The Double (2024)

La vengeance d’une femme trahie

The Double met les femmes à l’honneur dans un drame alimenté par la vengeance et la justice. Malgré un début entraînant, le milieu devient long pour se terminer sur un final sans réels enjeux autres que dramatiques.

Dès le premier épisode, l'histoire plonge directement le téléspectateur au cœur de son intrigue lorsqu’on découvre Xue Fang Fei être victime d’une injustice. Accusée d’infidélité, son mari la tue (ou du moins, il pense l’avoir tué) et l’abandonne dans une tombe de fortune en pleine montagne. S’extirpant de sous terre, Xue Fang Fei prend l’identité de Jiang Lie et promet d’obtenir justice pour cette dernière et elle-même.

Au-delà de la vengeance, la première chose qui se démarque dans ce drame, c’est le développement des personnages. Chacun possède son histoire et les raisons les poussant à agir comme ils le font.

Tout d’abord, le Duc Su (Wang Xing Yue). D’une beauté cruelle, c’est un homme confiant, calme et stratège qui manie l’éventail avec finesse. Souvent vêtu de rouge, cela vient renforcer son aura dangereuse, mais aussi la douleur de son passé pour lequel il tente d’obtenir justice. Cependant, et malgré le fait qu’il soit un personnage principal, il reste plus effacé que la FL devenant secondaire dans la plupart des intrigues. Or, les hommes de ce drame n’avaient aucune chance face au Duc Su ! Et je ne suis pas tellement désolée pour eux, car il n’en fallait pas moins pour se tenir aux côtés de Xue Fang Fei.

Une femme en quête de vengeance est une thématique abordée plusieurs fois ces deux dernières années. Cela dit, c’est toujours intéressant de voir la façon dont elle sera traitée. Dès le premier épisode, l’histoire nous pousse vers un élan de sympathie pour Xue Fang Fei (Wu Jin Yan). Personnellement, j’aime les femmes en quête de vengeance. Elles sont souvent dangereuses, car rusées et imprévisibles. On dit souvent que se mettre entre une femme et sa vengeance est une mauvaise idée. Xue Fang Fei le démontre plus d’une fois en ayant toujours une sortie de secours lorsqu’elle se retrouve acculée.

C’est une femme audacieuse, mais sans jamais entrer dans une provocation gratuite ou de la grossièreté. Elle reste élégante et humble. Parfois théâtrale, mais le drame s’amuse justement avec le théâtre. Cela n’ajoute que plus de charme à l’histoire et à son personnage.

En plus des personnages principaux, deux autres se sont démarqués. Tout d’abord, la princesse Wan Ning (Li Meng). Une dominatrice égoïste, jouissant sans pudeur de son pouvoir afin de faire plier les genoux de Shen Yu Rong. Une obsession qu’elle nourrit depuis sa première rencontre avec lui. Peu importait qu’il était marié, elle le voulait, alors elle était prête à tout pour l’avoir.

Ensuite, Shen Yu Rong (Liang Yong Qi) est un personnage intéressant. Il refuse de bafouer son travail et de trahir l’Empereur. Malheureusement, le pauvre homme a abandonné la seule femme qui ne voulait pas l’utiliser. En fin de compte, Shen Yu Rong est un pantin dont on tire les ficelles sans vergogne. Si cela n’excuse en rien ses actes, c’est un personnage intelligemment mis en scène qui ne sert pas seulement de catalyseur.

En revanche, en raison de la multitude de sous-intrigues, on s’éloigne régulièrement de la quête de vengeance. Les chemins empruntés sont nombreux et parfois peu utiles – avec 40 épisodes au compteur, ça peut vite devenir long. Le milieu de l’histoire n’était pas nécessaire. Elle pouvait seulement sauver le concerné et rentrer à la capitale. Cette partie était trop longue et oubliée une fois rentrée, donc sans intérêt. De plus, la grande majorité des morts se sont accumulées sans susciter de réelles réactions (sauf deux, pour moi (le magistrat et la servante)).

« Les femmes subissent les conséquences de leurs erreurs alors que les hommes s’en sortent souvent avec une attitude insouciante. »
– Xue Fang Fei

D’une façon générale, le drame s’intéresse à l’oppression des femmes et aux abus dont elles sont victimes. Les femmes morflent dans The Double, mais cela ne devient pas un discours interminable sur les droits des femmes. C’est tout en subtilité avec des personnages forts et aux différentes motivations. Le tout accompagné d’une jolie mise en scène et d’une bande originale discrète et efficace.

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Sympathique mais manque d'originalité et sur-évalué

Avant la fin de diffusion du drama, cette série bénéficiait déjà de commentaires dithyrambiques et d'une super note avoisinant les 9. C'est une des raisons qui m'a donné envie de le regarder mais j'avoue que le visionnage ne m'a pas laissée aussi enthousiaste qu'une partie de l'audience, peut-être justement parce que j'en attendais trop. Bon j'imagine qu'avec le temps, les choses vont se rééquilibrer et que ce drama atteindra une note plus en adéquation avec la réalité.

C'est vrai que l'histoire est sympathique, les intrigues de vengeance sont toujours agréables à suivre, mais j'ai trouvé qu'ici, le scénario manquait d'originalité. Le coup de la FL qui prend l'identité de la fille d'un officiel important à la Cour (celle-ci, comme par hasard, a été exilée depuis l'enfance loin de la famille donc on ne sait pas à quoi elle ressemble, et elle décède bien opportunément), on l'a déjà vu dans Princess Weiyoung, avec tout ce que ça comporte d'incohérences (l'héroïne n'a jamais eu d'amis capable de la reconnaître une fois revenue dans la capitale ?). Les intrigues politiques et luttes de pouvoir, les officiels corrompus, les magouilles visant à rassembler de l'argent pour soutenir un coup d'Etat, la mine secrètement exploitée par des intérêt privés, le casino dont le patron à "l'oreille divine" sait d'avance sur quel chiffre le dé va tomber, c'est vu et revu. Le scénario ne fait que recycler des passages convenus pour les agencer dans un autre ordre. La seule nouveauté c'est que l'héroïne est encore mariée au salopard qui a tenté de la tuer, même si elle est officiellement déclarée morte, donc ce n'est plus une jeune fille pure et vierge mais une femme trahie dans sa chair par celui qui était censé la protéger et la soutenir.

C'est pourquoi, passé le 2ème tiers, j'ai commencé à m'ennuyer sévère. On passe beaucoup de temps à installer l'histoire et celle-ci fait beaucoup de détours pour arriver à sa conclusion, alors qu'elle aurait pu être davantage condensée. Par exemple, le fait que l'héroïne tente de passer un concours d'entrée dans une école renommée est sympathique mais ne sert pas à grand-chose, d'autant que le quatuor qu'elle forme avec d'autres étudiants avait tout pour être solide et intéressant, sauf que cette union aura peu d'importance sur le scénario vu qu'on ne s'intéressera plus trop à ses trois compagnons une fois ledit concours fini. C'est juste un passage obligé qui génère des attentes (une amitié indéfectible entre 4 personnes censées se soutenir et partager les hauts et les bas, ça produit toujours son effet dans les dramas) et finit par décevoir le public étant donné que c'est creux et mal exploité, et qu'on ne les voit plus vraiment ensemble par la suite à quelques exceptions près, qui durent à peine 30 secondes à l'écran. Même l'histoire d'amour entre le cousin et la copine d'école est mal fichue, on n'en verra pas grand chose. En tout cas vers le 30ème épisode ça a commencé à s'éterniser et à me gaver, au point que j'avais hâte que ça se termine.

Quant à la romance entre nos deux protagonistes, elle m'a accrochée au début mais mon intérêt a fini par diminuer au fur et à mesure des épisodes. D'une part parce que le ML n'a pas beaucoup de présence à l'écran comparé à la FL, d'autre part parce que malgré leur très bonne alchimie, la réalisation a osé couper leur 1er baiser tant attendu ! On nous chauffe à fond pendant une trentaine d'épisodes pour faire retomber le soufflé juste derrière, ce qui n'a aucun sens quand on sait qu'on a droit à deux autres scènes de baisers par la suite (certes sages, mais ils s'embrassent quand même... peut-être que c'était plus acceptable une fois le 1er époux disparu du paysage et leur mariage consommé ? Quoi qu'il en soit, plus je regarde des dramas chinois, moins j'ai de patience envers leur censure qui paraît ridicule à côté de ce qu'on trouve chez leurs voisins). Pour finir, je veux bien comprendre que la série a tenté d'être assez fidèle au roman (même s'ils ont changé certains trucs, apparemment) mais était-il nécessaire de nous gaver avec le dernier quart d'heure déconnecté du reste de l'intrigue ? On tremble inutilement pour le ML (va-t-il revenir de la guerre et retrouver sa femme ?), on est triste pour certains personnages ce qui gâche notre ressenti général qui était plutôt positif jusque-là, et on se fiche de nous avec la suggestion d'une romance entre deux personnages secondaires, simplement évoquée au détour d'une phrase dans l'épisode bonus alors que durant tout le drama ils ne se sont jamais rencontrés. Pour le coup ça m'a frustrée, j'aurais aimé voir cette romance secondaire se développer.

En conclusion, l'histoire reste agréable dans sa première moitié, elle nous happe assez rapidement, mais devient très vite convenue. Le casting joue bien, l'héroïne est forte et déterminée, le ML sexy en diable, la plupart des personnages sont suffisamment nuancés pour s'écarter des purs clichés, la photographie est belle et pour une fois j'ai apprécié l'OST, mais selon moi cela ne suffit pas à rattraper une intrigue qui finit par ressembler à ce qu'on a déjà vu et revu dans d'autres dramas. Les ingrédients sont les mêmes, on les a simplement mélangés autrement pour nous faire croire que la recette est différente. Au final, rien de nouveau sous le soleil.

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Her Second Chance - a fight for justice

The Double (in my opinion) has rightfully earned a top spot among the recently aired historical/periodical Cdramas (on par with Love Like the Galaxy and Kunning Palace). It is a suspenseful story that follows the female lead on her journey towards revenge as she makes friends and finds the true love of her life. Both the female and male leads make intelligent decisions (for the most part) as the story progresses, hooking the audience from start to finish.

Adapted from the Chinese novel “Marriage of the Di Daughter”, The Double stars Wu Jinyan and Wang Xingyue, both of whom have starred in many successful dramas. Firstly, please allow me to say that their age gap was not a problem. In fact, after watching The Double, I can’t imagine anyone else as Xue Fangfei and Xiao Heng. Their chemistry was simply this strong and is reflected in the satisfaction of nearly all viewers. 

The Double was not on my Plan-to-Watch list. In fact, I was skeptical to even begin the drama. What’s so special about some revenge/identity change drama? But there is just so much to talk about, from the plot and production to the acting and characters. After the female lead, Xue Fangfei grasps this second chance to live, she grips it firmly and doesn’t let go, determined to find justice for all who were wronged. We follow XFF on her journey towards justice for her family and powerless civilians as she gains support from those around her. She takes on Jiang Li’s identity, seeking revenge for both herself and the girl who should’ve lived a carefree life as a daughter of the Jiang family, hence the name of the drama. XFF shows us that there is hope in anything we do, as long as we are still alive and hold the motivation and strong belief. She suffers tremendously but fights for her eventual happiness. 

What I particularly like about this drama are the complexities of many of the characters. There’s really much more than meets the eye, and we get to see the backstories of a few of the villains. While I do wish that the director/producer allocated more screen time to the main couple, it was quite interesting to learn more about Princess Wanning and Ji Shuran, though I still think that some scenes were unnecessary, such as some between Wanning and Shen Yurong. (it’s also important to know that Chinese regulations have set a max number of eps to 40, so scenes should be chosen carefully). Some were disappointed with the ending, as it seemed a bit rushed and unfinished. However, the ending scene in Episode 40 makes it much more memorable, with XFF’s billowing red gown and XH riding on his horse to his wife.  And be sure to watch the extra episodes that the leads just filmed a few days ago! It wraps everything up nicely. (ugh, I just wish dramas could go over 40 eps…)

Compared to other historical dramas, The Double’s romance is much more slow-burning. However, there’s a lot of flirting between the leads and I find myself always forward to their dialogues, no matter how brief they are. The leads’ interactions in the first half of the drama were also quite amusing to watch. XFF constantly asks Xiao Heng for favors, to which he easily agrees. Xiao Heng is known throughout the capital as a ruthless duke who should not be meddled with, but XFF treats him differently. Throughout the drama, there are numerous details (faint but noticeable) that suggest Xiao Heng’s increasing interest in Xue Fangfei. She is originally regarded as a pawn who puts on amusing shows for Xiao Heng to watch but soon becomes so much more important to him.

Another special aspect between the leads is the mutual trust and respect. Xue Fangfei knows that she can trust Xiao Heng no matter what, and he thinks the same about her. While there are supporting characters who are attracted to the leads, they aren’t a roadblock in the leads’ relationship and actually become more loveable. I loved watching the strong friendships form between Xue Fangfei, Ye Shijie, Jiang Jingrui, and Liu Xu. They have such different personalities yet end up becoming each other’s greatest supporters. The bromance between the emperor and Xiao Heng also remains strong from start to finish. The emperor was thoughtful and warmhearted but also remained alert; he is a ruler I would support. So many supporting characters made the drama fun to watch: On top of Tong’er and XFF’s new friends, Lu Ji and Wen Ji were Xiao Heng’s most loyal subordinates and Wen Ji was especially funny. And we don’t want to forget about the villains, who are people that can easily be hated to the bone (especially Shen Yurong, ew). Actors embodied their characters to the fullest extent. Liang Yongqi as SYR really gave off lifeless vibes to the point that I was questioning if his eyes were this lifeless irl. (In reality, he’s a funny boy who enjoys his iced coffees, lol!) Wang Xingyue told stories with his eyes (and bless the eyeliner) and Wu Jinyan completely stepped up into her role as a girl determined to help the righteous. The way WJY runs in her outfit is absolutely stunning as well. She’s received so many hateful comments over the years regarding her acting but has proven the haters wrong with this drama. 

In terms of production, the costumes and sets were gorgeous. Duke Su was [perfectly] fierce and handsome wearing his red wardrobe, while Xue Fangfei’s lighter-colored attire matched her elegance and intelligence at the Gu Zheng and chessboard. The women’s hairstyles were intricately decorated with beautiful hairpins and other ornaments, and it was my first time seeing the pearl makeup look (inspired by the Song Dynasty). Camera angles were chosen masterfully and the blossom scenes were particularly memorable. It was fun to watch Duke Su fight the majority of his battles with his fan, and his constant “A’Li’s” (definitely not fangirling). 

All in all, The Double may just be the drama of this summer (there always seems to be one or two summer dramas that captivate viewers, and I’m certain this is the one for 2024). On top of the beautiful costumes, loveable/hateable supporting characters, and swoon-worthy moments between the leads, the drama emphasizes the fight for justice. It is an intriguing revenge drama with a slow yet strong love story.

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Revenge drama done right, thrilling and satisfying

Revenge is one of the most common genres used in dramas, but The Double stood out because it never lost focus and strayed from its main revenge theme. Too many revenge shows started off strong but lost their way when romance became the central point. To add salt to injury, smart leads suddenly became love brain and lost all common sense, or even worse, any ounce of intelligence that they used to have.

Not this show.

Oh, there was definite romance, one so tantalizing and the build up of our lead couple's relationship so engaging that it set my heart aflutter even when there were no kisses for most of the show. However, the plot stayed on course, showing how our female lead, Xue Fang Fei slowly but surely got revenge for herself and her family, and also for her savior, Jiang Li whose identity she assumed after getting a second chance at life. Furthermore, the crew and cast, from the director, the screenwriters to the leads and supporting actors, they owned this show, expressing the story with their own unique voices and perpectives.

Revenge is visceral, evoking deep feelings and grabbing our attention. Viewers hate to see a grave injustice go unpunished and most of us can get behind a little vigilante action in our dramas, especially when we get to watch the deeply wronged victim avenged. In this show, the injustices were montrous and I find it completely justifiable for Xue Fang Fei to seek out the people who so badly betrayed her and wronged Jiang Li. The drama unfolded well, ensuring that the viewers formed an emotional bond with the characters, getting outraged, wanting revenge as much as Xue Fang Fei did.

What is great about Xue Fang Fei was that she was truly likable, a protagonist who had most viewers firmly in her corner, rooting for her. She was of course full of rage but she was not one-dimensional, driven only by revenge. I would not have been surprised if Xue Fang Fei felt the desire to overstep moral boundaries, not caring about others, but she almost always exercised a degree of restraint, trying not to harm the innocent as she carried out her elaborate plans of punishment. She reflected on everything including seeking justice for Jiang Li, even prioritizing Jiang Li's retribution first. Even when she had a love interest as enigmatic and attractive as Duke Su, she stayed on the revenge course. There were moments when she wavered, foiled by the villains' scheming but she always managed to recover and retaliate beautifully. Even better was how she considered the interests of Duke Su, protecting and helping him in her own way. Xue Fang Fei was a female lead worthy of respect.

Duke Su or Xiao Heng, now he was a drool-worthy male lead. Powerful, skilled, intimidating while being gorgeously green flag. What I love about this character was his interesting dualities. Xiao Heng will tease, and be all assertive and domineering but also be so attentive via his acts of services and care. I enjoyed watching this cocky, confident and composed man stay consistently that way and yet was also clearly a great partner to Xue Fang Fei under all that so called posturing. The thing is that he was really all that, but he made sure that Xue Fang Fei knew that they were equals, that she owed him nothing and most importantly, she should live her own life for herself, and no one else. Not even him.

The show hit the jackpot with our lead couple! As individual characters, they were endearing and as a couple, they were a force of nature. I appreciate the consistent portrayal of both leads, who did not suddenly lose brain cells or rationality just because they fell in love. They were sensible and intelligent enough to come to the right conclusions about each other's actions. Gotta love a show where there were no tropey prolonged misunderstandings.

While some may think the romance too slow-burn and lacked passionate acts of love, I find it tantalizing and meaningful. It reminded me of myself experiencing the thrill of a love interest, getting to know the person, developing feelings, finally falling in love and wanting to protect. The interactions between the leads was packed with chemistry and emotions, showing how from enemies, they've become friends and finally lovers. There were no official moment of when they finally got together. Even when Xiao Heng confessed with just two lines, it was more of an acknowledgement of how they were already one. This is one show when waiting for the full culmination of the leads' love will be worth it. The last and special episodes nailed that.

Wu Jin Yan as Xue Fang Fei and Wang Xin Yue as Xiao Heng were excellent. The directors' use of close up shots was very effective and all I can say is that these two can really act with their eyes and facial expressions. I am so impressed with the lead actors and also the supporting cast. There were so many times when I thought that the directors must be amazing to inspire and draw out so much emotion from the individual actors. Speaking of the cast, it was a very attractive set of actors who can act including the villains.

The array of villains was an interesting mix. At first I thought the earlier ones were caricaturish, almost one dimensional but as the plot developed and revealed more of the backgrounds, I understood that there were a lot more angles and aspects to these antagonists. They were shown in different lights, evoking sympathy and at times doubt. All the female ones were victims of circumstances in the beginning but ultimately decided to take control of their fates by choosing the paths of self-interest that made them into villains in some form or another. Joe Chen deserved a shout-out. She clearly had the female lead aura which drew eyes to her when she was on the screen. Not so much the actress playing Princess Wanning, there was just something off about her expressions.

The best part though is that who we thought were the worst villains turned out to be victims and the ones who perhaps evoked sympathy in the beginning ended up being the ultimate evil ones. I enjoyed the twists introduced in this drama.

Another aspect that the show did well was its pacing. The show did not end up dragging on way too long or climaxing too soon. The revenge and romance kept me invested until the end. Watching karma do its thing provided a nice catharsis, the final release of tension that led to satisfaction. With the great OST, beautiful costumes and setting, excellent cinematography, this show is worthy of its excellent rating if not higher.

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All the world's a stage.

The Double is a dark and melodramatic soap opera about revenge and regret. It is a soap opera to end all soap operas in terms of high theatrics, spinning hussies, piercing death glares, shocking twists and the sweet, savage satisfaction of retribution. To best enjoy this, don't look too hard at it as the narrative is littered with logic and plot holes and absurdly dramatic, historically impossible scenes. The male lead Duke Su flirts with breaking the fourth wall repeatedly to urge us to just watch the play, a reminder that all the world's a stage and we should just suspend disbelief.

Xue Fangfei, the most elegant and cultured lady in the capital, is cruelly betrayed and dumped in a shallow grave. She is rescued by Jiang Li, the Chancellor's daughter who is wrongly condemned and banished by her family to a convent. Fangfei assumes Jiang Li's identity and returns to the capital; vowing to clear both their names and make their enemies pay. She is aided by the enigmatic and powerful Duke Su who helps her because she intrigues him and could prove useful to him down the road. The romance that develops between them unfolds at a leisurely pace as they each have high stakes agendas that predictably converge.

Duke Su must be be every scorned woman's ultimate fantasy "consolation" prize. This magnificent specimen of manhood is highly born, tall, dark, handsome, powerful, and with a diabolical mind to match Xue Fangfei's. The icing on the cake is this sexy beast that wields a fan more effectively than a sword does not come saddled with nasty in-laws. Wang Xingyue's potent portrayal of Duke Su is spot on from the tinge of humor that belies his stern expression, his double entendre laced dialogues to how in unguarded moments his eyes devour Xue Fangfei with almost indecent longing. Despite the seductive build up and combustive chemistry between the main leads, the ultimate pay-off to their slow burn courtship falls far short of wild and wicked and only delivers a chaste candle-gate moment.

Even though I shipped Duke Su and Xue Fangfei immediately, I appreciate how Fangfei takes the time to rage, to mourn her loss and to get closure so that she can properly move on. To me, Wu Jinyan obviously looks older than Wang Xingyue, butI think this casting makes sense. Xue Fangfei is a woman who lost everything; her reputation, her lover, her entire family. That kind of shocking devastation would age anyone tremendously and Wu Jinyan's ravaged, strained and wild wide-eyed expression in the early episodes is brilliantly in character. The narrative does not shy away from presenting her marriage as one that had depth and substance. Thus they are still in perfect unison when they play their haunting duet; a song of profound loss, resentment and regret. Wu Jinyan plays the avenging angel so perfectly I got unholy enjoyment out of watching Shen Yurong squirm knowing that Xue Fangfei, who knows him better than he knows himself, is coming for him.

Shen Yurong is a character that I find hard to be that angry with because as it turns out, his perfidy results in such a massive upgrade for Xue Fangfei. Liang Yongqi really slays in this complex role of a promising, rising young official who catches the eye of the wrong woman and ends up betraying his ideals. He is quite a pitiful creature who trades in domestic bliss for living dangerously at the beck and call of an abusive, insecure and bat-shit crazy spinning shrew that his own dear mother pimps him out to. I can't decide if I pity him or despise him more. Because in truth, he already lost the moment he chose to betray his muse and the love of his life. The moment of peak retribution is when it dawns upon him what a prize he lost and is forced to face the limits of his own character. I thoroughly enjoyed how the narrative peels away the many layers of hypocrisy, ambition, sophistry and duplicity to reveal a weak, impotent coward who lacked the courage of his convictions. To me, this is the most complex and best acted role in this drama.

Even though I have high praise for Li Meng's portrayal of the deranged Wanning, I have little sympathy for this character or her shocking villain origin story. Victimhood does not entitle her to help herself to someone else's husband or kill with such impunity. When she had power and free will, she chose to be King Cheng's pawn, no one forced her. Likewise, I have no sympathy for Ji Shuran or her choices. In general, I dislike these attempts to whitewash villains or somehow rationalize their wicked ways. Bad stuff happened to Xue Fangfei and Jiang Li as well. But they looked for justice without turning into monsters as a result. While Xue Fangfei's revenge, if you can even call it that is very satisfying, Jiang Li's left me feeling bereft. Ultimately Xue Fangfei is a character that lost nothing and gained everything. It is Jiang Li who is truly the injured party and even though she is vindicated, all the king's horses and all the king's men can't put her together again.

Despite the addictive start, this drama loses momentum by episode 30. The storytelling lingers too long on weakest Jiang family plots arcs. They are boring and unoriginal, borrowing heavily from what were also weak arcs in Princess Weiyoung. Jiang Li's cousins are archetypal characters that were not complicit in Jiang Shuran's treachery. I find it unfathomable the drama chose to focus on their tawdry squabble over a callow rogue instead of uncovering the many layers of the far more fascinating Duke Su. As a result, this character with so much early promise ends up not as well developed as Shen Yurong and Wanning. To add insult to the injury, almost as an after thought, he is featured front and center in a baffling truncated half episode final arc that serves up gratuitous angst and some unearned and unjustified pin-cushioning of good characters. It is nothing short of a grift to squeeze money from viewers for a mundane glimpse of domestic bliss. As far as I am concerned this drama ends where it should a bit past the halfway point of the final episode. All the rest is dross.

This is a super addictive soap opera that doesn't hold up under close scrutiny. Where it excels is in serving up high drama and angst with super cool and satisfying but absurd vignettes that don't necessarily advance the plot. Nonetheless I was happy to rate this better than 8.5 until it started to sag and waffled into a lame and wishy washy ending that leaves me no choice but to call it an 8.0/10.0.

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A Shakespearean Genius of a Drama

Shakespeare wrote these lines:
"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts."

"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em."

"O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!"

"My brain more busy than the labouring spider. Weaves tedious snares to trap mine enemies."

And these words are apt to describe the world of The Double, a drama about betrayal, intrigue and revenge. The forty episodes go by fast. Everyone is acting a part or is a part of a scheme. There are movers and shakers (or they think they are) and there are pawns. By the end of the drama, each main character has fulfilled their version of the Shakespearean quotes I gave above.

The characters started simple enough--a wife, a cowardly husband, a debonair high-ranking duke, intrusive and selfish family members, royal bickering, evil princess. However, as the story moved forward, each layer was peeled off and the characters became Shakespearean in their clever verbal sparring, motives, and for some, a slow descension into madness.

The Plot in a Nutshell
The story begins with a woman, Xue Fang Fei, a woman of Talent (cai nue), who loved her scholar husband so deeply, she had suppressed the whole personality to be just a wife, supporting his scholarly ambition with many sacrifices, including pawning her personal property. However, after he became an Imperial Scholar, he (and his family) betrayed her with rape, humiliation (loss of reputation) and finally, the man who professed to love her, whacked her on the head and buried her alive.

Xue Fang Fei survived and was saved by Jiang Li, the daughter of a minister who had been sent to a nunnery-like place for troubled women, also by her own family. Jiang Li had also been suffered from injustice and was bullied. Shortly after, Jiang Li died and Xue Fang Fei assumed her identity and started her journey to avenge Jiang Li and herself.

The Characters
This is the best part of the drama. Every character was memorable and unique. Our heroine, XFF/JiangLi played everyone like a chess game, yet she was also a pawn piece for Duke Su, who had been playing a long political game with various court family factions. XFF/JL first intrigued him, then his interest grew as he realized the dangerous game she herself was playing. Duke Su loved watching plays and this "Jiang Li" was fast becoming his favorite play. So he interfered (and aided) with her plans over and over and through much verbal sparring, the two started the world's slowest burning romance. The chemistry between the two were SIZZLING HOT--the way their eyes met, the puns with words like Qi (chess) with Qi (wife), the progression from sharing of cups to intimate clothing without ever once any actual romantic moment had this viewer laughing and squeeing like a young girl reading her first romance.

KUDOS to WJY and WXY for their portrayal of the amazingly resilient and smart XFF/JiangLi and the crafty and deliciously debonair (every entrance he made was grand) Duke Su and his fan (oh, that fan). WJY as the sincere, eloquent, determined and vengeful, yet at the same time vulnerable XFF/JiangLi was a master class of acting. WXY had such stage presence that, even though his scenes were limited, he commanded everyone's attention and totally owned all the ladies' hearts. Every move he made was perfect , from the narrowing his eyes to the micro-expressions, to the callouses on his hands when he caressed Jiang Li's hand.

The two characters who ultimately stole the show were Shen Yu Rong (the ex? husband) and the Evil Crazy Princess who had corrupted him. I'm going to warn you that the Director had a hard-on for SYR. He had given this villain so much depth, one could end up caught in his web of self-deception. Shen was a villain and also a tragic figure, blinded by power and a need to prove himself the stronger man. Through that one act of ridding his wife, he lost all the happiness he had before becoming the Princess' dog. His final descension into total self-absorbed power-madness was mesmerizing on the screen. Like, I said, the Director had it bad for SYR.

The Evil Princess was also another revelation. She was totally villainous and just as blind to the fact that she wasn't as in control as she had thought. She remained a pawn for all the men around her and her final realization of how she'd lost the game to XFF (she took the latter's man but couldn't make him love her) was tragic to watch.

KUDOS to the two actors' portrayal of these two villains.

BIG SPOILER
If you just want the best ending to this slow-burn romance, watch Episode 40 and stop at Minute 31:16 (or thereabouts). The events after that are stupid and unnecessary. Click Off at that point and just go to the extra half an episode, 40.5, that they shot as fan service of the two lovers. I took off .5 because of the way it ended after Minute 31:16.

I highly recommend this drama if you enjoy twists and turns, clever manipulations and characters with layers. The acting is superb. The script is great. The director wanted to be artsy and framed many scenes like a stage (curtain on top, side panels/pillars, railing at bottom). An example is the Evil Princess room/hallway scenes. The zoom-ins can be very distracting as the characters look straight at the camera, breaking the fourth wall. The closeups are too close, cutting off the top of heads in MANY shots. I'm not sure why the director decided to do this. Eh. Stupid choice, in my opinion, because the shots were jarring. Overall, the cinematography was gorgeous when needed, but not overly expansive. The costumes (esp on Duke Su!) was really beautiful.

If nothing else, watch Duke Su, Duke Su, Duke Su. His fan. His eyeliner. His voice when he says "A'Li," his whipped-puppy expression when his lady love called him "Xiao Heng." That is all.

Lire davantage

The Most Satisfying Revenge Arc in C-Drama History

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Eye candy and empty calories…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Double Trouble Power Couple: Pawn & Wife

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lire davantage

A slow paced revenge; quite well planned tho!

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

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

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

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


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

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

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


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

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

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

Lire davantage

First Ever Review For a Drama well deserved

This drama came out of the blue for me. I was on a drama drought and randomly clicked on this not really expecting anything.
However, after the first episode, I was hooked. Despite initial annoyance with the constant close-ups and weird directing, I gradually adapted, and it became a unique signature of the show. Now, let's delve into the details.

Characters: 10/10
- Xue Fang Fei/Jiang Li (FL) - This is a female-centric revenge drama centered around Xue Fang Fei. I had seen the FL in "Yanxi Palace" and thought she did a wonderful job there, but her acting has improved significantly in this drama. Her crying scenes are especially moving. Xue Fang Fei, known as a "Chai Nui," is clever and talented in literature, arts, and crafts. She proves her title throughout the show. Despite her intelligence, she has flaws, notably being overly emotional, especially when dealing with her trauma. Considering her experiences—betrayal by her lover, false accusations, family deaths, and near-death—it’s understandable that she would be emotional. Ignoring this would strip her of her humanity and turn her into a Mary Sue, which thankfully, the show avoids. I appreciate that she knows she's not perfect and is open to feedback. For example, when the ML tells her she’s been too emotional lately, she agrees and tries to improve, yet she stands her ground and fights for what matters.

- Duke Su/Xiao heng (ML) - Wang Xing Yue’s portrayal of Duke Su is a pleasant surprise. Duke Su is charismatic, charming, stylish, mysterious, and has a way with words. Despite having less screen time than the FL, every scene with him is impactful. He initially seems cold and nonchalant, but soon reveals a gentle and considerate side. Unlike many dramas where the ML is only kind to the FL, Duke Su shows kindness to everyone he cares about, including his sidekicks and the emperor. This adds depth to his character and makes him refreshing. He is, without a doubt, the green-ist walking red flag there is.

Antagonists: The show features some of the most intriguing antagonists, each with depth and well-written backstories. They are not evil for the sake of being evil. Here are the main three:
- Princess WangNing: She probably has the saddest backstory of all the villains. She was sent as a hostage, and the trauma from that experience turned her into the unstable princess we see in the show. Despite her cruel actions and seeing others' lives as beneath her, deep down, she just wants to be loved wholeheartedly and live a normal life. However, she knows she'll never have that, so she sabotages other people's lives to cope with her own pain. Li Meng played this role brilliantly, making her a villain that you can't help but appreciate, despite hating her actions.

- Stepmother Ji ShuRan: Imagine the typical evil stepmother character, but played by a veteran actress who brings this trope to life. Joe Chen did an outstanding job in this role, making you despise Ji ShuRan for all the evil things she does. Although she was a victim herself, she chose a destructive path, causing immense pain to the real Jiang Li and ruining the happiness of the Jiang family.

- Ex-Husband Shen Yu Rong: Wow. I've never seen a more complicated antagonist. Throughout the show, there were moments I was unsure if he was a villain or just a cowardly man acting as the princess' puppet. His character is complex, ridden with guilt, and a brilliant mind wasted on cowardice. He constantly deflects responsibility, blaming his choices on his rough upbringing, and refuses to acknowledge his wrongdoings. Once a righteous man, he has now turned evil.
We also have interesting and fun support characters in the show, but too many to get into details.

Chemistry: 1000/10
The chemistry between the leads, WJY and WXY, is phenomenal. Despite minimal physical contact, their interactions are electric. The push and pull, eye contact, wordplay, and mutual understanding create an intense and palpable connection. They exhibit one of the healthiest relationships I’ve seen in a couple. There are no misunderstandings; both the ML and FL are intelligent and communicate effectively, showing a tactical understanding of each other. They are strong characters who complement each other without overshadowing one another. Discussions about the actors' real-life age gap are irrelevant, as they convincingly portray their characters' love.

OST: 10/10
The soundtrack is superb, fitting the drama's theme perfectly. I'm waiting for the full sound track to get released in spotify.

Cinematography/ Directing: 8/10
The beautiful sets and backgrounds sometimes suffer from awkward camera angles. Abrupt cut scenes and black fade-outs can be jarring. The director's fondness for close-ups took time to get used to, but it eventually became a distinctive feature. The artistic approach to intimate scenes, though unconventional, worked well due to the leads' chemistry.

Overall enjoyment: 1000/10
This show definitely quenched my drama drought, but now I am left wanting more. The development between our leads was the highlight for me. The revenge storyline was also satisfying, especially seeing the villains get their deserved retribution. Despite its flaws, the fast pace, well-written dialogues, incredible chemistry, intriguing villains, enjoyable side characters, and engaging plot make this a definite rewatch in my book.

Ending: ITS A HAPPY ENDING.
I know people are debating the ending of this show, but even before the extra episode content, the FL mentioned in an interview that it’s a happy ending. Since the story is from her perspective, it’s clear that the ending aligns with her view. Additionally, the drama is based on a novel that ended with the FL reuniting with the ML and having a daughter, making the extra content canon even if it was a last-minute decision to film. Even if we ignore the extra - The drama follows the FL's point of view, showing that she achieved her's and JL's revenge. Her family is alive and well. Her father recovered, her brother is with JiuYue, and her best friends are happy. She not only restored her original family but also gained a new one. She found the true love of her life and married him. So, even if XH had died (which he didn't), the main plot revolves around revenge and retribution. XH also got his revenge and reconciled with his grandfather. Apart from his two sidekicks dying in the last scene, this ending is undeniably a happy one from the story’s perspective.

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