DramaAjumma

"There are two options" Heh. I imagine that will be his signature line.
Although the spotlight is on the auditors it is really like a police procedural. The first two episodes were more about quality control rather than forensic accounting. And of course, since it's a K drama there's a power struggle in the background. Shin Ha-kyun plays a Sherlock Holmes type of investigator that's brought in to clean things up in a chaebol construction company. I'm somewhat reminded of Hot Stove League in that regard. I really liked what I saw in the first two episodes and SHK's decisions generally don't disappoint.

A good police procedural is difficult to write but a police procedural with an array of great layered characters with competing motivations is even harder to do well. This show succeeds on multiple levels while being a very effective cautionary tale about corrupted desires. Aspects of it remind me of Justified, one of my favourite tv shows ever made.

I don't understand the comment that there was nothing. 🧐 There was a lot going on and people died as a result.

My first impressions review
https://40somethingahjumma.substack.com/p/connection-2024-early-impressions

The plotting of this show is excellent. Character motivations are well integrated into the overarching storyline.

I'm slowly catching up
https://40somethingahjumma.substack.com/p/the-double-2024-episodes-15-17
https://40somethingahjumma.substack.com/p/the-double-2024-episodes-19-25
Happy reading.

Wang Xingye is born to do period shows.
He really needs to take on some classic wuxia roles.

Joe Chen's character is too reckless. She's constantly in over her head. Plus she really has no clue about anything. That bracelet incident was just the worst.
Glad I watched the condensed/abridged version on YT. I'm not sure if I could handle 40 episodes of a lot of unnecessary melodrama. At the end of the day I only liked Huang Xiaoming's character Zuo Zhen and the Xiang Hanchuan character -- absolute rocks. Exemplifying stoicism in the best way possible.

More of my inconsequential ramblings...
https://40somethingahjumma.substack.com/p/the-double-2024-episodes-12-14

It's interesting how we see things so differently. I think he's actually very good here and does some good eye acting.

More of my ramblings -- Episodes 9-11
https://40somethingahjumma.substack.com/p/the-double-2024-episodes-9-11
Happy reading.

Thank you. :)

My first impressions of the show Episodes 1-9. I'm just a bit behind. :P
https://40somethingahjumma.substack.com/p/the-double-2024-first-impressions

What are you talking about? There are at least two women who like him. :D The Scorpion Doctor and the dancing girl at the start of Episode 9. It's more the case that he's not interested in them.

Thank you for the reply.

Is there a difference between the novel and the screen adaptation re: the husband's motivation for killing the FL? Because my impression from the show is that he did it under duress. He sounded like he was being held hostage by the Princess Royal or was being blackmailed. But I just read something rather different further down the thread. He also doesn't seem to like the princess all that much and resists her ideas.

It's not exactly at the depth of the Count of Monte Cristo but the set-up has me thinking of Princess Weiyoung. The female protagonist is the sort of character that Wu Jinyan has made a career of playing (intelligent, tactical and ambitious) but I'm probably more intrigued by Duke Su or Xiao Heng played by the talented Wang Xingyue who at the tender age of 22 exudes the kind of gravitas one expects only from someone much older. At this point the show positions him as the show's dispassionate observer looking on from the fringes with the critical eye of a sleuth. He has an inkling or two about the dubious homophonous A'Li (Jasmine or Fox) but is content to be an eager spectator of the game she's spinning. I don't take much stock in C drama trailers so I'm inclined to think that romance is a very minor part of the story and the slowburn will undoubtedly be an agony to watch.

Surprisingly (or perhaps not) with such a young cast there's a serious undertone not just because of the revenge factor but the power plays involving the children of court officials. Why does the Li family need so much money? It usually means one of two things. The fact that the sister of the emperor is abusing her power with crazed abandon adds to the impression that some people who have more than most aren't satisfied with their lot in life.

Despite the ungrammatical English title, this was a masterclass in storytelling. I don't endorse everything that's said or done in the show but there's little doubt in my mind that this is a great conversation starter on a very difficult subject. Thematically it is is rich and comparisons can be drawn with Meet Yourself and the Korean series Move to Heaven. This is overall a good script and boasts terrific performances not only by the leads but by an able supporting cast. The romance (though fairytale-like in its resolution) is well-incorporated into the character arcs of two flawed leads in search of healing. Different manifestations of grief are explored here, not just ones based on the deaths of loved ones. Traditionally this has been a taboo subject and hopefully this is the beginning of a positive trend.

On top of everything else, I thoroughly enjoyed Li Xian and Zhou Yutong's chemistry which was the cherry on top.

My thoughts on Episodes 6-10. Go to this place.
https://40somethingahjumma.substack.com/p/queen-of-tears-2024-episodes-6-10

That finale was a lovely wrap. I laughed out loud a few times and yes, I suppose Xing Zhi is still the most strategic person in the room. It's so rare to get such a good ending for a C drama. It shouldn't be really but perhaps they worked extra hard at it because of the debacle that was Princess Agents. I'm sick of open endings C drama style because they're usually terrible. But what we got can be considered a very satisfying ending.