This show is the perfect example that underlines the IMPORTANCE OF A GOOD SCRIPT AND A CRYSTAL DIRECTION, which in this case severely lacks. There were umpteen number of flaws in "The Love Knot: His Excellency's First Love". The show started with a promising plot line but the latter episodes proved me otherwise. The positive aspects of the show included its exquisite production & aesthetic value, interesting story and an elaborate cast. The two protagonists, Victoria Song and Huang Jingyu fit their characters well. But the supporting actors were the real stars of the show especially Leo Li, Li Shen and Liu Yong Xi. I have to give a special mention to all the child actors in the show, they gave a tough competition to their adult co-actors. All of them have a bright career ahead (I'm hopeful about that).

Now the issues.....where do I begin. Firstly, the story had serious narration and script issues. Maybe the novel is better (I don't know, haven't read it), but the script let the plot down. I personally don't mind too much past sequences, but the script did not deal with the historical sections well. The fragmentary presentation of critical past events came up in episodes randomly and failed in driving an effortless present day narration. The bumpy past-present transitions became annoying after a point and led to dilution of my interest for the overall show. Secondly, some sub plots were absolutely unnecessary. The sub plot involving pi pi, tao jilin and tianxin was given almost the same importance as the main plot of the show, i.e. Pipi and Helan's pseudo tragic love story. By the time the makers of the show dwell in the relationship dynamics of the two protagonists, a lot of episodes had already passed (they seriously tested my patience). Thirdly, the show had soooooooo many lose ends and unwanted elements which the makers could have ignored or dealt better with. The Left High priest and Tushan angle of the story was given a poor treatment, even though they were very critical for furthering the plot. The writers (according to me) could not sincerely convey the complexity of these two characters. They both had a lot of raw emotions, motives, desperation & determination; but along the way their characters lost their intensity and started looking very one dimensional.

Fourthly, the makers for some reason gave very less screen time to Helan's character (for gods sake he's the titular character of the show!). Questions: Why was he portrayed so restrictively ? Why did he look so helpless half of the time (even though he had crazy powers) ? Why did he seem like a guest character in his own freaking story ? Why weren't there any scenes that could tell us more about his complicated inner psyche/world or his 900 year experience on Earth? We knew from the beginning of the story that he is an all powerful leader of the southern fox clan with the possibility of taking over the whole of the fox clan, but I don't recall a single scene where I was convinced that he was truly powerful. He seemed more like a modern day leader who was accepted by his people for his socio-political views (like any modern leaders in any country). The magical aspect of the show was not at all represented by this character. Also, why was this character shown so less ! I would have loved to see him more proactively interacting with the other characters and contributing in the progression of the story.

And finally, our main couple lacked chemistry and impact. For any good romantic drama, the leads need to have an alluring charm. They are the crown jewel of a queen's treasury. The treasury might have the best treasures from across the world, but there is always one jewel that catches the attention of the public. In a romantic drama, the lead pair is that jewel that attracts audiences and instills passion in the story. I don't think Victoria Song or Huang Jingyu were that much at fault, its the patchy writing that led them, down. There were some scenes where both of them shined, and portrayed good acting skills. But the secondary treatment of this romance robbed the wow factor of the show.

The direction of the drama was not at all innovative, even though the story seemed ambitious. I personally had very big hopes after seeing its trailer. All in all it can be watched once, but it doesn't have a big re-watch value. Also, I feel people like me who have seen more than 50-60 Asian dramas, this show will be at most mediocre (I lost interest midway).

P.S: The ambiguous ending was not annoying because of the two leads but the failure to address the future of my favorite trio from the show.