PeachBlossomGoddess

Ep 40 without spoiling it is the first time Zhang Luyi/Ying Zheng's performance is impressing me. Otherwise I agree that Lv Buwei vs Li Si is anchoring the show and I am not sure what's going to happen when Lv Buwei exits - Ying Zheng has to step up. As it is I feel they are already dragging out Lv Buwei's story to keep him on longer.
My mom says there was an economic minister that was very influential as well but I didn't notice him. She says he has been low key introduced already.

I dislike Li Si. I think the acting is alright but he is written to be dislikable. How he handled Prince Yu situation was a total f-up and he is unapologetic and insolent. I don't think Ying Zheng likes him that much either and the future dynamic between them could get interesting.

Honestly I don't even know how he landed a lead role right out of the box...

Not exactly, HK lacks diversity. So you are either part of the expat community or you are not. And if you are, everyone pretty much knows everyone within 2-3 degrees of separation. The rest of HK is very local, they love Western culture/shows and HK/Canto culture/shows. Whatever c-dramas that air on my cable are dubbed into Canto... yeah nowhere near as big an atrocity as the English dubbed Qin S1 I sent you but still I roll my eyes.

I still haven't gotten round to watching Disguiser but that doesn't sound promising. He also IMHO bombed Wild Goose Lake, I fall asleep every time I try to watch it...

I am a bit sad about Lv Buwei, I like him a lot because for a mere merchant he has higher goals. Like he always knew Li Si would be a grave threat to him but he recruits and elevates him anyway because he recognises his own limitations and the fact that Ying Zheng and Qin empire needs people like him. I see Li Si's brilliance he is everything Lv Buwei admires but is not and as you say the acting is on point. But he is a bit OTT arrogant like he is too good to fail and I can't help but think its hubris and maybe its gonna hurt him later on. And I can't help but admire Lv Buwei's ability to make way for great talent even if it may bring about his eventual downfall... Both characters are making the show.

Actually I pulled up pix of Hu Ge and there is one of him with a beard. I take it all back I was so wrong, he could totally kill it as a MATURE Yin Zheng. But 20, I think is hard unless they use Ant Man technology...

They got to kill him dead good in order to make up for this trauma!

LOL - its done, we don't have to the other page is gone. :)

Its literally 2-3 degrees of separation. When I lived in NY I could go out and be completely anonymous. Here for sure I will run into someone I know. It is claustrophobic. The situation in HK is very polarised and the anti-China sentiment is quite strong among the local community. They don't want to watch mainland movies or dramas - most c-dramas are not available on my cable and I have to do ridiculous things like use a VPN that says I am in the US to watch some shows...

LOL woo-hoo - Merry X-mas indeed!!!

I submitted a change to just get rid of the Part 2 page. None of the platforms are breaking it into 2, they just keep going on to 41, 42, etc. So suggest to stay on this page/thread for now and hopefully MDL just gets rid of Part 2 page.

No... really??? Thankfully I didn't start anything else...

Heheh actually HK is a VERY small town... over time got to know lots of people working for the production companies and platforms so I hear a lot of the wild stories... Sadly very few mainland dramas make it to theaters here unless its by a HK director or one of the very big names. Hollywood and HK movies are much more popular but I have some hope for Soul because Chang Chen is a popular Taiwanese actor. Imagine, they didn't even screen Nezha here...

I think they left it open to that interpretation as well. IMHO the end was actually very well done although yes indeed, they killed off too many people unnecessarily.

My LongTV eventually gets all the movies in HD quality so I am keeping my fingers crossed...

"but Hu Ge tend to look younger (and better...)"
Heheheh.... that is a stab in the heart right there!!! A friend is interviewing him for a role in a movie. How badly do you think I want to crash interview????

Yups I was thinking of his acting in Red Cliff too! Yeah I really want to watch The Soul, I think its gonna be really good... I am just not sure where to watch bc our theaters are closed again and in any case I would be too scared to go anyway...

Its a travesty. Now a whole bunch of dramas with very wide range in quality are all undifferentiated in a tight range of 7.5-8.0. Just can't trust the ratings anymore.

Wow... they really should have hired you as casting director instead! I think Ren Jialun and Zhang Zhehan just look too mild mannered they are not xiong/fierce looking enough. But I love the other 3, especially Liu Xueyi. The other one I was thinking of is a (less tanned)Wang Dalu.

For the middle aged, I love the Chang Chen idea too but like Chen Kun I don't think he can pull off 20 anymore. I can't imagine Hu Ge as tyrannical...

[BTW I am dying to watch Chang Chen's new detective movie coming soon].

He doesn't have a poker face. So he smiles at his adversaries to disarm them instead. It is very well acted.

Maybe it was the HK version. It was done many years ago in collaboration with China. My mom watched it evidently the guy is much colder but regal looking... Probably it was this dude:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg1SGA3zYx8