A Dream Within A Dream’ Has Fans in Stitches With Its Wacky Time-Loop Comedy (iQIYI) |
If you were expecting a standard swoony costume drama with A Dream Within A Dream, think again, mate. This show is straight-up wacky — in the best way possible. Starring Liu Yuning and Li Yitong, the series has gone viral for throwing the classic historical romance rulebook straight out the window and replacing it with pure comedic mayhem.
Li Yitong plays Song Xiaoyu, a struggling actress who mysteriously ends up trapped inside a book, forced to play the tragic heroine Song Yimeng. Normally, Yimeng’s storyline is a grim one: tortured to death by the cold, sadistic male lead Nan Heng, played by Liu Yuning. Only Song Xiaoyu, well aware of the script thanks to her real-world knowledge, is having none of it.
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Cue a laugh-out-loud game of cat and mouse as Yimeng keeps dodging Nan Heng’s attempts to finish her off — and the script itself seems to have a mind of its own. In one moment, Nan Heng tries to finish her with an arrow, only for the script to force him to leap in front of his own shot and block it. Another time, he goes to strangle her, but his hands basically betray him, leaving him flailing around like a broken puppet.
Viewers have called the script the “third invisible character” — constantly twisting reality so everything stays on track, no matter how hard the characters rebel. And honestly, it’s hilarious to watch.
Art Imitates Real Life?
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What’s made the buzz even bigger is how A Dream Within A Dream slyly pokes fun at the Chinese entertainment industry itself. Netizens joked that the drama’s screenwriter must’ve had a rough time in showbiz, given how well the series skewers all those behind-the-scenes nightmares — the crazy ranking wars, casting battles, mega-star tantrums, and the all-powerful entourage culture.
The screenwriter, a bit spooked by the speculation, took to social media to deny any real-life revenge stories. “I’m not! I didn’t! I don’t know!!!” they wrote, practically in panic. “I’m just an ordinary creator.” Sure, mate. We’ll take your word for it (or not).
Cracking Performance
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Despite the off-the-wall plot, audiences have gobbled it right up. A Dream Within A Dream premiered on 26 June with massive hype, clocking a popularity index of 9163 on its main platform — a level that looks set to break 10,000 in no time. Over at Yunhe, the drama pulled a cracking 10.5% effective viewership share on day one, easily overtaking The Princess’s Gambit (8.2%) in the same slot.
Underneath all its absurd and brilliant slapstick, A Dream Within A Dream actually strikes a surprisingly deep chord. As Song Xiaoyu tries to rewrite a tragic fate and claim her freedom, there’s a sneaky nod to themes of identity, agency, and carving out your own future.
Still, it’s the ridiculous antics that make this one worth binging. If you fancy a period romance that’s less tear-soaked handkerchiefs and more script-breaking giggles, this might just be the most bonkers (and oddly moving) drama of the year.