I was just thinking the other day how much this show reminds me of Scarlet Heart and it makes perfect sense to discover finally that it's the same writer :D There's no denying her talent for writing complex male leads and tug at the heartstrings. I can't complain. Between her and Tan Jianci, they make me weep for Xiang Liu. I used to think it's mostly the writing but now that I see Tan Jianci as Fangfei Bei, it's obvious that the magnetism exuded by the character is in large part the actor. The role was superbly cast and superbly acted. I hope this show catapults him into stardom if it hasn't already because a person can't be this ridiculously talented and still be under most people's radar.
There's a part of me that wishes the romance wasn't such a big part of this show. So that even if I didn't root for the endgame, it wouldn't matter. But in this case it does. At the end of the day it's Xiao Yao's choice. As it so happens I don't agree with it. Not because I think one guy is more worthy than another. Or more fascinating for that matter. I just don't think it's right to ask a man to give up everything for a woman. In reality relationships don't work that way. It also diminishes the man. This is why in the end, she's a time travelling self-insert. A long term relationship comprises of two people learning to accommodate each other. I can see Tushan Jing working hard to support Cang Xuan for her sake but what does he want for himself? Just her? But there's no man even in our time who doesn't have aspirations of his own outside of the woman he loves. It's a beautiful lie but a lie nonetheless. Unfortunately I can't buy into it. Psychologically I know where all this comes from... this fear of abandonment... but I'm genuinely sorry I cannot go along with it because it would make watching this a lot easier.
That said, I love this show. Not as much as Love Like the Galaxy but I wouldn't want to live on the difference.
Does Jing actually do anything in S2 that will make me root for him?? I don’t want my heart to break for XL…
Sure. I'm not doubting that. I get all of that. That's not my point or that of this thread. The point is that we are all struggling to get behind the endgame, so to speak.
Does Jing actually do anything in S2 that will make me root for him?? I don’t want my heart to break for XL…
Hallelujah. I feel like I'm among friends here. Tushan Jing is oddly out of place in a show like this. Where is the agenda? Where is the ambition? Where is the cunning? He's a fox for crying out loud. He feels so much to me like a fanfic insert of a 21st century puppy boyfriend. "I won't leave" "I'll always be by your side" don't cut it.
The show is really an entirely different beast without Xiang Liu. Now that I'm in Haolin and he's hardly in it, I feel rather apathetic to almost everything. Although I'm keen to see how Cang Xuan goes about taking power. I can't help but think that the writer poured a whole lot of love into Xiang Liu. He's not just a fleshed out tragic figure torn between loves but the way he services the narrative as a whole. He complicates matters for Xiao Yao and the story. He's an antagonist and an occasional ally. He is well written and of course brilliantly brought to life by the super talented Tan Jianci. Make no mistake, I think Yang Zi is great here too. The best I've seen of her. But her interactions with him are just magic compared to everyone else. It's Pride and Prejudice with the blood sucking. They have that classic bickering couple relationship you feel should go somewhere but I suspect is a bit of a lost cause.
I'm indifferent to her dynamic with Puppy Boy. He's cute and I don't mind petting him on the head but I don't want him following me around.
The plotting is everything here. Head hops a fair bit but it wasn't difficult to follow. Unfolds more or less like a novel and overall a very decent finale. The ending is pretty much what I thought it would be. The leads did well as did the entire cast. I loved how the relationship between Dong-ju and Kang-san developed. Bae Hyun-sung surprised me. He's certainly come a long way.
The best K dramas these days are crime shows. At least one gets the feeling that a modicum of thought and effort are put into these scripts.
4 
There's a part of me that wishes the romance wasn't such a big part of this show. So that even if I didn't root for the endgame, it wouldn't matter. But in this case it does. At the end of the day it's Xiao Yao's choice. As it so happens I don't agree with it. Not because I think one guy is more worthy than another. Or more fascinating for that matter. I just don't think it's right to ask a man to give up everything for a woman. In reality relationships don't work that way. It also diminishes the man. This is why in the end, she's a time travelling self-insert. A long term relationship comprises of two people learning to accommodate each other. I can see Tushan Jing working hard to support Cang Xuan for her sake but what does he want for himself? Just her? But there's no man even in our time who doesn't have aspirations of his own outside of the woman he loves. It's a beautiful lie but a lie nonetheless. Unfortunately I can't buy into it. Psychologically I know where all this comes from... this fear of abandonment... but I'm genuinely sorry I cannot go along with it because it would make watching this a lot easier.
That said, I love this show. Not as much as Love Like the Galaxy but I wouldn't want to live on the difference.
Something's seriously wrong in their upbringing.
Tushan Jing is oddly out of place in a show like this. Where is the agenda? Where is the ambition? Where is the cunning? He's a fox for crying out loud. He feels so much to me like a fanfic insert of a 21st century puppy boyfriend. "I won't leave" "I'll always be by your side" don't cut it.
I'm indifferent to her dynamic with Puppy Boy. He's cute and I don't mind petting him on the head but I don't want him following me around.
I'm really digging the antihero bad boy sexy vampire vibe.
Terrific show.
The best K dramas these days are crime shows. At least one gets the feeling that a modicum of thought and effort are put into these scripts.
I also think that the show could have been better.