kiimnu

This was one of the rare instances where I liked season 2 better than season 1. It was such a treat to watch the military and psychological battles between Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi unfold. I especially appreciated that the battle scenes and strategic planning were shown properly and in full detail rather than simply being narrated after the fact. But just like the first installment, the show peaked around episode 30, and it wasn’t really worth watching beyond that point. The other characters were not compelling and engaging enough, and not to mention, I was never fully invested in the character Sima Yi in the first place.

The actor that portrayed Sima Yi gave a strong performance, but I feel like a more nuanced actor could have brought greater depth to the character. I would’ve been more emotionally invested in the character as I did with Cao Cao, Xun Yu / Wen Ruo, Zhuge Liang, and Zhang Chun Hua. There should have been a subtle difference between Sima Yi’s calculated emotional outbursts and his moments of genuine desperation, but unfortunately, I could never tell the difference. One can say Zhang Chun Hua was the glue that held the Sima family together, but the family dynamics changed so abruptly after her death that I was utterly disappointed with the storytelling. It was also such a shame that Liu Tao’s character was largely implied most of the time instead of showing her character development since the first part. Not only that, the female characters, especially in the second installment, had little impact and substance, regardless of their screen time.

I thought Sima Yi treated his wife Zhang Chun Hua poorly, but oh my gosh, I felt so bad for Bai Ling Yun at the end, even though she is not one of my favorite characters.