Oh boy, there's a lot to unpack here, so bear with me.

I'll preface this review by mentioning that I don't typically watch wuxias and don't normally reach for them. I have always wanted to love them because of the commotion they usually cause on the feeds lol. Anyhow, this is the first time that I felt "called" to watch this show and surprisingly stuck around because it was thoroughly enjoyable. At first.

If I were to rate the first half of the series, I would give it an 8.5 at least. The intro is fast-paced, we meet Fang Fei who's framed for seemingly having an affair, thinking she'll find solace from her husband, she's instead taken to be buried alive. Somehow, she survives and meets Jiang Li on the mountain as she's about to drown herself. Jiang Li on the one hand is certainly not in a better position than Fang Fei as she was sent to live in a convent from a young age having been accused of causing her pregnant stepmother to lose the child she was carrying. She suffers at the hands of the mistresses who for one reason or another seem to have it out for her. Still, she stops Fang Fei from *unaliving* herself and begins taking care of her although it ends up costing her her life.

This is when we enter the juicy part where Fang Fei takes on Jiang Li's identity. Up until that point, the writing is quite intricate. There's a motive behind every single one of the FL's actions, she's about one trillion steps ahead of everyone and through her wits, she is able to get the exact outcome she wishes for. With revenge now fueling her will to live, she rebirths into this strong, clever, and capable Jiang Li. She's not afraid to take on a challenge and is set on seeing her revenge through until the very end (even if she needs to sacrifice herself). Seeing such a driven character was so refreshing.

Now, when we meet the members of the Jiang family, the energy becomes increasingly interesting. I loved the diplomatic dynamic between Ji Shuran and JL/FF. The tension was palpable, the stakes were high, and the plot was plotting. The introduction to JL’s family members through Tong (JL’s maid) was a clever touch since we got to learn about who they were at the same time as FF.

Early on, it became very obvious to me that the *real* Jiang Li could never survive the cut-throat atmosphere that is the Jiang family's house. This is because it takes someone with experience, who is shrewd and quick on their toes to deal with the thoughtfully crafted crap that JS comes up with.

I know some people didn’t like the side plots much but I enjoyed them mainly because I love FF and everything that does. She stands for everything I love in female leads. She’s dependable, smart, trustworthy and most importantly she is kind but not soft. She always has her priorities in check and doesn’t need no man… Which is what ends up making her relationship with Xiao Heng/Duke Su so authentic. It is because she chooses to be with him, not because she needs his help or because she’s lonely, but because she loves him. It’s cute. However, XH’s character is all talk and no game (not necessarily as it relates to his relationship with FF but rather as an individual).

The intro to XH’s character makes it seem as though he is this mysterious man who’s always talking about situations as though they were chess matches. It’s cool at first. He’s always composed, level-headed, and seems to always have the upper hand however after a while it becomes difficult to hide the fact that his character lacks depth. The effort that was dedicated to writing the elaborate character of FF was clearly not the same for XH. Heck! His subordinates have more personality than he does. In crucial times, he’s absent which is understandable when they’re showcasing that FF is capable of handling herself. However, when she survives to tell the tale, this man is not all over her, he doesn’t even acknowledge the trauma or the hurt that she’s been through. He’s just out here talking about some “You’re my pawn.” After hearing that phrase a hundred times, it becomes obnoxious. My annoyance reached its peak when Tong died. Mans offered no comfort. He didn’t even talk about it!

Where The Double messed up was in the details. Because the reality is this: you cannot have a thoughtfully crafted character who interacts with characters in a world that is not as carefully crafted. Why? Because it is inconsistent. And there’s nothing worse than inconsistencies in a drama where you have a character as remarkable as FF.

Still, the slow burn between XH and FF was wonderfully done in the first half. Their interactions were few yet very significant because every one of them seemed to further their relationship. When it came down to their chemistry, sparks were FLYING. I mean just take the rain scene in ep. 17 for example. This is the best romantic scene of the year for me, hands down. In the second half, however, those rooting for XH and FF are treated like beggars. Here’s the thing, making a successful slowburn is tricky but a general rule of thumb is that intimacy needs to grow within every scene. The moment there becomes stagnation, the momentum in chemistry is lost and your die-hard shippers end up losing a certain level of interest because they’re not being fed properly. This is exactly what happened for The Double. The remedy to this would have been to have an impactful confession or a steamy kiss because you have to show your audience that their waiting has its perks. We ended up having neither. The confession fell flat to me and their wedding kiss was forgettable. Especially since the camera was all over the place with a veil covering most angles LOL.

OK, now for the second/later half, we hone into the plot a bit deeper where FF is now focused on bringing down the “real” villains in her story, Princess Wanning and Shen Yu Rong as well as the plot around the rebel guy (don’t remember his name) that has more to do with XH and his father’s death. Listen, the issue here entirely has to do with the execution and pacing. The Ji Shuran plot ends in ep 29. So all loose ends must be tied in 11 eps at this point and must cover the relationship between XH and FF + their marriage, the rebellion, Princess Wanning, SYR, as well as the final retribution.

Although they succeeded in fitting most things into the remaining eps, some things obviously felt rushed and the sequence felt off. Putting that final battle where XH has to go to fight off the Dai country peeps in the very last ep is delinquent work. Why the sudden need for this battle?? Had they put it near the middle, they would have had more time to develop this very sudden need for battle. Mind you, we also never see that dumb emperor at work. This was the perfect opportunity to bring him into the picture to settle political matters as he ought to but nope. Battle time it is! Also, bringing this storyline earlier on would have made some things so much more impactful because we would see the aftermath. The death of XH’s subordinates for example. That would have hit so much harder if we had seen him come back from battle having to deal with his losses. This would have opened the door to creating more depth to his character and to see how FF comforts him.

Overall, The Double was a very enjoyable watch. The FL is strong, the ML is dreamy, the supporting cast is great, the villains are decent and the plot is interesting and pretty fast-paced for the most part.

The last things I’ll address:

- Why is XH heading into a serious rebellion with no armour? Especially one that he foresaw?
- Why did XH not have other military corps when he gave the fish to Princess Wanning? Why was he unable to foresee that reinforcement could come late?
- The whole fish object to control the military is juvenile and dumb
- The revenge was unsatisfying
- The reveal of FF’s real identity was unsatisfying
- The extra “ep” was bad
- Needed more of the villains because they were great within themselves. They just didn’t have the chance to shine because of the writing.

Ok, now quick shoutout:
- The star of the show Jiang Jing Rui. Love him through and through and I wished we would have seen an ep when FF showed up for him.
- Ye Shi Jie, certified loverboooyy! Don’t usually love love triangles but would have wanted to see more of him. Overall, I feel like his facial expressions were much better than XH’s. The look of longing and affection for FF was so clear (JJR even pointed this out).
- Wen Ji + Lu Ji
- The cinematography, the costumes (NOT the cakey makeup, however)
- Acting chops: Li Meng, Wu Jin Yan, Liang Yong Qi and Wang Xin Yue. In that order.

Last shoutout to the watchers because y’all made this so much fun!! Especially when there was the infamous candle scene lol!