The Double (墨雨云间) is a compelling tale that revolves around Xue Fang Fei, who was buried alive by her own husband but miraculously survives, and Xiao Heng, who investigates to unveil the corruption in the imperial court. Together, they embarked on a journey of revenge in the rightful/moralistic way and uphold justice to avenge their loved ones and protect the people.

The main story's pacing is well-balanced, it did not start off too soon and ended too late which makes sense because of specific circumstances, and the side stories were explored and wrapped up just in time. The drama also have fascinating cinematography, clever dialogues, and well-matched OSTs. The production team also gave attention and put effort even to the smallest details. It kept me on my seat as I got invested right from the beginning 'til the end. It was also too unpredictable, I enjoyed the twists and turns which made me and most of the viewers patiently wait on how the story will unravel.

I love how The Double stayed true to what it promised (the synopsis), and never took a 180° when the romance partakes the plot (unlike other revenge dramas), showing its consistency.

While the drama is executed almost perfectly, flaws are still inevitable. I could scarcely fathom some things about the plot, like how she dug herself out of her own grave and teleport beside the river, or how the people she convinced to speak up for her father did not agree at night, but suddenly all of them agreed the day after. I think it would be best to think that everything in this drama does not have to be taken under realistic circumstances, but rather on the creative writing style and entertainment value. Moreover, it would be better if the ending was also wrapped up better. Even if I am used to rushed endings, I still had high hopes in this drama, which therefore made me feel quite a sense of incompleteness (and the extra episode still was not able to fill in the gap in me). However, I can overlook the minor flaws because of how well this drama has been made. I am satisfied with the overall outcome!

The cast did exceptionally well in portraying their well-crafted characters. Wang Xing Yue undoubtedly excelled in portraying Duke Su / Xiao Heng, from his glare and stance to his bearing and articulation, perfectly delineating the ruthless (who uses others as a pawn) yet humane side (who cares for the well-being of the people) of his character. On the other hand, Wu Jin Yan's performance as Xue Fang Fei / Jiang Li is truly remarkable. Her facial expressions, especially her eyes, conveys diverse emotions which shows how her character was grappling with conflicting emotions inside while restraining herself to be overwhelmed by abhorrence. Liang Yong Qi as Shen Yu Rong and Li Meng as Princess Wan Ning also have impressive wide range of emotions in depicting the different sides of their multi-faceted characters. They managed to evoke mixed emotions within the audience and feel what their characters feel (without necessarily feel pity to them). Chen Xin Hai as Ye Shi Jie is an intelligent and righteous character, though his character was not much explored in the drama as much as the first four that I mentioned above.

The characters, especially the protagonists and antagonists, were three-dimensional and each have their own complexities. They were intelligently created and explored in-depth. Their backstories are also well-built, allowing us to understand the motivations behind the decisions and choices that they made, making us either sympathize with them or not. Even some supporting characters have their own related arcs that were not related to the main plot but surely worth it to see.

I love the supporting characters who served as the great support systems of the leads, whom they went through the mill with. These includes XFF's friends Jiang Jing Rui and Liu Xiu (together with Ye Shi Jie), and XH's comrades Wen Ji, Lu Ji, Situ Jiu Ye and Emperor Zhao Ye, who surely made them feel the true essence of companionship.

One of the most substantial part of this show, in my opinion, was how the leads' relationship gradually developed. Their bond went through many stages, from being a pawn and a master, to being a secret holder and a secret keeper, to being allies who have each other's back, forming a sacred bond that transcended the mundane. Also, their fervent and palpable chemistry had us giggling and tickling as they flirt in their own poetic ways. As a couple, I also love how they are on equal footing — they trust and respect each other as individuals, which is crystal clear in the drama. Their slow-burn romance has a perfect blend of all its ingredients, just up to my taste.

All in all, it was a well-written drama that is worth it to give a try, then see for yourself whether it is up to your taste or not.