L13

I mean, she is an assassin, so the situation is completely different lmao. "How dare he be mean to the cold-blooded murderous manipulator! She could be innocent! Girls deserve to be treated gently!" Oh please.

They're both smart and they're aware of the game they're playing.

How is this a Mr & Mrs Smith adaptation when the protagonists are described as "former lovers" who meet again? That sounds like a totally different premise.

In any case, I'll be seated. It sounds fun.

I finally saw episode 11 and expected some infuriating wishy-washiness and emotional cheating from both leads based on the fuss people have made in this comment section, but there was actually nothing bad? Both of them turned down other people who were interested in them, but they never wavered or allowed their pursuers to cross the line.

I understand Tang Ying's displeasure at seeing another woman hug her boyfriend, but he was turning Chuan Chuan down and telling her to leave him alone and when she tried to get handsy, he pushed her away. Then Tang Ying and Ziquan had a good talk and were able to affirm their love and laugh at themselves. It was actually quite heartwarming.

This sounds good. I was gonna ask if we can have a bit of sexual tension between the leads as a treat, but Hayashi Kento's facial hair and haircut for this role look so atrocious that they'll most likely ward off any kind of subtextual flirtation... Still, I'm hyped.

She was a delusional stalker and if he'd shown her any shred of attention in that moment, she would have continued to think they were together. She was abusive toward him and I totally understand why he felt sick of her shit.

You don't owe people who threaten you with suicide a relationship.

I think genetically they're distant cousins, but they're raised as siblings/close cousins within the same generation. Ziyu and Huanyu are full brothers, but the funny elder young miss is their cousin, not a sister, I think. And then Shangjue and Yuanzhi act like brothers... but I think they actually belong to different lineages? So they must just be really close.

I'm several episodes behind, but I thought it was the SML?

Wait, I misunderstood what you were saying and thought you meant the Gong sect leader. Never mind.

Isn't his father already the sect leader? Or is the sect leader different from the Sword Wielder?

He also told the dead assassin to protect someone and we all assumed it was the Mei (I forgot her name), but the cinematography was ambiguous and it could have been Weishan instead. There was something else as well that I'm forgetting at the moment. They definitely have some kind of connection.

Watch The Longest Day in Chang'an and The Wind Blows from Longxi actually. Ripe Town, which is coming up this year, also promises to have a darker atmosphere.

She really is too smart to be a Chi, and the guy with the buzzcut seems to take a special interest in her... I wonder if she's not actually of a higher rank? And if not, I wonder why Wufeng didn't send one of their top assassins on such an important assignment and if we'll get to meet an actual Liang later on.

Are you kidding? The fight choreography here is noticeably better than in most other dramas, including the ones you mentioned.

Off the top of my head, The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty is one of the few historical cdramas with good fight choreo (and it was produced by Jackie Chan, so that's why).

I'm sick of accounts like that one searching far and wide for the stupidest possible criticisms of actors' looks/performance and publicising them as if they represent a significant chunk of the audience.

ZLH looks great in this drama and is doing a fine job with his character. The sad scenes were totally convincing. If someone "couldn't help but laugh," then they're probably just a hater.

This is sooooo good! I love both leads and can't wait to see how their relationship develops. Ziyu is smart, but he really is a sucker for a pretty face, so his IQ drops to the single digits whenever Weishan bats her lashes at him. And Weishan herself may be desperate and manipulative, but she's really not as ruthless as she acts. For example, she refused to kill the original Miss Yun, only gave Miss Jiang a light poison instead of something lethal, and framed the bride candidate whose health would suffer if she stayed in the Gong residence so she could leave. I can't wait for them to get closer and for Weishan to get attached to him for real (and then for the angst when he finds out what she is, of course).

The political intrigue and suspense are well done too, and every character has their own motivations. I want to know more about the other female assassin, the short-haired assassin (I think there have been some hints that he actually wanted to help/protect Weishan, not his own protégée), the former Sword Wielder's second wife (Lady Wuji), Young Master Yue, etc. At this point I think the assassination of Ziyu's father and brother was an inside job, but I'm not sure it was done by Shangjue and Yuanzhi. Who suck. But Shangjue *is* hot in a douchey way...

But Gong Zishang (Elder Young Mistress) is by far the best character. She steals every scene she's in, and I love Jin Fan's reactions to her antics. I'm rooting for these two.

There’s a Chinese proverb (also exists in Korean, I think) about how you can’t break a stone with an egg or something like that. I think it’s a reference to that.

Thank you for explaining, this clarifies it!

Thanks, I genuinely couldn't tell.

Just to check, when Solhee told Doha that Deukchan trusts him, she was lying, right? I can never get the truth and lie sounds right.

"OK, then die," is absolutely the right response to someone trying to manipulate you into not breaking up with them with threats of suicide. It's a very common tactic IRL too and I absolutely despise it.