This drama is a gem. The first several episodes are nothing new, and the Duke Su’s is stiff, and all he does is have impeccable posture and drinks tea. I thought “here we go again”, a handsome guy who can’t act. Fortunately, this turned out to be a fallacy. As the narrative develops, Duke Su becomes more intriguing. Clearly, Wang Xing Yu is persistently striving to become more at ease in front of the camera: in certain scenes he excels, while in others his acting is mediocre. He is exceptionally attractive and looks fantastic on camera, hence the constant close-ups are successful. His flirting makes you giggle, and his reaction in that epic drunken rain scene is perfect. I must have watched that scene 5 times, with a particularly enjoying his reaction to A’li saying his name. All that to say, Wang Xing Yue, has great potential if he stays diligent in his craft. 

When A’li and Xiao Heng’s relationship grew at a good pace and their increased affection made sense, many moments were swoon worthy. Things somewhat shifted and their chemistry thawed after their first “kiss”. We can all agree their first kiss (the one we never saw) was disappointing, and neither of them seemed especially thrilled by it. As a side note, I revisited Love Between a Fairy and a Devil, and the kiss before his departure to confront the evil spirit is memorable. The bland, unpassionate kiss doesn’t suit Duke Su’s personality. He is a formidable force and takes the initiative in all areas of his life. If he is going to kiss the girls he truly loves, it would be with that same masculine energy. It may sound silly to keep talking about the kiss, but truthfully, it pulled me out of the story and they felt like actors and not the characters. Some actors have a no kissing clause in their contracts. At first I thought this was the case for Wu Jin Yan, but when they kissed for real, this explanation got forfeited. Perhaps the actors had tension onset, or if they filmed the kissing scene early on before they got comfortable acting together. Alternately, this type of scene intimated Wang Xing Yue so early in his career and with such an experienced actress.

Wu Jin Yan did an incredible job. In fact, she was mesmerizing in this role. Consistently, she maintained the character’s feminine body language and demeanor. It was impressive that this carried through the wide range of emotions the A’li displayed. She stayed true to the character’s temperament through the entire drama. Two stand out scenes for are: first, when she played the zither, you could feel the cathartic release of her past, and she took you on the journey with her. In many dramas, these moments of heightened emotion make you cringe, but not here. The second scene was the drunken one. Quite honestly, this is the best drunken acting I have ever seen. It felt so real: the quick shift in emotions, the unguarded admiration for Xiao Heng, and the skinship.

A’li is an excellently written and developed character. Her actions and plots are logical. She’s aware of the risks she takes, and doesn’t always presume success, but goes in ready to face any consequences. As she explains to Xiao Heng, she doesn’t have any scouts or resources, therefore all she can sometimes do is risk her life. She has a tad of leading female armor, but that’s okay. We want our leading lady to get her revenge!

A’li and Xiao Heng healthy relationship is a pleasant surprise. It grows at a natural pace. They aren’t magically always together, and Xiao Heng gets all excited later on when A’li says she’ll come daily to check in the injured Situ Jiu Yue.

Xiao Heng intelligent and straightforward guy. He has seen it all, and has a lot on his plate. I don’t think he has the headspace for an innocent girl. I think the fact that A’li had been married and was longer a virgin made things easier for him. Not in terms of getting physical with her, but he could let his guard, and flirt in his own steamy way, and she return it. There isn’t this barrier of overly cautious behaviour. For example, in the mine, where A’li holds the shirt that reeks, Xiao Heng took off his clean shirt and passes it to her. He just took it off where he stood, which was the most convenient spot, and A’li unconsciously enjoys gazing at his muscular physique. Had she been an unmarried at that moment would, it would all be a bit more of thing, like she had to turn around, and blush profusely, ect.

Princess Wan Ning was the ultimate villain. Li Meng, the actress and the writer deserve a standing ovation. She is probably one of the best psycho villains in dramaland. One of my favorite scenes with her is in the prison: she falls on the hay, and then lies on it like it was a bed in the royal palace. 

In the end, I only skimmed the last couple of episodes, as it’s the cliche final dramatic/war arc, which isn’t my usual cup of tea.