no 1 dou zhao defender

I was very excited for this since last year (if my pfp of Meng Ziyi as FL I've had since making this acc didn't make that clear enough) but going in only the first 10 episodes managed to hold my attention but I was a little disappointed with the rest. The writing felt weak and most characters didn't make much sense to me :(

Before I rant, let me praise the cinematography first. I really liked a lot of the camera shots and the color grading. It was very pleasing to the eye with the warm, autumn-like feel in many scenes.

I also loved Fan Shuaiqi's character (fun fact: my newly made tumblr acc went viral cuz of her, seems like I ain't the only one who loves her 👅👅) and I really enjoyed Cui Jinbai and Bu Shilan's love story development, although I do have to admit I nearly cringed when they finally got together because this drama was full of cliché moments. I also loved Xihe's and Bu Shilan's sisterhood, one of my fav things in this drama probably. Another cp I found really interesting was the 4th Prince and Li Yanhui. And tbh I feel like all these side couple had more potential than the main one, but they also fell short because of the incohesive plot and the number of episodes.

Onto the writing: very weak imo and there were just way too many plotholes. Like the drama introduced interesting ideas but never managed to flesh them out properly and it became more frustrating over time...

For one, the rebirth subplot: In the very 1st episode we know that Gu Qingzhi is reborn as Shen Xihe, but first of all we barely get any of her backstory. The FL also seems to have all the information she needs ready from the start. Like she transmigrated into another body, yet she somehow already knows exactly what to do even though she shouldn't have the OG Shen Xihe's memories. It was never really explained.

Another thing that didn't make sense (although entertaining) was how not only the Crown Prince fell head over heels for her, after the only thing that happened between them was him giving her her the Immortal Vine, but also almost every other prince. Didn't get how she had them all wrapped around her finger when they barely interacted and she kept rejecting their advances lmao.

A lot of the story and many antagonists also felt like they only existed to make the FL look smarter rather than actually making sense. She was way too perfect and the story gave her way too much agency. She was always several steps ahead of everyone else's plans and I know we have these typa FLs in lots of dramas but this one, I just found unbelievable. (Even the way she outsmarted Consort Rong felt too convenient??)

I also would've appreciated it more if the villains had more explained motivations. Instead their backstories are dumped on us in the end like the writers expected us to be shocked, but it didn't hit the way it was supposed to. That's why I also didn't really feel anything during the supposedly "emotional" moments.

[SPOILERS: continue reading only if you finished watching or dropped >.<]

Another thing that bothered me is the ML's poisoning. The story starts by making us think this investigation is gonna be an important subplot, but we barely get anything until the last few episodes. Then suddenly we find out who the real culprit is, but it's super underwhelming. Instead of weaving this mystery throughout the drama, they just drop the reveal at the end like a bomb but still, the payoff didn't hit smh... Also, wdym he resurrected from the dead with zero explanation???

Acting-wise it wasn't the best but not the worst either. I really like Meng Ziyi but the only drama where I found her acting natural was Blossom (not sure if it's cuz I'm biased toward that drama tho lol) but that's why I felt the chemistry between the leads was lacking here.

Whole thing just ended up feeling like your average historical idol drama. We had the reborn FL scheming her way through the Inner Court, tons of fanservice, and then as always the rebels stage a coup at the end just to lose. Ig the only thing I found realistic abt it was the 5th Prince doing all this to pave the way for the FL. He was one of the best writtten characters, with his actions being driven by his possessive obsession with his late wife, which ACTUALLY made sense, but still felt way too convenient, like the writers didn't have anymore time to explain, so that was the end of it (...he was crazy tho ngl)

7/10 tho since it was interesting enough to keep watching but I just kept shrugging and sighing along the way 🗿

Anyway the OST delivered as always. Idk if it's because I had been anticipating this drama for so long that it ended up feeling more underwhelming than it would've but these are just my opinions, so take them with a grain of salt :D