The Double

Overrated but not bad

It could have been amazing, however it’s a little bit like a jigsaw puzzle box that’s been opened; the picture on the outside is interesting, but when you open the box, you find there are pieces missing or some of the pieces don’t belong.

WHAT I LIKED
I adore stories with strong, smart female leads which is why I started watching C-dramas. This story attempts to have that.

The cinematography and set design are gorgeous! Apparently, this show had 3 directors and it’s clear that some were more interested getting the right looking shot that they were in ensuring that the story and characters made sense on screen.

WHAT RUINED IT FOR ME
I think it’s important to establish chemistry and harmony so that the audience is swept up into the plot. IMO, that did not happen here. Reading a book is not the same as watching a movie. A movie requires that the visuals on the screen and the harmony between the cast and script are visually palpable. That didn’t happen here.

First, the casting decisions were terrible. I’m not saying that the acting was bad. Individually, I think each cast member did a terrific job. However, the cast never had any chemistry.

For one thing, it was difficult to understand how old these people were supposed to be. You have Wu Jin Yan who is a beautiful 30+ plus old woman in RL, but she looks like a 28 to 30-year-old. Then you have the rest of the non-parental figures in the show cast as 21-year-olds. If the story had been about 21-year-olds being led by a charismatic 30-year-old then I think that it could have worked. Instead, they put 5+ lbs of make on Wu Jin Yan and used trick lighting to try to make her look 21. The result is extremely uneven. She looks that age in about 80% of the scenes but, often within the same scene or episode, she clearly looks WAY older than the people that are supposed to be her peers. Instead of focusing on the plot, I spent as much time tying to figure out what was going on with their ages and whether that was intentional.

Furthermore, I think the decision to pretend that the Directors could manipulate things so that WJY could pass for 21 also destroyed the chemistry. Instead of a harmonized crew, we got great individuals playing good roles. What we needed was people that seemed to care about each other on screen as much as they did in the novel.

Second, the plot line was not great. Wu Jin Yan can be a great actress. She was fantastic in Yangxi Palace! IMO, she’s one of the best at making you believe that the FL is clever. However, in this it seemed like she was sleepwalking through the plot. The examples of her charater’s cleverness are not delivered with the same zing as Yangxi palace. I blame a lot of that on the plots. They’re clever, but predictable. Please tell me if you didn’t know what was happening with the flags at the quasi-nunnery 5 minutes before it was revealed.

Part of it was the setup. The main character went from normal and somewhat gullible when she was first introduced to being clever as a fox overnight, literally. At least, show us how she mentally worked out that she could be clever person instead being just a pawn.

The instrumental music used to propel the scenes is meh. It’s kind of like the show. It’s not bad, but it’s not something to get excited about either.

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Another Predictable Revenge Plot

After watching the trailer, I expected some intense palace intrigue. The drama started out so well, but after watching 10 episodes, all we've seen is the stepmom and stepsisters scheming against the female lead. There's a lot of unnecessary filler, with too much talking and comedy that makes the plot feel unserious.

I've dropped many dramas like "Love Like the Galaxy" because I don't enjoy plots where all the female characters gang up on one person, making the female lead a perpetual victim. The supporting characters in this drama aren't compelling enough for me to care about them. The stepmom's hatred for the female lead simply because she's the daughter of the first wife is such a cliché; we've seen this plot in so many dramas.

The main reason I've stuck with this drama is because of Wang Xing Yue. His strong presence, acting, and voice are impressive, and I will definitely check out his future works. I don't mind a slow-burn romance, but we're not getting enough screen time for the male lead, and there's a lot of pointless dialogue between the main leads. To be honest, Wu Jin Yan is not the right choice for the female lead role.

For now, I'm dropping this drama, though I might pick it up again in the future just to watch the male lead.

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Revenge, slowburn romance, and power struggles

I was wavering between 7,5 and 8 on this. Ended up giving it 8 stars as it was well-made.
It is long; 40 episodes of 45-50 minutes is a lot of time to fill.
When I started watching it, I binged quite a lot of the episodes, but then I started to feel I needed some breaks.

The story has good drive, gives you breathers and climaxes, and even with side-stories and sub-plots the main story is driven forward. It is just that there is a lot happening.

The story follows Xue Fang Fei, who was in a happy marriage with a top scholar (Ye Shi Jie), until the Princess falls for her husband. The powerful Princess sets her up to discredit her name, and forces her husband to kill her. She survives, and is saved by Jiang Li, who has been living apart from her family since she was young after being set up by her step-mother. Jiang Li dies, Xue Fang Fei takes on her identity and promises to bring justice not only to Jiang Li, but also to get revenge for herself.
Back in the capital and the Jiang Li family, she meets several obstacles, but she also finds some true friends and supporters. One of them is the powerful Duke Xiao Heng, who also works with the Emperor to reveal power plays.

The cast is great, and acting is strong too. I do like both Wang Xing Yue in the role of Xiao Heng and Chen Xin Hai as Ye Shi Jie. Both of them deliver convincing performances in their roles. As for the FL played by Wu Jin Yan, she is also a strong actress. It is just that her looks don't sit right with me...I am sorry! The combination of the makeup and her thin, bony features just makes her look unhealthy for me, to the extent that I didn't manage to ignore it. This is my problem, and I haven't really let it affect my rating. Li Meng who starred as Princess Wan Ning delivered a very strong performance.

I found the ending to be a bit weak, but at the same time I am glad they didn't drag it out for another two or three episodes.

Watch this if you like strong female characters, revenge stories and epic tales in a historical setting, with some slow burn romance.

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TBH I watched this after TPOB

So after I watched TPOB I was having a hard time finding another c drama to watch. I was really bad. Anyways I it was on my fyp on tictok and leaned what it was about. I love revenge c dramas more than anything so I decided to start watching it, but we have an issue now because this was really good and I can't find another c drama to watch that will beat this if you have any recommendations please tell me. I loved the acting and how it wasn't focused on just the romance it was a nice flow. I ended up enjoying this more than the TPOB. The only thing I didn't like about that was they fell in love to quickly like the moment they saw each other. Anyways this c drama music was amazing I cried a lot when sad things happened and the music played. ♾️/10 wokd recommend.

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"芳菲落盡梨花白"

This drama is a masterpiece. The revenge the angst, its all done right. I've cried watching this, laughed, smiled, literally everything. The cast was perfect, every single one of the characters either made me want to punch them, or support them. Even though I absolutely hate the scriptwriter for all the unecessary deaths like Tong er and Wen ji and Lu ji. Especially with Tong er's d***th making me ball tears even though I already knew it was going to happen. After finishing the drama, I think my favorite episode was by far the zither episode with Jiang Li playing 芳菲落盡梨花白. The song is still stuck in my head, and the ost definitely tied together the emotion. I tried not to spoil too much, but if anyone is still deciding whether to watch the drama go right now because its 100% worth it and go in blind!

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Watch this one if you want to feel empowered!!!

A thrilling beginning with a grand finale. I watch many C-dramas, and this one gets my vote for best in 2024. It’s a very cinematic piece about love and choices encompassed by a beautiful soundtrack. There is just the right amount of heartbreak to arouse the emotions and shed a few tears without killing the entire story. It left me feeling empowered to advance in my goals and meet challenges head on.

My only real negative point is that it gets a little slow in the middle but if those episodes didn’t exist, then the plot would be riddled with holes. I do feel it could have been condensed or rearranged because like most typical Chinese dramas the spectator is confronted with separate problem arcs that our leads must conquer to advance. Many are interesting but a couple had me saying “what now” or “gah, not this again”. With that being said it’s 100% worth pushing through without skipping because the payoff is worth it.

I hate this cliché I’m about to say, but I must admit, the chemistry was epic between our leads. The supporting roles were also so well developed they could also be considered leads. The majority of the characters left me with a feeling as if they were actual people/families I know and can still visit in real life.

The series is tagged “revenge” plot but “justice” would be more suitable for those who have watched and payed attention to the message. Netflix doesn’t have the extra 5 min episode 40.5 so I had to find it elsewhere online. But the story is still complete without the extra bit and it doesn’t have an open ending.

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Visual Storytelling at Its Best

This drama has truly earned its praise, and for good reason. If you're just getting into Chinese dramas and looking for an amazing female-centric revenge story, "The Double" is the one to see. The visuals are stunning, featuring amazing cinematography, beautifully choreographed fight scenes, and only a few slow episodes (and that’s always a blast in my book with historical C dramas). It stands out as a top-notch palace intrigue drama.

The story centers on Xue Fangfei, who faces betrayal by her husband and adopts a new identity to seek revenge. While the romance with Duke Su unfolds as a slow burn, it is ultimately satisfying. The chemistry between the leads is truly remarkable, and some of the best moments come from their interactions.

I liked the parallels the drama was trying to show us with what it would be like for our female lead to actually be with the man who cared for her as opposed to the disaster of her first marriage.

However, I do want to warn viewers who are seeking a heavy romance—this drama isn't that. This is a revenge-heavy drama about a woman hell-bent on restoring justice for everyone who didn’t get it.

Romance, here is just a cherry on top. I do think that some of the best episodes were of Duke Su and Xue Fangfei interactions.


I do have things to mention I believe were unnecessary.

Several elements I found less enjoyable, particularly after episode 30, where too much time becomes focused on the backstories of the villains, especially the Eldest Princess. Although it's important to understand her character, the amount of screen time felt excessive and could have been better balanced throughout the series. Those scenes were draggy and dialogues could have been cut in half.

One point of frustration was the abrupt cut of a kissing scene between the main leads near the end (it was somewhere after episode 30). Their romance doesn't feel fully bloomed until the final episode where the director finally chooses to include proper kissing scene. I think reason why it threw me off is because the drama itself does not gloss over bloody and violent scenes and sexual violence. So cutting off intimate interaction between main leads seemed extremely strange. But this is just me because I like my romance with lots of skinship if there is romance. otherwise, I don’t want any teasing with romantic upload if we are not going to get it in full.

For those who crave a clear happy ending, my recommendation is to stop watching the last episode after the marriage scene. The last ten minutes felt unnecessary and out of the left field.

While I appreciated the aesthetics of the closing moments and understood why the writers decided to go in that direction, I couldn't shake the feeling that the leads deserved a more definitive conclusion. After being so invested in their struggles for 40 episodes, the final twist—suggesting a meeting in the afterlife—felt like a punch to the gut. Our heroine ends up in misery, which feels undeserved after all she's been through.

I understand that some dramas aim for realistic endings, but after 40 episodes of suspension of my belief, I wanted a clear at least happy for now ending. Therefore, I docked half a point for that creator’s choice.

Overall, despite a few missteps, the cinematography, writing, and production value make "The Double" a must-watch.

Memorable episodes for me or episode 17 where our female lead is drunk. That scene in the rain was amazing.

Another memorable scene was when Xue Fangfei played a folk piece at the academy exam.

Despite my dislike of the ending, I actually did like the way the last 10 minutes were executed. Aesthetically that last sequence was very touching.

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No title

Predictable plot. Similar twists is repeatedly used. In the middle of assassin attack or dangers main casts can waste precious seconds to look at each other with love and talk stupid. Happens too many times spoiler. Like you're in the middle of a good dream and you're abruptly interrupted for a few seconds and then force to continue the dream which by this while isn't so good anymore.
Main actress is way too old for the role like a decade too old. Her puffy eyes betray her age. She is poor in comical moments. She isnt pretty. Casting numerous prettier and younger looking supporting and guest role actresses doesn't help her. Like making her age more obvious. Main actor role all too familiar and repeatedly used in too many period drama. High fighting skill, make little mistake, can predict all enemy's move like always and has bad childhood. Phui!!!

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Worth a watch

LIKE

Princess Wan Ning's love and hate - Li Meng is so good in her acting

When Xiao Heng checked on Fang Fei's pulse and asked "Whose??" - LOL

DISLIKE

Shen Yu Rong's fickle-minded character made me rolled my eyes - it is either you love or you let go

MUSIC - personal fav

观雪 Guan Xue - 王心凌 Wang Xin Ling
活下去爱下去 Huo Xia Qu Ai ia Qu - 辰乐 Chen Le
凋零 Diao Ling - 黄诗扶 Huang Shi Fu
一世聪明 Yi Shi Cong Ming - 詹雯婷 Zhan Wen Ting
墨雨云间 Mo Yu Yun Jian - 井胧 Jing Long, 井迪儿 Jing Di' er
当归 Dang Gui - 金润吉 Jin Run Ji, 崔子格 Cui Zi Ge
芳菲落尽梨花白 Fang Fei Luo Jin Li Hua Bai - 米靓 Mi Liang

REWATCH VALUE

Will re-watch when free some day

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