At the time of writing this, I’ve only finished 13 episodes, so I am not yet at the point where I can give a concrete rating. However, it’s been over 2 months since I started watching this show and I’m still not even halfway through it.

Wanted to watch this because it has an impressively high rating on Douban. So far I see why- it is extremely complex. Not much happens in terms of action and episodes are sometimes made entirely of a couple of sequences that just involve characters talking. If characters talking about politics puts you off, I would not recommend this show. However, since I enjoy those aspects, this has been an engaging show.

The characters are very realistic and there are corrupt officials, officials that want to do good, and those who think they are doing good. They’re not black or white characters but are complex beings with motivations and fears. My only complaint so far is that the two female characters I’ve seen this far on the show do not have much agency or much to do. They’re either tools in the hands of others or are treated as lesser beings. Not enjoying that aspect much, even though it might be historically accurate.

I’ll write a longer review for this when I finish it, but for now, I see this is a complex show. It is almost like watching history unfold. I highly recommend it if you like historical shows.