AleksandraSucur

I wrote a review yesterday, trying not to throw away a baby with dirty water, cutting the last 6 eps & pretending the creators didn't massacred the "baby" they (and us) cared for so much. Because I (and I can see you, too) appreciate their hard work on building up the story.
Here I've reacted to what you've stated about craftsmanship with reference to the use of "so much comedy" in a tragedy-to-come. I wished to point out that it is TOO MUCH comedy for a tragedy, and it's problem, it's a LACK of "craftsmanship". The craftsmanship was shown in other aspects, not in this one. The comedy and tragedy "tastes" differently, they hit different neural receptors, creating opposite feelings. A writer must be very cautious when mixing opposite "ingredients",, what (quality) and how much (quantity) must use. If you spread a little bit of honey over grilled pork ribs, you will improve their taste, if you put it too much, or other sweety stuff, you'll make a disaster, you won't be able to eat it. The use of elements of comedy in a tragedy is called "comic relief" and this use is necessary to make a break between tense, harsh or bloody scenes. Comic relieves are used even in one of the most brutal tragedies of all times, Macbeth (when porter jumps in with repetitive: "ah, here's a knocking indeed" or when three witches make funny spells like double, double, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble). The audience nonetheless is still aware they are watching a tragedy and still feel "a good taste" of it. Unfortunately, this didn't happen in this drama, after so much fun and attachment to the characters, the audience wasn't mentally prepared and didn't expect to be hit so hard. :)

The craftsmanship was shown until ep 34: pace, storyline, subplots, dialogues and actions displaying characters. After that - independently of its ending - the storyline completely crashed. Some people still don't want to admit that fact: what was happening in last 6 eps, didn't have any sense at all. And the authors put a lot of effort in making sense in all previous plots, they've treated this fiction as reality, just hinting from time to time it's still a work of fiction - using parody and musical scenes (the leaf on the face, forging a sword, LSS's funny dance). What is not believable in last 6 eps: possibility of massing such a huge troups without being noticed, the entire Beipan invasion was a crap, no inside work beside that idiot prince (as if opening of the gates of one city decides the success of attack), no plans (the prince's plan was to pay tribute to Beipan - this is in total contrast with the ambition of his father, whose plans were to conquer all other states), and these two later come together (on which basis exactly?), LTG's decision to kidnap and marry Ruyi is another huge nonsense, especially because it happened in the middle of chaos and he is in charge of Yulin army, supposed to oppose the invasion... and so on, events simply lost cause-effect logics. Nothing made sense, nothing "realistic-like" was present any more.
Returning to genres, it's better to keep the story inside one genre because pastiches are a risky job. In kitchen, you can try to create one if you are a top gourmet chef, who knows everything not only about the taste and cooking procedure but also about nutritional properties of different ingredients, but if you are not, stick to the renowned recipe. There are contrasting ingredients which will make your guests sick. You can't present fish meat and icecream in the same dish. As well as you can't mix comedy and tragedy. The story started as a nice attempt to create a pastiche: wuxia mixed with romance, friendship, reflections on attachments and loyalties, a little bit of psichology within a lot of action. It functioned until the audience enjoyed it, i.e, felt the made sense and was realistic-like. When the logics stopped, no wonder the audience felt sick.

I like wuxia genre and I can also claim "I know it", but didn't expect the last 6 eps making no sense at all

my advice: don't. For 34 eps, the story was delievered, educated, made it grow, and then... they simply massacred it

enlighten us, how did you know...

Watch 36 episodes and you will enjoy a great story. Then, my advice, drop it. From 37-40, the story makes no sense any more. It is not the matter of ending, everything that happens in last 6 episodes looks like it belongs to some other, different story.

I've dropped WoL, too many things didn't make sense imo. I don't have any preference for endings, if it (the story + ending) makes sense (again) I like tragedies, too. I prefer Shakespeare's tragedies (Macbeth in particular) than his comedies. Antigona is my preferite ancient greek drama, I am a great reader & fan of wuxia (darker and deadlier as possible)... That's the point, the ending is unfit for this story

I've put it under spoiler although it isn't necessary now when all eps are out. Didn't know the ending is a question of belief. Actually, authors may decide for an open ending, or offer multiple endings, but if it's a matter of belief, I prefer to believe drama should have ended with ep. 36. 😑

If you see "subtle ending" in CY's vision (in that vision, they are ali e) then you haven't seen NYZ stabbed multiple times and exploded or heard Ruyi saying "YZ, I coming to you" before she exploded herself with Beipan people

The ending is completely senseless. Feels you watch a completely drama

For 34 eps, we've seen so much effort to build up credible characters and huge attention of creators to constantly make sense. Plots, subplots, all human relations made sense, characters were well explained, had screentime and personal growths that allowed us to properly care about them. And after all that construction effort, in 6 episodes they decided to massacre everybody and destroy every sense. Holly crap, can someone tell me what's the purpose of such a thing? To tell us "wars are sensless"? Well, we know that without investing so much time and feelings. Or to tell "all men must die"? We know that, too. But such a huge sacrifice happened without principle of justice being properly served. Ending such a great story with CY's dream of unprobable "10 years after" not only doesn't render justice to its protagonists (btw, some of them dissappeared without trace, minister Du, where are you?), but makes their (and our emotional) sacrifice senseless, too.
Or the message was "there's no tomorrow"? Indeed, there's no tomorrow expecting our heroes' & heroines' next move. What a pity.

You are right, but it's because sh*t happens and nobody expected for the empress's son to be such an idiot. But she wouldn't be safe either way, if she returned with her brother, she would still have to encounter Beipan people on the road, we don't know if Woody will return safely while we know some of our dear characters will get killed.

As a starter, she has Liudao Hall branch in An, and Meiniang's brothel network. She already visited all the powerful ministers, who will be delighted to send their daughters/nieces as ladies-in-waiting to a future empress, with her social skills, she will turn them in tools of her own interest. Besides, the position she aspires is "empress", not consort, because she Is of "royal blood", has another state as her backing, not some local tribe. Although she should better not count on that and keep in mind how the former empress ended betrayed by her own tribe, father and son... Of course she will use LTG, she knows his ambition and the details of his plan to achieve it. She put her cards clearly to LTG when she proposed him a deal. He will work for her, especially now, when he discovered she's a woman and his previous jelousy has no sense, she won't marry and take away his shifu. Well, we can say he already started to work with her, the future episodes will show if they can be something more... 😅

Don't mind me, I am highly picky.

I've liked and felt everything you've said before Falling into You. I've dropped that drama immediatly. Unwatchable

The greatest female rulers of human history started as underdogs...

Yup, exactly. I didn't see this either, but felt he oughtta be important for QZ. I've told you, under the aspect of making sense and logics, till now, this story has no flows, I am a highly selective person, who drops watching 99pc of dramas and movies (of whatever production or country). That makes me so excited. 😂
Btw, I feel indebted with PeachBlossomGoddess, without her review, I would have missed an awsome movie, Yimou's Full River Red

Her decision is 100 percent logical, imo. She experienced the most machiavellian transformation, her journey to An can actually be considered as a full immersion course in machiavellism. During the journey she became acquainted (thanx to Ruyi) with An's politics and "who is who" there, so now she knows An better than Wu. She learned what power means (for that, she ought to fake being a person of the opposite sex), and she likes the position of power, I'll quote her: I feel I can finally make decisions on my own. After her experiences (with her ex, particularly) she simply can't return to any position where she can't decide for herself, she doesn't need any kind of dependant relation. YL is a true friend, her best male friend, they love each deeply but differently. There's no sign of physical attraction between them, it's just a deep care for each other, and mutual admiration.
Third, she learned (from the best, because both Ruyi and NYZ are experts in the field) she learned how to play "by the ear" because bravery (when intelligent) is related to the "playing by the ear". She is not an underdog anymore, as YL said, she can be whatever she wants 🙂

A person who takes an arrow for the emperor and dies is always "an important person". PBG is an expert here, of course she knows that. But in this case, my intuition was better probably because I didn't miss QZ aggrieved words during their fight with Ruyi. That level of grief was... personal.

The rythm actually slows down between 25-28. Too much unnecessary talks (well, those talks are actually necessary for the audience who doesn't follow attentively, to catch up with characters). After ep. 28 the speed returns and accelerates. You feel on a roller coaster.