I really love the subtle jokes in this drama. Xiao Duo's idea of packing lightly 😂 😂 😂 He must have been…
In ep 3: 1. When XD and Cao Chun'ang found out Fu went to see BYL, CCA remarked, "This Prince Fu... Is this the time to be dating?"
2. When BYL was trying to remember who Fu was, she asked him, "Are you the one I owe money to because of a card game... the one who got kicked into the pond by me... the one I secretly dismantled the wheels of?" These give ideas of how cheeky she must have been growing up.
3. XD and BYL's conversation after Fu fell into the pond is an example of their amusing banter that shows how matched their wits are, like when he tried to intimidate her saying, "I don't mind personally killing you without Prince Fu knowing" and she retorted, "Don't, there are so many people here. It's not a good place to kill people." then the camera showed they were alone in the vast dark garden and she resorted to her usual flattery, "It could seem like there's no one around here. But you're a big shot, there might be someone watching you in the dark. It's just for your sake." and XD answered, "A wise man submits to fate." The conversation continues with his challenge to make her admit she likes the trappings of wealth and power which she has been denying. It ends with him holding up his sword as he departs, "You are the first woman to have opened this". Does this mean she was the first woman to disarm his heart?
This drama is about dealing with oppression or chains symbolized by the Futu Pagoda, the emperor, the empress, the Imperial Mausoleum, Eunuch Liu, etc. I've read reviews in other platforms about being turned off by the drama because of the shocking treatment of the tribute ladies and the infuriating presence of the emperor. I think making viewers shocked and infuriated at oppression is exactly how the drama drives home the point. Imagine how those tribute ladies and Bu Yinlou felt, being subjected to such oppression. Xiao Duo deals with another type of oppression too. Feeling empathy for these characters would make viewers rejoice at the ending.
I love this drama so much. Beautiful, funny and intense. I didn't notice the so-called cuts because I was too…
I fully agree. Regarding the cut scenes, I think the issue was blown out of proportion. There are at least 2 scenes I was happy were cut - Yinlou jumping on Xiao Duo and kissing him (more details are in an earlier comment) as well as their kiss scene in her dream as I find it a pity for their first full kiss scene to be in a dream since obviously XD is not an active participant there. There are only 2 cut scenes that would have improved storytelling - XD's confession about being a fake eunuch and the one that showed how XD's lip got bruised. Having said that, considering how the story was not affected by the scenes being cut, the ruckus was hugely disproportionate to their value.
This is one of the greatest love stories I've ever watched. Please see spoiler for details.
My most romantic scene in the drama is one of the most heart-wrenching scenes I've ever watched. In ep 23, Bu Yinlou said the most hurtful things to Xiao Duo to push him away, every word she uttered piercing not only his heart but her own as well, but she did it to protect him, believing that being with her can get him killed. When, after BYL's devastating words, XD said, "Let me help you", I bawled at such an act of utter devotion, at how much he was willing to have his pride and dignity trampled on as long as he was by her side helping her attain what she claimed were her ambitions. Her silent weeping after he left tore my heart to pieces. Their unchained love did not aim to possess the object of affection but freed the beloved to live as he/she deserved or wanted.
But that scene was by no means the ultimate display of the depth of their love. That was shown when they both broke free from the chains of hatred that enslaved XD to his obsession for revenge and BYL to her bitterness towards her father. Their love enlightened XD to realize that killing his brother's murderer with his own hands would not make him any different from the murderer. The same love pushed BYL to make peace with her father. That is how true their love was, filling every niche of their beings, unchaining their hearts from every trace of hatred.
i dont think i have ever been progressively scared of a character. i keep feeling what fl is feeling with the…
He is driven by emotions not by reason, so there’s no telling what he’s gonna do. And he is the most powerful person in the land; he can kill anybody with one word. I’m in awe of everything Bu Yinlou did to keep herself and Xiao Duo alive. You could tell she’s scared out of her wits but she is really tough and smart. Peter Ho did a terrific job with his portrayal of the emperor.
'Been reading reviews in other platforms. It seems some viewers just want to have the same stories told over and over, disappointed Unchained Love is not the same as Love Between Fairy and Devil or Love Like The Galaxy. I'm confounded. The very thing I like about Unchained Love, the uniqueness of its story and characters and the unpredictability of its plot are seen as reasons not to like it. If viewers want the stories and characters of other dramas, why don't they just re-watch those dramas?
If viewers can just try to enjoy dramas as they unfold, resisting the urge to be couch writers and directors making dramas fit their expectations instead of trying to find out what the drama is about, they would be enthralled by the message of this drama and how each scene contributes to imparting that message. Knowing the message would also help them appreciate the ending.
Xiao Duo welcomes Liangshi's spies to know what the guy is up to. Same with the group of beauties Yinlou tricked to leave earlier. He knew Liangshi ordered poisonous wolf's bane and snow mugwort. He also knows to treat it with acupuncture which is what he applied to Yinlou since he didn't know the poison had been switched by Lian Cheng.
'Just watched a BTS clip of a cut scene in ep2 where Bu Yinlou jumps on Xiao Duo and kisses him. So glad this scene was cut. This would have instantly turned me off her. I understand her ploy of making herself look silly and flaky to hide her wit and intelligence, traits that could pose a threat to insecure power players in the Imperial City like the empress. But jumping on strangers and kissing them is too silly for anybody with any ounce of self-respect, even if the stranger saved her from death.
I'm happy with her three-dimensional portrayal in the drama. Aside from her wit and intelligence that she tries hard to conceal, she is full of life, naughty, cunning and exceedingly kind. She has faults but she is noble-hearted. When she is about to be sacrificed as a tribute lady, she is concerned about how her maid would fare in the world when she's gone. She is super tolerant of her ditsy maid, quickly forgiving her shortcomings. She forgives her friend who betrays her. She is most probably the first female to tell Xiao Duo "you're a good person... You suffered so much but you only wish that others won't have to suffer like you did. You seem to have done countless evil, but your sword only kills corrupt officials. Your reputation is sullied, but you are truly protecting this country and protecting its people. Actually, you're a very gentle person".
Xiao Duo, who hates himself, learns to love himself more after meeting her.
This is the kind of female lead I can root for. One who has a deep well of love within her that enables her to see the best in people as well as to forgive and forget. But she can't be bullied. She will fight for truth and justice when needed.
And this type of female would not jump on strangers and kiss them, even when she's pretending to be silly and flaky.
Yes! I was paying so much attention to the thematic elements, symbolic metaphors, healthy consent, boundaries…
BYL is such a riot and ditsy cute 😂😂😂 an amusing and sweet moment after the arrow was pulled was when BYL was trying to stop his bleeding but XD was more interested in her closeness and started to put his arm around her 😂
Episode 35 has to be the most ridiculous ambush scene ever. Did a single Zhaoding bureau officer even die? Never…
i think at this point, Yu Zun is now caught between his loyalty to the empire and his admiration for Xiao Duo who he knows contributed a lot to quelling the rebellion
I really love the subtle jokes in this drama. Xiao Duo's idea of packing lightly 😂 😂 😂 He must have been…
In ep 6, when Beauty Li bemoaned the fact that the ladies in the Imperial Mausoleum have stopped competing to be beautiful and stirring up troubles and instead now spend the whole day drinking tea and playing mahjong, Bu Yinlou seemed to have agreed, indignantly saying the ladies need to be motivated. Motivate them she did by enthusiastically playing with them, prompting Tongyun to marvel at seeing the "harem so unanimously lazy" and her "mistress has never been so mainstream" 😂 I also find it amusing that Beauty Li is ok with "competing to be beautiful and stirring up troubles" but is concerned about "drinking tea and playing mahjong"; sounds like sarcasm.
In ep 9, BYL's attempt to turn the emperor off by acting coarse and vulgar when he visited the Imperial Mausoleum is funny.
I really love the subtle jokes in this drama. Xiao Duo's idea of packing lightly 😂 😂 😂 He must have been…
The following amusing moments got me intrigued by the Bu Yinlou character who has shown, from the very beginning, that she is a unique, 3 dimensional female lead with her wit and bravado and her attempts to make herself look silly and flaky so the insecure power players in the Imperial City would not see her as a threat and leave her alone.
In ep 1, When Beauty Li asked BYL why she was not crying when she was about to die, she said she’s hungry and wished she bought pickled cucumber for breakfast. When Tongyun wailed how BYL's legal mom can sleep well at night letting her die to benefit her brothers, she said her useless brothers would be sleepless if she didn't die.
In ep2, her skittish attempt to right her misunderstanding of XD’s intentions was ludicrous, with her cloying flattery of XD that "bad people can't be this good looking", telling Tongyun not to let whoever started the rumor in (there was no rumor, the misunderstanding was all her fault), offering to be sisters with XD, then when he got mad, saying it was the wrong word, she meant good friends. When Tongyun later on commented she and XD seemed close, she said it was a near-death experience (I also wonder whether "near-death" was meant to be a pun on "close"). It was amusing but you can’t help pitying and at the same time being impressed with this girl who had always been at the mercy of her elders, now meeting her savior. She was all nerves and excitement but still trying to look in control.
1. When XD and Cao Chun'ang found out Fu went to see BYL, CCA remarked, "This Prince Fu... Is this the time to be dating?"
2. When BYL was trying to remember who Fu was, she asked him, "Are you the one I owe money to because of a card game... the one who got kicked into the pond by me... the one I secretly dismantled the wheels of?" These give ideas of how cheeky she must have been growing up.
3. XD and BYL's conversation after Fu fell into the pond is an example of their amusing banter that shows how matched their wits are, like when he tried to intimidate her saying, "I don't mind personally killing you without Prince Fu knowing" and she retorted, "Don't, there are so many people here. It's not a good place to kill people." then the camera showed they were alone in the vast dark garden and she resorted to her usual flattery, "It could seem like there's no one around here. But you're a big shot, there might be someone watching you in the dark. It's just for your sake." and XD answered, "A wise man submits to fate." The conversation continues with his challenge to make her admit she likes the trappings of wealth and power which she has been denying. It ends with him holding up his sword as he departs, "You are the first woman to have opened this". Does this mean she was the first woman to disarm his heart?
But that scene was by no means the ultimate display of the depth of their love. That was shown when they both broke free from the chains of hatred that enslaved XD to his obsession for revenge and BYL to her bitterness towards her father. Their love enlightened XD to realize that killing his brother's murderer with his own hands would not make him any different from the murderer. The same love pushed BYL to make peace with her father. That is how true their love was, filling every niche of their beings, unchaining their hearts from every trace of hatred.
If viewers can just try to enjoy dramas as they unfold, resisting the urge to be couch writers and directors making dramas fit their expectations instead of trying to find out what the drama is about, they would be enthralled by the message of this drama and how each scene contributes to imparting that message. Knowing the message would also help them appreciate the ending.
I'm happy with her three-dimensional portrayal in the drama. Aside from her wit and intelligence that she tries hard to conceal, she is full of life, naughty, cunning and exceedingly kind. She has faults but she is noble-hearted. When she is about to be sacrificed as a tribute lady, she is concerned about how her maid would fare in the world when she's gone. She is super tolerant of her ditsy maid, quickly forgiving her shortcomings. She forgives her friend who betrays her. She is most probably the first female to tell Xiao Duo "you're a good person... You suffered so much but you only wish that others won't have to suffer like you did. You seem to have done countless evil, but your sword only kills corrupt officials. Your reputation is sullied, but you are truly protecting this country and protecting its people. Actually, you're a very gentle person".
Xiao Duo, who hates himself, learns to love himself more after meeting her.
This is the kind of female lead I can root for. One who has a deep well of love within her that enables her to see the best in people as well as to forgive and forget. But she can't be bullied. She will fight for truth and justice when needed.
And this type of female would not jump on strangers and kiss them, even when she's pretending to be silly and flaky.
In ep 9, BYL's attempt to turn the emperor off by acting coarse and vulgar when he visited the Imperial Mausoleum is funny.
In ep 1, When Beauty Li asked BYL why she was not crying when she was about to die, she said she’s hungry and wished she bought pickled cucumber for breakfast. When Tongyun wailed how BYL's legal mom can sleep well at night letting her die to benefit her brothers, she said her useless brothers would be sleepless if she didn't die.
In ep2, her skittish attempt to right her misunderstanding of XD’s intentions was ludicrous, with her cloying flattery of XD that "bad people can't be this good looking", telling Tongyun not to let whoever started the rumor in (there was no rumor, the misunderstanding was all her fault), offering to be sisters with XD, then when he got mad, saying it was the wrong word, she meant good friends. When Tongyun later on commented she and XD seemed close, she said it was a near-death experience (I also wonder whether "near-death" was meant to be a pun on "close"). It was amusing but you can’t help pitying and at the same time being impressed with this girl who had always been at the mercy of her elders, now meeting her savior. She was all nerves and excitement but still trying to look in control.