CKDramaddicts

I believe it was also referenced earlier on before the rebellion happened when GJS's mom received a special delivery of sweets. She recognized the source right away and looked for the hidden message, and explained to GJS what it was. If I recall, the secret message was from a close childhood friend who was now the wife of King Liang. At the time, she was wistful for a reunion, but GJS warned her to be careful not to take the wrong side and potentially risk implicating the entire family.

💯💯. I have hope given the overall track record of the director and scriptwriter that it will at least be decent to great. 🤞🤞 Edited: On second thought, as much as I thought their other dramas were excellent, a few of the endings did leave me wanting just a little more -- even just 15 minutes more....still hoping this one will be a satisfying one. 🤞

I've loved this drama so much I think I will be holding my breath for the last four episodes, anxious that they won't mess it up or give an unsatisfying ending! 😅

I debated whether to reply because I don't want to hype this up and set crazy expectations that leave you disappointed!

That being said, for me personally, there were no boring draggy parts - more like "breathers" before the next major arc, but done in a way that's still interesting. People who don't like "slice of life" moments might find those episodes draggy, especially given the excitement that came before it. There is an epic battle scene that I thought was done well - I sometimes find those boring because you can't tell what's happening other than endless fighting, but there was so much tension and drama here, I was glued. Anyway, for me, this drama has a wonderful balance of different genres without the usual tropes and annoying characters or stupid misunderstandings and lack of communication. And just wonderful relationships all around. I've liked a number of BJT dramas, but was relatively neutral about the actor himself, but this drama really changed that, so if you like him already, hopefully you'll enjoy this one from start to finish!

I think his character is done well here because while he is clearly irredeemable and ruthless, he is also complex and somehow sympathetic, because you can trace how he became this way (sometimes the Big Bad Villain in a drama is just bad for the sake of being bad, or bad just because of the clichéd hunger for power and greed). His feelings towards LYR conveys the "what ifs" of his character.

https://38jiejie.com/2022/11/11/bai-jingting-and-song-yi-rumored-to-be-dating-and-living-together/ Never confirmed, so hard to know for certain, but this was circulating last year, long before the drama aired.

haha, yes, I'm sure there are lots of shows like that! Who Rules the World has a 5.6 or something on Douban, and an 8.7 on MDL. But on Douban, Western shows like Friends score 9.8!

But I do agree with the language issue. I understand Mandarin well enough to be able to tell if the dialogue is elegant, anachronistic, weak, etc. which doesn't often translate in the subtitles, but I am entirely reliant on the translations for K-dramas, etc. and would have no idea about script quality, it's more about the story, execution, acting, etc.

I'm watching another costume drama that, in my view, has weak script and kind of repetitive dialogue (I'm enjoying it enough and mainly watching for the lead though, haha), but everyone is raving about it, so I don't know...everyone's different, I guess. Maybe it might not have been as noticeable to me had I not been watching Destined at the same time!

Yeah, I saw a lot of comments who were like, "I saw a few episodes and don't like it," and giving it one star.

Usually I am more aligned with Douban in terms of "relative" score (so even if I would personally give a higher score, I would agree with Douban's rating relative to their tough ratings scale for C-dramas, or if X drama was a certain score compared to Y drama, it would at least make sense!).

I'm also in the minority in that I usually prefer to read the book after I've watched the adaptation (or give myself lots of time in between both so I don't remember as much from the book), since books have so much more vivid detail and can set expectations for the screen, while the screen version rarely creates the same level of expectations for me when I check out the book. Also, I try very hard to judge both mediums on their own merits, though I totally understand it can be really hard to do so!

I have to admit I'm kind of surprised and disappointed with where it sits right now on Douban (6.7 as of writing). By Douban's tough standards for domestic dramas, I think it should be in the 7s at least. I was reading some of the comments on the site, and it felt like we were watching two different shows! Or maybe my diaspora perspective is different? (Since Douban ratings for foreign shows are conversely speaking, ridiculously high!)

Yeah, it got a bit ridiculous how endless the attacks were! At the same time, it was VERY satisfying the way she outwitted them *every single time* ... so worth it overall, lol.

It's the same director and he seems to like casting the same people. :) Sheng Ming, Yinghong, Ye Yun and others were also in Blood of Youth, another really good one by the same director. Sheng Ming in particular, played another great character in BoY.

I was the same with Ye Shi'An, I had just finished watching WRTW not that long ago, so it took me a while to get used to the idea of Ye Shi'An as a good guy, haha.

That. Kiss. 🥵 "Do I have permission?" All the evidence anyone needs to show that consent is incredibly sexy.

THIS SHOW!!!! For me, it's about as close to perfection as I've ever seen after watching hundreds of dramas. It literally has everything I love in a series, the things that are hit and miss on other dramas they consistently do it well, and it has almost none of the usual annoying and frustrating tropes. I will be so sad when it ends in 4 episodes. 😭
(Editing to add that I hope those precious last four episodes will not derail all the great story telling and development that came before it, lol)

I think I saw that! So bizarre...just when I think I've seen everything...

Yes, that's definitely what makes him so likable, which makes the toxic hate campaign especially mind boggling. But riling people up is exactly what they want and love to see, so I don't bother engaging. Even an "lol" gives them oxygen. And TBH, same with those who can't deal with the slightest criticisms.

That's crazy regarding people getting into it on a drama page that has nothing to do with him! 🤦🏻‍♀️I know it happens with other celebs, so I usually try to avoid the comments section if a toxic fandom war is brewing. But sometimes, it's also hard not to look away too because it's so wild, lol.

Here's to wishing for a more positive and healthier environment!

No worries at all! I totally understand and know what you mean and agree with you on everything. It's really unfortunate that things can get so tense though because it's the kind of thing he's specifically spoken against, especially in the aftermath of 227, where he asked everyone to respect each other's likes and dislikes, interests, preferences, and to focus their energies on the real world, and not on online conflicts, etc.

I get why fans want to defend what/who they love when there are so many haters and trolls who just want to spoil everything for absolutely no reason. But this dynamic also makes for a tense environment that disuades viewers from offering casual comments and makes them more cautious as well (definitely not referring to your replies -- just in general!), whereas interactions and comments for other dramas are just fun and very relaxed. Before A03, XZ used to do these really amazing, in-depth interviews that were so open, instrospective and thoughtful, but he's also a lot more careful and guarded now too...it's all very unfortunate. Anyway, sory for going on about this too.

That's cool, to each their own! 😊 I usually give a show a good 10 episodes at least, and it's quite different from NLB.

Yeah, sounds like it really picks up around ep 8, so looking forward to it. But I agree, the Xiao Zhan factor really fuels the hype unfortunately, even though I try to filter all that out. He's always been one of my favourite actors, long before the craziness, but it's hard to just have a normal conversation about his work without everyone getting into absurd hyperbole either way about it (so I appreciate this particular exchange! :) ).

I love my angsty journeys and have enjoyed a number of Xianxias covering multiple lifetimes and undying love that spans tens of thousands of years too, lol, but I think I was just expecting higher production values and script quality, given the hype and build-up around it. All that being said, I'm enjoying it, and I'm happy to be surprised too. While a lot of C-dramas fizzle or take a nose dive at the end, some of my favourites have been the opposite. 🤞🏻🤞🏻

I really wasn't sure about this one after the first episode, but enjoying it more now that I'm about 5 episodes in. Despite some of the cheesy dialogue and CGI, and super cliched tropes and plotlines, it's entertaining enough to keep my interest, though I can't help but feel a bit disappointed by the overall quality. I think because I'm simultaneously watching Destined (which bucks all the usual c-drama stereotypes and so refreshing in every way) it's hard not to compare unfortunately, even if they're different genres.