I'm Jessica and this is Teba K Rambles where a couple of
friends review Korean dramas. Except today we are not going to
review Korea drama. We are going to review a Chinese
drama, another sea drama. For this episode, I am joined by
the drama trio. Hey Caitlin.
Hey, Liliana. Yay.
And Naz from the Swoon Diaries podcast.
How are you, Naz? I'm good.
I'm so excited to be here and to record with you guys.
It's an honor. I'm so excited.
Girl like this is going to be so much fun.
Why is it the drama trio and Naz?
Why are we doing AC drama? Why are we going to cover the
double, which was a huge C drama for 2024?
I'll tell you, I basically got peer pressured into doing into
hosting this episode. So I really wanted to watch this
show. It was on my queue in my watch
list for months. It came out earlier this year
and so I was talking to the drama trail.
I was talking to everybody. I was like, I'm going to watch
this show Q4 of 2024. And Caitlin was like, bet are
you going to do an episode? And I was like, I don't know,
like I think the podcast will be on break by then.
Season 5 will be wrapped, Halloween spooky season will be
over. So I don't know if I'm going to
do an episode. I kind of just, you know, I
don't know. She was like, you should do an
episode so. And then I was like, if you
don't do an episode, I will do an episode.
And I was like, OK, OK, I guess I could do an episode.
And then Caitlin was like, yo, Naz is watching The Double as
well. And I was like, Oh my God,
that's so awesome. She goes, Naz has never seen AC
drama before. And I was like, wow, so The
Double is her first C drama. Yeah.
So she goes, we should get Naz on the episode then.
This is how like this kind of evolved into me hosting a lot of
people on this review. And then we told this is months
later. Like this is weeks.
We established a group text, so to speak, a group DM on
Instagram with me, Naz and Kayla.
And I was like, hey, Naz, I don't know if you know this, but
I am posting like a review episode.
You're on it. And so then Liliana, I told her
about it. I was like, hey, we're going to
record this on this such and such date.
It's going to be so much fun. I know you love the double.
If you have any pointers, whatever.
And she was like, oh, OK, and kind of quiet.
Later, she's straight in. Should I just?
Come like. Can I come?
So that's how the drama trio ended up here with Naz on the
offseason of Tebag reviewing a Chinese drama that some of us
have seen before and reviewed before Liliana, because Liliana
also has done an entire podcast review of The Devil on Her Feet.
So all this to say. And I actually also kind of got
Naz on here because in a separate chat I was like, you
know, Naz, you watch maybe like 15 episodes of this drama.
Well me and Jess are reviewing it so you should finish it so we
can have you. All that was just like working
all angles like she's like, this is going to happen.
Yeah, so now we're here. We've all finished the show.
We've caught up to Liliana, who has had this in her back pocket
for many months now. Yeah, so this is going to be
fun. Before we get into it, if this
is your first time listening, go ahead and subscribe on your
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here we go. Shout out to Janet, Curtis,
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Love you guys. Thank you so much for supporting
the show And here we go we are going to get into the double.
Here is my PSA for every single C drama review we do on the Teba
K Rambles podcast. This will be a spoilerithic
review. There will be no non spoiler
section. I think there's a little bit of
a barrier when it comes to C dramas.
They are longer. They're kind of a little, maybe
a little more niche than K dramas.
And so if you press play on a full ass review of the double,
I'm assuming, hey, you might have watched the double.
So we are going to spoil the double OK from jump.
We're going to spoil it without further ado.
We are going to talk about the synopsis, when it aired, the
cast, and then that's it. Like all bets are off.
We're going to we're going to jump right into it.
I vote that Nas gives her opinion on everything first.
Oh, absolutely, absolutely. Every question is going to go
through Nas 1st and then we're going to open it up to the drama
trio, basically. I just wanted to say that and
establish that, but. I like that.
I like that rule. I like that rule.
So my drama list synopsis is it tells the story of Shui Feng
Fei, the daughter of a well off county magistrate who lost
everything after a major upheaval.
Saved by Jiang Lee, the daughter of the Secretariat director, she
took on the identity of Jiang Lee and returned to the capital
with the help of Duke Xiao Hong and others.
She overcame numerous hardships, tirelessly fought against
injustice, rescued her father who had been wrongly imprisoned,
assistant Xiao Hung and upholding justice, and protected
the common people. I don't like how that's written
in like, past tense. It's not written in literary
present anyway. Whatever.
This show is adapted from the web novel Marriage of the The
Daughter by Xian. I'm already messing it up, Xian
Shan Cha. OK.
Thank you. All Right.
Aired in June of 2024. It's a summer show.
It's 40 episodes long. It has three directors, Bai Yun
MO, Lu Hao Gigi and Ma Shige. Bai Yun MO has directed Scent of
Time, Handsome Siblings. Lu Hao Gigi has directed Go
Princess Go. This one is also a Chinese
actor, director and photographer.
He's the son of famous writer Hai Yan, and Ma Shige has also
directed My Kung Fu Girlfriend, Unattackable Women, and Mr. and
Missus Trouble. Obviously, this is just a
smattering of things that these people have worked on before
this show. The Double is written by Ren
Yanan, who also wrote Scent of Time, so this writer has also
worked with the director before, and they wrote Delicacies
Destiny. These two shows both star the
male lead from The Double. Yes, O, who is the male lead?
Wang Xing Yue stars as Xiao Hung slash Duke SU.
He's the male lead of the devil. You might have seen him in other
shows like Amidst the Snowstorm of Love from earlier this year,
2024 story of Kooning Palace, which is where I really
recognize him from. And judging from the way that
one of my Tik Toks from two years ago is popping off when I
first watched Delicacy's Destiny, which is available on
Disney Plus here in the States. Yeah, he's trending, and he's
also in Delicacy's Destiny. I totally forgot that he starred
in that show and I watched it two years.
I watched that shit two years ago so.
I was just going to say I think it's also important to mention
that one of the reasons he is trending is the fact that nobody
believes that he's 22 years old. I cannot believe that he's 22.
Like when I found that out last week I was shook.
I thought that was like a 32 year old man like.
He's incredibly young. He's very young like my friend.
I've been following him for quite a while now and all of a
sudden my FYP is just people shocked at this fact and I was
like no no he is. He is 22.
Yeah, which is shocking because I saw, I saw like news about
like how people didn't really. They were like, oh, there's this
age gap done. I was like, what age gap?
Like they're the same. They have to be the same age.
And I felt his age and I was like, what in the world?
Yeah, shocking. Yeah, so he's just a little baby
at 22 years of age. He's already leading giant
productions like The Double, which you can tell is very well
funded and, you know, still supporting in other roles, like
amidst the Snowstorm of Love. And I think he was, he was the
second male lead in Story of Kuning just exploded.
He's only been acting, I think, since 2019.
That was his first movie role, and then he's steadily been
working through, you know, the past few years, past five years.
He is classically trained though, so that does make a
difference because he went to to school like for acting so and
he's he's like graduated from from that.
So he he works, he basically works for the same company that
Biolu belongs to. So they go in the same circles.
They run in the same circle, so to speak.
That's why she's he does like quite a few roles with her.
You can tell how young he is in Delicacy's destiny, I will say.
Yeah, you can. Tell how much he's improved as
well since Delicacy's Destiny, which was just a couple of years
ago. Obviously Delicacy's Destiny was
likely filmed in 2021, but yeah, so massive, massive leaps and
bounds he's taken in the past few years and then now he's
basically an A Lister. His Co star in this show is Wu
Jin Yan. She plays Jiang Li Shui Feng
Fei, and she is the female lead of this show.
She's been in about 25 TV shows, including Story of Young Shi
Pals. When I saw that on her resume, I
was like, oh shit, that's right. Like she was in Story of Yung
Shi Palace with Shukai in 2018. She had another show come out in
2024, Kill Me Love Me, which I think just finished airing.
And that one had a delayed schedule because she announced
her marriage just before. And they're kind of the Chinese
industry is a little bit flighty when it comes to that sort of
stuff. So they were like, we're going
to hold off on kill me, love me until.
It's because they want all the focus to be like on the main
couple of the show and people can't get in their minds.
But it's also trending that she's probably pregnant and
though, and that news is probably going to drop at some
point because it's very obvious, like she's done some of the
promo and she's like protecting her stomach and she's like in
this very oversized blazer. So there's a lot of like, it's
fairly obvious that every well, at least everybody thinks that's
why they think she announced her marriage very quickly.
It's because they think, you know she's pregnant and that
news is probably going to follow, which probably means
she'll be out of the acting game for a little bit until.
Yeah. Which was interesting because I
think the double was a role. So she she did after a big break
like before the double, I think she wasn't like getting scripts
or wasn't accepting something for a while.
Like I think it was at least two to four years if I'm not
mistaken. Wow.
So with that being said, I'm not going to go into any more detail
about who's in the cast. This is a large cast, just like
a many see dramas and historicals especially.
So I'm going to toss it over to Naz to see how she like, this is
your first exposure to Chinese dramas.
And even though we kind of forced you to finish the show
because of the podcast and peer pressure, what did you think of
it? How did you approach it?
Did you have any questions? Just tell us everything.
Yeah, so I've tried to watch C dramas for a while.
So like I think I watched like 5 episodes of Go ahead, which I
really, I really enjoyed. I just I couldn't I got
distracted. Same thing with hit and love.
I think I got to episode 7, I got distracted.
I was like, OK. And then I was like OK, the
double and 1st episode, literally I that was the most
thrilling 1st 10 minutes of any show I've ever seen.
And I was like, I need to see how this is going to end.
And I was just captivated by the the outfits and just the set and
just the story that they set up. And I was like, oh, yeah, I'm
invested. But yeah, it it definitely was a
lot to get used to because I just think the sheer amount of
like characters that are introduced and like the way
they're introduced. And then like the plot lines, I
was like, whoa, there's a lot. So I feel like I have some
questions for you as we go through this, because I'm like,
is this kind of like the standard for a drama like this?
And also, is this drama considered a Shanshya or a Wu
Shia? This is just plain up.
Historical. Neither.
OK, this is just plain up. Historical.
OK, that's good to know. OK.
So, yeah, it was thrilling. Like it was really.
I just felt so accomplished when I finished it.
So you like the pacing, you like the characters, you like the
costuming. It seems like the production
design really thrilled you. And of course, the first episode
hooked you. Yes, yes.
Absolutely. What did you think of this slow
ass burn of a romance? Yeah, this is like the slowest
burn I think I've ever watched. I was like, wow, like, I because
I don't even think they kissed until the last episode, right.
And it was like kind of like a pan away type of situation.
We yeah. So I was like, oh, like, yeah,
it was a slow burn. But honestly, it was also very
rewarding because like when you have a like a slow burn like
this, every single tiny development feels like the
biggest thing in the world. So it makes it really fun.
Like, oh, their hands brushed. Oh, he looked at her a little
long. Oh, he's doing this for her.
So like, every little thing I was celebrating because I was
like, this is this is a win. We're moving in the right
direction. But yeah, it was a slow burn,
but it was still like, it was very, still very fun to watch
because there was so much other plot line happening.
So it didn't feel like, Oh my gosh, I'm so irritated with this
romance because there were so many other things that were
happening. Yeah, I thought, I thought each
development in terms of their there was multiple revenges
happening throughout the show and that kept you engaged as an
audience. So even if the romance wasn't
wasn't happening like progressing necessarily, you
were invested in if the shit was going to hit the fan, you know,
every couple of episodes or so. So I'm opening it up to the
drama trio because it seems like Naz really liked the show.
What did you guys think of it? I know what Liliana thinks.
But Caitlin, how did you find the devil?
Oh, I loved it. Yeah.
I mean, revenge shows, I always love a good revenge show.
So and the fact that we got multiple revenges in terms of
multiple families and multiple characters wanting to get
revenge, I think it was satisfying for me.
I feel like the revenge part was very satisfying, but also the
planning and the hoops everybody had to go through, the make sure
the revenge happened in the way that they wanted to and just how
everybody executed everything was very satisfying to watch.
So I was very happy with this drama, yes.
Liliana, in case folks didn't listen to your deep dive.
So I really loved it and I think I just need to highlight
something that is very different for me than it is for you guys.
I watch this on air like live. So that was a whole different
experience. The fact that this show kind of
came out of nowhere because this isn't like a S plus kind of
drama in the sense at all. Like the budget is fairly low
and if we're comparing. Oh, wait, wait, pause here.
Pause here quickly. SparkNotes What is an S plus
show for Nas? And thank you anybody listening
to. This sorry so and when we say an
S plus show, it just means that it's a show that the company
that is making it. So whether that be one of the
big ones, whether it be Yoku Aichi or Tencent, they are
investing a lot of money like it is the cream of the crop kind
of, you know, dramas where they are pumping a lot of money.
It'll have top billing artists that are all over the place.
It'll have magnificent sets. It'll have like top notch
costumes. That's, you know, for something
like, for example, lost you forever that they built these
sets right from the ground up. That's an S plus drama.
So it's basically the ones where a lot of money is pumped into
them, and this one wasn't like this one was not that.
So nobody was really expecting this to be that.
You know that good and wanching you.
Yes, he's steadily been gaining popularity, but he's.
He's new, he's fresh. He's new, he's fresh.
And you know, when he's done other shows, like a Midst a
Snowstorm of Love, for example, which is the show that came out
in January of this year, he's the second male lead and he's
next to Wooley. Like, I mean, it's Wooley.
So I think not a people weren't expecting a lot.
I think they were expecting a lot because a female lead, this
was her return to the screen. And then all of a sudden.
Yeah. And then all of a sudden the
first episode airs and you just see this flurry of activity on
social media and everybody is like, what the heck, Just.
And then like gradually more and more people start watching it.
And then out of nowhere, Netflix picks this up.
And it's like, what? While on air, this is like, not
the norm by any means. Like Netflix picks up Chinese
dramas when they're fully aired normally.
It's very rare that they pick up dramas that are currently airing
for Chinese dramas, so. It was so exciting to watch this
online while, you know, live and with everybody else because it
just, honestly, this was the dark horse of the year.
Like, nobody expected this to, you know?
And everybody was like, oh, thank God this came out.
This saved our year so far. And the sentiment is still very
much the case. Like, a lot of this will be on a
lot of people's top Chinese dramas for 2024.
I'm sure of it. Yeah, So I hope that kind of
clears up how this was a sleeper hit in terms of Chinese dramas.
It was not predicted to be #1 It had a large, largely untested
cast. Like, even though the female
lead, Wu Jinyang, had been in the industry for many years, she
had, like we just said, been taking a prolonged break,
whether she wanted that break or not.
So this was a big comeback for her and Wang Shingwei.
Again, kind of an untested male lead.
The production looks amazing. I'd still think it looks
amazing. But yeah, if you break it down
in terms of how many times did they use this set, how many
times do we see the same room? What's so special about this
room? Is it ornate?
Is it large? All of these things play into
how much money did it cost to put this together.
It's likely recycled from some other production.
It likely didn't cost that much to create.
And that's what we mean by it's not an S plus show.
You know, we see them wearing very similar outfits throughout.
It wasn't as ornate as other shows as maybe Shianches, which
is a different genre. And you can tell, like, when you
look at it, they put their effort behind other things,
right? Like the cinematography looks
amazing. The writing on this show was
amazing. And the acting, even though the
actors were not predicted to be anything special necessarily.
You know, people weren't tuning in necessarily for Wang Shing
Yue or Wujin Yan. They knocked it out of the park.
Absolutely. So I freaking love this show,
guys. I was so invested.
I was angry whenever I had to go back to work after watching an
episode on my lunch break. I would be super tired after
work and I put on an episode and then three episodes later I'd be
like, well, shit, now it's like 12:30 in the morning and I have
to go to bed. And I'm like angry that I have
to shut this off because like shit just got good.
Like every few episodes it would be building to a new, the
resolution of a revenge or the resolution of something and
you'd be like, well, shit. Like I don't want to shut this
off. And that addictive quality of
the good, good Asian dramas like that is this show.
And I freaking had a fantastic time watching this show.
Was a great watch experience and I'm just only sorry that I
couldn't watch it as a binge necessarily because I had to
like stop watching. I had to move my life and I was
like weeks not watching it and not like upset me greatly when I
returned to it because then I was like, well shit, I could
have been watching this shit the whole time.
And that's my only regret is that I couldn't just like sit
there and binge it as I would love to do if I was just a child
with no responsibilities. So yes, I binge this and that
should tell you something. You bitch.
OK so Caitlin never binges shows she is not a binger.
So this is a huge deal. I think I finished this in like
2 1/2 weeks. What the?
That is crazy. That's crazy.
I'm going to circle back to Naz. What kind of questions did you
have for us at all? Like what kind of questions were
they like specifically about the plot or just about like, does
this happen in all sea dramas? Yeah, I think, well, one, I was
wondering if in all C dramas is this how is this how characters
are introduced? Cuz like a lot of times, like
when a new character came into the fold, like they would put
their name and then like they would enter and look, hey now
this is a new character entering the story.
Like is, does that happen a lot in C dramas?
For historicals, yes. For Xiangshu, yes.
For modern, no. I think it's because like when
you think about historical period dramas, whether that be
Wushu, whether that be a Xiangshu, any of those, there is
a lot of characters and I think they do it so you can kind of
see. And also the way Chinese names
work is it can be that the character itself can mean
various things just depending on like a certain kind of stroke.
So they will put it up and like for native speakers or, you
know, for people who know, who know Mandarin, that they will
know what character that comes from.
This is actually actually, there's one scene in the double
where this is quite obvious because they're doing like word
play almost. And it's a scene where the male
leader, the female leader talking.
And so her real name, I'm going to read it because I got this
off Twitter tweet because I don't know Chinese.
I'm learning. And basically it's a scene where
they're going backwards and forwards.
And the scene just reads, She says, I'm a restless spirit from
the Ching Chong mountain. I'm not Jiang Lee.
And he says to her, you are just a little leopard cat.
And what they're doing, like to us that means nothing.
But what they're doing is they're playing with like the
Lee character and like changing it from Jiang Lee into like the
Lee character of her original name.
So it's him telling her that he knows who she is.
And I think that's why they also put like that names on screen
that comes from that as well, so that people know like where the
characters come from. So in historicals that's I think
that's fairly normal actually even in Chiasha that's fairly
normal for that to happen. It's funny because I never
thought about it in my life that that's weird.
Yeah, that they put the character.
Name on. I'm just used to it, like it.
Just I'm used to it. Like my, it just goes overhead
for me. Like it's just.
Yeah. Did you have any other
questions? This is.
Actually very interesting. Yeah, No, that was my main
question. And also you, but you answered
my other question. What as you explain that
Liliana, cuz like the the sheer amount of characters, I was
like, is this the standard? Because I was like there I at a
certain point I was even talking to Caitlin about it.
I was like, I can't, I don't know everyone who's on the show,
Like I don't know anyone's name. Yeah, I'm lost.
Like she was like, it's OK, but I was like, there's too many.
People in the show. Nicknames.
I told her to use nicknames. I was like, I don't know every.
His name? Yeah, I love you this person as
well. Yeah, nicknames, but also pretty
much every historical drama and whatnot, they will have like
character maps where they will put all the characters and
they'll like, say their name and a little explanation of who they
are and how they're linked to each other.
Like that always comes out with the dramas.
So a lot of people use those. OK, OK, well they will, K.
Dramas sometimes do that too, but yeah, with historical K
dramas, they do those as well, yeah.
Yeah, any costume drama is going to have like 50 characters, and
it's going to be a little more prohibitive because it's not
going to be as easy. You're going to have to pay more
attention and you might get a little confused, especially
because it's not the same as if we were a native speaker of the
language and we can just easily understand, like who they're
talking about in conversation and they're naming names.
And one character could have three names, right?
Chief Secretariat and this, and then their actual real name and
then another name. Like they could have three each,
one character have three names. And we're just struggling to
keep up. But if this was an American
show, it would be John, the president and whatever.
Like, you would just understand what they were saying.
But everything is obviously in their language.
So you're like, just struggling, and then you're reading.
And so it's a little bit more difficult.
And that might be why a lot of people don't like to watch
historicals. Yeah.
I also think it has to do with the genre too though, because
this had a lot of politics involved.
A lot of politics. Along with like revenge and
historical. So like you might have an easier
time. For example, a mystery
historical might not have a lot of politics.
You might still have a lot of characters to deal with, but
you're not dealing with politics and families and stuff.
Or like a modern does not have any type of politics usually
when it comes to C dramas. So like, I think it also has to
do with like the genre that this drama was as well.
Yeah, they're just inherently more complex.
So I applaud you for getting into the double at like your
first complete C Drama is a historical and it's one that.
Yeah, You know, even though it was popular, at the end of the
day it is still pretty difficult to understand if you're not used
to watching this kind of thing, right?
So good on you. I'm fine with you, I did it.
Yeah, This is why I told her I was proud of her.
I was really proud of her watching this.
So where I put an APB out for what people wanted us to talk
about specifically and we can hit these as we go through the
episode. As I said, no non spoiler
section. We are going to spoil it and
talk about specifics as much as we can.
We have no notes, but we do have some questions from the
audience. I asked the question on
Instagram. What do you guys want us to talk
about on this episode? One person said.
The final episode. Exclamation point.
So let's get into it.
The final episode, I thought, because everyone was bitching
about the final episode, and I saw this months and months ago
about how what, what what the hell was that final episode?
The vitriol. Not vitriol, but just the
tension online because people did not like the final episode.
And I was like, what could they have possibly done in this final
episode other than kill everybody off?
And when I finally got to the final episode, I was like, that
was it? Yeah, that was it.
Y'all were messing around like crying, screaming, sliding down
the walls for this. Final episode.
Oh OK, so talk to me guys. Like did you guys have any?
I have thoughts, but talk to me. So I think a lot of people will
match because it wasn't necessary.
So if we're talking about the death of his two servants, that
does not happen in the novel. That it was something they did
and they changed and it was not needed.
Gotcha. That's why people were so mad.
It's because I got you. It wasn't something that was
taken out of the novel and put into the drama.
It was just something they decided to do and.
It was just for shock value. Yes, and a lot of people believe
that I talked about this on my episode as well, but a lot of
people believe that one of the reasons was, did they?
Make enemies on set or something that they like in.
The yeah, I don't know the the. Creators were like, we're gonna
fuck them all up and just kill those two off.
You know, because. It's happened.
It means. It well, it has.
Dirty. But you know that shot of Wang
Shing Yu in the battlefield with her covered in blood with like,
her necklace in his mouth? Yeah.
So that shot. So sexy and hot, yeah, but keep
going. That shot has been been being
used since like the beginning. That shot has been promoted like
crazy, right? And I think they got to the end
and they were like, crap, We need to put this in because
we've been promoting it since day one.
And if we don't give people this shot, they are.
Gonna be, you know, I'm incredibly much.
I would have Ryan and if they didn't give me that fucking shot
too, because it's so good. It is so good.
Yeah. OK.
Talk to me. Is there anything else?
No, so I I was not mad about it. Like when I first watched it, I
was like, it's not necessary. And the reason it also, I don't
give this show any grace in the terms that I did a year ago
because they know they need to be 40 episodes or under.
Like there is no reason for them to mess up or to even go that.
But I was like, I'm not that mad about it.
Like it is what it is like. They should have done it, but
like if they wanted to kill someone off, they were the two
people that they should have. Like if they were set on killing
anybody. My thing is, like, why did you
have to do both of them Exactly. Like, like, like my thing is
like, yeah, OK, it makes sense that those two would probably be
the people to die. But like like why did you have
to do both? Yeah, it was over Can.
Overkill. Pun intended and.
Her maid and her maid, like, yeah.
She also does not die in the novel.
Like that was a choice. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait,
wait. Yeah, so Tongar doesn't die in
the book. You'll get the fuck out of here,
bro, because that's my goodness. So let's sit here for a minute.
Let's stay here for a minute. I'm trying to get my thoughts
together because I'm like just reeling.
So I was upset. Like I was shocked.
You should have seen me last night when I was seen watching
the final episode and one guy gets skewered, the other guy's
crying over his body. And I'm like, Oh my God, I can't
believe they did this in the final 20 minutes.
And then he gets just filled with arrows and I'm like what
the fuck is going on? What is this?
And even though I was shocked in the moment, I was like well
fine, OK, I guess shit fine, take, take them, take them then
like jeez. But Tonger.
Yeah. She So this one took me by
surprise and it shouldn't have because at that point in the
story, those two sit down, the female lead and Tonger her maid,
sit down and have a little heart to heart.
And she's like, I bought you this property and I bought you
this house. And so if you ever want to leave
my, you know, servitude and go back to your hometown, like you
have a way of living. You can live off this land.
And I was like, that's so nice, yada, yada.
And I was like, after she died tragically in that stupid ass
exorcism, I was like, I should have, I should have seen it
because they were made. You can't make these beautiful
plans for the future without someone dying.
Like you can't do. That's like a trope, you know?
So I was like, I should have seen Tonger dying within that
same episode. Like, she was marked for death
as soon as she was making plans for her.
Yep. Yep.
And then I saw that scene. I was like, she's a goner.
I was like, I was like, they better not.
Say I was. Like they better not touch her.
I was like, because literally after they had that beautiful
moment, I was like, they better not touch this girl.
And I was like, I knew they would because I was like, I
know, I know where this is going.
They're making plans and I'm like, no, they're going to do
it. And I just, I was so devastated.
It's literally like if you're watching a war movie and they're
having a sit down and then someone goes, what are you going
to do when you get back home? Oh, I'm going to open a No,
forget it. You're, you're he's dying.
He's dying. He's dying.
I'm going to marry a cute girl and I'm going to open a what?
Nope. Nope.
Dying. He's dying.
That's what happened here with Tonger.
And they never foretold it in any trophy way with the two
servants of Duke SU. So it really did come out of
left fields. I don't think that they should
have if it wasn't written in the book.
I'm like, why deviate? Neither like none of those were
written in the book. And This is why people were so
incredibly mad because like everybody was like, Oh my God,
because while we were watching, people were like saying, oh,
we've read the novel. It's fine.
You know, unless they deviate from it, everybody's going to be
OK. And then everybody's like crap,
Everybody's like, what? So she dies and people are like
what the I almost was going to swear, but I was like, what
they? I've been swearing.
It's fine, it's fine. It's like what?
What? I can see why people were upset
if they didn't think that the ending was going to have any
surprises. This is like people watching
Breaking Dawn Part 2 and not realizing that they were going
to do that whole sequence. Yeah, yeah.
So yeah, yeah. But they never turned around and
said like just kidding like they did in Breaking Dawn.
So I feel, I feel like I have multiple episodes where I
reference The Twilight Saga now and it's looking.
I just want people to know I never watch The Twilight Saga
and I haven't read those books since I was a teenager.
So don't put me down for like any Twilight Saga marathons
anytime soon, because. There's no judgement here.
It's. Just I think I hear the song.
Ha ha ha. Oh my God, yeah.
On TikTok too much so then it's like continuously in my.
I will have some. Constantly, like Twilight.
If you if we're talking about the final episode, oh, I don't
think did any of you watch this on the Yoku app?
No, I watched. It I did not see the special
episode after. Yeah, I was gonna say that
nobody would have watched a special episode.
There's a spec. OK, what is in?
The special they got, is it a backlash with the last episode?
They had because basically, yeah.
So they had to do a special episode.
So they bring in like literally a week before this stops, they
bring in wanching you and Guccienne like from whatever
they're doing. They bring them back in, they
throw them in costumes again and they record like a 10 minute
special where they like do various scenes in this one room
because that was all that was left of the set.
Why? Because people were mad that,
like, he literally just ran up the hill.
Yeah. And that was Yeah.
So. They didn't even see them.
As like a. So they come back and basically
you get to see them with a little girl and you get to see
them married with like this little child.
And it's hilarious because first of all, so in the in the show,
Wang Shing Yu dubs himself, it's no problem.
But Wu Jian, she is dubbed by somebody else.
But but because there's no time, there's no time she does her own
voice and people are like 2 plus.
Two like take it out, take it out, wrap it up.
It's so like it, it's so funny. Oh my God, I will have to watch
it. Oh, you.
Absolutely do you absolutely do. It's just him like being a dad
to this like kid and her being a girl boss basically.
Like it's it's in him being a puppy and just wanting all of
her attention. It's very funny.
So yeah, there's like a 10 minute special episode.
They literally were like reshoots.
But it's fanservice. Yeah, basically.
So if like basically Nas with Chinese dramas, this.
Oh yeah. We have to explain this.
Yes, with with Chinese dramas this tends to happen.
They'll either have special content already pre prepared.
If it's like like we were saying, if it's an S plus drama,
they will have content prepared that's going to be released
after the show is done. And that can be like an
alternative ending. It can be like what happens
after the show wraps up up what happens to the characters.
It can be anything like that, like.
An epilogue. Yeah, an epilogue basically, and
they will do variety shows together.
They will promote the heck out of it.
But basically because this one was so out of left field that
they didn't really do anything together.
They didn't do any of the Prime or anything.
So all of a sudden they're bringing them back together for
this special episode and it's like, and normally you have to
play together. Yeah, Yeah, normally you have to
pay to get access to like the special episodes and it's like
it'll be like £0.99 or $0.99 or whatever to get access to the
special stuff. But it's normally, sometimes
it's worth it because sometimes you'll get really, really cool
scenes. But I'm still laughing like I
think this is still better than the Love Between Fairy and Devil
special episodes because that was horrendous.
Like that was just, Oh, no, so bad.
If if you guys don't know, they did like a special episode for
Love between Fairy and Devil where it was just basically
themes from the show, but with like the female lead and the
male lead narrating over it with new dialogue.
It was Yeah, yeah. So, OK, yeah.
It well, you know, see drama land is is.
A wild side, yeah. You just kind of have to go with
it. So the look at the end, at the
end of the day, did it happen? Yes.
Were we shocked? Yes.
Was it devastating? Absolutely.
That they killed off the two guys from Duke Zoo, that they
killed Pumar like earlier in the show.
Did it need to happen according to the source material?
Absolutely not. I think of the of the deaths, I
think I was more cut up about Pumar earlier in the show.
There's three deaths, but the two sets, right?
One in like the middle of the show and one at the end of the
show. And at the end of the show, I
think the the one that they should have not had at all was
the ones at the end of the show. Yeah, those two.
Guys, I I think I wasn't surprised because I like Naz.
I was like, oh, she's a goner. So like, I totally expected it,
but like, yeah, the two at the end, the two at the end.
Z Cummings. I was like, why?
Yeah. And then I really also, I did
not mind the ending where he was like running up the hill or not
running, but like riding up the hill or whatever.
Yeah, same. But I will agree it would have
been nice to, like, have them. I don't know, be a couple for
like 5 minutes or something, but I understand why they couldn't
because you had to have 40 episodes and that was the cutoff
or whatever. But see, I I don't think that's
an excuse anymore. At this point.
They know they've got 40 episodes, so right, they know
the rule is there. So here's my thought process on
the final episode. And I this is, this is all true.
Like when they had their wedding, I was like, Oh my God,
this is so sweet. Oh my God, they're probably
together, oh yada yada. And they looked really happy and
sweet. And I paused the show because I
was like, what's going on? This is like happening too early
in the show and we were halfway through the final episode and I
was like shit, this is what people were talking.
I'm like we're about to just going to hit the fan.
Somethings going to happen that's going to derail this
happy ending because we're halfway through this episode.
Still got to go. Always the ending from then on,
it is sort of montagey, right? Like you kind of go through
large swaths of time in these montages and he goes to war and
she's alone and he's on the battlefield.
And I was kind of like, this doesn't, even though it doesn't
fit right with the rest of the show.
There is no discernible A to B to C plot.
They are not there's no machinations right that they are
exacting on other people. It's just a waiting game almost
for this couple. It reminded me of reading an
epic poem like reading the translation of Mulan.
Like I don't know if you guys have read the translation of
Mulan, but it's it's really hard to describe.
But this wonderful, grand, sweeping story that's full of
romance, yes, like between two people, but just romance in
terms of like the vibe, the feeling, the atmosphere of it.
And then the long-suffering, the years of toil and war returning
from battle being such a huge triumph.
And this goal, I thought that feeling that I had of reading an
epic poem and them kind of invoking this, this feeling for
me was beautiful. And so I was like, all right.
Bet. Minus those two guys getting
slaughtered on the battlefield, I was perfectly fine with that.
This left turn that they took halfway through the episode and
then taking this approach for the finale episode.
So that's maybe that's a hot take, but that's me.
I see you nodding Naz. Yeah, yeah, yeah, No, I agree.
I for me and the finale. Okay, so to be completely
transparent, I spent 80% of this show being completely lost.
Okay. So I was confused for like a lot
of it. So we guess the finale revenge
has been exacted. Everything should be fine and I
was like not understanding if you guys can explain this to me.
I don't know what battle he was fighting and why he went to war
in the 1st place. I was so confused.
I was like, how did we get here? Yeah, sure.
OK, So what happened was you know how the eldest Princess
Waning was taken, was given as a hostage to the Kingdom of Dai
Dai. Yes.
So Dai looks like some sort of nomadic tribal society that is
wildly different from their country and their border
country. So they're constantly at odds at
war. And when she returned, when she
was delivered back, whatever fragile peace they had between
great yawn, which is their country, and die, fell apart.
So then the brother, which was the treasonous brother who was
at the border, fighting at the border, he's the one that's
basically keeping that shit the Kingdom of die at Bay because
he's fighting all of these skirmishes and, and keep Border
Patrol, right? He's maintaining the border.
So when the coup happened at the end and the brother came back to
the capital with all of his troops and they fended off his
coup and killed the brother, all of the troops that were loyal to
the brother, they had to basically clean house, clean up
the military and make sure that all of that was set straight.
Meanwhile, they still have to protect the border because now
that's what that's what Duke Stewe was saying he was like.
Now that we have taken heavy losses and this brother, this
treasonous brother is no longer defending the border, this
country of die is going to immediately take advantage of
our weakness and try and invade and try and cause shit at the
border is what he This is happening so fast.
Like he says this in like a sentence.
OK, because I because it just came together really fast and I
was like. Hold on.
So that's why he says I am going to go take over the the what was
it the long woo Army like my because his family is a military
family. Right, right.
So he's like, I'm going to do what my father and my
grandfather did, and I'm going to protect the border and
basically go to war because this is not going to end in like a
month. So that's why it takes years,
right, for him to fix up all the shit that's happening at the
border, which is very believable, right?
According to history, the border like that border crisis likely
took a really long time for him to set straight.
So does that clear it up for you?
Like why the Kingdom of Die was so?
And you can see in the flashbacks with the eldest
Princess it must be manga if they're keep saying it's north.
So to me, it's got to be like Russia, Mongolia, like that
area. Right, right.
OK. Northern.
China. Yeah, yeah, OK, that makes sense
because I was like how? Why is he in war?
OK, yes, so I really appreciate you explaining that.
Yeah. But yeah.
So you know, him going off to war and kind of like the same
thing with that. You said just like halfway
through the episode, I was like, hold on.
Like they're married. Like there's still so much time
left, like what's going to happen?
So yeah, the with the war and everything.
And the two, I called them the two besties the whole time.
So when they died, I was devastated because I just to
hear that they didn't die in the novels, really disappointing
because they were just there and so loyalty and and for them to
like pass away the way that they did and have to be both of them.
And I was like, I don't know why we needed this.
It was terrible, I guess. They were like, let's go.
Very believable. What are the chances that all
three of them make it through this like years long campaign?
Yeah, at the border, Yeah. But again.
Unfortunate, so unfortunate, but I you know, but the seeing him
kind of like you know him like him writing like you.
Know. No, no, that's the thing.
Yeah, like. Is the.
Cinematography, yes, yes, and yes.
And that's what like really captured me because we see him
just like riding across the hill, like as audience.
I'm like he's riding back to his wife.
And it's like Darcy coming across the field, yes, at
sunrise. Like, are you fucking kidding?
Like him astride this horse? Yes, and it was low motion and
then her red billowing. Yes.
Robes and like, are you kidding? So yeah, hats off to the
cinematography. Slow motion was popping off.
The win machine was a character in and of itself.
The colors were so vibrant. Yeah, I also thought so.
That finale shot, it was 10 out of 10.
Yeah, it was beautiful. And just to see like I, I wasn't
even mad that like, you know, it ended with them not necessarily
being physically together because I knew that he was on
his way back to her and they were going to be fine.
It just kind of gets his attention.
Exactly. So like the fact it just ends
with her, like with her face to like, you know, I hope, I'm
hoping that that is when he actually arrived.
But like, it was just so epic to me.
And I'm like, OK, like it didn't feel incomplete to me.
It just felt very epic and dramatic and I liked it.
I think, I think also The thing is, a lot of people, when we
were watching it live on air, when that scene finally aired, a
lot of people were like, this can be classified almost as like
an open ending because is he really there?
Is she imagining that he's there?
Like you don't know. You don't know because they
chose to go with them not physically touching each other.
You can almost go along the pathway of thinking she's just
been waiting on that damn hill so long that she might be just
imagining him coming back to her and.
And they did have that scene of her.
What was she doing? She was brushing her hair and
imagining that he was there and brushing her hair for her.
Yeah. Yeah.
And then it was all he died. Exactly, which is what a lot of
people are so full like this is what you know, it's.
Interesting, because, like, one of my followers DM me and
because I put up a story saying like, I finished the double.
Like if you watch it, let me know.
And she was like, yeah, I just hate that he died at the end.
And I was just like, I don't think he died at the end.
I was like, I was just like, I was like, is that what people
think? I was like, did he die?
I have to answer, maybe question everything.
It's like. I mean, it's a valid theory.
I personally don't think he died even without knowing that they
did. Obviously this special episode
where they, like, drag these people out from whatever project
they were doing, slapped a wig on them.
And they said, do your own dub and like, I'll get this kid in
here with you guys. Play with your your child for an
hour so we can get 10 minutes of footage.
Yeah, I knew that thing. He was alive and they were going
to have a happy ending. So that's just me personally.
I think also see dramas this year especially have been
leaning so much into open endings and people are just over
it. So people are just like, just
just give me, just give me. They're dead, they're alive,
they're together. I just want to know.
So I think that's also why people were mad at it because
like. I just think people are going to
be mad no matter what. Oh yeah.
Feel like you cannot please everybody.
Somebody's going to bitch about something and whether they were
together, if they ended up together and it was a classic
happy ending, they would have been like, oh, we didn't see the
child. We didn't see enough of the
wedding. We didn't see this what happened
to her, her brother and her dad that we didn't know about that
what happened to her cousin. Like it would have been some
other thing that people would have bitched about that we
didn't see. And I'm of the opinion that
like, you're damned if you do, you're damned if you don't.
And if the trend, the trend now is open endings, whatever, at
least you got a 10 out of 10 drama.
Like, you know what I'm saying? Like you're going to nitpick
about everything about the ending.
Because I think in the West we have this in our culture that if
you have a perfect piece of media like movie, show,
whatever, and you ruin the ending, the the whole thing is
tainted. Yeah.
The entire piece of media is tainted, and I just think that
I've divorced myself from that feeling over time that if the
ending is a little squishy, I can, like, still jive with it,
you know? There's still some merit in what
I just watched. So you know, it's not a waste of
my time just because the ending is a little open.
Just to clarify, I didn't mind the ending, I'm just throwing
out there like what was being talked about.
I'm just saying look as we're 4 chronically online people and we
see a lot of shit. So I'm really just like talking
about these people, like these people that like you cannot
believe them for anything. Like to me the ending was fine,
like I didn't mind it at all. I.
Love how you're like please don't equate me.
Don't let me in the same. Basket.
Don't put me in it. Because like I've seen, I've
seen a lot of good shows that have bad endings and I still say
to people watch them like, you know, to be a bad ending or a
sad ending or whatever it may be, open ending.
I think people. Think bad equals sad.
No, I mean bad as in it's just a terrible writing, whatever it
may be, right? A sad ending is different.
Like a sad ending, it's just tragic.
That's that's. Different to me, like sad equals
sad, not sad equals bad, yeah. Well, I think for that, I think
that's a different definition though.
A lot of people don't want sad endings.
They want the happy we're a family.
So like, if you're not, if you don't get that at the ending,
it's ultimate like it's automatically a bad ending.
So I think that's what is equated to this is the fact that
they did not get the he's back from war.
We're a happy family five years down the road ending.
It's automatically a bad ending. And I think, I mean, I think
that's what a lot of people are mad about with these open
endings that are very and I mean, they could be doing open
endings and see dramas for various reasons.
One of them I know is if they ever want to do a season 2 and
allows them to do a season 2 or they don't want to do a close
the book ending because it might be bad and then it would taint
the entire drama as we were talking about.
So they that's two reasons I've seen on the Internet.
So I think that's one of the reasons why people are mad at
this ending is because they did not get the happy family
together ending in the drama. The.
Contact. So that's just, yeah, that's
just what that's automatically a bad ending to a lot of people.
See, I don't mind not having the family happy picture together,
but if you give me a historical and you skimp out on the wedding
scene, I'm automatically going to be mad at you.
Not necessarily because I need them to be wedded.
I need to see these beautiful costumes like I need to.
It's the costume. It's the costumes.
Like there were like Chinese historical wedding costumes,
nothing like it thing of another world.
And if you skimp out on those, I've got beef with you like
automatically. But that's just like a very.
Specific reason. Yeah, yeah, that's just like a
very. I'm not like, I'll still say
that I love the show, but I'll still say, look, you should have
put thrown in a really good wedding scene in this.
Yeah, like don't deprive. I'll go one step further on my
opinion of this ending in this final episode and say the
episode truly ended halfway through.
Like when they got married, that was the end of the episode and
everything that happened after is the epilogue and that's why
they didn't put together a extra episode or whatever because they
were like, it's there. Wow, that's a good point.
It's all in there. It doesn't feel like the rest of
the show. I think it's because the episode
the show ends halfway through the finale episode and the rest
is epilogue, and that's why it's like so montage Y and sort of
dreamy and feels like different, you know, so I I don't know.
So anyway, those are our thoughts on the finale, and you
got us on a little soapbox as well.
So I had AI had a question. I know we're going off of what
people gave, but. I oh, yeah.
No. There's three more questions,
but we can pause here. What you got?
What do you have for us? Well, do we want to go through
the three questions 1st and then I'll ask my question or?
Oh, does your question have to do with these like?
No, no, none, none of the. Oh, then ask your question.
OK, so I want to talk about the bad guys.
I want to talk about like the people that they were getting
revenge on. I have two questions.
One is who was like your most hated bad person 'cause there
was multiple people technically. Three questions.
Who was your most hated? Who was like your guilty
pleasure watch like most hated person?
And then who did you think had the most satisfying like revenge
ending? Because I I'll I can answer
those first if you want. Why don't you go 1st and then
we'll have as and then I'll go and.
So my OK, so my favorite, even though they were really annoying
to watch, but also it was kind of I like the fiance because he
technically like in terms of like he was a horrible character
in terms of like he's a really bad dude.
You want to see his satisfying revenge, but the fact is this
entire show was her getting revenge at him because like he
thought he killed her. So he was going mad on seeing
her walking down the street and like, Oh my God, it's freaking
me out. And then he like killed her to
be with the eldest Princess. But then he started hating that
life, which I found great Glee in because like, no, this is
what you deserve. And then just like seeing him
kind of like eating himself from the inside out in terms of just
like the guilt and having to live with what he asked for and
then realizing that's not what he actually wanted.
And then obviously, like, he gets more crazy and more crazy
as the show goes on because like that whole scene with him at the
top of the tower on trying to kill everybody with the
soldiers, I was like, dude, you just need to die.
Yeah, there was like a. Descendant to madness in the
yeah, descend to the madness thing.
But I loved every second of it because like he just was like, I
don't know, he was a really juicy bad character to hate, but
you enjoyed every second of like seeing the revenge that went
with it. He was very interesting, yeah,
very interesting. Because had nothing happened,
had one thing Princess Waning never taken a liking to him,
they would still be married. Like she would have never known
that he was capable of killing her, right?
I have a very different opinion of him and his character in
general. Why?
Don't you share. Let's just talk about him for a
second, yeah? So I think for me, I'm trying to
remember exactly what I said initially, but I think he's
poorly written in some parts simply because he's seen, yes,
you can see his descent into madness, but then all of a
sudden you get towards the end and he's a mastermind, like
outwitting our best characters. So to me, he's poorly written
because you needed to build on that from the start.
You needed to see him play the game from the start, and he
never did. So that's why to me he becomes a
weak bad guy. So, so that was like originally
what I thought about him in general.
I totally see what you're saying because they never had him as
anything but a glorified librarian in the rest of the
show. But I see Nas laughing.
That's what he was. He was just like a scholar.
He was over the school headmaster, basically over this
government school, and he didn't really participate that heavily
in politics even though he was an appointed member.
He didn't play the game. He was a victim of the game for
basically the whole of the show, and then come to find out in the
final like 5 episodes or so, he's a brilliant tactician and
is able to just insert himself into his grand plans for the
coup. And even though it's not beyond
the realm of impossibility, I understand.
Like, I understand what you're saying, Liliana, that there was
no indication that he was so brilliant.
You know, he was like just this scholar.
But like, even even if you say earlier on, like he never moves
and when he does, it's always like somebody else's plan, which
could be a plan in of itself. But when you're giving me, you
get to the end and you want to give me, you know, the biggest
body of them all in terms of who's the big mastermind behind
it. And then you go and find out
that it's Shen you wrong. And I'm like, well, I feel a
little bit disappointed with that because it just doesn't
feel cohesive to me, to his character, if that makes.
Sense Well, when did he? So when you're saying it's the
mastermind behind it all, I thought it was just the
mastermind behind. Now is the time to strike.
Enter the city under these pretexes.
Here's the script for the memorial that you have to send
to the king in order to allow me to validly enter the city with
my army. Like that was what I considered
his plan and him doing the whole waning has to die in order for
us a valid reason to start the coup.
So like that whole bit of the plan was me thinking it was Shen
Shenyu, but anything before that I never considered.
Him. Oh no.
And that and that's what I mean. Well, that's what she's saying
is bad writing. Yeah, that's what she's saying
is bad writing is like up until the coup, he wasn't making those
smart moves and then all of a sudden that the coup he was the
one behind. And so that's what I thought you
were meaning, but then it hit me that maybe you thought that he
was responsible for even more. Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
But that's what I mean that that's like bad writing in that
essence. Because if the if you follow
like so in the show, as the show gets on, he progressively gets
like crazier and crazier and descends into this madness.
And I'm like, are you really telling me that in the pit of
this madness is when like a light bulb goes off in his brain
that he has to? Play.
I believe it. I do believe it.
I do believe that like there was a clarity that came with his
being finally embracing the dark side, basically like he just
fully became a Sith Lord and just turned up.
That's why I was like, yes, they didn't portend any of this in
the show that he was able to create this evil plan and just
do it on us at the drop of a hat.
But I truly think as soon as he realized that it wasn't so much
that he couldn't get her back, it was that Duke Sue already won
her heart, that ignited a fire under his ass.
And he went that shit crazy. And that's when he was like, Oh
no, I have to do something right now because I'm insanely
jealous. I have to.
She cannot be with him. And so he was jealousy.
I think it was a thing between jealousy but also arrogance.
Yeah, Like that whole the whole coup thing.
Like I do agree with Liliana on the fact that that writing
switch was really off putting and that whatever, but I think I
went along with it because 1. He was extremely arrogant
through that entire thing and that kind of.
And I believe that that kind of like.
LED into the the delusion that he was having like he was
already descending in the madness and then him I think I
just saw it as him more descending in the madness and
then not being able to see them together.
So I could I could agree with like both sides cuz I don't
know. I just found it really fun to
watch him like kind of like, that's what.
He was unraveling, but like in an organized way because they
were able to get really close to seizing the throne there.
Nas, what did you think? Oh, yeah.
I mean, he was my number one villain.
I mean, I don't, I don't know how you can have this, this
woman that you love and you hit her in the head with a shovel
and bury her. I'm just like, there's no coming
back from that. You're done.
Like I was really. But he really tried.
He really tried. And I was like, I this is awful.
Like, I just could not believe that someone, like could be that
weak minded to be manipulated to do something so horrible to
someone that they apparently love.
And I'm just like, how could you do this to somebody?
Let you like literally shared a life with I.
He is Public Enemy number one to me.
And he's every time his face was on the screen, I was like, get
him off my screen. Like could not stand him.
And I just love seeing him squirm throughout the show.
But every time he saw her, he's just like haunted by her face
because he's like, I killed her. I killed her.
It's not her. It's not her.
I feel like in his heart of heart, he had to know, like,
because yeah, so can stand him. He was the worst person the
show. I just, I'll just never forget
that that scene of him like trying to kill her, like I just,
he's terrible. He's like, really like, he just,
he was a coward and he. Were such a coward.
He reminded me of that character from my dearest.
Oh my God. Her, her husband.
The the her husband. Not her husband, but like her
besties, has Ashley. Oh yeah, that guy.
Oh my gosh, yeah. He was such a coward.
Literally he reminded me of that Ashley character from my dearest
that K drama. This very morally upright,
dutiful at all points, loving, but when the going gets tough
and he feels he's up against a wall, he chose filial piety.
Yeah. He chose to save his mother and
his sister and he threw home girl into the bus.
Literally, literally, Not literally, there's no bus, but
right. Like he pounded her upside the
head with a shovel, buried her. He thought she was dead, but she
was alive. So he buried her alive and
completely destroyed her reputation at that.
So there was like, it's a double.
The deception as well was also part of why she felt so
betrayed, because he not only tried to kill her, but the
pretext for killing her was because she was unfaithful.
Yes, framing her for an affair and I'm just like how terrible
can you be? I just saw I found him just such
a weak minded just. Yeah, so he's weak minded and
he's a coward, Yes. Such a coward.
So this weak minded coward goes through the rest of the show
trying to escape his guilt. And she says this at multiple
points, like you're blaming everyone else but yourself.
Yeah, yeah, literally blaming everyone else but yourself.
You're not taking any accountability for your hand in
this because you could have chosen to tell me about, at the
very least tell me that you were being threatened.
Yeah. I could have left.
I could have just washed my hands on this whole thing and
gone back to my hometown. Nobody would.
Have like how? Like there's so many different
options that he could have taken.
Like what it Right. Yeah.
Right. Or tell the king, tell somebody
else versus like, just go with what was happening.
He could have run away. Like there are just like
literally things to do. Instead he just went with it and
was like, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry.
Save it for the judge. Like no, so that's why he was so
frustrating is because he thought he was a good guy.
On paper, he's the nice guy. Oh my gosh, he really is like
that character from My dearest. I didn't even realize the
parallels until you said it, but yeah, he really thinks he's a
good guy. Yeah, and by society's standards
and everyone else saying like, oh, he's so great, he's so
wonderful, He's so well mannered.
He saw this. He saw that.
And no, he'll kill you and leave you for dead in the mountains.
Yeah. Yeah.
So another strike for a nice guys.
So my answer Give me, you know, a morally Gray man, maybe around
22 years of age, clad all in the red A.
Morally Gray. 22 year old man, my answer for this question is a
swerve because my favorite villain was actually Princess
Waning. Me too.
I thought she oh me and Liliana. Yes.
I think she's, I think she's the better written villain and
she's. Like.
So well, like rounded and faceted.
There's so many sides to her character.
So many. She's like a diamond like you
keep. Telling me you're like, well,
yeah, I didn't. See that part?
Yeah. And she's an understandable
villain like you can get. It's like I adore villains that
that make me almost on the edge of.
I know what you're doing is bad, but I feel sorry for you.
And she's exactly. You're like one, you're like 1%.
Maybe 10%, yeah. She's like, are you a villain or
are you just a product of your like what's the word I'm looking
for a product of? Yeah, of your circumstances.
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah.
She stole the show. She stole it.
She was chewing up scenery. She actress as well.
This actress is going to She's a star.
This is Lee Lee Mung. Yeah, Lee Mung.
Lee Mung is her name. She is a star, that actress.
They need to watch out for her. We should see her in many more
things because this role was so meaty, so juicy.
The way she was fucking twirling, the way she was
twirling in her fine silks and sashing away after doing the
most sadistic thing. I mean really good, really good.
So entertaining. Was so good, especially like
right after, I think it was like right after Yu Rong killed
Kwanko. Killed, killed.
What's her original name? Is it Fang Fei?
Yeah. Yeah, yes, yes.
Killed her. And then he's like back in the
room and he's like upset, obviously.
And she's just like tackling and twirling.
But like, they put it in slow motion and it was just like the
intensity. But yeah, she she's fabulous.
But can yes, she was insane. A little commotion for the
dress. Yes, yeah, everything she was
wearing. Yeah, her outfits were
everything she never missed. Never.
Missed, but even even the way she dies, it's like I I adore
the fact that she has never been able to live on her own terms.
She was scooted off, she was made a slave, but she died on
her own terms. And I kind of like that because
she's like, you're not going to like if you're going to do it,
you're going to do it. And she shoves that blade into
into herself by his hand. And it's just like that death
scene. It's like it's so good.
It's just so good. It's good writing and it's good
acting. And I think that might be why I
don't go whereas like Shenu wrong has the more obvious
scenes for you to hate him. He has written for you to hate
him. Waning is not like you know,
what she's doing is wrong, but she has layers and there's more
to her story. Whereas Shane, you're wrong.
I don't know if it was also just the actor himself that didn't
quite reach where he needed to for me personally.
Towards the end, I was like, oh, he's given a little something
here. Yeah, because he was.
He would like smile and smirk and look a little demented.
And I'm like, yeah, that's what. I need to see right there.
I will say I kind of did not like, and I think I said this on
a social media maybe I did not like the deaths of both of them.
So I understood his death because it was the coward way to
do it. And I was really.
You saw it coming from a mile away.
Oh, yeah, yeah. I in retrospect, as I thought
about it, I didn't mind her death as much as I did when it
first happened. I really wanted her to go crazy
and kill him and like kind of kill herself afterwards.
Do the whole she was obsessed with him the entire show.
Why not take him with you? Because that would take him out
of the picture and that would destroy him because he wanted to
be the winner of everything. So they have her her still kind
of come out on top by killing him and taking him with her.
So like when they when she stabbed herself, I thought she
actually had stabbed him and I was like brilliant.
So I actually, I mean, I didn't mind her death because I
understood it, but like at in the time I was watching it, I
was, I really wanted her to kill him because it was like kind of
like a obsession thing that didn't play out in the end.
I can agree with that. But even I was just gonna say
even like her parting words where she says to him, you
wanted to kill me, so I'll wait for you in hell.
It's just like, Oh yeah, I, I, I mean, I, I think for her.
It's a curse like. She, Yeah, it's a curse.
She's cursing him. And like that in China and like
with the historical facts and whatnot, that's very powerful.
Like so I, I, I. Think everything you've done to
me. Yeah.
Oh, wait, sorry. I brought in some color purple
so Oh no y'all are laughing too much so.
I was kind of. Surprised that sticking on
Princess Waning. I was surprised that they gave
her so much back story. And they did it in the 11th
hour, right in the final eight or so episodes.
They gave us all of this. Yeah, they gave us all of this
back story for her flashback sequences as well.
And that we get to see what happened to her in the Kingdom
of Die as a political hostage. And that she was treated
horribly, horrendously, humiliated, forced to be a
sexual slave, kept out in the elements, sleeping with the
sheep in the fields. And it shows her initiating an
abortion, like giving herself an abortion by putting extreme
stress on her body, wading into freezing cold water.
And I thought that that little act of rebellion was just
probably all she could do to take some control over her life
and her body, because at that point all her agency and all her
bodily autonomy was stripped away.
Never mind her status, her family, everything she knew.
What's worse is that her own father sold her off and did
this. To her.
It's very obvious, like there's a one to one that it brought
about this deep seated resentment, this hatred.
It bred wickedness in her. And I, I'm a firm believer that
two things can be true at the same time.
She can be a victim and she can be an abuser.
Yeah. Yeah.
And so for her, like once she saw Shen Yu Dong, she wanted to
be the poison and the cure for him.
And she was so love starred, attention starved, looking for a
strong male figure who wouldn't abandoned her like her own
father did. And she saw this upstanding.
Dutiful, kind gentleman and she just imprinted on him completely
instead of developing a healthy crush on him like she was just
infatuated and needed to possess him.
It was all about possession and she was greedy, entitled, felt
the world owed it to her after her hostage ordeal.
And let me just say the fake baby plot was deliciously
ruthless. Deliciously ruthless.
I was living for that plot because even though Jiang Lee or
Shui Fung Fi didn't have any idea about the horrors that she
experienced as a hostage and that she was infertile and
actually wanted to have a baby eventually with Shen Yu Dong,
this I mean, it hit or where it hurt like it was so brutal.
And I thought for someone who did not value human life at all,
who relished torturing and killing and exploiting others,
she really did want to grow life.
She really wanted to bring new life into this world.
And I was like, this is the biggest irony.
And it's what sent her over the edge.
Like after this, she was like, we're doing this fucking coup
right now. We need to call the army.
Send for my brother. Oh my God, the delusion on her.
If you thought Shenyudong was delusional, she was even more
delusional to think that Shenyudong was.
She thought that he would actually love her sincerely and
forgive her for all of her bullshit, literally making him
kill his own wife. She was genuinely shocked that
he kept going back to his ex-wife, that he kept subtly
rejecting her and will go so far as to kill her in the final
sequence. Delusional.
I love that she killed.
Not that she killed herself, but that she did it with his flower
hairpin that he gave her. He.
Was like a full circle moment. Yeah.
Especially after his impassioned speech about her never being
more than a pawn to be used and tossed aside when they're done
with her. Yeah.
Which is all true. It's all true.
She he didn't speak a word of a lie in that final thing that he
said to her. I think that I didn't like it
that she took her life, but it is a part of that.
Like she wants to, it wants to be in her own terms.
I don't know. I kind of felt the same way that
Caitlin did initially, that she should have crashed out
differently. The thing is, for me, I think I
didn't necessarily want her to kill.
You're wrong. Because I think that belonged to
Jangly, like Shukran Fei. That was Shufa.
Like, that should have been the way to go.
So that's why I don't think I minded as much.
But yeah, the actress did such a good job.
And like Jess was saying, I think for me what I saw was all
she's ever been shown is like, ruefulness from every side.
So that's what she does to everybody else because she knows
no other way. Like nobody's ever showed her
love or kindness. So The thing is, he's the first
person who's ever shown her any sort of like kindness by giving
her this bloody handkerchief out of that.
That's why I think she holds on so tightly to him because I feel
like to me, how I see it, it's almost like she's constantly in
the dark and he comes out of nowhere and it's like this
blaring light for her. And I think that's why she holds
on so tight to the point of going crazy and being
delusional. But then she wants to bring him
down. She keeps saying like I'm
bringing him down into the quagmire and I want him to get
his hands dirty and I want to get on my level.
I think it's because to her, he can't be hers unless he's down
there with her, unless he's like she snuffs some of that light
out, you know, makes him a little bad.
I don't think she believes he could ever truly be hers.
And also I also think for her, if she breaks him and if she
makes him bad, there's no way Xu Fung Fi would ever go back to
him. I mean, so I think that's why
her wanting to break him comes from that as well.
Yeah, I think she looks at him kind of like a horse.
I need to break this horse. And.
He's going to be mine and he needs to be submissive.
And that that was kind of stuff that I was really intrigued
about their relationship was that she was so hell bent on
humbling him, on degrading him, on making sure that he was below
her, on making sure that he was constantly prostate on his
knees, making him feel pain make it was like training an animal.
Like, you know what I'm saying? She was constantly throwing her
weight around, showing her power, and what was cool about
it was that the female characters don't get a chance to
one up the guys necessarily in such an overt, aggressive way,
but she does. Yeah, yeah.
I, I feel like because of all the, the terrible things that
she's been through, like a lot of times, like the abuse becomes
the abuser. And I feel like that plays a
role in like how she would treat him as well.
Because she's like, I've had all these terrible things happen to
me. And she's just like, yeah, I
want him. And I'm obsessed with him, but I
also want to hurt him. Like, I've been hurt as well.
And kind of like what Liliana was saying, Like, I feel like
she feels like, you know, in order for us to be together,
like I need him to be as depraved and as miserable as I
am. That's the only way this is
going to work. And so the only way to do that
is like how much you were saying, just like I have to
break him down. And she, yeah, she tried.
Yeah, she was crazy. She was crazy.
She was a crazy bitch. I loved her.
So any other villains we want to talk about?
I know there's G Sharon, which is the stepmom, the evil
stepmother. Yeah, she was my guilty pleasure
villain, really. She was just, she was so
unhinged. Like I was like how?
How like demented do you have to be to frame a child?
Frame a literal. Child, you framed a child like,
what is wrong with you? But the what made it a guilty
pleasure was like when we learned her back story and I was
like, oh, you have a messy, a messy background, like messy,
the audacity and you're trying to ruin other people's lives.
Like you have a lot at stake. Like, and I was shocked to just
see like everything that was going on with her and how she
had this lover and she tried to get rid of him and he came back.
I was like, Oh my gosh, you knew I was not expecting that to come
from her. Yeah, the laugh that I let out
when they did the flashback sequence for her framing Jiang
Lee, the OG Jiang Lee. And she just, like, throws
herself down the stairs. Yeah, and I was like, this bitch
did not like, she really did not just catapult herself down these
stairs. Terrible.
I was like, what the hell? And no one's, I mean, she
silenced anybody who would obviously dissent to like this
whole thing. But wow, what a performance.
What a performance. Anything else about the
villains? One more the I could not stand
the stepmoms maidservant. Oh my gosh that Lady blew me.
I every time she's on the screen I was like get her off the
screen. She was the worst.
She made me so angry. Yeah.
All right, so I'm gonna get back to the Instagram questions.
How would you compare this show to other redo dramas?
And then they put in parentheses, Marry my husband's
story of Kuning Palace, etcetera.
So I don't consider this a redo drama.
Neither do I. I don't either.
Story of Kooning identity. Story of Kooning Palace is a
true redo story. I mean she dies and goes back in
time and marry my. Husband goes back to when she's
18 years old. Yeah, and marry my husband is
also is the same, you know, fairly similar.
So those are true redo stories. This one is not a redoing the
essence. This one is.
She's redoing her own life. She's redoing.
Somebody. Else's life.
Exactly. Exactly.
Yeah, this is more in line with Princess Wei Young.
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
What's the plot of that one? It's this so she.
This is this. They're gonna hate me.
The double is better. Oh, Oh my gosh.
But. You guys does.
You. Guys know I have beef.
I mean, we've reviewed Wei Young, you know, I have beef
with that drama. Wei Young was made in 2015, so
that's. Almost 10 years ago, yeah.
So the plot of Princess. I think you would actually
really love Princess Wei Young. As a matter of fact, there's
more romance in that one than the double, actually.
So the plot of Princess Wei Young is this girl from a small
country, she's a Princess, Her whole family gets slaughtered in
this strange happening that happens at the front of the show
and it was done by the neighboring country and she is
basically adrift. They think that she's dead and
she is helped by this benevolent girl who is also been abandoned
by her family and is living in this wooded area with like a
caretaker. And that girl dies, and she
assumes her identity. Oh my gosh, it's the same thing.
And then she exacts revenge for this girl who was an Angel, a
beautiful Princess, little Angel.
And she's like, what the hell was going on in this neighboring
country? How can I find justice for my
country, which was consumed by this neighboring country?
And my whole family was slaughtered.
The royal family was slaughtered and that's the plot of Princess
Weyong. Oh my gosh, it is the same
thing. It's the same thing.
I'm sure there's other shows that do it again.
Yeah, cuz Princess Weyong was very popular.
So it always happens. You have a popular plot and then
you kind of reuse the plot in other ones.
Yeah. So I guess that answers that
question from Instagram. This question is from Discord.
I'd love to know if you all think the Duke going off to
battle in the final episode could have been spread out over
another episode so that we really felt the impact and
danger that he might not come home.
Was it fine as is? Did we need it?
Maybe it could have been some like quick montage flashes and
then SpongeBob Boys one year later or whatever it was.
No, I I don't. I didn't need a longer battle
situation. Yeah, I don't think I agree.
And as I don't think it needed to be spread out over multiple
episodes or that no. No same.
Same. OK.
We've already been through so much.
They spent 40 episodes trying to exact this revenge.
You don't need, like, a whole other storyline with the war.
Yeah. OK, I want to spend the rest of
the time talking about this couple and this romance and this
question. This last question has to do
with that. So they ask the no kissing right
up until the end. Personally, I thought it worked,
but I saw a lot of comments frustrated by this, including
Wang Shing Yue with a little happy emoji.
So what did? What did you guys think of this?
This was a huge choice that the drama made because Sea Drama
Land might be a little prudish sometimes, but not this prudish.
What do you guys think about the no kissing until the last
episode? For me, I will argue that this
is not a romance. This is a revenge drama.
So I think that like by default, the romance is going to take a
backseat. So, you know, I was satisfied
with my slow burn and my little my little touches and my little
lingering looks until the end because the story is the revenge
and I love romance. That's I'm a romance girlie.
I always love it. But like I understood like as
far as I was concerned, the way I understood the story was that
the romance is going to take a backseat to everything else that
needs to happen. So I was fine with it.
Now, if this is as like purely romance drama out of and like,
what the heck is going on? What is going like That's not
that's not what it is. So I was fine with how it was
done. Okay, so you didn't miss it at
all? No, I thought it was done.
I like the, I think because it was so slow.
The tension was just always building.
So like I was always entertained by it even though it was being
very slow. So I liked it the way it was.
Got you drama trio. Sound off.
I think I, I agree with Naz in terms of like this was not
supposed to be a romance drama. And I think what helped too with
the slow burn thing is like they were truly equals.
The, the, the intelligence was there.
They supported each other. It wasn't like he was the
smarter person and she and helping her and she was kind of
just stumbling along. Like, yes, he was supporting
her, but she was equally as smart and equally contributing
to these plans of revenge. And I think what helped is like
their teamwork in the revenge sustained the lack of romance
until the end because you saw their interaction and their
commitment to each other as partners in terms of revenge,
which then led to this romance blossoming by the end.
I think for me personally, it worked and you could almost
divide this show up in. So you have the first sort of
Arc of sorts, which is Jung Lee's revenge.
So that is on the Jung family and that has nothing to do with
Duke SU. Like Duke SU might pop in every
now and again, but that is Jung Lee's revenge.
Now when you move over to Xufong Fei's revenge, that's when he
kind of their paths kind of intercept way, way more.
And that's when she, you know, can use his help here and there.
But like Caitlin was saying, they were equals.
Their banter back and forth is so incredibly good.
And when I say this, you know, even as an international fan who
doesn't understand Mandarin, it sounded good to me.
But there was people watching it and who do understand Mandarin
and they were saying these two are just firing at each other in
like the best kind of way. The idioms that they're using
and whatnot is just so good. So to me, it didn't bother me
because at the end of the day, this was kind of like Shu Fung
Fi story. It was her story and it was her
revenge plot. And I think he was happy to
like, kind of let her shine and do her thing and, you know, help
her when she needed. But like Caitlin was saying,
they're equals, they're smart, they can work with each other.
He can stand aside and do let her do her thing.
And he can, you know, and he can step forward and do his thing
while she steps back. So I think they work really,
really well together in terms of being a couple.
But this was never sold as a romance drama.
This was a revenge drama and I think this has been happening
more and more often where people are expecting dramas to be like
romances and to be sold as romances when they aren't.
I think like the quickest one that comes to mind straight away
is the story of Pearl Girl, which is airing with Zalushi
right now. This show is not a romance and
people are going in and being like, oh, there's the guys, It's
a business show. Hot people, they don't have to
be exactly together romantically, like, you know
what I'm saying? Like, just because that's how
they're, that's how they get you to watch.
Yeah, it's because these people are hot.
But The thing is, the chemistry can be there, and I think it all
comes down, that's what. Makes it.
Fun. Exactly.
It all comes down to the actors themselves.
They don't have to be touching for it to be sizzling on my
screen. Like, I mean, when did we get
hit? When it was like Western shows?
They have very explicit scenes, but there's no chemistry.
I mean, that's what I mean. So.
But we've always enjoyed the fact that Asian dramas have
almost a lack of skinship at some point and they can still
deliver these very big swooping romantic scenes or these very,
you know, chemistry charged scenes without the aid of full
on making out, so to speak. So to me, it works.
But I've just, I think I've also just gotten used to this type of
romance where the romance historicals tend.
I mean, to me, you have very different types of historicals.
And this is a political historical.
And when it comes to those, the forefront will be the politics
and the revenge. It won't be the romance.
The romance is like the cherry on top of the cake.
So I, I was, I knew what I was getting into and I was not that
mad about it at all. Like I enjoyed the ride.
I enjoyed it too. Last night when I was logging
the show in my drama list, I was like, damn, the kiss was in the
last episode, that's when they got married, yada yada.
And I was like working myself into a frenzy because you can do
that. You can make yourself angry that
we didn't get all of this romance, we didn't get all these
scenes with them. We could have gotten more
kissing, more hand holding, yada, yada, yada.
And I could feel myself getting that way.
And I was like, it's 1:00 AM. Let me just like, put my phone
down. And sleep on it.
Go to sleep. And when I woke up, I thought
the same way that I initially thought, like when I stopped the
show from playing the end credits, which was that was
amazing. I love that show.
It was perfect, right? Minus the two deaths of the two
subordinates in the last 20 minutes.
But weird. That's splitting hairs, I guess.
But truly, I thought that this was a very well written show.
It had multiple layers of revenge, it had very nuanced,
interesting villains, and the acting was great.
All of the pieces, although the puzzle pieces of it were
fantastic and I highly recommend the show.
Is this going to satisfy the romance fans?
I think yes. Like I think there's still meat
there that you can glean something from it because the
chemistry that these two have is incredible.
Whenever they have scenes together, you're like, this is
sexually charged. I feel the electricity in the
air. They are so well matched.
They are constantly bantering, flirting aggressively and I'm
like, this is so hot. Like y'all don't understand?
Like the thrill of watching a historian.
Oracle see drama and nothing is no clothes are being taken off.
You're just like high off of them just being in the same room
together and like they're making eyes at each other after having
a very interesting conversation that has nothing to do about
their relationship. You know what I'm saying?
It's a very weird way of watching if there's no romance,
but you're still getting romance out of it.
It's the same thing that happens when you watch, like, a crime
drama and you're like, why aren't these two characters
together, even though they have, like, wonderful chemistry?
Yes, you know what I'm saying? But it's a crime drama.
Yeah. And there's no romance
whatsoever. They're never gonna get
together. Yeah, you know.
Tension is enough. Yes, yeah.
The tension is enough that the the the dream of it is there.
Yeah. And in this case, the dream is
realized, right. You're not just seeing things.
It's there. It's on the page.
Yep. What were some scenes that were
great romantic set pieces for you?
Because I remember her like drunk dancing in the rain and
spinning around like that scene. That scene made all the rounds
when the show was airing. Like that scene was everywhere.
Absolutely everywhere. That's so good such.
A good I think one that I enjoyed a lot was and it was
mostly like him looking at her was her playing the instrument
in the final exam. Yeah.
Because like the one how he strolled into that place, like
him, Justin Drenrol walking through this drama is just like
strolling with that large Cape behind him always.
But just like him smugly looking at her, being proud, but also
like making sure he's looking at her ex-husband.
Like wondering what he's going to be doing and how nervous he
is and just his entire demeanor in that scene.
That's a great scene. And then the flowers coming up
in this vortex around her as she like, come on.
It is so beautiful. I love the way they use the CGI
in that scene. I guess that's why it's a little
difficult to, it's a historical, but it has these elements in it
that are fantastical. And he flies in and out of her
house, like at certain points too.
It's part of the bits of Ushia that are in there.
Yeah, yeah, I, I have to say I loved the flying.
OK, good. I got a kick out of it.
It was every time someone flew. I I was so excited.
I loved it. It was so good.
Yeah, my scene might be weird, but so.
Nothing's too weird here. It's kind of OK.
Well, we'll see after I say it, but it's.
So this was when she had to get like, she had to get bitten by a
scorpion or something or injected with.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Basically yes.
To fix her wrist. Exactly.
And so she's in a lot of pain. And she was like biting on her
lip. And he was like, no, no, no,
don't, don't bite yourself, Like bite me.
And she like, totally hurt. Yeah.
He like gave her his hand. And I was like, he just.
She bit his hand. Gosh, but but even like in that
whole sequence, like the care he took for her, just that's when I
started to see the kind of the affection grow between them.
But like that scene, I was like, Oh my God.
Oh, clutching my pearls. Literally clutching my I.
I did clutch my bums in the sea. Yes, definitely.
And then she's kind of like in a stupor.
She doesn't realize that she's, like, necessarily biting him.
And he's like, let her, let her. It's yeah, babe, babe.
Oh. OK, OK so let me see.
There was one where the this is later in the show the brother
calls him brother-in-law. Yeah.
Oh my gosh, yeah. And his goofy ass smile and the
way he just lights up when he calls him brother-in-law.
I was like Oh my God this is so cute.
Every time she called him by his name.
Yeah. Was a great moment at the.
I think the first time she did it, I was like, oh, that's when
the two guys like just back away slowly.
I think out of from alone. Yeah, it's great.
I for me, it's a lot of like their little moments that makes
that builds the whole picture. So there's one where she comes,
he's helped her with something and he's mad at her and he, she
comes to help him out and she's walking away and she just turns
back to him and goes to him. You're handsome even when you're
mad and. He Oh my gosh.
Yes, Liliana. Yeah, the.
Smile and she walks off screen and it's just like, it's just
those little scenes. There's another one where she's
being held in prison and she's sitting on the floor and he just
strides into the prison, plunks himself down.
And she's like, I thought you were very particular about
things. This this space is way too dirty
for you. And he just goes to her.
I'm tired. And he just like rests there
with her and it's just like these types of moments that make
it or the scene where she has to go to to get something.
She's trying to get close to you wrong.
And she had they're stuck at like his library of sorts.
And he puts a cloak over her and she comes out of that library
and she's like physically sick. And he literally walks to her,
grabs the coat, brushes it on the floor and slick puts.
I wonder because that scene is like is so he knows that she
almost needs to clean herself out of it.
She needs to like get rid of his stench away from her and.
He makes her I'll. Exactly, exactly.
And it's not just that, it's it's the fact that he knows her
so well to know that she needs that, but he yet yet he still
lets her do what she needs to do.
To me, it's a combination of all of these small moments that adds
up to like the picture as a whole.
When she walks in and like, he's about to die, he's about to face
all of these people and she walks in and she says, who said
he's alone? And she just walks in and she
gets her shining. You know, she gets to be the
shining knight and walk in and save him for once.
And she's like, I am not moving away from him and she's standing
in front of him. Like I refuse to abandon you.
There's scenes like when he they.
I love when they do the comparison of Xiao Hung
basically when he's 10 years old and he's beating the drums to.
Like get. People to investigate and then
they do the comparison and she's beating the drum.
And like that scene is also shown in the prison.
And that's when he says I'm really tired.
And it's just like, it's just like a whole lot of small things
that add up and progression picture of them.
Yeah, but also just the progression of them opening up
to each other, because even though she knows that he knows
who she is, she doesn't tell him until way later in the show who
she is. And I love that about him.
Just basically giving her time and space to be able to trust
him with the verbal confirmation that she's Shreya Fung Fi.
And I think that is important that he trusts her so much and
he's so supportive of her and her, not only her, her, her
revenge, but also her healing journey.
Yeah. Another scene I liked, which I
think was just mostly like ha ha, he deserves it is when her
ex-husband and her were like walking out the front door from
something and he was waiting there and.
Like stop it. Her ex-husband was like, I'm
gonna drive you home like. It reminded me of love like the
Galaxy. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
That will get me every fucking time where like she realizes
something or she needs a ride and she's in a bind and she
exits whatever estate and he's waiting there for her.
Oh no, no, no, it get that was everything.
See drama crack. See drama crack.
So. Rewarding.
Love it it. It'll get me every time.
The moment where he starts stripping in the mines.
Yeah. And she's just looking at him.
She does not avert her eyes. I'm like same girl because what?
Stripping in the mines. Stripping in the mines, he was
like, oh, take my clothes then, because I think they were going
to take some clothes off a dead body and he stunk.
And she was like stunned, stunned to silence.
I love that part because he and then he gratuitous shots of him
and his like tiny little body, but he's like really toned and
yes. Yes, and his fighting shots,
like when he's practicing fighting shots.
Yeah, classic. C Drama.
I'm so glad you were. Introduced to, He'd just be
like, practicing in slow motion, yeah.
I. Think the hair's flowing?
I think we need to introduce Naz to Roule and his his scenes cuz
she'll never be the same again. Nothing.
The same. That's very true.
Oh man. Is Wooley Dylan Wong?
No, no, no. OK.
Those are two separate people. They're both great.
OK, because I know he OK, because I know he comes because
Dylan Wong has like he goes to buy another name too.
Right. Yeah.
So Dylan Wong's real name is Wong Hoody.
So that's his like, real name. And then they have like some
will have Weston Christian, so his.
Yeah, yeah. So his is Dylan Wong, but yeah,
his real name is Wong Hoody. No, we're like is a whole
different ballpark, like. Which drops of man be heven in?
Love like the Galaxy? OK, he loves like the Galaxy,
OK. Wooley Wooley's like, so a lot
of them choose like English names.
So you have Dylan Wong Wooley's English name is Leo Woo.
So that's his, that's his English name.
I know this guy. OK, OK, OK, yes, I recognize his
face. Yeah, so there's so many little
moments throughout this 40 episode journey that just speak
to their romance, that get you hype, that make you just excited
to see them interact some more throughout this revenge story.
I I didn't necessarily feel the lack of the skinship so I
thought it worked too. Was there anything else you guys
wanted to talk about? I.
Think. So no, no, I think we kept oh,
the one thing I wanted to talk about was real fast.
Che Feng Fei, even though she gets back her family, I loved
how she handles her second father, the Jiang Lee's father,
and their final interaction and how she kind of, I mean, he's
gone for like many episodes in the latter half of the show
because she puts the fear of God in him.
Like she basically says, you don't have my forgiveness if you
think that I am going to forgive you and forget everything that
happened over this decade of abuse that I didn't deserve.
It was totally unjust. You got another thing coming.
And he was like, I'll just give you some space.
Gone for like dozens of episodes, but their final
interaction was good because he confirmed what he already knew,
that his daughter had already died, right?
He killed his own daughter, essentially.
His agony was great. I thought that was a great
little montage that they put in there of him just collapsing and
then crying and wailing. He still, you know, accepts this
other woman like he still accepts Shreya Fengfey wants her
in the family. Obviously.
He's like, you can't tell anybody else, like the
grandmother's going to keel over.
You can't tell anybody. It stays between us.
But I really liked how they sort of kept this relationship and
that he still loved her and supported her.
And he has to carry that. I think like almost his
punishment is the fact that he has to carry that with him, that
he can't mourn his daughter only privately and only alone.
So I think that's like punishment in of itself for him
for not standing by his daughter's side.
I actually really enjoyed his character growth and how he kind
of this, you know, I saw what was truly important and kind of
stepped away from it all. So I really liked his character
as a whole. I think towards the edge.
Yeah, I agree. I will never.
Forget Naz finding out her father was alive.
I'm like sitting there on my couch and she's been like
messaging me as she's like watching the show and all of a
sudden I get a message. Her.
Father was alive this entire time.
Something like that I'll never forget.
Welcome to. Chinese dramas there, there's
always people that are alive, they're never quite dead.
Again, what's the rule? We always go with Asian dramas
if there is no body. Body, They're alive.
Yeah, they're alive. They're alive.
Oh yeah, I was shocked. What about the brother?
Were you shocked when the brother was the hostage?
I was more shocked. About the brother than I was
with the dad because I was I was adamant one of them had to have
been dead at some. .0 I see what you're saying.
But I you were like they. Can't possibly both.
Be alive exactly. Like I was more shocked about
the brother than the dad because I just assumed that I don't
know, again, there's no body that means they're not dead.
So I was like OK, both of them don't have bodies so one of them
has to be alive. And I was assuming she was going
to find the other one dead somewhere.
So I was more shocked about the brother than the dad personally.
I see. Well that's the end of my
thoughts. I have no notes you.
Must just say notes and you're like, wait, I don't have notes I
don't have. No notes.
I don't know what I'm saying. So that's it.
We're gonna we're gonna get out of here.
This is a great time with all three of you.
If you guys can say where you guys can be found online?
For me it's Tea and Soju pod on all the socials and Tea and Soju
podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts where you can find lots
of dramatry episodes and AS has been over there as well.
So that's me. And me, you can find me on
Instagram at Swoon Diaries pod and also my podcast.
You can listen to it wherever you listen to podcasts.
The Swoon Diaries podcast. And me, I have a blog and a
podcast with the same name of no sleep, the number 4 dramas, and
you can find me on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, now anywhere.
Thanks guys. Thank you guys so much for
coming on this show on the offseason to talk about a
Chinese drama, but. Thank you for having us.
This was so fun. I got this was a lot of fun
about Steve drama with the drama trio.
Exciting. Yeah, super exciting.
We got to have you on one more time.
See if there's another Steve drama you want to chat about.
Yes. Maybe just a heads up, we are
going to review Love Like the Galaxy next year, so believe
that they're for you. Oh my gosh.
You heard it here first, the little peek behind the curtain
out of the drama trio schedule for 2025.
Anyway, we're going to get out of here.
That's been our show. I'm Jessica and this has been
the Teba K Rambles podcast. Show me the shit.
None.