DramaAjumma

It is his own voice.

Because there are rules in the palace that has to be abided by. This is 15th century China not a 21st century rom com. Even Zijin knows that. She did what she did knowing the consequences of her actions.
In fact, Zhu Zhanji was already quite forward thinking for his time in some ways.

It's a valid enough interpretation of the writer's intentions but I still don't think it was properly thought through. By trying to make Liang Yi looked like the perfect husband, they made Qiu Yan look terrible.

I liked the ending to the Imperial Coroner. Handsome Siblings was decent. The Longest Day in Chang'an was acceptable and I didn't mind the ending to Nirvana in Fire 1. Miss Truth was okay, Sleuth of Ming Dynasty and Miss S.
This are just the ones I remember at the top of my head.

No problems, I'm the same.

The last couple of episodes were super good as we see Ha-young refining his interrogation techniques on the one hand and spiralling emotionally downwards on the other. I love the spiritual aspects of the show as much as the criminal ones. It's not difficult to see how they are inextricably connected. No decent human being can look at so much evil in the face and come away unaffected.

Kim Nam-gil is superb in the role.

It's a complete red-herring and an unnecessary one at that.

I don't agree with her assessment of the drama either.

With Qiu Min, I thought the green-eyed monster was the culprit behind all the nuttiness. It is what animates many of these so-called second female leads so it's not exactly outside the realm of possibility. And I think that's borne out too by the way Qin Xuan was egging her saying that she would never be as good as Qiu Yan no matter how much she tries. He was pretty much pressing on a nerve there. I think jealousy is a good enough explanation for me but I don't think the show did a good job by placing her in positions of danger in the final act just so she can get her wake-up call.

I generally agree though that Qiu Yan didn't handle Min'er very well especially when they ended up at the brothel.

I'm sure many of us do. I've used the same language myself "bait and switch" in a post last week after Episode 28. I really didn't like what I saw then and thought already that it was a abrupt shift in tone.

This isn't my first C drama outing and I've suffered plenty of bad endings. It's certainly not the worse (talk about low hanging fruit though) but I always lament that a show with so much potential for greatness can be so easily screwed over in the final act or just in the last episode.

I have also seen the Lion's Secret and I know what you're saying. I think it's also the case where the writer/director wanted to go for the childhood connection trope in this particular context without really understanding the implications of how that looks in that kind of trajectory. My problem often is that writers use tropes in the effort of trying to kickstart the narrative or push the narrative forward without thinking through the implications of what that does to characterization and development. I don't pretend to know what goes on in the heads of writers or directors and maybe there are logistical issues at play but that's why time spent on a script and even in the editing room are crucial.

I also have mixed feelings about how the show handled Qiu Min on hindsight. I was happy to overlook some of those writing flaws initially because I was watching the show largely for the leads' romance but also at least for a time it made sense that Qiu Min would go down the dark road. However, there's no doubt the show overdid her shtick especially when in the final act, she was still insecure and clingy until her near death experience. To be honest the show isn't great at explaining things except as an afterthought.

The same thing with the courtesan, Xiao Xiao. I really didn't like what they did with her character at all in the final act.

I think the show should have maintained that lightweight tone that made it an attractive watch in its first two-thirds. Trying to be all dark and gritty in the final act really did a lot of harm to the likeability and integrity of the characters because the show just didn't take into consideration some of the moral implications of using characters to move the story in a particular direction.

I really liked how Zhanji finally opened up to Zijin in Episode 24 after their "cold" war. It was a long time in coming. I'm glad that they sorted out the misunderstanding that she's in love with another guy very quickly. Sometimes it's up to the servants to help things along. :D

Okay he didn't recognize her when they had their first encounter in the present timeline but he wasn't exactly to be blamed for what happened in the past. I have no doubt that Zijin also feels sorry for the present crown prince consort Hu Shanxiang. She only wanted to study medicine but got dragged into the palace fray because of her siblings. I can understand Zijin not wanting to get embroiled with all the palace politics and the baggage between Zhanji and Hu Shanxiang by taking refuge in the kitchen. However the reality is that she can't avoid all of that forever especially because she's so outstanding and so well-liked. Despite the machinations of others, she still managed to come to his attention and he fell for her anyway. I get that she doesn't want to be manipulated or be anybody's puppet as she's been burnt before but I don't think it's entirely up to her. Obviously the narrative is that they're meant to be together because they are both exceptional individuals who can a do lot of good together for the country. He is good at everything. She's good at everything. It seems to be a natural fit. The incident where the emperor is now sending him off to Nanjing is a case in point. He needs a woman who can help him deal with his family issues.

Hu Shanxiang also didn't try that hard at first with Zhanji even when he tried to be thoughtful in those early days. In a way her story is the more tragic one because she doesn't really fit into the milieu and she doesn't have the love or respect of her husband. Of course now that her sister's gone, her life won't get any easier. However, I'm sure she'll soon realise that Zijin is better off being an ally than a rival.

Interesting that you say that because Chen Wu said the opposite. It certainly wasn't the case in the early part of the drama.
The only reason why he's been brooding is because of Zijin. Especially when he thinks that she's in love with some other guy.

I like it. It has something for everyone. Food porn, great set pieces, costumes interesting characters and dynamics.

But you have to watch it with good subs.

Just because the leads find their way back together doesn't mean it's a good ending. Just because they finally get their happily-ever-after, doesn't mean it's a good ending. How we get to a good ending is just as important or more important.

Let's say for one moment for argument's sake that the final twist of who really killed Liang Yi's dad is an interesting idea. I'm not saying it couldn't have been... in another part of the narrative. But timing is almost everything in storytelling. Not only did it come very late in the telling but it also loses its thematic power. If the story is meant to be reinforcing some kind of tragic vision of the world, then perhaps that there needs to be time for the characters and the audience to breathe and grieve over this untimely situation. But the way it is used in the so-called resolution phase, it's not only bizarre but trivialises the impact of what the mother did by turning it into a glaring device to separate the leads at the 11th hour. Who throws up new information in a conclusion ... unless of course it's leading to a sequel. But there's none in sight. Moreover by doing this at this very moment, what does this say about Mdm Jin and Qiu Yan? This show purportedly is about the empowerment of women but the effect of what they just pulled there is to show that women are the bane of Liang Yi's existence. So the messaging is completely off. He's been hard done by and treated like a mushroom by the two most important women in his life. His right to agency has been undermined. Moreover, all this mollycoddling of Liang Yi through noble idiocy is just quite frankly... insulting.

A pity about the rotisserie roasted pork -- the crackling looked so yummy. The design on top was pretty nifty.

The food porn in this show is just so good.

The final act aka the last 6 episodes were a mixed bag for me. Episodes 31 and 32 were decent for the most part but Episodes 33 and 34 were all over the place in terms of storytelling. What really irks me is how the showrunners framed the OTP's entire dynamic as a zero sum game: It's stay or leave. It's my way or your way. Leave or be left behind. It's leave to be free or leave to protect as if leaving is the only answer to all their problems. It's almost as if the leads are completely boxed in by a particular set of false dichotomies. For two so-called intelligent people they are so completely narrow in their thinking about freedom, independence and love. I don't think the last four episodes do the the characters any favours with all the script-led decision making and actions. In fact, it was odd to me that just about all the best deductions came from QIu Yan. She's the one who is suspicious of everything and everyone -- where's the Liang Yi from the previous two acts? I'm sure someone will say that the show is trying to show a reversal of positions. Now that he's the fugitive, she's the one in the limelight who is supposedly doing much of the heavy lifting.

I don't really like this kind of "after the fact" type of storytelling. In Episode 28, out of the blue she tells him that she's going off to see the world and then he says he will let her go and has a good cry all by his lonesome self. There's conveniently no communication or negotiation. He looks bad, she looks worse. Then just as she's about to leave in Episode 29, he starts to panic and it forces him to act impulsively. Then only does she tell him why she's headed off. This is a rejection of basic storytelling 101. If you're making a radical shift in direction even if it's just seeming and for a short time, there should be some explanation/justification for it. Otherwise, it calls into question a character's sincerity and motives. Later we find out of course that the reason why the show sends her off to Northern Liang is because the final case is about Northern Liang spies. It's so convenient that she happened to be there prior to Liang Yi's arrest. So really all that girl power talk is just that and serves as a convenient ploy to get her to a particular location and make Liang Yi suffer a bit. And poor Song Jin -- why? Again it's all about removing all but a few mechanisms of life support for Liang Yi so that... what? He would be forced to work with the troublesome Yuan Lang? Probably. He would have to eventually regardless. Suddenly Qiu Yan's pretty good in a fight... and Liang Yi goes "Oh, you've been practising".

Qiu Yan takes off on her tour at the kindness of Liang Yi who is funding this. Just how independent can Qiu Yan be? So the temporary separation was supposed to help Qiu Yan see the light? She loves him and needs to be where he is. Now she says that she cares more about him than her freedom. So why does she do another runner in Episode 34? This one even more ridiculous than the previous one.

Episode 33 was probably the worst in terms of editing and pacing. I don't know why they couldn't have given us another episode to properly tie up the loose ends. I would be up for it. But after all the hyping of the conspiracy's mastermind, he's there and gone in a matter of minutes. The cave scene was too much tell and not enough show. What the heck is Min'er even doing in all these dangerous situations? So that she can have a near-death experience and get her epiphany? Yeah, whatever.

Episode 34 was fine for the most part and then the last minute twist which was shock for shock's sake -- did nothing to enhance the story and only made Qiu Yan look sillier and more impulsive than usual. What's the point of the separation? She didn't even manage to get published all that time. But he did. So it's still a man's world.

The ideas for the Bad Guy Plot were actually good but it sort of went boom, crack and fizzle. Like it was just a plot device. Like the unseen Crown Prince turn new Emperor. Hope he's better than the last one.

It's all the more disappointing because it was so good for 27 and a half episodes.

I don't. It's more a crime palace drama.

And the timing of Mother's suicide? Why now? Why not earlier when the noble consort did herself in? Or even before then when Liang Yi was on the run?

I just don't think they thought through this very well. You have to wonder what they were drinking during brainstorming and rewrite sessions.

There's just so much wrong with that final twist. Must be up there as the worst kind of filler ever. The worst part is treating Liang Yi like he's a kid that needs to be coddled when he's one of the country's preeminent criminal investigators. Have some respect for the man please.

The show not only pulled the noble idiocy card once already before, they did it again.