FL's acting is so bad I needed two weeks to break through episode 1 😁 but I like the ML and their dynamics…
I'm on Episode 6 and praying the FL doesn't drive me to drop it, as the plot is decent. Jing Tian just cannot act, at least in this one (haven't seen her in anything else), and it's so distracting. Especially in scenes where she is supposed to be unsure or making excuses for her behavior. A first-year drama student could do 1,000 times better.
One thing I loved about this drama is that Gu Jin Zhao is the catalyst for everything that ultimately happens…
Yep. Even though he loathed CYY because he had GJZ's heart, he also trusted him enough to know that he would never do anything to destroy the Ye family. Hell, after the street scene you mentioned, he even took a pill in prison that damaged his heart, just so CYY could get him and his father out. Like you said, obviously smarter than CXQ who let his petty insecurities destroy him.
How does downrating a drama because Winwin didn't get the girl help your favorite idol's career?
Winwin obviously accepted the role, knowing what it was all about, and what would happen to his character, because he KNEW he could play that role well.
But when you downrate a drama because its ending doesn't satisfy YOU due to Winwin's character's arc and what happened to him (and that's going on with this drama to "some" extent, although not the full reason why the drama's rating is lowering), all that does is contribute towards damaging Winwin's career, and every other actor's career in the drama, as lower rated dramas mean fewer opportunities for actors. Maybe not now, but in future as this kind of thing compounds with other dramas.
Of course, MDL ratings don't mean much to Chinese production companies, at least yet, (and Chinese viewers are doing the same thing, but far worse) but, if it was me, and I was a fan of an actor, I would uprate the drama if it was good, and if the actor turned in a good performance.
BECAUSE I WOULD WANT TO SEE HIM IN MORE ROLES.
Winwin KILLED it as Ye Xian, and should be given the ratings to show that. As should Ci Sha and Ren Min.
It's also a very odd thing to me as some "fans" treat actors like they are children unable to make decisions for themselves. Winwin CHOSE the role himself and threw himself into it with everything he had. The least you could do is reward him for both his good decision and his amazing performance.
(Note: And I'm not talking to the people who downrated the drama for personal preferences, have at it if you genuinely didn't enjoy it. But specifically to the people who have been whining about Winwin's character since the drama started, and saying how his character's arc had "ruined the drama". Meanwhile, Winwin is probably proud of himself that he portrayed the character so well).
I agree. YX shouldn't have died. He was the last man standing after all. The writer really messed up there.
There was no other possible ending for Ye Xian. He would have died within 3 years anyway, likely much sooner, due to his heart condition, which was deteriorating quickly.
So what? You wanted him to just waste away in his mansion with a collapsing family name, and always known as the heir who let his family down? Just so he could play with GJZ's kids? Does that make sense to you?
Instead, he died in glory. A hero, who preserved his family's reputation and made his father proud. Don't forget, the Chinese, like many people, believe they meet their parents after death, and he wanted to prove to his father that he was just as courageous and as strong as his father. He proved that from the minute he rallied the army behind the Ye flag, and he proved it even more when he stood his ground against an unbeatable army, and died for his emperor, his country and his family.
This was the only possible correct end to Ye Xian's life. I honestly do not understand why so many people do not seem to see this. Or is obsession over Winwin clouding people's judgement? A serious question, btw.
DON'T READ UNLESS YOU WANT THE ENDING SPOILED FOR YOU :)
One thing I loved about this drama is that Gu Jin Zhao is the catalyst for everything that ultimately happens to the three men in love with her.
She is the ultimate cause of destruction for Chen Xuan Qing. Through no fault of her own. But she is. Her paying any attention to him sets him on a course of chaos and madness he never recovers from. Yes, as he's dying, he says he respected his uncle and he wanted to be like him, but his uncle was the one who won over Gu Jin Zhao thus making him feel even lesser than he already felt, and the loss of her to him was more than he could bear.
She is also the cause of destruction for Ye Xian as, if he hadn't secretly left the capital to clear the way for her safely to arrive in the borderlands, he would not have had to become the army general, he wouldn't have had to lead the Ye army into battle, and he wouldn't have lost his life.
But she is also ultimately his salvation and glory as, no matter what he tried to do before, he could never reach the same status as his father and grandfather due to his health and his own silly actions. And now he has. Dying in splendor as he leads the Ye army to somewhat of a victory, and restoring respect to the family name, and to his mother and sister.
Sadly, his death also means he is the last of the male bloodline of the Ye family. Something that has happened to many families throughout history. But the character couldn't have ended up any other way, as the alternative, lingering for another three years before dying of a heart ailment, would have been a whole other level of tragic and waste.
And, of course, Chen Yan Yun for whom Gu Jin Zhao is his reason for living. He met her when his whole life revolved around duty -- to his family, his mentor, his country and his emperor. And then she made him realize there is more to life than that.
She literally saved him as she took Ye Xian's body back to the capital under the pretext of it being Chen Yan Yun, and then found a way through Ye Xian's mother and sister to get the emperor to send reinforcements. Thus, saving his life.
But she also saved him figuratively in that she showed him, even if king, mentor and country ever deserted him (although the emperor and, thus, the country never actually would), she would not. Instead, she would go through hell to save him. And if that meant dying with him or dying to save him, she would do that as well.
Haven't loved a trio of main leads, and a supporting character, this much in a C-drama in a long, long, long time.
Especially as all their stories were sewn up so beautifully at the end, and in places all three could only rightfully end up.
Does anyone know what other shows are similar to this1. The rise of Ning1. Sijin 3. Serendipity I’ve watched…
The Legend of Zhuohua. I'm currently watching that (Ep 6), but the actor is too old for the ML role (45 when the drama was released, and an actor who, even with the plastic surgery he looks like he's had, still looks like he's in his late 40s, but is playing an early 30s character).
Because of that, I haven't decided if I like it or not yet, but it's nowhere near as good as A Splendid Match so far, neither the acting or the writing. (The FL has acting skills issues in that one as well, although she's not the worst I've seen).
GENTLE REMINDER -- Please check the 'Spoiler' box if your comment may give ANYTHING away from the upcoming episodes. Remember, many people haven't paid for Express, and you're potentially spoiling their enjoyment of upcoming episodes if you give away the plot.
...not at all satisfying. Now I understand why the rating dropped. With all the grief, it needed some happiness.…
That was the whole point of the entire story. To take the antagonist down, and that's exactly what CYY did. Killed Fu Hai Lan's wife to protect his own wife, then made the concrete decision to pick up the book of reforms, so he now owns it and so can carry on the work that will make the lives of the people better.
He then walked away leaving his mentor in a burning building to die.
Fu Hai Lian's wife was the only person on earth, except himself, that he cared about. That's why he drugged her so she could be taken somewhere safe, as he knew he was a dead man as soon as CYY arrived. And, when he did arrive, CYY killed the last thing he cared about. His wife. And then he took what Fu Hai Lian had worked his whole life for -- the book of reforms.
Completely satisfying ending to me of two truly despicable people, and without the ML being forced to personally murder his mentor. The man he still had some feelings and respect for, even though he knew what a terrible person he had become. He still had those feelings of hope he once had about the man before Fu Hai Lian became evil.
The closure was in the ML and FL walking away from the entire mess. With the book of reforms, and with their lives, and with every antagonist in their lives gone.
I don't know how there could have been more closure? But, I'm not one of those people that needs a happy ever after just to feel better about a drama. I can imagine it, as I've been given all the information I need to be able to do so.
The director and the writer did a superb job bringing everything together. And you would think the writer deserved an award if you had read the mess of a novel she/he managed to create this from. (I read to about Chapter 40 of 300-and-odd chapters and gave up. It's a badly-written mess).
I just don't understand this kind of comment. It shows a complete lack of understanding of emotion and loss.
If your friend was suddenly brought in on a stretcher, and put on the floor in front of you, riddled with bullet holes and dead, what would you do? Just shrug and walk away? I would be as devastated if any of my friends died in that way.
Besides, as she already explained, to her, he is the most like her, and so she sees herself in him.
I agreed. I have seen Ren Min in other dramas, but in this show, I felt her acting and character suitability is…
I've loved her since The Longest Promise as she was brilliant in that as well. Unfortunately, she was horribly attacked by Chinese "fans" for her performance when, in reality, the idiots didn't seem to understand it was the CHARACTER they didn't like, not her performance, as her performance was superb. (IMO, the character was fascinating as well).
Interestingly too, Ci Sha was also in The Longest Promise, so this is now the third drama they've appeared in together.
Looks like they're not giving the express to Iqiyi.
From what I read, neither iQIYI or WeTV will have the Express as MangoTV owns the main distribution rights and they want to be able to make more money from the Express episodes without iQIYI and WeTV also scooping up some of the cash.
I couldn't agree more. I seriously think this ending is perfect for the story we've been watching for the last…
Ratings are not a measure of quality, especially on MDL, as you will see those dramas starring popular young idol stars get ridiculously high ratings, while those with an older male star, which is better written and much better acted, don't. In the case of this one, the ratings will likely drop as the idol star did not get the outcome his fans wanted for him.
Which is such a stupid way of rating a drama, as Winwin took the part knowing what the outcome of his character was, so these so-called "fans" downrating it because of that are actually helping potentially damage his career by downvoting his work.
How did you watch the whole series already? I thought it’s still airing
The final five episodes are available on Express if you pay extra for them (almost all Chinese dramas have this function when their episode release nears its end). Otherwise, if you don't pay, those episode will be dropped at a rate of 1 per day for the next few days.
Personally, I think it's greedy of the streaming companies to do this, as subscribers have already paid to watch the drama without being forced to pay more if they want to see the final episodes at the same time as others.
It’s only been a few days and she’s SIGNED THE DIVORCE PAPERS after she kept this bombshell secret from him.
Exactly.
I think the screenwriter has done an incredible job not only showing the emotions and motivations of the main characters, but of every supporting and minor character. Even if some of them did not behave in a moral way, they did sometimes have good reasons for feeling the way they did. It was just the poor way they responded to those feelings that got them in trouble -- the nanny, the concubine, the mother, the aunties, the nephew, Ye Xian, and on and on -- all had valid complaints. Just maybe not always with the person they went after because of those complaints.
Heads up!At the end of the last episode AFTER credits there is a tiny snippet of film. It’s tiny but memorable.
Holy Sheeyut, somebody on the production team liked that horse scene, it's back again - hahahaha. (It was weird the first time the first half of that final scene showed up, as it was so out of place with the rest of the episode). Thanks for the heads up, I'd missed that :)
Just started The Legend of Zhuohua because someone said the relationship between the ML and FL was similar to this. Can't decide though (I'm 5 eps in) whether the ML was horrendously miscast as it's 45 year old Feng Shao Feng playing a 30-ish man. I wouldn't mind but he looks his age, and seems to have had some plastic surgery, which makes him look even more miscast :)
Plot is okay so far, and the FL is decent (Jing Tian), so I'm sticking with it to see how their relationship develops and if I'll eventually find him less creepy :)
Oh, and waiting for Against the Current to drop. How about you?
1 
How does downrating a drama because Winwin didn't get the girl help your favorite idol's career?
Winwin obviously accepted the role, knowing what it was all about, and what would happen to his character, because he KNEW he could play that role well.
But when you downrate a drama because its ending doesn't satisfy YOU due to Winwin's character's arc and what happened to him (and that's going on with this drama to "some" extent, although not the full reason why the drama's rating is lowering), all that does is contribute towards damaging Winwin's career, and every other actor's career in the drama, as lower rated dramas mean fewer opportunities for actors. Maybe not now, but in future as this kind of thing compounds with other dramas.
Of course, MDL ratings don't mean much to Chinese production companies, at least yet, (and Chinese viewers are doing the same thing, but far worse) but, if it was me, and I was a fan of an actor, I would uprate the drama if it was good, and if the actor turned in a good performance.
BECAUSE I WOULD WANT TO SEE HIM IN MORE ROLES.
Winwin KILLED it as Ye Xian, and should be given the ratings to show that. As should Ci Sha and Ren Min.
It's also a very odd thing to me as some "fans" treat actors like they are children unable to make decisions for themselves. Winwin CHOSE the role himself and threw himself into it with everything he had. The least you could do is reward him for both his good decision and his amazing performance.
(Note: And I'm not talking to the people who downrated the drama for personal preferences, have at it if you genuinely didn't enjoy it. But specifically to the people who have been whining about Winwin's character since the drama started, and saying how his character's arc had "ruined the drama". Meanwhile, Winwin is probably proud of himself that he portrayed the character so well).
Like the guy? Freaking prove it).
So what? You wanted him to just waste away in his mansion with a collapsing family name, and always known as the heir who let his family down? Just so he could play with GJZ's kids? Does that make sense to you?
Instead, he died in glory. A hero, who preserved his family's reputation and made his father proud. Don't forget, the Chinese, like many people, believe they meet their parents after death, and he wanted to prove to his father that he was just as courageous and as strong as his father. He proved that from the minute he rallied the army behind the Ye flag, and he proved it even more when he stood his ground against an unbeatable army, and died for his emperor, his country and his family.
This was the only possible correct end to Ye Xian's life. I honestly do not understand why so many people do not seem to see this. Or is obsession over Winwin clouding people's judgement? A serious question, btw.
She is the ultimate cause of destruction for Chen Xuan Qing. Through no fault of her own. But she is. Her paying any attention to him sets him on a course of chaos and madness he never recovers from. Yes, as he's dying, he says he respected his uncle and he wanted to be like him, but his uncle was the one who won over Gu Jin Zhao thus making him feel even lesser than he already felt, and the loss of her to him was more than he could bear.
She is also the cause of destruction for Ye Xian as, if he hadn't secretly left the capital to clear the way for her safely to arrive in the borderlands, he would not have had to become the army general, he wouldn't have had to lead the Ye army into battle, and he wouldn't have lost his life.
But she is also ultimately his salvation and glory as, no matter what he tried to do before, he could never reach the same status as his father and grandfather due to his health and his own silly actions. And now he has. Dying in splendor as he leads the Ye army to somewhat of a victory, and restoring respect to the family name, and to his mother and sister.
Sadly, his death also means he is the last of the male bloodline of the Ye family. Something that has happened to many families throughout history. But the character couldn't have ended up any other way, as the alternative, lingering for another three years before dying of a heart ailment, would have been a whole other level of tragic and waste.
And, of course, Chen Yan Yun for whom Gu Jin Zhao is his reason for living. He met her when his whole life revolved around duty -- to his family, his mentor, his country and his emperor. And then she made him realize there is more to life than that.
She literally saved him as she took Ye Xian's body back to the capital under the pretext of it being Chen Yan Yun, and then found a way through Ye Xian's mother and sister to get the emperor to send reinforcements. Thus, saving his life.
But she also saved him figuratively in that she showed him, even if king, mentor and country ever deserted him (although the emperor and, thus, the country never actually would), she would not. Instead, she would go through hell to save him. And if that meant dying with him or dying to save him, she would do that as well.
Haven't loved a trio of main leads, and a supporting character, this much in a C-drama in a long, long, long time.
Especially as all their stories were sewn up so beautifully at the end, and in places all three could only rightfully end up.
Because of that, I haven't decided if I like it or not yet, but it's nowhere near as good as A Splendid Match so far, neither the acting or the writing. (The FL has acting skills issues in that one as well, although she's not the worst I've seen).
He then walked away leaving his mentor in a burning building to die.
Fu Hai Lian's wife was the only person on earth, except himself, that he cared about. That's why he drugged her so she could be taken somewhere safe, as he knew he was a dead man as soon as CYY arrived. And, when he did arrive, CYY killed the last thing he cared about. His wife. And then he took what Fu Hai Lian had worked his whole life for -- the book of reforms.
Completely satisfying ending to me of two truly despicable people, and without the ML being forced to personally murder his mentor. The man he still had some feelings and respect for, even though he knew what a terrible person he had become. He still had those feelings of hope he once had about the man before Fu Hai Lian became evil.
The closure was in the ML and FL walking away from the entire mess. With the book of reforms, and with their lives, and with every antagonist in their lives gone.
I don't know how there could have been more closure? But, I'm not one of those people that needs a happy ever after just to feel better about a drama. I can imagine it, as I've been given all the information I need to be able to do so.
The director and the writer did a superb job bringing everything together. And you would think the writer deserved an award if you had read the mess of a novel she/he managed to create this from. (I read to about Chapter 40 of 300-and-odd chapters and gave up. It's a badly-written mess).
If your friend was suddenly brought in on a stretcher, and put on the floor in front of you, riddled with bullet holes and dead, what would you do? Just shrug and walk away? I would be as devastated if any of my friends died in that way.
Besides, as she already explained, to her, he is the most like her, and so she sees herself in him.
Interestingly too, Ci Sha was also in The Longest Promise, so this is now the third drama they've appeared in together.
Which is such a stupid way of rating a drama, as Winwin took the part knowing what the outcome of his character was, so these so-called "fans" downrating it because of that are actually helping potentially damage his career by downvoting his work.
Personally, I think it's greedy of the streaming companies to do this, as subscribers have already paid to watch the drama without being forced to pay more if they want to see the final episodes at the same time as others.
I think the screenwriter has done an incredible job not only showing the emotions and motivations of the main characters, but of every supporting and minor character. Even if some of them did not behave in a moral way, they did sometimes have good reasons for feeling the way they did. It was just the poor way they responded to those feelings that got them in trouble -- the nanny, the concubine, the mother, the aunties, the nephew, Ye Xian, and on and on -- all had valid complaints. Just maybe not always with the person they went after because of those complaints.
Plot is okay so far, and the FL is decent (Jing Tian), so I'm sticking with it to see how their relationship develops and if I'll eventually find him less creepy :)
Oh, and waiting for Against the Current to drop. How about you?
And disagree with you on the 20 more episodes. I'd been fine with another 40 :)