Unlike most wuxia novels "Return of the Condor Heroes" is, at its core, a love story that defied social norms. This adaption should be named Romance of the Condor Heroes. It should not, however, be overstuffed with clichéd love stories.

The screenwriters gave too many side characters their own romance. We're talking about the Five Greats and villains like Li Mo Chou. Even Gongsun Zhi and his wife got their time in the spotlight. Dugu Qiu Bai, who was not even in the novel, appeared in a long flashback with a girlfriend, too. These relationships were so stale and badly-directed that even a romance junkie like me felt tired. The plot was so cluttered that the main couple, Yang Guo and Xiao Long Nu, barely made an impression.

In the novel, Li Mo Chou often pondered, "ask the world, what is love?" My answer: not this drivel I'm watching.