dark river's impossible journey to the other shore
i have a fundamental fondness for stories where the protagonists' main struggle isn't against a villain but a concept, a situation, a mindset, prejudice...etc, (e.g. the 1st arch of ancient love poetry) and that's exactly what we got here too. the overarching plot is refreshingly simple: the younger generation of the famous and dreaded assassin guild, led by su muyu and su changhe want better and more for themselves, so they set out to get it. what happens during this journey is the complicated part.
su muyu deserves a big share of the credit for this story's successes. he was a solid main character, arguably imo the best mc out of all the three dramas in this franchise. he was severe, just, cold, precise, skilled, kind, ruthless, loyal, refined yet wildly audacious, authoritative, understood his own strength and how to use it to carve out what he wanted out of life, had principles that didn't make him veer off into self righteousness, that never changed based on his circumstances, but despite them he still managed to remain flexible enough to deal with uncertainty. he also had negatives, like he was too merciful, he was perpetually poor and i lowkey don't see him thriving out there in the light he so desperately wanted, all in all, he was well rounded and the only well written character, a worthy choice to anchor a tale of dark wanting to be light.
i liked all the fighting scenes as well, they were entertaining. uncle su was also a cool character.
i was satisfied with the way it ended, as an adult who also pours a lot of energy into things that do not end up working out, i found it droll, and appropriate.
now-
certain things could be that way in the source material, but it is the screenwriter's job to ensure those things make sense while recrafting the story, o/wise why is there even a drama?
apart from su muyu, a lot of the characters were flat, and that wasn't fun.
i would have liked su changhe more, but his characterization was severely lacking, even that stupid 1st prince had more backstory than him, he was like a seed of promises that never really sprouted, don't get me wrong i'm not mad they kept su muyu firmly in the driver's seat he was the better choice for that but still, they missed an opportunity to do something more with him and challenge their dynamic a little.
mu yumo the pseudo fl: everything about her was a disaster, just no. also i didn't appreciate being catfished with peng xr, while the younger lesser known yang yt turned out to be the actual fl.
the attempted romances: if i never see another romance in a wuxia again i'm good with it bc this took away all my appetite for it. if you can't write it just don't bother people will still watch. which leads me to bai he huai the real fl, she was skilled but her attitude was always somehow off, like she didn't give af about anyone, or she wasn't paying that much attention. the writing for her wasn't good either and the actress really needed stronger directing. and this leads me to the drama's biggest fail.
the directing - it was noticeably lacking. most of the scenes outside the fighting were so terribly bland with the actors clearly just standing around and waiting for their cue.
the mu patriarch and his poison girlfriend - they brought a childish and light energy the drama didn't need imo, and they were really weak, in fact apart from the two mls the rest of the new dark river were paper tigers, which begs the question of how they overthrew the old league in the first place, or how they survived being raised as fearsome assassins.
prince langya - they spent a suspicious amount of time trying to whitewash him and make him sympathetic
tang lian yue - another giant eyeroll. i really wanna ask what yumo saw in him, but since she herself made no sense i'll just let it pass.
i'd say the relationships in general weren't very engaging - the two mls, the doctor and her daddy/su mu yu, the 'other shore' family, etc, i never got around to caring about any of them.
there were still a lot of loose ends by the time the final credits rolled, but i didn't mind.
su muyu deserves a big share of the credit for this story's successes. he was a solid main character, arguably imo the best mc out of all the three dramas in this franchise. he was severe, just, cold, precise, skilled, kind, ruthless, loyal, refined yet wildly audacious, authoritative, understood his own strength and how to use it to carve out what he wanted out of life, had principles that didn't make him veer off into self righteousness, that never changed based on his circumstances, but despite them he still managed to remain flexible enough to deal with uncertainty. he also had negatives, like he was too merciful, he was perpetually poor and i lowkey don't see him thriving out there in the light he so desperately wanted, all in all, he was well rounded and the only well written character, a worthy choice to anchor a tale of dark wanting to be light.
i liked all the fighting scenes as well, they were entertaining. uncle su was also a cool character.
i was satisfied with the way it ended, as an adult who also pours a lot of energy into things that do not end up working out, i found it droll, and appropriate.
now-
certain things could be that way in the source material, but it is the screenwriter's job to ensure those things make sense while recrafting the story, o/wise why is there even a drama?
apart from su muyu, a lot of the characters were flat, and that wasn't fun.
i would have liked su changhe more, but his characterization was severely lacking, even that stupid 1st prince had more backstory than him, he was like a seed of promises that never really sprouted, don't get me wrong i'm not mad they kept su muyu firmly in the driver's seat he was the better choice for that but still, they missed an opportunity to do something more with him and challenge their dynamic a little.
mu yumo the pseudo fl: everything about her was a disaster, just no. also i didn't appreciate being catfished with peng xr, while the younger lesser known yang yt turned out to be the actual fl.
the attempted romances: if i never see another romance in a wuxia again i'm good with it bc this took away all my appetite for it. if you can't write it just don't bother people will still watch. which leads me to bai he huai the real fl, she was skilled but her attitude was always somehow off, like she didn't give af about anyone, or she wasn't paying that much attention. the writing for her wasn't good either and the actress really needed stronger directing. and this leads me to the drama's biggest fail.
the directing - it was noticeably lacking. most of the scenes outside the fighting were so terribly bland with the actors clearly just standing around and waiting for their cue.
the mu patriarch and his poison girlfriend - they brought a childish and light energy the drama didn't need imo, and they were really weak, in fact apart from the two mls the rest of the new dark river were paper tigers, which begs the question of how they overthrew the old league in the first place, or how they survived being raised as fearsome assassins.
prince langya - they spent a suspicious amount of time trying to whitewash him and make him sympathetic
tang lian yue - another giant eyeroll. i really wanna ask what yumo saw in him, but since she herself made no sense i'll just let it pass.
i'd say the relationships in general weren't very engaging - the two mls, the doctor and her daddy/su mu yu, the 'other shore' family, etc, i never got around to caring about any of them.
there were still a lot of loose ends by the time the final credits rolled, but i didn't mind.
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