a female gazing

I know a lot of this is due to the late edits and not at all the fault of the production team (and certainly not the fault of Bai Lu) but I can't help but be really disappointed in how they've handled Li Susu's character in the heavenly arc. She feels like a totally different person—lifeless, more like a cardboard-cutout than a fully realized human being.

I get that her experiences 500 years ago changed her, and she's been through so much and has matured to a degree, but I'm so sad that she seems like a side character in her own life at this point. TTJ feels so dimensional and real, and she just feels empty. She is a vehicle that moves as the plot requires in order to complete his arc. To some degree, this was always true anyway—but she knew that, and she struggled with it every day, and even when she made mistakes I understood her. But so little of her inner conflict is visible to us now, and as a result her personality has just...evaporated. Like, what happened to her fire, her anger, her fury, her self-righteousness?? She became so utterly bland. It's so unjust. I want justice for Li Susu lmao.

Idk. I'm still loving this show to bits for obvious reasons but I find her pretty unrecognizable at this point and it's really sad.

exactly. YQY being a traitor to his country is a very unpopular position in the PRC, and is not taken well by the audience. there's been quite a bit of noise about it.

audiences outside of china can gauge from a narratively critical position why his decision makes sense, and we see many angles to his character to appreciate for the sake of the story as a whole. but in china, this is fuel for antis, and the government doesn't look kindly on him 'switching sides.' it sends the wrong message, you see. it's not surprising at all that his later scenes got cut because the unfortunate implication to them is essentially: 'traitor ends up immortal and running the kingdom' which is antithetical to the party ethos in many ways.

me, who has read the novel as well as the entirety of the leaked script: "WHY DO THEY KEEP DOING THIS ISTG, ARE YOU SERIOUS RN, TANTAI JIN IS INNOCENT, THIS IS SO DISAPPOINTING AND INFURIATING, LEAVE THIS POOR MAN ALONE ALREADY. UNBELIEVABLE"

translated novel from chapter 1:
https://www.scribblehub.com/read/585008-story-of-kunning-palace/chapter/585080/

there is also youtube series that recaps all the major plot points if you're interested:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3ifdarJJBg

from everything we've seen, this looks like it's going to be a high budget/high quality production, partly romance and partly political thriller, with a lot going on in the way of palace intrigue. it's not straight romance, so you'll probably have to be patient for the love lines to get sorted out. i'm personally a fan of slow burns, but if you aren't, this might not be for you. the production value makes me think it will be worth the wait if you're so inclined.

kind of a love triangle at first—FL spends a decent chunk of the first part of the novel in love with someone else. but once she falls for ML, it's game over. worth the wait imo. the love lines are kind of like scarlet heart.

i wanted to love this drama so much. luo yun xi really gives it his all, but so much of the plot ends up falling flat. and janice wu's portrayal of FL is so lifeless...absolutely zero chemistry with ML. it was just incredibly disappointing

definitely won't be happening after deng lun's scandal.

In the novel, TTJ gets really turned on by being choked.

Do with that what you will.

This is so exciting because it provides incentive for Otter and Youku to release extra content after the show finishes airing, such as deleted scenes, extended ending, extra episodes, etc. Here's hoping!

I wasn't looking forward to the immortal realm arc costume-wise because after all the sexy, dark/dramatic and super colorful outfits we've seen, I figured the pastels would be more of the same boring repetitive stuff.

And then THEY GAVE TTJ PUFFY FEATHER BOA-LIKE SHOULDER PADS.

The costuming department is insane for this. And Li Susu's pink dress was utterly stunning too, holy sh*t. Never getting over the shoulder pads though, and the various ways they maintain that quintessential Tantai Jin/Mingye visual trait through styling. TTJ is Cang Jiumin but also still *him* — I was worried for nothing. His presence hasn't shrank at all; he really fills the screen whenever he's on it. Plus, Luo Yunxi wears shoulder pads with more gumption than a runway supermodel circa 1987

SO not excited to see TTJ get framed and accused and abused by the sects, especially now that he has voiced his fear of becoming an outcast once again.

BUT.......LSS defending him and protecting him and being his angry guard puppy??

yes sir your honor i am absolutely here for that hot sexy mess

i'm cracking up at this comment omg

I can't remember which drama it was but I'm pretty sure that there were a couple of shows that Viki had licensed to broadcast that contained extra scenes not present in the original streaming service versions. Likely it was because of some actor scandal or a re-review of something racy. I doubt Netflix will get ALL the deleted scenes bc they may not be complete with post-production and CGI etc., but it would be cool to have some of them...

highly doubt they'll see each other in this scene. maybe by the end of the episode or in ep 32 they'll actually meet, i think during the sect competition. this library scene will be a missed connection thing: he'll be like "omg who took my book" but not be able to catch her as she runs away with it. classic cdrama tease lol

babe did you read the leaked script???? bc it's in there! TTJ takes LSS back to the ye mansion in a dream/illusion for one final hurrah (make-up sex??) lmao

i think we're getting the new years fireworks kiss in the final episodes—it will be a dream/illusion, and they'll be back there with all this history between them now, and then we'll get the kiss.

Q1: Jan-Feb-Mar
Q2: Apr-May-June
Q3: Jul-Aug-Sep
Q4: Oct-Nov-Dec

So this should come out within the last 3 months of 2023.

new regulations limiting drama length. they had to go in and edit post-production and condense a bunch of stuff. go in assuming the ending will be rushed lol

i promise you that despite his faults and shortcomings, i absolutely adore TTJ. he's incredibly complex and does not fall into cliches very often. but regardless of his choices or how much he loves YXW, he will become the devil god anyway when he dies. it's his destiny.

"Yes, he's childish when he made YXW kill XL. That's why I said he needs a bit more time and consistent affirmation of her love to be truly healed from his trauma."

tbh this goes beyond childish...this was a horrific thing for him to do and it completely traumatized LSS even further, reminding her of what he did to her family, and what he's capable of now even before being consumed by the devil god. while i felt sadness and remorse on their wedding night, just like she did, i think her actions were completely justified. i feel this whole story is a rejection of the "i can fix him!!" trope. LSS is not just a prop to aid in TTJ's healing lol