So is this whole drama series about all these assassins trying to kill the patriarch?
No, it is not. It's just the first arc ep 1-10. But it is important and the setup to SMY & SCH differing ambitions & ideologies which later...well, we'll see!
You're not the first to say that. But believe me when I say it's not until Ep 10 that you'll see a shift in SMY. That's because there's a shift in plot/arc. This shift in plot/arc and demeanor in SMY feels intentional. I call it the first arc "Protect the Patriarch at all cost" is over and the next begins. In the first arc, there's a certain version of SMY (smart, rigid, monotone, very serious, expressionless) that's needed to play that specific arc. In Ep 10 you also see SMY role within DR changes, no longer being Kui. Because he's no longer Kui and no longer carrying the burden of one, his attitude and mindset shifts a little thus his demeanor shifts. He becomes less matter of fact, monotone and more "cocky?" Cocky is not the right world but I can't find the right word rn. Maybe someone else can explain below.
The first 1-12 is one version of SMY. I believe after 12, a slightly different version of SMY emerges.
Kind of, but it is absolutely necessary. I need plot-building 12 episodes in. I love the first 10-11 action-packed episodes. I get the first arc overtaking the Patriarch and forming a new BR foundation by getting the Head out so a lot of fighting because they can't do it without bloodshed. Totally get it. But now it's scheming, plotting, and imperial strategy arc. I'm all in. I need to know what the heck is going to happen the next 28 episodes. And only through actual meaningful dialogue is where the plot moves to give the audience an understanding. Without the dialogue in 11 AND 12 honestly I'd be lost.
Note: haven't seen the other installments don't know who's who and what happens to anyone or anything.
Not sure how to interpret Gong Jun's acting here. Understandably Su Muyu is a serious character who is upright,…
He does open up after Ep 10 after his and SCH's dialogue. The story/arc shifts to the next. There's a noticeable shift. In Ep 12 he literally says I must change my attitude/outlook and the person he's saying this to is surprised that he's not what other people have said about him. But you won't see that shift until Ep 10 and later.
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The first 1-12 is one version of SMY. I believe after 12, a slightly different version of SMY emerges.
Note: haven't seen the other installments don't know who's who and what happens to anyone or anything.
But only time can tell...