AleksandraSucur

I knew Hongyao should stick with Meng Buyi. He isn't handsome but is very interesting and nice to her. And smart enough to befriend LLF's team, hear of their cases and shape them into the stories.
I hope we'll see this (real) writer's avatar again in some future cases. Also because he and his lovely wife positively influence LLF&XJ couple.

They are all pretenders who deserve to be duped. Meng Shi and his servant inverted their roles, because he cannot directly take official position/power (and I think the reason why he cannot do that is not only because he is a merchant), Meng Buyi (I wonder if her husband is related to the rich merchant) lies to her about his status in the ministry of revenue and she is a pro enchantress.
Yes, she may be after Meng Shi's money but certainly has no feelings for this preening & arrogant mint-eater. But she is an artist and may have feelings for her husband. Who knows, maybe she faked her suicide attempt only to be "saved" by Meng Buyi...

complementary colours and a camera zooming towards her graceful figure... cameraman knows to captivate our eyes

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I think mothers unconsciously "lure" us into their "fields of interest" and we unconsciously accept to fall into such traps because we perceive them as... challenges. An approximate idea of the right answer is sufficient to us to fall in that trap as it happened to me recently, betting (and loosing 50 euros) Melanie Griffith's mum was Kim Novak against my mother who knew it was Tippi Hedren... I had a vague idea her mom was one of Hitchcock's favourite actresses and among them, Novak's facial traits seemed to be the most similar to Melanie's face, ofc. I had no idea of her family (except two famous husbands and her daughter Dakota from 50 Shades...). My mother will never challenge my brother on movies and movie actors topics - my bro is a consecutive winner of quizes involving the matter for so many years, when I've asked him later "who's Melanie Griffith's mother?" he immediately knew the right answer, but she (my mom) challenges him on other topics "within her domain" (royalties from all around the world are her specialty) and he also fails hard against her.
My mother would not know who became the UK's prime minister in 1964, but if you ask her "who was the UK's prime minister suspected to be a Soviet spy?" she may remember H. Wilson because she watched The Crown ofc, containing this (badly) fictionalized subplot story...
But, you know what? With your knowledge of actors and acting, my mom would certainly loose her ground if you were her daughter. And your mom may loose her ground to me - I'm a political scientist with solid knowledge of contemporary history and international relations, lets' exchange them, lol.
Joking aside, "being always right" comes with motherhood. My son probably thinks the same of me. although I try my best not to "lure him" in "my trap".... sometimes, the thrill of winning the argument is too big and I can't resist. 😁

my fave is the stage with many lanterns on which Hong Yao plays her pipa. The melody is very captivating as well. No wonder all men present fell for her

I've also noticed certain exaggerations - in particular SWM's - but I've attributed it to the fact the actor ought to play SWM ACTING (and showing off) before "higher authorities" (the princess, the emperor and so on), manipulating, lying, pretending.
In previous seasons there was no such a need to over-act, but now they are in the capital, in a competitive and showing off environment, surrounded by people who are also pretentious, so their behaviour, the way they talk with other persons necessarily change and give pretentious vibes.
When they are in private, they are more relaxed and talk differently, with the exception of Chicken Fed, whose (over)acting is always the same (for comic purposes).
Btw, your mother and my mother are twins separated at birth 😂 She is also "always right", lol

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yup, I agree...😂😂😂

that's true, but so was Hemingway before winning a Pulitzer and a Nobel... 😂
That rich merchant is not a husband material, his relationship with his servant is too confusing and complicated, one can't tell who is the master between the two, so better to drop them both, right?

it is better to watch S2 first, but at the same time you can watch S3 too. S2 was more about their moving along the ancient Silk Road and getting closer, less about political strife.

A snake catcher + snake breeder (rare species), scholar, secretary in the ministry of revenue, expert wall-climber, excellent actor, hired as a spy and as an assassin, writer, author of The Strange Tales of Tang Capital... "previous experiences" in Meng Buyi's c.v. are richer than in Hemingway's, lol.
If I were his wife, I'd stick with him, the other two are less interesting imo.

I think they'll alternate: one case with the beasts, one without them, so everybody will be satisfied. 😁

But they arrived at the end, saving both LLF and SWM 😁
You're right about the 3rd case not being a murder mystery, but the task assigned by the emperor was in the range of justice officer competence and responsibilites. If you don't like it because of the beast, well, neither I nor FunnyBunny are fans of these strange beasts, but there's a good reason why they are present in SToTD - they are hallmarks of the specific Chinese folktales genre combining mystery, investigation and supernatural and have their "fandom" - so we bear with them.
The 3rd case wasn't interesting per se, but it was extremely important and functional in depicting the roots and the deadly depth of the political conflict between the emperor and his aunt and how much LLF is torn apart between his mother's aspirations and loyalty towards an emperor who's able to kill even innocent and talented people if they don't openly side with him. You can't deny this info was very precious to us, the audience.

If you shift your focus on what's important in the (political) plot, maybe this grating sensation will disappear. It is this conflict that makes LLF very conflicted: deep down he knows his mother is a better ruling material than this easily influenced emperor, who btw easily kills as we've learned in the 3rd case (and who will also be the beginning of the end of the Great Tang at the end of his reign) . But he can't side with her: because he is a loyalist, by his upbringing and by the fact he served as an imperial guard officer, fighting together with Li Longji (the current emperor) for the restauration of the retired emperor, when the latter was excluded from power by the usurping Wu clan. He can't side with Li Longji either, he can only work for the peace between these two, like a neglected lacerated child of divorcing parents, while being suspected as "working for the other side" by both factions and especially by the emperor's faction which has executive powers.
Being such a die hard loyalist is indeed his flow, but beside "it is his nature", he also has no other options but to work for the "peace" doing acrobatics between his mother and his cousin, it is his destiny, his cruciatus curse and SWM is the person who understands LLF's inner torment the best. SWM doesn't mind their inverted roles in terms of investigation authority and will always cover for LLF's mistakes and showing offs. Not only because he cares about him and sees him as a family, but also because he also doesn't have a better option. When princess Taiping offered him to work for her, SWM refused. SWM is a person directly burdened by Di Renjie's legacy of an impartial justice and better prospects for upright persons in a very unjust and corrupted world.
I wonder if the author, who is a top expert of Tang's history, construed all the "strange stories" involving LLF and SWM (characters he created ad hoc) we see for 3 seasons, around his personal deductions on the politics, society and costums of the time: creating LLF and SWM actually doesn't only explain the geist of Da Tang but offers believable answers on the questions like "why the incompetent retired emperor...?", "why the incompetent Li Longji ruled so long?".
The only logical answer: the system continued to function because there were nameless persons still working for the prosperity, justice and peace. The author gave them names and the story and the drama shape. 😌

I totally agree with you: it's the same but better. I don't know if you remember when I've complained in the last season about too many weird beasts exceeding their folklore and genre purpose and how I've missed the political conflict (the history and princess Taiping)... in this season they've toned down the beasts and brought back exactly what I've wanted, blending the history into their cases and other earthly problems to solve. Bringing Shangguan Wan'er story, the epitaph verses written by the historical princess Taiping in the 3rd case was a masterchef's touch and a great educational/cultural service of the author.

Thank you for this comment. It made me research about her, wow, what a life!
Beside, I've discovered that the poetry recited by SWM (to escape death with LLF) and later repeated by princess in tears, was indeed written by princess Taiping and found on the epitaph of her tomb (errected by Taiping as well).
The writer truly skillfully insert these real historical details in this drama (in all seasons) and it's always a pleasure to discover them.
Btw, "chancelor Cui" /Taiping's advisor may have been one of Shangguan Wan'er's lovers in his youth...

I love it, too. Now we know how to call such characters, "mansels in distress", lol

We've finally reached 1K watchers! 😁🤓

This all-righteous arrogant behaviour is part of his nature and noble status, he cannot change it, this trait is in his upbringing and authority as a scion of Lu clan of Fanyang, high military nobles for many centuries before Tang https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lu_clan_of_Fanyang
Although the story is fictional, it is inspired on real historical data and events as well as on zhiguai xiaoshuo, collection of investigation-mystery-supernatural folktales set in Tang dynasty, collected and put in writing from the Ming onwards. In these stories, a display of justice authority is common and actually expected. Combined with the self-perception as "defenders" and "pillars of the state" noble clans and families usually have (not only in China), it is only logical he behaves like that.
SWM can't afford himself to be rude to his superior. LLF can. It is his superior who must mind LLF' high status and can offend him only when has the emperor's backing. Because - beside being a Lu - LLF is also the emperor's cousin