Platinum Fox

Yes, I think this is a parody on Love Like the Galaxy, Nirvana in Fire, A Female Student Arrives at the Imperial College, and also the book it is based on Marriage of Di Daughter. People have said that they also see The Story of Ming Lan, The Story of Kunning Palace and Court Lady. I have not watched the last two, so I can't say, but it is definitely parodying Love Like the Galaxy and Nirvana in Fire.

Since you have watched Love Like the Galaxy, could you say that it is a parody on that drama and on this genre?

I don't know if any cast or crew members are saying it. I highly doubt they would. But I am sure netizens are, and I can only judge by what I see on the screen. The Double is definitely poking fun at the historical fiction genre with the main one being Love Like the Galaxy. Did you not feel the comedic undertone throughout the drama? I gave three examples in my previous post.

None of the tea and torture scenes are in the novel. I know I've read it. They come straight from Love Like the Galaxy. In the novel Duke Su has three companions he hangs out with. They are not his body guards. One is a general and two are scholars who gather information for him. They do not fly through windows or do flips off the roofs. This is to poke fun at Leo Wu's role in Nirvana in Fire. In the drama, what do you think the men in the black hats represent, the black guard.

If you really want to understand how The Double imitates or in other words parodies Love Like the Galaxy. Just watch it again with this mindset.

Thank you for the discussion.

Lulu, since you have watched both, like I have, where do you think I am off when it comes to The Double and its relationship to Love Like the Galaxy? You must have noticed the tea and torture scenes in The Double? They come straight from this drama. Only in The Double they are done in a comedic way. Another joke based on this drama is Duke Su and his two sidekicks. One sidekick gets punished all the time for what he says or does, and Duke Su says, "Go get 20 hits." Again, this is done in a comedic way, and pokes fun at General Ling when he punishes Fei for what he says and does. In one of the last episodes, the grandfather says, "Who dares to hurt my granddaughter in law." This is to poke fun at Niao Niao's dad saying, "Who dares to hurt my Niao Niao?" It's all done to poke fun at this drama. I can give you more examples. The Double is aptly named because it can stand as it own drama or can be looked at as a parody on this drama.

You're right. The actress was only 11, but there is a reason for her playing the role. As you may know, Zhao Lu Si has played 14/15/16 year olds many times. In her most famous role she played a 15/16 and 21 year old. The reason ZLS couldn't play the 14-year-old role this time was because she was too tall. In the first five minutes of the story Sang Zhi says, "Time has its own kind of magic. It brings us closer in height and distance." They needed the 11 year old actress' height, so it could show how much Sang Zhi had grown up in three years. So yes, it can be confusing. There is also another reason for the 11 year old actress to play the role. It does have to do with age.

Fun Fact: the actress who played the 14 year old was also the one who played a younger version of Zhao Lu Si's character in Who Rules the World.

Sang Zhi's height is a running gag throughout the drama.

Again, I have to ask why so angry in your response? The fact is Love Like the Galaxy is a complex love story and is the main story of the drama. The rest of the drama enhances the love story. It makes you ask questions about what is love? How do you show love? Just because someone does something for you, do you have to love them? These are things that you hinted at in your post. I agree with you on them.

The Double, on the other hand, is a complex revenge story with a simple love story thrown in. The love story is not the main focus of the drama it is only an arc. It is literally the opposite of Love Like the Galaxy. The screenwriters, producers, and director of The Double throw in some jokes to poke fun at Love Like the Galaxy.

Finally, just a suggestion, if you don't understand something ask the person to clarify, just don't jump to conclusions that the person is making fun of you or criticizing you. As you can see that was not my intention, I could tell from your original post that you were really frustrated. I have been there myself, and it helped a great deal to talk it over with someone who had watched the drama.

Thank you for the suggestions and discussion. Happy drama watching.

Thanks. I'll give it a try.

I think I will check out some of his other works if I can sit through them. Thanks for everything.

Why are you so angry? You have misunderstood what I was saying in my response to you. People who have disliked this drama have had the same response as you. It's okay. You may dislike this drama all you want and you are not inferior because you do. In your original post you expressed your disappointment that it was not what you expected. I simply asked the question what were you expecting? You even wrote some reasons which I said I agreed with you. I offered an opinion as to why you might have disliked it. You responded that I was criticizing you for your opinion on the drama and I was basically calling you stupid. I was not. I do not care whether you liked this drama or not. You may rate it however you want.

I only wrote you originally because I have watched both The Double and Love Like the Galaxy. They are two very different stories. If you enjoyed watching The Double great. It too has some wonderful things about it. One of them is all the jokes the screenwriters, director, and producer put in to poke fun at Love Like the Galaxy. I thought you might enjoy knowing that and then continue on watching Love Like the Galaxy to find out what I am talking about. I am glad you enjoyed The Double and it was what you were wanting and expecting. I am sorry that Love Like the Galaxy let you down after all the anticipation you went through. Cheers!

You also helped me see a different aspect of this drama as well. Something just kept bugging me about our opposites talk, but then I realized we were actually talking about appearance vs. reality which is used in Shakespearean comedies to create comedy. This is a light-hearted drama filled with funny haha moments because of this element. But this element also creates a parody on all the concepts and scenes Yu Cheng borrowed from other dramas, specifically Love Like the Galaxy.

Thanks, you have inspired me to add something to the discussion post.

Were you by chance expecting a simple love story where the main couple fall in love at first sight or the twirl? This is not that drama. You're right. SS doesn't love LBY right from the start, she doesn't start to love him until second season when she feels like she can trust him.

You're right. She did show more feeling towards Lou Yao because she trusted him almost immediately. He didn't have an agenda like LBY. Lou Yao just wanted to be with her because she gave him confidence. But Lou Yao would have never challenged her to be different or become an official because of the first house. SS would have been stuck in the Lou house and not been able to achieve her dream of traveling and doing other things. That is why mom is so against that marriage.

I notice that your profile picture is of The Double. The Double is a simple love story surrounded by a complex revenge. Fun Fact: the producers, screenwriters, and director add jokes in The Double that poke fun at Love Like the Galaxy.

I am not familiar with Yu Cheng works. I have seen one Untouchable Lovers, but I only watched the part with Zhao Lu Si. Looking through his dramas, he seems to know the slice of life genre well, so I can't fault him for not knowing the genre. I can only judge him based on this drama. For me, he has created an intelligent parody (at least the first 20 episodes and the last two), not just on the dramas he parodies, but also on the novel itself. The novel is very serious and dark. He has softened the main characters a lot (including Princess Wan Ning) and does this by using the comedy technique of appearance vs. reality.

For example, the opening scene where XFF is caught in bed with another man. Appearance says she is having an illicit affair when in reality she is not. This is even proved 30 minutes later when she becomes Jiang Li, a pure, innocent, 15-year-old virgin. In episode 2, she becomes Duke Su's wife unofficially as he has staked his claim by giving half of his possessions to her as she enters the Jiang household, (betrothal gifts anyone). Reality, she is XFF, a sexually experienced, married 18/19 year old woman) who is carrying on an illicit affair with Duke Su. She is no different than Princess Wan Ning in this respect. Notice they wait to get married until after Yu Rong dies. If we play along with appearances, there would be no reason why the two can't be married as she is Jiang Li. However, both of them know who she really is and they must wait.

The parody on Love Like a Galaxy is General Ling staked his claim on SS when he first met her. She really is a pure, innocent, 15-year-old girl. When she becomes betrothed to someone else, General Ling does everything to get her back including sullying her reputation by saying she has seen him naked (which is a very sexual scene with no sex) which gets mom and dad to interrogate her. Once she becomes engaged to General Ling he says that what is his is hers and calls her his wife. She is now his as he waits for her to love him. Just like Duke Su waits for XFF to love him.

What it all comes down to is even if someone hasn't seen Love Like the Galaxy or any of the other dramas Yu Cheng parodies, one can still enjoy it as its own drama as it is adapted from a novel, but it is double the fun if you have seen the dramas he is parodying.

Thank you for the discussion. Also, thank you for helping me better understand why this is parody. While writing to you, I remembered the use of appearance vs. reality in Shakespearean comedies which is what he is doing here.

Actually, a parody does not have to be satirical. A parody means an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect. The story in this drama only roughly reflects the novel (which is a rebirth and serious revenge story). In the novel, XFF's soul transmigrates into Jiang Li's body. The writers can't use this element in this story because it is not a trope of the slice of life genre. Identity swapping is, and identity swapping and word play are the source of funny ha ha comedy in Shakespearean plays as well as marriage at the end, so it fits with the theater theme the producer was going for.

This drama turns the tropes of the slice of life genre into a farce. I have noticed that this drama pokes fun at specific slice of life dramas, the main one being Love Like the Galaxy: Duke Su and his goofy grin and laughing eyes (as opposed to General Ling and his serious look), the tea and torture scenes, the playful banter between the main leads, the "punishment" banter between Duke Su and his two sidekicks, the emperor, Princess Wanning (who is a far darker and serious character in the novel). They also poke fun at A Female Student Arrives at the Imperial College (this is Yu Rong's arc), The Story of Ming Lan (Jiang Li's arc), Nirvana in Fire (Duke Su and his sidekicks arc), and Princess Wei Young (XFF's arc). Some people even say Court Lady and The Story of Kunning Place. I have not watched those two, so I can't say.

I agree with your review if you take this drama as a serious drama. Only I would say it dies around episode 20, and I wouldn't even give it an 8. For me it is more like a 6 or even less because it doesn't add anything new to the genre. However, if I look at it as a parody, then I would give it a 7.5/8. It even has problems as a parody. After episode 20 the comic effect is still there, it just isn't funny (for me) because it relies on slapstick comedy, not the more intelligent word play and banter found in Shakespearean plays. It is more vaudeville.

The last two episodes bring it back to the more Shakespearean comedy elements. "Who dares to hurt my granddaughter-in-law", says Duke Su's grandfather. "Who dares to hurt my Niao Niao," says the father in the last episode of Love Like the Galaxy. There are many more areas where this drama pokes fun at Love Like the Galaxy. The good thing about this drama is it does what a good parody does it raises awareness of a serious issue using people as pawns, particularly girls, to further one's own agenda whether good or bad (we all have a choice).

Thank you for the discussion.

Have you ever considered this as a parody?

I understand what you are saying and this might be what they do in rebirth dramas, but this is not a rebirth drama. Here's why XFF is still the same person she was when she died. Her talents, skills, knowledge, and looks are still the same. She is not different in any way, except a little wiser and a name change. This is why Duke Su is so interested in her sir name as he recognizes who she is. Identity swapping is very common in Shakespearean plays and in the slice of life genre that this falls under. Transmigration is not a trope in the slice of life genre. Revenge dramas can be any genre.

Soul swapping is still allowed. In Blossom just came out before this and has it. It is time travel that is not allowed, except in print media. For example, characters are not allowed to transmigrate from modern times to the Han Dynasty. The reasons they do not put soul swapping in this drama (even though it is in the novel) is because it does not fit this genre's tropes, and it's very Shakespearean.

I am glad that I am not the only one who sees these dramas in this drama. But you have missed the two main dramas that this story pokes fun at: Love Like the Galaxy and A Female Student Arrives at the Imperial College. The tea and torture scenes are from Love Like the Galaxy. Yu Rong killing his wife and burying her alive is from "A Female Student" For me this is a parody on the dramas you mentioned and then some more. This drama can serve as a serious drama or as a parody as each and every character has a double from another drama.

Thank you for the friend request. I am fairly new to the site, so I am not sure how this feature works.

The reason I say there is not a ban on transmigration is because of In Blossom that just came out before this. Using transmigration to time travel is forbidden. But in the novel XFF is not time traveling, she is just swapping bodies with Jiang Li. This would not have been censored as it was just done in In Blossom. There are two reasons why XFF just took on the identity of Jiang Li. The screenwriters wanted this drama to be a slice of life drama and body swapping is not a part of that genre's tropes. Identity swapping is. It is also very Shakespearean.

Also, you need to look at the duality of opposites. The only time anyone is shown getting whipped is at the nunnery, a place of kindness. Also, a place of virtue, the head nun is carrying on an illicit affair with the monk in the other temple. Jiang Li's innocence and simplistic view of the world vs XFF's intelligence and worldly experiences. The duality of choice and unknowingly being used.

The only person who is unknowingly being used is Madam Liu. Madam Liu will go back to the capital thinking she has done a good deed and will never know that she was being used . Madam Liu is a pawn who doesn't know she is being used as one and never will. Whereas, yes, XFF manipulates the situation with the head nun and her man, but each of them still have the power of choice. The man could go or stay. He chose to stay. The head nun could have kicked him out. She chose to let him stay. She even went to the door and looked around to see if anyone was there before making the decision to let him stay. Both of them don't know they are being used, but later they find out when XFF visits her in jail. The head nun now knows that she is a pawn in several peoples game.

Duke Su is the same way. He makes a choice. He could call XFF's bluff and tell Madam Liu that she is not Jiang Li, but he becomes a willing participant in the play. He is the willing pawn. Yes, XFF uses her powers of observation and experiences to make the situation come out in her favor. Jiang Li could not have pulled it off in this way, but she could have gotten Madam Liu to act on her behalf to go home or to the Ye's.

This entire drama is about the power of choice and how you use it. It is the trope of where people know or not know that are being used as pawns. Girls in this genre know they are being used as pawns and fight not be, so for XFF to say, "Use me as a pawn," goes against this very trope.

You should read the book. It is far more interesting and darker. XFF's creative way of dealing with situations allows her intelligence and talents to shine through more than in the drama.

Thanks again for the friend request. Again, I don't know what this feature means, so please do not be offended if I don't do anything.

Actually, it is time travel that has been outlawed in radio and visual media, not transmigration. Just search it on google. TIme Travel can still be used in books though.

You're right. Jiang Li would probably not be able to pull off what XFF did at her present age (15). But if she hadn't died from saving XFF who knows what the real Jiang Li would have done when Madam Liu came to visit the nunnery. Because Tong'er knew Madam Liu, it is quite certain that Jiang Li knew her as well and could have found a way to meet with her just like XFF did.

As for all the manipulating XFF did, I have to disagree with you. In my opinion she manipulated two people, Madam Liu and the head nun's man. The head nun made her own choice to keep the man there even though Madam Liu was there to visit. When Madam Liu visits this gives XFF one way to get back to the capital. This is the way she gets to the capital in the novel and does it in a clever way using monkeys.

You state that she also manipulates Duke Su. I disagree. Duke Su willing becomes a pawn in her plan of getting back to the capital. He already understands what happened to her and is eager to see what kind of play she will put on in the future. This is why they banter back and forth about why nuns could and could not be a part of illegal salt trading. This event is all engineered by the screenwriters. It is a way to get our two main leads together earlier than in the novel (they don't really start working together in the novel until the exam banquet at the capital). Duke Su is just another opportunity (not a carefully thought out plan) to get back to the capital.

Yes, XFF is smart and yes smarter than Jiang Li. However, we do not really see why she is so clever until way later in the drama, not in the first five episodes which is what Jaym was trying to say. XFF just uses the opportunities given to her.

I did realize something while writing to you. As we know the drama is called The Double. Many commenters have asked if it has a double meaning. I have my own ideas about it, but people don't like it when I write it. However, the number 2 is very prevalent in this drama. XFF gets revenge for two people. She has two ways back to the capital. Duke Su has two sidekicks. XFF has two really persistent suitors, two really jealous female siblings, two families,, and two women who want her two men, two mothers who want her dead. The list goes on and on.

Thank you for the discussion.

I understand what you are saying. I also understand why XFF needed to be found by the water. This is to reference where Jiang Li committed suicide and how XFF's soul could have transmigrated into her body in the novel. So why did the writers change how XFF became Jiang Li? It was to fit the genre's tropes. Transmigration is another genre and wouldn't work for the purposes of what the writers wanted to do.

This genre is all about tragedy, not comedy. It is about strong, intelligent women fighting for the right to be themselves and not pawns in someone else's game. For this to happen it all starts at the beginning where we must truly believe that our heroine is or can become a strong, intelligent, fight for justice kind of girl. To Jaym, she is not that kind of girl with the information that we have even in the first five episodes. I have to agree with that.

I did finish the drama. I can't say that this is a masterpiece, but I can't say that it is bad either. Did it add anything new to this genre, no. Unless you're willing to look it at from a different perspective. Then, the drama reaches a whole new level and one that is craftily done.