The Chinese period drama series “Fragrant Orchid Remains” starring Tan Songyun and Liu Xueyi has been gaining popularity since its premiere. The show recently aired its 37th episode, where eagle-eyed viewers noticed a hilarious blooper: a monk reciting scriptures with a modern iPhone hidden under the scripture book.
“Fragrant Orchid Remains” tells the legendary story of a noblewoman who disguises herself as a servant girl after her family is destroyed, then rises to power and seeks justice for her family. The series has received rave reviews and high viewership on Disney+, surpassing records set by other dramas and becoming the platform’s hottest show of the year with over 30,000 views in just five days.
It’s worth noting that Tan Songyun, who plays the lead role, showcases her versatility by portraying two characters, the noblewoman Shen Jialan and the servant girl Xu Lanxiang, aging from 16 to 80 years old. Through subtle facial expressions and posture changes, she effectively distinguishes between the proud lady and the humble servant, displaying her solid acting skills.
Xu Lanxiang’s journey from a wronged family member to a savvy matriarch relies solely on her literacy, accounting, and incense-making skills, crafting a survival narrative in difficult times. Fans have dubbed this storyline as a “period drama version of a workplace promotion journey.”
As the series unfolds, more bloopers have surfaced, such as a monk sneaking a smartphone in the 37th episode, sparking humorous discussions online. Viewers joked about the monk “surfing the ancient 5G network” and related to scenarios like secretly using phones during class.
Apart from the “monk with a phone” incident, other bloopers in the show have been uncovered by fans. These include glimpses of modern undergarments during pulse-taking scenes, magically self-repairing clothes, inconsistent food portions in scenes, and actors forgetting to remove labels from costumes.
Chinese dramas’ outlandish bloopers have become a source of entertainment for audiences. From classic shows to recent hits, editing mistakes or actors inadvertently “slacking off” have provided comical moments that quickly break the immersion for viewers.
In a recent period drama “Chasing Jade,” a panoramic shot of a grand dam construction site unexpectedly captured a worker wearing modern glasses and browsing an iPad, while a traditional kitchen featured a conspicuous blue gas stove switch. Missteps like leaving price tags on wedding gowns or forgetting to remove medical masks in ancient scenes have also garnered attention from viewers.
Furthermore, in “Court Lady,” Zhang Ziyi’s first venture into period dramas, a scene where the character Wang Xuan returns to her parents’ home after marriage inadvertently revealed a pair of modern sports shoes under her majestic robes. The production team publicly apologized for the oversight, admitting to mistakenly including behind-the-scenes footage in the final cut.