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Not upto the expectations based on the book
I have reduced my rating just because of the last few episodes as I have thoroughly enjoyed the book.I enjoyed OST, production, performance of mostly everyone in the series.. So many good things, but ending collapsed it all.
Many things have not been done reasonably (different from book),
1. Xue Fangfeng - Did not prove her innocence
2. Concubine Li - Did not have to be colored with goodness.
3. Relationship between Xiao Feng and Situye - no need to have been romanticized.
4. Princess Wanning - Not made pure Evil as in the book
5. Longwu Army - Did not have to be played like this
6. Shen Yurong - Need not have this much importance
7. Rebirth of Xue Fangfeng - not explained properly..
8. Subordinates of Xiao Feng / Jiang Lo - Unnecessary sad ending
9. Jiang Yuanbai - Need not have been uplifted from a Careless dad to caring dad
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Allow me to convince you to watch this!
The more I like a show, the harder I find it to talk about it. I just have so much to say! I'm gonna push through though. So my initial rating mark for this was 8. Then it was raised to 8.5 and I was worried that I would later lower it because so many shows lately start well but digress in abysmal ways until you end up hating them and reading everyone else's reactions, I was so scared that I would be bored by the last ten episodes and end up hating the show by its unsatisfying end. Thankfully that was not the case at all and I ended up finishing this show on a pleasant though super stressful (those last 10 minutes omg) note. I decided to give this a 9, instead.This show is just really good in many ways. The plot is emotionally stimulating, the aesthetics are unique, dark, and mysterious. The acting is great by the principal cast and good enough by the supporting ones. The music is lovely and the show avoids a lot of tropes that are typical pet peeves. And when it plays into tropes, they do it in a way that isn't too offensive and manages to be dignified. There were some hiccups in the quality but nothing I couldn't look past.
So the plot follows Xue Fangfei, the talented wife of a simple official who is framed by her husband's family for adultery and buried alive by her husband. Confused and heartbroken, she comes back to seek revenge by pretending to be the daughter of some grand minister and whatnot. On her quest for justice, she meets the formidable Duke Su who is equal parts suspicious and fascinated by her.
I'll just list some of my favorite things about this show:
1. Unlike most shows, this is not about a virginal young girl, inexperienced and cute. The story follows a woman who has had a married life and that is already so fresh and liberating that I can't praise it enough. Moreover, the show doesn't shy away from expressing how happily in love she was in that relationship. This helps deepen the grief from the betrayal and fuels the motivation for revenge. It's also just refreshing to see a second-chance plot that is REALLY a second-chance plot.
2. The show has many instrument-playing scenes, in almost all of which sans one, the movement of the actors matches the music being "played". It's just deeply satisfying to see actors actually act as if they're playing an instrument instead of just moving their hands around wildly.
3. The plots don't get dragged out and although there's plenty of drama and petty acts of villainy, arcs wrap up nicely and the story moves at a good pace. I was never bored or utterly frustrated by the characters being obtuse just for the sake of dragging out misunderstandings and elongating the runtime of the show.
4. Though the villains are black-hearted and do many extremely evil things in the story, none are overpowered. It's common for dramas to have villains who achieve levels of villainy that should be out of their logical capacity and it's so frustrating as it almost seems like the villains are superhumans. Here, we had the grand princess who operated from a position of extreme power and yet, she was constantly held back by technicalities and thwarted at every turn. Similarly, the evil stepmother does evil things...but within the boundaries of a stepmother. She tries to ruin her stepdaughter's life in ways that a lady from a powerful family would think of and not as some freaky sadist god.
5. There's no unnecessary misunderstanding between the leads or unnecessary love triangles. With potential love rivals being treated as what they are: momentary obstacles. Where there was potential for unnecessary male rivalry, the trope is cleanly avoided in favor of giving us a supportive and lovely side character.
6. The story takes detours but ultimately stays on course and the revenge plot is delivered very satisfactorily.
7. This show also had an amazing darkening arc for its main villain. It was subtle and precise. So delicious! This show might just have one of my favorite villains of all time.
There's probably more stuff I liked but I'll cut it short.
The acting is of course amazing. Wu Jin Yan might not be the most ethereal Chinese beauty but her acting in my opinion outweighs almost all of the rest of the Chinese acting scene. She's always so natural and there's just something about her acting that makes you feel like she doesn't just do what she's told. She actually thinks about how she wants to deliver her characters. She manages to play an older, wiser woman pretending to be a young girl really well. You can tell she's not as young and inexperienced as she pretends to be but she's good enough at pretending that in-universe people fall for it just enough for her to get away with it. Her occasional emotional outbursts perfectly capture the trauma her character has experienced and that makes her performance that much more moving. I think this was Wang Xing Yue's best performance yet. He did a really good job in Kunning Palace too but I think this is the first time I believed he had what it takes to be a leading man. He just had such charisma and gravitas, he looked hot and it wasn't just because he's pretty. He managed to carry his character in a way that was dark and captivating and I loved that....he also looks hot but that's like a bonus. I would like to say that most actors did a great job here. Chen Chain En and Li Meng being standouts; with Li Meng starting sort of weak with overacting but then in the last 10 episodes she stepped up and her character was just so well-rounded by the end. But the award for best supporting role goes to Liang Yong Qi who was freaking brilliant! This man needs more roles. He was so subtle, so obsessive, so humiliated and yet you could practically feel the rage pulsing under his skin...man...he just knocked it out of the park! He really matched Wu Jin Yan step by step and I have to admit I liked watching them interact just because of how good he squirmed in an invisible way when his character was around hers. Just brilliant. Su Ke also had a standout moment by the end...had me sobbing.
Production, music, and set design all was so good. That's the thing about the evil who shall not be named. He may be a jerk but he knows how to make a good show, that's for sure.
Negatives: So, the show is not perfect. There's a very distinct aesthetic at the beginning of this show, very dark and moody. And it sort of holds onto it for the whole series but a lot of that also fades as the story changes locations to the capital city. Humor gets its pound of flesh and a lot of color interrupts the dark blues and browns of the beginning and it's not bad, I still like it but I also think they could've maintained the aesthetic a bit better with a bit more effort. There also seems to have been a budget issue...some of the fight scenes looked sparse? Like there weren't enough extras to fill up the scene. I also think the show (like many Cdramas) was written for a longer runtime but they had to cut it down to 40 episodes (for the better) but it does leave me wondering if some scenes...were shown at double speed?!
Overall: I recommend this. It was such a fun show and the first full-length Cdrama I could finish in a long long time. I appreciate this a lot and I think it's definitely one of the "worth watching" ones out there.
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Gosh..! I’m so obsessed with DUKE SU …❤️
I first saw Wang Xingyue in Amidst a Snowstorm of Love. Although he was quite good at acting he didn’t catch much of my attention there as I was busy focusing on the main lead as well as I didn’t think he was that handsome. But OMG! He got me hooked after this drama. 😍😍😍I’m totally obsessed with him and now i think he’s even better than Leo Wu…😅. There’s something about this character DUKE SU that makes you get obsessed over him. ❤️❤️❤️And OMG! The storyline is amazing it keeps you guessing till the last moment. There were few episodes in the middle that I thought was not necessary matter to the main storyline but even them you cannot help watching because you do not wanna miss what DUKE SU is doing…😂. Trust me I refreshed the site multiple times a day to see whether the new episode is up yet. I’m glad it’s over now as I can finally focus on my studies…..❤️😆.
If I rank the recent drams I watched I would put this just after Hidden Love above the Amidst a Snowstorm of Love on the second place. But it would top the list if we only considered historical drama.
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Completes your 2024!! Drama is satisfying and worth the wait!
This should be one of my 2024's best drama! The act of revenge, the schemes and the mind blowing scenes will kept u hook up! Out of curiosity, I watched this and didn't expect it to get better and better each episodes and was forced to subscribe just so can watch the latest eps.Not to mention I got obsessed w/ Duke Su/Xiao Heng!!!!
Besides, the drama reminds me of the novel 'The Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage' by Qian Shan Cha Ke.. same slow-paced romance, same revenge theme, same clever FL and cunning protagonists. Duke Su reminds me so much of Xie Jing Xing in the novel!
I would very much recommend the novel (available in Wattpad/Boxnovel.com) if you're into this genre.
Back to the drama, undeniably the cast's acting and editing is superb! Overall, i give this a 10 and will definitely rewatch! Kudos to all actors and director!
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And maybe I'll pretend I never saw the end(last 2 eps) !
A note to myself - enjoy while it lasts ...not everything has to have a perfect ending !So the much awaited journey comes to an end and it was pretty much a train wreck but as much as I loved this show, that deeply it has inflicted upon me that endings are often not that beautiful as the journey ! This review is for those who appreciate a critical examination of art, even if it means challenging their favorites. For those who might struggle with differing viewpoints, perhaps a lighter genre would be more enjoyable right now.
So the show is about the most illogical things of all time - someone pretending to be someone else for revenge and that too in front of a whole fucking town and they buy it ! and so will you ! I promise you will !
As nonsensical as it sounds that's what it is -- but let me sing to the glory of this show -
Top notch Aesthetics that scream oh you need to stare at it again ! - How they use clothes - they have given a new meaning to it and it's no more just props it's got life !
The amazing portrayal of women -- oh man the cameraman gave them wings !!
Chemistry that gives you butterflies ! -they stare at each other and you go crazy toppling and turning on your bed !
Villains that make you loathe them - curse them you'll wany to kill them without a thought -- but they have great backstories and motivations for the things they did - disgustingly good as can be said.
The characters the props - you'll love everything about it down to the details - as we take up on each and everything one by one you'll love it more with each ep until you won't be able to forgive the makers for what they do to you --
Let's talk about our very hot "ALL TALK NO SHOW" most charming gege who loves "side eyes" and "taking a seat" every time we fucking hope for him to flip a fan at the very least but i think fan was just the most charming prop who's master never got around delivering to his potential !
Look first thing he waited till the water went above the head and when my patience was taking last breaths -- our poison princess fought better than Duke Su! (yes I said it ) !
I mean what was that fight even (with king's brother)- like for a min atleast I wanted to see that strong man I had been dreaming of - ERROR 404 - NOT FOUND !
My dearest assistants of duke su I am sorry the writers and makers did that to you ! you two deserve all my love for never disappointing me... man I am so mad to even feel bad -- they were too good to just die of random arrows ! Imma pretend they still alive and they be asking - my lord are you going to or should i do it !
i mean to think about it SYR and XFF spend more time together than Duke Su and Li or should say XFF spends more time in SYR's arms in the last eps than duke su in all the eps combined ! SFUODSBLBVJNDFLXN!
and that candle light kiss -- oh my out of the world cinematography I love how you make me hate a candle!
And don't remind me of that king pls - what in the tomfoolery was that person - to protect him who does nothing exactly in the show we have so many people sacrificing ! I mean that consort li has a better role than him and for fucks sake she did die amazingly oh brave women !
and not to mention even the maids and gardener's have more role than him - i wanted to say curtains too but then you'd just say I was being mean and wouldn't believe me !
Lets talk about the best of the lot -- Wanning there you girl - you shattered my heart into pieces you deserved every bit of torture but it was not for you to die like this and make me love you ! - the best end served !
Now my girl A Li - my double edged sword my heart breaks for everything you have suffered and I am so proud of everything you have done -- tho your humor was not my taste but your strategy was until you began your patriotic speech in the middle of a war ! making the show all more miserable ! - I love how you think of JL and the dead girl pops up from her grave I believe you even then but you tell me how am I to buy it that you shoot SYR twice in front of a whole army that is under SYR's command who's job is to protect him -? i mean that's what I think the seal means - or was i just delusional ?
Let me not go around rubbing salt on your wounds with poor Tong Er dying to serve no purpose and that absolute insane of dance , what was that even... not to mention they don't even look at the direction of voice coming from - let alone how they mimic a kid and the way to find if a person is possessed or not is a debate between that person and that monk !
ps . If I have to go on nitpicking on everything in the name of logic I should stfu and not watch dramas - there, said it for you. !
but again as much as I love how wanning's arc ended ..I hate how other characters were treated -And the thing is that the deeds of the dead are not going to speak from the grave ...why was anything not handled officially but then again the king was for tomfoolery !
and tho I hate to admit I must say ---
I LOVED IT TO EVERY BIT DOWN !
AND I HOPE A LOT MORE DRAMAS LIKE THIS ARE MADE !!!
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Raise your glasses to the black bellied couple!
A drama I never had in my PTW list, never anticipated, never even heard of, and solely joined because the trailer looked dark, and some random familiar faces. Yeah, the drama drought brought me here.Summing up 'The Double'
➣ 5 episodes of Anti- Mary Sue in her identity crisis era. Girly walks calm, eats collected and sleeps black bellied.
➣ 5 episodes of utter childish comedy that I am still sure we did not need.
➣ 5 episodes of queen bee attracting other bees (ohh!? The enchanting beauty with talent mess. huh~!?)
➣ 5 episodes of fl and ml screaming through the screen, " Yes, we are the hottest creatures on this planet. Our singles shots are steamier than your average steamy dramas."
➣ 5 episodes of " Girlies, Duke gege is on break. So no point waiting in a long line." (The audacity!? All we needed was some Duke gege scenes)
➣ 5 episodes of " Duke gege is back from break, but still in recovering phase" aka Duke gege flying in and out of house like Doraemon. Zoom
➣ 5 episodes of " Who turned over the vinegar factory? It smells sour!!"
Listing out the good and bad points.
✅
↬ Going on a serious note, the cinematography, ohh aesthetics were top notch. Number of screenshot you would find yourself saving.
↬Camera angles pretty well done.
↬ The script, yes exactly the troupe we all vye for, blackbellied couple, with their cunning idea aka the villainous couple. Going forth, it was a good example of 'out of Wattpad acting'. The charming Duke, the free looking, beautiful hairstyle of fl. The exact delulu costume drama dream, that you would imagine to script for.
↬The stage was well set up, the pacing was good. Hats off to the actors for carrying it well. Yes, WXY and WJY both did great job engaging to my delulu dream script.
❌
↬The repetitive arc of reputation ruining conspiracies by antagonists, fl escapes narrowly, and finally the face slap at antagonist that we all hope to see. It was interesting for long. But 27 episodes forward, this repetitive mess made the story draggy and tiresome.
↬Who the hell put those out of nowhere childish comedy!? The genre was supposed to be dark and political intrigue. A circumstances forced mature fl with her dark and cunning personality bowling down antagonists. Why did you bring up those dumb cheering fighting school kids scene for a 18+ year old girl(ofc if I am not deluding myself in a big misunderstanding), when we did not showcase that dumbness even in our 13+ ages.
↬How did the drama start dark and mature but ended fairytale? What went wrong'? Why are we back to the era of antagonist has been strong all along, but since it's time to end the story, let's feed the main leads a 'Luck inducing potion' to make it an easy peasy kill? I expected more of their endings considering the cunningness they shouldered throughout the drama.
Last but not the least 𝐿𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑛, 𝑊𝑋𝑌 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒! And so yes, despite all the mess, I would still recommend, naah! BLACKMAIL you to watch this drama, cause yes, it's worth it! The ride throughout is gonna remind of thousands of times, about what you might have missed if you did not click on the play button.
Happy watching! ^^
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A drama ruined by troll YuZheng
My first time writting a review.I went into the drama not expecting perfectly designed drama but at least enjoying the vibe. Soon enough it was obvious that biggest traction of it except for the revenge storyline was the ML character gloriously incarnated by a WXY on fire. Unfortunately, during the time of the making of the drama YuZheng most probably had zero trust in his actor and underestimated the collaboration between Wang Xing Yue and Wu Jin Yan. As a result the ML's screetime and importance were dramatically reduced in the drama and the ending (The novel had a clear HE) was a joke. The romance and its development between the leads was sacrificed as a result -the intimate scenes between the leads were a joke.
At the end of the day what could have been an unperfect but highly entertaining show has become a frustrating experience for me.
The acting all around is good. OST is fine. I have no issue with the close-ups and I liked the color of the drama.
The Double or the case of producer that is a troll.
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You have seen my love, It's time for my vengeance and justice to be served..
The Double is a fantastic drama to watch in the first half of 2024. It's entertaining enough to keep you hooked to it. It did justice to the thriller and revenge genre.🍁OVERVIEW OF PLOT:-
The Double tells the tale of the lady who was betrayed by her love and buried alive with a ruined reputation, Xue Fangfei. The man she gave her all betrayed her in the hard times for some despicable excuses. She crawled out her grave and assumed the identity of second daughter of Jiang Family to take her revenge and seek justice for herself and the real Jiang Li.
🍁KEY CHARACTERS:-
🌿Xue Fangfei/Jiang Li (Wu Jin Yan):- The daughter of Magistrate Xue, Xue Fangfei renowned as the most talented lady in the capital. She is also known with two other names, Xue Li and A'Li. She fell in love and married a poor scholar Shen Yu Rong. She loved him wholeheartedly and supported him with all she has. Yet, her love was betrayed, her reputation was ruined, she was tortured and her hope was scattered. Despite her innocence she was buried alive, abandoned in that cold place alone by her beloved husband without giving her the reason for not trusting her, without giving her the reason of all her sufferings, without giving her the reason of the betrayal of her unconditional love.
🌿Xiao Heng/Duke Su (Wang Xing Yue):- Duke Su, the right hand man of Emperor of Great Yan, an incredible chess master who plots and never let his enemy upper hand. An adaptive strategist and never failed to hit the bull's eye.
🌿Shen Yu Rong (Liang Yong Qi):- The ex-husband of Xue Fangfei and the lover of Princess Wan Ning. A poor scholar who pave his path of becoming an official in court with his hardwork to prevail justice. However, he couldn't be untouched by the temptation of power. He is a person who never take responsibility for his own actions and loves to play victim card.
🌿Princess Wan Ning (Li Meng):- A psycho lady whose obsession is Shen Yu Rong, the husband of another lady. She loves to toy with people, torture them for fun and take advantage of her position.
🍁MY IMPRESSIONS:-
The captivating plot of 'The Double' made me to not blink while I was watching. It's one of the favourite genre of mine. However, I was skeptical at first because I was not familiar with the cast, except one or two, but decided to give it a try because I have faith in Youku. The first few episodes made me to binge watch 25 episodes in just 3 days. The drama starts with dark theme, and switching between the dark and light. The suspenseful and emotional rollercoaster plot mainly revolves around the female lead. The Double is focused on the revenge and it wouldn't be wrong to say that this is one of the few dramas which is more focused on females be it female lead or other female characters. The drama conveys the struggle and pain of women and their cruelty, their desire of love and wrath of hatred, their wish to live a peaceful life and obsession.
The drama is paced well, neither slow nor fast. The plot is fantastic however it is not free from holes. Sometimes there are loopholes that are visible even with eyes closed and made me question the logic. I won't get into details about it, you'll know when you watch it.
Xue Fangfei, our female lead, is smart and capable of holding the sky if any trouble befalls her or her loved ones with her unparalleled intelligence. Not the typical female lead who always needs a man to get her out of trouble. She can be a pawn or the chess master to get her way. She can be a part of other's game and can even play her own game making the chess masters into her own pawn. In this journey of revenge and justice A'Li found her soulmate. The title of the drama suits her the best. Duke Su offers his support only when A'Li is unable to play her game because of her not holding some high position in the court.
The drama falls in the category of slow-burn romance but the chemistry hits the top. Duke Su and A'Li are a match made in heaven. Though it's a slow-burn but it doesn't feel like one, except there is less skinship. I can even watch 20 more episodes with that chemistry. Both are intelligent and responsible. With their smartness they continuosly tried to outsmart eachother, supported eachother and they didn't realise among this all, they started to fell for each other. Duke Su didn't know exactly when A'Li started to become the special one in his heart from the pawn in his chess. Similarly, A'Li didn't get the clue since when Duke Su started to heal the wound of her heart. I loved how their love progressed. Finding a man like Duke Su after being betrayed by Shen Yurong is such a blessing for A'Li. Likewise, finding a true match in opposite gender whose intelligence is at par with him is fate for Xiao Heng.
Let's talk about the villains. Their backstory is quite pitiful but still they all are despicable that I have no sympathy for them. The karma served them right. Among them the most despicable one is Shen Yurong. He is sleek and coward person, never takes responsibility for his deeds and shifts blame on others. He is pretty good at self-pity and playing the victim card. He gets the love of two women but he chose to betray both of them for one another, thereby losing them both at the end of the day. Princess Wanning did everything for her obsession with Shen Yurong but still in the end she lost him and the worst was being betrayed by him. She got the taste of her own medicine. She wanted to make Shen Yurong like her and he succeeded in becoming like her, obsessed with power and person whom he claims to love. They also are a good match for each other. Now coming to the stepmom of Jiang Li, Ji Shuran. I think she had it easy, her retribution wasn't that well done. The people died because of her must still be feeling injustice.
The acting delivered by the cast is truly spectacular specially from Wu Jin Yan and Liang Yong Qi then comes our Wang Xing Yue and Li Meng not much behind them. Wu Jin Yan made me cry with her many times. She delivered top notch emotions when confronting Shen Yu Rong every time and chemistry with Xiao Heng. Liang Yong Qi portrayed the conflicted emotions of Shen Yurong perfectly. The regret of hurting A'Li but never admitting his choice, the obsession with her yet claiming to be innocent, all are greatly portrayed by him. Wang Xing Yue played Xiao Heng with that dark and dangerous vibes which goes perfectly with this character. The stepmother (Chen Chiao An) also did amazing.
The most useless character was Jiang Yuan Bai, the man can't even handle his own family matters justly yet he is prime minister and handling country affairs. Indeed, he was a good prime minister but he failed as a husband and father. His retribution served him right, living his rest of life in regret and grief.
I loved the friendship of Emperor Zhao Ye and Duke Su Xiao Heng. It's s rare to see an emperor to have a best friend. Apart from A'Li and Xiao Heng, Wen Ji and Lu Ji remained my favourites from starting to end.
Though the story is well paced and well developed but still there is the Ye family arc which I feel like dragged for too long and the drama tried to shift towards the lightness and characters became overly righteous which I don't like much. I loved the dark heavy theme. There are also some unnecessary deaths (I won't spoil who died but I bawled my eyes out for them) and plots which doesn't make sense but I watched it for the entertainment's sake without getting into logic. Duke Su get quite less screen time which is also a complain from me. We mostly saw him plotting behind the scenes and being told that it's done by Duke Su and all. It would been better if his screen time was increased and we get to see him more.
🍁CONCLUSION:-
This drama unexpectedly did beautiful job by making audience not to take their eyes off the screen. The acting to chemistry was all great. OSTs are good and costumes are beautiful for females. In males only our male lead got a good wardrobe. If we ignore the plotholes and go with the flow it's definitely fabulous. There is happy ending with a special episode so I'm not disappointed with the ending but yes not really satisfied.
A must watch from me.
Highly recommend.
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Revenge, dragged through the mud, Xiao Heng, potentially 2024's hottest stud--
First of all, I deeply apologize for the little piece of poetry that you had to read just now. I promise I'm sober as I'm writing this.Right when I thought (personal opinion) 2024 is turning up a bit dry compared to last year in terms of c-dramas, The Double came blazing though that barren field (personal opinion) with smoke and mirrors because I didn't even know about its existence until people began to talk about it upon its premiere.
Truthfully, for the first 20 episodes, I treated this drama like my topmost obsession. Equally clever (and sexy af) main leads with explosive chemistry and slow-burn romance? Check. A boiling hot yet calculative revenge against tremendously evil individuals? Check. Goosebumps-inducing soundtracks with gorgeous cinematography? Also, check. It seemed like the drama had pretty much everything going well for it. I loved the atmosphere, the revenge that was brewing slowly but surely and most of all-- I was all knee-deep and beyond thrilled for the romance to ACTUALLY happen because the sexual tension between the leads, in contrary to what prejudices and biased thoughts people tend to have towards actors who have a 5+ years age-gap, was nothing short of HAWT.
But, all of that was-- like I'd mentioned-- were my thoughts for the first 20-30 episodes. Although I knew it was still heavily flawed with moments of unnecessary off-putting humor that didn't exactly do what it was probably supposed to do, a filler-y story arc or two on which a good number of episodes were wasted on and a bunch of nonsensical stuff-- I still enjoyed it mostly for what it was. Until after episode 30, when I began to become a bit... tired of it?
By the moment they reached the climax of the long-planned revenge, I guess I'd lost my patience. I couldn't care less about how it would end for the antagonists because when you push the suspense too hard, it tends to crack. In this case, it definitely cracked. At least, for me. Plot becoming dry and draggy due to too many episodes is a common issue among Chinese dramas, and unfortunately, The Double is no exception. I feel like it would've benefitted greatly if they excluded a couple parts of the whole show that didn't necessarily need to be there.
Fine. Besides my faltering enjoyment for this drama towards the end of its run, I still think this drama was pure mindless entertainment. Very over-the-top, very soap opera, too convenient. If you pull out your brain plug by a bit, you'll find it entertaining too. Also, a quick little appreciation for the acting from pretty much the entire cast of this drama. Like, I can't even bring out a particular actor's name to praise them separately because I thought everyone equally gave their all into this. They served like their rent was DUE. The fantastic OSTs gave each scene that extra impact and spice, while the visually pleasing cinematography that well-utilized the characters' clothing, hair, accessories and the set designs brought everything together. The budget of production wasn't high, but they don't let you notice that. Kudos to that.
IN CONCLUSION, despite of the heavy flaws that make this drama far FAR from being the masterpiece it was actually never supposed to be, it's still highly entertaining for most of it. Imperfect drama, but PERFECT for a one-time watch ^^
Last but not least... You and your stylish array of hand fans will always be famous, Xiao Heng/Duke Su.
*SPOILER SPOILER*
That last episode was full of shit lmaoooo
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Flabbergasted
I haven't felt such excitement in so long for a drama but this has me on CHOKEHOLD, this is how i expect a revenge cdrama to be some should really take notes. I don't know what I'm gonna do if this drama finishes it set the bar too high literally making it to my favourite list instantly. Don't know why anyone would even hesitate to watch this. I didn't even skip any parts in this series I think that alone really says something, I'm gonna go bawl my eyes out now byeConsiderați utilă această recenzie?
Worth the watch!
There’s not many dramas I’m willing to wait to 12am to see new episodes. Also not many dramas will make me want to pay to watch 6 hours before air daily. Haha! I even paid to see the last few episodes earlier than air date. Yes it’s that good! I truly enjoy everyone in the drama. It was a very well done drama! Definitely a unrated drama because of both leads, but please watch and give this drama a chance! Both leads deserve a reward for their great acting!Considerați utilă această recenzie?
Typical revenge drama but very enjoyable!
The recycled revenge drama script continues to be the trend. It's one of the better ones though at as the production quality is very nice. It gives off a darker vibe with vibrant colors. Make up / costume design especially unique. Lots more dark reds right down to the makeup & wardrobe of the ML. Compared to a similar drama like Story of Kunning Palace I think this drama did a better job in terms of storytelling, casting, & production. So even if the script is nothing new, and lots of unbelievable scenes, it's still a great watch!FL/ML pairing works nicely IMO. Both are equally mysterious and calculating. The acting's convincing especially the FL's crying scenes.
FL : I am not familiar with her prior works, but dancer background brings that special grace that non dancer background actors can't fake.
ML: I watched some of his prior works and he can act but in terms of characters, this character is the most interesting thus far
Killer Ex husband: His acting is outstanding. Character is more complex than the ML.
Slow romance:
Their encounters were not overly forced, and the development of the relationship is slowly brewing which I am enjoying. Ep 9 on the leads finally starts to have more interactions. The chemistry becomes more evident in ep 11!
Ending..... UGHHHH honestly the last episode was NOT needed. Did they REALLY need to send ML away for yet another battle? Really could've ended before that.
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