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Short dramas have their appeal — low commitment, high emotions, a fast-moving story. “A Tale of Love and Loyalty” adds an attractive cast (with a male lead that’s arguably even prettier than his female partner) and some unexpectedly gripping performances, but also has its weak points (more on that later).
The story revolves around a love triangle and power struggle between two men, a Crown Prince (Quan Pei Lun) and his warlord cousin (Richard Li), the Prince of Nanchuan.
Richard Li’s charisma is undeniable. His Yuwen Yuan is an antihero type of character that’s somehow unlikable, infuriating, sexy, and sympathetic all at once — a testament to his acting skills. When he’s reunited with his one-time fiancee, Su Yan, he’s bitter and intent on hurting and humiliating the woman who betrayed him, but in the end finds that he can’t let go of his feelings for her.
Quan Pei Lun also delivers an intense performance as Yuwen Yingren, the Crown Prince (and later Emperor) who married Su Yan and appointed her Empress. His calm demeanor hides a cruel and calculating character and it’s interesting watching his facade crack when things don’t go his way.
The two of them carry the majority of the drama with their compelling portrayals of characters with complex motivations and varying levels of unhinged behavior — their performances are much better than the messy script. Meanwhile, the female lead doesn’t have much of a personality or purpose other than to be caught between the two male leads, although Su Yan has some impactful moments of anger and despair towards the end.
I tend to avoid unhappy endings, but sometimes they work in a Shakespearean tragedy sort of way — as the inevitable outcome of characters’ choices. Rather than “A Tale of Love and Loyalty,” this drama is more like “A Tale of Obsession and Bad Decisions.” The conclusion is tragic, but reflects a quote from the male lead: “The only choice we have is how to die and for whom.”
Overall, this drama is hard to rate. Aside from the unsatisfying ending, it suffers from choppy editing and mixed production values (some decent music, weird filtering on actors’ faces, sets and some costumes look low-budget). But it’s a quick watch (about 5 hours for the whole series), so if you need a dose of angst alongside handsome men with long hair, this might fix your craving.
Note: If you’re watching on Viki, which formats the drama into 10 episodes, make sure to watch ep. 10 first — it’s a prologue.
The story revolves around a love triangle and power struggle between two men, a Crown Prince (Quan Pei Lun) and his warlord cousin (Richard Li), the Prince of Nanchuan.
Richard Li’s charisma is undeniable. His Yuwen Yuan is an antihero type of character that’s somehow unlikable, infuriating, sexy, and sympathetic all at once — a testament to his acting skills. When he’s reunited with his one-time fiancee, Su Yan, he’s bitter and intent on hurting and humiliating the woman who betrayed him, but in the end finds that he can’t let go of his feelings for her.
Quan Pei Lun also delivers an intense performance as Yuwen Yingren, the Crown Prince (and later Emperor) who married Su Yan and appointed her Empress. His calm demeanor hides a cruel and calculating character and it’s interesting watching his facade crack when things don’t go his way.
The two of them carry the majority of the drama with their compelling portrayals of characters with complex motivations and varying levels of unhinged behavior — their performances are much better than the messy script. Meanwhile, the female lead doesn’t have much of a personality or purpose other than to be caught between the two male leads, although Su Yan has some impactful moments of anger and despair towards the end.
I tend to avoid unhappy endings, but sometimes they work in a Shakespearean tragedy sort of way — as the inevitable outcome of characters’ choices. Rather than “A Tale of Love and Loyalty,” this drama is more like “A Tale of Obsession and Bad Decisions.” The conclusion is tragic, but reflects a quote from the male lead: “The only choice we have is how to die and for whom.”
Overall, this drama is hard to rate. Aside from the unsatisfying ending, it suffers from choppy editing and mixed production values (some decent music, weird filtering on actors’ faces, sets and some costumes look low-budget). But it’s a quick watch (about 5 hours for the whole series), so if you need a dose of angst alongside handsome men with long hair, this might fix your craving.
Note: If you’re watching on Viki, which formats the drama into 10 episodes, make sure to watch ep. 10 first — it’s a prologue.
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