Pupusa

At first he sees her as the *real* Karakade who he knows for 2 years to be cruel and abusive, even going so far as attempting murder. It takes a while for most people to overcome such deeply-rooted distrust.

One of the best things in this show is Det's gradual change in attitude towards her. Once he realizes she's not the real Karakade he is willing to change, even going so far as to tell her that she doesn't have to learn housewife stuff if she doesn't want to. But Kade is willing to learn and make compromises as well. I love how mature and healthy their relationship is, a rarity in a lot of dramas these days.

I think you're right on both counts, as those 2 things aren't mutually exclusive. She wants to destroy Wu Feng to avenge her family (her uncle in particular died a really gruesome death). But she was also willing to manipulate and betray GSJ to get her hands on Infinite Heat and blow up Wu Feng plus anyone else who stands in the way. Being in love isn't going to stop her.

Revenge is an ugly thing if you let it consumes you. I pity her, but I also want to see her face some consequences for her actions, but of course she didn't.

The writer left it open to the actors' interpretation. The actors said they portrayed them as being in love and that's what I see on the screen.

But love was never an end-all for these two. Both have other priorities. He is all about protecting his family, and she all about avenging hers.

Yes, they did sleep together.

I don't think it was implied at all. When 13th prince asked if she slept with 8th, she said it doesn't matter. This is more a reflection of her modern views (she's from the future after all) rather than implying that they did it.

If they did, 8th would have ample reasons to force her to marry him, out of honor and because of possible pregnancy. But he didn't. He didn't even mention it or use it as leverage. Sure there was that one awkward make out scene, but no sign that things went any further than that.

Anyways, that conversation between RX and 13th is not really about who slept with who. It's to remind us that RX was not from their world and did not view things the way they do, which is the root of her tragedy. Brilliant writing!

We are told that YWS purposely held herself back because being promoted from a Chi would mean committing acts of the great atrocities. Unlike SGQ she couldn't bring herself to do it.

You hit upon one of the biggest weaknesses of the show - the characters' intelligence and power level keep changing whenever it's convenient for the plot. The most glaring example is GSJ. We are told that Wu Feng greatly feared him. Then he's beaten up by *one* guy from Wu Feng who's not even one of the main bosses. If it wasn't for the lower-powered Yuanzhi he would've been toast.

This show is much more enjoyable if you don't try to reason though it. Logic is of no use here.

Pope's performance reminds me a lot of Christopher Plummer's Captain Von Trapp, dignified, stiff, and hilarious when he loses his cool. Now this is how you do comedy!

My favorite version of Mui Siu Fung, grotesque and not glamorous like in the recent adaptations. This was a woman who lost everything, her home, her adopted family, her husband, her eyesight, and yes, her looks. Making her look anything other than a walking corpse cheapens the tragedy.

The tragedy is that she could’ve lived an idyllic life on Peach Blossom Island. But she gave into the temptation of 9 Yin and tried to take a shortcut in life.

Cheers to the actress for an ugly, sympathetic and totally unforgettable Mui Siu Fung.

The actress is Ye Qing in the role of Shangguan Xi.

I think the writers are deliberately vague about these details, leaving the possibilities open for season 2, which likely won't happen now.

It's interesting to speculate, though.

Not a bad adaption. It's not perfect, but they did get a few things right that made it worth watching.

This is the only adaptation that made me shed a few tears for Yang Kang, who I always hated as a character. He actually showed some regret for the life he could've had, even if it was at the very last minute (the 2008 version doesn't count. They changed him so much he's practically a different character).

NIF is so much more than a revenge drama. I wouldn't even categorize it as a revenge drama, given the depth of the writing.

But yes, it's been almost 10 years and nothing comes even close to the greatness of this show (which, sadly, says a lot about the quality of C-drama these days.)

One of my favorites. Shui Diao Ge To (Prelude to the Water Melody), found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1wIOkCmwCA

This scene made me laugh so hard my stomach hurts. Perfect comic timing by both actors. It shows you don't have to make exaggerated silly faces to be funny.

Not at all. SML only exists to make the ML hilariously jealous. And the ML only has eyes for the FL.

I read the sequel novel and knew that the story was dead upon arrival. Thanks for confirming. I will pass on this one.

It's a pity. Season 1 was nearly perfect. I'll pretend season 2 never happened.

I would call it a hopeful ending instead. You know they'll be together again in the end. For beings that are thousands of years old, it's not that long of a wait.

The ending is pretty well thought out. Everything comes full circle, symbolically. The races who destroyed the tree joined together to replant it. The drama has some flaws but the ending is not one of them.

Great analysis. Esther Yu and Zhang Ling He aren't bad actors. Because they're surrounded by such a stellar supporting cast, they really have to up their game or get left behind, which is the case here.

I was surprised at how good Esther was in the kung fu scenes (amazing high kicks) despite her petite frame. She clearly worked really hard on that aspect.

ZWJ eventually stepped down as leader. That wasn't the life for him, which is the very point Jin Yong was making with the ending. He was the Ming Sect's savior certainly, but not suited to be their leader.

Totally agree with you! I still go back and watch parts of it every year (RJL and TSY are that good). I would also credit the director Yin Tao as well, for knowing how to bring out the best in his actors.

The bath scene. They're also married so it's very much implied.

I always find it hard to believe that Gong Shang Jue, who really valued family and bloodline, would ever let her run off with his baby like that.

So either she was lied about being pregnant, he knew it and used it as excuse to let her go free. Or the writers got really careless when building the character of GSJ. I'd go with the latter, considering how inconsistent the writing was throughout.