DramaAjumma

Wow... this is so good. It has the potential to be the best K drama this year. The script is amazing. It makes really good use of the geopolitical context. It's hilarious one minute, deeply moving the next and then the end of Episode 2... utterly heartbreaking.
The leads as expected are great together and apart.

Right. :D
I spend a large chunk of my weekend arguing with Tushan Jing fans here. I expected a ship war and honestly it's not that bad in this fandom. I've seen much worse. At least it gave me some material for my blog and perhaps even ideas for a review. :P

Well done and beautifully written. You've definitely covered all the bases here.

I also agree that Tushan Jing is the weakest link here. The way he functions in the narrative makes it difficult for me to root for the romance. I was just thinking that a more experienced, maybe older actor could bring something else to the table. It boggles my mind too that such an acclaimed chess player would be so easily outsmarted by his own family.

I think that's more the case with South Korea. (Although that's changing too) I have watched Chinese shows where the ML and FL have other love interests before they become a couple.

I love the direct way you put things. :D

I don't think you really understand what I'm saying or have said elsewhere.

I've never said that he doesn't love her. I've also never said she's not in love with him. I've also never said that she can't love a nice guy. What I've said on other occasions is that he isn't more deserving of her than anyone else because all the guys are good to her in their own way. I only don't agree that he is "better". And I also think she is very strongly attracted to Xiang Liu.

I've also been clear that it's his niceness is what she fell for. Absolutely. But his niceness is a double edged sword. This is what you don't seem to understand. When a man is nice that's very attractive to a girl with abandonment issues BUT a man as nice as him seems incapable of dealing with external threats. He let his family walk all over him. Do you not think that is a problem? Do you not think that a man should be able to protect the woman he loves from his family's infighting and fulfill his promises to make her feel secure. Their romance doesn't exist in a vacuum in this context. He has serious family issues and he is officially engaged to another woman. This has nothing to do with whether he ends up with her at the end of the story.

I don't mind what your preferences are. All I'm doing is pointing out the flaw in the character. He is not perfect and there's nothing inherently wrong with that. I don't need to read the novel to understand something as rudimentary as that.

So are you saying that the performance has not adequately portrayed the character's inner life? :D That the performance is somehow deficient. Because I have no problems understanding the inner life of other characters without reading the novel.

I don't use the words "deserve" or "undeserving" in these kinds of contexts. It's not a competition. I have accepted the inevitable but all I'm saying is that Tushan Jing has his flaws and he doesn't get the girl purely because of his own merits. He has a lot of help.

Well, to me it's just another side to the same coin.

That's my problem with your OP. You used the word "abuse" but it's not technically abuse. I have nothing against other people's preferences or dislikes but I do insist on the accurate use of words and facts. :D They were not in any kind of familial or romantic relationship. She was acting suspiciously and by her own words was trying to poison him. They weren't friends nor allies at the time.

Xiang Liu himself knows better than anyone else whey they can't be together so this isn't about the romance for me at least.

Not everyone is cut from the same cloth and I accept that. But my problem is that pesky word "deserve". And the crazy notion that Jing is "better" than all the rest.

I'm not blaming Jing for getting the girl. I'm explaining why the narrative structure itself demonstrates the foundational flaws of this relationship and why he lost her in this first phase of the show. People say that he "deserves" her. I don't agree with that characterization.
I don't disagree that she could have found someone and she had resolved to but is it so easy for anyone just to move on if they were actually serious? He made promises to her. She made promises to him. He kissed her and gave her hope. Sure, he got tricked by his family but he didn't take that threat seriously enough despite being tortured by his brother.

Are you saying that he has no agency while Xiao Yao does? I'm confused.

None of these guys are perfect. We should be able to accept the flaws of every character. Nice is good at times but not always. It's certainly not adequate to deal with external threats. This is not a romantic comedy, it's still a political show with historical elements.

I can't wait for this show.

This is all prior to the Geneva Convention too. :D
I don't think some people watch historical dramas the way you and I do.

Honestly I shouldn't have to read the book to understand what's going on. I'm just talking about what I've seen in this first season. Yes, I've seen the trailers and I know what's coming.

I've said exactly the same thing. His passivity about his family is far more dangerous because he doesn't have the wherewithal to protect her. He can't even protect himself from his own family. And you're so right to point out that Tushan Jing was actually considering dragging her into the hornet's nest knowing all that family baggage. There seems to be an underlying selfishness in this. There's no nice way to put it.

The show itself also demonstrated that he was hapless/helpless to protect her all throughout this first phase of the show. Even in those early days at Qingshui Town. When she was assassinated, he ran to her side but fell into a coma soon after. But it was Xiang Liu who saved her life and then sent her back to her family afterwards. Honestly there are several occasions on the top of my head that I can think that Xiang Liu could have just given in to his own feelings.

I think I need to get this off my chest.

It is quite clear from the narrative that all three potential suitors have something in their lives that prevent them from being able to be committed to Xiao Yao wholeheartedly at this point in the story. The difference is Cang Xuan and Xiang Liu know this and accept this reality. It isn't because they don't love her or love her less than Tushan Jing. It is because they know that if they get involved with her at this point in time, it will end up hurting her or putting her in harm's way. As it so happens, they are correct because of where they're at in terms of their long-term goals. However, in the case of Cang Xuan, Xiao Yao voluntarily puts herself in the danger zone using what power she has to help him. To say that these guys love her less than Tushan Jing is absolutely wrong. Indeed it is nonsensical. Because they love her, they made a different choice. The problem with Tushan Jing is that... in my view... he was in a hurry. He felt insecure because he had an inkling or two about the relationship between Xiao Yao and Xiang Liu. For some reason he believed that this prior engagement he had with Fangfei Yiying wasn't much of an obstacle and neglected to mention it when he was making all kinds of promises to Xiao Yao. Maybe he thought he could just persuade Grandma and all would be well. He would get the girl and live happily ever after. However, for some reason he didn't consider the fact that his entire family would become a hindrance to his happily ever after. Was he naive? That's the kinder spin. Was he being a little bit deceptive? I'm inclined to think so. Because he's had a history with his older half brother and prior to that there was bad blood between his mother and said brother. Fangfei Yiying was downright recalcitrant. Rightfully he should have dealt with all this before committing himself and Xiao Yao to the courtship process. But he was desperate to hold on to her any which way. However as a result of his inability to deal decisively with family issues, he ends up not just hurting himself but her. His real enemies has never been other men in Xiao Yao's life, it is right in his own backyard. Whatever you think of him, there is a personality flaw that must be addressed. These are the facts and have nothing to do with whether I dislike him.

The writer I don't think is saying that one guy is more deserving of her over all the others. That kind of vocabulary doesn't exist in this situation. Timing is part of the story. But more importantly Tushan Jing gets the girl because of the good will of other people. It's more the case that the other men "let him" because they love her and they believed for a time that he could make her genuinely happy.

But the whole point of Xiang Liu is that he is a demon who happens also to be in charge of a secret military camp. She is lucky that he didn't kill her for trespassing. If she was indeed found guilty of spying, it would be execution on the spot. She was quite willing to form a transactional relationship with him to save her own skin. He was willing to go along to observe her. The only reason why he whipped her was because he wasn't sure if she was a spy and in the context of that story is punishable by death. Whipping her was to put the fear of God in her. As far as the remnant Chenrong army is concerned they are at war with the Xiyan royal family. Spies can compromise an entire military operation. Not to mention the location of the army base.

Let's not forget too that she was behaving suspiciously and speaking glibly which could be easily misunderstood as someone having something to hide. He is well aware that she's not being entirely forthcoming about her identity either.

This is a show about gods and monsters with throne politics, it's not a romantic comedy. I see a lot of comments saying that Xiang Liu was really bad in those episodes. Frankly speaking... he could be a lot worse and he would still be justified.

I loved the way he talked to Fenglong and Xinyue after the assassination attempt on Xiao Yao.

I know who you're talking about but I don't have any problems as someone who knows the language because many younger actors don't always get it right in the early days.

Sure yeah. Thanks for asking.
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