This review may contain spoilers
Low Emotional Payoff
This show was honestly one of the most anxiety-inducing and frustrating things to watch for me. While I enjoyed Chu Qiao's general badassery, the storyline was all over the place and the rage I felt towards the main couple (CQ & YWY) was almost unbearable.
The main couple's chemistry was lacklustre and at times, very corny. To add to that, YWY always felt like he was morally superior to everyone else and power imbalance between YWY and CQ always felt ... not right to me, and not once did I think they were on equal footing. YWY always seemed intent on lowering and reminding CQ of her past position, namely NOT EVEN CALLING HER BY HER REAL NAME, and instead constantly insisting on calling her by the name he gave HER, while she was still a slave under him - as if reminding us that she was still his possession.
I'll be honest, the main thing that kept me watching was Yan Xun, whose whole character arc I was compelled to (and also, FYI, excellent acting by Shawn Dou) and who my heart definitely bled for. Unfortunately, as is common, they tried to push YX to be the main antagonist by throwing in YWY with his moral high ground, and ignored everything that YX went through. I also felt CQ had more chemistry with YX than YWY which is a damn shame, since we all know what happens to second male leads.
By the end of this cliffhanger drama, I just felt emotionally empty and vaguely insulted that this was the ending that I was left with after watching this many episodes. Only YX left an emotional impact on me, and this is definitely not one of the dramas I would rewatch - but hey, at least the OST was good!
The main couple's chemistry was lacklustre and at times, very corny. To add to that, YWY always felt like he was morally superior to everyone else and power imbalance between YWY and CQ always felt ... not right to me, and not once did I think they were on equal footing. YWY always seemed intent on lowering and reminding CQ of her past position, namely NOT EVEN CALLING HER BY HER REAL NAME, and instead constantly insisting on calling her by the name he gave HER, while she was still a slave under him - as if reminding us that she was still his possession.
I'll be honest, the main thing that kept me watching was Yan Xun, whose whole character arc I was compelled to (and also, FYI, excellent acting by Shawn Dou) and who my heart definitely bled for. Unfortunately, as is common, they tried to push YX to be the main antagonist by throwing in YWY with his moral high ground, and ignored everything that YX went through. I also felt CQ had more chemistry with YX than YWY which is a damn shame, since we all know what happens to second male leads.
By the end of this cliffhanger drama, I just felt emotionally empty and vaguely insulted that this was the ending that I was left with after watching this many episodes. Only YX left an emotional impact on me, and this is definitely not one of the dramas I would rewatch - but hey, at least the OST was good!
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