The Double

I was just about to stop binge watching & here comes temptation!

Okay, I have been binge-watching cdramas for a while now & I was about to break out of this habit, but they have done such a good job with characters & finding the right cast, that I gave into this temptation. Here's to hoping that this drama continues being so intriguing & I won't regret spending my time on it.

Ep 1 to Ep 5: The beginning of the ep 1 starts with betrayal, the guts of the guy to do her so wrong and still have the balls to pretend like he cares about her! I care about you but I don't have a choice so I'll frame you parent, get your brother killed, & one more, kill you myself. The tears are the worst, how meaningless. Man the kindness at that Zhenvv Hall, here's to hoping the head of the hall receives the same kindness. Poor Jiang Li, Fang Fei is so right, the wicked go unpunished & take pleasure in punishing the kind. I'm of two minds about Fang Fei taking over Jiang Li's identity. One one hand I can see her conviction about making Jiang Li's family suffer for the neglect & abuse she received at the hall. At the same time, it also feels like Fang Fei did it not because of Jiang Li but because she want to get her own revenge. Ep 4 clears that up, she is doing it for both and man is she brilliant! She told the Duke to scold her back for calling him brainless & he come back with her original identity.

Ep 6 to Ep 10: I get that the stepmother is evil, but the father is worse. His daughter is dead because of the both of them. She died without having her name cleared. This is the time, I wish this was a horror story & she would haunt their ass. Still not sure what's going on between princess & the murderer, but I don't feel sorry for the guy at all. Every time he is confronted with what he did to his loyal wife, he has tears in his eyes. Honestly, what good are those tears? That guy had no care for her. I don't know if the romance between the Duke & Li will go anywhere or if they will even get to be together without any issues. I hope it works out well for both of them though.

Ep 10 to Ep 15: I was so excited to see the competition between the two sisters, knowing that our double would win. But I must say that Rua Yao gave a terrific performance, I didn't think that Jiang Li would have been able to top that. But she won for a reason, the emotions she put in her song made it seem so real. I didn't much care for the graphics because for some reason they didn't properly convey her feelings. They were good but I wish they have come up with a better idea. We finally have a little hint of romance popping up, with Li being jealous about the Duke being at the brothel. I like the drama as it is, but I wish the leads had more screentime together, they are beautiful to watch. The Jiang family is so messed up, Jing Rui is the only person I like so far. Ruo Yao & Yu'e deserve each other, but I can see that being married to Yan Ban will not meet Yu'e expectation. What's more, it looks like both the cousins might end up being married to the same guy and none of them are his first choice. He has such a wandering eye.

Ep 16 to 27: I can't believe how good this show is. I messed up my sleep schedule again to catch up on all the episodes! I don't want to wait so long for the rest to come out. I love the progression of relationship between Duke & Li. It is so good to see such well-written characters with minds that gel well. I also feel a certain level of dread that either the Duke or Li might not make it till the end. That would be heartbreaking, but it wouldn't negate the bond they shared. Yu'e marriage ended up as predicted, I'm surprised that Ruo Yao actually did something right for once. I'm sure Jian Li's father suspects Jian Li's identity. I wonder how everyone is going to react once they find out that Jiang Li was murdered by the members of the Hall where she was supposed to be well cared for. I want them to be devastated! Jiang Li deserves that at least. Here's the hoping both Fang Fie & Jang Li get to clear their names & people who murdered them & plotted against them suffer. For a main character, Ye Shi Ji has very little screen time & I wonder how his feelings for Jiang Li will change things. I saw video on Youkou's international page which included a scene that suggested that Li & Duke might have happy ending. However, they were both standing in front of two graves, if one of them was Jiang Li's whose was the other? Here's to hoping Tong Er survives.

Ep 28 to 31: I had hoped that Tong Er would make it! But now she is gone to go be with her lady. I wonder what's gonna happen to Ji Shu Ran now. Was glad to see her maid being dragged away. I do not like waiting for each episode. It was soo good to watch the first 26 one after the other. I must say, this drama is gonna be one more addition to my favs list. For a moment their Fang Fie had me worried that she had really forgiven Jiang Yuan Bai on behalf of Jiang Li. Thank goodness, Jiang Li deserves better. There should be no redemption of any kind for Ji Shu Ran, for all her claims of she was forced to do things, she is the one who reveled in being cruel. She caused the death of little Yue and covered it up. I don't know if she was really pregnant at the time, but if she was, she killed her own unborn baby to frame a little girl who loved her. Framing that little girl led to her death as well. She is the reason so many people have died. I do think the diviner arc was a bit pointless. They sacrificed Tong Er for that arc. Here's to hoping that the Shen Yu Rong meets the same fate as Fang Fie who was buried alive. Okay this drama just makes me scared for everyone's life in there. I kept wondering who's gonna die next, will it be Fang Fie's father, the poison princess, or Wen Ji. Now, I wonder if Zhao prince might ask Duke to marry his sister. Then where would our Fang Fie be? Living Tong Er's dream probably. Poor Shi Jie probably wondering what's happening around him.

Ep 32 to Ep 35: Wow, the brains on Wanning! She thought she might be able to use Xue Zhao in some way so she kept him alive without anyone knowing. Fang Fie's whole plan centered around exposing Wanning & Shen Yu Rong's relationship. Recanting the testimony might again put Jiang Li in the way of rumors. And it looks like Duke Su will be coming to the rescue. (Maybe their marriage begins with this) Well, it is hard not to like Duke Su & Fang Fie being together, especially since both have such a keen understanding of each other. And the trust in each other is so overwhelming, you rarely get to see such a couple in dramas. I can't wait to see the moment where Fang Fie gives him the jade pendant. Shen Yu Rong has gone mad for sure but he clearly has different goals from the wanning & he is willing to even sacrifice his own child.

Ep 36 to Ep 40: I admit like everyone else, I felt for wanning. Had she only taken revenge on people who did her wrong, I would have liked her as a character her, but she forgot that there was a line she wasn't supposed to cross. I wonder if she ever knew that such a line exist. What she did to Fang Fie and countless other innocent people stops me from feeling anything for her now. I felt for the princess who was treated as an object & violated, but not for the one who decided to the same in return and not to the people who deserved it. You gotta hand it to Duke Su, even with the tempting made by Zhao he still rejected the marriage proposal because in his heart he has already made a commitment. So, that's how Wanning & Shen Yu Rong met their end. I'm sad about Wen Ji & Lu Ji, when I first saw them on screen I had a thought that one of them is gonna die. I didn't expect that both would. I think the ending needed to be better planned. It is a happy ending but still it does not do justice to the entire drama.

I did see Ep 40.5: It was kinda okay. It would have been better if there were other characters in it.

One of the weirdest parts about the drama were the closeups when the characters were supposed to be looking at each other, but it seemed as if they were looking at a camera. It especially happened when the communication was supposed to be between Xiao Heng and Jiang Li. This happened far too many times with this drama and never with other dramas.

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A bit far fetched

Can not see how jiang xuanbao ever got to be a left or right chancellor, he is too gullible and stupid, believes anything almost anyone says especially his wife. Since there are so many incidents in his family occurring and he doesn’t question anything. Obviously really doesn’t care about his daughter(s) just his reputation and how he looks to others. The grandmother is too passive and must not feel she has any real power either. Pretty much the same with the emperor, doesn’t may sense how she betrayed her brother to help the present emperor ascend to the throne, so she can have a lot of power in the palace
Lastly the ex-husband is probably more unscrupulous than Princess Wanning once he learnt to deal with her, had the nerve to be jealous of his former wife, after the other things he did, he just as crazy as the princess they deserved each other

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If you want to watch a drama with revenge, power and arrogant male lead this a good choice

17 episodes has been released and I have finished to watch all the 17 episodes and I'm in love with their slow burn romance, i didn't expect this drama to be this good, their acting skills is on top notch especially in the scene where the female lead played guqin , she wasn't only playing the guqin it was as if she was telling her story and she will definitely take revenge, the emotions on her face ... amazing that scene is amazing and in today's episode the scene where she gets drunk 🤭 and her conversation with xiao heng , in that scene I was like kiss her ..kiss her 🤭🤣 i will be looking forward for more new episodes and i highly recommend this drama

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Pretty graphically violent, but good for web novel enthusiasts who like revenge plots.

When I say this one is violent, I mean VIOLENT. The introduction is extremely dark right off the bat, and there are unsettling scenes scattered throughout the drama afterwards.
Of course it's not uncommon for a drama to have many supporting and minor characters killed off in a high stakes plot, but this drama tends toward some pretty graphic and brutal ones. I don't generally mind violence, but there were a few times with this one where I had to stop and go do something else for a few days.

(minor spoiler; one character is fed to starving dogs while still alive and another is essentially SA-ed to death)

It's much more in line with the pace and tropes of a web novel than your standard drama adaptation. It tends toward an extended build-up of tension before you get any kind of catharsis. For revenge stories that means that the antagonists are low on iq and high on power while the female lead is somehow always both the underdog and untouchable (unless the male lead is there, in which case she is of course outmatched).

The logic can get a little crazy straw from time to time. There's one scene where one of the minor villain girls gets caught in bed someone else's fiancé and they very nearly manage to somehow pin the fault of it on the female lead.
Essentially if over plot armor (for villains or leads) doesn't bother you, you'll be good but if it does you'll end up very frustrated before you make it even half way.

Honestly though, the thing that frustrated me the most was the main character.

Putting aside the Clark Kent premise, where a woman who was apparently the widely renowned wife of a high profile official can apparently come back to town with just a name change, and no one seriously challenges her identity, I found I couldn't really enjoy Xue Fangfei's character because of Jiang Li.
Xue Fangfei's intentions toward her may be good, but in the end she uses her after her death just as much as her stepmother did in life. Even with the scenes of her smiling ghost, I still felt like her kindness ended up being repaid with an erased existence and an unmarked grave.

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A Savage Tale

First I would like to say that this is an awesome piece.
Instead of roaming through the lives of royals, this story is centred around a commoner who has been framed by her in laws and faces death. Saved by a kind hearted girl, she decides to go for revenge.

Highs of the drama
1. The plot as it offers uniqueness through its fresh concept. The story goes through the life of a common girl instead of delving into a princess's life. The twists and turns which follows keeps the story intriguing.

2. Performance
Leads have effortlessly slipped into their role. Jin Yan and Xin Yue did a terrific job in their first drama together. Their chemistry is swoonworthy.

The drama is highly recommended for its powerful storyline.

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This drama is a masterpiece! It tells the story of Xue Fang Fei, a woman that, after undergoing betrayal at the hands of her beloved, gets a second chance in life as she is saved by Jiang Li, a woman who suffers a wrongful death after been abandoned by her family. After impersonating Jian Li, Xue Fei, together with Tong Er ([Jiang Li's maid), embarks on a journey towards revenge and seeks justice for her and Jian Li. This drama is a suspenseful story of second chances, revenge, justice, and a steadfast love that grows out of respect and mutual understanding. This is also a star studded drama in which the cast masterfully brings forward complex characters and situations. The leading lady, Wu Jin Yan as Jiang Li / Xue Fang Fei / Xue Li and the leading male, Wang Xing Yue as Xiao Heng / Duke Su, are a force to be reckoned with. Both have smart, powerful, passionate, and influential personalities that make this riveting drama so entertaining to watch. Although there are not many intimate romantic scenes between the leading couple, their romance and the way they interacted with each other was soulfully satisfying and mesmerizing as they teased each other and worked together to exact revenge, help stabilized their country, and find a great love at the end.
As mentioned before, the performances by the cast, main and supporting, was stellar. Apart from the leading couple, there is the flawless representation of the cold blooded, selfish, eccentric antagonist Princess Wan Ning adeptly played by Li Meng.
There are many lengthy and detailed reviews about this drama that could give away some details as spoilers. Read as many as you want but the viewers only need to know that this drama has it all, action, revenge, great costumes, beautiful cinematography, a well written story, and a love that will definitely leave the audience completely satisfied. Enjoy it!

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the double

Positives:

The first episode is a bit theatrical and might not hook you right away, but once the story really gets going, it becomes great.
Jiang Li is incredibly smart, and that alone makes the whole story much more engaging. Duke Su is pure presence and authority — the way he calls her “A'li” from the very beginning is such a nice touch.

Episode 11’s competition was a masterpiece.. One interesting detail was that out of the five judges, two female judges betrayed their own side and took bribes, while the male judges voted honestly.

The courtroom arc in episodes 23 and 24 — especially 24 — was insane. Once Princess Wanning directly entered the battle, the tension went through the roof.
Up until episode 29, the story stayed strong, and Tong’s death was genuinely heartbreaking.

Overall, it’s a beautiful series with a healthy relationship — no constant misunderstandings, just clean and satisfying.
There weren’t many hugs or physical romance scenes, but their chemistry was really good and carried it.
The final villain and the ultimate showdown were done well too.


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Negatives:

The case involving the Ye family was resolved a bit too quickly and vaguely around episodes 17–18; I didn’t fully get it.
From ep17 till episode 20, the pacing stayed kind of flat, and it felt like the show slipped back into that overly dramatic tone from episode one.

The kiss in episode 34 was just… what was that? 😭😭😭
Also, talking directly to the camera — sometimes worked, but when it happened too often, it felt fake and annoying.

about the story
princess wan ning on fire 🔥
The princess’s fake pregnancy storyline was really cruel and uncomfortable. made me sad
Wen Ji and Lu Ji Death felt like rush and forced from the writer once they realized the ending is getting too be happy.

I honestly think the last ten episodes could’ve been tighter — if it had been around 36 episodes total, it would’ve felt more compact and impactful.

And lastly: Wang Xingyue needs a drama where he’s a general from start to finish, fighting in battles the whole time — just like those last few minutes of the final episode 🔥

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The Double is a captivating Chinese drama that stands out for its intriguing plot, strong performances, and excellent character development. The story keeps you hooked with its clever twists, suspense, and emotional depth. The chemistry between the lead characters is electric, adding a layer of intensity that draws you in from the start. The pacing is well-balanced, keeping you engaged throughout without feeling rushed or dragged. The drama beautifully blends mystery, romance, and action, making it an unforgettable viewing experience. The Double is truly one of my favorite dramas, offering both heart and excitement in every episode.

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The best C drama ML and FL ever - watch it

There are several minor spoilers in characters description. But show is a must watch. So watch it.
If you are not sure, then read below why you should. You are reading a review, so you are thinking weather its worth your time and below is described why it is to help you decide.

Where to event start, everything was perfect. I love all the characters from the show. But the lead 4 are actors to be remembered. Wang Xing Yue, Wu Jin Yan, and Liang Yong Qi and Li Meng.

ML - Duke Su
He is everything you ever wanted a man to be. He is everything every boy would fantasise to become. I guess whomever wrote the character just went for that. Also the actor himself, director knew how to emphasise him. Those eyes!! He is smart, has humor, capable, perceptive, informed, has integrity, character, and so on... You would trust this guy with your life. Also his two side kicks are awesome.

FL - Jiang Li / Xue Fang Fei
She is everything a girl ever wants to be. Smart, capable, talented, educated, elegant, beautiful, kind, good person, genuine. And she navigates hardships with no stage fright and no fear at all. On the other side during her battle she doesn't lose track of her own integrity, and she is righteous. And she is very feminine.

ML & FL relationship
The best flirts and dialogues of C drama ever. Supportive of each other, playful but not deceptive. Slow burn, but not to slow. Inside jokes. You can see the character development, change on both sides as they grow towards one another. If you ever had true love, that is how it feels like. Effortless, just being yourself and magnets just go crazy.

Villains - Shen Yurong and Princess
Shen Yurong could be a show of his own, perfect villain story. Very expressive actor, super hot. Torn between feelings, love, ambition, family, grievance, melancholic, so many emotions in his face. amazing. The princess - wow. I've never been afraid of any villain in the show as her. She is very unpredictable.

The plot
- no wuxia, xanxia, exaggerated stuff
- watch even the palace intrigues scenes, in this show they are important clues, and will make you fall hard for FL
- FL and ML make no mistakes - yes!! they don't become dumb and do stupid things - this is very important
- villains are layered and they are interesting and you will love them too
- the plot has a good pace

Minus - but everything else is so good that you won't feel it
- I've would have cut down on the stepmom scenes - that is a bit predictable and overused, disney level character
- to little of ML and FL scenes - you will not have enough of them
- the last 10 min ending is a bit rushed and is not fair towards the rest of the show.

The worst thing about this show is you'll find nothing even close as good.

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