Thoughts about the women who try too hard

The idea for this post came to me while I was ragging on about the secondary romance for You Are My Hero. The second male lead there, Shu Wenbo seemed to be incomprehensibly unwilling to make a move on the woman he likes despite the fact that she has bent over backwards to show her interest in him. It isn't as if he's averse to her either. That's the most frustrating part of the entire scenario. Two people who like each other but one party is holding back. Shu Wenbo though epitomizes a traditional kind of positive masculinity isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the box. But Xiao Xia who has done everything to show that she likes him -- not exactly backwards in coming forwards -- is rebuffed... or as the cool kids today would say "friendzoned". So it does beg the question: what is Mr Macho Man afraid of exactly? In the early episodes I didn't buy into their potential romance as I thought that Xiao Xia was a bit over-the-top with her overtures. "Leave the man alone" is what I was thinking but after the earthquake arc, I was sure he started show genuine liking and interest in her. She's a shrewd sort of girl and picked up on that fast. As soon as they were back in the Big Smoke she restarted their push-pull. For some reason even while it's abundantly clear to the entire planet that he likes her, he persistently keeps his distance.  

In more recent days Xiao Xia has made what I consider the wise decision of moving on, not only because she's done "enough" but because I don't think a woman who is normally shrewd and likeable should humiliate herself in such fashion. No man, however amazing he might be, is not worth demeaning oneself for. Moreover it's seldom a good look... it doesn't take long before persistence and courage start looking like obsession.

There's been a long history in Asian dramas of female characters primarily those designated "second female lead" trying too hard to win men who are seemingly disinterested and/or are in love with another woman. Since I started watching K dramas a decade ago, this kind of tropey female has been a permanent fixture of the landscape. More often than not she turns villainous as a result of not getting her way. Now I don't object to the fact that the unfortunate female falls in love with some guy who is indifferent to her -- that's not always within one's ability to control -- but it's truly mind boggling that she plots and schemes to such an extent that she not only debases herself but denigrates the object of her desire because he becomes something akin to a trophy to be won. She's seldom interested in his opinion about what he wants.The thinking that accompanies that sort of attitude stems from the belief that hard scheming alone can get her the man of her dreams.

In more recent episodes of You Are My Hero, a couple of sisters who are down on their luck have their eye on male lead, SWAT officer extraordinaire Xing Kelei. To their unerring dismay they discover that he is now attached to Mi Ka. Not only is their timing rather bad on that front but their schemes to separate the couple aren't particularly effective. They are also women who are trying too hard because they're looking at the male lead as a figure of financial security. Plus they take full advantage of the fact that he feels obligated to their dad who isn't around to care for them any longer. It feels cheap obviously. The erroneous assumption seems to be that if they succeed in separating the lead pair, he will somehow automatically fall in love with the older sister and voila... become their sugar daddy. It's a form of entitlement at work. The kind that starts with the line -- "But I saw him first" and it's entirely irrelevant what Xing Kelei thinks about all of this.

All of this also reminds me of one of the concubines of the Xu household from The Sword and the Brocade, Qiao Lianfang. She spends the better part of 26 episodes plotting to becoming the lady of the manor doing the most depraved sorts things certainly unbecoming of a female of her stature. Much is made of the fact that she's the daughter of a primary consort. Her entire claim to the Marquis' affection comes from her status and the fact that she's been head over heels for him for over a decade. She takes exception to the fact that the new wife is only a concubine's daughter and is the product of the late wife's machinations. Both might be understandable objections from the point of view of the people in that context but the Marquis aka Xu Lingyi himself was a party to this outcome. 

Frankly speaking I'm not one who is very sympathetic to these sorts of female fictional archetypes. They usually end up being villains of some sort in the storyline for the protagonists to have to contend with. Even in the Ming dynasty with all its polygamy/harem structure there is still some kind of moral code that the inhabitants adhered to. Much of which bears some resemblance to prevailing orthodoxy. It's not hard to distinguish between the good guys and the bad guys. Xu Lingyi doesn't care much for his personal harem. He's no fool about what goes on behind his back with regards to his wives. They are a burden rather than a pleasure. The new wife, sister of his previous consort, with all her baggage piques his interest because she doesn't try too hard except from time to time to keep her head above the water. She's more concerned with finding her mother's killer. Qiao Lianfang entire ambition is to win the heart of the marquis and keeps herself busy hatching plots to displace her biggest rival. 

Well of course not everything in life can be gained by sheer hard work or even ingenuity. Call it providence or chemistry or character, relationships aren't achievements in the normal sense of the word. So the woman who tries too hard "for love" often crosses all kinds of lines -- moral, social and relational. It's a completely self-absorbed endeavour with barely a thought for the beloved. She claims to love the man and yet all her stratagems are abhorrent to him (if he holds to strong ethical values) and causes problems to his loved ones. In the end despite her pleas, he rejects her flatly. Sometimes he might even throw in philosophically as is the case with many C dramas that "love cannot be forced". Or there's something inexplicable about why anyone falls in love.

I don't think falling in love is as inexplicable as the dramas make it out to be. While I'm not a huge fan of biological deterministic arguments, there might be something to them even from my own personal observations. Furthermore after the initial attraction, there has to be something more about the other party that holds the other's interest. I suspect it's far more complex even while possibly being esoteric. In the case of The Sword and the Brocade which is centred around a contract marriage between two people who are initially distrustful of each other, there is a really strong indication that love is much more than attraction. It is absolutely about character too.

The Case Solver 拆案 (2020) Head-scratching Cliffhangers

 

Frankly, I'm not sure what to make of the ending of a number of C dramas especially the shorter ones which are notorious for their cliffhanger endings even when no subsequent seasons are scheduled or forthcoming. It's a marketing ploy undoubtedly but if everyone does the same thing and if there's no set date for a sequel then all this ends up tainting the viewing experience rather than leave audiences wanting more. Some of us are still waiting for the resolution of Detective L's cliffhanger ending which is nowhere in sight. That was far more annoying because we remain clueless about the good guys' prospects of surviving the Big Bad's last ditch attempt to get away. But I'm going to pretend that The Case Solver ends in Episode 24 at around 21:33 with the main character's promotion. The rest of the finale is white noise and irrelevant filler.

It did take me two episodes to warm up to this one and to the male lead. However, somewhere around the halfway mark, I came to like the male lead who is more or less cut according to the Sherlock Holmes mould and started digging around for other productions that actor Jason Gu Jiacheng has been attached to. For an idol actor, I would say he's actually not bad. Gu Yuan, a newly appointed chief detective at the French concession, has a first-class intellect and handily has knowledge of feng shui (geomancy) applicable mostly to the first episode. Gu Yuan's promotion comes to the disappointment of chief aspirant, Kang Yicheng (Su Xiaoding), also the only child of Chamber of Commerce head, Kang Shaoqing. The quick-witted Gu Yuan, is well aware that Yicheng's biggest asset isn't his brains or his brawn but his connections especially when important inquiries have to be made pertaining to active cases. Gu Yuan humours Yicheng by indulging him in a faux rivalry now and again but it doesn't take long for these two essentially good-natured men to become friends. 

A series of events purporting to be paranormal mishaps capture the imagination of Shanghai's populace. Gu Yuan is tasked on each occasion to get to the bottom of things. Of course he doesn't believe in ghosts, demons or the living dead. It's a no-brainer from the start that flesh and blood are the real perpetrators behind these seemingly inexplicable phenomenon as he gets embroiled with gangsters, corpse thieves, illusionists, pimps and prostitutes. It is the seedy side of Shanghai under the veneer of respectability. The show often feels like a cross between Psych-Hunter and My Roommate is a Detective although I find the female leads in this much more likeable.

Gu Yuan is also ably supported by the local medical examiner, Che Suwei who eschews the stereotypical typical female lead by being unscreechy, cool-headed, competent and reliable. The show hints that the two might have feelings for each other although the primary romance is between Kang Yicheng and his verbal sparring partner Cao Qingmeng, a reporter also with important family connections. She does her best to whip up public fervour by sensationalizing the criminal misadventures and occasionally she manages to bring vital clues to the table.

Each episode is roughly about half an hour long and each case is solved within 4 episodes. The low budget web drama an easy watch and not a bad way to while away 12 hours if you're a fan of whodunits. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to make comparisons with Scooby-Doo. It falls loosely along similar lines. And it makes the same sorts of gags as well. 

And remember to stop the video at 21:33 towards the end of the last episode.

Psych-Hunter (2020) *Non-spoiler Review*

Without giving anything of substance away, this is one of those dramas that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish for what it appeared to be but the resolution completely transformed my perspective and understanding of what it was. Initially from the brief synopsis that I'd read, I was given the impression that this was an X-Files style drama dealing with paranormal activities but it turned out actually to be an old-fashioned detective drama in which Agatha Christie meets Sherlock Holmes meets Salvador Dali. It's a great production and boasts an assortment of colourful characters from the leads down to the supporting acts. The Republican era backdrop works exceedingly well particularly as the costumes, props and sets reflect the early Agatha Christie period perfectly. Christie's first Poirot novel, The Mysterious Affair At Styles was published after the first world war. 

In many ways this drama works somewhat like a Sherlock Holmes story or a series of Sherlock Holmes stories. The role of Holmes and Watson alternates between two characters, Jiang Shuo and Qin Yiheng. At the start of the show, we are introduced to Jiang Shou (Neo Hou) who is found by his mentor Bu Yan. Jiang Shou has lost his memories but he has a really handy skill that allows him to make a living, he can read minds. Or I should say, he can transport himself into a person's subconscious and find out things about them. It's an asset in any investigation of a crime especially when the suspect or witness is unusually recalcitrant. Jiang Shuo and his shifu Bu Yan live in a compound with a troupe of entertainers. Their living quarters is one of the show's key set pieces and their companions often become embroiled in Jiang Shuo's investigations. The other half of this partnership is the cool-headed psychiatrist Qin Yiheng, who is played by Liu Dongqin who is no stranger to playing sleuths or doctors. I like him better here than in the second iteration of the Dr Qin Medical Examiner franchise. As a psychiatrist specializing in reading micro-expressions, Yiheng is quickly drawn to Jiang Shuo as they both travel/teleport into the psyche of individuals. Of the two of them he is normally the more calm and astute investigator. Yiheng has more of an interest solving crimes than getting involved with the family business despite the emotional arm-pulling by his brother. He is also the second son of a local business magnate which is an important part of his identity throughout the show because it involves the mysterious disappearance of his father.

Inadvertently entangled with them is the local warlord's daughter Yuan Muqing (Bambi Zhu) who "moonlights" as a local constable while officially being enrolled in a private girls' school. It's not long before she and Jiang Shuo develop romantic feelings for each other. It's not a romance that I needed but it wasn't one that I was averse to. Compared to other crime shows, she's actually one of the better unnecessary female love interests. They don't bicker much thankfully and yes... she does get clingy (even that makes sense) but as a whole she does have her uses. 

Another regular feature of the show is the official head cop, Bai Kai who is a taciturn but respected leader. Jiang Shuo nicknames him "bai kai shui" which means plain water. Yes, on the surface he seems to be a bit of a colourless character at first and the butt of some of the show's humour but as the show develops he becomes the greatest supporter of the unofficial detectives. He is effectively Inspector Lestrade without the ego.

The format of the show sees our detectives chasing clues provided by an enigmatic figure known as Liu Zhi. Liu Zhi is, in essence, the story's Moriarty figure. He is the consummate shadowy puppetmaster, lurking in the background pulling strings and using individuals who hold grievances to commit crimes all around the city. The master criminal wants a piece of Jiang Shuo for reasons not known initially and he uses these cases or "games", as he calls them to draw the latter into a web of conspiracy and corruption. 

By far, my favourite part of the show (apart from the individual case arcs all wonderfully integrated in the bigger storyline) would be the developing friendship between the two men. From the time when they first meet to the last, their loyalty to each other and camaraderie is pleasing. Their personalities complement each other well as they learn to work together in life-threatening situations. 

The male leads especially are rather good in their respective roles but as a whole the entire cast are very well put together to give an immersive experience.

Early on I mentioned Salvador Dali and this is why. When the two men teleport into a person's psyche, the art design of those sets are a delightful mix of surrealism, a little expressionism and art deco. I love the thought and the effort given to that aspect of the drama. Each set was intriguing always keeping the viewer on their toes wondering what's round the corner. There was one case that featured clocks ... and I'm obsessed with timepieces anyway... and the visuals for that one was especially stunning in my mind. 

There's no doubt that it's a clever show and the conclusion made me think just that little bit more about the whole thing than I otherwise would have. It's a drama that I wouldn't mind revisiting down the track just to see what new things I missed the first time around.

Insect Detective (2020) Early raves and a rant

I have been known to enjoy crime dramas from Mainland China located in contemporary settings. I've watched a fair few in the past 12 months. Most of which are good. But for some reason the showrunners feel the need to include romance in all of them even when the chemistry isn't there to make it convincing. Is it some kind of requirement for the 24 episode format? Some sort filler perhaps because the cases themselves don't lend themselves to such a stringent requirement?

Those are the kinds of questions that preoccupy me as I chew through the storyline of Insect Detective. As a police procedural, it's actually very good. The cases that I've seen so far are, in my opinion, well thought out and scripted. There's a high degree of complexity in how the crimes are conceived and played out. The ensemble cast works well and the titular character, Jing Tian, a quirky if obsessed entomologist is nicely incorporated into the doings of the team comprising of the squad leader, a female coroner, a research cum computer expert and a couple of other detectives who do most of the leg work of chasing down suspects and clues. His expertise is well-used and not overdone to the point that he completely overshadows all the other specialists. Not part of the team but an integral part of the storyline is surgeon Wen Bai who figures as a person from Jing Tian's past. From their first encounter, the two hit it off like a house on fire. Or should I say... like lifelong friends. They have plenty in common and the Boston Red Sox is at the top of the list. Which in China, is rare. Much of their interactions see them bonding over baseball. But it does seem like Wen Bai knows a lot more about Jing Tian than he lets on. While Jing Tian helps the local cops with separate cases using his expertise with creepy crawlies, his primary preoccupation with crime is his mother's untimely death many years earlier.

Unfortunately I'm not feeling the romance that the show seems to be pulling for. It's not exactly front and centre but I'm getting more of a sibling vibe between coroner Jin Ling and Jing Tian rather than true love. So there's a clash between my perception and the show's intentions at least from where Jin Ling is situated. In all likelihood it's the kid that's playing Jing Tian who does come across as a man-child. A precocious one no doubt but his child-like ways don't seem to be a good fit for the obviously older and more worldly Jin Ling. What compounds that perception is the fact that the relationship or bromance between Jing Tian and Wen Bai is really good and seems to be focal point of the show's emotional arc. 

Overall, it's a really good show that does an excellent job with the ensemble cast and the plotting. The juggling act so far is confident and remarkably cohesive. A pity about the lack of subs. Hopefully someone will be able to get to subbing it soon.  

The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion (2020) Initial Impressions

This recent offering from mainland China is the first so-called historical drama since Ancient Detective that I haven't felt the slightest urge to drop after the obligatory first act. It's one that I've been looking forward to probably since the end of last year and 18 episodes on, it's delivering. The production boasts not only the reunion of leads Ju Jingyi and Zhang Zhehan from the Legend of Yunxi (2018) fame but also much of the cast and all of the crew from that surprise hit. It has a good balance of the comedic and the serious. If the show somehow... and even miraculously manages to maintain its momentum right to the end, it will be a better show than its predecessor. Already I feel it's addictive pull... something I haven't experienced for some time now.

Ruyi Pavilion is not a sequel of the Legend of Yunxi and has a completely different storyline. While it has a smattering of wuxia elements, it isn't an outright jianghu story. While it dabbles with premonitions as a plot device, it's not defined by the fantasy tag. There are elements of a palace drama with the usual kinds of power struggles and court intrigue. The story begins with a bump on the head and bad dreams. The female lead Fu Rong on a kite extraction expedition falls to the ground and begins to see visions during her slumber of possible future events. Being the good-hearted and conniving sort, she attempts to find ways and means to prevent various incidents from happening well aware that nobody will ever believe that she has the selective power of foresight. She is also privy to events related to Xu Jin, the emperor's fourth son, Prince Su and if the premonitions are to be believed, it bodes an ill-fated connection. Fu Rong is the second daughter of a local magistrate and is the glib troublemaker of her family. 

Around the time they meet, Xu Jin has just returned to the capital from his military duties at the border. As a child, he allegedly caused an incident among the royals which sealed his reputation as a jinx. He is summoned back to the palace to answer for his actions because he summarily executed the Superintendent of the Imperial Guards for his part in a conspiracy to siphon off military rations. As a result he becomes the target of a series of assassination attempts. To investigate the matter further, the emperor installs him as the latest commander of the Imperial Guards warning him to be circumspect and judicious at all times. 

Much of the early part of the show sees Fu Rong trying to avoid Xu Jin because of their ill-fated connection but hilariously enough as she stumbles into one thing after another they inevitably cross swords... of the verbal kind at least. She's a bit of a busybody but means well and he's an official investigator who takes his job seriously. They were always destined to cross paths. Whether guided by greater cosmic forces or by character all attempts by her to avoid him are rendered futile by her choices and circumstances.

As was the case with Yunxi, this drama features a love polygon of sorts. Unlike Yunxi, the love polygon here is pretty meh because the "other man" is really not the exactly the stuff of dreams. (On the contrary, he seems to be the stuff of nightmares) Xu Ping is Prince An, the emperor's younger brother and he maintains a dual identity as an enigmatic scholar who holds rockstar status in the capital. He's an old childhood buddy of Fu Rong's and he's always liked her. During an arts event organised by him they meet briefly and although he recognises her, she doesn't recognise him at first. Xu Ping initially seems like a suave, leisured scholar but he too is plotting against Xu Jin and the emperor because he has mummy issues. A decade earlier, Xu Jin was sent to the temple to recite sutras and pray only to accidentally kick over a candle and set fire to the place which resulted in the death of Xu Ping's mother. Xu Ping believes, as I do, that there was more to it than meets the eye but the emperor is being tight-lipped about the matter.

I don't think it's that much of a spoiler to say that many of the plots directed towards Xu Jin come from the third prince, Xu Mao who is your run-of-the-mill avaricious, ambitious royal who is aided and abetted by his uncle the Marquis of Xindu. His cousin and the marquis' older son is Wu Baiqi who after a serious falling out with his dad years earlier joined the Imperial Guards. When Xu Ping begins piggybacking on his nephew's schemes, it's when things started to get horribly nasty.

Brokering these various parties, is the legendary Ruyi Pavilion an outfit that deals in intelligence to those who can pay for it. The owner has accumulated secrets over the years and when the time is ripe she sends out what is essentially relevant blackmail material to get things moving.

While the scheming of the show isn't exactly in the calibre of Nirvana in Fire, it does have some semblance of gravity and plausibility. There are genuine stakes and consequences to people committing political mistakes. After Maiden Holmes I've come to realise that I can't watch rom coms masquerading as palace dramas. I don't have the stomach for it. It's fine to have humour and romance but when the male lead who should know better starts making amateurish mistakes or acts like he's living in the 21st century, I can't help feeling that I'm too old to be wasting time on those even if the chemistry is off the charts. Plot is king.

For me Ruyi Pavilion gets it right for the most part. The romance, I have to say, is well done. The humour usually lands well. Of course Ju Jingyi and Zhang Zhehan's natural chemistry has become iconic thanks to Yunxi but thankfully the show doesn't rely on that in its storytelling. Their dynamic for the most part is different from their previous collaboration largely because Zhang Zhehan's character, Xu Jing is cut from a somewhat different cloth. While he may be aloof as it befits a man of his station, he is capable of being companionable and speaking his mind. He also has an unexpectedly boyishly mischievous streak which surfaces mostly when with interacting with Fu Rong. Kudos to Zhang Zhehan for a well-rounded performance which has me grinning from ear to ear.

I'm also enjoying the romance between Fu Rong's sister, Fu Xuan and Wu Baiqi. It's not really a competition as to which is better. Not for me at least. They're both well done and feed into the bigger storyline organically. There's also the added bonus of character development for all concerned driven by the romance. Wu Baiqi needs to pull up his socks and Fu Xuan could loosen her corset a tad.

Both these male leads in my book are very swoony in the sense that they know exactly what they want and go for it. They're generally smart about it and they don't push too hard too soon. But they strike while the iron is hot. They do understand who these women are and may even revel in the challenge so they come across as worthy suitors. On some level I would like Xu Ping to be a better rival for Xu Jin of course but he's a hard character to root for. I never really thought I would suffer pangs of second male lead syndrome to begin with but there's really nothing to see here at all. It's obvious on her side that it's all just chummy. A clever thing the show does early on is to show how very little they have in common. She spends a short stint at his studio running errands and is completely bored out of her mind. She has no scholarly bent whatsoever although under her teacher's tutelage, she is growing as a jewellery designer. There's no doubting though that she's drawn to danger like a moth to a flame because she is an inveterate busybody.

To be honest, I kept my expectations low at the start but the show has done better than I expected and aside from a couple of niggly things, it's giving me hope. At the end of the day, it's a C drama.... one can never be too sure until the big bad croaks. But we're certainly hoping for a happily-ever-after for the leads.

Maiden Holmes (2020) Early Impressions

While it gets chuckles and laughs out of me, the show doesn't live up to the hype. As far as I'm concerned, it's a rom com masquerading as a whodunit. Which is ironic considering the cross-dressing titular character. It almost seems as if someone took every single leaf out of the cross-dressing rom com playbook and raided the cupboard for every romance cliche ever devised bar the kitchen sink... and that's just in the first 5 episodes. Nothing is meant to tax the brain. The sleuthing is lightweight especially for a hard core fanatic of the genre like myself. It's highly derivative and no wonder comparisons are being made with the likes of Under the Power, Moonlight Drawn by Clouds and Dr Cutie. It breaks no new ground, plays it safe and entertains by playing up every romance trope with glee. In other words, it's pure unadulterated fluff. And I'm in it largely for the laughs as I count the cliches.

Of course there's nothing wrong with a nice bit of light escapism. Even I indulge from time to time. And this one seems to be decently executed. Thankfully the titular female character is at least decently written, lives up to the template from which she gets her street creds and has me grinning every time she recites from the rule book whenever Pei Zhao sends her heart racing.

I would never deny that the male lead is swoony eye candy and he hasn't done too badly as a newcomer. He can certainly pass off as the younger brother of Merxat. He has an elegance which befits the role and seems rather adept at romancing his lady love. Not to mention too that he smirks prettily. In just these first 10 episodes, the two of them have bickered, chained themselves together, almost drowned kissed, drunk confessed, kissed under the influence, nursed her back to health, discovered her secret during an undercover op, fallen asleep together, saved her from a third-rate lecher etc etc. We know the drill. However, he's not really called to do a great deal of heavy lifting here.

Also good for laughs is the other male lead, Xie Beiming whose half-hearted braggadocio and "asides" add to the good-natured cheesiness. That said, he's not completely brawn or comic relief.

The actors do their best with the material and for the most part they succeed. I imagine I'm not part of the demographic that they're aiming for so I'm happy to keep my expectations low and just go along for the ride. At least I don't feel routinely insulted like I do with other ones I've seen this year.

Ancient Detective (2020) The Puppet Motif *Spoilers*

This post is an in-depth analysis of a recurring idea that plays out in the drama. Therefore it contains spoilers about the details of the plot and outcomes of the drama. It is strongly recommended that you not read this if you haven't seen the entire drama.


It occurred to me after the series finale when the identity of Wang Hua is revealed in not just one but two fascinating twists that the theme of freedom (especially individual liberty) finds intriguing expression in the exploration of the "puppet" motif. The motif works on different levels. As a literal, concrete plaything, as a metaphor for a form of indentured slavery and as a more Frankensteinian realisation -- being the creation of a person who wields immense power for good or for ill. The idea of a puppet is that of a lifeless doll that moves at the mercy of another with no will of their own. A puppet acts in accordance to how it is directed by the controller whether it be through some kind of mechanism or through the use of deception. It symbolizes the very opposite of free will, freedom, self-expression.

*Spoilers ahead*

According to the show's mythology, Wang Hua is a terror of the martial arts world (jiang hu) who was defeated 8 years earlier in Shenji Valley but his body, it seems, has gone missing. The show's protagonist, Jian Bu-zhi is concerned that he might still be alive so he sets out from the valley as a detective and a truth seeker. What's particularly suggestive is that Jian, though supposedly present 8 years earlier at the battle, has lost all his memories of the event and anything else before that fateful day. Only by reading the notes and diaries of his father, Jian Jin-huan, a legendary sleuth in the martial arts community, who died in the carnage, has he been able piece together some aspects of the puzzle.

*Ending spoilers ahead*

It turns out that Jian is not who he thinks he is but that he is in actual fact the Wang Hua that terrorized jiang hu 8 years earlier. However, the other twist that follows is that he isn't actually Wang Hua either but a puppet that was assuming the identity of Wang Hua. Wang Hua it seems, was a mind-controlled super soldier deployed by a shadowy figure who presumably used the Wang Hua persona to create chaos in that world. In effect, Wang Hua may not be a real person but a puppet of an unknown antagonist that remains a mystery at the drama's conclusion.

The irony of course is that our Jian Bu-zhi who identifies himself as the biological son and intellectual heir to Jian Jin-huan's legacy through the latter's writings actually becomes his true successor when he goes tabula rasa. Or not. Whoever his original controller or master might be, this Jian breaks free of his programming to gradually live up to the legacy and the legend. We don't know what he was like before he became a puppet but that matters little at this point. As Beggar Chief Hu says, what's really crucial is that Jian epitomizes the values of the late Jian Jin-huan who in turn personified everything that was good, true and heroic about jiang hu. According to him, the real identity of Jian Bu-zhi doesn't matter. It's what he does in present trajectory and what he symbolizes that count. He is the man that jiang hu desperately needs.

This Jian that we come to know and love somehow managed to break free of whatever influence his controller wielded and chose to take the righteous path. To promote truth seeking and universal justice. In the same way, his love interest, Zhan Shi-qi who was a nameless assassin with a number was raised to be a soulless puppet for the sect. Through a series of incidents she comes to see the meaninglessness of being a cog in a well-oiled machine. So she unshackles herself in the name of freedom. The immediate consequence of which sees her living like a fugitive. Even before she escapes the tentacles of the sect, she's obsessed with beautiful clothes and pretty things as if to suggest that though she's a puppet, she's looking to differentiate herself from the rest by dressing distinctly.

Throughout the drama her colleagues and former mentor can't see the motivation behind her exit. While they can't conceive of a life outside of the sect and being an assassin, she longs to be free to make her own choices and even find love without any kind of expectations that life will be a bed of roses from here on. It's the freedom she craves, not necessarily the benefits or any that might come along with it. That is the point of contention. She chooses freedom over security, relative safety and even a sense of belonging in order to be her own person. Once she was a puppet, now she is someone redefining herself by finding her own meaning and identity in the wider world.

The word "puppet" 傀儡 is first given focus in relation to Jian's visit to Changle Gambling House on Puppet Li's island. Jian's purpose is to find the whereabouts of Handy Tang, one of the Shenji Valley survivors from 8 years earlier. Puppet Li is so named for his renown in constructing mechanical devices and was sought after for his expertise in making sophisticated traps. When the ten that board the boat on this occasion make their way to the gambling house, this is the visitors' first view of Puppet Li as their host.

His facial expression and form is hard to make out from due to the hooded cloak and the surrounding darkness. At this first encounter, everyone presumes the voice and the figure seated on the wheel chair are genuine. It is surprising that no one seems suspicious of the dilapidated and dusty structure that they are ushered into. But perhaps all who are there are eager to enter into some kind of transaction with Puppet Li.  Most, however, are not there for the treasure hoard that he is fabled to possess. They have specific requests unrelated to wealth. However, in order to get what they want from him, they are required to play his game. The game involves puppets, and the contestants need to find the puppets' missing pieces from around the room. Unbeknownst to the visitors, Puppet Li's game is a game show of death (patterned after Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None) of which the puppets are the lure.

The 6 puppets made in the image of 6 missing jiang hu personalities are a distraction and misdirection. A part of the theatrics of a mastermind with bigger fish to fry. It is revealed later that Puppet Li, without the smoke and mirrors, has been relegated to a ventriloquist puppet -- the skeletal remains of a man who was a reputed engineering genius.

On this trip, Jian's vigilant protector and fellow traveller, Zhao Wo-huan inadvertently gets close to the assassin sect's spy Ming Yue and soon the two develop feelings for one another. On this occasion she takes the guise of a helpless mute girl while looking for a piece of crystal that contains the names of undercover agents belonging to the assassin's guild. The point of their romance is that at some level it serves as an instructive contrast to that of Jian and Zhao Shi-qi. Ming Yue is the willing puppet of her masters and remains so right to the bitter end. Despite falling for Zhao, she can't leave the guild behind because her relationship with it goes far deeper and she is still emotionally tethered to the organization. In effect, she is unable to cut the ties.

There are also other instances of body substitution in the story. In the third major case featured here, a series of murders take place at a gathering of top physicians who have come to treat a sickly wealthy businessman Mr Yin. The culprit cleverly attempts to deflect attention from himself by using a corpse he killed to frame another and to cause that man to believe that he has committed murder. A body swap and some high level martial arts are used for subterfuge. What's also interesting about that case is that the murdered men were reprehensible scoundrels using child beggars in an extended experiment to find the right drug for the wealthy Mr Yin. They were used, in our language, as laboratory rats or as insignificant vessels for a clinical trial. They could also be said to be puppets... dancing to the ugly tune of their controllers for their own ends. The idea of human rights was not accorded them because underpinning this ugly conspiracy was the idea of "might is right".

The physician Xiao Ye Ye who turns up at the gathering turns out not to be the genuine article but a character known as The Man of a Thousand Faces. The Pretender of jiang hu as it turns out. The real Xiao Ye Ye had died 8 years earlier. But this incarnation happens to be a quick study and has taken on various identities in his lifetime. He confesses that he has no personality of his own but he, like a shape shifter or an empty doll takes on the personality that most impresses him at a given time. Once again the puppet motif emerges.

On the outskirts of the Yan prefecture, the man who is named the Divine Archer has mysteriously disappeared. The simple villagers attribute this to a fox demon when his people find a pair of shoes which he purportedly left behind. Much later when Jian finally has all the necessary pieces in place does he realise that the Divine Archer's body was used to in Chief Bai Cao-ze's coffin (of the Mt Yan sect) as a substitute to give the illusion that Chief Bai has passed away. This is clearly meant to hide a much bigger agenda concerned with the Shenji Valley massacre 8 years earlier. Chief Bai's most senior student, Bai He, it is revealed, has been an undercover agent for the assassin's guild. Her identity was discovered by Jian Jin-huan years earlier but he allowed her to continue. She and the elder Jian knew that everyone would be after her blood including the assassin's guild. In her words, she was only a chess piece who's identity had been exposed. As long as she didn't act against her teacher, he would keep her identity a secret. Later she pays the ultimate price in the hands of Zhan Si for letting Jian go. When she is torn between her loyalty to the assassin's sect and her love for Jian Jin-huan, she acts of her own will knowing the consequences of her actions.

When Jian and his travelling companions arrive in Liaodong to seek information about the Shenji Valley event from the remaining survivor, they find themselves right in the middle of an internal leadership contest within the Santong Security Agency. In order to conceal his true motives to Jian, the second-in-charge usurps the leadership and installs a temporary "puppet" to assume the identity of the legitimate leader.

In a crazy twist in the body swap motif  Boss Wang undergoes major cosmetic surgery and is now looking like a young man in a different body. He wants to retire and leave behind his responsibilities but doesn't think his usurper should succeed. He seeks the help of Jian and Co to regain his position in exchange for information about what happened at Shenji Valley 8 years earlier.

There are many aspects of the show I find fascinating but this is one that struck me when I thought a little more about the open ending and considered some comments I'd seen on the web. The implications are provocative because it feels that what is implied is that the body is a mere vehicle or vessel but the identity of the person is in the soul and the will.

Ancient Detective (2020) Non-Spoiler Review

As someone who watches a lot of detective/crime dramas from everywhere, my verdict is that this one that does almost everything right. I say "almost" because there are a few niggly things in the storyline further along in the story that did frustrate me but as a whole the juggling act is quite commendable particularly when it positions itself fundamentally as a wuxia story. There have been quite a few offerings from Mainland China this year in the genre but the quality has been a mixed bag. The biggest problem, to my mind, is that most shows struggle to get the balance right. Characterization, relationship dynamics, romance, plotting, sub-plots. Some start off well enough but go off on tangents and lose their way. I sometimes wonder why directors and producers think that every drama in the crime genre has to have romance. It's clear that some shows don't lend themselves to romance or even if they did, the incorporation of it ends up being less than desirable. Fortunately this doesn't seem to be a problem here. Of the numerous C dramas that fall off the assembly line, this is actually one of the better products. I am supposing that the only reason why it's escaped wider notice is because of lesser known cast of actors that spearhead the series.

The story of Ancient Detective revolves around a young detective, Jian Buzhi who has emerged from the famed Shenji Valley to find out what really happened 8 years earlier in an almighty altercation with the terror of jiang hu (or the martial arts community), Wang Hua. He is the son and surviving successor to the mantle of jiang hu's greatest detective Jian Jinhuan who died tragically in the carnage to stop Wang Hua in his rampage. To complicate matters, the young detective has no recollection of the event. Jian Buzhi is played by the relative newcomer, Yu Jiwei who embuse the character with gentle and youthful elegance. The show loses no time in introducing the character as one that follows the Sherlock Holmes template. Not only does he produce the culprit by keen observation and deductive logic, he saves the hide of an innocent man and meets first time the man who later becomes his protector and loyal companion, Zhao Wohuan. Zhao isn't just his offsider. The bromance of the two men is one of the key elements in Jian's ability to navigate through the rough and tumble of jiang hu because Jian's Achilles' heel happens to be that he has no martial arts ability.

The romance serves the plot well. While they may be hints of a love triangle, none of that is played out fully or given full flight. The women in this show are independent, intelligent and logical human beings who never see themselves as victims of circumstances even when others might tempt them to do so. Jian's primary and only real love interest is Zhan Shiqi, a former mercenary/assassin now on the run from her former masters for absconding. The two only have eyes for each other and neither waver in the bumpy course of true love.  Jian is an impressive figure, a purist and idealist for truth and justice so it makes perfect sense that the woman he falls for can't be an ordinary one.

Zhao has his own romance thread with the mysterious Ming Yue, a member of the Assassins Guild. His brave and simple devotion attracts her even while she wrestles with her feelings for him and her duty to the guild. Despite the braggadocio at his expense, his dogged loyalty to his bosom friend and his eagerness to protect everyone he cares about is very attractive. Even a woman skilled in the art deception can't resist its allure.

Integrated into the main storyline are several arcs that serve as hurdles/stepping stones towards Jian's search for the truth about the death of Jian Jinhuan, the missing Wang Hua's body and his own amnesia. As with all such tales, he has a mysterious adversary who seems determined for him not to get to the heart of the matter. Each arc sees Jian employing his detective acumen in criminal cases while looking for a surviving member of the campaign against Wang Hua. They are styled very much in the vein old school, classic British whodunits with their own twists and turns coloured with a wuxia flavour. As if the show isn't complicated enough, Jian is poisoned not once but twice and so he's also up against the clock to solve mystery after mystery in order to reach his final destination.

Jian has many others in his ever growing travelling entourage that support his endeavours. He is a man that commands deep respect and loyalty from encounters in his journey. The likeability and reliability of his character ensures that when he needs help from his motley crew of skilled individuals, they jump to his aid.

The thing that surprised me most about the drama is that it did have fairly sophisticated things to say about the wuxia genre and the nature of heroism. That was something I hadn't expected. The fact that the protagonist is someone who has no martial arts in such a context demonstrates a push to rethink what a jiang hu hero should look like. He is given a martial arts manual as is often the case in traditional wuxia but unlike the classic trope, he gives it away to his friend preferring to rely largely on his mental prowess to deal with his opponents.

This was a drama that I marathoned relatively easily in 2 days. It has a friendly 40 minute, 24 episode format. It's one I recommend unreservedly mainly for its overall consistency, decent performances and intriguing sub-plots.

Miss Truth (2020) The Marquis of Sui's Pearl

Spoilers ahead... Read at own risk.

I've been thinking about this and it did occur to me somewhere during the final straight that the Marquis of Sui's pearl or sui hou zhi zhu... was more than just the holy grail of an unholy gem hunt. Anybody and everybody... with the rare exception.. was moving heaven and earth looking for it. Not to mention the egregious stealing, killing and destroying in the process. Legend states that it was an object left behind by the previous dynasty's ruler, a key or map to a treasure of untold wealth. On the surface the drama seemed like a ridiculously convoluted treasure hunt. With each rewatch, however, I'm inclined to see the pearl as a recurring motif intertwined with the leads ongoing dynamic and resolution. For everyone else the pearl is about power and the promise of riches. However, for Xiao Song and Ran Yan, the pearl takes on a different dimension. For them it represents love and trust.

To my great delight and relief, the elusive pearl turns out to be real. Not a just a nebulous plot device as I had feared. The veritable carrot stick for the committed. Forged from a meteorite it possesses curative properties. One can't take these things for granted sadly. C dramas especially have a way of hyping the importance of rare, valuable objects, only for the endgame to completely let you down when on opening the chest, it's empty and apparently we're all suckers for wasting 40 something television hours waiting for the payoff. Thankfully it's not the case here. It gets found... much earlier than expected. Because finding it although important is not as important as having it in the right hands. Which means someone who doesn't want to start a war. Someone who cares about peace in the land. Someone who cares about the masses.

The fascinating part about the entire project is that if you've watched the drama up to Episode 26, we are told that our hero, Xiao Song has had the pearl in his possession since he was a boy hidden inside the tooth-shaped pendant that he carries around for luck. On hindsight it is a family heirloom credited for helping him survive past childhood. So this gem which every man, woman and dog has been looking for, for at least 12 years, has been in the custody of Chang'an's preeminent investigator unbeknownst to everyone, our hero included. The irony of course is that he was tasked in a top secret mission to track down the pearl by the emperor and is sent to another province to chase up on a clue that could lead to its location. This now becomes his dilemma because his grandparents were Sui loyalists and custodians of the pearl until such time when the Sui dynasty is revived. This has serious ramifications for the Xiao family in this current regime. Treason goes right to the top of the list. With all that to consider, Xiao Song is unable to surrender the pearl immediately and say, "Look Your Majesty at what I found when I stumbled into a secret chamber in the Xiao mansion that my grandfather built."

Now, when he first arrives in Suzhou, the whereabouts of the pearl is the nagging mystery but what he does find first are dead bodies and a gifted female coroner, Ran Yan, who later becomes his wife after the two become entangled in a series of misadventures and cases which involve the pearl one way or another. Judging from the way their trajectories intersect either by circumstance or by choice, their eventual meeting seems inevitable. He is an investigator of crimes, she examines dead bodies... it's a match that could only be made in heaven... as they say.

During the fourth arc he marries her in unseemly haste in part because he really does like her, plus the opposition is noticeably absent and in part to get her out of her family home where she has become the target of an in-house killer. (He has the knack of killing multiple birds with one stone) After a near-death experience the two afterwards discover that she is a beneficiary to a definitive clue that provides key information about the pearl. Before then she's largely in the dark about matters pertaining to the pearl. It becomes clear at that point that their fates are intertwined by the gem. On this occasion, he helps her reveal secrets behind her mother's death and brings the culprit(s) to justice. 

The villains of the piece are the Huo Qi Sect (Lit: Fire Flag Sect) and their agent is the enigmatic Su Fu who is incidentally Ran Yan betrothed. So at first he gets up close and personal because she's a conduit to the tight-lipped Xiao Song. He is one of the first to pick up the fact that Xiao Song has feelings for Ran Yan and is not backwards about using that to get a reaction, thinking it would cause the latter to make forced errors. The organization's primary goal is to grab the pearl for themselves, use that to find treasure in order to fund an army to overthrow the current regime.

Sometime later on returning to Chang'an, Xiao Song gives his pendant to Ran Yan when she becomes the subject of a contrived sex scandal. It is his way of staking his reputation on her reputation and publicly declaring that she is his wife. He asks no questions of how she gets into the predicament but hands over the heirloom as proof (and pledge) of his unequivocal trust in her. However, behind the scenes he finds the individual(s) involved and finds the time to shame them publicly thus restoring the lady's good name. Neither at this stage are aware that she's now the unofficial custodian of the elusive pearl. But it is another big moment for them because he proves... yet again... the lengths to which he will go to protect her.

As his newly re-contracted wife, Ran Yan becomes the key to his locating the pearl within the family manor when spies in the Xiao household lead her to uncover a family secret. She is also instrumental in shedding light on the mysterious deaths of Xiao Song's first two wives which we discover later are also related to the pearl expedition. They both agree amicably that he should take back the family fossil for safekeeping while working out how to hand the object to the emperor without implicating his family.

The couple's biggest trial comes when Ran Yan is manipulated into helping Su Fu retrieve the pearl from Xiao Song. It turns out to be an elaborate plot to entrap her and wreck his credibility. Xiao Song is led to believe that she betrayed him because of Su Fu, not realising that she had kept faith with him and the pearl was right at his doorstep.

Despite feeling like a betrayed sap, Xiao Song is still deeply in love with her. Even while keeping up the pretence of being indifferent, and having moved on, he is busy behind the scenes helping her with her latest predicaments. All this time he still thinks that she is still in love with Su Fu, driven to desperation for his sake. 

On her side, she thinks she has lost his love entirely when she was all set to start afresh with him after dealing with Su Fu's dilemma. She labours under the impression that his love for hasn't withstood the test of her misadventure with the Huo Qi sect and the ensuing political fallout. Hence the divorce. She doesn't know that it is the result of a royal decree. He on the hand uses the divorce as justification to keep his distance, possibly to protect her and himself from their enemies who are sufficiently unscrupulous to use their relationship to get at him. The pearl going missing doesn't enter into her thinking.
In a wonderful monologue that she gives while being held hostage by a deluded serial killer, in the presence of the man she pines for, she bitterly recounts her own experience of disappointment with love. In her mind a certain man promised her the world and built up her expectations of what love was like. He would love her for the rest of her life. But as soon as the crunch came, all the wonderful build-up went up in a puff of smoke. When she finally realised what love was and tasted the sweetness of its fruit, the transience of it left a bitter aftertaste. There is only longing from a distance because all efforts to close the gap lead nowhere but pain. Her despair and bitterness blinds her to what is plainly obvious to the rest of us. Despite everything he still loves her and his primary impulse is always to protect her even if it hurts him in every way.

When he's home nursing an injury, Xiao Song ponders over her cryptic comments wondering if he's misjudged the situation with her. Dad walks in and challenges him to act openly in concert with his heart. He sadly tells his father that "her heart is not with me". The older man returns the heirloom pendant and says that Ran Yan left it behind. Unfortunately Xiao Song still believes that she's given the pearl to Su Fu (and by extension, his enemies) so he doesn't bother opening the family heirloom to check.

Therefore, Xiao Song's search for clues regarding the pearl clearly parallels his journey to find true love. At the start of the drama we see that he has memorized the map of Suzhou city to give context to his mission. What awaits him is far more important to him personally, it is his own journey's map to grappling with a love that demands everything from him including his unquestioning obedience to the sovereign.

Therefore the fate of the pearl becomes analogous to his relationship to Ran Yan. As long as it remains hidden from his view, he thinks that love eludes him. When he finally rediscovers the pearl in his possession, he realises that he wasn't betrayed. He had her heart, her love all this time so the sacrifice to marry Ran Mei Yu feels much less onerous than before. Subsequently what he needs to do is trust her with his honour and his life.

As for Ran Yan, her moments of petty jealousy proved that she was gradually responding to his overt gestures. For the first time in her life she can see love in all its manifestations writ large with no strings attached but is hesitant of what the ramifications are for her.  She is genuinely angry when he sends her back to her cousin's place for safety. All that happens as she continues wearing the family heirloom publicly in plain sight.

She inadvertently interrupts a sting at the brothel and makes her first public confession. He's hers and nobody gets to lay a finger on him. And yes, he's unbelievably chuffed. And hopeful that better things are in store. ;)

Not long afterwards she leads him to a secret place in the Xiao manor where they discover the pearl's location together. This changes their dynamic. They share a secret about the Xiao family. It gives him hope that she would really become family finally.

She believed that she had his love for a time but thought she had lost it for good. A single mistake of being too smart for her own good cost her the love that had promised her the world, a love of a lifetime that would never let her go. So she thought. In reality she hadn't lost his love at all but his trust. Very Scarlet Pimpernelish. 

Although the Lady Dongyang had her own agenda in doing so, RY's eyes were opened to the reality that the love that she thought was lost to her forever was there all the time working in the background -- saving her, protecting her and helping her. Now with a new set of lenses she can see beyond the facade that he presents to her. So she goes to rescue him from a fate worse than death -- marriage to Ran Mei Yu.

In Episode 35 when he hands the pearl back to her for safe keeping if anything should happen to him, she is surprised that something so valuable should be placed in her hands but he tells her that he trusts her. Even when all the conspirators are out to get them there is a sense that now they are of one mind and heart, they are an unstoppable force of nature.

Miss Truth (2020) Episodes 33-36

It must finally dawn on Xiao Song after all the push and pull, that despite the dangers that come from RY associating with him, she is still much better off where he can see her. (That's borne out in these final episodes) Even if he thinks that she's in love with another man or even if he values her freedom, it is impossible for him to stop worrying about her safety if she's out of sight. If he ever believed that her being out of his sight would mean her being out of his mind, he is well and truly disabused of it after she falls prey to those who have orchestrated Consort Yang's assassination. As he drags her off to the Xiao manor, she protests that she's already home at her cousin's place. In the voice over he insists that being right next to him is where home really is for her. There she returns to her tiny hovel, a chest containing newly purchased cloths that doubles as her fox's lair. ;)

It's a significant shift in their dynamic that even while she half-heartedly conducts a protest, she is pleased to be by his side at least. Because he frames the episode as a means of keeping her out of trouble, she has no expectations of him beyond his need to control her movements. At this point both seem to believe that love is out of reach for them even though they may be satisfied in the interim with being close together. Perhaps XS took his father's words to heart (in Episode 31) that perfect conditions in a relationship don't exist. Even if she doesn't love him wholeheartedly, it is enough that he wants to protect and love her.

To me it's always a lot more fun when the male lead falls for the female lead first because he does a lot of running around, moving heaven and earth to be with her... even bordering on stalkery behaviour which could be a tad creepy. But I'm an old-fashioned type and I think there's something a lot more natural when the man does the wooing. If for nothing else but demonstrate his absolute commitment to having a relationship with the object of his desire.

There's never been any doubt about XS' commitment to his beloved Fox. Even while she believed she was in love with The Other Guy, he was steadfast. He respected her need to be free... to choose but he was always looking out for her and protecting her. On hindsight, it was obvious that he would emerge victorious... to put it crudely. Of course he always wanted her. But as he stressed it again and again what he wanted was her heart because he knows that it is the rudder that determines where the ship ends up.

It's unnecessary perhaps to contrast XS and Su Fu very much especially in the home straight because SF was always really just a puppet for his masters even when he wasn't on the drugs. It was never possible for him to end up with RY. It was purely a pipe dream on his part and he pulled the wool over her eyes for a short time. Obviously there's no denying he liked her but he was deluding himself that a man who led the kind of life he did could ever experience any kind of normality. He was always firmly positioned in the antagonist camp and when he attempted some kind of shift, he put RY in jeopardy and became a permanent slave to his masters' bidding.

The genius of the love triangle is how it was integrated into the Bad Guy plot. It was in the interest of the villains to encourage it, to use it for their own end. Not just as a mechanism to effectively control SF as is revealed later but to weaponize it against the leads who would do anything for each other including risking life and limb.

Looking back it made sense for vested interests to highlight XS' finer moments that were hidden from RY... the myriad of things he did for her behind the scenes that weren't known to her at the time. I believe XS deliberately kept his good-doing in the dark because he didn't want her to feel obligated to him as she was wont to say. He desperately wanted them to move beyond their earlier quid pro quo dynamic because it became unsatisfying for a man who felt more. Earlier on he kept his distance because he genuinely believed for a time that she would be safer if his enemies were going so far as to use her as a way of getting information or the Marquis of Sui's pearl. If they severed all connection, then there was no bridge to cross over to gain access to XS' secrets especially if SF was still a part of the equation. Despite temporarily separating, she was still subject to the machinations of others because the reality is... the horse has already bolted. Everyone was well aware that those two had some kind of permanent bond between them that transcended the emperor's divorce decree.

What the villains did was to give RY hope and a reason to act on her feelings for XS. It was a double-edged sword. A high risk tactic. It's true that people in love can do predictable foolish things for love's sake but they can also behave unpredictably in undetermined ways as well. Moreover Very Smart People in love are another kettle of fish entirely. ;) All's fair in love and war, as they say but be prepared for some serious blowback if that kind of strategy gets deployed on people who don't always operate like ordinary people. The bad guys are smart... the plotting is very elaborate and their tentacles are seemingly ubiquitous but thankfully the good guys are highly adaptable especially when they present a united front. 

In this final phase of the Bad Guy plot, it becomes clear that all activity is directed at taking Xiao Song down. With XS around, the emperor, who is the ultimate target, is almost untouchable. The villains know that the country's premiere crime solver is almost invincible except for his Achilles heel, Ran Yan. He would do anything for her including marrying the nauseating younger half sister, Ran Mei Yu who is actually inane enough to believe that she's being backed by the mastermind to make all her dreams come true and get away with it. It shouldn't come as a huge surprise as she has a track record for this sort of stupidity. Although I don't care for the character much but her banter with XS in the latter part of Episode 33 was very well done. The rich irony that accompanied the underlying revulsion from him and the confidence glee from her was beautifully portrayed by both actors. 

At the start of the drama we know that XS has a reputation for solving mysteries so he is tasked to find a legendary pearl that is supposed to lead to some great treasure left behind by the previous Sui dynasty that could be used to build an army. With XS on the job, the conspirators have been hampered from reaching their goals at every point. Yes, they have their spies but XS manages repeatedly to get to the bottom of things and root them out. Unfortunately for him, his primary adversary, Su Fu first notes early on that XS has a soft spot for RY and uses that to get him to unwittingly reveal information. But of course XS seldom lets his guard down, easily using the enemy's stratagems against him for his purpose. While using RY as a conduit to XS, SF soon falls for her which ironically compromises his own effectiveness as a spy for his side. Consequently he undergoes an existential internal tug-of-war, which his handlers uses to their advantage by forcing him to imbibe a mind-control "puppet" drug.

Love is really at the heart of all of the resolution which explains the continuing push and pull. True they are first exploited by others but as always they adapt and manage to outwit the baddies at their own game. However, if it weren't for their willingness to openly sacrifice themselves for one another, or their ability to finally understand each other's intentions it would only remain on the level of emotions. 

Once she finally understands the motives behind XS' angry bluster, RY quickly makes up for lost time. She throws herself into the fray with characteristic boldness and takes his side unequivocally. Once she's in, she's all in. No longer is she just his partner-in-crime but his wife and lover.

Even the emperor understood the potential dangers inherent in this dynamic. On his own, Xiao Song is a formidable individual but coupled with Ran Yan, they are an unstoppable force of nature. Especially when he witnessed first hand what XS was willing to do for her... break laws at will and go against royal decrees. ;) So he forcibly separates them again only for us to see XS take matters into his own hands yet again at the end. I suppose we're meant to understand that what they have is something that transcends the norm that no convention, no human agency can hold back. :D

On top of all that, it was the love triangle that saved the day. For a moment SF broke free of his mind control and found his bit of redemption by sacrificing himself for the woman he loved in spectacular fashion. Oddly enough (or may be not), I don't grieve for him. He is a tragic character in a quintessential Bradleyan sense. He is the sum of his choices and is ultimately the architect of his own undoing. There's no denying though that he protects RY where possible but his trajectory ultimately diverges from hers. I always think that if he had just let go of her after she had married XS, he would have seen a different ending. Character is destiny.

It was also pleasing that the show paid tribute to XS' relationship with Bai Yi, his doggedly loyal 2IC. This is someone who knew the real XS even when RY didn't. Someone who has always cared about his master's good reputation and welfare, and would have defended it to his dying breath. As I always thought... and it was confirmed here... that they were more like brothers than master and servant. I've always enjoyed his adversarial relationship with RY, his feet planted firmly in his master's corner.

Revelations about the mastermind in the finale was shocking to say the least. It brought home more clearly as to how ugly and wicked the entire scheme was. The lengths that the individuals were willing to go to get what they want even sacrificing subordinates and relatives to their own ends was horrifying in its magnitude. Tyrants come and tyrants go but nothing is more frightening than someone who thinks that they are above the law... everything and anything is possible as long as they can reach their goals.