The Double (2024)

DEPRESSED and DEFEATED

First of all, the casts are remarkable! Every actors in this drama are outstanding and needs to be praised for a job well done! This drama is a bit heavier than "One and Only" and quite serious. The tone is constant from ep. 1 to ep. 40. It got enough romance and a little comedic relief, though the female lead is not someone who know martial arts, she is strong and wise and still on par with the male lead. However, this drama is tiring to watch. If you think you've watched enough plot twists and scheme troupe, this drama took it to the next level. From the beginning to the end, every episodes makes yoy emotional in every way. This drama gave me depression, when you think that things are getting better by the first have of episode 40, it was the calm before the storm. This drama has so much potential, and still enjoyable to watch even though its torturing, I held hope for the ending but the writer blew it off! So, no. I am not okay! I shpuld give this a 7/10. ?

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A Savage Tale

First I would like to say that this is an awesome piece.
Instead of roaming through the lives of royals, this story is centred around a commoner who has been framed by her in laws and faces death. Saved by a kind hearted girl, she decides to go for revenge.

Highs of the drama
1. The plot as it offers uniqueness through its fresh concept. The story goes through the life of a common girl instead of delving into a princess's life. The twists and turns which follows keeps the story intriguing.

2. Performance
Leads have effortlessly slipped into their role. Jin Yan and Xin Yue did a terrific job in their first drama together. Their chemistry is swoonworthy.

The drama is highly recommended for its powerful storyline.

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The Art of Walking In Slow Motion and Staring Into The Camera

I'm keeping my review short as I haven't finished watching this yet and I feel like it's getting a bit repetitive at the 30 episode mark. But I will say that I'm getting tired of the constant slow motion walking scenes. Almost every single character gets a slow motion cat walk, even the servants, and especially the ML, Duke Su gets one almost every time. Then there's the repetitive looks into the camera as if the characters are staring at each other. And then the slow mo walk and then the look at each other and then into the camera, and then the slow mo walk...

The storyline started off great but like I mentioned before, it's now feeling repetitive. By 30 episodes in, I was hoping to see more development on the relationship between the two leads but now there are less than 8 episodes for me to watch and nothing solid between these two yet. Just a lot of flirting with word play. The villains get skinship but the main leads... on ep 34 they censor the kiss? Wtf?

I'll update my review if I manage to finish this.

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Justice is Satisfying

The show starts with FL lying in bed with a man she thought was her husband but found that he wasnt. She was later caught by her in laws for adultery, and later saved by her husband. He took her away which she thought was to safety, but instead he brought her to her grave. He cracked her head with the shovel and buried her alive. Driven by the will to survive, she dug her way out and passed out by the river, and later saved by a lady foraging fruits in the forest. This lady, Jiang Li, promised to come back with food and medicine for the injuries, however she was caught while trying to sneak out of the residence during the night and was punished with flogging instead. FL found her way to this residence, sneaked in and got in time before Jiang Li died, where she managed to express her grievances of her life, telling a sad story of being slandered and abandoned by her own family for ten years since she was 8yo. FL decided to take revenge for Jiang Li and get to the bottom of her own betrayal, so she went back to capital using Jing Li’s identity solely relying on her wits and intelligence. Along the way, she met with Duke of Su, an investigator for the emperor, and they both began a relationship by using each other for their own goals but later fell in love. The show is one of those of conspiracy and court political rife than action packed. It’s like Joy of Life minus all the actions. But gotta say Joy of Life’s politics is of higher tier.

I had to admit the storyline is solid and engaging and the casts’ performance are powerful but some scenes are quite pushover. I’ve been watching shows with physically strong FLs back to back, so its refreshing to watch one with FL who isnt able to wield a weapon and is not physically strong, but extremely shrewd and witty instead. I liked her character very much, except how easily she falls in love.

I think the actress playing the FL is rather ordinary looking, so it’s definitely unconvincing to see people praising how exceptionally beautiful she is throughout the show. She also doesnt look young (FL was supposed to be 18 at the beginning of the show, and maybe around 20ish at the end), hence it kinda killed the vibe, like how Zhang Ziyi looked ridiculous playing a 16yo in The Rebel Princess. I also think that the real Jiang Li and even Tong’er are much more beautiful than her, and of course much like a teenager than FL. Wait, come to think of it, the rest of female supporting cast like Jiang Ruiyao, Liu Xu, or even Ye Jia-er are much prettier than her. It’s rather funny on the homecoming arc where Tong’er disembarked from the carriage and people commented how ordinary she looks, and then suddenly when FL disembarks, people suddenly praised what a beauty she is. It’s one thing if they had been dressed differently, Jiang Li being the noble’s daughter would be dressed in better clothes, but they were both still in the hall’s uniform which is ordinary. Had them both been standing side by side, i wouldve thought Tong’er was the higher born and FL being the maid. Her crooked smile is also weird-looking. Anyway, the actress has the looks of 30ish than late teen, so yeah her looks doesnt really fit the role, but her performance is undeniably top notch.

As for costume, the dresses are okay and not too flamboyant, but the pearl/bead make up is really distracting, i can handle the cheekbone and forehead adornment, but those on the dimple is really overdoing it. They look so weird, like some alien in Star Wars movie.

And the slow-mos!!! Theyve got tonnes of those. I keep fast forwarding those moments and still wont miss any scene. It was like watching sinetron instead of cdrama. The slow-mos truly irked me throughout the show.

Maybe romance is not my kind of genre, but the main leads’ proximity scenes are pretty cringy and blerghhh. She just got ‘killed’ by the love of her life, whom she had sacrificed everything for, and she suddenly found herself falling for the duke? What kind of bull is this? Somebody with that kind of trauma would normally take years to get over it and even then theyd scrutinize love like none other. How can she fall that easily for this notorious and ruthless duke just because he occasionally saves and helps her? And even if he loves her deeply, would it really be that easy to recover from her own trauma and grab this rebound lover? It’s one thing if she had just got dumped by her lover, she literally got dumped and buried alive by her own husband whom she left her family for, whoever can recover that fast from that kind of betrayal? If she had not been so much in love with her husband, or had been mistreated or it was an arranged marriage, i wouldve believed she’d fall that quickly for the duke, but with her current background on love betrayal, it’s ridiculous and too far-fetched especially with someone of the duke’s character, a shrewd and ruthless man who wont bat an eye to abandon his pawns to reach the goal. The moments when she smiles at him and laments her own feelings during this proximity scenes are really unconvincing. Gross even, thinking how badly she was betrayed then and then suddenly she’s falling for this duke. Makes her look rather cheap and clingy for men. It took awhile for me to realize why i didnt like the pair - they had zero chemistry! Somehow I fail to feel the spark. I mean, i didnt quite like Chang Yuqing character from Fighting for Love because he was an antihero, but i totally ship Changyuqing-FL pair. It’s nonexistent here. And I actually liked Duke of Su because his character is interesting, but i cant get myself to like his pairing with FL. Something is just off somewhere. Maybe the timing wasnt right. If this had happened years after she was betrayed, maybe it’s acceptable. Problem is it’s just been a few months after. It wouldve been believable if she rejected his advances earlier on and only realized she had fallen in love with him at the end of the show, after going through thick and thin together then only it’s easier to swallow. To fall in love so early on just doesnt make sense. And that scene when they were saving her father’s men from the mine, it’s so irritating how they keep staring at each other while other people are fighting off the enemy for their lives around them. Like seriously? U cant pick another moment for that really? Many of these proximinity and staring scenes are real cringe-worthy. And lets not mention the so called flirty conversations between them. Theyre too awkward and painful to watch. Too bad cuz i really liked this Duke of Su, but I just cant ship him being with FL. It’s weird to see two leads whom I like and yet it’s painful to watch them flirting with each other.

It’s great to see the one playing the emperor again here. The first time I saw him was in A Journey to Love as regent, Prince of Danyang and he somehow caught my attention despite the small role. So i’m kinda excited to see him again on this show as emperor. He has a likable face. And I also really like Duke of Su’s bodyguards Lu Ji and Wen Ji. Lu Ji is the silent one who speaks only when necessary, while Wen Ji is the goofy and rather naiive one who keeps getting punished by their master cuz he’s always saying the wrong things. Lu Ji reminded me of Qian Zhao from A Journey to Love. His face and personality really resembles Qian Zhao.

The most memorable and electrifying scene is the striking of the Admonishment Drum. It’s an extremely moving scene when the rest of Huai villagers take turns to strike it after FL did, all to redress the wrongfully accused Magistrate Xue capital punishment. The retrial of Magistrate Xue’s case in front of the emperor is also epic and moving. I must say other than how badly the love story between the main leads look, i totally love most of the other aspects of the show.

Although i think they really pushed ridiculousness to its limits with the last episode where FL suddenly becomes the kingmaker by shooting the arrow which she had only ONE shot of practice before. Utter ridiculous.

Opening and ending themesongs are too sad, the beat is too slow and didnt catch my attention. However the music scores played by Jiang Ruoyao and Jiang Li during the entrance exam are truly captivating.

It’s a very good show, but I dont think it has any rewatch value to me. Probably because i’m more of an action packed show kinda fan. I would totally recommend it though because the plot is great. I had to give more stars on the rewatch value so not to drag down the overall rating, but honestly I wont be rewatching this. Good story nonetheless and it gives a pure satisfying feeling at perfect retribution and revenge.

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RuoYao

Is the actress who plays Ruoyao really the girl from Only For Love? She doesn’t look like her. I’ve gone back to watch OFL for reference and she just doesn’t look like her.
Anyways, I was just wondering bc it’s bugging me, lol.
Well, I’m half way through of half of the drama as it releases and I’m liking it. Omg…Joe’s’ villainess character was hard for me to watch bc I’m so used to her lovey cute characters but I know those were back in the days, lol. I’m actually happy to see her change up and take on this role…which she did really good bc I hated her character?

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Uau. Desde a Longa Balada eu não tinha ficado tão apegada a um drama chinês de época como fiquei com The Double. E isso por si só já diz muito sobre a qualidade da história, pois Longa Balada é um dos meus dramas chineses favoritos da vida.

The Double é uma história de vingança e reparação. Xue Fang Fei foi acusada falsamente de adultério, enterrada viva pelo marido e seus parentes foram difamados e "mortos". Após conseguir sobreviver a tentativa de assassinato, em um momento de desesperança ela acaba sendo resgatada por Jiang Li, uma jovem que também foi vítima de uma acusação falsa e agora vive confinada em um convento nas montanhas. Jiang Li a aconselha a viver para se vingar e restaurar seu nome. Porém por infortúnios do acaso, Jiang Li acaba sendo morta no convento e Xua Fang Fei assume a identidade dela para buscar vingança por si e por Jiang Li.

Durante os quarenta episódios do drama não senti em nenhum momento que a história perde o fôlego, nada parece embromação para preencher vazios, todos os subenredos têm um proposito para o enredo principal. A protagonista é forte, não no sentido físico e capaz com armas, mas mentalmente forte, com uma inteligência estratégica e muita eloquência e persuasão e graças a isso ela consegue alcançar seus propósitos e vê seus inimigos caírem um a um. Obviamente ela também conta com a ajuda preciosa do Duke Su, porém ela não é uma mocinha a ser resgata, mas uma parceira importante para o Duke e para o Imperador em seus assuntos políticos. Além disso, a química deles enquanto casal também é ótima. Um belo casal.

Quanto aos vilões, a princesa primogênita é uma criatura insana e desprezível, mas confesso que fiquei com pena dela na história do chá que simulava gravidez. Ela realmente teve uma experiência horrível enquanto "refém" nas Planícies Centrais e depois disso passei a simpatizar um pouco com ela. Na cena que ela vai confrontar a Xue Fang Fei e diz: "Você sabe o que é perder um filho? Como é doloroso ter suas esperanças destruídas?" e ao que a Fang Fei responde: "Não sei, mas sei como é ser enterrada viva por alguém que amava e confiava". E a princesa diz: "Xue Fang Fei, as vezes gosto muito de você. Se não fosse pelo Shen Yu Rong, poderíamos ter sido amigas". Absolute Cinema! Apesar da princesa ser desprezível, como a Xue Fang Fei pontua logo em seguida, as duas têm realmente muito em comum. Ambas estão "jogando xadrez" para vingar o trauma e a injustiça que cada uma viveu. Obviamente Xue Fang Fei só é cruel com quem merece e a princesa fez coisas horríveis com pessoas inocentes, mas compreendo o que ela diz quando as duas poderiam ser amigas. E é justamente pela Xue Fang Fei ser cruel quando necessário que torna ela uma protagonista interessante. Com ela não tem essa de poupar os inimigos.

E de todos os vilões o mais desprezível é mesmo o tal do erudito Shen Yu Rong. Ele fica o tempo tentando justificar as ações cruéis dele como resultado de manipulação da princesa primogênita, mas no fundo é tudo ambição dele mesmo. Ele só usou a princesa para justificar a natureza cruel das ações dele como fica bastante claro no final com o que ele faz com ela e como ele tenta reaver a Xue Fang Fei de volta.

Sobre os minutos finais do drama. O que as roteiristas queriam? Um vale de lágrimas? Não podia ter terminado ali com a cena do casamento? Para que esse final ambíguo? Minha única ressalva com relação ao drama são os minutos finais do último episódio. Não sei se foi sonho, se foi real, ou o desejo de ambos depois do final trágico. Apesar do final ambíguo achei o drama épico! Não consegui expressar aqui o porquê de ser tão bom, mas eu realmente recomendo!

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The Double é, com certeza, um dos melhores c-dramas de 2024

No inicio, quando ouvir falar desse drama, fiquei bastante receosa para assistir, ele ainda estava em lançamento e, mesmo com todos os elogios, o medo de ser uma decepção se mantinha em mim. Decide dar uma chance quando ele já estava sendo finalizado e não me arrependi nem um pouco.

A jornada da protagonista é realmente emocionante desde o começo, quando o marido a enterra viva, quando ela conhece as garotas que a salvam. Ela consegue se manter forte com sua sede de vingança e esperança para que a justiça seja feita com todas as pessoas que sofreram a sua volta. É completamente coerente e sabe exatamente como agir para conseguir atingir seu objetivo, mesmo que algo dê errado, ela consegue pensar em algo para resolver a situação, sempre um passo a frente do seu inimigo. A construção do ML foi realmente interessante, porque apesar de ele ter uma parte individual da sua vida, ela está lá mais para ser o apoio que a protagonista precisa. E a FL tem seus movimentos de vingança atrelados no ML, o que deixa tudo bem interessante.
As atuações são impressionantes, conseguiram transmitir toda dor, sofrimento, alegria, raiva e carinho em cada situação. A junção da atuação e as trilha sonora fez com que o público pudesse sentir a realidade da história e fazer com que se mergulhasse mais no enredo, fazendo com que se aproveitasse cada minuto de cada episódio.

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