Visual Storytelling at Its Best
This drama has truly earned its praise, and for good reason. If you're just getting into Chinese dramas and looking for an amazing female-centric revenge story, "The Double" is the one to see. The visuals are stunning, featuring amazing cinematography, beautifully choreographed fight scenes, and only a few slow episodes (and that’s always a blast in my book with historical C dramas). It stands out as a top-notch palace intrigue drama.
The story centers on Xue Fangfei, who faces betrayal by her husband and adopts a new identity to seek revenge. While the romance with Duke Su unfolds as a slow burn, it is ultimately satisfying. The chemistry between the leads is truly remarkable, and some of the best moments come from their interactions.
I liked the parallels the drama was trying to show us with what it would be like for our female lead to actually be with the man who cared for her as opposed to the disaster of her first marriage.
However, I do want to warn viewers who are seeking a heavy romance—this drama isn't that. This is a revenge-heavy drama about a woman hell-bent on restoring justice for everyone who didn’t get it.
Romance, here is just a cherry on top. I do think that some of the best episodes were of Duke Su and Xue Fangfei interactions.
I do have things to mention I believe were unnecessary.
Several elements I found less enjoyable, particularly after episode 30, where too much time becomes focused on the backstories of the villains, especially the Eldest Princess. Although it's important to understand her character, the amount of screen time felt excessive and could have been better balanced throughout the series. Those scenes were draggy and dialogues could have been cut in half.
One point of frustration was the abrupt cut of a kissing scene between the main leads near the end (it was somewhere after episode 30). Their romance doesn't feel fully bloomed until the final episode where the director finally chooses to include proper kissing scene. I think reason why it threw me off is because the drama itself does not gloss over bloody and violent scenes and sexual violence. So cutting off intimate interaction between main leads seemed extremely strange. But this is just me because I like my romance with lots of skinship if there is romance. otherwise, I don’t want any teasing with romantic upload if we are not going to get it in full.
For those who crave a clear happy ending, my recommendation is to stop watching the last episode after the marriage scene. The last ten minutes felt unnecessary and out of the left field.
While I appreciated the aesthetics of the closing moments and understood why the writers decided to go in that direction, I couldn't shake the feeling that the leads deserved a more definitive conclusion. After being so invested in their struggles for 40 episodes, the final twist—suggesting a meeting in the afterlife—felt like a punch to the gut. Our heroine ends up in misery, which feels undeserved after all she's been through.
I understand that some dramas aim for realistic endings, but after 40 episodes of suspension of my belief, I wanted a clear at least happy for now ending. Therefore, I docked half a point for that creator’s choice.
Overall, despite a few missteps, the cinematography, writing, and production value make "The Double" a must-watch.
Memorable episodes for me or episode 17 where our female lead is drunk. That scene in the rain was amazing.
Another memorable scene was when Xue Fangfei played a folk piece at the academy exam.
Despite my dislike of the ending, I actually did like the way the last 10 minutes were executed. Aesthetically that last sequence was very touching.
The story centers on Xue Fangfei, who faces betrayal by her husband and adopts a new identity to seek revenge. While the romance with Duke Su unfolds as a slow burn, it is ultimately satisfying. The chemistry between the leads is truly remarkable, and some of the best moments come from their interactions.
I liked the parallels the drama was trying to show us with what it would be like for our female lead to actually be with the man who cared for her as opposed to the disaster of her first marriage.
However, I do want to warn viewers who are seeking a heavy romance—this drama isn't that. This is a revenge-heavy drama about a woman hell-bent on restoring justice for everyone who didn’t get it.
Romance, here is just a cherry on top. I do think that some of the best episodes were of Duke Su and Xue Fangfei interactions.
I do have things to mention I believe were unnecessary.
Several elements I found less enjoyable, particularly after episode 30, where too much time becomes focused on the backstories of the villains, especially the Eldest Princess. Although it's important to understand her character, the amount of screen time felt excessive and could have been better balanced throughout the series. Those scenes were draggy and dialogues could have been cut in half.
One point of frustration was the abrupt cut of a kissing scene between the main leads near the end (it was somewhere after episode 30). Their romance doesn't feel fully bloomed until the final episode where the director finally chooses to include proper kissing scene. I think reason why it threw me off is because the drama itself does not gloss over bloody and violent scenes and sexual violence. So cutting off intimate interaction between main leads seemed extremely strange. But this is just me because I like my romance with lots of skinship if there is romance. otherwise, I don’t want any teasing with romantic upload if we are not going to get it in full.
For those who crave a clear happy ending, my recommendation is to stop watching the last episode after the marriage scene. The last ten minutes felt unnecessary and out of the left field.
While I appreciated the aesthetics of the closing moments and understood why the writers decided to go in that direction, I couldn't shake the feeling that the leads deserved a more definitive conclusion. After being so invested in their struggles for 40 episodes, the final twist—suggesting a meeting in the afterlife—felt like a punch to the gut. Our heroine ends up in misery, which feels undeserved after all she's been through.
I understand that some dramas aim for realistic endings, but after 40 episodes of suspension of my belief, I wanted a clear at least happy for now ending. Therefore, I docked half a point for that creator’s choice.
Overall, despite a few missteps, the cinematography, writing, and production value make "The Double" a must-watch.
Memorable episodes for me or episode 17 where our female lead is drunk. That scene in the rain was amazing.
Another memorable scene was when Xue Fangfei played a folk piece at the academy exam.
Despite my dislike of the ending, I actually did like the way the last 10 minutes were executed. Aesthetically that last sequence was very touching.
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