monstersnroses

Sometimes I really don't mind that, because I think the spice-chemistry between actors or that 'spark' originates from how the two actors vibe offset. And when you take someone like Bai Lu, who has total hot spicy magic with LYX and Ling He, it's like you don't want to think she CAN have that chemistry with just like... anyone they cast her against. I mean there's actors like Yan Zi Xian who could have spice-chemistry with a freakin mop bucket if that's what the role called for. He's like a ladies man.

So on some romances that don't have that magic spark I give it a pass. Like Deng Kai is so stiff and formal with almost ALL of his FL's so when he and Snow Kong lit the screen on fire in POJ it was like watching something special happen.

So imo it's okay that they didn't really vibe in that way with eachother, they still both turned in such great performances.

HOWEVER in the sense that they DIDN'T have that spark for eachother, someone in the casting dept miscast them together, and I knocked off a point and a half for it.

But you gotta admit that their married bantz with the nagging and the pouting and soft conversations was cuuuuuuuuuuute, in that sense they looked good together. There was a vibe... just not a hot n spicy one.

I got my first exposure of Bai Lu in TTEOTM, and liked her okay. Then i watched SOKP and loved her there, and Love is Sweet, and love her there too. Didn't completely love the actual drama... but did love watching her in it.

Then later I saw a comment someone put somewhere that said "Bai Lu always plays Bai Lu." I didn't totally agree with it, but once you see it you can't unsee it. After that I kind of cooled a little bit on her.

But this is one of the dramas she was WELL CAST for, that character was hers to nail, and she did.

For me Bail Lu is hit or miss, but this was imo a hit.

I just really wish they'd cast LYX as the ML, he would have been PERFECT for ML's role. At least Ryan Cheng is really good in his own right, he was a very decent casting choice too. It was fun watching him act.

Someone here in comments said something like "I actually get a little bit scared when he gets mad." Me too. The role had so much range, and he stepped up.

Emperors sometimes scheme ruthlessly but name me a leader from past or present who slaughtered 30k of their OWN troops for PURELY SELFISH gain (sometimes leaders send troops off on what amount to suicide missions but they do it for Country, not for Self), and then if you find any examples, tell me how long they lasted in power.

No one will join an army that disowns it's own fighters. This is WHY POW's are valuable as bargaining chips. If anyone thought that if they fought for you and were captured that they'd just get abandoned to the enemy, they'd never join. It's a mega-scandal to do such a thing.

she killed 30k of her own troops. something even lil emperor wouldn't have done. imagine the reputation this would give any governmental leader past or present to deliberately kill 30k of their own loyal soldiers for purely personal gain.

look up pneumonic plague, that's what they probably got

incubation: 1-4 days
death from onset of symptoms: 2-5 days
average probable survivor rate out of a group of 40-60 people: 2-3 survivors
main symptom: coughing
source of transmission: coughing
could it occur in asia: yes

add to this that the academy was low on food and potable water, and living was in harsher conditions, and that explains why one survivor and not 2-3

he thought she was with him out of a sense of guilt. without knowing her frame of reference to have something to go on as far as how to treat her and handle the situation, he thought it would be the more honorable thing to do to set her free. That might make him an idiot, but not unforgivable imo. Keep in mind he's been run RAGGED with STRESS from the situations in his job, and the bullshit at the palace he has to deal with.

Ever try to make a correct decision under mass stress and then just.... get it wrong? It's hard to think clearly when your adrenals are fried.

pneumonic plague would have been plausible. incubation 1-4 days, from onset of symptoms, death in an untreated individual would take approx 2-5 days, main symptom and main source of spreading is coughing. Statistically, generally out of a group of 40-60 people there would be about 2 or 3 survivors, but many of those people were not well nourished, elderly or young, and living in harsh conditions, so 1 lone survivor would be a possible outcome. Also fits with the disease originating in asia.

Some other diseases could produce the same suvivor outcome, like ebola, but have different symptoms and are found more typically on other continents.

it stays pretty much within the emotional tones it starts off with, only as the show goes on, you get some frustration, intrigue, angst, sadness, mystery. the "reward" emotion is oxytocin love (affection), and then there's the schaedenfreude of "justice served to bad guys" every now and then.

But in the show's defense, I really hate non-spicy shows that don't excite and thrill. I hate shows where the emotional driver is oxytocin romance (cuddles and cocoa by the fire etc). But this show did it really well, and it does somehow feel rewarding as ML and FL learn to trust eachother.

im HATING the release schedule. these eps are moving too slow for just 1 ep a day, should have been 2 a day.

it starts to lean pretty heavily into "palace intrigue" and political power plots, but there is still the slow quiet quality to the pacing. There's some good martial arts fight scenes tho in certain spots. The actual romance between ML and FL stays lowkey with a slow steady progression, there is no spice and the chemistry is all oxytocin and no dopamine, but it matches the storyline and s'ok. Less attraction, more affection. Dramatic things start to happen to the main characters more and more frequently as the story moves along, but even in the middle of serious episodes with a lot of moving parts, there's screentime to focus on things like writing, washing dishes, cooking, going walking. Since the production quality is so good, it's tolerable, because it adds to the immersion factor.

i also would very very much like eng subs if they ever come out...

divorce freakout moment = they just needed a plot device to get her back up the mountain, because she can't get well until she confronts reality. He will follow closely behind her, and be there to watch her break and then pick up the pieces, realizing he wasn't the only one who lost everyone and everything. Then it won't be her with him out of guilt, but him with her out of guilt. The turns will table.

And then they will be even, and she won't be a nutcase, and boom there's your happy ending.

it is

BY GOD!

orsonwellesclap.gif

i spoilered it, but idk i don't think that would spoil anyone because its just too confused and confusing.

chinese names, man. i have about 2500 hours of immersion in mandarin thanks to c-dramas, and still the names just won't stick for me. aigoo.

wahhhh tyssssm, ok i think im not as lost as i thought. the plot is just going crazy rn. ok ok.....

ur the best ty again omg

it's tradition!!!

that's an intersting take.... i kind of picked that up as well but the story has me so confused it didn't even really register, but yknow what ur right tho....

idk abt exciting, but it IS addictive.