whoissilmoy

On Douban c netizens are cursing him for choosing art over logic. Here on MDL, some think the success had nothing to do with the director. Filmmaking often involves a delicate balance between artistic expression and logical storytelling. This is the first time this new director has made a drama that is not a slapstick comedy so you might say The Double is his first real drama. He is more of a creative artist which I think was more of a strength than weakness for this drama anyway. Therefore, this drama is not perfect either. But to say the director has nothing to do with its success is nonsense.

Why do people badmouth a new director when the drama is a success?
What if this drama had been directed by Yu Zheng's usual directors Bai Yun Mo and Guo Hao who directed Court Lady, Royal Feast, Delicacies Destiny, and Scent of Time. Would this drama have had the same mood as those dramas? YES. Both the leads here were involved in those Yu Zheng dramas and never made a breakthrough.

I never thought it was open ended until I read the comments here, then I started to doubt, but now it's clear to me, I need to watch this drama from lens of a fairytale, not logic.

yes and it's the director's way of telling the audience, everything will be fine now

the camera showed the pendant hanging from his mouth to hanging from his horse racing toward her. how clear is that?

You and I have similar tastes. I like the idea of visual metaphors when she played the guqin. The producer didn't spend the money. If the CGI is better, I'm sure the visual metaphors will evoke more emotions. This director is more of an artist. He approaches things from artist mindset and likes eerie things. He used cost-effective techniques to enhance the mood, otherwise, it would have been quite flat. If I don't count his first drama which was whacky, then The Double was really his first drama.

This director has an artistic flair. I'm not good with symbolism but I'm sure those who get it will understand why the horse is white, what it may represent, why the outfit is red, etc. There's no logic here, it's symbolism.

Chinese dramas can't hire hundreds of extras. Depending on the budget, they can only have few. Those few represent a lot more men. I'm convinced he came out alive because I look at it through the lens of a fairytale storytelling, not logic.

c netizens don't trust whatever he says

There is romance but only two kiss scenes.

Yes, a drama can be profoundly romantic without relying on explicit kiss scenes. The emotional bond, chemistry, subtle gestures, unspoken feelings, and strong storytelling all contribute to evoking those heartfelt emotions and are more powerful than physical kissing, creating a lasting impression.

The reason this drama is doing well is that it is engaging and compelling to watch.

thanks

it probably took him a year to return to her. the tree is a symbol.

definitely happy ending for me without the bonus episode

The pendant was what did it for me, also the look on his face. I connected the pendant dangling from his mouth to the pendant swaying from his saddle as the hero rode swiftly across the plains toward the tree to his lady.

It can be ambiguous but when I think of the pendant, it became clear to me that he survived and returned to her. I guess it depends on the viewer but I rewatch many times and it's pretty clear the pendant was how the director communicated to the audience that he survived.

He was the last man standing but an army of men on horses were advancing toward him. If they are bad guys, then it's harder to believe he survived which would have made it open ended. However, next we see the determination in his face, the jade pendant dangling from his mouth to signify that he will return to her, so I do believe it's telling me that against all odds, he did survive, followed by his gallant return on a white horse with a very close up of the pendant. When I think about it that way, I have a sense of closure it was a happy ending.

Why did it take a year?

This drama will continue to be popular in coming weeks because it didn't air with high anticipation and lot of promotion and the main leads were not super popular, WJY gone last two years, and WXY is still on the rise.