The Double

Can't believe the ML is just 22 and giving us so many top cdramas

From Story of Kunning Palace, Admist a Snowstorm of Love to The Double my guy is winning in life this year. Truly both the ML and FL have done such a fabulous job in this drama. Good plotline, intricate politics and revenge story and Yurong being the villain you just gotta hate, everything was awesome👍 👌

Mind you this is NOT a romance drama, oh no, this is a nice revenge drama with sweet moments dropped in between at the correct time and story arcs. We don't even get to see a kiss between the MCs, the stupid candle stole the limelight lol. I also liked that all the deaths of the characters were meaningful and sort of triggers points to push the FL to make decisions. And one scene which really won my heart, was the one with the ML waiting at the gate, and the FL joining him on horseback, showing she hadn’t abandoned him. That was a great shot. If you know you know 😏

I'm so glad we got additional scenes of Ali and Xiao Heng married life and their daughter. It was so cute. So glad it had a happy ending ☺️

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I liked it, despite its issues

Things I liked:
- Pacing was overall well done, I didn't feel like any part dragged particularly or got too rushed (except the ending but what is new in cdramas)
- The fight scenes were *chef's kiss*, choreography was on point and it was really exciting to watch
- I thought the acting was really consistent and everyone casted was giving it their all... Everyone cries so prettily in this haha
- I personally thought it had some artistic shots that were really beautiful
- It got a few laughs out of me, and I didn't find the comedy too intrusive... Though it could kinda goofy, it didn't detract from serious scenes.
- The original soundtrack is sung beautifully, though I thought they sometimes cycled too much too fast through the songs... Yes, I understand it's an emotional scene.
- I quite enjoyed the ending as it was filmed... Reading the book's ending, I think it was rather more dramatic and it would've extended the series too far if they hand't changed it. Though I'd hoped for more lovey-dovey married couple stuff :(

Things I didn't like:
- Chinese screenwriters have a vendetta against ending TV series... This was rather on point with it, with the last couple episodes feeling like an overstuffed burrito just spilling pseudo character development everywhere. No, I don't care about the Jiang family. No, I don't care about Consort Li and the Emperor's relationship. Etc,etc.
- The narration was lame. It reminded me of those lifetime movies based on real events... It was telling not showing. Literally.
- When it wasn't artistic, there was a real feeling of being hit on the head with everything they wanted me to pay attention to, and yes the CGI guqin competition was the pinnacle of this. I think they could've done it better and with more subtlety. Specially compared to a similar scene - XFF playing a song to rattle SYR during the princess' birthday. Beautiful, emotional... NO CGI.
- There was a lot of standing around gaping whenever XFF began her monologues.
- I cringe hard everytime I remember XH's laughter and goofy grin in the last episode... It seemed wildely out of character to me

Honorary mentions to:
- Xiao Heng's fan, which I'm convinced is the root of every dramatic thought he has ever had (he's very dramatic)
- The forever full moon MC that appears every single night, really auspicious
- The rain is also an important MC that appears often, especially whenever the scene has to have dramatic or artistic value
- The absolutely unhinged porn BG music that plays sometimes in XFF and XH romantic scenes, most unfortunately
- The main couple's double power to destroy any and all side characters... RIP everyone!

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Scheming all the way

Finished and not sure how I felt about this program. Let’s start with what I thought was amazing.
The FM and ML were amazing and I thought all the actors were brilliant too. With a special shout out to the princess, she played her part fantastically. So evil but so good, and we learned about her past and start to understand why she was the way that she was.
The cinematic where breathtaking and through out it as all very convincing. And really enjoyed the OST.


But, I struggle with the storyline and the constant scheming. I loved the rise of the phoenixes and the scheming that went on there but with this one I struggled to keep watching towards the end as I started to loose a bit interest.
Also the ending was left quite open to interpretation, did ML made it back or was it FL dream/ wishful thinking?

Would I watch it again, properly not.

Despite that I feel the high score is still justified as if there was a little bit less scheming around the 3/4 through the series it would have been 10*

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Such chemistry!

I needed to take time out to give this masterpiece a review. From the story to the cast, to the ost even the ending was satisfying . So i'm not usually a simp, but for this drama, i simped hard! A revenge troupe, a smart female lead, a hot male lead and good cinematography, what more could we possibly ask for. I liked how revenge was the main goal and only after revenge was accomplished did they end up delving into romance but then the chemistry would leave you chanting ; KISS ! KISS! KISS! well at least that's what i was going most of the time. A masterpiece that deserves an applause. But now that i'm done with The Double, what do i do with myself?

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#HottiesForGoodGovernance

I love bad boys. I especially love bad boys with sharp wit, dressed in black, and adorned with a fan to show that fragile masculinity is a foreign concept to them.

What I don't love is when a bad boy turns out to be not a bad boy at all.

Before I go any further, I'm setting PeachBlossomGoddess' review as pre-requisite reading because their review matches exactly my thoughts and feelings on The Double. The point on which I will extrapolate is why I think the drama ultimately undermines itself.

For me, The Double fails to follow through on what is a very powerful swing during the first half of the series. And this is for two reasons. The first, as PeachBlossomGoddess describes, is weak plot lines echoing those of other dramas of this genre.

The second reason, I argue, is the second half kills a boner. No, seriously, bear with me here. This drama is horny AF. In the first half, you have a FL and a ML equal in terms of looks and wit dancing around each other as they glide from suspicion to mutual trust to deep thirsting for one another.

The appeal of the ML derives partly from mystique. He has a sharp mind and, as explicitly stated, he is projecting himself in a similar direction to the FL. Although he doesn't ultimately give up his dom position, there's enough switching between the two to keep the power dynamic infused with sexual tension. At the initial stages of the drama, we don't know the ML's background nor his intentions. The fact he appears to be a bit of a lone wolf lends him an even sexier air; the idea that he isn't at someone else's beck and call.

Or is he?

It was a disappointment to find out that the ML, all this time, has been in cahoots with the emperor. I feel like you'd be disappointed too if you were crushing on a silver-tongued, hot and brooding colleague at work only to find out they're actually the boss' right-hand man. idk about you, but that gives me the ick.

Sorry but maintaining the status quo isn't sexy. I'm not saying everyone has to be a rebel or underdog in order to be attractive. However, if you're going for the Bad Boy Hottie approach, supporting the vanilla and (assumedly?) benevolent monarch kinda takes the edge off.

Honestly, this isn't an issue unique to The Double. It's probably safe to say that, to get government approval at all, the good governance narrative must endure in these historical C-dramas. As I've mentioned in other reviews, it's a common trope to have the FL and ML protect the emperor's power (or help the 'rightful' emperor ascend), even though at no point do we see proof that the emperor actually does anything beneficial for his people.

Which is why, by the end of the series, there's not much substance to the political plot. Oh goodie, #HottiesForGoodGovernance win again. I'm shocked. How grand, the ML and FL have mellowed and now have domestic bliss. Sly smiles and black coats be damned.

And y'know what? If it wasn't for Shen Yurong losing his cool right at the end, he could've been a great Bad Boy Hottie. Uxoricide aside, I'd personally love for a morally ambivalent (and conveniently good looking) scholar to come brood in my corner. Let's hang out, shall we? I know a great graveyard.

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Revenge and GOOD Chemistry between the Leads

The double was such an emotional ride, I've watched all the episodes while it was airing and I'm so glad I did it. The story is really good, the characters are 3D, also the villains (maybe even too much). The dramatic scenes and the comical reliefs were well balanced and ofc, there're flaws, there're some plot holes... but all the actors did such an amazing job that every mistake goes into the background.

Both ML and FL were wonderful, the chemistry was on fire even without having properly called "romantic scenes". They managed to create an amazing relationship and they both gave life to their characters. They showed the flirting, the warmth, the support, the absolute trust in one another and all of this to me it's even more powerful than just a kiss. If it wasn't for them I'm not sure I would have been here till the end. The Duke and Ali are now one of my favorite couple! I'd rewatch this show just too see again their conversations, the communication was so good!

What about the villains? Well they were also protagonists here. They were not just "the bad guys", it was far more than that. Their actions were explained also from their point of view. In particular the Princess Wanning and Shen did great. Shen showed his personality so well. They have been that good that you're gonna hate them for real :) Even tho someone could actually empathize with them in certain moments.

The end was a bit rushed as often happens, but it was so emotional and I liked, if only they would add 10 more seconds at the end LOL

With all the flaws and little bitter elements, I'd recomend to watch this 100 times. If you like revenge, fight for justice, a FL really great who doesn't"forgive" (like often happens with FLs) and fight back! A ML that knows how to trust and support and love without being acting like a macho, but also being a loser (with style A LOT of STYLE! :D), if you like to see a lot of flirting moments between the leads and if you like complex characters, then this is the drama for you!

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Truly a Masterpiece!!

The double really is a masterpiece. Character development is built not only for main character but side characters as well.

Like for the main character ex-husband, you could see how he evolved from someone righteous to having to do the right thing to save his family, (i.e. he kill his wife to save his family), and throughout the show you could see his denial and justification of his actions, before eventually reconciling with the regret and agony it caused him and his ex-wife. You could watch the guilt, and pain, the agony and regret, the anger and manipulation in incremental phases. And you could also see his values shift from having to place filial piety above all else, to letting that go and embracing his need for trying to get back to his wife (who apparently didn't die), but by then she had already moved on, and as much as he tried to compensate, she was resolute in not going back to him. It sounds lame when I type it out like this, but when you watch the double, you can see that when he knew it was the time of his demise as he was fully defeated, he played the flute song that was something they both cherished from the happiest times of their lives, but as he continued to play, she continued to walk away. She didn't hate or love him, and was indifferent as she wished for him the things he wanted for his next life with genuineness. The indifference meant that she had truly moved on and harboured no more feelings for him. And that is what hurts the most as someone he loved and wanted her forgiveness now only saw him as a stranger. She didn't even have hate for him, as hate comes as there was love. But there was no hate or love anymore and pure serenity.

The song was kinda like a final goodbye, his yearning and sorrow his regret and pain. Very beautifully captured, how the same memories can hold so much happiness and agony at the same time. Then as he suicide jumped off, she stopped for a brief moment, and then held her resolve to continue to live her life, and continued walking without turning. And his last view of her as he died, was of her moving on and walking away.

I had to pause the show to sit with my feelings and I had goosebumps.

This is just a snapshot of how much of a masterpiece this was, not just aesthetically, emotionally, intellectually. Everything from the mannerism of the characters, to the textures of the hardwood floor were so intricately and meticulously thought out.

My only wish is that I can forget the plot quickly so that I can rewatch it and relive the experience again.

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Everything about this drama is a masterpiece!

I’m a fan of WJY since Yanxi Palace and I always want her to have a costume drama. I waited so much for ZhaoGe since it’s a costume drama. However, it seems like it will not be aired. Thankfully, WJY got this drama(The Double). Gosh! I can’t recognize her since it’s really far from her previous modern drama. Everything about her acting here is superb! When I saw the casts, I was amazed that WXY is only 22. Despite of the age gap, they really pulled it off. They have chemistry.

As a cdrama fan, I’m not only watching for chemistry. Im more of the story, plot, scenes, and the total production. This drama serves it all. 🔥 Every episodes is worth the wait. WJY and WXY nailed it.

Now, I can’t wait for the ep17. Also, I can’t wait for WJY Kill Me Love Me. She deserves this since she’s a great actress. I hope they can give her more drama like this and not waste her talent. She’s really the queen of revenge. Of all revenge drama I’ve watched, hers is so satisfying to watch. ❤️❤️

For WXY, ackk Im your fan now. What a hottie and seeing the bts of TD, I can say that he’s a gentleman towards WJY, and he’s comfortable.

Congrats team TD! ❤️🔥



EDITED: After Watching

OMG! I’m screaming right now😭❤️❤️HOW CAN I FORGET THIS DRAMA? This is too good! This is an easy 10/10 drama. The plot, script, casting, and production is a masterpiece! I remember watching this on its premiere, there are only few watching. Even cdramas fb pages are not promoting this. I also remember other reviews saying the FL and ML have no chemistry. But now most of them swallowed their words. Apart from chemistry, what I like about this drama is their pacing. The script is not messy. For sure, thI’ll rewatch this multiple times. 100000000/10 Congrats, The Double!

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A new favorite!

Wow what a masterpiece!!!!!! I started binging and couldn't stop, even pulled an all nighters. That's how good this drama is, Everything about it is just top notch that I don't even know where to start. Huge shout out to the cinematography and the beautiful coloring the emphasises the actors natural beauty. Every single actor in this drama looks amazing even the elders look graceful.. The men with their impeccable subtle eyeliner look stunning!! You get me right they all are gorgeous men and women, especially Duke su with his beautiful doe eyes enhanced by the eyeliner wings that give him a cunning but mature look and our stunning female lead with her big eyes. The acting is also superb while watching the drama I got totally immersed that I forgot that this is acting and combined with great directing that didn't prolong a scene unnecessarly but we had everything just the right amount, there were no side characters that weren't important to the plot and the chemistry between the lead oh God!! They are one of my favorite all couple, I loved their banter and how equally matched they are. That scene in the rain I literally screamed like I love them so much. Lastly I want to talk about the beautiful music played from the zitter and the flaute those pieces were so good, I don't remember how much I rewinded the entry exam music competition. It gave me the same feelings of excitement that I had when I watched alchemy of souls season 1. A 10/10 but if I could give it a 10000 I would, it's one of my all time favorite dramas ever

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