UnaSpenser

Will someone clear my confusion? I though I saw comments about XL stealing XY from her wedding and getting killed. I was so tense waiting for it, but it never came. Was I hallucinating about those comments?

Agreed. And I think that because Jing is so passive about dealing with his family - who just goes and quietly lives with a person who tortured you for years, while everybody around you knows it? - he’s not a suitable partner for her. While he’s willing to show up once she’s in danger, he does nothing to prevent her getting there. He’s actually invite her into the hornet’s nest of his family?

Jing is not the only one of them with a (literally) tortured past. He’s the only one who would drag her into it, though. Also, he makes promises he can’t keep. He’s my last favorite potential of the three. While XL may look like the “bad boy” of the three, Jing is actually the most dangerous.

The actor playing Sima Lang and that character's story are the best part of this drama. The character is the most consistent and has the most grounded presence.

I don't even understand the trajectory of the ML. Why would he, after being abandoned and left to die by his 'patriotic' father, for the sake of an overthrown child emperor, become suddenly patriotic? I'm simply ignoring this unbelievable development and skipping lot just to see how the truth of the past unfolds, what happens for Sima Lang and Zhu Yan. (Kinda shipping Zhu Yan and Changge more than anyone else, as they have a healthier relationship development than the others (so far. I haven't finished yet.))

Another one where I don't want the leads to end up as a couple. Its toxic from the get-go and doesn't get better.

It is NOT romantic to fall in love with someone who kidnapped you; even if her reasons were to save someone. He's just so desperate for someone that won't use and abandon him, like his father did. Only, she just keeps using him. The only one she cares about it her master. A guy who's been on his deathbed for 10 years. She doesn't give a shit about having a relationship with the ML. And he seems to have no purpose in life except to get her to marry him, which he's willing to do via coercion. Even as he knows that she only agreed to marry him because that's the only way he would treat her master's illness, he's still going to go ahead with it. I can't be upset with the other guy who blew the whistle on him. (I'm upset for him, as he's been through a lot of trauma, but I'm not upset at him for doing that.)

Also, its another story where no one ever explains themselves. Its not as though they don't have time to offer up the one or two sentences that would make things clear to the other person. They're all just overly reticent. This is such a boring writing device. Along with the "don't tell the person I'm in love with that I'm dying." Or whatever other version of withholding information from a person you supposedly care about gets used. Could we please have some conversations about what it means to actually care about another person? As in, respect them and their agency and their right to their own emotions about reality....

Anyway.... somewhat well drawn out story about uncovering past injustice and the coming to terms of the younger generation. I just wish people in the drama production world would learn how to write decent relationship story lines. Not just romantic ones.

I have an especially hard time with Eun Song. She makes me want to scream. Or punch that perms-smile off her face.

Episode 6 and all the characters are irritating me. Is that on purpose? The premise here is intriguing. Time travel can be fun and the daughter-in-law confessing to the mother-in-law was a refreshing new angle. But, then, I don’t really like anyone. The modern family is so superficial. The historical women are so exaggerated. Those breathy voices and the slow pace compared to contemporary speech and movement is throwing me. I want to speed up their scenes, lol.

Anyway, I’m guessing there are some explosive tension bombs coming. It’s definitely keeping me intrigued.

I know this is fluff, but can it least not be stupid?

So, the heavenly emperor sends down one person to protect/destroy the Phoenix, knowing he’ll have to face off with super-powerful Demon Lord. But, he decides that’s a good time to punish him for a transgression and remove 1/2 of his power. I know deities and the heavenly realm often are flawed and not very, well, heavenly, but this makes absolutely no sense.

Then, the Phoenix and the deity dude are on the run from the demon lord, heavily injured, and hiding in a third realm of “devils” - pretty sure that’s a bad translation, since they’re just animal-like beings. A realm neither of them are familiar with and neither of them fit in, but she just goes for a leisurely walk in town and blows their stealthiness.

There aren’t enough hecklers in my city to call out all bad writing in this thing.

Not to mention that I feel like I’ve seen this lead actress play this same role a number of times. Doesn’t she get bored, as an actress? Is she not capable of anything else?

Even with a lot of worn out tropes, it could have been fun, with good execution. You need either a fresh story or an excellent execution to make an old story feel fresh agin. This has neither. I feel badly for the actors. They weren’t given much to work with.

I’m at episode 6. Does she ever grow a brain cell, read a room, or listen to anybody?

Synopsis says “her plot.” She’s not plotting anything. She just sits around whining all the time. I was telling myself that she’s just a teen, but then Chu Quian says, “you’re not a teen any more.” So, I guess it been a few years and she still as daft as ever. It’s hard to see what he would fall in love with. The only correct insight she’s had is that there is something weird about both Chu brothers, lol.

Just watched ep36. Gotta say, I'm not all that sad that things didn't work out with Jing. I get why she would have wanted that relationship, but he's way too passive. Who just sits by after their brother does such a unimaginably horrifying thing? He can't even protect himself and he remains totally naive. How could he not have known and prepared for the fiance's manipulations? He doesn't deserve her.

Maybe he improves at some point. But, right now, it would be a disaster for her to be with him.

I'm rather enjoying a story where none of the potential romantic partners really seem a good enough fit. They're all admirable in their own ways. They all support and protect her best they can. But, I don't find myself actually wanting her to pick one of them. I want her to be able to have the best relationships she can with each of them.

Just watched ep36. Gotta say, I'm not all that sad that things didn't work out with Jing. I get why she would have wanted that relationship, but he's way too passive. Who just sits by after their brother does such a unimaginably horrifying thing? He can't even protect himself and he remains totally naive. How could he not have known and prepared for the fiance's manipulations? He doesn't deserve her.

Maybe he improves at some point. But, right now, it would be a disaster for her to be with him.

I'm rather enjoying a story where none of the potential romantic partners really seem a good enough fit. They're all admirable in their own ways. They all support and protect her best they can. But, I don't find myself actually wanting her to pick one of them. I want her to be able to have the best relationships she can with each of them.

Oh, Xiang Liu. He is that brokenness in all of us that has a profound yearning that we know will never be fulfilled. He's better than the rest of us, though. He's the "monster" who, because he knows exactly how profound that yearning is, he, instead, selflessly devote everything he can to letting someone else experience that fulfillment.

He's exquisite.

It may be her voice, but it is affected and done so for the sake of this “ideal”. The other women don’t have this mouselike voice. She’s not a timid character, so it doesn’t even fit.

Really enjoying this drama, but, once again, what the hell with the FL voice? She sounds likes she’s 10. Why do Chinese productions do this? The character is a grown woman. Smart, capable, running a huge business, commandeering a horse during a rebellion to save her husband. She would be full-throated and have the composure to drive her voice from the breath in her abdomen , not constricted in her throat like that.

I don’t know a single adult woman who sounds like this. Please stop infantalizing women’s voices. It’s infuriating. Aren’t Chinese producers directors and viewers embarrassed that adult female characters keep getting portrayed like this?

It also totally doesn’t fit the actress. She simply doesn’t look as if she’d sound like that. She did the fantastic work to portray an incredibly strong and intelligent character and the production teem made her sound like a child. What an insult.

I don’t disagree. I’m not saying they should be a couple. I’m saying that the actor does a fabulous job portraying him and steals every scene he’s in.

Tin Jian Ci as Xiang Liu really makes this drama. His character is the most complex and he brings that to life so viscerally. There is so much more chemistry between him and the FL than any of the other actors. While the Jing character is nice, he’s just too one-dimensional and pitiful. But, these two are the only characters whose stories I am compelled to get more of. I don’t find myself caring about anyone else.

I’m only at episode 20, so maybe this will change. But, the FL was more interesting as a man. Why all the focus on her being “pretty” and that being equated to “good”? No one in her homeland has seen her since she was a child, so how do they know if she’s good?

I find the “pretty-much-a-sibling who harbors unrequited romantic feelings” completely boring. The spoiled girl who is at least in her teens (which is how many years in their “divine” lives?) but can’t muster one iota of compassion for the sister who was lost and has been through hell? Wtf? She hasn’t lived around her father and cousin’s despair about the lost child/sister such that she can at least be happy for them? What the hell kind of character is this?

There is a potentially very interesting story to journey through in here, but it is mired in shallow characterizations. Until you get to Tan Jian Ci. The character’s story is not something new, per se, but his portrayal is captivating. You can totally feel the conflict between torment and being resolved to a lonely fate of being The Scary One. I’ve seen him in other things, but he really shines here.

Late getting to this. Didn't think I'd like it, but I am enjoying it. I appreciate the healthier relationship development of the leads, compared to other dramas.

The one place it loses me: the depiction of the sect daughter always jumping to suspicion of a woman she's known for, literally, her entire life. Why would anyone recommend her as a leader, when she can't hold onto her sense of a person she has known, loved and, supposedly, trusted for her whole life? Someone who has never displayed any reason for anyone to be suspicious of her. If someone like that stabbed me, after immediately jumping to the conclusion that I murdered the man I considered a second father, I wouldn't be saying, "I would have been the same under those conditions...." No. She wouldn't have. She has great judgement of people and thinks before she acts. This girl is not leadership material. She's too flimsy. And she'll be easily manipulated and deceived. The FL lead is a character who would see this and never would have recommended to the sect leader that she be the successor. She would have recommended the young man and made the daughter the deputy. I also wouldn't remain friendly with such a person. It wasn't the fist time she jumped to the worst possible judgement of the FL. I would never trust her again.

Anyway, there are of course, flaws in just about every story. But, this is one of those tropes that writers use way too often: immediately mistrusting one of the most trustworthy people you've ever known. I absolutely loathe it, as I find it completely unrealistic, almost 100% of the time.

Mostly, the writers did a good job here of avoiding the dumbest use of tropes and put together a nice story, with admirable lead characters.

Much more engaging than I would have expected!

A lot of despicable people, but a fun little suspense story.

Passable.

Very one dimensional.

One dimensional world: we don't see anything of it that isn't related to "cultivating" and fighting. Everyone apparently only exists to hone fighting skills, bluster about them, and kill anyone they feel like.

One dimensional characters. The mom that only exists to spur her children into nefarious acts. The mom who only exists to worry. The woman who only exists to behave like a hapless temptress. (this part led me think this was a cartoon for 13 years old, not 8 year olds.) The lead who is admirable and boring as hell. No one is grey. No one has multiple aspects to their characters.

They didn't even give us enough experience of the protagonist to care all that much when his lover and friend betray him in the beginning. Other than the natural, obligatory empathy that someone was treated that way. We have no emotional connection to him. Even though he claims that the woman was his lover, it hardly looks like it. He shows no affection toward her, at all, prior to being "betrayed."

Everyone is so wooden.

But, what, exactly, is it that all these people are fighting for? the vague notion of a country? what country? we see a couple of rooms here and there. We don't see a society. We don't know what "offenses" any one nation has committed against another.

I mean, its fine as it goes.

I live in a small city. (About 600k population) We have at least 10 hospitals and there are fire departments all over the city. Every small neighborhood has one. This drama’s setup makes no sense.

Good to know