K-Drama 
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If Romeo and Juliet had lived…it would still end tragically
This Was Always Qingyuan’s Story
Technically, Spring of the Blade could have ended at Episode 24. We had the wedding, the honeymoon, our two tigers finally together…and we were on a high.
But this is a Chinese drama after all. Of course we weren’t getting off that easily.
Looking back, this was always Qingyuan’s story first, and Shen Run’s second. And to understand Qingyuan, we had to understand the tragedy of her mother and father…two people caught by circumstances who ultimately chose very different paths. One surrendered to greed and ambition. The other lost her life because of it.
And damn, the actor playing her father practically took over these final episodes. The versatility of his performance made him feel like the lead while Qingyuan and Shen Run became supporting characters in their own drama. What surprised me most was discovering that underneath everything he had done, he too was a victim of circumstance. That doesn’t erase his choices, but it makes the man far more complicated than the villain I originally thought he was.
Even the silver coin feels appropriate. Judas betrayed for silver, and here again silver becomes a symbol of betrayal…the price placed on loyalty, family and eventually someone’s soul.
Maybe that’s what Spring of the Blade was really about all along: greed and what we’re willing to sacrifice for it.
My problem remains the same. I would have preferred much of this Xie family history to come before the rebellion, allowing the political story to become the climax rather than interrupting it and then returning to the family mysteries afterward. But once again, we’re back to my biggest complaint…30 episodes simply weren’t enough.
Give this story another twenty episodes and suddenly Shen Run’s past, Commander Hu, Shen Che, the rebellion, Lady Hong, Grandma Chen and all those crazy Xie women could breathe.
I suspect the writers had a choice: finish with the rebellion and leave the Xie mysteries behind, or return to where everything began and give Qingyuan’s story its closure.
They chose Qingyuan. And perhaps they had to. Because no matter how much I loved Shen Run…this was always her story.
Technically, Spring of the Blade could have ended at Episode 24. We had the wedding, the honeymoon, our two tigers finally together…and we were on a high.
But this is a Chinese drama after all. Of course we weren’t getting off that easily.
Looking back, this was always Qingyuan’s story first, and Shen Run’s second. And to understand Qingyuan, we had to understand the tragedy of her mother and father…two people caught by circumstances who ultimately chose very different paths. One surrendered to greed and ambition. The other lost her life because of it.
And damn, the actor playing her father practically took over these final episodes. The versatility of his performance made him feel like the lead while Qingyuan and Shen Run became supporting characters in their own drama. What surprised me most was discovering that underneath everything he had done, he too was a victim of circumstance. That doesn’t erase his choices, but it makes the man far more complicated than the villain I originally thought he was.
Even the silver coin feels appropriate. Judas betrayed for silver, and here again silver becomes a symbol of betrayal…the price placed on loyalty, family and eventually someone’s soul.
Maybe that’s what Spring of the Blade was really about all along: greed and what we’re willing to sacrifice for it.
My problem remains the same. I would have preferred much of this Xie family history to come before the rebellion, allowing the political story to become the climax rather than interrupting it and then returning to the family mysteries afterward. But once again, we’re back to my biggest complaint…30 episodes simply weren’t enough.
Give this story another twenty episodes and suddenly Shen Run’s past, Commander Hu, Shen Che, the rebellion, Lady Hong, Grandma Chen and all those crazy Xie women could breathe.
I suspect the writers had a choice: finish with the rebellion and leave the Xie mysteries behind, or return to where everything began and give Qingyuan’s story its closure.
They chose Qingyuan. And perhaps they had to. Because no matter how much I loved Shen Run…this was always her story.
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