Raw, bloody, surreal, but nothing really different
I've always found Dilraba's dramas interesting, both modern & costume. Here she plays 400 year old immortal He SiMu, a powerful lord of the underworld who rules obsessive spirits with an iron but just fist. In her spirit form, she glides through battlefields collecting evaporating souls of the dead into her realm in a macabre clean up. Surrounded by death, she has lacked the 5 senses that would allow her to know what it feels like to be alive. She occupies a human body to physically interact with the mortal world, seeking an ancient artifact that would lead to the restoration of her senses.
She finds that artifact, a famous sword, Deliverance, sheathed in the hilt of a human army general, Duan Xu. But rather than simply seizing it from him, she decides to get closer to investigate how a weak mortal could come to wield such a powerful weapon. Suspicions arise between the two of them as they test each other's identities. Initially, they use each other for their own gains, but romance builds as they introduce each other to their respective worlds.
This drama had potential to be fantastic. I liked the battle of wits between HSM & DX as they cautiously trust each other just enough to help each other step by step. The story contained twists & the early episodes were very compelling.
The tone & pacing, however, changed considerably half way as DX explores the spirit world. From Ep 16 - 23 the story seemed to have lost direction, with the previously serious DX acting like a child at an amusement park & HSM like a bored baby sitter. Si Mu's past mortal connection & ascension to power is very slowly drawn out over these 7 episodes, but it seems like this whole section was solely devoted to how our leads, like the cat who loved a fish, can never be together. Back in the mortal world the drama picks up once again, as HSM comes to realize what she's been missing for 400 years.
The drama is visually appealing with dreamlike winter scenes that float with the falling snowflakes, contrasted with dark shadows underscoring everpresent danger & evil. The costuming is beautiful. The fight scenes are raw & surreal. The writing was inconsistent & the back stories of many characters had so many holes that left me confused. As I continued watching, the only thing that kept me paying attention was curiosity as to how the main characters would end up in spite of the constant build up to a sad ending.
I saw the initial criticisms of Dilraba's performance, but I thought she was ok. There were moments when I thought she perfectly embodied an extremely powerful, heartless spirit. It's my first time seeing Arthur Chen in a drama & he did well portraying the youthful, tragic general.
All in all, an entertaining drama but it didn't quite stretch any norms in its execution & ended rather predictably.
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