It's easy to make a ten thousand word review highlighting the brilliance and elegance of this show but I am not a historical intellect who wants to seat here for longer than I have to typing this.
GOOD THINGS:
- STUNNING visuals. And I mean STUNNING!!! The sets, costumes, and all the actors and actresses are perfect for their roles. They are the appropriate amount of beauty, if that makes any sense. They have good "historical" faces and not the type that you would expect to know what a smartphone is.
- All the characters are logical, well-thought out people! The antagonists aren't cartoonish and have really presences in the show. The Emperor isn't overly "evil" or "toxic" or whatever and feels like a real, overworked man who gets tricked, desires love, and acts irrationally at time. 90% of this cast is female and all of them are most are very compelling characters. They are selfish, angry, heartbroken, and hardworking people.
-However, though it is a female focused drama, it doesn't try to be overly modern in theme. It doesn't try to "fight sexism" or whatever. It perfectly highlights the effects of cultural and societal norms on women and how they tackle them or navigate, or embrace them.
- The pacing: I personally think the pacing was very good. You get used to the rhytmn and can usually guess when the plot will pick up again. And trust me, when it picks up it PICKS UPP.
BEST THINGS:
- Our Main character, Zhen Huan is a very intelligent but very well written character. She has a starting point. She loses so much in the story and changes her character and she grows with the battles in her life. Forgives and fights. And her ending point by the end of the drama is so.... no spoilers. It makes you think.
- The little details in the poetry and lines they say that in rewatching make your breath go away. This show has immaculate foreshadowing.
- THE ACTING!!!!!! I can't say this for every minor character of course but the main actress who played our main character did such a incredible job I was left jaw dropped. She entered that set with bills to pay!!! Her acting made me cry, it gave me chills! I think I am so used to actors in dramas having passing acting skills with a limited range but this woman really raised the bar for me. Her scene in the last episode when she broke the forth wall and said the iconic line....I will always reflect on it because anyone else and it would have been cringe. But the directors understood her endless potential.
10/10