The Glory

Showing women's empowerment

It's incredibly engaging to watch. Each episode keeps you hooked and curious about the problem, why that person did such a terrible thing, who the mastermind is, and other secrets.

The two main characters have great chemistry and the acting is exceptionally good. I initially only tried watching it because the two main characters were visually appealing, but the storyline and production really captivated me.

I personally really enjoyed it. This drama showcases the strength of women, and I was deeply touched by the hardships women faced, especially in an era when women were severely oppressed and found it difficult to speak up. Love it, overall, this drama is a 10/10.

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Stellar acting, direction and costumes

The script was at times forced, but ultimately this is a story of mental illness, so a few incoherent twists in the plot can be excused. It has a dark mood: social glory can exact a very high price... but it is a fascinating and extremely classy kind of gothic mood. I wasn't over enthusiastic of the male protagonist acting, but Duling Chen was incredible in a very difficult role: we slowly acknowledge she inherited her father's carefully hidden psychosis, but her stubborn fight for love will redeem and heal her soul, while her father falls deeper and deeper into his murdering sickness. Her enigmatic mother is performed by a master actress, theatral in a traditional yet unconventional way. So the protagonist is excellent (and her costumes the best I've seen since Yanxi palace, expecially after she's married) but both her parents perform their cursed destiny to a vertiginous level. A feast for the eyes the scenography too. Don't miss this if you love gothic atmospheres with a psychological depth.

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Good copy of The Double?

After watching "The Double" and "The Glory" I had to go see which one is 1st filmed and which 2nd. It seems "The Double" was 1st.
Both are the same type of revenge story, even the title is similar.

Why I say the same:
Female leads were wronged
They return to the capital and start scheming their revenge.
Both are smart and dont fear anything.
They both meet high ranking official that takes interest in them and starts helping them
Both male leads are cold and sus at first.
Same family dynamic, jealous sister, power struggle
Slow burn romance
And not to mention same scene with a drum (you will see if you watch it both)
But most important not a single boring episode

As for the difference one has sword fights and war while other investigations.

Even tho overall, "The Double" is better, more emotional and has better development of supporting characters, The Glory gives us more satisfying ending except if you dont watch last 10 minutes of "The Double".

Since they made "The Glory" very good watch i didn't mind at all that its so similar and rating score difference between them is just by 0,5.
I had an urge to binge both and went to sleep at 4 am. I guess that means it's good right? Or better, watch them and judge it for yourself.

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Entertaining? Yes, somewhat. Good? Absolutely not!

This drama was an entertaining watch, but the script was not good, and the subpar acting compounded the problems.

The scriptwriters must have been on some good stuff while writing this; it has a frenetic energy that drags you along and masks the illogical plot points and shallow characterisation. The seeds for a good story and interesting characters are there, but they were sacrificed for cheap plot twists and preachy social commentary that was poorly set up and executed.

The subpar acting by the main leads didn't help. Scenes of confrontation between the two leads that should have been tension-filled fall short. You can see the script is working to build the tension leading to the crescendo, but the female lead, looking like she's trying to remember how to act, combined with the male lead's blank face, means that it never quite gets there. Special mention goes to the actor playing the female lead's father. I don't know whether it's bad acting or a deliberate acting choice, but he comes across as such a caricature that it was difficult to take his villainy seriously.

Overall, if you want to be entertained, then this might do the job. But lower your expectations.

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Poor writing and sloppy

I don't know how this show got their 10* rating from many reviews while it had so many problems. The actors and actresses has good acting, but the writers, directors, producers decided to put them in bad drama as this. It started good and proper. An abandoned and abused daughter has to come back to her house because she has nowhere to go but she has other intention, for a revenge and for a sentimental feelings called family (who had abandoned her and left her to die). It's a good 10 episodes when the daughter finally met her real mother who holds power in the house but still chose to kick her out. I thought the next arc would be about mending their broken relationship, a redemption of a mother. But instead it went downhill. The ML fell flat, the FL is too busybody, going into everybody's business. And i snapped when they finally chose to leave the family, the mother got her divorce, only to be killed. I can't no longer continue with this ridiculous plot.

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Personagens complexos ✨️

Eu gostei de assistir o drama, porém eu não sei se é intencional, mas eu percebi que nos dramas históricos chineses que assisti até o momento, as personagens femininas principais tem uma cara meio blaze atuando, o que me incomoda um pouco, pois acaba não entregando muitas expressões em momentos que está pedindo, sabe?
**spoilers**

Eu gostei da história ter esse ritmo e transformação de enredo, indo de esperança, para vingança, para dar tudo errado e perder tudo, e ter que lutar novamente. Porém, chega uma hora que parece que acabaram as ideias. Por exemplo, os episódios 21, 22 e 23 são completamente fillers, os personagens principais mal aparecerem. E o pior de tudo: O último episódio pareceu completamente um filler. Eu fiquei muito decepcionada com isso.

Eu gostei da tensão entre o casal principal, porém, era para ela ter 17 anos?? Ela não parece ter 17 anos, e acho que poderiam ter muito bem escrito a história com ela sendo mais velha. Será que é por isso que não teve absolutamente nenhum beijo entre o casal principal?(Eu não aceito considerar aquele "beijo" mixuruca, faltando 2 minutos para acabar o drama). Sei lá, eles já tinham essa dinâmica de não confiar um no outro, aí fazem a menina mais nova, e acabam não podendo explorar essa relação dos dois. Eu agradeço de não ter aquelas cenas em que a mulher fica falando igual criança com os homens, mas acho que poderia ter um desenvolvimento muito melhor entre os personagens se ela fosse uma personagem mais velha. Ainda mais por quererem mostrar uma garota super inteligente e estrategista.

Apesar de tudo. foi uma história legal, personagens bem complexos, você não sabe em quem confiar, muitos plotwists, adoro. Um destaque para a atriz que interpreta a mãe da personagem principal.

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Started good and..

The storyline started with potential but quickly became predictable and repetitive. Character development felt shallow, and many emotional scenes lacked impact due to forced dialogue. The pacing dragged in several episodes, making it hard to stay engaged. Overall, it felt like a missed opportunity.
Visually, the costumes and sets were appealing, but the script failed to capture the depth and complexity of the period. The plot relied too heavily on clichés in the end, and some historical details felt inaccurate or oversimplified. Performances were uneven, with certain roles coming across as one-dimensional.

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A Worthy Match for Nirvana in Fire – And a Villain Who Refuses to Fall

This drama is a gem. I rate it a solid 10/10 for its gripping story, compelling characters, and flawless execution. It has everything – an intricate and layered plot, electrifying on-screen chemistry between the leads, a truly formidable villain, an outstanding cast, stunning costumes, breathtaking cinematography, lively set designs, and a beautifully composed soundtrack.

Chen Du Ling and Xin Yun Lai shine as the lead couple. Chen brings depth and vulnerability to Zhuang Han Yan, a girl wrongfully branded as the “barefoot devil” after a dubious Taoist priest blamed her for her grandfather’s death. Sent away to live with her father’s friend, she endures mistreatment at the hands of a mentally unstable guardian before finding her way back home. Yet her return is far from peaceful – her biological mother, the legitimate wife, wants her gone, and the priest resurfaces, threatening her life once again.

Enter Fu Yun Xi, deputy minister at the feared Investigation Bureau – an institution notorious for extracting confessions through torture. He pressures Han Yan to reveal the truth about her foster parents’ deaths, threatening to expose her involvement if she refuses. Throughout the series, he straddles the line between foe and ally – investigating her while secretly helping her. The tension between them is electric, their past shrouded in complexity. Is Fu Yun Xi truly her enemy, or is he the only one she can trust?

Once you press play, it is almost impossible to stop. At first, the villains seem clear – scheming concubines and their children – but soon, deeper layers unravel. The true mastermind is revealed as the adopted son of Pei, a once-powerful eunuch rumored to have hidden a vast fortune that vanished with his death. Tracking him down, gathering evidence, and bringing him to justice is no easy feat. He is one of the most challenging villains to defeat, and taking him down risks implicating many innocent lives.

This is what makes the drama so compelling – the moral dilemmas, the complexity of justice, and the sense that every decision comes at a cost.

I absolutely recommend this drama. Its current 8.3 rating on MyDramaList feels far too low for a production of this calibre – a score closer to 8.7 or even 9 would be much more fitting.

However, I find the English title 'The Glory' rather irrelevant and lacking the poetic resonance of the original. It feels somewhat disconnected from the essence of the story, as if chosen mainly to echo the success of other popular dramas. A title like 'The Return' would be far more fitting and much closer in spirit to the original Chinese title.

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one need hella strong stomach to watch dis........

well i won’t talk about acting or music. i am sure the ones who chose were wiser than me, but as an ordinary viewer i would like to say some things.
warning: this review contains no explicit spoilers. however, if you’re perceptive enough, you can still spoil yourself. oh, RANT warning.

so

1. age gap and remarriage.
well okay, we live in the 21st century and we can accept and be more open-minded. but since you’re doing it, idk, at least show some experience. ik he can be justified as traumatized and suffering from PTSD or whatnot, but since you are actively pursuing FL, show some responsibility. he be like police showing up when everything is over.

2. fl is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy (put many y’s for effect) overconfident.
she is 17, came to the capital. i mean she’s smart, so she should know that everyone here knows everything more than her. i mean there is an information gap of about 17 years. gather the information. know thy enemy, know thy self—this is the oldest quotation of smart ppl. and it’s not like there are no hints. i mean when ML first warns her, that is a hugeeee red flag. something is wrong.

3. put aside fl overconfidence.
fl is supposed to be smart. throughout the drama i couldn’t bear to see her being outsmarted. ok, to be fair, i have no problem with her being outsmarted—OP ML or OP FL is so last century—but why the whiny route? i would like to quote some examples, but to avoid spoilers i would say: carefully observe demeanor of her father since the temple where there is a red light on the statue.

4. overall
i just noticed that in 2 and 3 i ranted about FML being dumb, so to correct myself: fl’s head is better than most ppl’s. she’s about top 20% in intelligence. but she lacks information and power and is overconfident. this is a major turn-off.

5. oh and last thing about fl
she is not cruel and cold. ik it doesn’t sound bad, but watch the drama—if she were 50% more cold and cruel and less confident, well let’s just say the drama would be more dramatic. i have more to rant about fl, but more on it later.

6. father.
let’s just say i saw many ppl hating him and i say: well well well, mission accomplished. he is a true politician to the core, the ones we read about in history. i have no complaints about the character. he’s a b**ch as he’s supposed to be. again, i blame fl for being an overconfident ignorant fire.

7. mother
good, typical bipolar and depressed housewife. liked her both ways. got the vibe of that game meme that goes:
the final boss when i fight him: godzilla roaring
the final boss as a playable character: chrome dino

8. ml.
let’s say nice assist. writing about him would reveal spoilers, so just say that he is not useless—it’s our fl that is useless.

9. and i just remembered from 8
WHY DA FAQ DOES FL HAVE AN ISSUE WITH PEI DAFU’S ADOPTED CHILDREN. DID THEY KISS YOUR MAMA AND RUN OFF? why you be hating him—you never saw him, he never harmed you, or had any karma with you. you be against his literal deadass as if he be your mortal enemy.

and that’s all for today. ik this has many holes and i would be happy to rant longer with examples, but it’ll spoil the fun. so if it suits your cup of tea, go ahead. it certainly didn’t suit mine, but i finished it cuz i was 20 eps in and chose to tough it out for 10 more.

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