IvahDenise

Revenge? Check. Political intrigue? Check. Family drama? Check. Action? Check. Loyal friendships? Check. Romance? Check. Slow-burn romance? Check, check! This series really has it all. I mean, too much of it all, in fact. The revenge alone would have you going for hours. It was really engaging and I enjoyed how the revenge plots played out. It was pretty satisfying. The acting of both Wu Jinyan and Wang Xingue are topnotch. They were perfect for their roles. I could not have imagined a more perfect Xue Fangfei and Xiao Heng. They also have good chemistry. The side characters also did great. Totally love (and hate) the Eldest Princess Wanning. She was awesome and loathsome in her role. I also loved the cinematography of this series. It was so beautiful and added to the total vibe of the series. The breathtaking shots and angles were key to taking the storyline further.

Now, there are some things that I thought were problematic about this series. This was 40-episode long. Did it need to be that long? Honestly, yes and no. Yes, because it had so much to tell, and also no, because some plotlines just dragged on, and I felt that some scenes were unnecessary. And as much as the revenge plots were all resolved in the end, it all were just too good to be true and too convenient. And well, that ending? I usually do not mind an open-ending like that but seriously, you had me watch for 40 episodes and go through all of that just to give me a vague ending? That was just really painful and really unsatisfying, even unfair. I don't want to think of the end, please just give me a happy ending, for real!