This review may contain spoilers
A Tapestry of Pigment and Thread | How to drive the FL to the end of her wits, multiple times!
"You're a gentleman, a good person, but kindness without a sharp edge can't fend off the sharp swords aimed at you." - Ji Yingying to Ji Yaoting
Looking back now, I struggled a lot to finish this drama because of 3 major aspects: the Plot, the conflicts in the story and the antagonists.
1. Plot - I felt so bored and irritated during the first five episodes due to the direction the story was taking. It followed the typical drama trope of the "oppressed heroine," which I'm totally cool with. However, the lasting distaste that ruined my mood was caused not by the antagonists who kept scheming against Ji Yingying (FL), but by her own family members who kept dragging her down because of their weakness, incompetence, and inability to assess the overall situation with better judgment. I'm actually glad that her brother (Ji Yaoting) almost immediately learned his lessons and started showing growth. In contrast, her mother remained stuck in her little bubble, believing that the situation would be alright as long as they stayed subservient. What's more irritating is that she remained that way until the second half of the story, which hindered Ji Yingying's progress and even became the instrument for the unnecessary and completely preventable conflict (Yang Jinglan's desperate homecoming) to occur.
2. Conflicts - Most of the conflicts in the story were totally preventable. What was more frustrating was that they felt forced just to engineer conflicts and emotional scenes. Some good examples are:
• Episode 23-34 - Yan Jinglan's desperate homecoming would have never happened if Ji Xushi (JYY's mother) hadn't been weak-minded and unnecessarily cautious. My biggest issue with her is that she doesn't know how to assess the overall situation properly and remains traumatized by the tragedy of the past. She tries so hard to avoid danger but doesn't realize that her enemies will relentlessly loom around them unless they have either utterly defeated or killed her daughter (Ji Yingying).
• Episode 30 - Sheng Dalang’s death could have been prevented if he and Sang Shisi had stayed within the group instead of running off to wander around, completely unguarded and incapable of fending for themselves. They created their own demise, period. The escort group with Yang Jinglan is fighting the bandits. So, I don't understand why they had to run in the first place when they were safer there than anywhere else. Geez!
• Episode 25 - The scene where Ji Yaoting questions the groom (Yang Jinglan) to allow him entry to the Ji abode, even though they are already married. LOL! Note that Yang Jinglan saved Ji Yingying from far worse suffering at the hands of the Yang family by snatching her from his second brother (Yang Jinglin). Additionally, I just don't find Ji Yaoting suitable/qualified to perform such a tradition. His sister would have suffered less if only he had been a reliable man in the first place. Gosh!
3. Antagonists - I guess I am just frustrated with how the entirety of the story was spent dealing with one major enemy, Niu Jin. He is cunning and may look formidable, but he is full of shortcomings. I just can't accept that he remained the biggest antagonist of this show despite all of his flaws and countless reasons to topple him down. He's one great enemy, but having him till the end became so tiring over time, especially when you consider all the chances they had to defeat him but failed to do so. This was either because they were underprepared/oblivious of his schemes or simply because he outsmarted them most of the time. Having Niu Wu Niang or Bai Sheng as the main antagonist would have been better compared to him.
This drama would have been perfectly fine with 32 episodes. 35 was reasonable, 37 was going overboard, and 40 was totally unnecessary.
I was 36 episodes in, but all I wished was for it to end. By episode 37, I completely lost interest and started thinking, "How wonderful would it be if this were the 39th episode already." By episode 38, I just wanted it to end but I persisted anyway because I still wanted to see through its ending. The halfway point of episode 39 was its saving grace; that was when I gained hope and started praying for a satisfying ending. By episode 40, I was just happy that it was finally the last episode. I found the ending lacking, but I'm just glad that it was concluded happily.
The supporting male leads in this show are the most self-righteous, lovesick men I have seen in a long time. Bai Sheng started promising—I had high hopes for him as a contender for a good second male lead—but as the story progressed, he became increasingly loathsome and possessive. The only good thing he did was to sacrifice himself to keep Ji Yingying safe. This man was obsessive, self-righteous, and overly self-pitying about his objectives and situation. He's the type of character you grow to hate as the story progresses. On the other hand, I'm rather grateful that Zhao Xiu Yuan eventually redeemed himself after taking a wicked path. I almost lost hope in him, but the scriptwriter eventually had a change of heart and gave him a chance for redemption.
In conclusion, I realized that I'd rather watch women scheme out of jealousy than watch men do it. Men's reasons have been the most unreasonable and unhinged I have ever seen. They tend to be extremely destructive and merciless for some of the most self-righteous and hell-bent reasons. At least, women do it with a sensible and much deeper reason. As for men, they gaslight their reasons to make them justifiable.
Lastly, while I've previously mentioned seemingly negative aspects of "Yang Jinglan's desperate homecoming," this is, in fact, the show's most iconic scene. His determination and devotion for Ji Yingying are powerfully demonstrated in the fight sequences, highlighting his most charismatic and attractive qualities. I absolutely love how he crashed the wedding and defied the entire Yang household—not just to stop the ceremony, but to claim it as his own. What an admirable man!
"When all else fails, seek your husband." - Yang Jinglan
Story - 8.0, The story would have been better if it hadn't over-utilized Ji Xushi's trauma and overcautiousness against Ji Yingying. It was upsetting that she was constantly being held back by pressure and restrictions placed by her own timid mother. I hope that screenwriters, directors, and producers can stop incorporating such worn-out techniques just to create hindrances and conflicts for the leads. It's frustrating when you see the people around her become the anchor that drags her down instead of a support system that keeps her moving forward. Additionally, I wish we had gotten a real influential and powerful antagonist and not just a power-hungry general that is usually easily dealt with in most dramas.
Acting/Cast - 9.5, The main leads were fantastic! I picked this show because of Tan Song Yun, but I ended up so impressed and captivated by Zheng Ye Cheng. This is my third drama of his, but it's the first time I truly appreciate his heartthrob charm and appeal. There is something about his killer smile and expressive, tantalizing eyes that made me so drawn to him in this show.
Music - 7.0, The songs in this drama felt almost non-existent to me. I'm not sure if I was just not paying attention or if they were simply not impactful at all. The only tune I can remember was the one played during Yang Jinglan's fight scenes on Episodes 23-24. Aside from that, I can't recall any other music.
Rewatch Value - 5.0, I'm sorry, but no. I honestly don't think I can watch it again. My entire watch experience does not allow me to feel the usual excitement and entertainment I have when watching a typical drama. I can't even recommend this for Pete's sake!
Overall - 8.0, This is that one drama I regret watching, yet at the same time felt grateful because I got to rediscover and see Zheng Ye Cheng in a different light. Aside from that, I am so done and would just want to move on to a next show that will excite the hell out of me.
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
Looking back now, I struggled a lot to finish this drama because of 3 major aspects: the Plot, the conflicts in the story and the antagonists.
1. Plot - I felt so bored and irritated during the first five episodes due to the direction the story was taking. It followed the typical drama trope of the "oppressed heroine," which I'm totally cool with. However, the lasting distaste that ruined my mood was caused not by the antagonists who kept scheming against Ji Yingying (FL), but by her own family members who kept dragging her down because of their weakness, incompetence, and inability to assess the overall situation with better judgment. I'm actually glad that her brother (Ji Yaoting) almost immediately learned his lessons and started showing growth. In contrast, her mother remained stuck in her little bubble, believing that the situation would be alright as long as they stayed subservient. What's more irritating is that she remained that way until the second half of the story, which hindered Ji Yingying's progress and even became the instrument for the unnecessary and completely preventable conflict (Yang Jinglan's desperate homecoming) to occur.
2. Conflicts - Most of the conflicts in the story were totally preventable. What was more frustrating was that they felt forced just to engineer conflicts and emotional scenes. Some good examples are:
• Episode 23-34 - Yan Jinglan's desperate homecoming would have never happened if Ji Xushi (JYY's mother) hadn't been weak-minded and unnecessarily cautious. My biggest issue with her is that she doesn't know how to assess the overall situation properly and remains traumatized by the tragedy of the past. She tries so hard to avoid danger but doesn't realize that her enemies will relentlessly loom around them unless they have either utterly defeated or killed her daughter (Ji Yingying).
• Episode 30 - Sheng Dalang’s death could have been prevented if he and Sang Shisi had stayed within the group instead of running off to wander around, completely unguarded and incapable of fending for themselves. They created their own demise, period. The escort group with Yang Jinglan is fighting the bandits. So, I don't understand why they had to run in the first place when they were safer there than anywhere else. Geez!
• Episode 25 - The scene where Ji Yaoting questions the groom (Yang Jinglan) to allow him entry to the Ji abode, even though they are already married. LOL! Note that Yang Jinglan saved Ji Yingying from far worse suffering at the hands of the Yang family by snatching her from his second brother (Yang Jinglin). Additionally, I just don't find Ji Yaoting suitable/qualified to perform such a tradition. His sister would have suffered less if only he had been a reliable man in the first place. Gosh!
3. Antagonists - I guess I am just frustrated with how the entirety of the story was spent dealing with one major enemy, Niu Jin. He is cunning and may look formidable, but he is full of shortcomings. I just can't accept that he remained the biggest antagonist of this show despite all of his flaws and countless reasons to topple him down. He's one great enemy, but having him till the end became so tiring over time, especially when you consider all the chances they had to defeat him but failed to do so. This was either because they were underprepared/oblivious of his schemes or simply because he outsmarted them most of the time. Having Niu Wu Niang or Bai Sheng as the main antagonist would have been better compared to him.
This drama would have been perfectly fine with 32 episodes. 35 was reasonable, 37 was going overboard, and 40 was totally unnecessary.
I was 36 episodes in, but all I wished was for it to end. By episode 37, I completely lost interest and started thinking, "How wonderful would it be if this were the 39th episode already." By episode 38, I just wanted it to end but I persisted anyway because I still wanted to see through its ending. The halfway point of episode 39 was its saving grace; that was when I gained hope and started praying for a satisfying ending. By episode 40, I was just happy that it was finally the last episode. I found the ending lacking, but I'm just glad that it was concluded happily.
The supporting male leads in this show are the most self-righteous, lovesick men I have seen in a long time. Bai Sheng started promising—I had high hopes for him as a contender for a good second male lead—but as the story progressed, he became increasingly loathsome and possessive. The only good thing he did was to sacrifice himself to keep Ji Yingying safe. This man was obsessive, self-righteous, and overly self-pitying about his objectives and situation. He's the type of character you grow to hate as the story progresses. On the other hand, I'm rather grateful that Zhao Xiu Yuan eventually redeemed himself after taking a wicked path. I almost lost hope in him, but the scriptwriter eventually had a change of heart and gave him a chance for redemption.
In conclusion, I realized that I'd rather watch women scheme out of jealousy than watch men do it. Men's reasons have been the most unreasonable and unhinged I have ever seen. They tend to be extremely destructive and merciless for some of the most self-righteous and hell-bent reasons. At least, women do it with a sensible and much deeper reason. As for men, they gaslight their reasons to make them justifiable.
Lastly, while I've previously mentioned seemingly negative aspects of "Yang Jinglan's desperate homecoming," this is, in fact, the show's most iconic scene. His determination and devotion for Ji Yingying are powerfully demonstrated in the fight sequences, highlighting his most charismatic and attractive qualities. I absolutely love how he crashed the wedding and defied the entire Yang household—not just to stop the ceremony, but to claim it as his own. What an admirable man!
"When all else fails, seek your husband." - Yang Jinglan
Story - 8.0, The story would have been better if it hadn't over-utilized Ji Xushi's trauma and overcautiousness against Ji Yingying. It was upsetting that she was constantly being held back by pressure and restrictions placed by her own timid mother. I hope that screenwriters, directors, and producers can stop incorporating such worn-out techniques just to create hindrances and conflicts for the leads. It's frustrating when you see the people around her become the anchor that drags her down instead of a support system that keeps her moving forward. Additionally, I wish we had gotten a real influential and powerful antagonist and not just a power-hungry general that is usually easily dealt with in most dramas.
Acting/Cast - 9.5, The main leads were fantastic! I picked this show because of Tan Song Yun, but I ended up so impressed and captivated by Zheng Ye Cheng. This is my third drama of his, but it's the first time I truly appreciate his heartthrob charm and appeal. There is something about his killer smile and expressive, tantalizing eyes that made me so drawn to him in this show.
Music - 7.0, The songs in this drama felt almost non-existent to me. I'm not sure if I was just not paying attention or if they were simply not impactful at all. The only tune I can remember was the one played during Yang Jinglan's fight scenes on Episodes 23-24. Aside from that, I can't recall any other music.
Rewatch Value - 5.0, I'm sorry, but no. I honestly don't think I can watch it again. My entire watch experience does not allow me to feel the usual excitement and entertainment I have when watching a typical drama. I can't even recommend this for Pete's sake!
Overall - 8.0, This is that one drama I regret watching, yet at the same time felt grateful because I got to rediscover and see Zheng Ye Cheng in a different light. Aside from that, I am so done and would just want to move on to a next show that will excite the hell out of me.
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
Was this review helpful to you?
