EP36 or EP40

Whatever ending it is, I don't want a rush ending. At this point, I'm even ok with an open ending like MJTY because then maybe there's room for season 2 but an ending like AJTL is the worst in my opinion. I'm still pissed at that drama. I couldn't even mourn properly before all the crap started happening. 

I want an appropriate ending for the Duke and XFF.

I also wish that it's not a rushed ending like Till the end of the moon. Personally, the ending like Shen Li is the best, they included the sweet extra too ? 

 ai mi ke ai:

we're getting 40 eps since there is an ep 37 preview! :)

where, in YOUKU there is non

 ai mi ke ai:

we're getting 40 eps since there is an ep 37 preview! :)

It should be, because a lot of scenes (incl from trailer) haven't been shown. The war, the bloody face XH riding horse, the wedding, the hug, the KISS at the hill. Won't be enough to cover it in one ep only.

I loved the ending as is...without the additional bonus episode because the rest of the drama was so well made. Someone had mentioned in a comment that The Double had a theme of poetic justice. I posted this in response because it did ring true for me. Near the bottom, highlighted in blue, I give my reason for why the ending as is, did not upset me and why it was a happy ending for me. I know others feel different and that is fine. I just wanted to share my perspective.

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For me, i see the poetic justice in the following:

Vice is punished:
- SYR is selfish and uses evil means to gain power and XFF's love (after betraying and trying to kill her), but ends up with neither power nor love from XFF.
- WN wanted power and SYR's love, so went to great lengths to kill XFF and her family, but ends up losing it all to XFF (SYR's love, XFF's family survives, WN's brother dies, loses fake pregnancy, kills herself).
- Prince Cheng is a disciple of XH's father, who he killed. XH's father used his sword to teach Prince Cheng martial arts skills, but Prince Cheng ends up dying at the hands of XH, using his father's sword.

Virtue is rewarded:
- XFF gave up herself to help SYR become an imperial scholar (sold her guzheng to support him financially, sold her mother's pendant to get medicine and aid for him when he was sick, didn't go to school because she married him instead, etc.) and he betrayed her and tried to kill her. XFF remained true to herself with XH and he accepted her as she was. When he faced SYR alone, she returned to him because she didn't want to abandon him. In the end, she found love and happiness because XH returns to her alive. He too does not want to leave her alone and abandoned so he fights to survive. She also got her father and brother back and also gained new friends that support her.
- XH's father was killed in a battle against the Dai army because he was betrayed by Prince Cheng and his cohorts. XH brings them all to justice. He battles against the Dai army for the country (selfless compared to SYR, WN, and Prince Cheng who are all selfish). The difference with his father is that his father wins the battle, but can't leave safely because Prince Cheng blocks his retreat. For XH, he is in a losing battle, but throughout the drama, he helps others (Emperor, Situ Jiu, XFF and her family) who made it clear throughout that they would never abandon him and would do what they can to help him. So, that's why it is a clear happy ending for me and why the battle scene does not upset me. Knowing the characters and how well their relationships and character are developed throughout, it's clear that XH wouldn't die, his friends wouldn't abandon him. It is also poetic justice.
- As a couple, XH fights to survive because he knows XFF is waiting for him and he wants to return to her. So he lives, he returns, and he and XFF, who both suffered at the hands of selfish people, both live, finding love and happiness.

The part that doesn't seem fair though, are the deaths of Tong'Er, Lu Ji, and Wen Ji. I don't understand why they would die, given the poetic justice theme. Unless it's to say that some of the innocent and virtuous can't be rewarded because they fall prey to the evil and maliciousness of others. ?‍♀️

 unbeliebubble:

I agree with you about the death of Tong'Er, Lu Ji, and Wen Ji. However, prosaically I associate those deaths to the fact that directors/ writers want viewers to mourn sidekicks so that the drama stays in their memory. 

Actually human being tend to remember more hardships than moments of bliss. This is something directors often do on purpose to make us cry.

Thank you! ☺️

It worked! This drama definitely stayed in my memory.... Tong'Er, Lu Ji, Wen Ji!!! ? And I did cry...

I agree, that i think we do tend to remember the hardships more than the moments of bliss. I think maybe that's why they don't show too many kissing scenes between the leads. it makes it more memorable and meaningful when they actually do kiss…though i wouldn’t have minded more kissing scenes as Wang Xing Yue also wanted ?

Here is a copy of my reply to @frankly in our discussion:

I love your very insightful take on poetic justice. The fates of those you described were definitely filled with karma and poetic irony, which is what poetic justice is about.

And yes, we cannot explain the deaths of Tong Er and the Ji Brothers. Perhaps we shouldn't put them under the theme of justice because they were not the ones to whom justice was administered, but were just part of the "whims of fate."

I do know, though, that this director LOVES mirroring his scenes with different outcomes. Thus, we were shown Duke Su's father in battle gear with all his men dead, battling alone. He did NOT survive. In Episode 40, we see the same bloody scene with Duke Su and his faithful men. And thus, perhaps that's why the Jis had to die, because the mirroring the earlier scene, all the General's men died. The different outcome, of course, was that our Duke survived this battle.

We see this mirroring/different ending with XFF running in red in the beginning and we know she was going to be "killed" by a faithless husband. So, the mirroring ending with her running in red, we know it would be the opposite outcome.

If we believe in karma, which is part of many a revenge plot, then we know it was poetic irony for SYR that in the end, it was his wife who received everything he wanted: noble status, power (she was now the scholar/teacher), equality with a mate, a lover to play music/go with, a peaceful family life.

Here is the other irony, XFF was given the nickname Li for Civet, the "replacement." We've earlier already discussed the Ancient Story of the Civet and that XFF's civet replaced Jiang Li's Pear. But, could we further push this civet story that XFF also in some ways replaced her SYR in life? She was the one inside the gates now, the one being the scholar, the one entire groups of people/families looked up to, the one the Emperor could seek advice from (and you know he did!). I think that is a pretty cool "mirror" maneuver!