Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance

 H19279:

@all,

The notification function for discussion thread on MDL is still very unreliable. I got some notification last night but none today.

with regard to the V-linkage chart on character popularity, XY/WXL, XL/FFB and TSJ/YSQ jumbed to 1, 2, 3 position respectively on premier day. Cang Xuan is way below

Fans fought hard for their favorite actors. Did Cang Xuan have higher screen time in the first 3(4) episode?

Ah, cool!  Thank you for the chart.  That sounds about right for popularity.  I can't believe Cang Xuan isn't higher though.  He definitely dominated the early episodes.

I don't know what is going on with notifications, but they aren't working as they should.  I wish they would just go back to whatever they had.  It was was working fine.

 liddi:

He was featured prominently in the first 4 episodes and delivered consistently strong performances throughout. Really hope his ranking picks up as the drama continues to air.

Exactly.  He should be getting much more support, I would think.

Yes, I love Peachey's channel.  She's always so quick!

 Kokuto:

Ah, cool!  Thank you for the chart.  That sounds about right for popularity.  I can't believe Cang Xuan isn't higher though.  He definitely dominated the early episodes.

Because ZWY is not top traffic star or new traffic stars as the others.

And this kind of chart doesn't indicate the character's performance precisely. It impies the temporary actors' popularity whose  drama is on-aired 

I can't really pinpoint what the problem is, but the first 4 episodes were kinda flat, IMO. I don't know, a bit boring maybe, which is unexpected, because it was the most excited part from the novel to me. 

 blabla100:

I can't really pinpoint what the problem is, but the first 4 episodes were kinda flat, IMO. I don't know, a bit boring maybe, which is unexpected, because it was the most excited part from the novel to me. 

I just watched eps 1 and same feeling with you - flat

 H19279:

I just watched eps 1 and same feeling with you - flat

The other thing, is there is unrelenting heartbreak all thru these episodes, which was not the case with the Qing Shui arc.

Speaking of that, was nice to see again and Sang Tian'er

So far, the drama remains pretty faithful to the script with the end of Ep6 covering up to Ep7 scene 12 of the leaked script. With 2-3 unaccounted for episodes, I really hope that the final script improves on what was originally given.

Positives:

Performances remain strong on the whole. Her mourning the loss of Fangfeng Bei was particularly well-done, and my heart broke with her as she held the bow in her arms and wept bitterly for the man she would never see again. 

"Let Fangfeng Bei take Xiao Yao as his wife, or marry into the royal family" - despite being all too short, it was such a great comfort to watch, especially after all the pain. Ru Shou's amusing statements also bring much needed relief that keeps me looking forward to his appearance.

Every scene with Cang Xuan continues to be a highlight for me because of how well ZWY brought his emotions to life.

Differences:

Unlike the script which placed him by the banks of Gourd Lake, the scene where we first see him with the crystal globe is in the seashell, where he is in red robes, which feels to be his silent response to her message via the crystal globe.

She was wearing all red in a form of a wedding dress (instead of white per the script) as she waited by the sea, and she looked eagerly the moment she saw snow over the ocean, which indicated that she was waiting for Xiang Liu after all. However, her dialogue with A Nian remained unchanged, which felt wishy washy, despite the implications of the red robes she wore.

The description of the crystal globe was already different from the novel even in the leaked script.

Within the crystal globe was a base of blue sea, with colourful small fishes and red corals in it. On the surface of the sea was a great white seashell, and a beautiful mermaid sat on it, one hand on her heart, and the other hand outstretched towards the merman in the water, floating on the waves.

-- Leaked script Ep6 (S02E14 scene 8)

Here the drama changes it again with two seashells facing each other - the mermaid sitting on a smaller seashell facing a larger seashell, one hand on her heart, the other held out to the merman who swam facing her from the larger seashell, with his hand stretched out to her. 

I am not very sure what the changes to the crystal globe implies. Was she asking him to take her away? Yet the merman was already facing the mermaid. And then there were two seashells. This seemed to indicate she was asking him to come to her world instead? Whatever it is, it would have made more sense if this was something she had prepared with care for years, to have made that plea, especially dressed in wedding robes during the 7-day wait, and not as a final gift that required prompting from her maid to come up with. It feels inconsistent in that sense.

The glowing of the bugs in unison after the 4 questions was also omitted. Instead, all they showed was her passed out in his arms, and the tears brimming in his eyes after he told her to sleep and that she would forget all that happened when she woke up. Perhaps the drama opted to have the bugs glowing only during momentous occasions - the planting of the bugs, retaliation when she almost died, during the healing under the ocean, the destruction of the bugs. Based on a leaked scene, it seems the bugs would also glow just before she left Qingshui Town, when he demonstrated the pain that she would suffer if she revealed Fangfeng Bei and he were one and the same - something that was not in the leaked script.

I havent's seen today's episodes yet, but looking at the crystal ball's picture, I am wondering how will they fit the fisherman at the end. Hate the change. 

 blabla100:

I havent's seen today's episodes yet, but looking at the crystal ball's picture, I am wondering how will they fit the fisherman at the end. Hate the change. 

Per the script, the man (not merman) will be standing next to the mermaid, taking her hand while the merman appeared distant despite being nearby:

Xiang Liu sat alone on the tree a little distance away from the base, gazing at the crystal globe in his hand. This was the crystal globe Xiao Yao gave him, except now it had been altered by him, and was different from before: In the sea, there were gorgeous, colourful small fishes, red corals, and a pure white large seashell. A beautiful mermaid sat sideways on the seashell, part of her beautiful tail on the pure white seashell, the other part floating on the sea. A man stood next to her, holding her outstretched hand, smiling as he gazed at the mermaid. In the corner, a merman floated on the waves. He appeared to be close to the seashell, but his distant demeanor gave the impression that he was actually in another world, and not in that quiet, peaceful ocean.

-- Leaked script Ep20 (S02E28 scene 12)