Episode Summary
In the premiere of "A Dream Within a Dream," struggling actress Song Xiaoyu is forced to act in a poorly written historical drama. After complaining about the script's nonsensical and tragic plot for her character, Song Yimeng, she is mysteriously transported into the world of the show. Now living as Song Yimeng, she desperately tries to alter her fate by surviving her wedding day to the heroic Chu Guihong. However, she finds herself trapped in a time loop, dying in bizarre ways each time she attempts to get married, unable to escape the destiny laid out by the terrible script.
Spoiler Alert
"A Dream Within a Dream" Episode 1 Recap: You Can't Escape a Bad Script
What would you do if you found yourself trapped inside a terribly written TV show? For struggling actress Song Xiaoyu, this nightmare becomes a reality in the premiere of "A Dream Within a Dream," where she is forced to live out the tragic fate of her own character.
The story opens with the high-stakes drama that Song Xiaoyu is meant to be filming. Her character, Song Yimeng, the daughter of the Minister of War, is in a bridal sedan on her wedding day.
The sound cuts the tension, pulling us out of the historical drama and onto a modern film set. The director yells "cut!" and the meta-narrative begins. Agent Na Jie is furious, lambasting the screenwriter, Bei Xiong, for the "dumbed-down" plot.
Later, Song Xiaoyu watches as Nan Feng is mobbed by his adoring fans, the "Little Pumpkins" (Xiao Nangua).
Back at her apartment, a dejected Song Xiaoyu studies the script, and we learn just how terrible her character's fate is. She finds the romance between Song Yimeng and the villain Nan Heng to be painfully cliché. According to the script, after their marriage, Song Yimeng discovers Nan Heng cheating on her with her own sister, Song Yiting. When she confronts them, Nan Heng slaps her across the face. As she reads on, the plot grows even more horrific: a pregnant Song Yimeng is captured by Chu Guihong, who uses her and her unborn child as leverage against Nan Heng. In a moment of ultimate cruelty, Nan Heng orders his archers to fire, and Song Yimeng is struck by an arrow. Heartbroken after seeing Nan Heng choose to save her sister instead, she throws herself from a tower, only to survive and be gruesomely mutilated.Furious at the nonsensical and tragic plot, Song Xiaoyu slams the script down.
As she opens a window for some fresh air, a bizarre gust of wind knocks her unconscious.To her horror, Song Xiaoyu realizes she has transmigrated directly into the world of the terrible script.
Now living as Song Yimeng, her first instinct is to survive. Remembering the plot, she knows she must avoid Nan Heng at all costs. She is relieved to learn that today, she is scheduled to marry the much safer Chu Guihong.All she has to do is successfully get through the wedding ceremony to avoid the script's tragic path.
But fate, it seems, has other plans. On her way to the wedding, her bridal sedan is attacked by bandits, and she is killed by a blow to the head.
