AleksandraSucur

I'm a bit perplexed: STN is such a smart guy, totally aware of the corrupted and dangerous people who have almost killed him several times and knows that they have a strong backer in the government, yet he continues to have this unshakable faith in Mr. Song, Chang and KMT. It's ok if he thinks it's better to fight them, but in that case shouldn't he be more cautious and prepared (gathering more intels on their moves, inquiring more about the dealings of the government in Nanjing) for such battles? He constantly falls in the traps of the same group of persons and gets out only after a great mess and rush. This contradiction in his character is... unconvincing.

It's an old song (its title is Fisherman's Blues) that just flashed through my head when he was trying to catch a fish. The power of association... 😂

While watching today's eps, I've suddenly remembered a sweet old Waterboys' song:
"I wish I was a fisherman
Tumblin' on the seas
Far away from dry land
And it's bitter memories
Castin' out my sweet line
With abandonment and love
No ceiling bearin' down on me
Save the starry sky above
With light in my head
With you in my arms, oooh..."
Those two together create a sort of magic which moves even an unromantic person (like me) . 😍

Tnx. It looks like the number of Li Shenda's lives finally expired. Let's hope WR dealt with him for good.

That annoying Li Shengda has more lives than a cat.

Agree, both ZTY and Wang Yang are incredibly credible, the acting (including the bad guys) is such a strong point in this drama, definitely a 10/10.
And the story is interesting and well written (at least up to this point), too.

In that case, it's strange you've missed To Love (peachblossomgoddess mentioned it above) as well as Master of My Own (mentioned by others), because those two dramas were both "a modern romance" aired in "the last 5 years". 😁And highly rated, too.
It's normal for everybody to watch genres one prefers, but this actor tried his hand in many genres, that's why it looked odd to me you've never seen him, also because he's truly too handsome to be easily forgotten. 😍

He had significant support roles in internationally produced and distributed blockbusters: two Tsui Harks Detective Dee: Rising of the Sea Dragon and Four Heavenly Kings (a clumsy doctor who helps Dee in solving the mistery together with Feng Shaofeng, ZLY's former husband), and a clever Eagle Army general in Zhang Yimou's The Great Wall with Matt Damon, Andy Lau, Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal and William Dafoe in main roles, a truly memorable cast.
He had a significant role (14th Prince) in Scarlet Heart, one of the most seen C-dramas worldwide. So, it's strange if you haven't seen any of these, unless you are very young.

Oh, finally some "fighting" 😍
Not a ballet as in PA, more like a tango, what do you think?

thank you! 👌😁

Unfortunately, Zhang Yimou's latest films are not distributed where I live (Italy) and are not available on netflix either. It's a pitty considering the huge success of his internationally produced movies. But I found Full River Red on YT, hopefully Under the Light and Article 20 will be there soon.

I agree that line was on spot, but the camerawork, spinning around them, was very annoying, it riuned the moment. Who knows why C-directors stick to such cliché takes of romantic moments? They are good in shooting fights, but terrible in shooting intimate scenes. Unless they are called Zhang Yimou, that dude can shoot truly anything and create art.

Exactly. I've already noticed the ZLY+LGX magic works differently on the audience who have seen and the audience who haven't seen PA. A denial of feelings may make (sexual) tension stronger than a show off. I've recently seen a K-drama The Knight Flower in which the lead couple never kissed once but their interaction was the hottiest thing I've ever seen in a drama (tnx to the excellent dialogues, fighting and comedy, too, the authors truly smartly put all the serotonine-boosting ingredients into it).
The author of Shenli chose a different path, with a FL recognizing and confessing loudly how she feels about Xing Yun, but for her at this point of drama the person she fell for is dead and she must still figure out who is this Xing Zhi and the latter must find the answer on his question: "what's wrong with me?". Imho, discovering-explicating emotions is better than any kiss, this simple fact should be recognized by people who haven't watched PA (which had many flows, but was also a memorable drama for many more other reasons). This one is: so far, so good. If a person like me, who drops 99% of dramas, actually enjoys it, I suppose it deserves some credit.

p,s. Lmao when saw your short on YT 😂

Why would anybody ask for their kiss? It's thousand time better (=sexier) when they fight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BmIA53G70w

had the same thought when they were talking about the seals and elements.

yes, the two succeded in creating a sort of a specific couple archetype we still remember, it's enough for them in this drama to look at each other and the magic is there. And looks like they are doing it effortlessly, like "a walk in the park and not acting", as you've said.

ah, ok. So, when you say he is a big fat liar, you mainly intend he hides he developed feelings for her.

it makes sense, yeah. And when he saw her powers, he didn't want to let her leave because he planned to use her powers as to set free his friend from a messy love triangle that blocked his mortal path of ruling that place.
And she is still instrumental to him for reasons we don't know, otherwise he wouldn't insist on her being his guide in the Abyss, right?

you probably haven't watched Princess Agents.
The main leads are similar characters to Yuwen Yue and Chu Qiao from PA. This story was probably chosen because of this fact (ZLY is the executive producer of this drama, too), pressed by the fandom of PA and impossibility to have a S2 of PA (legal issues on plagiarism, too long story to conform with the new censorship rules, too many characters and sublots awaiting for closure and, I would add, not all of those plots and characters were either convincing or necessary in PA, a drama which still remains - for me, too - one of the best in its fictional-setting spy-genre).
The chemistry between the two actors is not a simple chemistry, it's pure magic in both dramas, they are en-par couple in terms of plot value, morality and heroism, the only differences are: genre and the directness of the FL in expressing her feelings.
In PA, namely, they both hide/deny their feelings for each other for a long time, the FL has her "sly & calculative arch" (being a slave to the ML), but the similarity with Lord Baicang is so obvious: they are both tough and straithforward generals ready to sacrifice themselves for the right cause.
At the beginning, the ML in PA also has this "emotionless" vibes, it takes some times for him to realize he'll do whatever it takes for the FL.

do you think he lied he didn't know anything about the persons he (mis)matched?
In that case, he intentionally matched her with a womanizer to provoke her escape to the mortal realm. I don't know what to think, his first words in episode 1 (while she was falling down) were: "Something is wrong" (it means he didn't expect her), yet, the morning after he went to the market in a way I felt he was searching for her...

Did he fake he arrived late because he "got lost", too?
Maybe he was somewhere nearby, observing her fighting Chimei but ready to intervene to help her out? That would make sense too, if she didn't fight personally she would still think sealing beasts is not such a big deal.