The Double (2024)

Not upto the expectations based on the book

I have reduced my rating just because of the last few episodes as I have thoroughly enjoyed the book.

I enjoyed OST, production, performance of mostly everyone in the series.. So many good things, but ending collapsed it all.

Many things have not been done reasonably (different from book),
1. Xue Fangfeng - Did not prove her innocence
2. Concubine Li - Did not have to be colored with goodness.
3. Relationship between Xiao Feng and Situye - no need to have been romanticized.
4. Princess Wanning - Not made pure Evil as in the book
5. Longwu Army - Did not have to be played like this
6. Shen Yurong - Need not have this much importance
7. Rebirth of Xue Fangfeng - not explained properly..
8. Subordinates of Xiao Feng / Jiang Lo - Unnecessary sad ending
9. Jiang Yuanbai - Need not have been uplifted from a Careless dad to caring dad

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Theatrical, addictive & dramatic revenge play

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Good, but easily could have been better.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The last things I’ll address:

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

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

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

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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.

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Hands Down: the best Chinese drama ever??

The main female lead is not just well-written; she's a force to be reckoned with. The chemistry between the male and female leads is electric, often speaking volumes with just a glance. The characters are consistent in their motives, and the story is well-paced. The supporting cast, from the ex-husband to the stepmother, is perfectly chosen, adding layers of depth to the storyline. It's rare to find a show where you're genuinely invested in the characters' next moves, but this one nails it. The fate of Jiang Li's and Xue Fangefei’s fathers and the journey of her stepsister, Jiang Ruo, are compelling as well. The entire soundtrack, including the waltz-like piano instrumental, is a cherry on top.

One of the character's deaths was also pretty emotional; I can't remember the last time I felt so many emotions in a drama.

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Revenge, dragged through the mud, Xiao Heng, potentially 2024's hottest stud--

First of all, I deeply apologize for the little piece of poetry that you had to read just now. I promise I'm sober as I'm writing this.

Right when I thought (personal opinion) 2024 is turning up a bit dry compared to last year in terms of c-dramas, The Double came blazing though that barren field (personal opinion) with smoke and mirrors because I didn't even know about its existence until people began to talk about it upon its premiere.

Truthfully, for the first 20 episodes, I treated this drama like my topmost obsession. Equally clever (and sexy af) main leads with explosive chemistry and slow-burn romance? Check. A boiling hot yet calculative revenge against tremendously evil individuals? Check. Goosebumps-inducing soundtracks with gorgeous cinematography? Also, check. It seemed like the drama had pretty much everything going well for it. I loved the atmosphere, the revenge that was brewing slowly but surely and most of all-- I was all knee-deep and beyond thrilled for the romance to ACTUALLY happen because the sexual tension between the leads, in contrary to what prejudices and biased thoughts people tend to have towards actors who have a 5+ years age-gap, was nothing short of HAWT.

But, all of that was-- like I'd mentioned-- were my thoughts for the first 20-30 episodes. Although I knew it was still heavily flawed with moments of unnecessary off-putting humor that didn't exactly do what it was probably supposed to do, a filler-y story arc or two on which a good number of episodes were wasted on and a bunch of nonsensical stuff-- I still enjoyed it mostly for what it was. Until after episode 30, when I began to become a bit... tired of it?

By the moment they reached the climax of the long-planned revenge, I guess I'd lost my patience. I couldn't care less about how it would end for the antagonists because when you push the suspense too hard, it tends to crack. In this case, it definitely cracked. At least, for me. Plot becoming dry and draggy due to too many episodes is a common issue among Chinese dramas, and unfortunately, The Double is no exception. I feel like it would've benefitted greatly if they excluded a couple parts of the whole show that didn't necessarily need to be there.

Fine. Besides my faltering enjoyment for this drama towards the end of its run, I still think this drama was pure mindless entertainment. Very over-the-top, very soap opera, too convenient. If you pull out your brain plug by a bit, you'll find it entertaining too. Also, a quick little appreciation for the acting from pretty much the entire cast of this drama. Like, I can't even bring out a particular actor's name to praise them separately because I thought everyone equally gave their all into this. They served like their rent was DUE. The fantastic OSTs gave each scene that extra impact and spice, while the visually pleasing cinematography that well-utilized the characters' clothing, hair, accessories and the set designs brought everything together. The budget of production wasn't high, but they don't let you notice that. Kudos to that.

IN CONCLUSION, despite of the heavy flaws that make this drama far FAR from being the masterpiece it was actually never supposed to be, it's still highly entertaining for most of it. Imperfect drama, but PERFECT for a one-time watch ^^

Last but not least... You and your stylish array of hand fans will always be famous, Xiao Heng/Duke Su.

*SPOILER SPOILER*
That last episode was full of shit lmaoooo

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And maybe I'll pretend I never saw the end(last 2 eps) !

A note to myself - enjoy while it lasts ...not everything has to have a perfect ending !

So the much awaited journey comes to an end and it was pretty much a train wreck but as much as I loved this show, that deeply it has inflicted upon me that endings are often not that beautiful as the journey ! This review is for those who appreciate a critical examination of art, even if it means challenging their favorites. For those who might struggle with differing viewpoints, perhaps a lighter genre would be more enjoyable right now.

So the show is about the most illogical things of all time - someone pretending to be someone else for revenge and that too in front of a whole fucking town and they buy it ! and so will you ! I promise you will !
As nonsensical as it sounds that's what it is -- but let me sing to the glory of this show -

Top notch Aesthetics that scream oh you need to stare at it again ! - How they use clothes - they have given a new meaning to it and it's no more just props it's got life !
The amazing portrayal of women -- oh man the cameraman gave them wings !!
Chemistry that gives you butterflies ! -they stare at each other and you go crazy toppling and turning on your bed !
Villains that make you loathe them - curse them you'll wany to kill them without a thought -- but they have great backstories and motivations for the things they did - disgustingly good as can be said.
The characters the props - you'll love everything about it down to the details - as we take up on each and everything one by one you'll love it more with each ep until you won't be able to forgive the makers for what they do to you --

Let's talk about our very hot "ALL TALK NO SHOW" most charming gege who loves "side eyes" and "taking a seat" every time we fucking hope for him to flip a fan at the very least but i think fan was just the most charming prop who's master never got around delivering to his potential !
Look first thing he waited till the water went above the head and when my patience was taking last breaths -- our poison princess fought better than Duke Su! (yes I said it ) !
I mean what was that fight even (with king's brother)- like for a min atleast I wanted to see that strong man I had been dreaming of - ERROR 404 - NOT FOUND !

My dearest assistants of duke su I am sorry the writers and makers did that to you ! you two deserve all my love for never disappointing me... man I am so mad to even feel bad -- they were too good to just die of random arrows ! Imma pretend they still alive and they be asking - my lord are you going to or should i do it !

i mean to think about it SYR and XFF spend more time together than Duke Su and Li or should say XFF spends more time in SYR's arms in the last eps than duke su in all the eps combined ! SFUODSBLBVJNDFLXN!
and that candle light kiss -- oh my out of the world cinematography I love how you make me hate a candle!

And don't remind me of that king pls - what in the tomfoolery was that person - to protect him who does nothing exactly in the show we have so many people sacrificing ! I mean that consort li has a better role than him and for fucks sake she did die amazingly oh brave women !
and not to mention even the maids and gardener's have more role than him - i wanted to say curtains too but then you'd just say I was being mean and wouldn't believe me !

Lets talk about the best of the lot -- Wanning there you girl - you shattered my heart into pieces you deserved every bit of torture but it was not for you to die like this and make me love you ! - the best end served !

Now my girl A Li - my double edged sword my heart breaks for everything you have suffered and I am so proud of everything you have done -- tho your humor was not my taste but your strategy was until you began your patriotic speech in the middle of a war ! making the show all more miserable ! - I love how you think of JL and the dead girl pops up from her grave I believe you even then but you tell me how am I to buy it that you shoot SYR twice in front of a whole army that is under SYR's command who's job is to protect him -? i mean that's what I think the seal means - or was i just delusional ?

Let me not go around rubbing salt on your wounds with poor Tong Er dying to serve no purpose and that absolute insane of dance , what was that even... not to mention they don't even look at the direction of voice coming from - let alone how they mimic a kid and the way to find if a person is possessed or not is a debate between that person and that monk !

ps . If I have to go on nitpicking on everything in the name of logic I should stfu and not watch dramas - there, said it for you. !

but again as much as I love how wanning's arc ended ..I hate how other characters were treated -And the thing is that the deeds of the dead are not going to speak from the grave ...why was anything not handled officially but then again the king was for tomfoolery !

and tho I hate to admit I must say ---
I LOVED IT TO EVERY BIT DOWN !

AND I HOPE A LOT MORE DRAMAS LIKE THIS ARE MADE !!!

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You have seen my love, It's time for my vengeance and justice to be served..

The Double is a fantastic drama to watch in the first half of 2024. It's entertaining enough to keep you hooked to it. It did justice to the thriller and revenge genre.

Overview of Plot:-

The Double tells the tale of the lady who was betrayed by her love and buried alive with a ruined reputation, Xue Fangfei. The man she gave her all betrayed her in the hard times for some despicable excuses. She crawled out her grave and assumed the identity of second daughter of Jiang Family to take her revenge and seek justice for herself and the real Jiang Li.

Key Characters:-

Xue Fangfei/Jiang Li (Wu Jin Yan):- The daughter of Magistrate Xue, Xue Fangfei renowned as the most talented lady in the capital. She is also known with two other names, Xue Li and A'Li. She fell in love and married a poor scholar Shen Yu Rong. She loved him wholeheartedly and supported him with all she has. Yet, her love was betrayed, her reputation was ruined, she was tortured and her hope was scattered. Despite her innocence she was buried alive, abandoned in that cold place alone by her beloved husband without giving her the reason for not trusting her, without giving her the reason of all her sufferings, without giving her the reason of the betrayal of her unconditional love.

Xiao Heng/Duke Su (Wang Xing Yue):- Duke Su, the right hand man of Emperor of Great Yan, an incredible chess master who plots and never let his enemy upper hand. An adaptive strategist and never failed to hit the bull's eye.

Shen Yu Rong (Liang Yong Qi):- The ex-husband of Xue Fangfei and the lover of Princess Wan Ning. A poor scholar who pave his path of becoming an official in court with his hardwork to prevail justice. However, he couldn't be untouched by the temptation of power. He is a person who never take responsibility for his own actions and loves to play victim card.

Princess Wan Ning (Li Meng):- A psycho lady whose obsession is Shen Yu Rong, the husband of another lady. She loves to toy with people, torture them for fun and take advantage of her position.

My Impression:-

The captivating plot of 'The Double' made me to not blink while I was watching. It's one of the favourite genre of mine. However, I was skeptical at first because I was not familiar with the cast, except one or two, but decided to give it a try because I have faith in Youku. The first few episodes made me to binge watch 25 episodes in just 3 days. The drama starts with dark theme, and switching between the dark and light. The suspenseful and emotional rollercoaster plot mainly revolves around the female lead. The Double is focused on the revenge and it wouldn't be wrong to say that this is one of the few dramas which is more focused on females be it female lead or other female characters. The drama conveys the struggle and pain of women and their cruelty, their desire of love and wrath of hatred, their wish to live a peaceful life and obsession.

The drama is paced well, neither slow nor fast. The plot is fantastic however it is not free from holes. Sometimes there are loopholes that are visible even with eyes closed and made me question the logic. I won't get into details about it, you'll know when you watch it.

Xue Fangfei, our female lead, is smart and capable of holding the sky if any trouble befalls her or her loved ones with her unparalleled intelligence. Not the typical female lead who always needs a man to get her out of trouble. She can be a pawn or the chess master to get her way. She can be a part of other's game and can even play her own game making the chess masters into her own pawn. In this journey of revenge and justice A'Li found her soulmate. The title of the drama suits her the best. Duke Su offers his support only when A'Li is unable to play her game because of her not holding some high position in the court.

The drama falls in the category of slow-burn romance but the chemistry hits the top. Duke Su and A'Li are a match made in heaven. Though it's a slow-burn but it doesn't feel like one, except there is less skinship. I can even watch 20 more episodes with that chemistry. Both are intelligent and responsible. With their smartness they continuosly tried to outsmart eachother, supported eachother and they didn't realise among this all, they started to fell for each other. Duke Su didn't know exactly when A'Li started to become the special one in his heart from the pawn in his chess. Similarly, A'Li didn't get the clue since when Duke Su started to heal the wound of her heart. I loved how their love progressed. Finding a man like Duke Su after being betrayed by Shen Yurong is such a blessing for A'Li. Likewise, finding a true match in opposite gender whose intelligence is at par with him is fate for Xiao Heng.

Let's talk about the villains. Their backstory is quite pitiful but still they all are despicable that I have no sympathy for them. The karma served them right. Among them the most despicable one is Shen Yurong. He is sleek and coward person, never takes responsibility for his deeds and shifts blame on others. He is pretty good at self-pity and playing the victim card. He gets the love of two women but he chose to betray both of them for one another, thereby losing them both at the end of the day. Princess Wanning did everything for her obsession with Shen Yurong but still in the end she lost him and the worst was being betrayed by him. She got the taste of her own medicine. She wanted to make Shen Yurong like her and he succeeded in becoming like her, obsessed with power and person whom he claims to love. They also are a good match for each other. Now coming to the stepmom of Jiang Li, Ji Shuran. I think she had it easy, her retribution wasn't that well done. The people died because of her must still be feeling injustice.

The acting delivered by the cast is truly spectacular specially from Wu Jin Yan and Liang Yong Qi then comes our Wang Xing Yue and Li Meng not much behind them. Wu Jin Yan made me cry with her many times. She delivered top notch emotions when confronting Shen Yu Rong every time and chemistry with Xiao Heng. Liang Yong Qi portrayed the conflicted emotions of Shen Yurong perfectly. The regret of hurting A'Li but never admitting his choice, the obsession with her yet claiming to be innocent, all are greatly portrayed by him. Wang Xing Yue played Xiao Heng with that dark and dangerous vibes which goes perfectly with this character. The stepmother (Chen Chiao An) also did amazing.

The most useless character was Jiang Yuan Bai, the man can't even handle his own family matters justly yet he is prime minister and handling country affairs. Indeed, he was a good prime minister but he failed as a husband and father. His retribution served him right, living his rest of life in regret and grief.

I loved the friendship of Emperor Zhao Ye and Duke Su Xiao Heng. It's s rare to see an emperor to have a best friend. Apart from A'Li and Xiao Heng, Wen Ji and Lu Ji remained my favourites from starting to end.

Though the story is well paced and well developed but still there is the Ye family arc which I feel like dragged for too long and the drama tried to shift towards the lightness and characters became overly righteous which I don't like much. I loved the dark heavy theme. There are also some unnecessary deaths (I won't spoil who died but I bawled my eyes out for them) and plots which doesn't make sense but I watched it for the entertainment's sake without getting into logic. Duke Su get quite less screen time which is also a complain from me. We mostly saw him plotting behind the scenes and being told that it's done by Duke Su and all. It would been better if his screen time was increased and we get to see him more.

Conclusion:-

This drama unexpectedly did beautiful job by making audience not to take their eyes off the screen. The acting to chemistry was all great. OSTs are good and costumes are beautiful for females. In males only our male lead got a good wardrobe. If we ignore the plotholes and go with the flow it's definitely fabulous. There is happy ending with a special episode so I'm not disappointed with the ending but yes not really satisfied.
A must watch from me.
Highly recommend.

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A STAND OUT DRAMA IN 2024

This drama is refreshing, as it puts the female lead front and center, which is a pleasant surprise in a genre often dominated by male leads. I expected a typical romance where the ML takes constant charge, but imo, "The Double" defies those expectations.

The FL's revenge plot is the driving force of the story, and she's not just a useless damsel in distress waiting for the ML to save her. Instead, she's an autonomous character, very clever may I add, who takes matters into her own hands, with the ML only offering support when needed. I was surprised how little he shows up in this drama. Maybe a few minutes per episode, always waving that red and golden fan of his!

I like the chemistry between the leads (despite the criticism about the actors’ age gap). Their relationship develops slowly but is filled with heart-fluttering gestures that show the progression of their feelings for each other. The ML reminds me a great deal of Ling Buyi (from LLTG) and Xie Wei (from Kunning Palace), though he is more refined and calculated, and less impulsive. Wang Ying Yue exudes a mature vibe, despite his young age, and he has great acting chops.

The cast is fantastic, in particular Wu Jin Yan (as expected). However, a surprising standout for me is Liang Yong Qi, who plays the villainous Shen Yurong. LYQ's expressive performance, especially his eye acting, is really impressive here, adding so much depth and layers to his character. He did a great job balancing darkness with lighter moments, and especially his character's scary aspects were portrayed with a chilling intensity. Simultaneously, he skillfully showed the character's moments of vulnerability and despair, so as a viewer, I found myself sympathizing with him at times (despite his absolutely despicable actions). I hope to see more of him in future productions, perhaps in a leading role.

Finally, the story is very entertaining and suspenseful. While it has some plot holes and contrived or over the top moments, they didn't detract from the viewing experience. For me, "The Double" stands out as one of the best dramas of 2024, especially after a lackluster first half of the year in terms of c-drama releases.

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