Eleison

At least in Season 2 it's Pingjing and Pingzhang, which look quite different. After making my way through Season 2, that's the only thing I think the screenwriter could have improved about Season 1. Ease us into the names. 😅 There were way too many names/people to keep track of at the beginning of Season 1 (you almost need to keep a chart with you!). 😂

No, I'm still pretty new to Cdramas. Only seen 7 or so, the really highly rated ones. 😅 I did that with Kdramas when I got into those and worked my way down, haha.

She does soften a bit as it continues (I think they actually write her character differently as it goes--she gets more pleasant! But I hear you. She's A LOT).

And I don't think it's accurate to call her a "strong woman" (in an admirable sense), though. I din't agree with people who say she's a girl boss or things like that. She (along with the ML and his brother) are people in need of healing and restoration. None of them are good pictures of healthy or whole people. They improve and grow a lot by the end, of course, but they all have a long way to go. (As real people, they would be very hard to interact with).

That's what I kept in mind and it helped me see things differently. So neither the ML or FL in my mind are good pictures of any kind of healthy dynamic, and that allowed me to view the FL more compassionately.

Yes, everything this screenwriter does is for a purpose, but I feel like her villains in Season 2 are much harder to figure out than in Season 1. They're more of a puzzle!

Yes, very much so! But also what makes is very sad... 😭

Yes, there were definitely tears when Pingzhang died. How could I help it? 😅

Waiting for some development with Pingjing. The Emperor just died and Pingjing is back in Jinling. I know dad is going to die soon, too. Poor Pingjing!! 😭

NIV 2; finished season 1 a few weeks ago and it was incredible. Liking Season 2 a lot, too, but it's more heartbreaking. 💔

Yes, they're SO GOOD.

I visit this page every now and then just for kicks, and I continue to puzzle over where all the thoughtful people went on the Kdrama pages. (There are a few still, to be sure!)

Why is everyone on this thread (and honestly the same is true of some other Cdrama threads I've visited) so much nicer, articulate, and genial? Every time I come back it's a breath of fresh air. 🤷‍♀️

Here I actually feel like I'm seeing/talking to human beings rather than stone walls that insult people who disagree with them. 😐

I just finished Nirvana In Fire; very little romance and a male-heavy plot, but absolutely incredible as far as dramas go. Probably has risen to the rank of best drama I've ever seen (and I have seen quite a few... 😅).

Watching NIF 2 and it's also quite good and has a lot more romance. Same screenwriter, so excellently written and more endearing, precious characters.

Yes, I have noticed the hints, but he seems to think he's still doing the "right thing" but doesn't realized he's been baited--hook, line and sinker--by Pu Yang Ying. He keeps "helping" Changlin but it seems deep down he knows he's actually helping Yang Ying, right?

He doesn't seem smart enough to really be as sinister as Pu Yang Ying, though.

Also, I read one commenter who said it bothered her that she couldn't identify a reason Yang Ying had such a fixation on taking out Ping Zhang. I was wondering, is it possible Yang Ying has such a vendetta against Ping Zhang specifically because he's the antithesis of himself, especially after considering how Yang Ying murdering his own brother? He probably hates seeing what Pingjing and PinZhang have because he wasn't that person for his brother. Ping Zhang is all the things Yang Ying can never be, and maybe even feels haunted by. I don't know if that can be extrapolated, but he treated his brother so differently than Pingjing and PingZhang treat each other. I haven't quite got to PinhZhang dying or Pingjing waking up, but I know Pingjing will NOT be pleased PingZhang sacrificed himself for him.

I like that in NIV Lin Chen pointed out to Chang Su's devotees that Chang Su would never allow himself to live on if they sacrificed themselves for him. He couldn't face them dying so he could live. I wonder if Ping Zhang ever considered how Pingjing would feel if PingZhang took the hit for him? Pingjing could be inspired by his sacrifice OR, just as likely, live in bitterness and guilt...

Personally, I would rather die than wake up and find out my sister sacrificed herself for me.

😂😂😂

Did he end up winning you over in spite of his hair? 😅

The contrast of Puyang Ying and Chang Su in Episode 24 is stark. Eeek, he's so gross it hurts.

And of course Pingzhang accepts death to save Pingjing.💔 Duuuude, don't be THAT perfect. 😭

Season 1 and 2 REALLY love that ambient boiling liquid sound. 😅

It's amazing how much I take convincing "realistic" sounds replicated in the studio for granted in most entertainment. I realize just how much when I watch Cdramas and the visuals/sounds don't always align/match-up. 😅 (I think I notice it more, because the sounds are clearly recycled for every "similar" sound or scenario.) I understand why this is the case, but it is crazy how most entertainment actyally eliminates these distractions so we don't even realize them!

Huh! Definitely haven't gotten to his backstory other than I know he's connected to the old plague and a bunch of people from Yeqin dying because of it. Is there another villain behind him, or is he it?

I didn't notice his name! Do you mean it feels reminiscent of Yin-yang? Though all I see is gross vengefulness. He obviously has his reasons but he's determined to be bitter and hateful. And he's cultivating the same perspective in Yuanqi. 😭

But yes, he does look androgynous. He seems to have contact lenses, too, and they obviously gave him a sickly, unnatural skin tone. He certainly feels like the dark side version of Mei Chang Su who, for instance, would never have dreamt of poisoning a bunch of innocents with a disease as a stepping stone for getting revenge. 😱

But there are also differences of opinion about suicide. One view might be seen as "progressive" while another might be seen as "out-dated" and I don't think either is true. So yeah, how to wrestle with suicide responsibly depends quite a lot on how you view suicide. I suppose that's why this was so polarizing. 🤷‍♀️

I kinda thought you might read based on how you write. 😋

Yes, there are plenty of Pingjings representated in stories/dramas, but not many XPZs. Though I feel like the XPZs always die. 😭

I love the way XPZ handles Pingjing. Always pushing him but also not treating him like a child who can't do things, either, and loving him when he messes up. Precious. Do you like reading? There's a great little middle grade novel (when middle grade was good enough for adults to enjoy; it was written in the 40's) by an author called "Enemy Brothers" set during World War II and it has a similar character to XPZ. The cutest big brother I'd ever seen till this drama. He's one of my literature crushes. If you like reading and characters like XPZ, then I'd highly recommend it.

Also, I want storytellers to believe that good people can actually live and flourish alongside all the people who find life a struggle. 😂