MadelineMaureen

it felt like every single establishing shot got left on the cutting room floor. idk if they were crunched on the edit to make it fit into 40ish minutes or what, but there weren't many establishing shots, maybe like 2 in episode 29. a lot of times people either don't notice or disregard establishing shots, but they are the difference between a smooth transition from one location to a nother/time passing & straight character teleportation.

I'm pretty sure this show could have easily been 70 episodes if they adapted everything from the novel. Sometimes shit just needs to fast forward so all the players are in the right spot on the board in less than 40minutes.
I wish the editing between scenes was less abrupt. They've shown they can show time passing previously so I think it has more to do with episode length having to be cut down to fit a 40minute edit and still get the plot to make sense.
Definitely missing some establishing shots that would have grounded the edit & would have made it make more sense. QianQian should have been shown running in the forest at night/early dawn...show her running like she's being chased, falling delaying her escape to hide....hearing the sound of voices and being scared in her hiding place, only to recognize the voices as ChangYu & the Jin gang. crawling out of her hiding place & running into ChangYu's arms.
at least then Qi Min & his men catching up so soon makes sense & why QianQian wasnt completely spent energy wise also makes sense.
for all I know they have footage like that for all the not so great jumps, but time constraints will always cut the things that least matter to the overall plot/storyline.
even a previous scene establishing that QianQian would run for a city marker because she saw a map she shouldn't, showing her exact location.

Not technically blood related. Just like how some of Xie Zheng's subordinates carry the Xie name, so too do some subordinates of Wei. He was high ranking in the Wei Army.
They havent even hinted at ChangYu's mother's lineage yet...but lets just say Changyu has double general lineage, which is why physical strengths/skills come easy to her.

thrice. cliff, rescue at the fort, rescue on the battlefield

First a 6ft mosquito, now a stone....😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤭🤭🤭

I'm seeing a lot of social media comments like ChangYu is dumb for rejecting Xie Zheng, cause he said eff the world & he's rich...
yes this is a romance & a bit of a "fantasy" because fictional, but some of the story parameters are based in historically accurate boundaries. but also...can we let a woman achieve her own merits before up ending her whole being for a man who lied to her for months?
As of ep28. She made a promise to bring all the remaining men from Lin'an back after the massacre & QianQian & Bao'er after Ning told her what happened. She knows he had a job to do before she showed up, and she has hers. She's not rejecting him, she knows what needs to be done & that she can handle her own share while he continues his campaign/assigned dueties as the head of the Xie Army.
But there is a lot more class/societal issues that they will need to overcome, and now isnt the time to figure that out, and she knows that. He might be head over heels in love with her & ready to say eff it all, but he also doesn't have a family and entire village relying on him. No, he has an entire Army(and nation) relying on him to fulfill his role as general & Marquis Wu'an...while he is a bit blinded by this new love & thinking he just has to wave his hand and make it so, ChangYu knows the uphill battle & wants to be respected outside of his influence, because she knows he could fall, whether in death or in influence, and she would still need to carry on.
She loves him deeply, but she is never going to stop being the woman she is & hide behind his coattails(mixing metaphors on purpose please roll with it)

I need a Bao'er and Ning reunion stat.

It's like a self reference...meaning 'i' or 'me'. It's how female royals refer to themselves when speaking. She slipped up and spoke like a royal family member & let ChangYu misunderstand. Anyone with a non-commoner education would automatically know she is a royal family member.
She was saying "My name is" & ChangYu took the "My" and ran with it.

look up Till the End of the Moon...your jaw will hit the floor

imma need to start rewatching it on the other platforms to get the numbers an even spread. im honestly taking notes after I rewatch & am behind a bit...like 10-11 episodes of notes cause I took notes up to ep15 and just finished 26. Of course this came out toward the end of my journal...only 6 pages left with 25 episodes of notes left....when that's how many pages ive already used for 15 episodes 🙃 I'll have to use shorthand...and maybe tape some extra pages in.

I cant tell if it's unrequited love or familial care and concern. She was the first woman other than his grandmother who cared for him enough to yell at him & beat his ass into acting like a man instead of a thug.
So cant tell if he sees her in a romantic or brother looking out for sister's happiness kind of way.

After ChangYu is done with Xie Zheng, Jin is going to attempt to whoop his ass. Jin about to say eff military law you messed with our girl. (again until it's shown more or stated cant tell if it is unrequited love or familia love/concen he is showing toward ChangYu. I just know there are a LOT of cuts to his POV when she talks about or is around Xie Zheng)

as a lover of different displays of feminine rage 10/10

Question for the novel readers. What does ChangYu call Xie Zheng after learning all his names?

one very small editing mistake that I'm going to just take as two things happening simultaneously instead. the blue hair ribbon is already hanging inside before we see her lose it outside the tent.

I dont think they've mentioned one way or the other. but with NingNing getting picked up by the bandits and only left alive because of the jade around her neck...it's not looking great. but hopefully he stayed hidden & we'll get an update once we run into Kan'er as there is an actor listed for him so one would assume he will eventually show up & will need to be informed of his grandmother's passing.

Have we met Kang Dan yet? Granny Kang's elder grandson? I remember him being mentioned multiple times, but I'm not sure we've seen him on screen. Can someone confirm whether or not he's made a physical appearance and if he has can you point me to the episode he's in?

he might not have any backing in the capital anymore after his mother and Magistrate Cui's family were killed by the bandits. he'll need a new sponsor.

im so impressed with the whole cast & how, even though i miss the leads interactions with each other, the pacing still feels good. the story and performances round out the show instead of detract from it, which can't be said for every drama with a side quest.

ive recognized a few sets from different productions, but they are shot in a way that still keeps me immersed in the show. a few I only noticed when I watched a second time.
I like this directors use of angles and medium tight shots, you still get the feel of a large space, but without "empty space" if you know what I mean.
all the environments look lived in & well populated.