One thing I appreciated about this drama is that they didn't make the opposition incompetent for the sake of the plot.

Was it frustrating? Yes, every time we lost an argument or fight, I seethed and became agitated cause obviously I don't want my side to suffer any losses .

And every time I saw ShangJue and YuanZhi, I wanted to put them through a wall and for Ziyu to smash a pie in their faces publicly but it would've been a disservice to the characters had they disregarded their capabilities in favor of propelling the ML forward. They put up a fight-a strong one and in the end, it culminated in a ceasefire, instead of a loss-for the sake of their family which I felt was as true as you can be to these characters.

The ML's story and journey progressed naturally (annoyingly slow and filled with interruptions) but they didn't make him overpowered overnight by virtue of him being the ML. He fell on his face...a lot but he got there eventually.

This drama really left its FL behind in its ML's dust.

Who the hell even is Yun Weishan?

I couldn't tell you with a gun to my head. Couldn't tell you what she likes, or what she dislikes. I know she's kind and values those closest to her but that's about it. Couldn't tell you what her personality is or if she even has one. Apparently what she desired the most was discovering her identity and background and if she has a home/family, but we did not get a single inkling into this supposed yearning of hers until they literally told us at the end through a damn letter from Hanya Si. The girl is a blank slate personified and it's kind of odd to witness.

Idk if this was the director's choice or Esther's take on the character. Maybe this is intentional as Wufeng would need to strip its spies of their identities in order to make them compliant and careless with their lives but how come she's the only one with this vibe or lack thereof?

The girl doesn't take up space at all-it's like she isn't there even when she is.

Even now, when we don't know how she's fared, we're focused on his waiting for her. His longing and heartache are the focal point and we never know if she's alive or dead.

Even worse, the question doesn't even arise...

Because her existence and value in this story seems to only be tethered to him and their romance. We experience her through him and his affection for her.

Another thing was the lack of exploration into Wufeng. They were established as the antitheses to the Gong family-their literal arch nemeses, yet we never get to know anything about them. Wufeng is formidable you say? How would I know, I only ever saw their foot soldiers in the Gong mansion-never got to experience their power beyond the influence we're told they wield in the world. They trapped us in the valley with the Gong family the moment we begin the story but much like Gong Ziyu and the boys of the back hill, I would've liked to have explored the world, even if just for a minute.

Also, how many times was the Gong family's way of life highlighted? How many times were they insulted for hiding themselves away? How many times did they themselves acknowledge that this is no way to live and it's doing them more harm than good? Did we get a resolution in the end?

Nope, but we should've. Wufeng wasn't the only obstacle in this story that they needed to overcome-freeing themselves from the prison that they built and grew accustomed to was something I felt needed to happen for their story to be properly concluded but in the end, we just went back to business as usual-it almost felt like there was no point to it all.

The ending and the entire drama as a whole really, definitely feels like a setup for a 2nd season. Nothing is resolved and it feels more like an intermission than a finale.. They dipped their toes in so many different waters but never fully plunge in so you're left waiting for the more that never comes. Why open the door at all if you didn't want me looking in? the way it ended leaves it primed for picking up in the next chapter of the story that might force them to finally leave that damn house.