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glitteryvWoman on a Path of Revenge/Cold Male Love Interest Is a fave historical drama trope because it mixes ROMANCE and MURDER. The next three shows I'll talk abt will center around this trope.
Gonna start with...
The Double (YouTube)
A 2024 drama that was among the most popular last year. It most deffo goes off the rails HARD, and I still am not sure if it's in a good way or a bad one.
The premise
The drama begins with 30-something Fangfei (played by Wu Jinyan) waking up in her bed next to a random guy. It's the set-up of all set-ups cuz she's never been unfaithful in all the years of her marriage. When Shen Yurong (played by Liang Yongqi), her husband, gets home, he suggests they go elsewhere to have a frank conversation. Fangfei is all for that while claiming her innocence. Along the way, he offers her some tea.
And then Fangfei wakes up IN AN OPEN GRAVE (!!!) with Shen Yuron holding a shovel and looking down at her. Fangfei's hands are tied up; she's starts asking what's going on. Shen Yurong apologizes for how far things have gone BUT, given her infidelity, he's been ordered to get rid of her. The scandal would be horrible for HIS reputation. He hits her on the head with the shovel and starts throw dirt on her.
Somehow, Fangfei manages to dig her way out. Dazed, she wanders around the forest for a bit. Then she meets a young woman who had been wrongly accused of a crime she didn't commit. Due to PLOTTY REASONS, the young woman dies. Fangfei decides to steal the woman's identity so that she can return to society, clear the woman's name, AND also find out what prompted her husband to kill her.
The 2nd part of the plot is abt Fangfei bumping into and teaming up with Xiao Heng, a.k.a. Duke Su (Wang Xingyue), a general who is v. close with the Emperor...
This is a 40-episode drama I pretty much bingewatched. Revenge plots are my fave type of dramarama to follow along, so I knew I just had to check this show out.
IMO, Wu Jingyan has a knack for playing characters who, after being mistreated by Life, decide to correct all the wrongs done to them. This is something I first picked up during Yanxi Palace. FWIW, there are enough things to keep The Double from being an exact copy of that other drama. THAT SAID, if you liked that aspect in that other drama, then chances are you'll dig this one too.
Fangfei is a character I liked cheering on for most of the show. She's someone who cares deeply abt people and, despite what's happened to her, she manages to connect with all sorts of folks.
Let me be the first one to say that I did found Wang Xingyue as Duke Su super hot, LOL. He has a calculating, HIGH competence vibe that it's total catnip for me. His sense of humor is super dry--which I loved. I also liked his aesthetic--which includes lots of dark red and black, v. severe, and perfect fits. He tends to sit down in a lounge-type of way that made me think of a beautiful cat that's almost impossible to not to pet. However, as soon as the cat sense that someone wants to pet it, it'll scratch EVERYONE'S EYES out.
The two of them together are quite intense most of the time. What makes this CP attractive is the BANTER. They tend to tease each other as they're commenting on stuff that's happened or plan their next steps. Lots of sassy remarks and whatnot. Their chemistry (in that aspect at least) is solid. Additionally, they are v. softe with each other when they're alone--which is something that both characters need for different reasons.
As for the villains, well, one of them is a regular level while the Main Villain is a SUPREMELY EVIL CHARACTER. The regular villain is interesting up until the end when they kinda go flat. The Main Villain, tho. Oof!
I appreciated that the drama offers some meaty backstory that explains how and why that character became a real Big Bad. It's hard to not end up pitying the Main Villain. Not enough to excuse what they do for the entire series. However, knowing what the character has gone through adds depth and understanding to their behavior.
My bestest guess as why ppl flocked to this show is cuz there's something happening in EVERY. SINGLE. EPISODE.
Do I have any criticisms?
The flipside of having so much happening is that, after a while, it can get overwhelming. Because there's so much occurring, things that would normally take a while to get resolved, actually end within 2 episodes. You just gotta go with the flow.
Personally, the drama actually peaked at ep. 30, maybe ep. 34 if you want to stretch it a bit. And then, the plot switches lanes onto Imperial Court politics. My interest began to dip as the episodes went on. However, all I had left were 6 or so episodes, so I decided to stick with it til the end. *Hands*
Other criticisms:
- For all my yays abt the CP (including seeing them becoming acquainted to teaming up and eventually developing an emotional and psychologically strong bond), I never quite fully onboard with the romance. He's REALLY into her from the get go. Meanwhile, Fangfei's too focused on the revenge plot to even consider feeling attracted to anyone. Eventually, she does acknowledge her feelings, and then their affair goes on as expected.
However, the romance angle sort of fades away once they got together. Also the show does the most to keep things so G-rated that I wondered why they even bothered to have a CP in the first place.
Yes, it's a Chinese drama and I know that they had to keep things on a milder side of things in order to pass censorship. Fine. What puzzles me is that, even though the 2 characters click with each other, when it's time for all of the lovey-dovey stuff to BLOSSOM (including a degree of sexual attraction), it never quite reaches that level.
My two (unproven) theories as to why the love levels stay so low:
Theory A - IRL Wu Jiangyan was 32 at time of filming while Wang Xingyue was 21. I can see the production team and sponsors thinking that they'd avoid any controversy if they lowered the heat level. Funnily enough, some folks still complained abt the IRL age gap. IDEK.
Theory B - IMO, Wu Jiangyan doesn't seem to be super comfortable with romantic scenes. The only other thing I've ever watched her in has been Yanxi Palace, but I do recall all of the lovey-dovey scenes in Yanxi being a bit awkward.
- The director and production teams REALLY LIKE ZOOMING IN. It can be a bit disorienting at first. One thing that doesn't help is that Wu Jingyan (Fangfei) tends to have NO expression during any extreme close-ups. Which is odd cuz a lot of those close-ups happen whenever the character makes a monologue, tries to convince someone of something or has a flashback abt something. She's staring straight at the camera…but there's NOTHING there? All she gives is a v. strong 😶 expression. FWIW, I did get over it by, like, episode 7, but it IS odd. So, if you feel kinda weirded out abt that, trust that I had the same feeling, ahah.
- OK, so I HAVE TO TALK ABT THE ENDING. I didn't like it because there's a specific point (abt the hour or so mark in the episode) where, if you stop watching it there, then everything will be peachy. However, FOR SOME REASON, the story continues for another 15-20 mins and UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH In spoilers:
The CP is married, everything is fine and dandy…until Duke Su is sent to fight some ppl elsewhere. He and Fangfei say good-bye followed by a combination of fighting scenes (which include some characters of the main cast dying) and Fangfei waiting for Duke Su to return. The waiting stretches thru seasons. It's kinda ambiguous whether he dies OR makes it back to Fangfei.
That ending was SO UNIVERSALLY HATED that the production team came up with a hastily patched up, 6-min ending "special episode" set years later where the CP is married and raising a kid. But the vibe was lost. 🤷🏾♀️
What's the FMC's plot armor level?
RIDICULOUSLY HIGH
I did come to resent the 20-inch/50.8cm thick plot armor that Fangfei wore. It's not that I wanted even more horrible things to happen to her. However, the way the show went out of its way in protecting her (to the point of breaking any and every logic that has ever existed) went past the point of ridiculousness.
How does the show handle the inevitable "Oh noes, the emperor's in danger of losing his throne!" storyline?
Same old "fighting for the throne" bullshittery. Personally, I didn't feel one way or another abt the emperor and his problems. OTOH, the focus on the throne plot made everything v. dull to me. OTOH, it brings ALL OF THE PLAYERS together cuz everyone has to side with or against the emperor.
How does it address/work with the trope?
It's a pretty standard version with Fangfei out for revenge, Duke Su being the one to fall first, and the two of them working better together. I wouldn't exactly call them a Power Couple because the plot makes too many logic leaps in order to have the CP overcome all of the obstacles, IMO.
On a scale of Somewhat Threatening (1) to Having MURDER FACE 24/7/365 (10), Duke Su falls at "There's a strong AURA of DANGER that might make you want to cross the street (5)". He means business, but only if you mess with him. If you leave him be, he'll return in kind. He fulfilled his side of the trope pretty well.
Do I recommend it?
IDK???
FTR, I started watching this drama during the end of January of this year. I was NOT in a good mood due to the US Inauguration Day garbage. Can't deny that made it easier for me to accept the drama's logic fails without much fuss.
Mind you, I kinda had to get with it early cuz something happens in either episode 8 or 9 and it kinda broke my brain in a good way? It allowed me to LET GO and just follow along even when the story was random and nonsensical. IDC.
So, what happens is that Fangfei is in a competition against someone else. Then something occurs that *I* initially thought was a type of metaphor. HOWEVAH, based on the reactions from all of the characters in the scene, the thing was REALLY HAPPENING in front of everyone. It left me speechless then and it still leaves me 🙃 now.
OK, here's the scene in question.
Now you get why I was like O____o? LOOOOOL FOR INFINITY.
IF you continue watching this after accepting that the drama will go off the rails, sideways, will twirl away, etc, THEN, maybe you'll enjoy it. Again, back when I watched this, I was feeling super low and wanted a break, so I gave it a chance. I had a good time then. Looking back, though, THIS IS ONE OF THE WORST SHOWS I'VE EVER SAT THROUGH, HAHAHAHAHAHAH. After a while, I was like *HANDS*. And then it had that terrible ending followed by the fix-it episode…
I'm giving it a 1.8 out of 5. It's a watchable but v. disposable. You can find the first 22 eps on YouTube (on the Youku channel) and then search for the remaining 18 (ppl have uploaded it). The full series is on the Viki app as well as on Netflix.
Queerness level
There are a couple of characters that I kinda, low-key gave a raised eyebrow. But nothing that would make me suggest watching for those characters.
Le Trailer
Gonna start with...
The Double (YouTube)
A 2024 drama that was among the most popular last year. It most deffo goes off the rails HARD, and I still am not sure if it's in a good way or a bad one.
The premise
The drama begins with 30-something Fangfei (played by Wu Jinyan) waking up in her bed next to a random guy. It's the set-up of all set-ups cuz she's never been unfaithful in all the years of her marriage. When Shen Yurong (played by Liang Yongqi), her husband, gets home, he suggests they go elsewhere to have a frank conversation. Fangfei is all for that while claiming her innocence. Along the way, he offers her some tea.
And then Fangfei wakes up IN AN OPEN GRAVE (!!!) with Shen Yuron holding a shovel and looking down at her. Fangfei's hands are tied up; she's starts asking what's going on. Shen Yurong apologizes for how far things have gone BUT, given her infidelity, he's been ordered to get rid of her. The scandal would be horrible for HIS reputation. He hits her on the head with the shovel and starts throw dirt on her.
Somehow, Fangfei manages to dig her way out. Dazed, she wanders around the forest for a bit. Then she meets a young woman who had been wrongly accused of a crime she didn't commit. Due to PLOTTY REASONS, the young woman dies. Fangfei decides to steal the woman's identity so that she can return to society, clear the woman's name, AND also find out what prompted her husband to kill her.
The 2nd part of the plot is abt Fangfei bumping into and teaming up with Xiao Heng, a.k.a. Duke Su (Wang Xingyue), a general who is v. close with the Emperor...
This is a 40-episode drama I pretty much bingewatched. Revenge plots are my fave type of dramarama to follow along, so I knew I just had to check this show out.
IMO, Wu Jingyan has a knack for playing characters who, after being mistreated by Life, decide to correct all the wrongs done to them. This is something I first picked up during Yanxi Palace. FWIW, there are enough things to keep The Double from being an exact copy of that other drama. THAT SAID, if you liked that aspect in that other drama, then chances are you'll dig this one too.
Fangfei is a character I liked cheering on for most of the show. She's someone who cares deeply abt people and, despite what's happened to her, she manages to connect with all sorts of folks.
Let me be the first one to say that I did found Wang Xingyue as Duke Su super hot, LOL. He has a calculating, HIGH competence vibe that it's total catnip for me. His sense of humor is super dry--which I loved. I also liked his aesthetic--which includes lots of dark red and black, v. severe, and perfect fits. He tends to sit down in a lounge-type of way that made me think of a beautiful cat that's almost impossible to not to pet. However, as soon as the cat sense that someone wants to pet it, it'll scratch EVERYONE'S EYES out.
The two of them together are quite intense most of the time. What makes this CP attractive is the BANTER. They tend to tease each other as they're commenting on stuff that's happened or plan their next steps. Lots of sassy remarks and whatnot. Their chemistry (in that aspect at least) is solid. Additionally, they are v. softe with each other when they're alone--which is something that both characters need for different reasons.
As for the villains, well, one of them is a regular level while the Main Villain is a SUPREMELY EVIL CHARACTER. The regular villain is interesting up until the end when they kinda go flat. The Main Villain, tho. Oof!
I appreciated that the drama offers some meaty backstory that explains how and why that character became a real Big Bad. It's hard to not end up pitying the Main Villain. Not enough to excuse what they do for the entire series. However, knowing what the character has gone through adds depth and understanding to their behavior.
My bestest guess as why ppl flocked to this show is cuz there's something happening in EVERY. SINGLE. EPISODE.
Do I have any criticisms?
The flipside of having so much happening is that, after a while, it can get overwhelming. Because there's so much occurring, things that would normally take a while to get resolved, actually end within 2 episodes. You just gotta go with the flow.
Personally, the drama actually peaked at ep. 30, maybe ep. 34 if you want to stretch it a bit. And then, the plot switches lanes onto Imperial Court politics. My interest began to dip as the episodes went on. However, all I had left were 6 or so episodes, so I decided to stick with it til the end. *Hands*
Other criticisms:
- For all my yays abt the CP (including seeing them becoming acquainted to teaming up and eventually developing an emotional and psychologically strong bond), I never quite fully onboard with the romance. He's REALLY into her from the get go. Meanwhile, Fangfei's too focused on the revenge plot to even consider feeling attracted to anyone. Eventually, she does acknowledge her feelings, and then their affair goes on as expected.
However, the romance angle sort of fades away once they got together. Also the show does the most to keep things so G-rated that I wondered why they even bothered to have a CP in the first place.
Yes, it's a Chinese drama and I know that they had to keep things on a milder side of things in order to pass censorship. Fine. What puzzles me is that, even though the 2 characters click with each other, when it's time for all of the lovey-dovey stuff to BLOSSOM (including a degree of sexual attraction), it never quite reaches that level.
My two (unproven) theories as to why the love levels stay so low:
Theory A - IRL Wu Jiangyan was 32 at time of filming while Wang Xingyue was 21. I can see the production team and sponsors thinking that they'd avoid any controversy if they lowered the heat level. Funnily enough, some folks still complained abt the IRL age gap. IDEK.
Theory B - IMO, Wu Jiangyan doesn't seem to be super comfortable with romantic scenes. The only other thing I've ever watched her in has been Yanxi Palace, but I do recall all of the lovey-dovey scenes in Yanxi being a bit awkward.
- The director and production teams REALLY LIKE ZOOMING IN. It can be a bit disorienting at first. One thing that doesn't help is that Wu Jingyan (Fangfei) tends to have NO expression during any extreme close-ups. Which is odd cuz a lot of those close-ups happen whenever the character makes a monologue, tries to convince someone of something or has a flashback abt something. She's staring straight at the camera…but there's NOTHING there? All she gives is a v. strong 😶 expression. FWIW, I did get over it by, like, episode 7, but it IS odd. So, if you feel kinda weirded out abt that, trust that I had the same feeling, ahah.
- OK, so I HAVE TO TALK ABT THE ENDING. I didn't like it because there's a specific point (abt the hour or so mark in the episode) where, if you stop watching it there, then everything will be peachy. However, FOR SOME REASON, the story continues for another 15-20 mins and UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH In spoilers:
AGAIN, HERE BE SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING
The CP is married, everything is fine and dandy…until Duke Su is sent to fight some ppl elsewhere. He and Fangfei say good-bye followed by a combination of fighting scenes (which include some characters of the main cast dying) and Fangfei waiting for Duke Su to return. The waiting stretches thru seasons. It's kinda ambiguous whether he dies OR makes it back to Fangfei.
That ending was SO UNIVERSALLY HATED that the production team came up with a hastily patched up, 6-min ending "special episode" set years later where the CP is married and raising a kid. But the vibe was lost. 🤷🏾♀️
What's the FMC's plot armor level?
RIDICULOUSLY HIGH
I did come to resent the 20-inch/50.8cm thick plot armor that Fangfei wore. It's not that I wanted even more horrible things to happen to her. However, the way the show went out of its way in protecting her (to the point of breaking any and every logic that has ever existed) went past the point of ridiculousness.
How does the show handle the inevitable "Oh noes, the emperor's in danger of losing his throne!" storyline?
Same old "fighting for the throne" bullshittery. Personally, I didn't feel one way or another abt the emperor and his problems. OTOH, the focus on the throne plot made everything v. dull to me. OTOH, it brings ALL OF THE PLAYERS together cuz everyone has to side with or against the emperor.
How does it address/work with the trope?
It's a pretty standard version with Fangfei out for revenge, Duke Su being the one to fall first, and the two of them working better together. I wouldn't exactly call them a Power Couple because the plot makes too many logic leaps in order to have the CP overcome all of the obstacles, IMO.
On a scale of Somewhat Threatening (1) to Having MURDER FACE 24/7/365 (10), Duke Su falls at "There's a strong AURA of DANGER that might make you want to cross the street (5)". He means business, but only if you mess with him. If you leave him be, he'll return in kind. He fulfilled his side of the trope pretty well.
Do I recommend it?
IDK???
FTR, I started watching this drama during the end of January of this year. I was NOT in a good mood due to the US Inauguration Day garbage. Can't deny that made it easier for me to accept the drama's logic fails without much fuss.
Mind you, I kinda had to get with it early cuz something happens in either episode 8 or 9 and it kinda broke my brain in a good way? It allowed me to LET GO and just follow along even when the story was random and nonsensical. IDC.
So, what happens is that Fangfei is in a competition against someone else. Then something occurs that *I* initially thought was a type of metaphor. HOWEVAH, based on the reactions from all of the characters in the scene, the thing was REALLY HAPPENING in front of everyone. It left me speechless then and it still leaves me 🙃 now.
OK, here's the scene in question.
Now you get why I was like O____o? LOOOOOL FOR INFINITY.
IF you continue watching this after accepting that the drama will go off the rails, sideways, will twirl away, etc, THEN, maybe you'll enjoy it. Again, back when I watched this, I was feeling super low and wanted a break, so I gave it a chance. I had a good time then. Looking back, though, THIS IS ONE OF THE WORST SHOWS I'VE EVER SAT THROUGH, HAHAHAHAHAHAH. After a while, I was like *HANDS*. And then it had that terrible ending followed by the fix-it episode…
I'm giving it a 1.8 out of 5. It's a watchable but v. disposable. You can find the first 22 eps on YouTube (on the Youku channel) and then search for the remaining 18 (ppl have uploaded it). The full series is on the Viki app as well as on Netflix.
Queerness level
There are a couple of characters that I kinda, low-key gave a raised eyebrow. But nothing that would make me suggest watching for those characters.
Le Trailer
