Those who felt let down by Baili Hongyi and Liuran's romance may wish to check out this fanfic - https://archiveofourown.org/works/36146476 ( Do note that it's for mature readers with explicit warning).
What I enjoyed about the fanfic is that the writer has an excellent understanding of the characters and stayed more true to the intended characterization than the drama writing. It is well written, infused with lovely details and never veers from the canon.
I'll talk about the 3 main characters in this drama - Gao Bingzhu, Baili Hongyi and Wu Siyue. First, I will touch on Gao Bingzhu and Wu Siyue.
Gao Bingzhu had a good start. I mean who makes an entrance smiling like a cheshire cat lying in a coffin, right? However, I did wonder how did he rise from an officer in Unwelcome Well to the most wanted man in Shendu, to the right hand man of Master Chu in the Intelligence Services and finally savior of the city. Circumstances shoved him into the limelight but in reality, would the upper echelons in the society listen to someone from the Unwelcome Well, no matter how good a fighter or smart he seems to be? Gao Bingzhu fights well and Huang Xuan did a good job delivering the chops and I bought into this half crazed guy who lived only for revenge. His first breakdown at the burial mounds of his friends revealed the wretchedness of his soul, the fierce loyalty and softness beneath the hardened exterior. Maybe it is the sight of a grown man, weeping his heart out for his lost comrades that first tugged at WSY's heartstrings. Later a kiss sealed the deal. Ironically, that was the start of some unravelling of WSY's character from a badass female Interior Guard to a mopey lovestruck lass.
The frequent flashbacks of the 5(I think!) lost souls, emotional GBZ and weepy WSY made me dial up the speed button whenever they come on. They should have heeded the saying less is more. Did GBZ and WSY not have chemistry? I think they had potential but the romance happened too fast. If they had shown us how they slowly built trust and friendship through working together and relying on each other in times of danger, I would be sold. I enjoyed those scenes where GBZ and WSY worked with tacit understanding, playful bantering and nice touch of romanticism. I think this is a case whereby romance took away instead of adding to the characters.
Huang Xuan did well in the fighting and delivering on angst but not exceptional. I think it has more to do with how his character was written than his acting. Same goes for Victoria. I have not seen her previous works except for a rom com which she did well. However, I thought she took more brickbats than she deserved. Firstly, she's more suited to play a female fighter/ warrior type than your typical period delicate damsel. Her fighting scenes are good and for emotional ones, she delivered most of the time. Some parts were a bit difficult to watch but didn't bother me too much.
GBZ and WSY individually would have made very interesting characters. I didn't expect the drama to shove so much romance into the pairing and I really wouldn't mind but only if they do it right.
When Baili Erlang resigned for the 2nd time. I was already giggling when the Empress gave him the job of Deputy Minister of Works but laughed out loud when he declared his resignation to GBZ.
Just some initial thoughts, fresh from watching the finale.
I think the ending was not entirely unexpected save for WSY's death. The loose ends were tied quite nicely. The run up to the finale wasn't without some hiccups but I think the pacing was good, it didn't feel rushed and it got us guessing right to the end.
The final scene seemed to hint that we might get another season. The Empress had such a huge target on her back so there's no lack of enemies. Lady Yuan and King Jin aren't entirely out of the picture. GBZ's search for his sister might yield results and Baili couple may return to Luoyang with a new member. I won't hold my breath for it though
I expected GBZ to be kiiled but not WSY!!! I really don't mind if any of the lead character dies if it fits the story. I am just super annoyed that it's that damn Liufeng. That lovesick good for nothing bro.
What I enjoyed about the fanfic is that the writer has an excellent understanding of the characters and stayed more true to the intended characterization than the drama writing. It is well written, infused with lovely details and never veers from the canon.
Enjoy!
Gao Bingzhu had a good start. I mean who makes an entrance smiling like a cheshire cat lying in a coffin, right? However, I did wonder how did he rise from an officer in Unwelcome Well to the most wanted man in Shendu, to the right hand man of Master Chu in the Intelligence Services and finally savior of the city. Circumstances shoved him into the limelight but in reality, would the upper echelons in the society listen to someone from the Unwelcome Well, no matter how good a fighter or smart he seems to be?
Gao Bingzhu fights well and Huang Xuan did a good job delivering the chops and I bought into this half crazed guy who lived only for revenge. His first breakdown at the burial mounds of his friends revealed the wretchedness of his soul, the fierce loyalty and softness beneath the hardened exterior. Maybe it is the sight of a grown man, weeping his heart out for his lost comrades that first tugged at WSY's heartstrings. Later a kiss sealed the deal. Ironically, that was the start of some unravelling of WSY's character from a badass female Interior Guard to a mopey lovestruck lass.
The frequent flashbacks of the 5(I think!) lost souls, emotional GBZ and weepy WSY made me dial up the speed button whenever they come on. They should have heeded the saying less is more. Did GBZ and WSY not have chemistry? I think they had potential but the romance happened too fast. If they had shown us how they slowly built trust and friendship through working together and relying on each other in times of danger, I would be sold. I enjoyed those scenes where GBZ and WSY worked with tacit understanding, playful bantering and nice touch of romanticism. I think this is a case whereby romance took away instead of adding to the characters.
Huang Xuan did well in the fighting and delivering on angst but not exceptional. I think it has more to do with how his character was written than his acting. Same goes for Victoria. I have not seen her previous works except for a rom com which she did well. However, I thought she took more brickbats than she deserved. Firstly, she's more suited to play a female fighter/ warrior type than your typical period delicate damsel. Her fighting scenes are good and for emotional ones, she delivered most of the time. Some parts were a bit difficult to watch but didn't bother me too much.
GBZ and WSY individually would have made very interesting characters. I didn't expect the drama to shove so much romance into the pairing and I really wouldn't mind but only if they do it right.
Darn! I wish the camel chewed him up but he probably taste bad😂
The final scene seemed to hint that we might get another season. The Empress had such a huge target on her back so there's no lack of enemies. Lady Yuan and King Jin aren't entirely out of the picture. GBZ's search for his sister might yield results and Baili couple may return to Luoyang with a new member. I won't hold my breath for it though