S.H.Eliot

I haven't read the original novel, so I don't know if it's the original story or the poor adaptation, but the characters in the plot are extremely disorganized and poorly developed, and this is despite of some very good acting performances. It seems that the entire revenge theme is to explore the power struggles and interpersonal dynamics within the family structure and the social and court hierarchy but the show falls short to deliver this concept. The pace is excruciatingly slow and devoid of any excitement, and the suspenseful music is not enough to remedy the lack of any life and vigor. The main protagonist's ( Xie Qing Yuan) deadpan face, extra soft voice and servile acts soon become annoying and boring. Her character shifts from a very insightful strategist one day to a naively emotional teenager wanting revenge at any cost, even by marrying an immature and single-minded lovestruck fool with no real power, the next! The emotional connection between the main characters is not palpable or believable. I like Zhou Ye and enjoyed her performance in The legend of the female general and looked forward to this drama mostly because of her but unfortunately, this underperforming and utterly disappointing drama managed to wipe out all those good impressions.