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Dark, Rich Wuxia That Keeps One Guessing
When I think of darkness, spies, and poison, Esther Yu is not the first actress that comes to mind, but she did an admirable job navigating between good and evil, safety and danger, and love and hate in this wuxia drama.
The Good:
• Esther Yu was athletically mesmerizing to watch in her fight scenes. I was so pleased to see her in a mature role, and she did it well.
• The friction between the MLs was riveting to watch. Gong Shang Jue was a pit bull to Gong Zi Yu's golden retriever. Ryan Cheng evoked massive disdain with a slight narrowing of his eyes! And who had puppy dog eyes? It was Gong Zi Yu: he's a good boy.
• Loved the growth arc for Gong Zi Yu. I relished the scenes of his rebuttals to Gong Shang Jue's accusations. With his intelligence, he was able to turn the tables with irrefutable logic, much to Shang Jue's disgust.
• Beautiful cinematography.
• The supporting cast was composed of interesting characters. Shoutout to Tian Jia Rui. I wanted so badly for someone to wipe the smirk off of Gong Yuan Zhi's face!
• I loved how off-kilter the situations and people were. Who to trust? Who was a spy? Were the fellow spies telling the truth? Were they helping or hindering? And was that tea poisoned? I'd get skinny in a hurry in the Gong residence, because I wouldn't trust any food or drink!
• I'm not certain the Wufeng need to take over the Gongs, as I'm convinced most of them were spies anyway!
The Bad:
• The poster. I was never interested in the drama, because my eyes skipped over the poster. It was so dark, the two people depicted were indistinguishable. It's moody, but it didn't appeal to me.
• Can we please retire the horrible trope of the parent who demeans and destroys his child because he loves him and wants to make him strong? Belittling and torturing a child doesn't make him stronger: it makes him traumatized, resentful, and incapable of reaching his potential. I'm strict and stern with children when necessary, but I take the time to explain why I insist on certain behavior without calling them names. Conversely, when they do well, I let them know how pleased I am that they are growing into competent people.
• Idiotic assassins. Why sword fight, when you have access to guns? Why did the poison expert with the secret shooting weapons seem to never use them against the bad guys? I was left inwardly screaming, "Shoot your poison weapons!" when he'd idly stand by watching his friends in a fight to the death.
• The ending. There really wasn't one, as it seemed the story was meant to continue to a second season that likely will never happen. There were many loose ends and unresolved situations. In some way, I understand the ending being left open as realistic, but it came too abruptly and could have been handled more deftly for greater impact and understanding. It left this viewer frustrated and unsatisfied.
I'd love to see a second season. I want resolution with the Wufeng. I want closure for all my characters. I would have given an extra half star if not for that non-ending.
The Good:
• Esther Yu was athletically mesmerizing to watch in her fight scenes. I was so pleased to see her in a mature role, and she did it well.
• The friction between the MLs was riveting to watch. Gong Shang Jue was a pit bull to Gong Zi Yu's golden retriever. Ryan Cheng evoked massive disdain with a slight narrowing of his eyes! And who had puppy dog eyes? It was Gong Zi Yu: he's a good boy.
• Loved the growth arc for Gong Zi Yu. I relished the scenes of his rebuttals to Gong Shang Jue's accusations. With his intelligence, he was able to turn the tables with irrefutable logic, much to Shang Jue's disgust.
• Beautiful cinematography.
• The supporting cast was composed of interesting characters. Shoutout to Tian Jia Rui. I wanted so badly for someone to wipe the smirk off of Gong Yuan Zhi's face!
• I loved how off-kilter the situations and people were. Who to trust? Who was a spy? Were the fellow spies telling the truth? Were they helping or hindering? And was that tea poisoned? I'd get skinny in a hurry in the Gong residence, because I wouldn't trust any food or drink!
• I'm not certain the Wufeng need to take over the Gongs, as I'm convinced most of them were spies anyway!
The Bad:
• The poster. I was never interested in the drama, because my eyes skipped over the poster. It was so dark, the two people depicted were indistinguishable. It's moody, but it didn't appeal to me.
• Can we please retire the horrible trope of the parent who demeans and destroys his child because he loves him and wants to make him strong? Belittling and torturing a child doesn't make him stronger: it makes him traumatized, resentful, and incapable of reaching his potential. I'm strict and stern with children when necessary, but I take the time to explain why I insist on certain behavior without calling them names. Conversely, when they do well, I let them know how pleased I am that they are growing into competent people.
• Idiotic assassins. Why sword fight, when you have access to guns? Why did the poison expert with the secret shooting weapons seem to never use them against the bad guys? I was left inwardly screaming, "Shoot your poison weapons!" when he'd idly stand by watching his friends in a fight to the death.
• The ending. There really wasn't one, as it seemed the story was meant to continue to a second season that likely will never happen. There were many loose ends and unresolved situations. In some way, I understand the ending being left open as realistic, but it came too abruptly and could have been handled more deftly for greater impact and understanding. It left this viewer frustrated and unsatisfied.
I'd love to see a second season. I want resolution with the Wufeng. I want closure for all my characters. I would have given an extra half star if not for that non-ending.
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