Ashes to Crown Episode 7

moving out of the capital!!!

the way we're moving out of the capital just as the political stuff gets interesting... i think the drama is on more solid footing after these seven episodes, especially with the onslaught of information and events they bombard you with in the beginning. better to find their footing later rather than never tbh.

but i am looking forward to chu zhao when she's away from the court. i think her clever mind shines most when she's not restricted by court machinations, so i'd like to see how she does when she's out on her own in yunzhong and with xie yanlai. i think chu zhao's strongest trait is her desire to survive at all costs, so I'm curious to see how it will be tested in a different setting/environment.

her father is clearly her most important emotional anchor so it'd be good to have her see him again too. we've seen chu zhao desperate, afraid, ambitious, motherly, and cunning. she's been vulnerable with xie yanlai for a few brief moments, but i'd like to see her let her guard down completely around her father.

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The most intriguing villain of this story....

I must say — I do love how they play with colours in some scenes, where part of the picture becomes greyish and only specific characters remain in colour. I think it’s a brilliant way of showing us what’s important in that particular moment. I only wonder why they chose those specific scenes to highlight that way.

It’s quite amusing to see how Deng Yi, Xie Yanfang, Xiao Xun, and Chu Zhao can anticipate each other’s moves just by knowing what is supposedly happening with them. To be fair, Xiao Xun seems the least dangerous of the three; his game is already quite transparent. Deng Yi holds that element of unpredictability because of the child he always plays Go with — I still don't know who the boy is, what he signifies, or what his influence over Deng Yi really is. Meanwhile, Xie Yanfang is the hardest to read — he schemes against absolutely everyone, yet he shows certain qualities that make him quite sympathetic. For me, he’s easily the most intriguing of the three villains!

I loved how Chu Zhao got some random lady to play her mother! But to be fair, I am completely with Fu Jiu about that woman — she's suspicious. It's not just the stopped carriage, but also that extra line she added for the people questioning them. It will be interesting to see how everything continues now that Chu Zhao and Fu Jiu are away from the capital, far from the little emperor, while Deng Yi and Xie Yanfang play their power games back there and Xiao Xun is out for Chu Zhao's blood.

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