“ The most outstanding aspect of Longxi's storytelling is how masterfully the narrative builds up to the plot twists and the reveals. It is so insidious that by the time the reveals happen it is already sitting on the edges of my mind and thus seems to be organic. This is very compelling because I feel that I am part of the process, and underneath all the surrounding complexity the solutions are rather straightforward and should have been obvious. ” This! Totally nailed it. Many times my partner and I would raise questions or speculated in ways that anticipated the reveals, but it never felt cheap or forced, but well-earned. There had been clues, a trail to follow. I feel like the show revealed its hand at opportune moments, so it wouldn’t draw out anything for too long, and it always threw in something more interesting at the same time to advance the plot.
“Themes: The 2 main themes of Longxi are (1) the moral neutrality of politics, and (2) that human relationships are a double-edged sword. The life-and-death political struggle between Zhuge Liang and Li Yan is not a matter of good versus evil (even if Li Yan does some truly terrible things), but down to a difference in opinion as to how Shu should ensure its medium-term survival. And at the end, it’s Chen Gong’s feelings for Di Yue (his wife) and Xun Xu that threaten his allies’ best-laid plans, even as his allies exhort him to continue making enormous personal sacrifices for Shu. For both Xun Xu and Chen Gong, what ultimately gives them moral closure and defines their biggest decisions is not self-interest or patriotism, but staying true to their loved ones. Powerful stuff.” Yes!!! Very well-put. Great assessment of the character of Xun Xu and Bai Yu’s performance. Sometimes, you think he’s just an idiot for being so earnest, but then, he shows you how smart, dedicated to the truth he is, which makes the character so endearing. And at the end, his smarts and his perfect knowledge and trust of his best friend deliver the biggest emotional pay off of the show!
2
This! Totally nailed it. Many times my partner and I would raise questions or speculated in ways that anticipated the reveals, but it never felt cheap or forced, but well-earned. There had been clues, a trail to follow. I feel like the show revealed its hand at opportune moments, so it wouldn’t draw out anything for too long, and it always threw in something more interesting at the same time to advance the plot.
Yes!!! Very well-put.
Great assessment of the character of Xun Xu and Bai Yu’s performance. Sometimes, you think he’s just an idiot for being so earnest, but then, he shows you how smart, dedicated to the truth he is, which makes the character so endearing. And at the end, his smarts and his perfect knowledge and trust of his best friend deliver the biggest emotional pay off of the show!