This review may contain spoilers
Long rant about the last 10 eps but still the most solid, addicting drama I've seen in a while!
The ONLY reason I didn't give this a solid 10/10 was because of the last 10ish eps. Although we got some of the best passionate scenes between our main CP in those eps, the flow of the story just derailed for me. Starting with the female protagonist's halo... I started to get frustrated with Chang Yu once she arrived at Xie Zheng's military camp. She made a lot of reckless decisions and got away with it because this silly military is led by the biggest lovesick marquis. Her fight scenes were amazing and she took down two big bad guys but I still felt like it all went too easy for her from there. Even when she decided to knock Commander Li out and remove him from the battlefield, I was disappointed in her. He was mad she took his choice away from him but he turns around and forgives her so easily. And then he becomes nothing but a background guy for the rest of the show.
It also felt like they rushed a lot of important information in the last 2 eps. We never met the last emperor so bringing him in right at the end just made him into more of a fall guy than a true villain. Him being the catalyst for everyone's ill fates just seemed too deus ex machina. It felt like the only purpose for this plot twist was to absolve Wei Yan.
The ending was enjoyable until the alternate/next life scene came. Qian Qian's and Qi Min's toxic relationship was romanticized a little too much for me in this drama .I was satisfied with him falling off the wall and his story just ending there. But the way they rushed his takeover scene and then brought him back for two more scenes just to highlight his relationship with QQ didn't do anything for me. It would've been way more interesting if they had given a whole ep with him after he took the throne because his succession storyline was more interesting than his toxic romance for me.
The alternate ending seemed to center around him and QQ as well so I wish I would've stopped watching before seeing that. That whole scene just pulled the carpet out from under the intense journey we all just experienced. They had 40eps to work with. I can forgive the dumping of all this crucial information in the last ep if they had used the rest of the last ep to show us something better. I would've liked to see more time in Lin'an with our CP settled, Ning Niang, The Zhaos, Pig Squad and townspeople. It would've been nice to see QQ and Bao'er back in Lin'an before he was pushed into the palace as well. The reunion scene was beautiful but I would've liked to see more of our CP's married life and children. It would've been nice to see Gongsun Yin and Qi Shu settling into married life too with them reading, playing chess etc...
Those ending gripes aside...I still adored this drama and most of the characters. Everyone was so well written and the chemistry between the leads was intoxicating! The beginning of the story in Lin'an was my favorite part of the show. Watching the mighty Marquis of Wu An slowly become completely consumed by his love for this cheerful, wholesome, and beautiful butcher girl was enchanting. Resisting was a hopeless cause for him and this love actually saved his life both physically and psychologically. She didn't just bring him back from the brink of death. She gave him a new purpose outside of war and revenge. She showed him the joys of love and family which gave him a reason to appreciate living. Although it seems like he helps her a lot more throughout the drama, he needed her more than she needed him from the start. And what a beautiful start is was! When he first lifts his eyes and looks at her for the first time you can see he is instantly attracted to her striking beauty. You could cut the tension with a knife between them! I was hooked on them from that moment on. But he was still cold on the outside and hollow on the inside at first. She slowly breathed warmth into him which made him gradually more affectionate. It wasn't until he got to know her that he completely fell for her because he saw how big her heart was and how unique she was.
LEADS: Putting my frustrations with her towards the end aside, Chang Yu is the perfect heroine in this story. She is humble, strong and emotionally grounded. She is completely transparent and generous with her love and has a naturally forgiving nature. But when Yan Zheng crosses the line or upsets her, she doesn't let him get away with it just because he's handsome and she loves him. She puts him in his place both times he hurt her. I love that about her the most. And Yan Zheng is impossible not to like, even with his flaws. It's understandable that he faulters with his words and actions in the beginning of their relationship. This man didn't have a tender bone in his body before meeting her. He was in love for the first time and all these new and intense emotions were clearly driving him crazy. But once he learned to look at things from her perspective he stopped coming on too strong and became the perfect husband. And he reserves his soft side only for her for the whole drama (well and Ning Niang and Bao'er lol ).
Supporting characters: I found the Sui brothers were both very interesting and intriguing in different ways. But I'd say the most fascinating villain was Wei Yan because my feelings kept shifting back and forth about him from the beginning to the end. I loved the pig squad (still not over Man Di's death!), the Zhaos, Old Tutor Tao, Gongsun Yin, Princess Qi Shu, Ning Niang and Bao'er the most. QianQian I liked independently, but again, I didn't care her scary romance with Qi Min to be so front and center. The two had chemistry for sure but it just felt like they tried to get us to root for them as a CP and I didn't like that.
Overall everything was close to perfect in this show. The cinematography, casting, acting, writing, and OST were all *chef's kiss*!
It also felt like they rushed a lot of important information in the last 2 eps. We never met the last emperor so bringing him in right at the end just made him into more of a fall guy than a true villain. Him being the catalyst for everyone's ill fates just seemed too deus ex machina. It felt like the only purpose for this plot twist was to absolve Wei Yan.
The ending was enjoyable until the alternate/next life scene came. Qian Qian's and Qi Min's toxic relationship was romanticized a little too much for me in this drama .I was satisfied with him falling off the wall and his story just ending there. But the way they rushed his takeover scene and then brought him back for two more scenes just to highlight his relationship with QQ didn't do anything for me. It would've been way more interesting if they had given a whole ep with him after he took the throne because his succession storyline was more interesting than his toxic romance for me.
The alternate ending seemed to center around him and QQ as well so I wish I would've stopped watching before seeing that. That whole scene just pulled the carpet out from under the intense journey we all just experienced. They had 40eps to work with. I can forgive the dumping of all this crucial information in the last ep if they had used the rest of the last ep to show us something better. I would've liked to see more time in Lin'an with our CP settled, Ning Niang, The Zhaos, Pig Squad and townspeople. It would've been nice to see QQ and Bao'er back in Lin'an before he was pushed into the palace as well. The reunion scene was beautiful but I would've liked to see more of our CP's married life and children. It would've been nice to see Gongsun Yin and Qi Shu settling into married life too with them reading, playing chess etc...
Those ending gripes aside...I still adored this drama and most of the characters. Everyone was so well written and the chemistry between the leads was intoxicating! The beginning of the story in Lin'an was my favorite part of the show. Watching the mighty Marquis of Wu An slowly become completely consumed by his love for this cheerful, wholesome, and beautiful butcher girl was enchanting. Resisting was a hopeless cause for him and this love actually saved his life both physically and psychologically. She didn't just bring him back from the brink of death. She gave him a new purpose outside of war and revenge. She showed him the joys of love and family which gave him a reason to appreciate living. Although it seems like he helps her a lot more throughout the drama, he needed her more than she needed him from the start. And what a beautiful start is was! When he first lifts his eyes and looks at her for the first time you can see he is instantly attracted to her striking beauty. You could cut the tension with a knife between them! I was hooked on them from that moment on. But he was still cold on the outside and hollow on the inside at first. She slowly breathed warmth into him which made him gradually more affectionate. It wasn't until he got to know her that he completely fell for her because he saw how big her heart was and how unique she was.
LEADS: Putting my frustrations with her towards the end aside, Chang Yu is the perfect heroine in this story. She is humble, strong and emotionally grounded. She is completely transparent and generous with her love and has a naturally forgiving nature. But when Yan Zheng crosses the line or upsets her, she doesn't let him get away with it just because he's handsome and she loves him. She puts him in his place both times he hurt her. I love that about her the most. And Yan Zheng is impossible not to like, even with his flaws. It's understandable that he faulters with his words and actions in the beginning of their relationship. This man didn't have a tender bone in his body before meeting her. He was in love for the first time and all these new and intense emotions were clearly driving him crazy. But once he learned to look at things from her perspective he stopped coming on too strong and became the perfect husband. And he reserves his soft side only for her for the whole drama (well and Ning Niang and Bao'er lol ).
Supporting characters: I found the Sui brothers were both very interesting and intriguing in different ways. But I'd say the most fascinating villain was Wei Yan because my feelings kept shifting back and forth about him from the beginning to the end. I loved the pig squad (still not over Man Di's death!), the Zhaos, Old Tutor Tao, Gongsun Yin, Princess Qi Shu, Ning Niang and Bao'er the most. QianQian I liked independently, but again, I didn't care her scary romance with Qi Min to be so front and center. The two had chemistry for sure but it just felt like they tried to get us to root for them as a CP and I didn't like that.
Overall everything was close to perfect in this show. The cinematography, casting, acting, writing, and OST were all *chef's kiss*!
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