Hi! I am trying this out as my first xianxia drama, since it's such a popular classic and I just finished episode…
Hi! I'm here to help after having re-watched 5 times LOL
This is how I would categorise the arcs: First arc: Ep 1-10 Second arc: Ep 11-26 Third arc: Ep 26-54 Fourth arc: Ep 54-58
It might be a bit slow at the start, the first arc is needed as background, but the second arc onwards is super good till the end of the show! I hope you go through with it :)
Agreed. As much as I would love to, I just don't see how a second season will be meaningful/good. Like you said, Xuan Ji and Si Feng had already gone through their trials and tribulations to finally achieve their happy ending, so there wouldn't be a point to continue their story. I also don't want it in a modern setting lol, it should definitely stay xianxia.
And yeah, much like TMOPB, season 2 has different leads because season 1, as much as we love Bai Qian and Ye Hua, ended where it should.
I do agree with some of the flaws in the drama that you pointed out, like how the Minister of Defense is suddenly more powerful than the City Owner, or the annoying misunderstanding between QQ and HS because of her lying to get him out of harm's way (when just literally the previous episode they promised never to lie to each other lol) and also def would have liked to see more integration between Hua Yuan and Xuan Hu cities rather than just touching on it briefly!
However, regarding QQ not wanting to deviate the storyline from her script is because she initially believed that the only way for her to return to the modern world is for CC to become the next City Owner and that's why she didn't want it to go any other directions other than the one she wrote. This also touches on your point of how did QQ come to the conclusion that when CC becomes City Owner, she will be able to return, and I'm not sure if it's a translation issue, but in episode 2 when she was thinking of her current predicament and how to return, she thought about the ending she wrote and it was mentioned that when CC becomes City Owner, there would be some auspicious signs and heaven's gates would open and insinuates opening another dimension. Or it could be that QQ believes that when her written script has ended, there is no more story to continue and therefore she will be transported back to the modern world. Either way, that's why QQ thinks the only way she can return is if CC becomes City Owner (her OG ending) and therefore does to the best of her ability to ensure that happens.
As for QQ never exhibiting modern behaviour, again that might be a translation issue (I'm not sure if you understand Chinese or watch Eng subs but I'm guessing the latter), because she actually does reference lots of modern terms throughout the entire series, and even sometimes the characters don't understand what she's saying and she has to explain to them in another term. Especially when she's agitated or talking to herself. I believe these terms might not be translated properly (or there's no way to translate them because it wouldn't make sense) so she does have moments she certainly exhibits the modern behaviour/thinking.
As for having her modern knowledge (modern - not future - it's very different because this ancient world is a made up one and not the real past as with some of the other shows i.e. Scarlet Heart where the protagonist actually knows what will happen for sure because it has already happened), it actually does come in when she's advising on the issues between the marriages of the people in Xuan Hu city and therefore uses her modern insights into believing that Xuan Hu and Hua Yuan cities and be changed into cities with more gender equality, which is more similar to our modern world. Could there be more portrayal of her modern knowledge in the show by building some modern device etc? Sure. But there wasn't really a need to. Given that the gender discrimination was one of the main themes in the story, her modern thinking in believing in gender equality, and striving to achieve that is enough.
Lastly, the fake rape scene was quite disturbing and I guess HS deems that it's the only way for him to assess whether or not QQ still has her kung fu, was by forcing her into a situation that causes her real fear. When he said "you've ruined my mood", he doesn't really mean that, it was just an excuse for him to stop pretending to want to rape her. I'm not saying rape is okay, it never is, but in these type of ancient world, the morals are a little different to what we have built in the modern society (is also portrayed by HS always carelessly wanting to kill others) and therefore when HS thinks that QQ has just been using him from day 1, he wanted to inflict some of the hurt on her.
This is how I would categorise the arcs:
First arc: Ep 1-10
Second arc: Ep 11-26
Third arc: Ep 26-54
Fourth arc: Ep 54-58
It might be a bit slow at the start, the first arc is needed as background, but the second arc onwards is super good till the end of the show! I hope you go through with it :)
And yeah, much like TMOPB, season 2 has different leads because season 1, as much as we love Bai Qian and Ye Hua, ended where it should.
However, regarding QQ not wanting to deviate the storyline from her script is because she initially believed that the only way for her to return to the modern world is for CC to become the next City Owner and that's why she didn't want it to go any other directions other than the one she wrote. This also touches on your point of how did QQ come to the conclusion that when CC becomes City Owner, she will be able to return, and I'm not sure if it's a translation issue, but in episode 2 when she was thinking of her current predicament and how to return, she thought about the ending she wrote and it was mentioned that when CC becomes City Owner, there would be some auspicious signs and heaven's gates would open and insinuates opening another dimension. Or it could be that QQ believes that when her written script has ended, there is no more story to continue and therefore she will be transported back to the modern world. Either way, that's why QQ thinks the only way she can return is if CC becomes City Owner (her OG ending) and therefore does to the best of her ability to ensure that happens.
As for QQ never exhibiting modern behaviour, again that might be a translation issue (I'm not sure if you understand Chinese or watch Eng subs but I'm guessing the latter), because she actually does reference lots of modern terms throughout the entire series, and even sometimes the characters don't understand what she's saying and she has to explain to them in another term. Especially when she's agitated or talking to herself. I believe these terms might not be translated properly (or there's no way to translate them because it wouldn't make sense) so she does have moments she certainly exhibits the modern behaviour/thinking.
As for having her modern knowledge (modern - not future - it's very different because this ancient world is a made up one and not the real past as with some of the other shows i.e. Scarlet Heart where the protagonist actually knows what will happen for sure because it has already happened), it actually does come in when she's advising on the issues between the marriages of the people in Xuan Hu city and therefore uses her modern insights into believing that Xuan Hu and Hua Yuan cities and be changed into cities with more gender equality, which is more similar to our modern world. Could there be more portrayal of her modern knowledge in the show by building some modern device etc? Sure. But there wasn't really a need to. Given that the gender discrimination was one of the main themes in the story, her modern thinking in believing in gender equality, and striving to achieve that is enough.
Lastly, the fake rape scene was quite disturbing and I guess HS deems that it's the only way for him to assess whether or not QQ still has her kung fu, was by forcing her into a situation that causes her real fear. When he said "you've ruined my mood", he doesn't really mean that, it was just an excuse for him to stop pretending to want to rape her. I'm not saying rape is okay, it never is, but in these type of ancient world, the morals are a little different to what we have built in the modern society (is also portrayed by HS always carelessly wanting to kill others) and therefore when HS thinks that QQ has just been using him from day 1, he wanted to inflict some of the hurt on her.