odetodramas
The Wolf was a miss for me... This drama centers foremost around the love story of Bo Wang and Ma Zhai Xing and if you find yourself invested in their relationship then you will enjoy this drama. If you don't, it'll become a chore to watch. Especially in the latter half, this drama didn't resonate with me and I didn't feel any emotional pull.
It's abundantly clear that Bo Wang and Ma Zhai Xing had a strong connection to each other, from beginning to end. However, I first started losing interest during episode 15, because I felt that Bo Wang's actions were over-the-top. I understand that his goal was to push Ma Zhai Xing away and make her give up on him, but I refuse to believe he had to resort to those actions. Then it was Ma Zhai Xing's turn to cause me to lose interest. Halfway through, I started to feel like Ma Zhai Xing was obsessed with her memories of Lang Zai, self-absorbed, and not nearly as smart as she thought she was. Did she ever consider what Bo Wang had been through in those eight years or try to understand the ways that his situation had changed? All she did was try to bring back every single thing they liked together in the past, to drag him back to the Lang Zai she had preserved in her heart. Sure, you could say she was trying to help him find his true self, she brought him warmth and kindness... but she disregards his precarious new identity as a prince and becomes his weakness, a tool that can be used against him, and she doesn't even realize it.
When Ma Zhai Xing finally learns the truth, I thought this drama had a chance to prove me wrong and offer some growth. But what does Ma Zhai Xing do? She repeatedly makes emotional, impulsive choices when it comes to anything relating to Bo Wang. Does it ever really feel like she cares about those loyal family troops of hers? From beginning to end, I felt like that kindness and pureness of heart that everyone loves Ma Zhai Xing for has always been reserved for and dedicated solely for Bo Wang. Even if it seemed like kindness toward another character, wasn't that character someone related to Bo Wang?
I kept powering through this drama because I felt committed to seeing how things would end, but those last 10ish episodes didn't make sense to me. We kept being reminded of what a connection and understanding Ma Zhai Xing and Bo Wang had, and YET Ma Zhai Xing didn't see through his actions during that battle scene? Sorry, you can't keep trying to sell me the ~special connection~ and ~Ma Zhai Xing is so smart~ but tell me that Ma Zhai Xing had no suspicions at all despite everything that happens during and after the battle. Then, the last episode celebrates Ma Zhai Xing as this grand hero and it made me roll my eyes. First, where was that Ma Zhai Xing in the previous ten episodes??? That's what I wanted to see much earlier. Second, what happens just doesn't make sense, for each character. I won't get into the details because I don't want to spoil anything.
As for the other characters: Although I liked Ji Chong's character, especially in the beginning, I was never rooting for a relationship between Ji Chong and Ma Zhai Xing, because it was always clear that her heart belonged to Bo Wang. I was surprised that I liked Bao Na a lot, except for her last story arc, because it felt too contrived for me. The biggest surprise for me was Wang Jia Yi as the fourth prince: a great performance and a likable character. (Can you believe it was only about two years ago that Wang Jia Yi was on Idol Producer and auditioned while holding that stuffed animal?!) The biggest missed opportunity for this drama was Yao Ji. Xin Zhi Lei is such a great actress and I would've loved to see more of her character's backstory. I also liked the members of the Night Fury a lot but would've liked more depth to them than just their fierce loyalty to Bo Wang. There was a scene where they did acknowledge their internal conflict, but I thought there could've been more. The emperor had a strong storyline throughout the drama and the actor did a great job. In general, the political storylines were pretty solid.
All in all, I'm glad I watched The Wolf because I was so curious about the hype, but it was a disappointment for me.
It's abundantly clear that Bo Wang and Ma Zhai Xing had a strong connection to each other, from beginning to end. However, I first started losing interest during episode 15, because I felt that Bo Wang's actions were over-the-top. I understand that his goal was to push Ma Zhai Xing away and make her give up on him, but I refuse to believe he had to resort to those actions. Then it was Ma Zhai Xing's turn to cause me to lose interest. Halfway through, I started to feel like Ma Zhai Xing was obsessed with her memories of Lang Zai, self-absorbed, and not nearly as smart as she thought she was. Did she ever consider what Bo Wang had been through in those eight years or try to understand the ways that his situation had changed? All she did was try to bring back every single thing they liked together in the past, to drag him back to the Lang Zai she had preserved in her heart. Sure, you could say she was trying to help him find his true self, she brought him warmth and kindness... but she disregards his precarious new identity as a prince and becomes his weakness, a tool that can be used against him, and she doesn't even realize it.
When Ma Zhai Xing finally learns the truth, I thought this drama had a chance to prove me wrong and offer some growth. But what does Ma Zhai Xing do? She repeatedly makes emotional, impulsive choices when it comes to anything relating to Bo Wang. Does it ever really feel like she cares about those loyal family troops of hers? From beginning to end, I felt like that kindness and pureness of heart that everyone loves Ma Zhai Xing for has always been reserved for and dedicated solely for Bo Wang. Even if it seemed like kindness toward another character, wasn't that character someone related to Bo Wang?
I kept powering through this drama because I felt committed to seeing how things would end, but those last 10ish episodes didn't make sense to me. We kept being reminded of what a connection and understanding Ma Zhai Xing and Bo Wang had, and YET Ma Zhai Xing didn't see through his actions during that battle scene? Sorry, you can't keep trying to sell me the ~special connection~ and ~Ma Zhai Xing is so smart~ but tell me that Ma Zhai Xing had no suspicions at all despite everything that happens during and after the battle. Then, the last episode celebrates Ma Zhai Xing as this grand hero and it made me roll my eyes. First, where was that Ma Zhai Xing in the previous ten episodes??? That's what I wanted to see much earlier. Second, what happens just doesn't make sense, for each character. I won't get into the details because I don't want to spoil anything.
As for the other characters: Although I liked Ji Chong's character, especially in the beginning, I was never rooting for a relationship between Ji Chong and Ma Zhai Xing, because it was always clear that her heart belonged to Bo Wang. I was surprised that I liked Bao Na a lot, except for her last story arc, because it felt too contrived for me. The biggest surprise for me was Wang Jia Yi as the fourth prince: a great performance and a likable character. (Can you believe it was only about two years ago that Wang Jia Yi was on Idol Producer and auditioned while holding that stuffed animal?!) The biggest missed opportunity for this drama was Yao Ji. Xin Zhi Lei is such a great actress and I would've loved to see more of her character's backstory. I also liked the members of the Night Fury a lot but would've liked more depth to them than just their fierce loyalty to Bo Wang. There was a scene where they did acknowledge their internal conflict, but I thought there could've been more. The emperor had a strong storyline throughout the drama and the actor did a great job. In general, the political storylines were pretty solid.
All in all, I'm glad I watched The Wolf because I was so curious about the hype, but it was a disappointment for me.
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