Let’s start with the good parts:
- The OST is very catchy and sung by super talented singers.
- Despite some other comments, I do believe the actors all tried their very best and did the roles great justice. - - - The pairing of Zhao Lusi and Yang Yang might seem odd but personally, I think it worked quite well. I love how she portrayed the mannerisms and little quirks of her character. (Also Yang Yang I’m that navy robe: Huge Plus!) . Apart from the mains, all supporting actors did a great job and fit their characters very well.
For the more questionable part:
The Story. I’m not sure what the screenwriter’s thought process was, but to cram the majority of the plot in the last few episodes while most of the show follows an emotional, overly dramatic family is almost criminal. I’m also not sure why they felt the need to make Hei Feng Xi so meek and sentimental when he’s clearly shown to be a cunning spy master. They didn’t weaken BFX’s character but the annoying family of horrid people definitely cut into her much better arc. I won’t compare show with novel too much cause they changed so much it can barely be recognized as being based on the novel. (Making Yu Wu Yuan’s character evil, not understanding how grey characters work when the book is full of them etc. were some of the things that annoyed me) The last few episodes had the best of the plot but were also the most rushed. It was satisfying to watch the story unfold, but could have been done much better.