This review may contain spoilers
Top-notch Production with a Talented Director
Most things about this drama series were top-notch. I just want to thank the director for shooting Zhang Linghe and everyone else so well. Beautiful production. The political intrigue (that, in the end, was the conflict between love, loyalty, greed and madness) was at times confusingly explained so reading the novel helped a little. I am still confused why Consort Shu killed herself - I might have to reread the novel again - but I guessed it was to protect Wei Yan and her knowing that the Emperor also wanted to kill her.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Watchable but weak follow-up to the stellar first season
It was a watchable conclusion but I wished that they had removed the plot point where Liu Lang (I’m assuming he is meant to be a teenager) managed to disrupt the progress of Mu Dan and Jiang Chang Yang’s relationship by simply breaking the hairpin and lying. Chang Yang should have already suspected that something was amiss based on Liu Lang’s very obvious bias against him and jealousy of their relationship (Liu Lang had never hidden it prior to this). Mu Dan also should have also given Jiang Chang Yang the hairpin herself. Who gives a meaningful love token to your business partner and friend to pass to your lover? The whole miscommunication plot point was just very annoying to watch.Also, I didn’t believe that the aftermath of the supposed murder of Jiang Chang Yang was realistically plausible. I knew he wouldn’t have died because Mu Dan had never gone through the panic of wanting to find his body or discover where he might be buried after she managed to escape from Liu Chang’s. They could have added a scene where Mu Dan would be desperately looking for Jiang Chang Yang’s body or grave. It didn’t seem that the thought of looking for his body or grave had ever been written in - if it had been, then it was poor editing on the production team’s part.
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