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a dogblood that still wants to hold your hand as if it's not the one going off the rails
if I ever came across a drama that should just be named after its protagonist, it's this one. and if there is a storytelling device I absolutely hate, it's the instant flashback to explain what happened literally in the last scene. and there will be no shortage of this cheap trick. the direction is as unsubtle, disrespectful and controlling as Wei Rao herself.
there are of course positives. it runs hot and fast. it isn't particularly fresh as a concept but its darkly comedic edge saves it from feeling stale.
the nobles' robes are all incredibly pretty and iridescent. one of the places you see it best is when Lu Zhuo and Han Liao are outside in the dark having ill-tempered whatever-those-meetings-are. it's not often that we get two men whose hard work at the gym is so impressive it can be seen under four layers of robes in frame at the same time. yet I was instantly distracted by the costumes, the real MVP here. (small attention span, sue me)
the less said about the wigs though, the better. there were a few times I almost ragequit because the bobble-heads were creating unintentional comic relief in more serious moments.
the first half of this drama is entertainingly melodramatic and probably what the director's previous attempt to cash in on minidrama vibes should have been (Ashes to Crown). the daily festival of slaps helps immensely in this regard and I'd like to specifically thank Dai Gaozheng for his hard work here.
many people seemed to hate the ending but I didn't at all. it was refreshingly random and fairly amusing, since I had been a little tired of the somewhat repetitive nature of the issues and antagonists. PSA: if you like your dramas to wrap up tidily, walk away halfway through the last episode. you'll know when.
in terms of the acting, most of the flowers should end up on the desks of the senior actresses. Tien Niu as Lady Shou'an is my standard for grandparents now.
Tian Xiwei did fairly well and I suspect that where her acting tipped over into being too much, it was directed so. it was interesting to watch her characters converge to an extent, and the only real intellectual exercise I undertook through the entire drama was trying to work out whether this convergence was unintentional or an underhand commentary on how genes will express themselves. I suspect the former because nothing else in this production leads me to believe that anyone understands nuance.
Yan An was the opposite. it was fully halfway through before I needed more fingers than I own to count his expressions. again, much of this is likely direction because we have seen him be more compelling in previous works. he should do more generalling in the future though. it suits him and gave my eyes a well-deserved break from the otherwise whiplash maximalist/minimalist acting combo.
overall, this was fairly enjoyable but I felt disrespected many times per episode as if a first-grade teacher was explaining why Spot is running and what a ball is instead of just reading the damn book. so I rate this overall a relatively generous 6/10.
there are of course positives. it runs hot and fast. it isn't particularly fresh as a concept but its darkly comedic edge saves it from feeling stale.
the nobles' robes are all incredibly pretty and iridescent. one of the places you see it best is when Lu Zhuo and Han Liao are outside in the dark having ill-tempered whatever-those-meetings-are. it's not often that we get two men whose hard work at the gym is so impressive it can be seen under four layers of robes in frame at the same time. yet I was instantly distracted by the costumes, the real MVP here. (small attention span, sue me)
the less said about the wigs though, the better. there were a few times I almost ragequit because the bobble-heads were creating unintentional comic relief in more serious moments.
the first half of this drama is entertainingly melodramatic and probably what the director's previous attempt to cash in on minidrama vibes should have been (Ashes to Crown). the daily festival of slaps helps immensely in this regard and I'd like to specifically thank Dai Gaozheng for his hard work here.
many people seemed to hate the ending but I didn't at all. it was refreshingly random and fairly amusing, since I had been a little tired of the somewhat repetitive nature of the issues and antagonists. PSA: if you like your dramas to wrap up tidily, walk away halfway through the last episode. you'll know when.
in terms of the acting, most of the flowers should end up on the desks of the senior actresses. Tien Niu as Lady Shou'an is my standard for grandparents now.
Tian Xiwei did fairly well and I suspect that where her acting tipped over into being too much, it was directed so. it was interesting to watch her characters converge to an extent, and the only real intellectual exercise I undertook through the entire drama was trying to work out whether this convergence was unintentional or an underhand commentary on how genes will express themselves. I suspect the former because nothing else in this production leads me to believe that anyone understands nuance.
Yan An was the opposite. it was fully halfway through before I needed more fingers than I own to count his expressions. again, much of this is likely direction because we have seen him be more compelling in previous works. he should do more generalling in the future though. it suits him and gave my eyes a well-deserved break from the otherwise whiplash maximalist/minimalist acting combo.
overall, this was fairly enjoyable but I felt disrespected many times per episode as if a first-grade teacher was explaining why Spot is running and what a ball is instead of just reading the damn book. so I rate this overall a relatively generous 6/10.
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