This review may contain spoilers
Restitution.
Due to its wide and ecstatic fandom, I set out to watch this drama 5 years ago but alas could only manage 6 episodes before placing it on my dropped list; two years ago, I tried again and only managed five episodes; fast forward to 2025 and here I am, a proud finisher of NIF.
Pros:
-The show has a great cast and some memorable acting; special mentions are the Emperor, Consort Jing, Prince Yu, Jang Rui, Xia Jiang and Prince Jing for his barely leashed intensity. Mei Chang Su is technically well executed but the intangible aspects of his portrayal didn't grab me, more on that later.
-The show has detailed, complex and intricate plots. The backstory is also well fleshed out albeit retrospectively for the most part.
-There are a number of truly stunning and impactful dramatic scenes throughout the show; my favourites among many are: Jing Rui's resigned and a tinge disillusioned forgiveness and farewell of Mei Changsu before he leaves for Southern Chu, there is such an air of sadness in this scene, a sense that innocence and carefree days are firmly in the rear-view mirror.
Another great scene is Marquis (sorry forgot his name) in jail chained to the wall and the conversation he has with Mei Changsu.
The scene between Mei Changsu and Prince Jing first when Jing cuts down the bell, and then in the snow when Mei Changsu's cold and stoic demeanour cracks as he's pleading with Jing and we see his desperation and frustration, powerful.
The scene between Mei Changsu and Consort Jing in the tent at the hunt as she tentatively pulls back his sleeve to look for his identifying mole, you can almost feel his held breath, and her hope mixed with trepidation.
The scene between Prince Yu and the emperor, after the rebellion, when Prince Yu is in the cage; his pain, resentment, anger and hostility towards the emperor is palpable and heart wrenchingly executed, this is such a great scene.
There are many other impactful scenes that give this drama a truly elevated air.
-The show makes excellent use of foreshadowing as a plot device, I think this contributes to the high rewatch factor as viewers will identify more and more plot foreshadowing on each rewatch.
-The music is evocative and apt, I loved the soundtrack and especially appreciated the lyrics of the songs which told the story of the drama.
-The cinematography is very well done, there are so many shots throughout the show which are truly stunning.
Cons:
-The beginning of the show is very slow, the world building is lengthy and a lot of it is told through dialogue so there is a lot of it including many characters names to remember.
- Mei Chang Su as the central character is good, however even as I understand how he became the stoic and calculating person we see, I still wasn't emotionally invested in him as a character, I didn't love him the way most viewers do. I appreciate and admire his strategising, felt bad for his physical and mental anguish and was rooting for his plans to succeed, but I just didn't love him - the character didn't click with me even though he's masterfully written and acted.
-The show lost a lot by not showing key moments and this weakened its impact; there's a lot of tell and no showing and this contributes to a lack of connection with the characters motivations. The biggest example of this is the show telling us about the outcome of the Chiyan investigation in episode 53, rather than showing us the investigation as it took place - this was one of the biggest goals of Mei Changsu, to reinvestigate the Chiyan case and exonerate those who were wrongfully accused, but by telling us and not showing us - the show failed to give viewers a sense of satisfaction and justice being done, it was anticlimactic.
-The final episode felt underwhelming and rushed. Mei Changsu embarked on a path he had not previously alluded to and this came as a surprise, the show tried to explain it away but it felt contrived, I understand this ending is similar to the book so perhaps the show didn't adequately portray Mei Changsu's inner battle between his new and old self. Why he couldn't just reconcile the two and continue on with his faithful friends and loved ones? I don't know.
Overall this is a clever drama. In my experience, if a show is truly enjoyable and has the X factor, I do not balk at plot holes or missteps as long as they're not too glaringly obvious and can be comfortably camouflaged by the overall awesomeness of the show. In this case NIF glided past this marker by the skin of its teeth.
It's a solid 8 out of 10.
Pros:
-The show has a great cast and some memorable acting; special mentions are the Emperor, Consort Jing, Prince Yu, Jang Rui, Xia Jiang and Prince Jing for his barely leashed intensity. Mei Chang Su is technically well executed but the intangible aspects of his portrayal didn't grab me, more on that later.
-The show has detailed, complex and intricate plots. The backstory is also well fleshed out albeit retrospectively for the most part.
-There are a number of truly stunning and impactful dramatic scenes throughout the show; my favourites among many are: Jing Rui's resigned and a tinge disillusioned forgiveness and farewell of Mei Changsu before he leaves for Southern Chu, there is such an air of sadness in this scene, a sense that innocence and carefree days are firmly in the rear-view mirror.
Another great scene is Marquis (sorry forgot his name) in jail chained to the wall and the conversation he has with Mei Changsu.
The scene between Mei Changsu and Prince Jing first when Jing cuts down the bell, and then in the snow when Mei Changsu's cold and stoic demeanour cracks as he's pleading with Jing and we see his desperation and frustration, powerful.
The scene between Mei Changsu and Consort Jing in the tent at the hunt as she tentatively pulls back his sleeve to look for his identifying mole, you can almost feel his held breath, and her hope mixed with trepidation.
The scene between Prince Yu and the emperor, after the rebellion, when Prince Yu is in the cage; his pain, resentment, anger and hostility towards the emperor is palpable and heart wrenchingly executed, this is such a great scene.
There are many other impactful scenes that give this drama a truly elevated air.
-The show makes excellent use of foreshadowing as a plot device, I think this contributes to the high rewatch factor as viewers will identify more and more plot foreshadowing on each rewatch.
-The music is evocative and apt, I loved the soundtrack and especially appreciated the lyrics of the songs which told the story of the drama.
-The cinematography is very well done, there are so many shots throughout the show which are truly stunning.
Cons:
-The beginning of the show is very slow, the world building is lengthy and a lot of it is told through dialogue so there is a lot of it including many characters names to remember.
- Mei Chang Su as the central character is good, however even as I understand how he became the stoic and calculating person we see, I still wasn't emotionally invested in him as a character, I didn't love him the way most viewers do. I appreciate and admire his strategising, felt bad for his physical and mental anguish and was rooting for his plans to succeed, but I just didn't love him - the character didn't click with me even though he's masterfully written and acted.
-The show lost a lot by not showing key moments and this weakened its impact; there's a lot of tell and no showing and this contributes to a lack of connection with the characters motivations. The biggest example of this is the show telling us about the outcome of the Chiyan investigation in episode 53, rather than showing us the investigation as it took place - this was one of the biggest goals of Mei Changsu, to reinvestigate the Chiyan case and exonerate those who were wrongfully accused, but by telling us and not showing us - the show failed to give viewers a sense of satisfaction and justice being done, it was anticlimactic.
-The final episode felt underwhelming and rushed. Mei Changsu embarked on a path he had not previously alluded to and this came as a surprise, the show tried to explain it away but it felt contrived, I understand this ending is similar to the book so perhaps the show didn't adequately portray Mei Changsu's inner battle between his new and old self. Why he couldn't just reconcile the two and continue on with his faithful friends and loved ones? I don't know.
Overall this is a clever drama. In my experience, if a show is truly enjoyable and has the X factor, I do not balk at plot holes or missteps as long as they're not too glaringly obvious and can be comfortably camouflaged by the overall awesomeness of the show. In this case NIF glided past this marker by the skin of its teeth.
It's a solid 8 out of 10.
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