Peões do Amor (2024)

A slow paced revenge; quite well planned tho!

The double is a fancy dramatic story of our heroine, Xue Fangfei, who loses her everything, her lover she wholeheartedly was devoted to, her family she adored, her honour as a married loyal woman and even her will to live, cornered by the world she crosses paths with another abandoned soul, Jiang Li... two people hurt by cruelty of world instantly form a friendship over the unfairness they suffered that allows Xue Fangfei to take Jiang Li's place and identity in future.

The first few episodes are enchantingly interesting with our male lead, showing up like a special guest for some minutes every ep (but yk the lesser the better). "Duke Su" young, powerful, cunning, standing tall in red-black robes, his aura screams HOT (and trust me this was half of the plot for me)... the way he treats his delicate fan like a sharp sword, his sharp Af eyeliner and how he gazes towards our female lead (as if he might devour her anytime), I kept wishing for more of his scenes in the starting. Wang Xingyue definitely established himself as a charming male lead thru the double.

While Wu Jinyan as the revengeful, smart woman was amusing to me, tbh I was scared, scared to start this cuz there's a curse between me and her and I've never ever finished any of her dramas before but this time she made me sit nd watch the whole thing cuz no matter the complaints I had, I wanted to see it anyways. Her Xue Fangfei would remain in my mind for a while as the warrior who goes all out for her revenge, ready to bear risks, has stunning presence of mind, she's a pawn but can make you her pawn and the karma has to be served in a grand way, she'll embarrass you well as she digs your grave slowly.

As Xue Fangfei moves forward with a new identity and vows to bring justice to both herself and her friend, Duke Su often stands behind her like that knight in shining armor but does she needs the man? Yess but also Noo. Girly is one of the strongest strategically smart woman I've seen in historics and this makes them even more compatible... Their chemistry is nothing soft, all bold and plain out sexy, those eyes do more than your normal oppa's fish pecks would do... U see them talking, he is giving her hints, but strategic hints or romantic hints, depends on the type of his smirk I guess.


Now coming to my complaints, like every other recent dramas, this kicks off awesome like fireworks but on reaching the apex height somewhere in the middle, got me yawning and hitting that 2x, sadly the Double couldn't escape the curse of not being able to stay 10/10 constantly, with some eps that felt like filler to me, and the ending where we were bombarded with unnecessary closure to the sidekicks, some plot holes and cringe, my rating could only go down.

Plot just turned fairly predictable once you understand the characters which may or may not be the case for everyone. While the flow of her revenge also felt too smooth to me as if everything just worked as it was planned with rare backstabbing or outwits, I was expecting more spice to the game, this is still a thing of preference and might not be a issue for other future viewers.

And for a drama that depends so much on the lead's chemistry (ik her revenge is the central plot) but doesn't the leads deserved better when one of them legit had aesthetically fire scenes with a supporting... So again I'm disappointed with the partiality of the censorship cuz those certain snow romance scenes can be approved but not one for the main couple huh!?


Along with the underlying flaws, the double won me with the dualistic villains. On one hand, a gorgeous villain who sways her robe dramatically acting like the main character who has her own heart wrenching story to tell (might make you sob a bit too), she's a bitch, I want to hate her, kill her but also sympathize with her somewhere deep down. That actress has my heart, one of the strongest performance I've seen lately... with her stays the dumbest, spineless, sore loser who I wish could torture in my basement for years (p.s. I'm a calm person, there's no such thing going on in my basement :))

Overall the double was a mid ride, much of a visually strong tale full of dramatic zoom in/zoom outs, loved to see the first half and all those ultimate revenge served moments and the flirty leads going on tea dates.

If not for anything else, watch this to see Wang Xingyue practice swordplay shirtless where Wu Jinyan lays down gorgeously in her bath tub. Aesthetics and visual treat 10000/10

Leia Mais

Eye candy and empty calories…

Fast food entertainment at its finest. Highly addicting, but you’ll feel hungry 30 minutes after finishing the meal, realizing you just ate a bunch of nothing - empty calories. Was it fun? Sure. Was it actually good? Debatable. Saying this drama is a quality one is like saying McDonald’s is a healthy meal - false advertisement. That said, there is a reason we all crave fast food from time to time.

Starting from the good aspects - Xue Fang Fei. It’s impossible not to love her. Even the villains appreciated how smart, cunning and brave she was. Seeking revenge without abandoning your morals and principles, when the people you fight against have no true honorable values that hold them back is not an easy task, and yet she managed to achieve that. While her goals were important, they were never more important than people in her life. She never took the easy road that could unnecessarily hurt others. What I appreciate the most about how her character was written: she was strong, but still presented in an extremely feminine way. Beautiful, loyal and smart, empathic, emotional and caring.

Her revenge turned seeking justice arc was quite well developed and paced. Her plans were realistic enough, I never thought she had some superpower type of skills (excluding her playing zhiter - that’s some borderline xianxia magic) - she knew her strength and the advantages people around her have, she understood the strengths and weaknesses of her enemies and acted accordingly to what was most beneficial. The risks she took were understandable and the ways she survived all the crisis made sense in the context of the show. Great female lead to follow throughout 40 episodes.

Princess Wan Ning - the way I went from hating her to loving her. By the end of the show I would love to see a drama from her point of view - filled with pain, helplessness, tragedy that leads to her becoming the villain, because no one cared for her when she was the victim. Her arc is for sure my favorite and feels the most completed. Fang Fei’s tragic past truly did not feel that tragic when we got the full picture of what Wan Ning had to go through and how she was used and abused. Her resentment and selfishness started to weirdly feel justified, even if at times directed towards wrong people.

Shen Yu Rong is not a character I loved, but it’s for sure a character I loved to hate. In my eyes, he was the true villain - weak and pathetic, not wanting to die, surviving like a cockroach - and for that I am grateful. What a consistent and delusional pain in the ass this man was, it’s impressive. Blaming other people for his mistakes, for the decisions he made, till the end not willing to face his past. His obsession over Jiang Li made perfect sense - it was his way of erasing his mistakes, living as if they never happened, starting from the beginning, clean slate.

The visual presentation - how stunning! The way they shot the movements, how they used the costumes to their full potential, how some moments honestly became breathtaking - especially for the female characters. There was something graceful in how the camera framed women.

Then we have the acting. Wu Jin Yan and Li Meng easily stole the whole show. Somehow Wu Jin Yan was able to present both immense strength and vulnerability at the same time. Li Meng was just mesmerizing as the egocentric princess broken by her traumatic experiences. When either of them showed up, they just made you focus on the screen.

On the other hand, the men in this show served nothing, but looks. Duke Su was delicious to look at, but sadly he was mostly talk and no action. For the majority of the show he truly did nothing except fly around and flirt with Jiang Li. While her revenge was detailed and well presented, his felt like an afterthought.

Ye Shi Jie, while cute, with some of the prettiest eyes I have seen, was painfully underdeveloped. What’s the point of showing he has feelings for Jiang Le, when it leads to nowhere? Other male characters were just a way to push the plot forward by either randomly saving the day, or annoying ruining the plans.

Seeing how technically speaking the politics of the show had a major impact on the plot and the characters, they were boring and lacked detail for me to care about. I did not care who is against whom and why, who has more and who has less power in the court, who is safe and who can be killed - they started to explain the big picture way too late for me to even pretend it’s engaging.

The biggest issue I had though, was the structure of the show - everything seemed uneven and mismatched. Jiang Li is this tragic heroine who lost everything and is set to seek revenge, but then we find out she did not really lose nearly as much as they present at first - everyone came back from death, her included.

First episode presented a makjang level of drama, and then it never lived up to that crazy hype, slowly becoming more tamed and boring. And what’s more that became tamed and boring? Duke Su. At first presented as this domineering and extra in his entrance man having a national emergency level of extreme fire chemistry with female lead, to them lead to nothing - these two were taking their sweet time with the romance. This was such a slow burn romance, it barely moved. The candle kiss traumatized us all. They led us to believe we will get some proper romance, and what we’ve got was an eye staring contest between Jiang Li and Duke su every episode.

They also had a really weird way of introducing characters and villains - there was no subtle set up for them. Out of the blue we are getting scenes with a new threat we are supposed to fear, but I’m like: who is that and why should I care?

Last two episodes were full clownery. I never laughed so much watching scenes that are supposed to be moving or tense. Some highlights include Jiang Li saying she can do archery, when she held a bow twice in her life. Another one was the random cheap death of two guys working for Duke Su - why did it even happen? Why did the war even happen? They never presented it as a major threat, so why even make it a last minute plotline?

Overall, it was fun and disappointing at the same time.

Leia Mais

Entertaining Thriller with solid acting! Douban's average rating explained

The Double is a drama adapted from the book, Marriage of the Di Daughter, which I read last year. I binged on the first 5 episodes last night when it was released because I loved the book so much. So far, the drama has exceeded my expectation in everything except:

The modification of the story makes it hard to believe that she could take on the identity of the new daughter ... There are a few plot holes resulting from this change. I think I am going to just have to ignore the nagging "doesn't make sense" feeling because the drama is entertaining. Sometimes you just watch because it's entertaining.
Book: "Xue Fang Fei, passed away. She reincarnated into the body of the Grand Secretariat’s daughter, Jiang Li, who drowned and was granted new life!"
Screen play: "Xue Fang Fei escaped from being buried alive by husband and took over the identity of Jiang Li"

Ok now that the book expectation is out of the way, I believe the screenplay modification is more entertaining than reading the book. I will continue to watch because:
1) the solid acting from all the casts:

Wang Xing Yue has great screen presence. He is perfect for this role ranging from his deep voice to his looks/costumes. I just wish that there isn't too many jokes around him because I think it would diminish his characterization.

Wu Jin Yan also acted well ... revenge is her territory since the drama that made her famous- Yanxi Palace- I am waiting to see how she will make this drama her own.
Let's address the elephant in the room: agism for females as well as males. Wu Jin Yan is 33: to act like an 18-9 years old is hard, especially when all the actresses around her look like teenagers or 20s. No amount of filters can make her look like 18 years old because aging is about facial structure, not lines. In the 20s, the face is fuller, especially in the cheeks. And to make it worse, both MLs are only 22. She has a tough job ahead of her.
If you place 2 people who are similar age, then it's easier for the actor/actress. But the cast includes really young actors: her maid is only 15! The MLs are both 22. Appearance of age is all relative. That being said, if the story is engaging and the Male Lead is a good actor, chemistry will do the work.

***
For people who are concerned about an older actress - by episode 20s, I don't notice it as much any more. I think there's enough chemistry between the leads and good story that overcame the age factor.
***

Joe Chen - the stepmother added subtle acting to this drama - she is the stepmother coming alive.

2) the beautiful cinematography - the color palette, makeup, costumes
3) the entertaining value - fast-paced action, music, comedic value

Do I recommend this drama? Yes, especially if you are fan of Wang Xing Yue and Wu Jin Yan. The story is also solid. Although I have read the book, I feel that there may be surprises as they have changed it.

---------------My Rating Changed
Ep 11 is where I decided to give this drama a full mark instead of a 9. I think the creativity of last competition is very well done. The special effect is spectacular! And I also feel that the age difference between the leads/the plot holes are minor compared to all the positive things going for this drama. I also feel that Wang Xing Yue, even though looking younger, does have chemistry with WJY.
Surprisingly, the actor for Ye Shijie is also decent. He looks mature for his age too.

------------------Douban rating explained
The Double got its initial Douban rating of 6.9 ... I don't take this rating seriously because it's skewed towards dramas that I don't like :-) Just for comparisons, Love Like the Galaxy, which is my all time favorite, debuted at 7.4 and ended at 7.6! I think it should have been in 9s!!! But then my taste is more geared towards romantic dramas and better aligned with mydramlist rating.
Anyways, ratings between 6s to 8s are really good dramas for me ... anything from 8s to 9s are usually too serious/realistic (i.e. sad realistic endings) for me enjoy. For example, Blossoms Shanghai rated 8.4 ... Honestly, I don't enjoy this type of drama.

------ Exceptional Scene
Ep 16
The actor who really fits the role in this drama in looks and as well as acting is Wang Xing Yue. Wow the fighting scene at 14:32 ... His eyes really give the deadly chill. The director filmed the fighting scenes perfectly. Very exciting fights.

------- Love story/Relationships - believable?
To be honest, the book is more believable than the drama because in the book, she becomes another person, Jiang Li. It took her a long time to accept new love. In a way, I feel that living in another person's body is easier than the living in a body that has been abused. When I read the book, I felt that the purity of JL's body and innocent face/eyes also help transform her and help her find love again.

Some people said that her relationship with the Duke is so slow ... Come on, she was in love with her ex-husband before he betrayed her. Feelings/trust cannot be switched to another person that quickly. It wouldn't be believable. I find the change in her demeanor (ie. flirting) in the drama (while creating chemistry and entertaining) is not realistic for that time period during which a woman behaves more modestly.

But again, sometimes you just have to let go just enjoy the ride without thinking too much about what makes sense.

-----------------Modifications of the book
In the drama, JLi doesn't know that the princess is behind her death. While this doesn't make sense as her ex-husband goes to the Princess' home often and there's probably rumors about this. However, this makes sense for the plot line because it gives JLi a mystery to solve.

Ep 8-11: In the book, JLi is a only person doing all the examination topics: "Jiang Li calculated, calligraphy should be writing documents. It’s something that she was good at since young. Music should be playing the guqin. In her previous life, her seven notes qin was about the same as Xiao Deyin, so it’s not too difficult. Etiquette would be even simpler with her outstanding memory. Besides, she had gone through it before. Mathematics should be business calculations. There was no female in the house since she was young so she was the housekeeper and managed the household. Riding would be horse riding, she had also practiced this with Xue Zhao before and was applauded. Shooting would be archery, she had gone hunting, shot a sparrow and ate game."
However, in the drama, there is a teamwork in the examination. This makes the story more interesting.

Ep 11
In the book, Duke Su makes the winner decision instead of the ex-husband. I just feel that changing the plot to make the husband into a semi-good character is a little bit hard to accept.

------------------ Where's the First Miss? --------------------
There 3 daughters in the Ji's family. The first miss died when she was young, killed by Ji Shuran, whose goal was to get her offsprings to be the only direct descendants. So one by one, she removed them.

------------------- Explanations / book exerpts
Jiang Li's family background from the book
https://bloomingtranslation.home.blog/2019/09/01/mdd-chapter-2-1-jiang-li/

Ji Shuran - 2nd wife- the current "official" wife.
Jiang You Yao - 3rd daughter - Ji Shuran’s biological daughter- became official daughter when the 2nd daughter ( Jiang Li) was sent away
Jiang Li - Jiang family’s second young miss- sent off to the temple to study due to a mistake she made five years ago (accused of causing stepmom's miscarriage),

https://bloomingtranslation.home.blog/2020/11/01/mdd-chapter-39-part-2/
Jiang Yuan Bai - Jiang Li's father- married her mom without love. When she died, he fell in love with Ji Shuran and married her.

------------- Excerpts from the book - description of Jiang li
"Everyone said that the second miss of the Jiang family was lively and adorable, with an honest character as pure as a white lotus."
"Jiang Yuanbai looked at Jiang Li’s profile, an elegant beauty, graceful like jade, yet ferocious, bold and heroic."
" This girl’s eyes were pure and clean like pools of spring water, sweet and simple."

Leia Mais

"When raising a blade and bringing it down, just think of nothing"

The Double was a wild ride revenge lollapalooza that didn’t seem to take itself too seriously at times. There were plot holes deep enough to bury bodies in and 30-year-old actors playing teenagers. I didn’t really care that it was messy for the most part as the two leads were engaging to watch and I love a good case of comeuppance for evil doers.

Long story short, Xue Fang Fei has to take the identity of Jiang Li in order to avenge both of them and right injustices. Despite looking exactly like XFF, everyone seems to accept the new identity since the real Jiang Li had been hidden away for 10 years. Duke Su is hard to fool and initially uses XFF as a pawn though he also enjoys “the show” that usually surrounds her as she takes down her enemies and Jiang Li’s one at a time, occasionally asking for his help. XFF’s compassion and intelligence help her make allies and friends along the way. A constant fighter for justice, she also makes numerous enemies prepared to end her life.

I enjoyed Xue’s calm demeanor as she plotted and planned. Her relationship with the equally scheming Duke Su who also needed to right wrongs and protect the country was a delight to watch. Xue Fang Fei was fairly well developed and while not realistic in some cases, I was happy they let her solve many of her own problems with an occasional assist from the Duke. She was laser focused, fiercely protective of those around her, and never stooped to her enemies’ methods in her desire for revenge and justice. Duke Su lacked the complexity of other characters but Wang Xing Yue’s performance at least made him moderately interesting as the fan waving mastermind. The murderous and increasingly deranged Shen Yu Rong was given more writerly care. However, I never connected with Liang Yong Qi’s bland portrayal of the cowardly, whining, court officer who simply could not cognitively accept responsibility for his heinous actions. Li Meng as the Princess Wan Ning made up for his stone face as she chewed the scenery when she wasn’t throwing it. Several of the villains were given all sorts of reasons for becoming the way they were which did not give me one ounce of sympathy for them. They made choices to pass the buck and pass on the pain.

For whatever reason, I’ve never had a problem with cross-dressing. I was even able to go along with everyone buying that Xue Fang Fei was Jiang Li. Where my brain seems to have drawn the line is 30+ actors playing 15–17-year-olds. The hardest part for me was in the early episodes when the writers kept reminding me that Jiang Li and her friends and sisters were teenagers. When the Jiang family said Li looked different, that was because the seven-year-old they sent away ten years ago came back a grown-ass woman! Despite some of the other actors playing up being immature, Wu Jin Yan didn’t look or carry herself like a teenager. The character was also written with a wealth of knowledge and experiences that seemed beyond her age. When they finally stopped mentioning how young she was it helped me to accept her as the crafty, complex, elegant adult she acted like.

This drama loved its overly dramatic moments. So much twirling, whirling, and cape wearing. The drama world also suffered from insane climate change as one scene had petals falling from the sky, the next had snow, then back to petals, and for most of the drama, Duke Su’s tree at his mansion was ever autumn. Very few scenes passed without something falling from the sky or the Duke flying in for a visit. The wind usually only blew on the one showing emotions, even when characters were standing side-by-side! There were magic pigeons who always knew the address of the current villain- not exactly how carrier pigeons work. The non-disclosure agreements were lethal. And there was no shortage of knockout karate chops, people going insane, princess carries, and amazing guyliner! The only thing underdone was the anemic white makeup for the women.

While I enjoy corrupt officials and lying, murderous family members being brought low, the story had a tendency to become redundant in order to fill the episodes as XFF righted wrongs in the Xue family, the Jiang family, and in the country. Characters, conflicts, and backstory were being added right up until the last four episodes. There were times I lost interest as the villains (so many villains!) monologued about how they were going to bring XFF down. Maybe if they’d cut down on some of the villainous plotting there would have been time for a more well-crafted ending. It felt like they had a closing scene they wanted to show and tried to twist the plot to make it happen which came across artificially. I would also like to have seen more meaningful scenes with the leads. XFF and the Duke suffered physical and emotional wounds that were often forgotten the next day. I will not even get into that coitus interruptus candle.

If it sounds like I didn’t like The Double, that would be wrong. While it was deeply flawed, it was also fun and I have a high tolerance for cheese, especially with a truly strong female lead. Wu Jin Yan and Wang Xing Yue had great chemistry and I enjoyed many of the side characters, especially the bickering and loyal Wen Ji and Lu Ji. I liked Xue Fang Fei and thought she was a memorable heroine for being intelligent, resilient, and compassionate if not a little too perfect. What would have made it a better “show” is if the writers had developed Duke Su to be as memorable a player in the revenge tour ensemble as his leading lady.

7.75

26 July 2024

Leia Mais

Best Drama

This drama focus on human life. It is give sense of hope and never give up. As long as you keep living there always be hope.

Acting is pretty good. Story keep remind viewer to take care friendship and don't be friend with wrong person otherwise it would be down fall.

-Jiang li make friend with ji mother and ruin her life.
-Shen make friend with princess and ruin his mind,dignity.
-Xue make friend with shen family and she lose everything because mother in law and sister in law try to kill her.

So choose friend nicely like jiangli with tong and jiangli with duke su.

Leia Mais

The Most Satisfying Revenge Arc in C-Drama History

I have finished watching this months ago but thought I might write a review about it. When I started watching this, I completely had no idea who both the lead actors were, so I was a bit hesitant at first but pushed through with it because of the dramas trailer that caught me.

I started with zero expectations only to be met with so much greater. As someone who had been watching c-dramas for years now, the storyline for this has been a fresh breath of air for me despite it being not a fairly new revenge drama. I had completely become fond of both the leading actors, especially the female lead who was able to successfully bring her role to life. A strong and smart female lead. It is not everyday we get this type of female lead characters in c-dramas, as the norm would usually be damsel in distress or be it strong at the beginning then writers would usually tone them down towards the end, making the male lead's character knight in shining armor always. This drama proved to be different.

Despite the male leads character being there to save her at some point in the storyline, I really loved how the writer balanced them both out making them equal and making the female lead's character someone who can stand on her own two feet. The revenge arc in this drama perfectly proved how great the characters of both the leads were and despite all the angst and frustrations pent up at the beginning of the drama because of the evil doers, the plot for the revenge arc was so well written and very satisfying.

What I also loved about this drama is the chemistry between both the leads, even if, there weren't a lot of romantic scenes in this. I'd like to applaud both leading actors and rest of the actors (the evil doers too) for magnificently portraying their roles and bringing such a great storyline to life.

Leia Mais

Fun But Illogical Guilty Pleasure

Xue Fangfei was murdered by her husband and assumes the identity of a noble girl. Using her new identity, she executes a plan to avenge herself and her family. Acting is top notch, especially by the villains. You have to throw logic out the window quite often, but it's a very addictive and enjoyable show. Despite the real life age gap between the leads, they have great chemistry. Highly recommend you watch for yourself and make your own assessment.

What I loved:
- Main character chemistry was fire. I love that male lead knows who she was and embraces her for it despite more patriarchal values in the past. The romance is slow burn, but I don't mind that at all.
- Villains were layered and weren't evil for the sake of being evil (except for some side ones). While despicable and you want them to get what's coming to them, you still felt a sense of sympathy. The actors casted were also exceptional in their roles.
- Lovable side characters. I love her maid, cousins, friends, maternal family, and the male lead's sidekicks a lot.
- Storyline was well paced and kept audiences engaged (the last 5 episodes were too fast, more on that later)
- The drama balances horror, comedy, and thriller elements very well.
- Directing and cinematography were quite beautiful 90% of the time.

What I hated [SPOILERS AHEAD]:
- It's like the scriptwriter finally remembered they still needed to explore the male lead's arc in the last 4-5 episodes, and basically rushed the entire background story around him, included a rebellion, and a final battle. I felt I needed more time in this arc, more scenes to understand the turmoil he went through without his parents. His resentment against his grandfather was basically resolved with one little chat after the female lead put them in a room together. It's like they never had the opportunity to talk before? I felt like Xiao Heng didn't get the time and development it needed to push the character farther. He's almost relegated to being supporting eye candy that conveniently saves our heroine when she needs it. Even though it was supposed to be a relationship with mutual benefits, she definitely came out on top.
- After the court scene where she pleads the case for Xue Fangfei's dad, I felt no real resolution. Xiao Heng was in charge of investigating it, but I didn't see a clear conclusion on the case, and whether she truly cleared her name after her ex muddied it.
- I absolutely hated the last 15 minutes of the drama with a passion. The unnecessary deaths of his two trusted sidekicks did nothing to drive the plot except to create shock value. Producer Yu Zheng said it's a happy ending, and it undoubtedly is. But is it logical writing to make the male lead survive an incoming onslaught of enemy troops when he is heavily injured, his side kicks are dead, one of which was shot to death by a group of archers? Typical Yu Zheng. He never knows when less is more. He should've just ended it after they got married or just showed him winning the battle, but the troll is an attention seeker.
- There were a lot of instances where you just had to throw logic out the window. How did Xue Fangfei end up by the river when she was buried alive? How can no one notice she was missing from her room? Why would a special army let rebel troops in through the gates just because some random scholar had the military emblem? Why would they continue to try to kill their former commander just because the same crazy scholar ordered them to when he is obviously off the rails?
- There were an incredible amount of close ups to people's faces. Sometimes it enhances the moment, creates tension, etc. Sometimes it's confusing. In the final battle, they kept closing up on the enemy commander's face, and I kept thinking I should know who he is, but I don't. He's just a rando.

All in all, one of the most fun watches in the year, but far from perfect. First 30-35 episodes were at least an 8.5 for me, but the last 5 episodes were a train wreck closer to a 5.

Leia Mais

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

Leia Mais

Theatrical, addictive & dramatic revenge play

The drama is about the female lead who almost dies from being buried alive by her husband. She is saved by a girl (the daughter of a powerful official) who ends up dying shortly after. Set on a path of double revenge, the female lead takes the identity of the dead girl, and vows to avenge her husband and everyone who has wronged her and the dead girl. Alongside her path joins her the Duke (the male lead) who has his own secret schemes set in motion.

This drama felt to me like a dramatic theatrical play. The plot is nothing new and yet the characters, the over the top moments and well-written dialogue made it a very entertaining watch.

THE ACTORS/CHARACTERS:
- Wu Jin Yan (female lead) - it was my first time seeing her and she hands down impressed me with her impeccable emotional acting. Sometimes, I'd get so immersed into the story that I'd truly forget she was in fact playing a role. I never for a second doubted her raw emotions. Her character is truly one of the best written female leads. Cunning, smart, independent but also emotional and soft. A truly female centric drama, she definitely didn’t wait for a man in shining armour to save her.

- Wang Xing Yue (male lead) - I pretty much started this drama for him and he did not disappoint me. In fact I’m absolutely addicted and in love with his character!!! The actor totally slayed the role, his charisma, smouldering gaze, deep voice and stunning looks were truly marvellous to watch. He was a total scene stealing, his performance and micro-expressions top-notch. If there is an actor that I have to say was born to play for a role, it would be him. In fact, you should scroll at the end of this review and read how he was written in the novel.

THE POSITIVE:
- Smart and cunning male and female lead.
- Hot male lead with the most badass entrances and a marvellous fan that’s a character on its own.
- Morally grey characters with well-written motivations, dialogue and interactions.
- Villains that are truly villainous. The writers really created many villains that you love to hate.
- Political intrigue plot with a dash of slow burn romance.
- Tons of flirting and sexual tension between the leads.
- Truly revenge focused with tons of manipulations and deceptions.
- Vivid cinematography. The director knows well how to use the environment to set up the mood of each scene and enhance it.
- Great portrayal of human psychology and the effects of PTSD and trauma.
- Rain scenes. Truly beautiful.
- Wonderful OST.
- Brilliant acting, especially the main leads.
- Shirtless scenes with the male lead and in general male eye candy visuals.
- Engaging plot and dialogue.
- A mix of mature tone with some light-hearted moments.
- Extra special episode that gives a very satisfying ending.

THE NEGATIVE:
- Very dark scenes (violence, torture, sexual, physical and psychological abuse shown).
- Not enough screen time for the male lead. Just like in Scent of Time, I absolutely loved the main lead and his character but a lot of episodes he had around 5 minutes of screen time. Yes, the drama is female centric and apparently he only shows up later in the novel so the drama did give him an additional story but still… I wanted more because I truly love that guy.
- Little romance and 1-3 kiss scenes. Yes this is a revenge drama and I don’t mind slow burn romance BUT the sexual tension of the leads was so good I honestly wanted to see them two tearing each other’s clothes (or a PG13 version of it at least). Or just a bit more romantic scenes with them! Their wedding kiss scene was 5 seconds long but the actors said they filmed for 3 hours and their lips were swollen by the end!!! I have real beef now with the director for cutting so much. Anyway I still love the scenes we got, so I’m not too pissed off about it.
- Comedy cringe. Sometimes the characters felt cartoonish during the comedy scenes and were over the top and ridiclours. Sometimes I laughed big time, other times the scenes were not funny at all. A hit and miss but it didn’t bother me too much.
- Bad camera face close ups: they were a bit too much and not really flattering.
- Illogical bits. This drama is high on soap opera vibes and definitely sacrifices logic for entertainment. Only about 2 times it truly bothered me (I’m looking at episode 28). But as long as you see it as entertaining and funny soap opera moments, it’s fine.
- Fight scenes. Could have been better. I expected a bit more from the male lead but what I saw was still nice.

THE VILLAINS:
I usually don’t mention the villains in my reviews but these characters need a separate paragraph. I absolutely loved all the disgusting villains. I believe a great story (especially revenge) requires equally great villains and this drama knows how to deliver on this front. From the scumbag Ex-husband, to the unhinged Princess and jealous Step-mother, plus many corrupted and totally horrible powerful men, the characters were truly entertaining to watch. The actors did a brilliant job, making me hate all of them and even pity some of them for a hot second.

THE REVENGE:
Since this a revenge drama the big question is, was it a satisfying one? I’d say yes, for the most part. The only revenge I did not like was the step-mother's ending. It felt a bit ridiculous and underwhelming so I wish it was written a bit differently. In general, the revenge was built up well with tons of suspense, manipulation and cunningness from the female lead. All the villains had great motivations and their backstories were woven well without taking too much screen time. The main revenge that was concluded in the final episodes was truly spectacular and kept me at the edge of my seat. The main villains Ex-Husband and the Princess enhanced the plot and delivered the satisfying revenge feel. Throughout the drama there were also what I’d say side quests (small revenges) that were also great to watch.

OVERALL:
Theatrical, addictive & dramatic revenge play "The Double" stands out with its extremely hot male lead, dark cinematography, cringe comedy, sexual tension between the leads and disgustingly good villains. This drama became one of Youku’s 2024 biggest hits. Yes, it has its flaws and illogical bits but it's highly addictive, emotional and entertaining. I highly recommend it.

MALE LEAD IN THE NOVEL:
I love the male lead so much so here is Duke’s introduction in the novel that I feel Wang Xing Yue truly embodies:
“Duke Su was like an enchanting demon spirit walking in the quiet night in his red brocade clothes, seducing the soul within the blink of an eye. He had a gaze with a smile yet not a smile, causing the slight smile hung at the corner of his lips to look somewhat wicked. His walking posture was languid yet graceful, as if he was admiring the full moon in a courtyard. Even if he was a beauty, he was a moody and toxic beauty and it’s better to provoke him less.”

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
“The innocent are suffering while the wicked go unpunished” by the female lead.
“If you want to enjoy the show, you must first support the actors” by the male lead.
“She is my investment asset pawn” by the male lead.

Leia Mais

An intelligent, coherent and impeccable plot. It is a production made with a refined sense of Art.

Blood and tears alternate with extreme strength and beauty, cruelty and Poetry interact with vigor and grace. Human turpitude, vile ambitions, virtues, courage, lightness and fragility move in an absolutely precise game of chess. From an aesthetic perspective, the use of theatrical concepts is simply genial, including Greek theater elements in its conception. This theatricality causes a great visual and sensorial impact, enormously expanding emotional strength and plastic beauty. The characters are very well structured. The intricate relationship between the characters, despite being complex and rich in details, is easy to assimilate. Music is powerful and has important role, endowed with melodies and lyrics of great beauty and strength, it is an essential ally that enhances feelings, sensations, perceptions, emotions. The beauty of the images also impacts. Numerous scenes stand out as paintings that resemble masterpieces of Chinese painting. Everything done with extreme subtlety, from the point of view of ancient Chinese culture, its discreet, gentle and delicate art, its relationship with the mystique of death, its profound ability to observe the most imperceptible detail. How much beauty is the tea rite, a philosophical and poetic act. The actors’ synergy is enchanting. The performance of the actress Wu Jin Yan (A'Li), is simply masterful. It demands versatility in all the nuances of the immense human universe of pain, helplessness, loneliness, humiliation, indignation, love, joy, generosity, overcoming, hope. She's independent character, elevates women and removes them from the unfair and imposed passive and defenseless role. Also masterful is the performance of Wang Xing Yue (Duke Su). Through exclusively subtle nuances in facial expression, gaze, body gestures (as manly as he is kind) and voice intonation, he vigorously brings out a universe of feelings that dialogue with the viewer and leads them into this universe. The couple has an overwhelming chemistry, with a relationship that progresses with intensity, making the blood flow boil and the heart beat strong. This excepcional plot has the power to engage the viewer within its world. The plot flows with agility and reconciles hope with justice. I'm grateful for the aesthetic and emotional enjoyment of this series. I reluctantly leave the screen richer than when I entered this universe of ''The double". I'll miss it...

Leia Mais

Good, but easily could have been better.

Oh boy, there's a lot to unpack here, so bear with me.

I'll preface this review by mentioning that I don't typically watch wuxias and don't normally reach for them. I have always wanted to love them because of the commotion they usually cause on the feeds lol. Anyhow, this is the first time that I felt "called" to watch this show and surprisingly stuck around because it was thoroughly enjoyable. At first.

If I were to rate the first half of the series, I would give it an 8.5 at least. The intro is fast-paced, we meet Fang Fei who's framed for seemingly having an affair, thinking she'll find solace from her husband, she's instead taken to be buried alive. Somehow, she survives and meets Jiang Li on the mountain as she's about to drown herself. Jiang Li on the one hand is certainly not in a better position than Fang Fei as she was sent to live in a convent from a young age having been accused of causing her pregnant stepmother to lose the child she was carrying. She suffers at the hands of the mistresses who for one reason or another seem to have it out for her. Still, she stops Fang Fei from *unaliving* herself and begins taking care of her although it ends up costing her her life.

This is when we enter the juicy part where Fang Fei takes on Jiang Li's identity. Up until that point, the writing is quite intricate. There's a motive behind every single one of the FL's actions, she's about one trillion steps ahead of everyone and through her wits, she is able to get the exact outcome she wishes for. With revenge now fueling her will to live, she rebirths into this strong, clever, and capable Jiang Li. She's not afraid to take on a challenge and is set on seeing her revenge through until the very end (even if she needs to sacrifice herself). Seeing such a driven character was so refreshing.

Now, when we meet the members of the Jiang family, the energy becomes increasingly interesting. I loved the diplomatic dynamic between Ji Shuran and JL/FF. The tension was palpable, the stakes were high, and the plot was plotting. The introduction to JL’s family members through Tong (JL’s maid) was a clever touch since we got to learn about who they were at the same time as FF.

Early on, it became very obvious to me that the *real* Jiang Li could never survive the cut-throat atmosphere that is the Jiang family's house. This is because it takes someone with experience, who is shrewd and quick on their toes to deal with the thoughtfully crafted crap that JS comes up with.

I know some people didn’t like the side plots much but I enjoyed them mainly because I love FF and everything that does. She stands for everything I love in female leads. She’s dependable, smart, trustworthy and most importantly she is kind but not soft. She always has her priorities in check and doesn’t need no man… Which is what ends up making her relationship with Xiao Heng/Duke Su so authentic. It is because she chooses to be with him, not because she needs his help or because she’s lonely, but because she loves him. It’s cute. However, XH’s character is all talk and no game (not necessarily as it relates to his relationship with FF but rather as an individual).

The intro to XH’s character makes it seem as though he is this mysterious man who’s always talking about situations as though they were chess matches. It’s cool at first. He’s always composed, level-headed, and seems to always have the upper hand however after a while it becomes difficult to hide the fact that his character lacks depth. The effort that was dedicated to writing the elaborate character of FF was clearly not the same for XH. Heck! His subordinates have more personality than he does. In crucial times, he’s absent which is understandable when they’re showcasing that FF is capable of handling herself. However, when she survives to tell the tale, this man is not all over her, he doesn’t even acknowledge the trauma or the hurt that she’s been through. He’s just out here talking about some “You’re my pawn.” After hearing that phrase a hundred times, it becomes obnoxious. My annoyance reached its peak when Tong died. Mans offered no comfort. He didn’t even talk about it!

Where The Double messed up was in the details. Because the reality is this: you cannot have a thoughtfully crafted character who interacts with characters in a world that is not as carefully crafted. Why? Because it is inconsistent. And there’s nothing worse than inconsistencies in a drama where you have a character as remarkable as FF.

Still, the slow burn between XH and FF was wonderfully done in the first half. Their interactions were few yet very significant because every one of them seemed to further their relationship. When it came down to their chemistry, sparks were FLYING. I mean just take the rain scene in ep. 17 for example. This is the best romantic scene of the year for me, hands down. In the second half, however, those rooting for XH and FF are treated like beggars. Here’s the thing, making a successful slowburn is tricky but a general rule of thumb is that intimacy needs to grow within every scene. The moment there becomes stagnation, the momentum in chemistry is lost and your die-hard shippers end up losing a certain level of interest because they’re not being fed properly. This is exactly what happened for The Double. The remedy to this would have been to have an impactful confession or a steamy kiss because you have to show your audience that their waiting has its perks. We ended up having neither. The confession fell flat to me and their wedding kiss was forgettable. Especially since the camera was all over the place with a veil covering most angles LOL.

OK, now for the second/later half, we hone into the plot a bit deeper where FF is now focused on bringing down the “real” villains in her story, Princess Wanning and Shen Yu Rong as well as the plot around the rebel guy (don’t remember his name) that has more to do with XH and his father’s death. Listen, the issue here entirely has to do with the execution and pacing. The Ji Shuran plot ends in ep 29. So all loose ends must be tied in 11 eps at this point and must cover the relationship between XH and FF + their marriage, the rebellion, Princess Wanning, SYR, as well as the final retribution.

Although they succeeded in fitting most things into the remaining eps, some things obviously felt rushed and the sequence felt off. Putting that final battle where XH has to go to fight off the Dai country peeps in the very last ep is delinquent work. Why the sudden need for this battle?? Had they put it near the middle, they would have had more time to develop this very sudden need for battle. Mind you, we also never see that dumb emperor at work. This was the perfect opportunity to bring him into the picture to settle political matters as he ought to but nope. Battle time it is! Also, bringing this storyline earlier on would have made some things so much more impactful because we would see the aftermath. The death of XH’s subordinates for example. That would have hit so much harder if we had seen him come back from battle having to deal with his losses. This would have opened the door to creating more depth to his character and to see how FF comforts him.

Overall, The Double was a very enjoyable watch. The FL is strong, the ML is dreamy, the supporting cast is great, the villains are decent and the plot is interesting and pretty fast-paced for the most part.

The last things I’ll address:

- Why is XH heading into a serious rebellion with no armour? Especially one that he foresaw?
- Why did XH not have other military corps when he gave the fish to Princess Wanning? Why was he unable to foresee that reinforcement could come late?
- The whole fish object to control the military is juvenile and dumb
- The revenge was unsatisfying
- The reveal of FF’s real identity was unsatisfying
- The extra “ep” was bad
- Needed more of the villains because they were great within themselves. They just didn’t have the chance to shine because of the writing.

Ok, now quick shoutout:
- The star of the show Jiang Jing Rui. Love him through and through and I wished we would have seen an ep when FF showed up for him.
- Ye Shi Jie, certified loverboooyy! Don’t usually love love triangles but would have wanted to see more of him. Overall, I feel like his facial expressions were much better than XH’s. The look of longing and affection for FF was so clear (JJR even pointed this out).
- Wen Ji + Lu Ji
- The cinematography, the costumes (NOT the cakey makeup, however)
- Acting chops: Li Meng, Wu Jin Yan, Liang Yong Qi and Wang Xin Yue. In that order.

Last shoutout to the watchers because y’all made this so much fun!! Especially when there was the infamous candle scene lol!

Leia Mais

Double Trouble Power Couple: Pawn & Wife

Initially wasn't going to watch this but decided to pick it up for WXY as I've seen him in one costume and one modern and he did great jobs with both though they were support roles. I'd never seen WJY or much of the supporting cast sans a few. It turned out to be a wonderful choice. Though the last 1.5 episodes were a poorly edited jigsaw puzzle (with things that didn't happen in the book and shouldn't have happened); the rest of the show was wonderful and the extra episode was great too. We had a double trouble power couple, AL/XFF being both pawn and wife.

Pros: This series was lit. All of the actors did a phenomenal job in their roles and the plot carried through each episode. It was all about vengeance and clearing several people's names. The romance aspect was incredibly subtle though our leads chemistry was there from nearly the beginning. And with all of their word play, reading between the lines was even better when you had to constantly be on your toes outsmarting the villains. Favorite character was XH or our man with the fan as I dubbed him. His persona and entrances and exits were awesome. Loved his fans and wardrobe; he was always ahead in his chess game and if something didn't work, he would adjust it to fit his next plan of action. Meeting our FL or AL/XFF was the literal match made in heaven; they were evenly matched in smarts and plans ahead. She was stunning and logical not a damsel in distress. They essentially grew a brain cell and would work off of each other. They were completely a cohesive and organic couple. Each of their plans played into the other’s plans so it moved very very smoothly even with bumps they always managed to work around them. After being buried alive by her sadistic husband and being saved by the original JL and Tong'er, she grew her spirit to go back and not only get revenge for herself but for JL as poor JL died and she took JL's name and identity to seek her justice.

The tit for tat with our leads was the best. I honestly am not sure who caught feelings first, I think it was him but she was not too far behind. Loved all of our side characters especially those that didn't have to die like Tong'er (though with her I understood because the actress had to return to school; so that was top priority) and the JiJi guards. Also loved cousin turtle, grandma Jiang, Liu Xue, our third wheel YSJ, the emperor, general Biao, XZ, dad Xue, and in the end Grandpa Xiao. Let's talk about our antagonists. Ji Shuran took too long for all her failed plans but I'm glad justice was finally served on her, though going insane and living in a nice house was rather soft with just how many people died because of her or were framed by her. It was sad that she wasn't locked away in some prison left to rot. The Li family that didn't own a house until the end but always met in a cave like a bunch of dwarves was funny. They chose the wrong side and spent too long being arrogant and doing illegal things, so when their demise came at the end, it was like ok, good. Out with all of the trash. Jiang dad, I didn't feel sorry for him at all. He was spineless and never cared for his daughter so I felt it was a gracious thing on XFF's part to tell him some of the truth of his daughter's actual death. Now he can live his life out in regret for being a dumb as nails person; always trusting the wrong people or just standing by never stepping in.

SYR and psycho princess were our main antagonists and he turned out to be the last one standing until he didn't. They were both great well rounded psychopaths and lunatics and we hated them both so much which is a sign of great acting. At first thinking about it, I wanted them to both be executed like the book readers had said but their deaths here were actually more symbolic. She was poisoned by SYR and then she used his hand to kill her with the hairpin he gave her. The only person she ever loved, stole from his wife, arranged for the deaths or captures of the three Xue family members; turned around and with borrowed time killed her. His obsession with his first wife upon first seeing her return from the dead grew and grew until he became as bad if not worse than psycho princess. His death by suicide after being shot with two arrows by XFF was his own cowardly way out. The entire time he never took accountability for any choice he made and pushed the blame on others. He was a victim and it was so disgusting. So him diving off the platform as XFF walked away only briefly pausing, was his only way. He was a coward from start to finish. But both were remarkably convincing and did such a great job at their roles. It was psycho princess actress's first costume drama and she nailed it.

Costumes were awesome especially XH's; just embodied his character to a T as were sets and OSTs. This was the first drama I bought PPV for and couldn't wait to watch with my fellow MDL-ers at midnight my time every night and discuss in the comments. One episode took 4 hours just to get past a certain scene because of how awesome it was and satisfying so I kept rewinding. Comedy was great especially when our man with the fan would get jealous or do something else. Just so much goodness in this show. Sadly, it did have cons that I couldn't get past.

Cons: Lots of loopholes; like how did Jiang dad finally figure out it was XFF and not JL at the end. He had clues but seemed rather wishy washy about it? What was the real story with Ji Shuran and the baby? Did she miscarry it, abort it, and then blame it on JL? I'm sure there were others I just don't remember.

Those last 1.5 episodes were so poorly edited and cut. The war where the two guards died that never did in the book, should have been put into the middle after the capital battle and let them live; that was painful and so unnecessary, it made my stomach churn. Then have everyone get their retribution, our leads get married, close out characters and end with the daughter and 8 years having passed. Not the choppy mess we were left with and the Xianxia type ending, where the extra episode was required to give more context from the actual book. No idea what the directors were thinking since there were three of them. Also wish the actors complained more to have them follow the actual book. There's creativity and then there's creating an unnecessary mess. Maybe it would have been more understandable if this was an original IP but it wasn't; there was a book they were working from. Should have followed the source material. Despite it all, I still think it was a happy ending given all we have and worth the watch.

Would I recommend it? 100% would. Despite that ridiculous last portion, this drama made you want to howl with laughter, shout with satisfaction, and sometimes wipe away many tears. It's definitely a sleeper hit of June 2024.

Leia Mais