Di Jia Qian Jin (2024)

A solid tale of revenge and new beginnings

~~~~ Contains very light spoilers, so read at your own risk ~~~~

Another great Chinese drama of 2024 for the books. I contemplated giving it a nine, but there were some parts that I found slow or I found myself more on my phone than actually paying attention. Despite this, I was emotionally invested in the characters and never thought that they hung up on one conflict for too long. Towards the end, I was afraid there was too much to resolve in a short amount of time, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well it wrapped up. However, I didn't particularly like the slightly ambiguous ending with the couple.

Pros:
~ Chemistry: The slow-burn romance between the main characters was so fun and interesting to watch. Although it may have been a bit too slow in some aspects. But the main focus of the show was not really the romance, but the mystery and the revenge. I strongly disagree with those who said there was no chemistry, I felt it right from the start and it even got better later on. The physical tension between them hit all the right notes.

~ The hidden identity: The plotline involving the female lead's hidden identity was particularly my favorite part of the story. I do think the resolution for this part was a bit lackluster considering it was the main point of the show. I was expecting a bigger reaction then she got, such as getting in trouble by the king for lying to him or her family getting angry with her. But I was always on the edge of my seat whenever her identity was about to be revealed and when she interacted with her ex-husband.

~ Fight scenes. I was impressed by how well the fight sequences were done. It looked real especially during the war and final episodes. The only minor flaw was the blood, which sometimes dyed the characters' skin and clothing pink, but the blood splattering effects were super cool.

~ Music. I was pleasantly surprised to hear Chenle in the ending song but the opening was pretty to listen too also. No surprise because Chinese OST’s are almost always amazing.

~ Angst. I enjoy angst, and this drama was heavy on it. It was portrayed well, but it might not be everyone's cup of tea. At times, it was a bit too dramatic and extra. The drama could pass as a soap-opera, especially in the beginning. Another problem was that Jiang Li was killed off so soon she barely interacted with the FL. Her reaction to Jiang Li's death and how much she cried for her in the future was not very realistic.


Cons:
~ Missed chances. When it came to the romance, there were times when I felt the writers missed out on some cute interactions or tropes. Sometimes I thought something would happen between them and then I would be disappointed that it didn't happen. It might be because of Duke Su's personality, as he's more of an observer than a doer, but still, there were so many opportunities for them to interact in a more physical sense rather than just staring at each other for hours.

~ The trauma dumping. I found it annoying how often the female lead cried and repeatedly shared her story of betrayal. Despite being highly intelligent, there were moments when she seemed helpless and whiney. Her personality seemed to change at moments like that. An example would be when Duke Su shared his story about how his dad might have been killed unjustly, and instead of cheering him up or something, she tried to one up his trauma by ranting about hers… At least it felt like that to me.

~ Fillers. Fillers are destined to be in a drama with such lengths, but I lost interest during her trip to her family and the mother with her shenanigans. Also on that note what’s with everyone going crazy whenever something happens to them? Three different people went off the rails… Anyway, The first and last 10 episodes definitely improved my overall rating, I was so excited for the drama after watching the first episode.


I recommend this drama for those who enjoy angst and a very slow-burn romance. The cast and acting were outstanding. The plot had its flaws but it was enjoyable for the most part.

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In order to enjoy this drama, one should just go with the flow because it IS a fun and addictive watch. But it is also fairly cheesy (perhaps that’s what made it such fun) and often illogical. I liked the FL’s and ML’s acting as well as both of their characters but there didn't seem to be that magical spark between them. Plus the ML did things that seemed out of character for somebody who was supposed to be cool and calculating (e.g., the way he dealt with the fish token, ran off to deal with an entire army by himself, and volunteered himself for a final battle). There were some beautifully filmed scenes, such as at the very end. I think though that they overdid the thunder and lightning, which inevitably came rolling in when something ominous was about to happen. Ditto the wind, which always seemed to come out of nowhere to set clothes and hair prettily swirling.

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Tremendous Improvement in the ML's Acting!

I'm really excited watching the ML in this drama!

In his previous work, 'Snowstorm of Love', filmed the same year as this drama, his acting was unimpressive. In my ranking, he was the second worst. But in this one, despite the similar character personalities, his performance is much improved!

Both characters are solemn and calm, but in 'Snowstorm of Love', he was so stiff it hurt my eyes. It was annoying watching him try to be cool and unnatural. But in 'The Double', wow! I have to use the Chinese proverb 刮目相看 to praise him! He's made such progress that I can no longer see him the same way. He is charismatic in 'The Double' and I can't get enough of his screen time. I can watch him endlessly, always excited to see what his role will do next, without getting bored. It's amazing how my feelings toward him changed so drastically! (I finished 'Snowstorm of Love' less than a month before starting 'The Double'.)

I think I have to praise the director the most for the ML's performance. There's no way he could improve this much in such a short time between the two dramas without great directing and guidance!

('Snowstorm of Love' was filmed from Jan-May 2023, and 'The Double' from May-Sep 2023. This also reflects poorly on the director of 'Snowstorm of Love.' Remember, the ML was second to last in that drama, and the last was the ML himself.)

Apart from the director, I have to praise the plot. The story is great and complex, and it unfolds logically without recklessness.

To be honest, the ML and the director's work aren't perfect, but their flaws are minor compared to the ML's tremendous improvement.

One obvious flaw is that the ML looks much younger than the FL. His acting is on par with hers, but his appearance is obviously younger, even though he plays a role much older than hers.

For the director, I love how he dares to use a lot of subjective shots where actors make direct eye contact with the audience while delivering their lines. However, there are also instances where the director overdoes it with the visual art, making scenes feel forced. For example, in certain dignified scenes, the director's visual art overshadows the natural flow, making the scenes laughable instead. An example is the student competition scene where the FL and her three friends put their hands on their waists and walk intimidatingly toward their opponents. While the FL's friend and her brother effectively convey pride, the FL and her cousin look more like they're on a catwalk, which feels out of place and out of character. This scene comes across as ridiculous instead of impressive.

Moreover, many scenes aim for beautiful visuals without any meaning. For example, the cast would flick their robes into the camera while the camera moves backward, creating a grandiose sense, but it's actually a scene without any grandiose point. This exaggeration makes me feel their art direction is empty and meaningless. Another example is a scene where two rival characters accidentally meet on the way home without any other meaning for the story. The scene is just for the visual of them walking away from each other in opposite directions under a rainstorm to symbolize their rivalry. There are a lot of forced scenes like this scattered throughout the drama, which annoy me more and more as time passes.

By the way, the FL has also done a great job with her acting, but it's not perfect either. Sometimes, you can tell her facial expressions are choreographed and not genuinely felt. For example, when she tries to look femininely cute with the ML, it looks so fake -_- Since her personality is wise, experienced, and dignified (and her mature face can't hide that she's already a mature woman), when she shows a naive/innocent expression, it comes across as fake.

As for the ending... I have to deduct 0.5 points after the last episode. I don't like when a series uses the trick of unnecessary death to play with the audience's feelings. It's always ok if the death is reasonable, but the unnecessary one is unforgivable. And this series uses that lame trick.

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Personal Enjoyment [+]
Anyway, I have no boredom watching each episode. I really enjoy it. It reminds me of how I felt about 'Nirvana in Fire'. Although I really like this drama, it hasn't reached the same level that 'Nirvana in Fire' made me crazy about it. That story was very dignified, wise, logical, and heart-wrenching. All the cast also made their characters perfect.

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Beautiful production!

This story was told very well from beginning to end. With the high production value, beautiful cinematography, OST and acting. This one will go down as one of the best of 2024.

The Bad

Not many negatives about this drama for me. I would only point out that there are some things that don’t necessarily follow logic and realism especially when it came to her family ignoring her identity but it’s a CDrama, I find most CDramas don’t follow logic and realism so it doesn’t lose many points with me. Also sometimes I didn’t like the constant close shots, it was a little over done, a few here and there would have sufficed.

The Good

The plot was well balanced with action, treachery, plotting, scheming, revenge, justice, and love. Everything was wrapped up nicely with a bow. All the highs and lows were satisfying and portrayed very well throughout. I also enjoyed each character throughout this story. The acting and portrayal of the 3 dimensional complex, morally gray characters makes this drama stand out from others. This drama was a slow burn but so much was happening that it didn’t matter. Plus the desire and passion the two main characters had for each other was done so well. Great on screen chemistry. I loved that they gave a proper end to their romance.

I highly recommend this drama. It may not be for everyone if you aren’t into slow burns but the revenge story definitely makes up for it.

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REVENGE. When you see Wu Jin Yan, in a historical C-Drama, you know it's a must click and see!

You cannot go wrong with our FL in a revenge drama. It's been her forte ever since Yanxi's Palace. This is a great drama. 100% engrossing, from the very gut wrenching opening scenes. I saw red, I wanted BLOOD! lol.

I binged the 27 episodes on DC nonstop. Our FL & ML chemistry is off the charts as they become entertwined in solving plots and exacting the sweetest most SATISFYING revenge, on seriously twisted and evil people. The supporting cast are top notch, expect the best acting from our anti-heroes. and the slight bit of slapstick humour will roll right off you. As for the story, there are many but all are related, the most significant, and overarching one being, the plot to overthrow the king, though it only simmers in the background of a lot of other riveting stories for almost 16 episodes, be careful to pay attention to it. We are well into the 20s before that sinister plot begins moving forward at a lively pace, while still being orbited by the other swirling stories.

There is romance but our female lead is very strong (without being obnoxious) and a perfect match for our riveting, very masculin hero to the rescue. Yes, cliché, just the way we love em (and not the way we don't)! there will be lots of curiously right-on-time, rescuing. The romance of the main characters, is well paced and doesn't drown out our other plots, in fact it just creeps up in you and settled in, while they accomplish thier separate goals together. Wu Jin Yan has matured in the romance department as well. She wasn't as good with working that romantic energy and her kissing scenes before. You can tell she worked on it. She is far more comfortable now, and it shows here. Sparks do fly!

BUT again, the level satisfaction you will get from the pay-back for unconsciounable teeth clenching evils, will have you releasing built up tension over and over.

What else can you ask, from a revenge drama? Nothing. This is a 10 for me based soley of the 27 of the 40 episodes I've seen so far. Whether it drags later, I don't even care, when it's more than half done and it's this kind of good, it's a 10.

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The Double - A Drama that Hits the Bullseye

The Double is a drama that serves up a delightful concoction of all my favorite elements. This show is like a rare gem, combining various ingredients in a way that's hard to match.

Now, let's talk about the male lead. I have a weakness for those competent, smart, and drop-dead gorgeous guys who are as cold as ice but secretly hold a soft spot for the female lead. While I wouldn't mind a bit of an age gap (mature men have that irresistible charm, you know), Wang Xing Yue nailed his character with style and finesse.

I can't stand weak and helpless female characters but hold onto your hats because our female lead is a force to be reckoned with. The chemistry between the two leads is simply electric and gives off major "Love Like the Galaxy" vibes. The male lead is like a hawk, constantly watching over her and ready to swoop in for protection. Although I wish there were more scenes between them at the beginning, the few they share are nothing short of mesmerizing and keep me hooked.

Let's not forget the conniving and scheming female characters. Oh, how satisfying it is to have someone to despise! But what makes it even better is that we don't have to wait for ages to see them get their just desserts. Our female lead is no pushover; she's sharp as a tack and skillfully navigates their malevolence, emerging unscathed.

Now, here's a tiny gripe our female lead was once married to a despicable character. It's a shame, especially considering she was genuinely in love with him before his betrayal. Personally, I prefer my main leads to be each other's firsts, but hey, you can't have it all, can you?

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My first thought “Damn Awesome”

so I was in a drama slump and like I was eternally bored, so I just decided to watch it as it just randomly popped up… And Thank all gods that it popped up or else I would’ve missed this masterpiece.

Right from the first moment it hooked me and I was like wow! that’s intense. I thought wait I came here for a romance what is this?? thank god it is!!

The acting is amazing! The sound track- breathtaking! And finally the cinomatography- chefs kiss! Just looking at it it’s obvious that it’s a high budget drama! And the director cares literally cares for the drama! Perfection!

If I you don’t get hooked by the intense fast paced plot, you get an amazing story, you get life like characters, you get brilliant absolutely brilliant cinematography! and most of all you get great Soundtrack!!

May lord bless the one who decided to make it!

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An ending that pulled the whole show down

The drama is actually quite a fun watch. You know from the get go what sort of drama it is going to be and you can sit back and just enjoy the beautiful cinematography with ease, because the plot armour is going to be thick in this one. No drama, no stress. Our characters never really face setbacks themselves, but the people around them do, so the leads come in as a sort of messiah to save the day.

Yes, it is a typical Mary Sue. And no, there is nothing about the plotline that is original or never seen before. We have it all - the OP couple, the spineless father (that suddenly finds one by the end), the jealous half-sisters, the obsessed lovers, the court drama etc. YetThe Double has taken the same formula and delivered it in a bottle that people will buy just for how it looks…like stanley cups.

The leads seem to be in their comfort zone with acting, with Xue Fangfei being a more peppy version of Wei Yinglou. But the acting in general is quite good. The drama does many face zoom shots, which are really a hard hit-or-miss, especially when it comes to Wu Jinyuan, but Wang Xing Yue does them quite well. However, the two antagonists - Liang Yong Qi as Shen Yurong and Li Meng as The Eldest Princess, Wanning- stole the show. The two bring a depth and emotionality to their characters that the leads seem to lack, allowing us the space to understand their characters better. It is almost like the plotline tries to do the leads dirty. Everyone gets a sad backstory for being evil, even Ji Shuran; I dislike it when shows don’t do that well. Especially for this type of story, such backstories only annoy or seem meaningless.

As you progress in the story, you find yourself confused about Shen Yurong’s intentions - is he protecting Xue Fangfei, is he remorseful, is he manipulating Wanning, or is he really evil? Even till the end, you wonder what his actual plan is. Liang Yong Qi shows us Shen Yurong’s descent from an upright and happily married scholar to a morally corrupt, murderous and unhinged man who himself doesn’t know which of his words are the truth and which are false. Though he blames the world for making him the way he is - hungry for power to protect himself and his family. Shen Yurong comes from a poor family. His father’s death was caused by someone powerful and they were unable to even seek justice. The final words Yurong’s father left behind were “be the most powerful or you will always be the one being crushed”. And his struggle to become the most powerful also comes with giving up his morality and love. He values the struggles his mother and sister went through to raise him to his level so for him they are non-negotiables. So when pushed to the corner, he sacrifices Xue Fangfei. Every Time he meets her since then, he always seems to be on the brink of a mental breakdown. You can see he struggles with his choices- both past ones and the ones he knows he has to make. He hates the man he has become and seems to want to return to the way things were - to start afresh. Almost putting the whole country in jeopardy to achieve it. Every scene takes him closer to the desparation of a cornered powerless man fighting off the demons he created. I can't say I am dissatisfied with his ending, It is sad to watch a man who had the potential to be good to turn out be the most pathetic. As Xue Fang Fei said, I hope he reincarnates as a powerful noble so he can finally hold up the morals we all know he possesses at his core.

At the same time, you don’t see Wanning as anything but a princess drunk on power. Someone who likes to hold her “sacrifice” of being used as a hostage for the enemy kingdom and her poor treatment there to get away with murder. And she gets away with so much that it doesn’t make sense at all for any emperor to tolerate her! Sometimes I found myself wanting to scream at the emperor “Just use Xiao Heng to spread the Princess’ true character which can give you a chance to investigate and prove it and THEN get rid of her!”, but I guess I am too modern to understand the intricacies of imperial politics. It was annoying, seeing this seemingly motivationless woman just kill someone because she fancied her husband. But then you get her backstory - you see the humiliation, the torture, the pain, and the torture she went through. She is treated like a low level concubine and not a princess, being used to the whims and fancies of her captor. A hauntingly beautiful scenery to mask her inner turmoil. She has been abandoned in a shed with sheep and goats. She walks into the middle of the lake in the winter, forcing herself to miscarry the child in her belly. Which eventually leads her to not be able to have children. As a woman myself, it was hard to see all that and not even feel an iota of empathy. It makes everything she does make so much sense. She thinks the country owes - she suffered while the rest of the country lived in peace. She takes what she wants, rules be dammed. She is delusional and obsessive, but it makes sense. Despite her sarcasm and mean demeanor, she genuinely fell for Shen Yurong. The possibility of being with his child makes her lose that evil edge, making her softer and less domineering, yet that is only for Shen Yurong. In the end, her death also is decided by her, she lost for the first time since her return, and not to Xue Fang Fei or Duke Su, but the love of her life, Shen Yurong.

They both have tragic ends, never even coming close to their goals. Though as they reach their end, you feel a tinge of regret for the people they could have been had they not been dealt such unfair cards in life. But that also means the main characters would’ve continued on as their incomplete selves.

That is something the show portrays very well. The leads are well matched in terms of cunningness, smartness and wit. In fact you can see there are gaps in one’s strengths that are filled in by the other. For example, Xiao Heng starts to lose his cool when Jiang Li is in danger, while at the same time Jiang Li keeps her cool (even the emperor comments on it at one point). Jiang Li tends to go overboard, often placing herself in danger, which is where Xiao Heng steps in to pull her back. Jiang Li does take a lot of support from Xiao Heng, but initially it is mostly to involve him in her scheme so if exposed he can help her, but later that support is freely given and she takes advantage brazenly. The love confession is unspoken - they both know, only a confirmation of affection (along with a pan away kiss scene that makes you want to pull Yu Zheng’s fair out) is needed and they KNOW. In fact they have KNOWN for a long time about each other’s feelings and I find that so so so refreshing.

There are honestly only good things in my mind about the drama. It is a splendid watch. I wanna binge on it again. THOUGH the ending was FRUSTRATING and UNNECESSARY. Even though the special episode was a little awkward (maybe because it was so rushed and the snippets were really too short), you kind of understand the importance of post production work that goes into adding the dots on chemistry. Like usual, I am going to pretend the drama ended at the marriage scene and they had a happily ever after.

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It is always the least anticipated one that does wonders

When everyone was waiting for all the big dramas of the year to finally air and end the wait...all they did were just to disappoint the viewers with mediocre acting or boring script. Excessive CGI and stellar cast cannot save the drama either if the plot isn't going anywhere. And we have been graced with such CDramas for quite some time in the last few months. I really find it interesting that most of the dramas that are not hyped much ends up being the best ones. It was the case for this drama as well.
The story isn't too complex to give you headache but still makes you want to stick till the end and despite having many loopholes here or there you would still be on the edge and wait for the next episode. There is nothing much to nitpick about acting when veteran actors are in the side roles and many of the actors that we already love are in the drama. I was surprised by a few actors who didn't leave much impression on me in their other shows but despite small role they did really very well in this one. The main cast and and their characters reminds me of LLTG a lot. ML is just so Ling Buyi and FL is just like Shaoshang. (If you tone down them a little). I loved all the scheming and bonding of the characters. Though the main lead do not interact a lot (especially in the first half) but when they do it is all sparks. All the subtle expressions and longing eyes are enough to make your heart flutter. Towards the end it feels as if plot was dragged a little bit and the open ending leaves audience with bitter feelings but the special episode make up for it. For CGI: Special mention for the music competition episode- it was little too much but still very beautiful. From music to production design everything is top notch.
Overall it is one of the best dramas of this year which you shouldn't miss at all. I highly recommend this one.

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Exceeded expectations

The drama was extremely addictive with tons of positives.

The first 15 or so episodes were amazing. FL falls victim to her husband's heartless plot to kill her because his powerful lover ordered him to. She feels betrayed, confused, and heartbroken. Shortly thereafter, she assumes the identity of a dead girl she befriended and moves into the girl's family home to plan her revenge. The story has mystery and intrigue. I enjoyed watching Li Jiang/Xue Fangfei maneuver through the Jiang family drama, befriend new family members, and outsmart the evil step mother. FL's character was classy and mysterious making me always wonder what she would do next. What I like about this drama is that episode 1 jumps right into the plot. There was no set-up. We didn't need to sit through 10+ episodes for things to start happening.

Unfortunately, which is typical of most Chinese dramas, the story tends to deviate from the main plot into mini-arcs. Here, the story was the most interesting when Li Jiang was in the capital. After she left the family residence to meet the Ye family, the quality of storytelling went down. The Ye family, draught, and imperial diviner arcs were completely uninteresting. As soon as FL started dressing like a man, playing drinking games, and skulking in the mines with ML, the story hit every cliche trope and lost its air of mystery. Also, FL befriending the Ye family and gaining their backing did not add anything to the plot. They disappeared from the story as soon as she went back to the capital and did not re-appear to help her in any way.

One of the highlights of the story was FL and ML's explosive chemistry. They flirted, bantered, shared passionate glances, and were just a step away from ripping each other's clothes off. Unfortunately, due to incomprehensible Chinese censorship, this amazing romantic chemistry climaxed with a very underwhelming chaste candlelight kiss.

The story was worth watching just for the villains. Li Ming did an amazing job as the elder princess Wanning. She portrayed the character exactly how she would've been - conniving, hateful, jealous, resentful, and very very insane. Her smiles were deadly and her threats were real. Walking around and twirling her dresses made her look like the main character in her own story. I normally don't care for villain backstories because there shouldn't be any sympathy for evil. But, boy oh boy, did she gain my sympathy even though she was worth hating. It also made me wonder whether she was a different person before her father sent her to the enemy kingdom to be abused. I also felt like the punishment for every villain was fitting. Wanning killed herself with her beloved hand after realizing that he never truly loved her. Yurong committed suicide after realizing he will never get back what he lost and that his death was inevitable for committing treason. He dug his own grave committing one crime after another without truly taking responsibility for the all the evil he's done.

The ending felt rushed. Some cool characters were killed off in the very last episode just to get last minute emotion from the audience. It did not feel like a natural story progression, just something the writers decided to do the last minute. One moment, Xiao Heng was holding on to the pendant his beloved gave him as the token of her love while awaiting his death from the charging army, the next moment he rides his horse towards Fangfei standing by the tree they planted together. It didn't look very well thought through and felt rushed just to finish the show with a happy ending.

Overall, I really enjoyed the drama. The relationships felt real and mature, the intrigue was interesting, and the acting was brilliant.

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