Brennnndda

I'm thinking he doesn't get a big say in his roles, but rather his agency selects them for him. I'm hoping they give him different roles otherwise he might be type-casted. He's a great actor so i hope to see him take more challenging roles.

Did I watch this correctly (with no subs)?? Did that nephew seriously conspire to kill Cheng Xu and then when he was cornered, had the gall to come back and beg for Cheng Xu's help; thus causing Cheng Xu's death???

It's going to take a while for it to be made. Prom Likit won't be based on a novel so they have to create the script, figure out budgets, make sure scheduling of the cast members works out, etc..
I wouldn't be surprised if it takes another year or 2

What a beautifully objective view this is!! So eloquently spoken! Goes to show that there are greater things in the world than romantic love!
(Although this entire scenario would've been avoided if Cheng Rui didn't steal the throne in the first place lol...but then we wouldn't have a story)

I think it would've worked with 36 episodes if they changed it so the female lead remembered everything and (instead of climbing ranks through the harem) just decided to revolt with ML. He would've felt the same way as her if he knew the truth behind Mo Xin's death.

She could've revealed everything to him and together they gather power and overthrow the emperor and crown themselves rulers then use that power to punish everyone. At this point it seems moot that she is playing with politics when she's not guaranteed a position of power.

I think the leading actress is doing fine...but this isn't the drama for her. I think they should've just kept Eva Cheng as Mo Xin/Mo Wan.

I actually feel bad for the cast and crew. I think this drama could've been something special but the cuts destroyed any chance the drama had of being a good drama. I'm considering reading the novel if only it wasn't so freaking long.
There's too many plot points (like political scheming and war) that start and resolve within the same episode. They would've been better off just focusing on her revenge rather than adding in the little wars happening in between.

And the Winner is Love was a joke. Every cliche that ever existed in Chinese xianxia/wuxia drama land was in that drama. Plus, the ML lead was unlikable and the FL was stupid in her decisions.
Princess Agents was similar to Scarlet Heart because the female lead initially chose a side then flitted back and forth between the men.. ugh..by the end I was wishing for Yan Xun to put everyone out of their misery lol

I loved Ruyi! I loved how the drama slowly made her lose all her faith and trust in her husband. She was such a fantastic character. The true love in that drama was the love of sisterhood.

I was more forgiving towards XJ when the drama became more intense. I feel like she's realistic because she genuinely believed the people she loved wouldn't deceive her. Unfortunately, that's exactly what everyone did to her. In real life, a person's defenses aren't up against the people they consider friends and family. So for her to listen to her family and senior was understandable.

She never cared that SF was a demon, only that he deceived her. She tried to find the truth but SF didn't explain anything to her and the sects pressured her into fighting for them. I think she tried her best in a very tough situation. Plus, even Ling Long and Ming Yan turned their backs on SF. SF at least had all their demon friends by his side. If she had one person who stood by her and told her to trust in SF then I don't think the situation would've gotten so out of control.

I think there's usually only 1 or 2 good, memorable Chinese dramas a year lol

I was iffy on Yuan Bing Yan but I grew to love her portrayal of Xuan Ji. She reminds me of Zhao Li Ying, as in she's convincing as the naive, innocent girl and her opposite: the fierce, pissed off warrior. Like you said, she grows as a person but retains her original persona. Even in their 9 lifetimes YBY did a great job showing the female's coldness yet subtle anguish towards the male lead.

The dubbing was fine but I think it did a disservice to her acting during the more dramatic moments. I was watching the BTS of the scene when SF and XJ were fighting in the demon capital where she uses the vase of vermillion blood against SF and hearing YBY scream her heart out was truly beautiful. It was one of the times the dubbing did not do her acting justice.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QexGKJsxNgw&list=LLDjvZVuL7lHePxx9JRvm5nw&index=30&t=21s

They are twins but I think Ling Long was probably born at night while Xuan Ji came out in the morning. XJ and SF share the exact moment of birth (same day and time), that's why they were in awe.

Ling Long goes through the biggest character development in the drama. She really matures throughout the drama. I wouldn't say she becomes likable but her experience shapes her prejudices and actions.

I love Xuan Ji! She's one of my favorite female leads!

I think if the ML was played by someone other than Cheng Yi then many of us wouldn't care for him either or even tune in to this drama. (PoCA was filmed before L&R despite L&R airing first so there may be a different/weaker skill of acting). But I get what you're saying. The ML is basically the cookie-cutter good guy who will eventually burn out because he's too selfless. The core of the story is the FL so for the people who enjoy this kind of story and aren't here for the cast, it's on Sarah Zhao to grab and hold viewers' attention.

Unfortunately, I don't care for a FL who floats between two brothers in a war for the throne...so I'm mainly here for Cheng Yi lol

We are right on the same page lol
I think the 2 FLs I've most strongly disliked are Ruo Xi (Scarlet Heart) and Mu Cheng (Autumn's Concerto). I hated them for being indecisive, selfish, and weak. The suffering they went through was mostly of their own doing plus they were the ones who shattered the trust they had with the MLs.

But I do think many dramas are biased towards MLs (I'm looking at you Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms), like the character development trajectory for MLs and FLs go in opposite directions. When a ML falls in love, his love empowers him to become stronger but it's the opposite for FLs. If a FL starts strong, she becomes weaker after she falls in love (The Legends comes to mind). I see this theme a lot in Thai dramas. The FLs usually start off witty, bold, and unrelenting but after they fall in love, they lose that spark and are reduced to women who cry all the time.

Out of curiosity, which FLs have won your praise?
I know there were many complaints about her and I may be the minority, but Xuan Ji of "Love and Redemption" is one of my all-time favorite FLs. She's strong, steadfast in her convictions, fiercely protective, and loyal to a fault.
Si Feng got the main attention/praise because Cheng Yi's portrayal was utter perfection but L&R was ultimately Xuan Ji's/God of War's/Luo Hou Ji Dou's story of love, betrayal, rebirth, and redemption. If Si Feng was the heart of the drama then Xuan Ji was the soul. Even the essence of their 10 lifetime tribulations were about God of War's journey, not Si Feng's. Xuan Ji was by no means perfect, but she was such a beautifully written protagonist. She's one of the very few FLs whom I loved from beginning to end.

Exactly!!! I also hated how Ruo Xi viewed everything from her 21st century mindset (it was weird she had issues with 4th prince attacking his brothers but had no issues hooking up with her sister's husband) not to mention she was the catalyst that started the war between the brothers!

I find that when I was younger I always sided with the FL without seeing the wrongs they committed because the ML usually became cruel and aggressive. Now that I'm older, I'm a lot more critical of the FL probably because I'm also a woman so if they are indecisive or act without logic then I no longer root for them.

As wonderfully as Cheng Yi plays the devastatingly beautiful, self-sacrificing, all-around "good guy," I would love to see him play the anti-hero or someone who starts off good and after many circumstances becomes so bad it makes you wonder if he can redeem himself (like Yan Xun of Princess Agents). Or just a role that makes him stretch his acting skills. After Love and Redemption and Promise of Chang An I'd hate to see him type-casted as the pure hearted good guy.

I guess I was in the mood to watch their doomed love crash and burn. The journey of watching GMP was fun hahaha
I need love stories that break my heart and devastate my soul lol
that's why Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, The Untamed, and Love and Redemption are my gold standards for xianxia dramas. There was something unique and utterly shattering about each of the three love stories.

I think a lot of us came here right after Love and Redemption so we're still on our "Cheng Yi high" lol
Even so, I only tune in here and there to get the gist of what's going on, drama storylines like this aren't my cup of tea.

The OST is on my weekly playlist rotation. The ending theme is lovely. I think GMP was the first drama where I really enjoyed watching it but I hated every single character lol