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This review may contain spoilers
A Psycho, Crypt Keeper & Narcissistic Sociopath walk into Bar; Result? Bloodbath, Revenge, & an HE.
Watched this for XZ and the tomb raiding element. Never really expecting anything but I was blown away but every part of this drama so much so that the way it ended, I didn't see coming at all. And XZ's acting was solidified for me here. Basically a psychopath, the crypt keeper and a narcissistic sociopath walk into a bar the result is a bloodbath, followed by intelligent revenge and a happy ending.
Pros: This director managed to pull off everything very well; the storyline that never dragged but always kept you on your toes trying to figure out what the real conspiracy even was and who to trust and not to. Every character and their backstories were fleshed out. ML or ZH after witnessing the slaughter of his entire family was saved by some mysterious person in a mask and brought to 3 masters to raise and learn the art of deception, war, and craftsmanship (which is what the ML's) father did. For 10 years ZH after going through facial reconstruction surgery learned under these masters how to get his revenge on who he thought was only one person but in reality were 3 and it was only towards the end did he and we learn that the masked person was also the mastermind.
I told people in the comment section that in the beginning the only people that were trustworthy were ML, maybe the FL and a few cats and dogs. Literally everyone else was suspicious. The ML worked for a whole year to plan his revenge meticulously on the first person who he knew was responsible for the massacre. He worked under this monster and molded himself in a way that he could take him down later. I usually never put antagonists this high up but the Marquis was a brutal man and an absolute suspicious psychopath and the actor that played him was absolutely top notch. I was actually at first kind of upset that he was the first one that was taken down given that the crypt keeper was just a hot mess, but then when the mastermind was unveiled, it became clear that he was the worst of all.
I can't say enough how the ML and every character portrayed their roles with such precision. You always have someone that you're like OK this person is unnecessary, this character is unnecessary. In this series, every single character was necessary for however long they belonged there. I am glad that the FL and her friend, his childhood friend and martial artist, and though taking orders from the mastermind, Shifu never harmed ML. So we knew who we could ultimately trust. And even a morally grey character like ZX got his deserved redemption arc at the end and for once I believed it needed to happen. As ZH himself pointed out, it was he who ruined an innocent teenager for his own revenge but said teenager, though getting lost on his path, ended up as the general his father never became; a righteous one with proper guidance.
The court was filled with corruption and ZH helped wheedle it out a little at a time while still working to being the rats to justice. The amount of planning that went into the first arc at Lord Ping head's home was just masterful. The Crypt Keeper was evil and did what he was supposed to until he was no longer needed though I feel he should've just been killed off earlier than what happened to him. What is absolutely amazing is that the three of them looking for this artifact that brought power without really realizing the detriment that that power possessed and why it was hidden in the first place; had met when they were kids at school to stand up to bullying and here 40-50 years later they were ready to turn on each other and eat their own young just to get their hands on this artifact.
In this one, I can't pick out the characters that I liked because honestly good or bad, I liked them all because they acted so so well. There wasn't a single one that dropped the ball. And even though the actors did a superb job, I have to commend the director and the screenwriter for writing a story that was so immersive that two episodes a day felt like an entire series. And we had to sit and guess who was bad, who was good, who could turn on whatever and very often we were surprised who really were the middle villains or the mini villains. Very few dramas had you understanding the complexities of antagonists and why they had to be put down not just simply "because he was evil."
This was an S+ drama and it showed in everything; costumes, sets, OSTs and especially those amazing battles. I have to say that this drama really cemented XZ as a full-blown actor for me, his ability to switch on emotions from fake sadness to downright evil or real sadness and being happy was something that had to do with taking the time to immerse oneself into the character. There was very small amount of comedy which usually revolved around ZH's lack of fighting skills and how the FL and her ninja powers had to come and rescue him a lot and he just used whatever the heck he could find under hand to throw it at bad people.
I really liked how the ML always was a step or a few ahead of the villains, and if he got caught somewhere, he would always play it by ear and be able to wiggle out of any situation with some contingency plan. Once he entered the court, which was very quick; he gained as many enemies as he did friends, but he took out the smaller villains with his smarts and used the big ones against each other. It wouldn't be fair to talk about everything because people need to watch this. Now onto the cons and there weren't many, but still some small ones which I wish they had covered.
Cons: I know the series had very subtle romance because of all the other genres and things going on, but I felt even there, that the ML and the FL got together a little too quickly. They went from just talking to friendship to asking each other for favors, and then him locking her away for both her safety, and because he was weary of her and then afterwards it was like everything was forgotten, and they were together. It should have been done in a much smoother fashion. The other thing I had an issue with was when Lord Pinghead went for the gates of the palace, ZH just jumped out of nowhere with a little crossbow coming into the sight of this Goliath? Exactly what was he thinking he was going to do with that itsy-bitsy weapon? If it wasn't for ZX, he probably wouldn't have survived that assault. It just shows that there are some times where he was a little too naïve. He could barely fight on the street let alone with a bunch of armies, and this brutal man who wanted to decapitate him. It was very wishy-washy and unbelievable for a smart man like him. I understood it had to be father against son ultimately but having the ML there with his little weapon just seemed off.
Felt the last few episodes were a little rushed, and the whole Dongxia arc at the end was also very rushed. I understand that they had to deal with the tomb raiding, truth of the ghost soldiers and figure out what to do next with that artifact, but everything in there was just kind of thrown in and even though ZX got his redemption arc and our leads were free to live their lives and everyone else did who was part of team good including the new appointed emperor, too much stuffed into the end. I think if they took three episodes and maybe just smoothed them out into six, it probably would have been more cohesive. No more cons.
Would I recommend it? 100% This is a story of many conspiracies not just the original one, revenge, intelligence beyond most people's expectations, a little bit of tomb raiding, and a very good plot with a very good storyline. I will, however say if you're looking for romance, this is not the show for you. It is a show for mystery, thriller, crime solving, and revenge taking. And it's still somehow ended up with a happy ending. Go figure! And again, I have to give a lot of praise for the director, screenwriter, and the rest of the production crew who made this possible. The actors could only do a fantastic job if the people behind the scenes were guiding them properly and that is exactly what happened here.
Pros: This director managed to pull off everything very well; the storyline that never dragged but always kept you on your toes trying to figure out what the real conspiracy even was and who to trust and not to. Every character and their backstories were fleshed out. ML or ZH after witnessing the slaughter of his entire family was saved by some mysterious person in a mask and brought to 3 masters to raise and learn the art of deception, war, and craftsmanship (which is what the ML's) father did. For 10 years ZH after going through facial reconstruction surgery learned under these masters how to get his revenge on who he thought was only one person but in reality were 3 and it was only towards the end did he and we learn that the masked person was also the mastermind.
I told people in the comment section that in the beginning the only people that were trustworthy were ML, maybe the FL and a few cats and dogs. Literally everyone else was suspicious. The ML worked for a whole year to plan his revenge meticulously on the first person who he knew was responsible for the massacre. He worked under this monster and molded himself in a way that he could take him down later. I usually never put antagonists this high up but the Marquis was a brutal man and an absolute suspicious psychopath and the actor that played him was absolutely top notch. I was actually at first kind of upset that he was the first one that was taken down given that the crypt keeper was just a hot mess, but then when the mastermind was unveiled, it became clear that he was the worst of all.
I can't say enough how the ML and every character portrayed their roles with such precision. You always have someone that you're like OK this person is unnecessary, this character is unnecessary. In this series, every single character was necessary for however long they belonged there. I am glad that the FL and her friend, his childhood friend and martial artist, and though taking orders from the mastermind, Shifu never harmed ML. So we knew who we could ultimately trust. And even a morally grey character like ZX got his deserved redemption arc at the end and for once I believed it needed to happen. As ZH himself pointed out, it was he who ruined an innocent teenager for his own revenge but said teenager, though getting lost on his path, ended up as the general his father never became; a righteous one with proper guidance.
The court was filled with corruption and ZH helped wheedle it out a little at a time while still working to being the rats to justice. The amount of planning that went into the first arc at Lord Ping head's home was just masterful. The Crypt Keeper was evil and did what he was supposed to until he was no longer needed though I feel he should've just been killed off earlier than what happened to him. What is absolutely amazing is that the three of them looking for this artifact that brought power without really realizing the detriment that that power possessed and why it was hidden in the first place; had met when they were kids at school to stand up to bullying and here 40-50 years later they were ready to turn on each other and eat their own young just to get their hands on this artifact.
In this one, I can't pick out the characters that I liked because honestly good or bad, I liked them all because they acted so so well. There wasn't a single one that dropped the ball. And even though the actors did a superb job, I have to commend the director and the screenwriter for writing a story that was so immersive that two episodes a day felt like an entire series. And we had to sit and guess who was bad, who was good, who could turn on whatever and very often we were surprised who really were the middle villains or the mini villains. Very few dramas had you understanding the complexities of antagonists and why they had to be put down not just simply "because he was evil."
This was an S+ drama and it showed in everything; costumes, sets, OSTs and especially those amazing battles. I have to say that this drama really cemented XZ as a full-blown actor for me, his ability to switch on emotions from fake sadness to downright evil or real sadness and being happy was something that had to do with taking the time to immerse oneself into the character. There was very small amount of comedy which usually revolved around ZH's lack of fighting skills and how the FL and her ninja powers had to come and rescue him a lot and he just used whatever the heck he could find under hand to throw it at bad people.
I really liked how the ML always was a step or a few ahead of the villains, and if he got caught somewhere, he would always play it by ear and be able to wiggle out of any situation with some contingency plan. Once he entered the court, which was very quick; he gained as many enemies as he did friends, but he took out the smaller villains with his smarts and used the big ones against each other. It wouldn't be fair to talk about everything because people need to watch this. Now onto the cons and there weren't many, but still some small ones which I wish they had covered.
Cons: I know the series had very subtle romance because of all the other genres and things going on, but I felt even there, that the ML and the FL got together a little too quickly. They went from just talking to friendship to asking each other for favors, and then him locking her away for both her safety, and because he was weary of her and then afterwards it was like everything was forgotten, and they were together. It should have been done in a much smoother fashion. The other thing I had an issue with was when Lord Pinghead went for the gates of the palace, ZH just jumped out of nowhere with a little crossbow coming into the sight of this Goliath? Exactly what was he thinking he was going to do with that itsy-bitsy weapon? If it wasn't for ZX, he probably wouldn't have survived that assault. It just shows that there are some times where he was a little too naïve. He could barely fight on the street let alone with a bunch of armies, and this brutal man who wanted to decapitate him. It was very wishy-washy and unbelievable for a smart man like him. I understood it had to be father against son ultimately but having the ML there with his little weapon just seemed off.
Felt the last few episodes were a little rushed, and the whole Dongxia arc at the end was also very rushed. I understand that they had to deal with the tomb raiding, truth of the ghost soldiers and figure out what to do next with that artifact, but everything in there was just kind of thrown in and even though ZX got his redemption arc and our leads were free to live their lives and everyone else did who was part of team good including the new appointed emperor, too much stuffed into the end. I think if they took three episodes and maybe just smoothed them out into six, it probably would have been more cohesive. No more cons.
Would I recommend it? 100% This is a story of many conspiracies not just the original one, revenge, intelligence beyond most people's expectations, a little bit of tomb raiding, and a very good plot with a very good storyline. I will, however say if you're looking for romance, this is not the show for you. It is a show for mystery, thriller, crime solving, and revenge taking. And it's still somehow ended up with a happy ending. Go figure! And again, I have to give a lot of praise for the director, screenwriter, and the rest of the production crew who made this possible. The actors could only do a fantastic job if the people behind the scenes were guiding them properly and that is exactly what happened here.
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