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This review may contain spoilers
Interesting detective drama with heavy dark themes
This is a well written detective drama set in the Tang dynasty that tells the story of the Palace Investigation Bureau investigator FL, who seeks to find the truth behind her family's massacre that was pinned on her father, the prince of Duan. This main plot is intertwined with mysterious cases that she investigates with the astronomer ML and her Bureau colleagues at the palace grounds and beyond. These cases expose some very heavy and dark themes relevant even to this day and are quite thought provoking - lack of rights and laws protecting women, bullying, abuse, forced labor at illegal brothels, misogyny at work, crazy cults exploiting people for money, etc. And the main theme that is clearly shown throughout the whole drama - there is no justice to be found at the palace, because the emperor himself cannot uphold the law.
Being the sole survivor of a branch of the royal family, FL is favored by the emperor and has many privileges as a county princess. But she doesn't care for status, power or court schemes - her life's single goal is revenge. She's very jaded, sharp witted, even more sharp tongued, reckless and excellent at reading people. She's also an expert martial artist who was trained by the Bureau's boss since childhood. Her charisma and drive to seek justice command respect and loyalty from her colleagues. This character's concept is so cool and FL plays it so well it heavy lifts the whole drama.
After the murdered princess case reveals that a celestial prophecy was involved, the emperor invites ML, who is the deputy director of the Astronomical Bureau, to help FL. He's FL's antipode - a calm, gentle, book smart scholar with a very good memory and some unconventional knowledge, but no fighting skills. ML starts rather stiff here, probably due to sheltered upbringing, but relationship with FL eventually brings heavy emotions out of him down the line.
Despite their differences, together the leads compliment each other's strengths and weaknesses nicely to successfully solve these mysterious and often elaborately staged cases. And as they get to spend time together and know each other better, they not only learn that their fates are connected through FL's painful past, but also develop romantic feelings towards each other. This drama has a very sweet and believable romantic sub-plot, even though it's not the main focus of the drama.
The support cast here is also quite strong, from FL's awesome granpa mentor and her good friends and colleagues at the Bureau, to a colorful host of concubines and staff living in the palace, to the very divisive character of the emperor himself. He may not be the main villain here, but his flaws and weaknesses drive ripples through all the stories of this drama.
There are many nasty, sometimes truly monstrous villains that get exposed in the cases, but the main villain behind FL's family massacre is not shown, nor is active until later episodes, when FL gets closer to the truth. And even then the drama manages to keep you guessing whether he's working alone, or there are some other people in cohoots with him. I'd say he's the main letdown of this whole drama, because while being known to be very smart and calculating, in the end he turns into a dumbass with a penchant for cliche villain expositions, whom FL eventually cleverly outsmarts to deal poetic justice. Another questionable thing here is that the drama presents another villain in the last two episodes who was working behind the scenes to eliminate the main villain and his whole clan. And even though FL uses his schemes against him to deal with the main villain herself, that new villain's shadow looms over the whole happy ending as there's a season 2 (?) teaser with him after the credits of the last episode.
Overall, this drama is well paced, even though it's clear that some episodes were heavily cut due to episode count being shortened from 40 to 34 total. Some scenes are oddly cut and at times abrupt, especially in the beginning of the drama and perhaps the last two episodes. But nothing important was cut, the drama is easy to follow if you pay attention and everybody got closure at the end with as happy ending as one can get considering the tone of this drama.
The drama also has a high production value with expensive sets, costumes, fights choreography and beautiful music.
All in all, I give it an 8.5. Even with its flaws concerning the main villain and unfortunate episode cuts, it's story, characters and music are memorable and quite charming, despite the dark, mature themes being exposed here.
Being the sole survivor of a branch of the royal family, FL is favored by the emperor and has many privileges as a county princess. But she doesn't care for status, power or court schemes - her life's single goal is revenge. She's very jaded, sharp witted, even more sharp tongued, reckless and excellent at reading people. She's also an expert martial artist who was trained by the Bureau's boss since childhood. Her charisma and drive to seek justice command respect and loyalty from her colleagues. This character's concept is so cool and FL plays it so well it heavy lifts the whole drama.
After the murdered princess case reveals that a celestial prophecy was involved, the emperor invites ML, who is the deputy director of the Astronomical Bureau, to help FL. He's FL's antipode - a calm, gentle, book smart scholar with a very good memory and some unconventional knowledge, but no fighting skills. ML starts rather stiff here, probably due to sheltered upbringing, but relationship with FL eventually brings heavy emotions out of him down the line.
Despite their differences, together the leads compliment each other's strengths and weaknesses nicely to successfully solve these mysterious and often elaborately staged cases. And as they get to spend time together and know each other better, they not only learn that their fates are connected through FL's painful past, but also develop romantic feelings towards each other. This drama has a very sweet and believable romantic sub-plot, even though it's not the main focus of the drama.
The support cast here is also quite strong, from FL's awesome granpa mentor and her good friends and colleagues at the Bureau, to a colorful host of concubines and staff living in the palace, to the very divisive character of the emperor himself. He may not be the main villain here, but his flaws and weaknesses drive ripples through all the stories of this drama.
There are many nasty, sometimes truly monstrous villains that get exposed in the cases, but the main villain behind FL's family massacre is not shown, nor is active until later episodes, when FL gets closer to the truth. And even then the drama manages to keep you guessing whether he's working alone, or there are some other people in cohoots with him. I'd say he's the main letdown of this whole drama, because while being known to be very smart and calculating, in the end he turns into a dumbass with a penchant for cliche villain expositions, whom FL eventually cleverly outsmarts to deal poetic justice. Another questionable thing here is that the drama presents another villain in the last two episodes who was working behind the scenes to eliminate the main villain and his whole clan. And even though FL uses his schemes against him to deal with the main villain herself, that new villain's shadow looms over the whole happy ending as there's a season 2 (?) teaser with him after the credits of the last episode.
Overall, this drama is well paced, even though it's clear that some episodes were heavily cut due to episode count being shortened from 40 to 34 total. Some scenes are oddly cut and at times abrupt, especially in the beginning of the drama and perhaps the last two episodes. But nothing important was cut, the drama is easy to follow if you pay attention and everybody got closure at the end with as happy ending as one can get considering the tone of this drama.
The drama also has a high production value with expensive sets, costumes, fights choreography and beautiful music.
All in all, I give it an 8.5. Even with its flaws concerning the main villain and unfortunate episode cuts, it's story, characters and music are memorable and quite charming, despite the dark, mature themes being exposed here.
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