Ashes to Crown Episode 1 Reactions
I like this drama regardless, the quality od the drama is beautiful as well as the characters. Love watching each and every episode.
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First Impression
This wasn’t the strongest first episode I’ve watched recently, but it definitely ended stronger than it started.
The drama throws a lot at you straight away—family politics, court intrigue, betrayals, power struggles, and revenge. At times it felt like it was trying to fit several episodes’ worth of information into one, which made the pacing feel a little uneven.
Episode Thoughts
The biggest reveal of the episode was discovering that Xiao Xun has been plotting against Chu Zhou all along. Learning that he views the Chu family as a threat because of their military power instantly raised the stakes and gave the story a much darker tone.
While I wasn’t fully invested in the first half of the episode, the latter part started pulling me in. The setup for the revenge and rebirth storyline has plenty of potential, and I’m interested to see how everything unfolds now that the main conflict has been established.
Character Notes
❤️ Xie Yan Lai
* Easily my favourite character so far.
* A man of few words, but somehow manages to steal every scene he’s in.
* There’s an intensity about him that immediately caught my attention.
🌸 Chu Zhou
* She comes across as both intelligent and surprisingly naïve.
* You can tell she has potential, but right now she feels caught between trusting others and trusting her own instincts.
🐍 Xiao Xun
* The villain reveal definitely made him more interesting.
* He’s already proving to be far more calculating than he initially appeared.
Final Thoughts
This wasn’t love at first sight for me, but I’m intrigued enough to keep watching. The pacing needs some work, but the revenge setup, political intrigue, and Xie Yan Lai’s presence have convinced me to stick around for Episode 2.
Favourite Moment
🔥 When Xie Yan Lai stabs Xiao Xun after finding him standing over Chu Zhou’s body.
That was the moment the episode finally clicked for me.
Trope Check
✅ Revenge
✅ Rebirth
✅ Political Intrigue
✅ Powerful General’s Daughter
✅ Betrayal & Scheming
This wasn’t the strongest first episode I’ve watched recently, but it definitely ended stronger than it started.
The drama throws a lot at you straight away—family politics, court intrigue, betrayals, power struggles, and revenge. At times it felt like it was trying to fit several episodes’ worth of information into one, which made the pacing feel a little uneven.
Episode Thoughts
The biggest reveal of the episode was discovering that Xiao Xun has been plotting against Chu Zhou all along. Learning that he views the Chu family as a threat because of their military power instantly raised the stakes and gave the story a much darker tone.
While I wasn’t fully invested in the first half of the episode, the latter part started pulling me in. The setup for the revenge and rebirth storyline has plenty of potential, and I’m interested to see how everything unfolds now that the main conflict has been established.
Character Notes
❤️ Xie Yan Lai
* Easily my favourite character so far.
* A man of few words, but somehow manages to steal every scene he’s in.
* There’s an intensity about him that immediately caught my attention.
🌸 Chu Zhou
* She comes across as both intelligent and surprisingly naïve.
* You can tell she has potential, but right now she feels caught between trusting others and trusting her own instincts.
🐍 Xiao Xun
* The villain reveal definitely made him more interesting.
* He’s already proving to be far more calculating than he initially appeared.
Final Thoughts
This wasn’t love at first sight for me, but I’m intrigued enough to keep watching. The pacing needs some work, but the revenge setup, political intrigue, and Xie Yan Lai’s presence have convinced me to stick around for Episode 2.
Favourite Moment
🔥 When Xie Yan Lai stabs Xiao Xun after finding him standing over Chu Zhou’s body.
That was the moment the episode finally clicked for me.
Trope Check
✅ Revenge
✅ Rebirth
✅ Political Intrigue
✅ Powerful General’s Daughter
✅ Betrayal & Scheming
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A nice new time travel mechanic. I prefer other dramas sprinkling the "future past" throughout the first episodes rather than a whole flashback. This solution isn't bad, but I would have liked some more action, especially because the flashbacks skip through time quite fast.
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My first impression of this drama is very good! The world looks beautiful, and I especially loved the desert theme. For me, it associates with something rough, untamed, and quite unpredictable—something that’s hard to survive. Introducing our likely male lead, Fu Jiu, against that scenery looked absolutely perfect because he completely fits that vibe!
Speaking of Fu Jiu, was he the same guy Chu Zhao saved from the whipping? It was hard to tell because of all the blood on his face in that scene, but I suspect he was. Either way, I think he's a keeper. He looked loyal to Chu Zhao, maybe even already had some feelings since that day when she saved him... However, Xiao Xun looked suspicious from the very beginning, and the way the whole backstory went down, it completely proved he couldn't be trusted.
But the major star of this episode was definitely the female lead. Yes, she was naive and trusting, falling into Xiao Xun’s trap which led to her death, but all of that did a great job setting the stakes for her revenge against him. I definitely need a few more episodes to decide if I’ll stick with it, but man—revenge looks incredibly good on Chen Duling!
Speaking of Fu Jiu, was he the same guy Chu Zhao saved from the whipping? It was hard to tell because of all the blood on his face in that scene, but I suspect he was. Either way, I think he's a keeper. He looked loyal to Chu Zhao, maybe even already had some feelings since that day when she saved him... However, Xiao Xun looked suspicious from the very beginning, and the way the whole backstory went down, it completely proved he couldn't be trusted.
But the major star of this episode was definitely the female lead. Yes, she was naive and trusting, falling into Xiao Xun’s trap which led to her death, but all of that did a great job setting the stakes for her revenge against him. I definitely need a few more episodes to decide if I’ll stick with it, but man—revenge looks incredibly good on Chen Duling!
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