We Promise to discuss spoilers of "TPoC" here

Oke I am done. Skipped episode 51-54 though since I have zero interest in Qi Yuan harem. Perhaps will re-visit again when I re-watch the batch with subs. 

I cried a river!!! I like this remake more than the original. In the original the Emperor was bratty from the beginning to the end and Xiaozhuang just heartless woman. Here, both Ming Yu and Qi Yuan are redeemed in a way. Also, I like how the scriptwriter set up the final. What goes around comes around. Both Ming Yu and Qi Yuan get their karma. 

I will continue to the main thread for my thought of the final.

Here, I want to praise Sarah Zhao for her acting in the final arc, especially in emotional scenes. It was very good. I can feel her shock, helpless-ness, tired-ness of continue living. I hope she can further improve in the future in regard of micro-expression in romance scene. Also how to produce a certain aura throughout an arc based on what the character affliction at that time, not just do enough scene per scene.

Hi! Welcome, welcome!! Hahahahaha!

Su Yu Ying love is akin to obsession. If only Cheng Xu showed her a little care, she would capable of doing anything for him. The problem is, Su Yu Ying is cruel person by nature and upbringing. Having her do something out of love for Cheng Xu has high probability of making a disaster. Also, she did too many wrong that made Cheng Xu felt disgust toward her. And once a man disgusted with your inner quality, nothing can make him back to you. 

Qi Yuan immaturity and stupidity really know no limit. He even dare treated the war as game which indirectly caused Cheng Xu death. Only Cheng Xu death finally snapped him back to reality. And he redeemed himself by giving Cheng Xu posthumous position as emperor I think. Sigh .... 

Si Feng is akin to fairy beautiful while Cheng Xu is heroic man.

 Xien_Rue:

Oke I am done. Skipped episode 51-54 though since I have zero interest in Qi Yuan harem. Perhaps will re-visit again when I re-watch the batch with subs. 

I cried a river!!! I like this remake more than the original. In the original the Emperor was bratty from the beginning to the end and Xiaozhuang just heartless woman. Here, both Ming Yu and Qi Yuan are redeemed in a way. Also, I like how the scriptwriter set up the final. What goes around comes around. Both Ming Yu and Qi Yuan get their karma. 

I will continue to the main thread for my thought of the final.

Here, I want to praise Sarah Zhao for her acting in the final arc, especially in emotional scenes. It was very good. I can feel her shock, helpless-ness, tired-ness of continue living. I hope she can further improve in the future in regard of micro-expression in romance scene. Also how to produce a certain aura throughout an arc based on what the character affliction at that time, not just do enough scene per scene. 

Yes her acting when facing ChengXu death is good. Too bad she didn't have what it takes from the beginning. 

If her acting is not one dimensional before, that making us hate her character very very much for betraying ChengXu over and over again. If only she show that duality emotion that making us believe that although she done that cruellest things to ChengXu but her love is never change. I actually like her emotion when she burnt her outer wedding gown in that wedding night. I wish she show that her respect toward the king before Xi Qi happen is different than what she showed in the drama. I wish her emotion is exactly like after Xi Qi, although she respect him as the king but she didn't love him in whatever form (pity love or whatever). And i wish everytime she made decision to betray him is because the situation is really really dire and she did it because of him also. Not because she didn't trust ChengXu could protect Qi Yuan from the secret edict of the king. Because i think ChengXu can protect Qi Yuan, he has been planning the revolt in a very long time. He has prepared. His men already penetrate to the king's batallion long ago, so he can kill Daehan and his men to make sure the king's edict is not happening. And Qi Han's men is so easily to defeat if only MingYu didn't interfered.

And she should have not force him to vow his loyality to her son. Because his throne should have belong to Cheng Xu from the start. She basically steal it. And her son is indeed didn't deserve to be king at the time. She should have been ashamed to ever done that and really reprimand Qi Yuan for all the bad things that he did to ChengXu. Not protecting his mistakes over and over again.

 Eclipse02:

Yes her acting when facing ChengXu death is good. Too bad she didn't have what it takes from the beginning.

I like how she differentiate her reaction toward Cheng Xu death from Qi Yuan death (episode 56). In Qi Yuan death, she was devastated. But in Cheng Xu death, she was in shock, as in disbelief. Her mind could not accept the reality in front of her. I think this showed the importance of Cheng Xu inside her heart. 

Before this, we saw her took Cheng Xu love for granted and kept on protecting her son while sacrificing Cheng Xu in the process. I think she subconsciously thought that Cheng Xu would always be there and he would always prevail so she chose to protect his son who she deemed the weaker one. But in the end, Cheng Xu died, leaving her with eternal guilt and regret. Her fault was refusing to see what truly happened in front of her; that her son was out for Cheng Xu blood. She could never accept that her son would be such a cruel ungrateful person. So she just deluded herself, thinking it was Cheng Xu hoarding all the power that cause her son unhappy and all would be well once her son got what he wanted. 

After Cheng Xu gone, she finally realized what she had and now lost. 

Also, even though Qi Yuan redeemed himself in the end, I still could not bring myself liking him. In my eyes, doing good for dead person is meaningless. 

Watching the end, I say that Sarah Zhao is okay. Her acting in final arc was able to deliver that knife to my heart. It was just we were so fresh from L&R with Cheng Yi spectacular acting (and also seeing him acting so good here). So perhaps we subconsciously set our threshold higher than usual, hahahaha.

 Eclipse02:

@Xien_Rue
Yes your right, it is like that question that asked "who do you save if ChengXu and Qi Yuan both drowning?" Because MingYu think ChengXu could survive without her, so she choose to help her son. So she really did take ChengXu love and devotion for granted. And in the drama, by making her could not see ChengXu for the last time, kinda make her regret feel more painful. I guess i have to applaud her for crying scenes, she does good. 

You need to watch episode 55. We can see the extend of Ming Yu pain after Cheng Xu death there (in the dream scene), Sarah Zhao acting there is also amazing. My heart felt stabbed and I cried a river again there. 

And that episode also where Qi Yuan finally understand what kind of pain he brought to his mother by indirectly caused Cheng Xu death.

I must say though, I'm mightily impressed with Huang Yi (the actress who plays Su Yu Ying) in ep 50 (all her scenes, especially minute 29 onwards).  In the beginning and even in her minor role in L&R as Ah Lan, it was the same old spoilt princess persona but in this episode, damn she really showed so much potential.  That confrontation between her and Ming Yu, Huang Yi really showed much more nuanced portrayal than Sarah Zhao, especially the depiction of pain, sorrow and despair in her eyes.  And she's only 23!

It's interesting that the actresses performed significantly better in later episodes when their characters have become older and going through trauma.

Sarah Zhao had her moments throughout and did improve, but she still needs to work on her micro-expressions.  Even Huang Yi did better in this episode.

 Xien_Rue:

You need to watch episode 55. We can see the extend of Ming Yu pain after Cheng Xu death there (in the dream scene), Sarah Zhao acting there is also amazing. My heart felt stabbed and I cried a river again there. 

And that episode also where Qi Yuan finally understand what kind of pain he brought to his mother by indirectly caused Cheng Xu death. 

I hate this show.  That is NOT enough suffering.  Mingyu and her son need to suffer more and die terrible, terrible deaths.

I feel like the first version of this show is better?!  If Mingyu was a cold, unlikable Person that Ended up loving power or her son more than Chengxu, then I wouldn’t hate her so much.  This version made her kind, loving, patient, forgiving and let her get away with really selfish, evil things.  That’s 100x worse.  It’s manipulative.  Nice characters that do really shitty, bad things are the worst.