The Double (2024)

Like an exhausting staircase that leads nowhere

The Double is a story of Xue FangFei, a noblewoman whose husband attempts to murder her & leaves her for dead, buried on a remote mountainside. She, however, survives & is rescued by Jiang Li, an inhabitant of a nearby womens refuge. FengFei discovers Li is also a noblewoman of similar age & similarly betrayed by her family, banished for 10 long years. Li suffers horrendous abuse at the refuge & unfortunately dies from a brutal beating ordered by the refuge director. Fangfei takes advantage of a coverup of the death & manages to escape the refuge, returning to society by assuming the identity of Li & infiltrating the Jiang family.

Thus begins a very very complex tale of XFF embarking on dual missions of uncovering corruption & wrongdoings to exact justice not only for herself & the Xue family, but also Jiang Li & her family. Watching her actions closely is Duke Su, a close advisor to the Emperor, and one who is charged with rooting out corrupt officials. He sees through her ruse but uses her in his own pursuit of justice in the imperial court, & picks up a revenge mission of his own.

As the show progresses, layer after layer of crimes committed are uncovered, & XFF/JL picks up new people to avenge as the body count rises. In fact, she's so bent on avenging the dead, I started wondering if she really cared about anyone living. Her bitterness wouldn't be a surprise, but there wasn't much hint of a love of life that would've been necessary for her to hold a relationship. Thus I felt her relationship with Duke Su wasn't really believeable. They actually don't spend that much time together. It was a bit of a stretch to see how their relationship manages to develop when they worked in parallel, not together, & cross paths so briefly. They hardly get to know each other at all.

Fangfei picks up many enemies along the way but so many of the female antagonists end up being annoyingly hysterical. By the final episode, she doesn't wind up much different than when she started, so what, then, was the point of all that she went through?

The revenge theme has such a dark basis & yet the earlier episodes managed to infuse silly comic moments. Along with the Tang dynasty styled costuming, I was suddenly reminded of the show Court Lady. Sure enough, one of the directors of the Double was also the director for Court Lady. I described Court Lady as also starting light & silly, but then turning into "a dark & sordid speeding train with a full buffet of back stabbing politics, debauchery & revenge... only to run over the cliff with half the characters being killed off". My view of the Double isn't far off from this. The cast is huge but the multiple story arcs are more depressing than hopeful.

This show started off with such a great hook but unfortunately the plot got very complicated & heavy. With so much trajedy happening you'd hope for a better outcome, but instead the ending was rather unsatisfactory.

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Relationship goals and green flags all around

I LOVE POWER COUPLES WHO DON'T HAVE RELATIONSHIP DRAMA THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS MASTERPIECE!!!

Pros:
The plot itself was engaging and riveting to the point where I slept 4hrs over the weekend just to binge the whole series and I'm just so thankful they didn't add needless cliché dramatic misunderstandings between the main couple. It was so refreshing to see their mutual trust in each other grow throughout the show. I'm usually not a big romance fan and i hate immature characters. These two are mature, intellectual and so morally good you cannot CANNOT not love them. Even though it's a revenge plot, the revenge is 100% justified and carried out in a... morally upright... way LOL which is not something most can say about the topic on revenge but it was very sane and very satisfying to see the evildoers get rekt.

What I loved the most was the mutual respect the ML and FL showed each other. The information ML gathered he didn't withhold from the FL (unlike some dramas). He never thought for a second that she's incapable of handling that information and trusted her intellect to give her free reign on how to deal with the situation and rather than control her he followed along and weaved his plans around hers. THIS IS HOW RESPECT SHOULD LOOK LIKE! Unlike a lot of shows where the ML keeps things from the FL to "not make her worry" this relationship was a huge green flag from the beginning. Trust your partner! Women are not that weak-minded.

The actress is insane and i actually teared up during a few scenes where I felt her helplessness at her betrayal and the suffering she went through. Wish there could be more than 40 episodes just so I can get more romance scenes hahhahaha which in itself is ludicrous to me because I prefer plot over romance but this time i couldn't help but revisit all their cute moments together. The tension, the attraction, the mutual understanding and trust between them was the crux of the whole show and the main leads played it so well. This show was a tease; I was bingeing for MORE MAIN LEAD INTERACTIONS than i was for the plot hahahahahahaha

The relationships of the main leads with their close friends were also really cute :')
Especially Xiao Heng with the Emperor and his two bodyguards!

The music was also superior. The guqin!!!! during the exam!!!! I need them in full instrumental!!!!!

The scenes and setting were also very artistically framed and shot. The colours were so aesthetic and just pleasant to watch overall. I almost wish I could go on set to photograph the scenes because they were so well done and pretty.

The villains deserve a mention too because they're complex and have their own hardships that made them turn out the way they did. The main 'villain' husband dude was a very morally grey individual which I liked because of how you as a viewer will never know what he's really thinking and what he actually wants. I was kept glued to my seat without sleep because I don't know when he would help or harm the main female lead. He was a good person turned bad by decision and circumstance. I just wish his mother and sister would shut up though lol they were the most annoying characters for me i wish they got worse punishment than they did just for being so annoying. If i were him i would have killed those two instead of the wife.. those ungrateful parasites.

Cons:
I WISH THERE WERE MORE ROMANTIC SCENES I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M SAYING THIS.
Virtually all the main villains had tragic backstories that 'turned them evil' which i feel might have been overdone. Some people are just bad people.

The close ups of the actor's solo shots were a bit jarring at first because I'm not used to this kind of scene directing.

One thing that urked me a bit were the age gaps and the children they got to play the roles. A bit unrealistic to have a 10 year old child on the throne? They used literal kids i mean at least use a teen? In the novel the duke and the emperor was at least mid 20s. I wouldn't trust a 10yo with my house much less a country.

There were some visual effects that weren't needed and made the scene look a bit unrealistic for a supposedly realistic wuxia drama (ahem guqin special effects i'm looking at you) but i guess that scene couldn't have been 6mins of us looking at her playing the song and it was worth it because we got the song in full and the female lead's acting brought me to tears. You can see the agony in her eyes and it hurts you deep. Wait this was supposed to be cons–

tbh there aren't many things i will consider cons. overall it was a really good drama. Sure some characters didn't need to die and I wish a lot of the good supporting actors made it out alive at the other end. But it wasn't wholly unbelievable deaths.

Definitely at the top of my list of dramas i recommend. I'll be rewatching it again probably. The loss of sleep was well worth it.

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A new favorite!

Wow what a masterpiece!!!!!! I started binging and couldn't stop, even pulled an all nighters. That's how good this drama is, Everything about it is just top notch that I don't even know where to start. Huge shout out to the cinematography and the beautiful coloring the emphasises the actors natural beauty. Every single actor in this drama looks amazing even the elders look graceful.. The men with their impeccable subtle eyeliner look stunning!! You get me right they all are gorgeous men and women, especially Duke su with his beautiful doe eyes enhanced by the eyeliner wings that give him a cunning but mature look and our stunning female lead with her big eyes. The acting is also superb while watching the drama I got totally immersed that I forgot that this is acting and combined with great directing that didn't prolong a scene unnecessarly but we had everything just the right amount, there were no side characters that weren't important to the plot and the chemistry between the lead oh God!! They are one of my favorite all couple, I loved their banter and how equally matched they are. That scene in the rain I literally screamed like I love them so much. Lastly I want to talk about the beautiful music played from the zitter and the flaute those pieces were so good, I don't remember how much I rewinded the entry exam music competition. It gave me the same feelings of excitement that I had when I watched alchemy of souls season 1. A 10/10 but if I could give it a 10000 I would, it's one of my all time favorite dramas ever

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Must Watch!!!

This was my first time watching a historical drama and I have to say I was not disappointed. At first I was concerned I wouldn’t finish it because it has 40 episodes, but I thought to myself I’ll probably just skip. I’m used to skipping through dramas but this one I couldn’t, time flew by so quickly and I was on the edge of my seat every episode. Sometimes it felt like some dialogues were too long but the way the actors conveyed it made me not notice. i have to say the actress did an amazing job, she made me cry so much and you could feel her emotions even with little words. As someone who never watched a historical c drama, I would definitely recommend for beginners or anyone else in general.

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On a journey to revenge that ends in justice and love

The first 10 minutes were instantly gripping.
Did I think it was super dramatic, possibly illogical, and over-the-top? Yes.
Did I eat that up? Definitely.
Did I inwardly squeal when Duke Su's fan randomly flew into the scene to save the day? Hell yeah.

This is the first C-drama I got into after a break, and I didn't know historical dramas could balance everything so well. From the revenge to the political intrigue to the action to the romance and even comedic bits, this drama has a bit of everything that makes me love a good historical story. Also - I'm so happy about the ending and extra scenes that wrapped it up perfectly.

As a word of caution, The Double is best enjoyed when you suspend belief and stop overthinking details. The palace schemes ranged from gasp-out-loud plot twist to rolling-eyes cringe. I recommended this drama to my older brother who at first was skeptical, asking me "am I even the right demographic?" Four episodes later, despite him making fun of the overdramaticism and acting, he was HOOKED. I'm telling you, no one can ignore a good revenge counterattack plot.

PROS
❀ Three-dimensional characters that paired well with superb acting
Not sure if this is everywhere in dramaland, or if everyone's using eye drops these days, but the range of emotions from the cast was very palpable (ESPECIALLY the crying scenes lol). Xue FangFei was 'killed' by her husband in QingCheng Mountain and saved by a girl who was also wronged by her family, JiangLi. JiangLi ends up passing away, and XFF assumes her identity to return to the capital, getting revenge on the people who wronged both of them.
Throughout XFF's investigation, she uncovers an intricate web of schemes that involve both her and the Jiang family. I loved seeing her ex-husband Shen YuRong spiraling throughout the series, largely instigated by the unpredictable Eldest Princess, Wanning. Both their actors did an amazing job of portraying characters with inner conflicts (especially SYR) that dictated and justified their actions. They were evil no doubt, but the added backstories added several layers of depth that just topped off their characterizations. Other stand-out roles were the step-mother, the development of the father especially towards the end, and the academy team friendship that was steady throughout the drama.

❀ Smouldering romance that was just perfect to me, idk
First of all, shout out to the makeup artist because all the men (even random side characters) were *chef's kiss*. Best of the best is of course Duke Su, the deadly commander and emperor's right hand man who leaves a trail of fear in his wake. At first, he sees XFF as a useful 'pawn' in his plans and helps her out for his own benefit. Soon though he grows more and more impressed with XFF's quick wit and determination. Yes, Duke Su is OP and is there to save the day. But the show uses that plot armor sparingly, compared to other Cdramas that do it every other episode. I love how both leads have the same goal but are on different paths; because of that goal, they have a mutually beneficial relationship and develop feelings throughout the journey. Their relationship is built on respect and loyalty (not just to each other but to their family, sovereign, etc). I thought that the romantic development throughout the course of the drama was not too slow nor fast actually, since they get a good bit of 1:1 screen time in the midst of other story arcs. And the ending definitely delivered, for my fangirl heart <3
Side note: I like how there was minimal drama between the main leads, because they understand each other so well. There are some mild second leads on both sides romantically, but XFF and Duke Su's feelings never wavered.
Second side note: I usually side-eye dramas with main leads who have age gaps but I think the actors did a great job in closing that gap through their portrayals of the characters. Duke Su's character radiated maturity and strength, which paired well with XFF's cunningness and stubbornness to see things through. The chemistry was also F-I-R-E!

❀ Pretty tight script with good storytelling execution
Although I wouldn't mind more than one season/40 episodes for this story, I'm really happy with the script and dialogue that we got. Compared to other historical Cdramas I've watched, the ending was pretty conclusive and satisfying. Again, I feel like viewers who overthink things might not be as satisfied but I personally really enjoyed how cleanly everything was wrapped up (although there were some tragic events that happened to our non-leads :,)). Despite veering away from the book storyline (since in the book XFF ended up transmigrating into JL's body, which I understand doesn't pass censorship criteria for dramas), I think The Double shines on its own. The revenge/counterattacks were methodical and the different arcs were organized pretty well (ex: academy arc, Ye family arc, Huaixiang, etc), eventually culminating into the final climax. Characters from various arcs reappear as well, making everything come full circle. I don't have high expectations with Cdrama scripts because I'm used to them being messy - lots of back-and-forth between the leads, misunderstandings, random drama that doesn't serve a purpose to the story, etc - but The Double really impressed me with how well they used their screen time.

❀ Just an extra bullet point for how aesthetic everything/everyone was
Especially the dudes with their hair down LMAO.

CONS
✕ Kinda over-the-top at first (especially if you're not used to it)
I'm not going to lie, the dramatic zoom-ins in the beginning had me laughing out loud. Did the director learn this from Bollywood movies? Thankful to report that these zoom-ins decreased throughout the story. Expect similar over-the-top scenes to come.
My brother asked: do you think they're self aware with how cringe some of the scenes are? I said yes, considering one of XFF's lines were, "Duke Su, did you fly here?" when he wugongs his way into her courtyard. She asked what we were all thinking, lmao.

✕ Logic falls apart if you think too deeply
Just settle into this emotional rollercoaster of a drama for entertainment's sake.

✕ Misunderstanding level: 0/10
The main leads were steadfast from start to finish!! No freaking random break-ups towards the end either and annoying martyrdom scenes. It was truly a solid romance.

OVERALL
While this drama balances a lot of genres that make it addicting (action, romance, intrigue, revenge, comedy), there were moments where I was genuinely moved. At the heart of all the revenge schemes and planning is a prevailing sense of justice, and fixing wrongs into rights. That's why it's so easy to cheer for the main leads and support them throughout their journey. The actress for XFF ate and left no crumbs in her role as she climbed out of her own grave to seek justice for not only herself, but her family and the people around her. I think all 40 episodes were enjoyable and intentionally used, creating an ultimately satisfying revenge plot that I recommend Cdrama lovers to watch.

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Amazing enough to garner my first review on MDL heh.

*ps minus the last 15 mins as others have noted, I'll forget that ever happened ok ok~

The drama is gripping and well-paced. Chemistry and angst, the eye gazes and sexual tension are killer. The actors (even without a lot of your usual "A" listers or typical ones we've been seeing lately giving lackluster performance...IYKYK!!) have gone over and beyond to connect deeply with their roles and deliver on an outstanding level. They make many references to how they're putting on "a show/play" and they definitely put on an amazing one at that! The occasional arc to build towards the end were however a little long but there wasn't much downtime for a show which was good. Yes, the last maybe 10 ish eps had more scenes cut to fit the 40ep timeline but it delivers much better than some of the other shows lately in the post 2020 era of Cdramas.

I did want to note that I think all of our villains had such "positive" backlighting to their -sad- histories and pasts. They really wanted to humanize them and tbh I think all our bad guys got it off easy. Not much time to sit on their "regrets" but with easy things like suicide (x2) and going mad!? Anyways - I felt that could have been a bit more fleshed out to see their character truly repent and apologize.
Also some people didn't really like the fact there were some "plotholes" to the FL's identity and how it was slightly glossed over (albeit revisited) and not pursued. Even the Emperor, did he know??! He's in on it I figured! Hah! Cute.

Anyways Here to also say I could have definitely wished for more fan service or skinship but I'll give it to them for building a strong enough ship that I'm okay without it. They were really firing up the screen and I was always so giddy for their glances, smiles and little moments. Could do with more of 'em for sure. I'll be adding this to my top to-rewatch/recommend dramas! I will miss this. The cast, the plot, the OST, the action scenes, and the overall energy this gave to my rather sad 2024 Cdrama year. I will see you guys hopefully on the next! I'm always looking for other good rec's like this. Cheers!

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Beginning was SOOO boring bro i think i fell asleep more than 5x watching eps. so boring. but after the romance and plot thickened, eps got SOO good and juicy. damn the actors were so fucking good in this. like wanning i hated her but she was psycho and shenyurong u could see his villain arc start. CRAZY. oh and don’t event get me STARTED ON MY MAN CIAO HENG. LIKE THE HOTTEST GUY TO EXIST?????? EVER??????? bro so sosoososososososos sexy like how do u get like that. jiangli hella smart and they power couple. but UGH XIAO HENG. ok i loved their plotting and plans and stuff but there were way to many characters at some points and it just got overwhelming tbh. and like they killed off sm ppl so unnecessary. like what was that end??? killing offf the right hand men????? and tonger??? and what??? like no point…. but anyways loved the slow burn romance SO GOOD HEHEHEHE the chemistry and the flirting got me SOOO GOOOOD. woohoo

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Very good, but also a lot of missed potential

I will go straight into the parts that I felt detracted from this drama since other reviews have said plenty about the pros such as acting, characterization, music etc.

-Cons-

Weird camera work:
There is an overuse of extreme closeups to characters' faces and characters speaking or looking directly into the camera. This technique is usually used for emphatic moments and stylistic storytelling, but because it's being used everywhere, it undermines the dramaticism of the moments that actually uses it well. Or else it feels like it's trying too hard to make suspense happen even when it doesn't feel organic in that moment.

Plot/logic holes:
The FL is quite smart and capable, but also things go her way a little TOO well. Everything is, or is set up to be, in her favour, even uncontrollable and highly variable elements (like human nature or... life happening). Her enemies are supposed to be smart cunning individuals, but it seems while she grows stronger with every victory, the villains never grow to keep up and will keep bashing their heads on the wall hoping to succeed where they've failed before. And even when they DO seem to have an upper hand they're always quickly brought back to just a step below her, because apparently fate just doesn't want them to win, or something. This is a glaring issue for me because there are plenty of moments where the FL's success is fully earned by her abilities so these handwaving moments on the writers' part is obvious and irritating.

Inclusion of overused C-drama tropes:
Cue the classic "FL laughing and twirling in the rain while ML falls in love with her", or "ML watches calmly, with zero expression, as the blade pass over him by a hair" (used at least once in every fight scene and breaks tension every time), or "FL and ML have a slow-mo romantic moment while physically in the middle of a major conflict and somehow everyone around them, friends and foes alike, just stares at them like the NPCs they are and let them have it". There's also a downright bizarre moment in one of the episodes where the shows turns into a magical CG-filled Xianxia for 10 minutes because I guess there was really no other way to show how OP the FL was? I was speechless.

Trying to bite off more than it can chew:
Without any spoilers, I think it became WAY too ambitious near the end, as if they suddenly realized they haven't had enough of the universe and was scrambling to fit literally everything under the sun into its last moments. Messed up the pacing, even kind of messed up the focus of the plot due to how certain characters' story arcs resolved [spoilers].

FL and ML don't fully mesh well:
This one is very subjective, so only speaking for myself here. The actors are very good at their roles and have done everything right, but I could never fully invest in them as much as I tried. I think the reason might be that the FL's actress, Wu Jinyan, just inherently exudes a more mature air than the ML's actor Wang Xingyue. I do not get the same feeling when the FL is in scenes with her ex-husband, who are much closer together in age to each other in real life. I do not care about age differences when it's between two consenting adults, but that doesn't mean I don't see differences in maturity or mindset in couples that have them, and it isn't inherently bad, only that I prefer very well-meshed chemistry in my fictional romances so this isn't my preferred vibe.

-Overall-

I think this drama had the potential to be among the greats of costume c-dramas, but there are many small things that adds up to hold itself back from its full potential. My overall impression of these fumbles is that the team could not fully commit to whatever ambitious vision they had and took a short cut by including things that were "audience pleasers" when it wasn't necessary at all, and instead undermined itself.

I highly recommend this drama If you're looking for a revenge power fantasy. The FL is capable, and where she falls short the plot will bend itself to her will, so there's an infallible sense of reassurance that everything will be alright. But if you're looking for a drama that will stand up to scrutiny, then it's best to keep your expectations in check.

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Competent characters and engaging story

This might actually be the first drama after The Untamed that impressed me with a full cast of actors who're not only all skilled but completely fitting for their roles.

Shen Yurong was a standout for me in terms of character writing, my faith in him slowly eroded along with the XFF's, which I thought was really well done. As for the other characters, they are all quite tropey but definitely executed extremely well.

On to the plot, this is pretty much THE plot that most of these historical female lead centric dramas have. Again, nothing surprising here but is done extremely well. For a person who is faking her identity, the show really gave XFF a run for her money more than any of the other similar shows I've watched. e.g. Her family harped on her changed personality even though I thought suffering a decade of abuse can pretty understandably change a person.

Out of all the pairings I've seen with this kind of main couple dynamic, this is by far the healthiest and most respectful variation. When they are still just acquaintances, Xiao Heng doesn't keep an eye on XFF all the time because he's smitten (which would be...uncomfortable), but rather because she's (1) extremely suspicious (2) very competent at dealing with their common enemies. XFF generally knows what's going on when XH uses her for his plans, and either goes along with it for her own reasons or calls him out on it. Other than the fact that XFF can't fight, she perfectly capable of handling herself most of the time and stays that way, unlike in some shows where the female lead's intelligence decreases as the male lead becomes reliable.

Minor gripe about the ending (just the last two scenes of the final episode: neither realistic nor particularly happy....what's the plan here?) which pulled the score down from a perfect 10. But do give it a watch. The show ended such that you can chop off the offending last section and still have a fulfilling ending.

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My 2 cents - Why this drama isn't what these ratings will make you believe

Only God knows how this is 8.9 lol, I mean it's could have been 8.4ish ( without those last 3-4 episodes, especially the last one) but man oh man mdl strikes hyping an average show with no sense ending ( and lead up to it), The show turned from switch off your brain and watch and you will like it to, forget you have brain and keep believing it was really good to make up for all the loopholes, no sense things happening. I mean this should be at max around 8.1-8.2 lol. Yes it was entertaining (well atleast til 30ish episode) and I don't mind loop or average acting in some cases, but for complete 40 episodes it's just a show you won't regret watching nothing spectacular here with a typical no sense last cdrama episode.

Reasons why this is what it is :
1. Overcompensation by people as this started as underrated drama and people were surprised that it turned out to be good
2. No big traffic actor so no hate ratings
3. A feel good drama with no angst or scenario where main leads can fail or be wrong

No wonder it got average rating in china

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