Peões do Amor (2024)

The Art of Walking In Slow Motion and Staring Into The Camera

I'm keeping my review short as I haven't finished watching this yet and I feel like it's getting a bit repetitive at the 30 episode mark. But I will say that I'm getting tired of the constant slow motion walking scenes. Almost every single character gets a slow motion cat walk, even the servants, and especially the ML, Duke Su gets one almost every time. Then there's the repetitive looks into the camera as if the characters are staring at each other. And then the slow mo walk and then the look at each other and then into the camera, and then the slow mo walk...

The storyline started off great but like I mentioned before, it's now feeling repetitive. By 30 episodes in, I was hoping to see more development on the relationship between the two leads but now there are less than 8 episodes for me to watch and nothing solid between these two yet. Just a lot of flirting with word play. The villains get skinship but the main leads... on ep 34 they censor the kiss? Wtf?

I'll update my review if I manage to finish this.

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I have double feelings about this one

I'm trying to love The Double, I really am.
With the number of gorgeous TikTok edits and 10 stars reviews on MDL I was submerged with, my expectations for this drama were as high as they can get (plus, I liked Wang Xing Yue and Liu Xie Ning in Story of Kunning Palace enough to give it a try just for the two of them).
However, reality rarely reflects one's expectations and The Double is no exception.
As I'm writing this review, episode 14 is waiting to be watched, so take what comes with a grain of salt (read: my opinion may change as I continue with the show, be it in a good way or for the worse).
Moreover, I'm late to the party and this one has finished airing a while ago, most of what needed to be said has probably been said, so I'll try to keep it short.

Starting with the things I liked –
and, in particular, the very first thing the viewer notices upon starting this drama: its dark aesthetic and vibe.
Being a huge fan of gloomy atmospheres and dark/grunge colour palettes when it comes to historical and fantasy c-dramas, my eyes were heart-shaped since the very first scene.
Mind you, I'm talking about the visuals (colouring and lightning) and not the camera work. The cinematography is, all in all, good (I have seen a lot lot worse), with some rather nice shots, but I can't stand (and I reiterate, I CAN'T STAND) the way the camera zooms in on a character. Sometimes it gets worse: it zooms OUT.
The first couple of times I didn't know what to think of it: I didn't like it, but I found it interesting enough to bear with it. I always appreciate a director's creativity and you don't get many original camera angles and shots in Dramaland lately.
But then it kept happening. And it kept happening. And it kept happening. You get the jest. At a certain point it literally zoomed in on the face of every single character present in that scene.
And don't get me started on how sometimes the camera just focuses on the front of the character talking (or just staring intensely – there are indeed quite a lot of intense gazes in there) while the background is out of focus/foggy, giving the impression that there's nothing behind them, but then the shot changes perspective and it's back to normal. It takes me out of the scene whenever that happens and I can only see the actor and no longer the character. I... really don't like it.
Speaking of being taken out of a scene: the qin competition between Jiang Li and Jiang Ruoyao. Why. WHY.
Admittedly, I would have LOVED that one episode it they had kept it metaphorical, allegorical (what a cool way to show the emotions and power music has), but it was actually happening within the story. People were looking at that... everything. It brought a magic element where magic never was and probably never will be again. And the CGI wasn't even that good, but I digress.
Back to the things I liked.
Always on the visuals department, costumes and hairstyles are very good (especially for the women). I don't know whether they are historically accurate or not (but is the story in itself even historically accurate?), but I really like how they look. And when the melodramatic wind blows hair and fabrics all around, they get all the more gorgeous.
The sets are also nice. Nothing spectacular or memorable, but they do their job and set the right vibe and aesthetic for the scene. The dark filter also helps a lot with the texture and the sense of realness of rooms and backdrops.
With a better camera work, I would have given a solid 9 to the visuals alone.
Acting is also this drama's forte. Granted, some more than others, but right now I find all actors bring at least a certain level of depth to their character and emote the needed emotions when they are needed.
Except (don't come for my throat), our FL, Wu Jin Yan. I'm loving Jiang Li as a character (VERY rare kind of female character in a c-drama, she is). She is cunning, determined, patient and calm, fierce and caring, witty and even a little sassy at times, so character wise, chapeau to her. She's dealing with a huge trauma and she isn't letting it destroy her, instead she's taking her time to cope with it. She's strong and brave, without being the stereotypical badass heroine that can fight a whole army on her own at the cost of her femininity. What's not to love?
But the actress. Admittedly, this is the first time I see one of her works, so perhaps it's really a matter of representing the character (it would make sense and it works well with the type of character Jiang Li is) and not her acting capabilities, but I really struggle with getting any sort of emotion from her. Nothing is going on behind those eyes. It's like they don't even reflect light. Blank, total blank and dead stare – and most of the times her face is just as unnaturally wooden-like.

Now, onto the things I'm really not liking so far –
I never felt so frustrated and annoyed with characters before. I like the acting and there are some great and strong performances in there (ex. Ji Shuran, Princess Wanning, Shen Yurong and nearly all of the older cast – Wang Xing Yue's Duke Su could get an honorable mention, but I haven't seen much of him yet to actually tell for sure), but I'm hating about 90% of the characters.
Why are nearly all of them so hateful and would go to such great lengths to hate and ruin the life of a single individual? Sometimes for no particular nor apparent reason. They just hate Jiang Li and want her reputation ruined and, preferably, to see her dead.
Have they talked to her even once? No.
Do they still lie and try to trick her to bring her down? Oh, yes.
Why is that? No idea. It's just the way it is with those people.
They either hate or love our protagonist endlessly, no in between.
And why is the father so dumb? He's probably the one I am hating the most, because the “villains” at least actively attack Jiang Li and come up with cunning schemes to destroy her – I hate them, but they are interesting! –, but what does he do? Besides believing rumours and supposed scandals about his own daughter? Who isn't even his actual daughter, but he doesn't even realize nor questions HOW MUCH she's changed during those ten years. But what can you expect from a father that believed, no questions asked, that a literal child would try to kill her stepmother and little brother, sent her to the mountains and never visited her once. A child. She was, what, seven at the time?
Jiang Li proved time and time again that she's wrongfully blamed by family and whatnot, but does he take a step back and thinks “maybe this is the case too?”. No, one bad word about her and he immediately believes it.
I can't wait for her to take revenge, because what kind of family.
Another thing that I don't really like is a problem within the plot itself. A sort of plot hole, if you let me. It really is a detail, but its consequences could be huge.
And that is... male and female students teaming up for the exam.
How is that even a thing? How is that even allowed within the society of that fictional world and time? Boys and girls can mix together and work elbow to elbow for a school exam, even ride the same carriage with no servants looking over them, but it's absolutely prohibited for a boy and a girl to stay alone in the same room. Oh, the scandal!
You can see there is a flaw in this logic.
And how come nobody questions Jiang Li for disappearing for a whole night (and I believe it happened twice, actually), when her step mother and sister are literally waiting for the first occasion to ruin her reputation? I hardly believe it's alright for a noble, unmarried lady to spend the night out – and at another man's mansion, no less.
Sometimes this show sets rules in one episode and completely disregards them in the very next, if that's convenient for the plot to move forward.

To wrap this up –
from what I've seen so far, The Double has both merits and flaws (almost in perfect balance, really), so it's still worth a watch, but you'll need a lot of suspension of belief to get through some stuff. And I mean a lot of it.

– Mei

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Justice is Satisfying

The show starts with FL lying in bed with a man she thought was her husband but found that he wasnt. She was later caught by her in laws for adultery, and later saved by her husband. He took her away which she thought was to safety, but instead he brought her to her grave. He cracked her head with the shovel and buried her alive. Driven by the will to survive, she dug her way out and passed out by the river, and later saved by a lady foraging fruits in the forest. This lady, Jiang Li, promised to come back with food and medicine for the injuries, however she was caught while trying to sneak out of the residence during the night and was punished with flogging instead. FL found her way to this residence, sneaked in and got in time before Jiang Li died, where she managed to express her grievances of her life, telling a sad story of being slandered and abandoned by her own family for ten years since she was 8yo. FL decided to take revenge for Jiang Li and get to the bottom of her own betrayal, so she went back to capital using Jing Li’s identity solely relying on her wits and intelligence. Along the way, she met with Duke of Su, an investigator for the emperor, and they both began a relationship by using each other for their own goals but later fell in love. The show is one of those of conspiracy and court political rife than action packed. It’s like Joy of Life minus all the actions. But gotta say Joy of Life’s politics is of higher tier.

I had to admit the storyline is solid and engaging and the casts’ performance are powerful but some scenes are quite pushover. I’ve been watching shows with physically strong FLs back to back, so its refreshing to watch one with FL who isnt able to wield a weapon and is not physically strong, but extremely shrewd and witty instead. I liked her character very much, except how easily she falls in love.

I think the actress playing the FL is rather ordinary looking, so it’s definitely unconvincing to see people praising how exceptionally beautiful she is throughout the show. She also doesnt look young (FL was supposed to be 18 at the beginning of the show, and maybe around 20ish at the end), hence it kinda killed the vibe, like how Zhang Ziyi looked ridiculous playing a 16yo in The Rebel Princess. I also think that the real Jiang Li and even Tong’er are much more beautiful than her, and of course much like a teenager than FL. Wait, come to think of it, the rest of female supporting cast like Jiang Ruiyao, Liu Xu, or even Ye Jia-er are much prettier than her. It’s rather funny on the homecoming arc where Tong’er disembarked from the carriage and people commented how ordinary she looks, and then suddenly when FL disembarks, people suddenly praised what a beauty she is. It’s one thing if they had been dressed differently, Jiang Li being the noble’s daughter would be dressed in better clothes, but they were both still in the hall’s uniform which is ordinary. Had them both been standing side by side, i wouldve thought Tong’er was the higher born and FL being the maid. Her crooked smile is also weird-looking. Anyway, the actress has the looks of 30ish than late teen, so yeah her looks doesnt really fit the role, but her performance is undeniably top notch.

As for costume, the dresses are okay and not too flamboyant, but the pearl/bead make up is really distracting, i can handle the cheekbone and forehead adornment, but those on the dimple is really overdoing it. They look so weird, like some alien in Star Wars movie.

And the slow-mos!!! Theyve got tonnes of those. I keep fast forwarding those moments and still wont miss any scene. It was like watching sinetron instead of cdrama. The slow-mos truly irked me throughout the show.

Maybe romance is not my kind of genre, but the main leads’ proximity scenes are pretty cringy and blerghhh. She just got ‘killed’ by the love of her life, whom she had sacrificed everything for, and she suddenly found herself falling for the duke? What kind of bull is this? Somebody with that kind of trauma would normally take years to get over it and even then theyd scrutinize love like none other. How can she fall that easily for this notorious and ruthless duke just because he occasionally saves and helps her? And even if he loves her deeply, would it really be that easy to recover from her own trauma and grab this rebound lover? It’s one thing if she had just got dumped by her lover, she literally got dumped and buried alive by her own husband whom she left her family for, whoever can recover that fast from that kind of betrayal? If she had not been so much in love with her husband, or had been mistreated or it was an arranged marriage, i wouldve believed she’d fall that quickly for the duke, but with her current background on love betrayal, it’s ridiculous and too far-fetched especially with someone of the duke’s character, a shrewd and ruthless man who wont bat an eye to abandon his pawns to reach the goal. The moments when she smiles at him and laments her own feelings during this proximity scenes are really unconvincing. Gross even, thinking how badly she was betrayed then and then suddenly she’s falling for this duke. Makes her look rather cheap and clingy for men. It took awhile for me to realize why i didnt like the pair - they had zero chemistry! Somehow I fail to feel the spark. I mean, i didnt quite like Chang Yuqing character from Fighting for Love because he was an antihero, but i totally ship Changyuqing-FL pair. It’s nonexistent here. And I actually liked Duke of Su because his character is interesting, but i cant get myself to like his pairing with FL. Something is just off somewhere. Maybe the timing wasnt right. If this had happened years after she was betrayed, maybe it’s acceptable. Problem is it’s just been a few months after. It wouldve been believable if she rejected his advances earlier on and only realized she had fallen in love with him at the end of the show, after going through thick and thin together then only it’s easier to swallow. To fall in love so early on just doesnt make sense. And that scene when they were saving her father’s men from the mine, it’s so irritating how they keep staring at each other while other people are fighting off the enemy for their lives around them. Like seriously? U cant pick another moment for that really? Many of these proximinity and staring scenes are real cringe-worthy. And lets not mention the so called flirty conversations between them. Theyre too awkward and painful to watch. Too bad cuz i really liked this Duke of Su, but I just cant ship him being with FL. It’s weird to see two leads whom I like and yet it’s painful to watch them flirting with each other.

It’s great to see the one playing the emperor again here. The first time I saw him was in A Journey to Love as regent, Prince of Danyang and he somehow caught my attention despite the small role. So i’m kinda excited to see him again on this show as emperor. He has a likable face. And I also really like Duke of Su’s bodyguards Lu Ji and Wen Ji. Lu Ji is the silent one who speaks only when necessary, while Wen Ji is the goofy and rather naiive one who keeps getting punished by their master cuz he’s always saying the wrong things. Lu Ji reminded me of Qian Zhao from A Journey to Love. His face and personality really resembles Qian Zhao.

The most memorable and electrifying scene is the striking of the Admonishment Drum. It’s an extremely moving scene when the rest of Huai villagers take turns to strike it after FL did, all to redress the wrongfully accused Magistrate Xue capital punishment. The retrial of Magistrate Xue’s case in front of the emperor is also epic and moving. I must say other than how badly the love story between the main leads look, i totally love most of the other aspects of the show.

Although i think they really pushed ridiculousness to its limits with the last episode where FL suddenly becomes the kingmaker by shooting the arrow which she had only ONE shot of practice before. Utter ridiculous.

Opening and ending themesongs are too sad, the beat is too slow and didnt catch my attention. However the music scores played by Jiang Ruoyao and Jiang Li during the entrance exam are truly captivating.

It’s a very good show, but I dont think it has any rewatch value to me. Probably because i’m more of an action packed show kinda fan. I would totally recommend it though because the plot is great. I had to give more stars on the rewatch value so not to drag down the overall rating, but honestly I wont be rewatching this. Good story nonetheless and it gives a pure satisfying feeling at perfect retribution and revenge.

Leia Mais

An illogical story and a little bit cliché!

I never thought my first review would be about an extremely infuriating drama! I cannot understand why I am the only one who sees everything wrong with this drama. The heroine’s decision is wrong and exploitative. How does meeting someone for just a few hours give you the right to impersonate her and take everything she had after her death? It makes no sense at all how the deceased girl’s maid would willingly go along with this and allow a stranger to impersonate her mistress as if it were the right thing to do. Even the excuse they gave was illogical. I can’t understand it; it’s complete nonsense.

The ML is the only thing keeping me watching this drama. Also, the atmosphere in general is beautiful, and the family crisis is my favorite type, lol.

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RuoYao

Is the actress who plays Ruoyao really the girl from Only For Love? She doesn’t look like her. I’ve gone back to watch OFL for reference and she just doesn’t look like her.
Anyways, I was just wondering bc it’s bugging me, lol.
Well, I’m half way through of half of the drama as it releases and I’m liking it. Omg…Joe’s’ villainess character was hard for me to watch bc I’m so used to her lovey cute characters but I know those were back in the days, lol. I’m actually happy to see her change up and take on this role…which she did really good bc I hated her character😅

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