GrnGrnTmt

Finally, after 30 long episodes, YY and CQ are reunited!!! I hope it lasts a few episodes before she hops back to Yanbei!

Yes! That's exactly what I thought too! YY is going to be so happy to (eventually, someday) find out she loves him!

This one is so funny, how can anyone not love this couple! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqCVKO6hJHU

It's an ad for Swordsman video game. In Asia they do this frequently. If a drama or movie is doing well the couple star in a bunch of ads together. This is just one of them. It has nothing to do with the drama.

Ok, this BTS is quite funny: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18PbPY0ym6M

It's part of the previews for Monday. These people, I swear! I knew they'd put this for a Monday!

Gad dang it! I knew they'd do this! They always put these types of previews on Thursday just to get our blood boiling! WTH drama! Yeah... I saw it too and I'm like, finally!

I suspected he would be killed after he put Lady Lan's son in the box thinking I bet he won't make it back alive and the little prince will suffocate in there. I think in order to adjust for the amnesia vs. time travel element of the story, they had to put Lady Lan in the story. So I think Lady Lan will take Yuwen Huai's place and work with Chun'er to kill Chu Qiao. And that could tie into the Chu Qiao/Luo He's daughter backstory because so far aside from this enigmatic Mr. Wu of Yanbei, Lady Lan is the only one who knows Chu Qiao's identity.

YES!! That's right! I forgot about that steel fan dude! Yeah, it's like they play a big role and then kapow! And that's it. Are they trying to emulate Game of Thrones or something? I don't know. It doesn't seem to work here bc now I'm like, how is everything going to wrap up?? I have to say though, the sheer fact that all of us are like WTF, what's going to happen next! We can't guess! must be a good sign. And if by some miracle they pull off an amazing ending.. well shit, this drama is going to go down in my books as one of the best.

No, actually he was like, so you let that slave girl go. And YY said I tried my best but she got away. Besides, she's not a slave anymore. And the GF was like, oh yeah, forgot she's YX's lady now. What, you don't like hearing that? Well, good riddance bc you can't focus on a girl there is still a lot for you to do. And YY was like, yeah Prince Xiang and I are going to go after YX and the GF said no way dude, stay put. There's a reason why your dad faked being ill so he doesn't have to mobilize the troops in the emperor's favor. And YY was like, yo, I'm loyal to the people of Wei not the emperor and what I do is for them. And the GF was like, I raised a total idiot. What would your dad say, and YY was I don't give a damn what my father thinks. He abandoned me 20 years ago. My mother was killed and I was abandoned, and faced so many life threatening circumstances and he never once helped. If he can't protect his own wife and child, how is he going to protect a nation. I don't want to be a hero like that. Thank you for raising me but I'm grown now, I no longer need a father's love that I never felt anyway, and as for you, I'll set you up with a few trusty slaves and you can come out of the secret chamber now bc Yuwen Huai is dead. So don't tell me what to do anymore. Peace out. That's basically what he said. Sorry, that part totally was awesome so I watched it twice. You never have scenes like this in dramas where the son or grandson are just like, F- you, I'm grown and I'm saying my peace and you stay out of my way from now on. It was great to watch!! Go Yuwen Yue! Which is doubly why I'm annoyed that he hasn't had much screen time. WTF drama!!!!

By the way, does anyone think it's weird that they just killed off Yuwen Huai just like that? I mean, he was the premier bad guy in the first half and then Chu Qiao just kills him like that?? I have a feeling the writing is getting a bit sloppier now heading towards the ending. I hope it isn't because they no longer have a script in the form of the book to follow in order to wrap up the major plot point of the story: who is Chu Qiao and how to bring her secret background reveal into the story effectively.

Let's hope the season 2 thing is just speculation. I mean I don't care if they have a season 2 as long as they wrap up this story properly. And I read that they've deviated from the book enough that we can look forward something pretty different for an ending. I've decided that I'm just going to watch this as a singular drama with no book references and see how they end it. Who knows, maybe they shot enough where they can pull out an extension!

Why are all the women all of a sudden blaming everything on Chu Qiao. Hell, it was the super bad babysitting service that Lady Lan had that allowed Yuwen Huai to kidnap the prince. I mean, how freaking easy is it to steal a prince out of the palace? Seems ridiculously lax. And now she's blaming that on Chu Qiao?? And Chun'er? All of a sudden she's like, it's all Chu Qiao's fault! All these crazy people. And where the hell is Yuwen Yue in all this? What the hell?

Yes, I want Chu Qiao to get all her powers back. That's all I wish for her. That and that there be at least one super badass scene where she uses her super ice inner powers and annihilate a bunch of bad people. Gosh dang it drama, that's all I wish for!!!

I think I read some posts where Lin Gengxin was like hell no to Angelababy? I'd watch it if it were the same cast. If different cast, then no. The chemistry between the three main leads is what really makes this drama for me. Also, by the way, where the heck is Yuwen Yue? Lately he's in only like 3 minutes per episode. WTH!!

Ok, so I give up. I don't know what's happening with this drama and I've decided just to not care and just watch it. They're close to the end and they're still introducing new characters. WTH?? I feel myself getting a bit frustrated with the pacing of the story. Like, they keep wasting time on irrelevant things that don't necessarily tie in to the main story (i.e., Chu Qiao??). I do want to see more about her development, her back story, and her rise to greatness.

They spent the first 20 episodes on her getting out of being a slave (and her romance with YWY), which is forgivable because there was story development there (her learning her kungfu, trying to piece together her back story and the emperor's growing paranoia about a rebellion). Then they spent the last 20+ episodes on YX and him trying to get out of Chang'an. And so how are they going to spend the remaining episodes? Will there be an extension? Is there really going to be a season 2?

Based on the remaining clips from the trailers there are still some moments we haven't seen that can only happen after certain things: (i) that bathroom scene with YY and CQ where he basically undresses her - that can only happen if she's back in Chang'an and at YY's home; (ii) the kiss - can only happen if he somehow confesses to her and they are in the same city and location; (iii) him wearing a black mask and holding CQ who's passed out on the battlefield - which to me could happen after the frozen lake scene, the mask to hide the fact that he is still alive when everyone thinks he's dead or something?; and of course, (v) the frozen lake scene.

So, basically, I give up. I'm just going to stop reading all the speculation and just going to watch it thinking it will end when it ends. Otherwise, I think I'll just annoy myself to dislike this otherwise great drama.

I have to say, what a great turning point for Yuwen Yue. He finally stood up to his grandfather and the legacy of his father and basically said, no more. I'm grown now so don't tell me what to do, I can handle myself by myself. What a great moment for him! I feel like YY is the only one following any kind of a character arc. Both CQ and YX seem a bit extreme. Again, I think it might be a difference in acting ability and their individual ways of portraying things but I think this is great for YY!

HAHA!! I know right? It barely bled! and he's like rolling around in the dirt and hay.

Interesting thing I noticed yesterday watching one of the BTS that were subbed. It is of an earlier episode, like episode 11 where YWY and CQ go to the lantern festival together. That part where YWY buys CQ the rabbit lantern and she laughs and says its cute. The director told her that her saying, "It's cute" is supposed to have double meaning: CQ thinks both the rabbit and YWY's expression is cute. So she was supposed to convey that double meaning. I didn't get that double meaning at all when I watched that scene, even after I rewatched it. So I wonder how much of CQ's "intense hate" towards YWY is actually a misportrayal by Zhao Liying and how much of it is in the script. In the recent episodes I felt that CQ's "hate" towards YWY was a bit strong. I think ZLY is a good actress but I don't think she is amazing at portraying nuanced expressions or layers of complex emotions through her expressions. I think Lin Gengxin is a better actor at being able to portray nuances. So, to summarize, some of the extremes we see of CQ's actions and words towards YWY may be an acting fault by ZLY and not necessarily in the script.

krystalsoojungs By the way, I appreciate all the drama to novel comparisons you provide. Thanks! It's really insightful! And I think it was Wei Shuye's "cousin" that was killed by his father is the one with the vampire teeth.