AleksandraSucur

maybe, but - quoting a famous Chinese politician from a worldwide known anectode told by Kissinger - "it's too early to judge". 😁The drama still has a looong time to go, we have no clue of the reasons for this switch ("more women required" was my guess, the reason can be something else, eg.: the production didn't want the relationship between Ma Rong and Di to be misunderstood by the Chinese censorship, the original male Ma Rong is possessively distrustful towards anyone approaching Di), therefore, I propose: let's be patient. female Ma Rong still has a time to prove her usefulness as a "shark" (this is the term for a "useful sidekick" used in European languages).
I've duly taken into account what PeachBlossomGoddess pointed out as a problem: this actress's delivery of the "shark" and I think PeachBlossom has a point here.
I was too glad the drama rendered the overall vibe of the stories I've read as a kid. If PeachBlossom didn't pay much attention to the original Ma Rong, I didn't pay enough attention to this female one. Now, I also think they've casted the wrong actress for the role of "shark" of Di Renjie. There's something off with her voice, when she screams, the sound is too girlish and overtoned, her physical appearence is also wrong, not because she is a bad actress, but she is just not fit for this character.

You've said she is "causing problems", "huge pimple", Teens804 said "she gives her a headache", I've just pointed out these things are referred to a character, who is supposed to be a brawler, a constant source of trouble and embarassment for Di in the original, too. Maybe some other actress would shine in that role - I don't argue that - but that one also ought to act as a nuisance and make people irritated, because it's such a character.
Maybe we are less willing to tolerate such characters if they are females in dramas (it's my case, too), but overally, they've adapted this male character well, btw. among Di's assistants he was the only transformable into a woman and if we get upset with her, it means the acting isn't bad, it just hit the point. She also conveys a sense of deep loyalty to Di, a trait which original character had, too

glad to be of some help 😊

I don't think it's actress's fault. Original Ma Rong was a giant male braggart. I somehow understand they've decided to change his gender while re-writing the story, today's audience requires more women in plots (more inclusiveness in general), so it's inevitable for the productions to adapt. It's a worldwide trend, even the USA ought to stop such a successful and record-long series (more than 40 years) as Lieutenant Columbo in early 2000' because his wife was regularly mentioned in every episode but never showed up physically.
This female Ma Rong is not completely bad, she was useful and convincing (for this new adaptation, which skips the arc of old magistrate's murder) to show to the local gang "new boss arrived in town/county, you better behave!"

The difference is in the transcription-transliteration system from Mandarin you prefer to use. "Dee" would be the transcription method into English, although, even English speakers should use Wade-Giles phonetical method for transcription (and use "i" instead of "ee"), thing they rarely do.

It's not a big mistake, other languages also often transcribe according to their own writing systems, in French he was transcribed as "Ti Jentsié" (EFEO transcription system based on French phonetics).

Pinyin system of transcribing Chinese characters into Latin alphabet is recognized as international standard and should and actually is the one mostly used in majority of languages that use Latin alphabet when they want to transcribe Mandarin correctly. Because in pinyin it is: Dí Rénjié, the original tones are conserved, but like in Cyrillic alphabet, today is mostly in use the simplified version of pinyin without diacritics. The simplified verson is used in ICU international unicodes for Chinese transliteration, too.

So, in theory, both Dee and Di are not correct, because the correct form would be "Dí", but in practice, they are both correct, because we all communicate here in English and know the phonetical sound of "ee" (IPA: "iː"), as well as we know that "i" in "Di" isn't pronounced as "ai", but "i".

Yup, he found him in some later moment, after asking her many times about her bro. We don't know exactly when it happened, flashbacks are not shown in chronological order. When I saw the scene I was thinking she became useless for Seuk,at that point, he could have killed her in any moment, especially if her death could have been presented as suicide: his family would probably even get a Chastity Gate and his wife, whom he treats as a beloved pet, would be very happy. Maybe he didn't want his wife to be too lonely, he could have killed YH if necessary in any moment later.
I agree with you about the lenght of this drama, it was a long time we haven't seen such an enjoyable drama, it's normal we want more. So many things in it are made wonderfully, starting from dialogues, choice of cuts and assembling in pp, cast, acting, music... It's a rarity for a pastiche genre to combine its elements so smoothly and to deliver desired effects of each one. Such stories are a great risk, they usually fail, but when they succede. then they are better than single-genre dramas.

Her brother is dead: Lord Seok's flashback in ep. 8 shows him speaking to a dying Cho: "if you had given the royal edict and tablet earlier, your sister would have had a better fate. Rest in peace, then"
He turs his back, we see Pil Jik's face and sword and hear the sound of stabbing. Cho's hand stops to shake.
Actually, it doesn't matter if Cho survived that mortal stab or not, the point is that one we agree upon: once Yeo-hwa learn about this thing, Seok, the mastermind behind all those connected crimes will be unredeemable and unsalvageable in her eyes

I agree this way is more romantic. But I'd bet there will be a kiss, too, in ep 11, those two on the same bed together... "my lady who is another man's wife", "wrong ideas" & so on will just be an empty talk. She may be another's man's wife thousand times, but that lady is on your bed the first night she was supposed to spend in her husband's bed. The husband who woke up meanwhile after she knocked him down, by the way and is no stupid. I also think he won't make problems, may even help in smth., like getting "the secret royal edict" from his father's case.

As for the death of evil people here, I trust our FL more than I trust the king threatened by Lord Seouk for so many years, while he was searching the truth about a "secret royal edict" (which is already in Lord Seouk's hands, while the king and Park senior still miscalculate because they don't consider this possibility, they think Seok is still in search of it). But they also rely on FL's capability to obtain a testimony from Lady Oh - we saw Lady Oh was ready to write something when a letter was delivered to her. Lady Oh is also an interesting character: she worked for Seok (in order to keep her mother's secret), killed the former king and her abusive husband, but she is one of the greatest victims of such a society at the same time... She will tell the truth about her brother's death to our FL. Nobody will stop Yeo Hwa at that point, she endured so much for so many years only in hope to get her bro back. She'll dismantle the evil herself, the others (ML, his bro, the king, etc.) may and will help her, but the title "Breaker of Chains" is hers in this story, imo.

"everything is possible, the question is how much it's probable" is one of my favorite quotes, lol.
But even if such a remote possibily takes place, it doesn't change the fact we've seen the development of a romance (building it from feelings that confused them towards a sincere care) until that point. If she wants to travel, it's more likely for the ML to join her. Besides, she evaded from that shrine every night, no walls can keep her if she doesn't want. The real prison for women of Joseon depicted in this drama are societal norms, oppressive bigotry & corruption, it's a place nobody of us would chose to live in. But rather than escaping, she is a hero(ine) of the story not only because she is a fighter (although she is a hero for that reason, too) but because she - mostly unintentionally but sometimes deliberately - breaks the rules. She is now after and - once she discovers the death of her brother - she is going to destroy persons who are incarnation of that society: her father in law (the most powerful person in the country, when he goes down, all his servile ministers will go down, too) and Pil Jik. If the king puts in charge senior bro Park, those imprisoning rules will naturally undergo significant changes, at least the norm prohibiting widows to remarry will be supressed.

I suppose you've posted this comment under the wrong drama. In THIS one - and here I disagree with the opinions expressed above - we see how a "romance" takes its full swing, it isn't "subtle". Although they don't know how to interpret what's going on with them - they are unexperienced and subjects to extremely conservative rules of conduct (and in spite of those rules) - they get physically attracted to each other so much as they've been crushed under an avalanche of hormones, so much that our own serotonin (and other dopamines') levels respond to the credibility of the emotions conveyed by the leads: someone rightly spoke of this drama as of a "serotonine booster". Later, when they start to share their "secrets" and vulnerabilities, their "true selves/true identities", they care and protect each other, they discover sweetness of "little things" like the hidden place where to put messages, cakes and flowers. Their personal life tragedies make their destinies to entangle (as stated by the ML himself: they don't bump in each other for no reason), as well as the same goals they share. They start to discuss, cooperate and make plans in order to achieve those goals. Well, their methods to achieve those goals sometimes need some honing (thing which regularly occurs in every couple in the world, real or fictional), they are different persons but they also change: a rushed badass FL starts to think before acting, and a serious composed official starts doing all kind of rushed and stupid things out of jealousy or frustration, like screaming in the middle of the road etc.
Although the plot isn't only a romance, if the things listed above don't indicate a romance, I don't know what does.

If my memory still works, Xiao Guan, the role ZRY plays, should appear while Di is a magistrate in Penglai. First as a swindler and later to join Di. Although the scriptwriter changed stories-cases as well as their sequence, the plot is still more or less "recognizable" for those who read the original novels and short stories.

Indeed, and in van Gulik's novel he met them on his trip to Penglai. Dee here gives me a different vibe (too much drinking for an upright official in search of truth)

I've got impression she wanted him to gain more experience before returning to Chang'an and becoming useful in politics and "capital justice" (capital sentences are pronounced by high judges in the capital). There's a significant flashback of Master Wei's speech that he is "still young & reckless" while Dee enters the palace examination, so I think it was a hint why he will not enter high politics immediately after.

Anyways, we can only guess, bc. this starting plot is different from the original van Gulik's novel which starts with Dee freshly appointed to Penglai, meeting Ma Rong and Qiao Tai for the first time on his trip there.

they are pretty unknown, espec. the screenwriter, can't find anything anywhere

tnx

Now, I've noticed, there's no trace who is the director.
And the scriptwriters?

Ok, the first four eps exceeded my (high) expectations. Looking forward

Oooh, that's really too much to digest... what a horrible person

Actually, you should be glad if they do, it means your opinion is highly considered and appreciated. Reviews on social platforms are of "public domain", so anybody can use them for their own purposes & interest although rare (intellectually honest) would mention the source.
When I've read your reviews here, I was also thinking it would be nice if you put them on YT, so more people won't miss your clever recommendations/critics which are regularly enriched with cultural and artistic references not many people, especially outside China, know.
Beside, your channel reminded me to watch Fearless Blood I've already wanted to watch after reading your review but somehow forgot.
Now, we have also Judge Dee Renjie... we'll have chances to talk more... :))))

I've put on hold this messy drama, but in turn I've subscribed your channel on YT. Good luck!