Okay, I have to admit this show hit a button for me, largely because I am a "Sherlockian" addict. So here you have a witty, genius, somewhat problematic refugee played by the incomparable Xu Haiqiao. And at first the show looks like a light take on supernatural suspense. Then it shifts into a "Scooby Gang" approach to murder mysteries. But underneath, it's a political suspense drama. So yes, this show packs a lot into a small space.

It was filmed entirely on a gigantic sound stage that had NO air conditioning. So whenever I rewatch this, I'm always amazed the actors and staff did so well under such extreme situations for filming. They basically were producing this series in an oven.

The cast is super solid. As I said, Xu Haiqiao was brilliant. He pulled off a young and vulnerable, genius who was utterly mischievous in such a way that it's so very easy to fall in love with Samo Douluo. His character seems like he's entirely motivated by a child-like self-preservation, but underneath he's not short of brave and even sometimes noble moments. And considering how much older Xu Haiqiao was than the age of his character, he brilliantly pulled it off.

And Li He is the perfect hero in this. Brave, tall, attractive, noble to a fault, endlessly courageous. And he makes competent look soooo sexy. Despite all this, Li He brings a humanizing warmth to the otherwise annoyingly perfect character.

There are a couple of really strong female lead characters. Zhang Xin Yuan especially does an amazing job bringing the gangster/Innkeep Gongsun Si Niang to life. So beautiful. And such a BOSS!

Liu Guan Lin is predictably excellent and stalwart as Huang San Pao. San Pao probably deserves the award for most long-suffering character in this. And he's so cute with his grouchy big brother energy regarding Samo.

And of course, Ju Jing Yi. This was not a central role for her. Her character, Shangguan Zi Su was more main support. But she was so elegant and poised, so lovely and so very cool with her eidetic memory. Zi Su was a perfect foil for Samo, who was all rough edges and energy. Seriously, her "roaming hands" montage that meant she was pulling forth memories made me want to die and come back as her princess gloves.

Where this show fails is in the post production CGI. Because it was filmed on a sound stage, there are a lot of green screen shots. Some of them are excellent and seamless and you're transported without realizing the scene isn't really filmed outdoors. But bad CGI is a regular occurrence as well. Shoddy, unrealistic, poorly designed Architecture and lighting added entirely post-production with patently hack-level textures. It can throw you out of the story from time to time, even. What really got me were the shadows that didn't obey light direction on the live set, buildings added that don't obey the same perspective as the rest of the live set, that sort of thing. Oh, and the CGI blood.... Ugh. I actually wanted popcorn, just so I could throw it at the screen.

But if you can get past that, the story is worth it. SOOOOoooo worth it. The intrigue, the politics, the murders, the tragedy, the growing relationships between the main cast, the terrifying background power behind it all that unifies what feels like a kingdom-wide string of chaos and corruption. This plot was fun and thrilling and at times just a bit heartbreaking. I loved it. And there's a tragic secret to Samo's past that is utter win!

Grab a couple friends who love Sherlockian mysteries, political dramas and buddy fics, hunker down with plenty of un-buttered popcorn (so your TV screen isn't harmed when you throw it) And enjoy the ride. Seriously. YOu won't regret it.