Saffy88

XW is the ultimate politcal operator (except increasingly where JXN is concerned). He's adept at trimming his sails according to the situation. Cos despite what he spouts to ZZ, we soon learn that he also ordered fake XDF to kill him. It's only the fear of JXN's reaction that stops him now.
What was interesting was to see ZZ standing his ground even though he realises XW can snuff him out any time he chooses.

Yes. As he says repeatedly he ain’t a saint.

Seriously, what else did the dastardly Duke do in relation to his eldest son and his first wife back then? His first reax is to try to have his newly found heir eliminated?

But then again, he must be expecting XDF to get some revenge and payback. Still it's pretty cold and ruthless even for a douchebag dad.

And I don’t even know what the artistic motivation is for doing that - it wasn’t even a flashback

During the Yans’ arrest it was like a supernova was going off in the background - 😖

XW says it all the time, he is no saint. He is the sort of pragmatic person who’s willing to do the dirty work and make the tough choices.

IKR? They should put one of those warnings about flashing lights and how the director will use flares to ensure everyone’s face is obscured at critical moments - ugh!

Ep 24

A kind of PTSD/schizophrenia triggered by wintry and snowy conditions. Stems from the time when he was sacrificed to save the Crown Prince and witnessed the slaughter of 300 kids.

XW: It’s hot, open the door!
Sees the couple he doesn’t want to see
XW: Close the door!

Rollercoaster emotions…..

It’s 38 - see iQIYI site

What a lot of self-control and restraint XW must exercise when confronting that lousy excuse of a father……I have said it before, bad parenting has so much to answer for in cdramas.

No one else can infuse 否则 (Fǒuzé ) with as much menace as XW 😄. Goes hand in hand with his killer stares.

A rainy Saturday evening, a glass of wine, and SOKP……. An ikigai moment?

Ah ok. But still scratching my head over “too revealing” and “too scary”. Oh well, par for the course in cdramaland.

Loved the makeup in Back from the brink. Coming right after TTEOTM it was so refreshing. They made Zhao Ye look stunning in every scene.

The whole scene where the Yans get arrested and taken away totally wasted and spoiled. Another scene where the 2 leads face each other also spoiled cos suddenly they were in shadow and flares going off all around 🤦🏻‍♀️

Yes, trust them to always come up with something bizarro

Yes I think TTEOTM came in for its proper share of makeup criticism - I still don't know why poor LYX had to be made to look like he walked off the set of Twilight - the Xianxia version. In comparison the red eyeliner is not so bad here, or we've become desensitised by earlier dramas 😄. I doubt too that ZLH has much say over how they do his makeup.

Yes, now if only the director had controlled his crazy penchant for lens flaring. I swear some of those scenes, they should flash a warning to put on sunglasses. Spoiled some perfectly good dramatic moments cos the audience is left squinting at the screen trying to make out the actors' faces.