Flawless Fusion of Compelling Narrative, Emotional Resonance, and Visual Splendor
The most compelling aspect of this drama is that it never loses its focus from episode 1 to 40. The sub-plots support the main plot, and nothing feels out of place, keeping the audience hooked the entire time.Every single character is spectacularly written, and the sisterhood is the best thing about this drama. I cried buckets over the strong bond between the girls, which was absolutely perfect. I cried every time someone died, and I can't express how incredible the writing of the female lead and the male lead was. The romance is written with just the right touch, not rushing the characters into a relationship too soon, given the female lead's traumatic past and the male lead's personality. Instead, it keeps the audience engaged until the end, as their story is the last knot to be untied. The chemistry between the leads was spot-on because they were each other's perfect intellectual equivalent, and it was an unbelievable treat for the eyes.
The female lead is one of the strongest characters I have ever seen in a drama. What makes her even more remarkable is that she isn't a transmigrated character or someone from another era; she is a genuine product of her time, embodying the knowledge, struggles, and essence of the period she lives in. This authenticity adds depth to her character and makes her a perfect representation of a strong woman in her era.
The cinematography is undoubtedly the best I have seen in any Chinese period drama in a long time, if not ever. And the writing!!! I honestly remember moments when I eventually got a bit bored with dramas like Love Like the Galaxy, even though I would still rate them 10/10 today because LLTG was that good. However, this drama was just perfect.
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Drama is amazing
I love how the girl was able the beat the pawn of princess wanning even there was a advantage in xue fanfei plan that instead the enemy has fallen into a trap the enemy had a counterplan but overall I love how the girl was able to get back up and avenge those who hurt her and her friend. she displayed a true talent of wits and also I love the male lead both mamaland female lead are intelligent. This drama has a similarity like Lady Revenger Chinese Drama. I love this drama both male and female lead were amazing.Was this review helpful to you?
Revenge story line and Strong FL throughout the drama
I absolutely loved this drama it is up there with The Sword and brocade for me… it has been a long time since I have enjoyed a Chinese period drama as they are also all entering their politically correct era which degrades the story and makes it quite unbearable, because they do not want to offend certain groups and communities.But this drama is just amazing… Loved the ML And FL their romance was subtle but also cute and the story line never deviated and stuck to it’s original plot and the FL did not end up as an airhead because she fell in love which is great.
The whole show kept me interested and intrigued to find out what would happen next.
Hope to see more shows like this, it’s been a while
My favorite episodes are Ep. 11 and 26
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So addicting and is now one of my favorites
Watching Experience Context: I began watching this as soon as it aired. From the first episode, this instantly hooked me and I have been watching the episodes almost as soon as they drop. This was one of those dramas where, even over multiple days, I was still desperate for new episodes and thinking about the characters and story.Premise: The story is about Xue Fangfei, the FL who suffers a horrid tragedy and switches identities with Jiang Li, returning to the capital to seek revenge both for herself and Jiang Li. Through the course of seeking revenge, she meets Xiao Heng, the Duke of Su, the ML. They each assist in each other's goals, developing a romance and bring down the villains.
Story/Plot: I personally thought that watching Xue Fangfei getting revenge on everyone who wronged her and Jiang Li was extremely satisfying. It also didn't feel too cliche and I liked that I had to see Xue Fangfei struggle to get her revenge because realistically, it isn't that easy to get revenge. The plotting of the leads and everyone was done excellently, specifically the FL's. I thought that the heavy usage of dramatic irony was exactly what made the story so appealing. I was always glued to the screen wondering what each side would do next and how they would react to the plots and schemes unfolding. The villains in this drama made the story a lot more interesting since they weren't dumbed down and just trying to hurt the leads. The main villains also have their internal struggles, making them seem more realistic, instead of just having an exterior goal to achieve.
Xue Fangfei and Xiao Heng's romantic plotline was also done amazingly. They are now one of my favorite ships ever. I thought that their development from two people using each other to lovers was so well done. They speak to each other in a roundabout way with words that have underlying meanings. I thought that it very much fitted with their characters, and it was one thing that I thought made them as a romantic pair standout. Almost everytime they came up on my screen, I was smiling and shipping super hard. I really liked that even the FL isn't one of those strong female leads physically, that she was still able to match up to the ML mentally.
The only things that made me dock a point is that there are some questionable plot points, but the rest of the plot was still very solid, so I felt that it doesn't impact the entire story too much.
Acting/Cast: All of the actors and actresses did a splendid job, but I would have to say that the highlights were the two leads and the villains. Wu Jinyan, who plays Xue Fangfei and Wang Xingyue, who plays Xiao Heng both did a fantastic job at what they needed to achieve, bringing their characters to life. I live for their scenes together, because they have such good chemistry. I loved the way that they looked at each other, because I felt like so much was said without much being said. I'm also going to applaud the actors and actresses that played the villains because they made me hate the villains so much. Their acting displayed the duplicity of their characters' behaviors and shamelessness.
Music: The music isn't something that I would listen to on a daily basis, but it does fit the drama very well and I think that I would come back to the OSTs every once in a while. It would most likely be to relive the drama, but nevertheless, the OSTs are all amazing and accomplish what they need to do.
Rewatch Value: This is no doubt going to be one of those dramas that I will come back to multiple times. Even though I already know everything that will happen, the satisfying story and great acting makes me want to rewatch and see if there are any details that I missed.
Overall: This is definitely one of my all-time favorite dramas ever. I'm also probably going to think of the story and characters a lot, which just shows the impact that this had on me. I would recommend everyone to at least give this drama a shot, even if you don't think you'd like this kind of story.
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This review may contain spoilers
The Most Entertaining Watch in a Long Time
This was a long stretch, and yet I thoroughly enjoyed this one!Adapted from the web novel “Marriage of the Di Daughter” (嫡嫁千金) by Qian Shan Cha Ke (千山茶客), the show tells the story of Xue Fangfei, the daughter of a honest county magistrate who takes over the identity of Jiang Li, Secretariat Director’s daughter, after a major upheaval, turns her life upside down. Starring Wu Jin Yan, Wang Xing Yue, Liang Yong Qi and Li Meng in lead roles, the entire show is like a clever game of chess between the two protagonists and the daredevil antagonists. While Xue Fangfei/Jiang Li remains at the center of this political melodrama, it’s her intelligent cosplay between two different identities that turns this show into an hightail adventure. While she does live and breathe as Jiang Li throughout the expanse of this storyline, at heart, our main lead still remains true to her convictions and old relationships. She fights for herself while also fighting for the noble girl who could have lived an entitled life instead of dying a miserable death in the far-off mountains. Duke Su is the icing on the cake, contemplative yet compelling and mysterious; he always reaches out whenever Jiang Li needs help but also gives her the freedom to conspire on her own. Let’s dive down the memory lane!
Read the complete article here-
https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2024/07/10/the-double-series-review/#more-1018
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Pure Entertainment with Great Acting
Definitely a must-watch drama. The leads are on fire - so much chemistry, character, and foxiness from both of them. Delicious lines, yummy not-so-obvious plot. Mind you, romance is not at the center of this revenge series, but it's done very intricately and delicately, and is very believable.The murderous ex-husband also delivers a stellar performance - you can really see how conflicted he is about what he did, but he still goes far beyond redemption with the evil princess (his kinky love/hate relationship with her was also far from boring and you don't see something like this in cdramas a lot).
All the side characters play well (Tong'er so cute, and so are Duke Su's bodyguards, A-Li's evil mother from the Jiang family is so cunning and evil, with her own back story). All in all, the plot is actually very entertaining.
Visually, it's a masterpiece - I love the colors, floating hair/clothes, pretty lighting, and all those close-ups that really make the viewing experience more intimate (Wang Xing Yue's eyes are magnetic). I've never seen such a filming style before, it's quite refreshing, and overall the beauty and esthetic levels are high in this one.
I didn't mind the ending. They could skip the whole war thing, of course, but then we'd miss those cool fighting scenes and that moment when Xiao Heng takes the pendant given by A-Li into his mouth - oh boy, those were some pretty shots! So, from that aspect, I really don't mind the extra scenes. And they did end up getting back together, so no loss here))
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This review may contain spoilers
A splendid revenge dram
This is the standout revenge drama I have watched thus far…. The plot whilst having gaps here and there is good enough to be acceptable and definitely the entertainment level is very high.Firstly, the ML does smouldering at the beginning especially well. The FL even though there are 10 years difference has great chemistry with the ML. I liked ML since Scent of Time but I feel he is made for Duke Su’s role. Wang Xing Yue is on fire with this role .
Whilst the beginning of the story is extremely brutal, how 2ML framed the FL with family’s help and tried to bludgeon the FL to death …even though he seemed to be coerced by the Princess. I hope the director do NOT white washed what he did in the end of the story… He did have a choice even though he seemed to think he had no choice ; The script writers rose to the occasion and kept pace with the storyline. I find the story gripping and even though I can guess what is coming sometimes I still look forward to the new episodes which are trickling in. I did not find Fox Sprit Matchmaker that interesting ;valid comparisons because these two dramas are screened at similar timing ; instead I was totally mesmerised by this little gem of drama although revenge is NOT normally my cup of tea.
OST is also vey good. I like Chen Lei rendition of “Live and love” and have save this up in my YouTube folder. It is especially soulful and match the drama. In fact the other songs are great as well… go look for it in YouTube.
I am happy to report that this drama is a rare drama this year where I absolutely enjoyed every episode including a satisfying ending. The CP’s married live and a glimpse into their family live….which was not shown for Love Like the Galaxy ( sigh … wished the Director will release special episodes…)
Wang Xing Yue is perfect casting for the Duke Su role and I bet will capture your imagination and this is a rare drama that is good for re watch. My first time watching WJY the FL and she did the role justice and her chemistry with WXY is notable.
Well done to the Director and the Producer. The casting was well done so much so that we actually disliked the villains … This to me is the best historical drama for 2024 for first 6 months. You should watch this if you like “ Love like the galaxy” or “ Destined”…I am re watching and totally engrossed even 2nd round. Even though the kissing scenes are NOT many but the CP chemistry is on fire … even more tantalizing because of near kisses.
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Outstanding Drama
If you watch and skip than you won't see any different and would be boring however if you didn't skip and focus on character acting and story play out than you would be amaze.This drama is amazing.
It is masterpiece. i don't think we would have amazing drama like this for next 10 to 20 years from now.
1. censorship
2. risk to be ban
3. producer likely to flim easy short drama
4. duration base on gov requirement
5. hiring pro actor and actress cost more
6. some people jealous of good drama
7. cost for living.
this is the reason it would be hard to produce masterpiece like this drama from now on.
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This review may contain spoilers
New crush unlocked : CHECK. Apart of the phenomenal performances the Main Leads delivered, the story was really really good. I was immersed in the first seconds. I loooooooved FL character so much. She knew what she wanted and I highly appreciate that. I loved to see the life at court, how to deal with hidden powers that try to tear you down. Her secret identity was a trope really well excuted. I also really liked how the romance wasn't the main topic here. It was secondary like really though everytime theu were together I was screaaaaaaaming... Though, for me the down part was towards the middle, it dragged a lot especially when she was rescuing I don't remember who in a mine ? Though the begginning and ending were really atonishing. Also liked how we treated the antoganists in this! -2.5, for the middle that's all Was this review helpful to you?
Excellent story and acting, and she got the revenge for her own life as well as Jiang Li
The Double is a historical costume drama that was very engaging to watch because it has many twists involving multiple characters, such as Xue Fang Fei trying to unravel and take revenge for her and Jiang Li's lives.Synopsis: It tells the story of Xue Fang Fei, the daughter of a well-off county magistrate who lost everything after a major upheaval. Saved by Jiang Li, the daughter of the Secretariat Director, she took on the identity of Jiang Li and returned to the capital. With the help of Duke Xiao Heng and others, she overcame numerous hardships, tirelessly fought against injustice, rescued her father, who had been wrongly imprisoned, assisted Xiao Heng in upholding justice, and protected the common people.
My Reviews:
1. Excellent acting, especially the FL, Wu Jin Yan, and the 3 ML (Wang Xing Yue, Liang Yong Qi, and Chen Xin Hai) did a good job playing their characters as well.
2. The 2nd FL, Li Meng, did an excellent job playing the hated princess who is ruthless to everyone she comes in contact with.
3. The fighting scenes were well-choreographed, and the flow of the story was engaging.
4. My only complaint is that it was a bit long. It would be better if it ended in 35 episodes because it did feel draggy in the middle.
I give it an 8.5 for good acting and good scripts.
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This review may contain spoilers
Defintiely glad i chose to watch it
This is a show i chose to pass over while surfing Netflix looking for a show to watch multiple times since it was released on the streaming service. Mainly due to not loving the male lead in some things i have seen him in in the past. I finally gave it a shot this weekend and was so happy i did. I binged the heck out of the show Saturday and Sunday, i was hooked.The setting was great, i thought the directing and acting was both really well done, and i actually enjoyed the leads and their chemistry and interactions a lot. I loved the way their relationship evolves throughout the show. The show gave me a lot of the same vibes that Love like the Galaxy did.
As a whole i just thought it was a really well done.
Spoiler:
My only complaint about the show is the last maybe 10-15 minutes of the last episode. I am sure this was all book accurate but i would have prefered it to end before all that nonsense. I know there was a 5-minute "epilogue" filmed that gets rid of the open ending, so i will just accept that lol.
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An overall strong production, with a few weaker points
The superior production and direction made this traditional story of palace intrigue very gripping and watchable. Pacing, styling, settings, direction, aesthetic were compelling and interesting.The weak points:
1. The romance aspect was SORELY lacking. There is no passion at all, no romantic chemistry between leads, and a "made for all audiences" sensibility about it. This is not a romance story. Its a palace drama, with a light romantic element to it.
2. Missed the mark on the "strong finish", went overboard and turned it predictable and cheesy.
3. Villains are hard to understand psychologically, have too much screentime, are too cruel and sick, and do not get the endings they deserve in most cases.
Other than that, it was a fun watch.
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