This show feels like petered out somewhere along the line. It started out with so much excitement and I was engrossed watching them peel the layers back of what happened on the mountain. And as we were slowly working through the Lishan mystery, the show kept us fed with a heartwarming, mature, slow burn romance.
Ah, the first half was heaven!
But somehow in the 2nd half all that tension starts to die off. Xiuyao's arc to clear his brother's name is resolved in one of the most anticlimactic ways possible. In just a few minutes' screentime, Ye Li goes from being imprisoned and very likely facing death, to singlehandedly clearing Xiuyao's brother's name in front of the whole court.
I think that was the start of the downfall. You can't have such an important arc end so unimpressingly.
After that, the only thing to really care about was Ye Li's illness. And credit to both the writers & actors: it was handled brilliantly. I have zero criticisms. They spent enough time on it to allow us to grieve with Ye Li. And by letting us live with her on Lishan for those few days, we were able to feel the sadness and the horror of what her life had been like before she met Xiuyao.
I think the show should have ended there, with them coming down the mountain and going back to the mansion.
But of course, it couldn't end there because we had to deal with one of the most bleh villains I've ever met: Mo Jingli. Jingli was a failed character from the start because he's not even around for half the show. I was so indifferent to his rebellion, I believe this storyline could have been dropped and the show would still stand on its own. Anyway, with neither Xiuyao's revenge arc or Ye Li's healing journey to root for, I don't see the point of continuing.
Ah, the first half was heaven!
But somehow in the 2nd half all that tension starts to die off. Xiuyao's arc to clear his brother's name is resolved in one of the most anticlimactic ways possible. In just a few minutes' screentime, Ye Li goes from being imprisoned and very likely facing death, to singlehandedly clearing Xiuyao's brother's name in front of the whole court.
I think that was the start of the downfall. You can't have such an important arc end so unimpressingly.
After that, the only thing to really care about was Ye Li's illness. And credit to both the writers & actors: it was handled brilliantly. I have zero criticisms. They spent enough time on it to allow us to grieve with Ye Li. And by letting us live with her on Lishan for those few days, we were able to feel the sadness and the horror of what her life had been like before she met Xiuyao.
I think the show should have ended there, with them coming down the mountain and going back to the mansion.
But of course, it couldn't end there because we had to deal with one of the most bleh villains I've ever met: Mo Jingli. Jingli was a failed character from the start because he's not even around for half the show. I was so indifferent to his rebellion, I believe this storyline could have been dropped and the show would still stand on its own. Anyway, with neither Xiuyao's revenge arc or Ye Li's healing journey to root for, I don't see the point of continuing.
Was this review helpful to you?
