cchristina
A spy drama that really is about spying and has smart opponents . It's intense, dark and serious.
It was a real spy drama. I didn't even mind that it was a costume drama. I enjoyed it a lot. I think it is the first and so far the only chinese spy drama that didn't make me roll my eyes in despair because of the plot.
The characters are well-written, they have depth and their actions make sense. Both the immediate actions and their long-term plans. The opponents are extremely smart, cunning , sly, treacherous and tricky, which makes the heroes shine more, because the heroes are even more treacherous. Everybody is dangerous, everybody can be a back stabber, there is no safety, everybody can be a double spy, everybody has an agenda., nobody is a friend, nobody is safe and also everybody can be of help if you know how to win them.
If you miss a few seconds of an episode, you will miss a sign or a signal or a word or a message or a hidden weapon that will be crucial later on. The expression of one's eybrows can mean that an army may win or lose 5 episodes later. The intrigue is real, the danger is real, the risk is real, the coincidences are believable, the human mistakes of the spies are believable. In the last episodes, there are surprises, but if you really paid attention in every episode, you understand why and how they happened.
Many people disliked the show because it didn't have enough romance but I think it was a good decision. The story was dark and dangerous, no place for "quirky and adorable" heroines fluttering their eyelashes to melt the heart of the "cold but courageous" sword-swinging hero.
There was some romance, but a) it didn't interfere with the plot and b) it had its own merit in the character building. The romance was not something they added in the story so they can hire a pretty actress. It was something that weighted a lot on the spy's work.
I liked the acting of 90% of the actors, even the minor characters. Also, the actors look adult, which is important for this kind of plot. You can hardly visualize an experienced government worker or an agent that has been undecover for 10 years, when the actor looks at most 19, not to say 17.
Because the story is tight and tightly written and tightly filmed, if you do not pay attention you'll get lost. Therefore, the producers decided to add a "summary" section where one of the characters explains things. I didn't like the idea, but I can understand why they decided to do it.
If you are looking for a palace intrigue wirth concubines, for a wandering warrior hero who flies like an eagle, for a predictable spy work like the japanese era spy dramas or for an action drama where all the bad guys live near the jungle and nobody in authority is corrupted, this drama is not for you.
The characters are well-written, they have depth and their actions make sense. Both the immediate actions and their long-term plans. The opponents are extremely smart, cunning , sly, treacherous and tricky, which makes the heroes shine more, because the heroes are even more treacherous. Everybody is dangerous, everybody can be a back stabber, there is no safety, everybody can be a double spy, everybody has an agenda., nobody is a friend, nobody is safe and also everybody can be of help if you know how to win them.
If you miss a few seconds of an episode, you will miss a sign or a signal or a word or a message or a hidden weapon that will be crucial later on. The expression of one's eybrows can mean that an army may win or lose 5 episodes later. The intrigue is real, the danger is real, the risk is real, the coincidences are believable, the human mistakes of the spies are believable. In the last episodes, there are surprises, but if you really paid attention in every episode, you understand why and how they happened.
Many people disliked the show because it didn't have enough romance but I think it was a good decision. The story was dark and dangerous, no place for "quirky and adorable" heroines fluttering their eyelashes to melt the heart of the "cold but courageous" sword-swinging hero.
There was some romance, but a) it didn't interfere with the plot and b) it had its own merit in the character building. The romance was not something they added in the story so they can hire a pretty actress. It was something that weighted a lot on the spy's work.
I liked the acting of 90% of the actors, even the minor characters. Also, the actors look adult, which is important for this kind of plot. You can hardly visualize an experienced government worker or an agent that has been undecover for 10 years, when the actor looks at most 19, not to say 17.
Because the story is tight and tightly written and tightly filmed, if you do not pay attention you'll get lost. Therefore, the producers decided to add a "summary" section where one of the characters explains things. I didn't like the idea, but I can understand why they decided to do it.
If you are looking for a palace intrigue wirth concubines, for a wandering warrior hero who flies like an eagle, for a predictable spy work like the japanese era spy dramas or for an action drama where all the bad guys live near the jungle and nobody in authority is corrupted, this drama is not for you.
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