Of the seven people of the family, in a slasher style who done it story who’d be the first to die first? Who’d be the killer, who’d have the craziest death? And of course who’d be the killer?
I'm re-reading The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (at least the Gilbert parts, the middle is hard to endure, for good reasons but still, I will try). And I love Gilbert. A lot of people dislike him, but he's so clearly ashamed of himself a lot of the time for how stupid he was in his youth...
But then we get to something like this:
I succeeded in securing her attention, almost entirely to myself - and then I was happy indeed; for whenever she did condescend to converse, I liked to listen. Where her opinions and sentiments tallied with mine, it was her extreme good sense, her exquisite taste and feeling that delighted me; where they differed, it was still her uncompromising boldness in the avowal or defence of that difference - her earnestness and keenness that piqued my fancy: and even when she angered me by her unkind words or looks, and her uncharitable conclusions respecting me, it only made me the more dissatisfied with myself for having so unfavourably impressed her, and the more desirous to vindicate my character and disposition in her eyes, and if possible, to win her esteem.
He has so much respect for her intelligence and opinions! And in contrast to Huntington, who mocks Helen and her morals. Gilbert encounters a woman who is smarter than him, who often disagrees with him, and after a very brief period of hating her for it, is just all the more attracted to her.
Also, Chapter 3 and the discussion about a tree raised in a hot house is what hooked me when I read this book for the first time and every single time I love it so much. It is exactly like a modern discussion of parenting, just with different subject matter.
Source, unabridged online version: http://victorian-studies.net/Bronte-Wildfell-1.html
He is quite charming, but I fear too handsome to really resemble his namesake.
This is one of my favourite YouTube people and I wanted to share her experience here because it shows both sides of the AI problem that creative people are having.
None of us want to be scammed into reading, appreciating, or paying for something that is AI, but I think we can also appreciate how horrible it must be to be accused without proof.
Edit: I get why people use AI to make money, but using it for free posts online baffles me.
Personally, I don't even understand why anyone would use AI for writing. I love writing. It makes me feel happy and fulfilled when I write a good story, even if it's not popular. I can't imagine posting something written by a computer and then what? Feeling proud of kudos and comments on something I didn't even produce? How pathetic of a person would I need to be for that? I wish everyone producing these AI scams what they should already have, a hollow heart. I hope the empty praise eats them up inside.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxtWRbeYGb0ukyju-Fw8qLeCkoeEm7Fv6R
In summary, >!Ren Susu rebuilt the cottage and Murong Qingyi returns after 2 years of medical treatment to find her.!<
Either way, I loved the drama and the ending was >!open, Qingyi wasn't dead yet and Susu was coming for him. I like to think he survived even without the extra scene.!<
I make these for the shows I love, but mostly for the characters unhinged enough to let me use the fun quotes! Enjoy
For it's genre (dark soap opera), I think the writing in Overdo is excellent, especially the characters themselves. Their trauma informs the way they act. The conflict between the main characters is so realistic (despite being over the top) to their circumstances. Ren Susu is utterly ruthless and single-minded, not allowing herself happiness until she completes her revenge, because of how much horror she saw in the orphanage. Murong Qingyi, on the other hand, has had a life so devoid of love from anyone (except his brother, who he thought abandoned him in prison) that he clings to the one person who gave him a short 3 months of happiness no matter what she does to him.
She just rejected him AGAIN and he keeps trying (he's also bleeding)
I love that Qingyi's constant forgiving Ren Susu no matter what she does and no matter how much she hurts him is shown as unhealthy. It's such a trend in dramas recently to have these ultra-loyal male leads who are obsessed with the female lead to what I personally see as an unhealthy degree, but so often it's shown positively when I'm begging the guy to have some self respect. But here it makes so much sense and it's so tragic. Qingyi's best example of love in the first twelve years of his life was his "adoptive" mother, who took out all her anger on him but also put medicine on his wounds. In the present, he easily forgives Ren Susu harming him and keeps going after her, as she offers him crumbs of affection and uses him for her plans.
Qingyi's brother is trying desperately to get him away from Ren Susu because he's watching his brother be manipulated by her and going into suicidal dangerous situations because of her. Ren Susu herself says she should hate him, but he doesn't, because he just keeps clinging to those three months.
I love it on a story level. It's tragic but logical. For Qingyi, love comes with pain. He expects it. And the hospital visit! Where he knows she's using him to buy time but wants to believe her lies that she's there for him...
I honestly don't know if this can end happily, but I just want Qingyi to actually be happy. Who knows if that is possible in this drama.
Note: I don't blame Ren Susu or hate her, she is trying to stop sex trafficking and even though I got pretty angry with her in Ep 11, I also find her character logical. She was trying to both protect her mission and keep Murong Qingyi safe. She also refused to use him when he offered in Ep 18. And as has been said a lot in the drama, she's as ruthless to herself as she is with him.
This first part is spoiler free and then I'll put some context free screencaps at the end
I've seen a lot of anti-posts for this drama, so here is my appreciation post. My friend described as a "dog blood melo." It makes me think of the Korean genre of makjang or a over-the-top soap opera or a telenovela. If that is your thing, it's doing it so well! I am excited every morning to wake up to pure insanity for about an hour and a half.
It's the Republican Era in China and the cutest, switched-at-birth and unloved by his family doctor becomes a pen pal with this mysterious woman out for unspecified revenge and then he gets framed for a murder she committed and she fakes her death so he goes to jail for three years and has the tendons in his hands cut so he can never surgeon again...
He gets out and and then she's back! As his brother's fiance! Doctor Boy is very ANGST about it and Girl is all caught up in her revenge but at what cost!
There is sooo much drama. Vibes of film noir. Those cool little veils that cover half the girl's face and dress capes! A man dramatically burning a field of flowers he grew for his dead-not-dead girlfriend. What more could you ask for? It's beautiful.
And if you like Zhang Linghe I personally think he looks great in this one.
Now some visuals!
I don't know if the costumes are historically accurate but they are beautiful
One of the common misconceptions about the Regency era is that women lost all their property when they married but no, they didn't always. Things could be kept in their name despite their losing their legal identity and it actually shows up in several novels from the time, as we see here in the fragment of Sanditon by Jane Austen:
>Lady Denham had been a rich Miss Brereton, born to wealth but not to education. Her first husband had been a Mr. Hollis, a man of considerable property in the country, of which a large share of the parish of Sanditon, with manor and mansion house, made a part. He had been an elderly man when she married him, her own age about thirty. Her motives for such a match could be little understood at the distance of forty years, but she had so well nursed and pleased Mr. Hollis that at his death he left her everything—all his estates, and all at her disposal. After a widowhood of some years, she had been induced to marry again. The late Sir Harry Denham, of Denham Park in the neighbourhood of Sanditon, had succeeded in removing her and her large income to his own domains, but he could not succeed in the views of permanently enriching his family which were attributed to him. She had been too wary to put anything out of her own power and when, on Sir Harry's decease, she returned again to her own house at Sanditon, she was said to have made this boast to a friend: "that though she had got nothing but her title from the family, still she had given nothing for it."
How was this possible since women were not a separate person before the law? It was done through trusts:
family lawyers set up what was called "separate property" and/or a "separate estate" for brides, especially if they were heiresses. This was basically a trust overseen by the Chancery Court which gave the women access to all her property and money upon application to a trustee, but kept it out of control so her husband couldn't "kiss or kick it" out of her, nor his creditors take it to pay his bills.
What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew, Daniel Pool
Now was this common? This I don't know, and I doubt it was super common, but if a woman was extraordinarily wealthy, she could get lawyers just as good as her husband's and make it happen. I think it's telling that Lady Denham is older and very well off, she has the money and the knowledge to keep her wealth protected.
This is also probably exactly what Darcy set up for Lydia, with the £1000 settled on her. That is her protected dowry and jointure, kept in trust so Wickham can't burn through it:
You know pretty well, I suppose, what has been done for the young people. His debts are to be paid, amounting, I believe, to considerably more than a thousand pounds, another thousand in addition to her own settled upon her, and his commission purchased. - Pride & Prejudice
I like to think that Sophia Grey from Sense & Sensibility kept a lot of her fortune in separate property and she uses that to keep Willoughby in line. The way the narrator talks about his wife "not always being out of humour" makes me think she was holding something over him, and we know she was filthy rich. I also feel like Mrs. Ferrars might have had a lot of separate property, since she is the one controlling all the wealth after her husband dies, instead of it going to her eldest son.
Anyway, this is why marriage articles and not eloping was so important!
(Edit for quote fixing)
Previous recaps: Ep 1-4, Ep 5/6, 7/8, 9/10, 11/12, 13/14, 15/16, 17/18, 19/20, 21/22, 23/24, 25/26, 27/28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, Ep 36-40 Fast Track
Main characters:
Bai Lu as Ye Li
Cheng Lei as Mo Xiuyao/Prince Ding
Novel fan translation: Mo Li
Ep 40: Ep 40: Mo Xiuyao nags Ye Li.
Then we're back in the capital. Li Feibai has broken up with his girlfriend. Feng Zhiyao seems normal again. They are worried about Li Feibai but I'm not. I'm more worried about the fact that we never got to see a power battle couple scheme and take down their enemies together. What is even the point of them both being so cool if they aren't awesome together???
Why is Li Feibai being such a jerk to his girlfriend? Ah, he was injured from the explosion. I think he's going blind.
Ye Li is still in a funk. She fights Mo Xiuyao with flower sticks. She says he lost but it seems like he won? (honestly, I've been annoyed at the Mary Sue allegations for Ye Li, but if she is better at his one best skill than she is one. He is supposed to be very very good at it... someone informed me that he lost because he knocked less flowers off)
The Empress Dowager is dying and summons Ye Li. Ye Li admits to wanting to kill her, but couldn't find an opportunity (come on! She set a man on fire with clothes!). The Empress Dowager is like, "I did so many good things, aren't I better?" They have a debate over politics where honestly, Ye Li sounds kind of naive. Because this is true:
Also, Ye Li is mad at the Empress Dowager over eminent domain which is something every government has done since the beginning of time and continues to do and like wut? Why are we angry about building highways because a few people got displaced? It's yet another anti-climax.
Li Feibai's girlfriend finds him. Han Mingxi goes back to work at the store. Now the Empress Dowager is dying. She is all regretful on her deathbed. Ye Li looks towards a sunrise meaningfully.
The emperor does condemn the Empress Dowager after she dies, which I honestly still think is a bad move politically, but I guess it matters how much people liked her. Oh, they punished Dowager Consort Qin too, doesn't she have a super powerful father backing her? (rant)>! You see staying in power often demands morally grey alliances... whatever. This is clearly not that deep.!<
Lishan opens back up! Exciting. But um...
I guess she hallucinated again to finally let go of the past but... I don't know. That didn't really work for me. Maybe put that at the beginning of the episode instead of the very end? We never see Ye Li integrating with her knew life and she's not even happy around her husband. Her choosing him over ghosts right at the end... why can't we see her happy in her new life?
The end.
I think the reason the ending annoys me so much is, I don't mind if Ye Li isn't completely mentally healed by the end, but they made Mo Xiuyao fully healed, so that felt kind of unbalanced. So many of us were wishing that after he fought so much in one day after just healing he'd experienced some sort of consequences or backlash, but he didn't. He was totally fine. And his hair going grey is just genetic and doesn't hurt him, so he completes the drama fully mentally and physically fine.
So then to leave Ye Li in this dissociative depression and still seeing hallucination ghosts is just, does she find a purpose? Is she going to be all right? If Mo Xiuyao goes to war again (which could totally happen) does she just start dissociating again? I don't think Mo Xiuyao minds at all supporting her but what if he dies, then it seems like we'd just get Wen Ran all over again since none of her other connections seem that strong. I don't know why they didn't even establish her as a Lishan mountain teacher or something, she could do that. She would have purpose. Instead she's like, sponsoring scholarships.
It's sold as a happy ending but it feels very unresolved and uncertain to me. And we could have a ten year time skip or something, but no, we get left very unfinished.
Also, almost everything was very anti-climax to me. Like they blew up a balloon but instead of popping it just very sadly deflated. And it wasn't even the balloon we liked most of the time, it was other, lesser balloons (side characters)
Previous recaps: Ep 1-4, Ep 5/6, 7/8, 9/10, 11/12, 13/14, 15/16, 17/18, 19/20, 21/22, 23/24, 25/26, 27/28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38
Main characters:
Bai Lu as Ye Li
Cheng Lei as Mo Xiuyao/Prince Ding
Novel fan translation: Mo Li
Ep 39: The rebel troops are setting everything on fire. Han Mingxi faces the blue-eyed guy from way back at the beginning again.
Li Feibai joins on Han Mingxi's side. They get exploded.
Prince Li is fighting his way into the palace dressed as a palace guard. This fight is wild because I'm having a very difficult time knowing who is on whose side, I think blue sleeves is rebels? Yes. I understand the tactic but help a viewer out! Mo Xiuyao is just sitting at the city gates, not fighting.
It's dark and they look VERY similar
Emperor: Mom, I am a big boy now (we never actually see him fight)
The duke has joined the battle? Can't he barely even walk? He's not even on a horse! Mo Xiuyao IS RIGHT THERE!
It's a weird decision at this point to show people fighting who aren't the leads. Like they literally skipped all of Mo Xiuyao's battles so we can watch some old dying duke fight? Why? Baffles me. Okay good, Ye Li is here. Finally.
Both of them! Nope...
Their fight lasted 0.3 seconds
Why can I not have battle couples? Why are we already at the talking stage? FIGHT SOME MORE! They turn Prince Li into a porcupine. Good riddance. Ye Li imagines playing chess with her grandfather... that's it? Rebellion over?
Five month time skip. Ye Li in hanging out at home. The emperor knows what his mom did but hasn't acted (he shouldn't, it would threaten the legitimacy of his rule, not that I'm a royalty expert or anything). Mo Xiuyao is leading troops. (why not just take Ye Li with him???)
Wen Ran is dragging Ye Li everywhere so she won't feel lonely. Ye Li has headaches. Her sister-in-law is making friends, but Ye Li is solitary.
Ye Li runs off to see Mo Xiuyao. He correctly points out that it was very dangerous for her to come but at least we get to see the main couple. We hear from Ye Li that Han Mingxi is gone. I wanted him with Ye Ying!
These episodes would be fine in a slice of life sort of drama but I feel like there haven't been any stakes in ages. Like all the possible tension was deliberately skipped.
I (think) totally recognize this scene from the novel! It's when they officially get together... >!well the first time they get together!<
Novel: He said: “Would Your Highness be willing to be with me?”
Mu Wanyao’s cheeks flushed red, her eyes curved slightly. In the deep night snow, gazing into his eyes, she smiled. Both shy and nervous. Both afraid and joyful. As if enchanted, she said softly: “I am willing.”
He leaned down and kissed her. The snow crossed like the Milky Way, lingering and pouring behind them.
Tigers Sniff the Rose (fan translation)
I am almost done reading the novel for the first time and it's very good. The female lead is very unhinged and the male lead is a very charming zealot. I'm excited for the drama! I could recognize a bunch of scenes and characters from the novel.
Previous recaps: Ep 1-4, Ep 5/6, 7/8, 9/10, 11/12, 13/14, 15/16, 17/18, 19/20, 21/22, 23/24, 25/26, 27/28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37
Main characters:
Bai Lu as Ye Li
Cheng Lei as Mo Xiuyao/Prince Ding
Novel fan translation: Mo Li
Ep 38: The Empress Dowager is attacked by a bird at night. Her and Ye Li talk about disaster relief. The Empress Dowager asks if Ye Li blames her for the plague at Lishan, Ye Li says she does in a round-about way.
Prince Li suffers a major defeat and is in hiding, trying to recoup his loses. Him and Ye Ying meet again. It is awkward
She starts telling him a childhood story about Ye Li, which is just sad. This is pathetic.
Ye Li goes home. Her room is packed with royal rewards. Poor rich people who pleased the emperor, they need to find room for all the rewards!
Mo Xiuyao sends her a letter and says he kept some weird fruit for her to try (awww).
The emperor is having some Imposter Syndrome with the duke but I don't care. Yeah yeah, it's good that he's worried about being a good ruler etc. etc. Kill some people!
I'm sorry little emperor I don't care
Ye Ying and Prince Li are in a little town which is where his mother was from.
Are we pretending they are a couple now?
He has a whole sob story about his childhood. I only care about Ye Ying! Not this Emo Prince! Ye Ying why do you want to be with this guy who doesn't care about you at all? She suggests they live peacefully, but no, Emo Prince has gotta go to war. He leaves Ye Ying (good).
Lol, the emperor gave Ye Li 1000 bolts of silk. That is too many for one person. I hope they match her complexion. That must be more than someone would need in their entire life. Everything seems to be going well, but Prince Li is sneaking into the capital with his sneaky plots. Han Mingxi is back, he goes looking for Ye Li at the store. Emo Prince reaches PEAK EMO.
Ye Li, Wen Ran, and her son attend the lantern festival. Ye Li notices smoke.
Previous recaps: Ep 1-4, Ep 5/6, 7/8, 9/10, 11/12, 13/14, 15/16, 17/18, 19/20, 21/22, 23/24, 25/26, 27/28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36
Main characters:
Bai Lu as Ye Li
Cheng Lei as Mo Xiuyao/Prince Ding
Novel fan translation: Mo Li
Ep 37: Mo Xiuyao goes off to war. Prince Li's mansion, where Ye Ying is still living, is being attacked. Ye Li tells her sister to go and hide until this all blows over. She wants to go see Prince Li which... girl. I thought you had some growth.
Did you even sleep together once?
Mo Jingli hears that Ye Ying is settled near him. Mo Xiuyao has 30k troops against 80k, that sounds not good. So he wants to defend a pass and keep the rebels from making it to the capital. The rebels win the first battle. The emperor is freaked out by the defeat and his ministers suggest dividing the troops. This is really because they think Prince Ding will join the rebellion. The Empress Dowager returns. She talks about how orchids (the country) is being well cared for by the people she left in charge (him.)
The Duke goes to visit the Empress Dowager and asks if the tragedy there was really natural or man-made. The Empress Dowager pleads ignorance (I only sent troops a little!) The emperor is listening. Did the emperor really not realize that his mom couped to put him on the throne? I guess not.
Rumours are being spread that Prince Ding has defected or that he's suffering large defeats. This is causing panic. Ye Li asks Gu Zheng to investigate. The Empress Dowager invites Ye Li to the palace to "talk". She's actually just making Ye Li a hostage isn't she? This is what she did with the marquis's son too (where is he?) This is confirmed by Mo Xiuyao when he receives her letter
Yes there is a hidden message but he also just misses her keep up A-Jin!
I guess they're showing more what happens at home than the battles, but I'm kind of bored. It feels anti-climactic. Why show Cheng Lei in armour if we don't get to see him fight!!!
Previous recaps: Ep 1-4, Ep 5/6, 7/8, 9/10, 11/12, 13/14, 15/16, 17/18, 19/20, 21/22, 23/24, 25/26, 27/28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35
Main characters:
Bai Lu as Ye Li
Cheng Lei as Mo Xiuyao/Prince Ding
Novel fan translation: Mo Li
Alternative Title: GET TO THE EXCITING STUFF ALREADY!
Ep 36: Ye Li breaks into the room using a knife. She figures out that the soup is an aphrodisiac. Mo Xiuyao tells her to leave, but she says they are married and can talk about it in the morning. Mo Xiuyao goes to talk to his sister-in-law about it and...
I want an additional child to neglect
I mean, from anyone else I'd be like, "sure, logic" but from the woman who completely ignored her kid to attempt communing with ghosts for YEARS... slearly having a baby did nothing to help her. Anyway, Ye Li tells Mo Xiuyao that it's fine if he leaves, she'll write to him and visit if she misses him too much.
The emperor is frustrated because the court wants him not to send Mo Xiuyao to the frontier. His one advisor says that since Prince Ding has been betrayed by the country, he should not be trusted with military power. Someone else is sent instead. Mo Xiuyao talks to the emperor about it, but he's happy with his decision.
Ye Li asks Mo Xiuyao if he's happy to stay home. He's worried that something seems off.
The Han brothers talk about how someone new will take over the city and they have to wait until then to run away. Su Zuidie waits for the brothers to come back and they don't, so she asks Prince Li where they are. Han Mingyue got travel passes so they can leave.
Fang Zhiyao can't figure out why he hasn't heard about Su Zuidie being executed. She has found the Han brothers and she betrays them
They fight a bunch of masked men and Su Zuidie, and Feng Zhiyao happens upon them
Fang Zhiyao can fight now! He took a lot of hits but he killed Su Zuidie! Han Mingyue dies and tells his little brother to run. They bury the dead together. Han Mingxi tells Feng Zhiyao about Prince Li's plot.
Mo Xiuyao has sent A'Jin to check on Suixue Pass and he's also worried about Feng Zhiyao. Li Feibai, Ye Li, and her former steward have drinks together. Li Feibai wants to buy a house and settle down with his girlfriend. I don't understand where exactly he gets money, but moving on.
Prince Li's men are worried that Han Mingxi/Feng Zhiyao will report back to the capital. He figures they have enough of an army now to storm the capital.
The duke goes to visit Ye Li and says he begged her grandfather to seal the mountain. He feels guilty about what happened to them all.
A'Jin finds Feng Zhiyao. He reports the situation to Mo Xiuyao and then he goes to the emperor. Mo Xiuyao is going to lead the army against Mo Jingli. He goes home and Ye Li dyes his hair (nooooo).
Previous recaps: Ep 1-4, Ep 5/6, 7/8, 9/10, 11/12, 13/14, 15/16, 17/18, 19/20, 21/22, 23/24, 25/26, 27/28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35
Main characters:
Bai Lu as Ye Li
Cheng Lei as Mo Xiuyao/Prince Ding
Novel fan translation: Mo Li
Ep 36: Ye Li breaks into the room using a knife. She figures out that the soup is an aphrodisiac. Mo Xiuyao tells her to leave, but she says they are married and can talk about it in the morning. Mo Xiuyao goes to talk to his sister-in-law about it and...
I want an additional child to neglect
I mean, from anyone else I'd be like, "sure, logic" but from the woman who completely ignored her kid to attempt communing with ghosts for YEARS... clearly having a baby did nothing to help her. Anyway, Ye Li tells Mo Xiuyao that it's fine if he leaves, she'll write to him and visit if she misses him too much.
The emperor is frustrated because the court wants him not to send Mo Xiuyao to the frontier. His one advisor says that since Prince Ding has been betrayed by the country, he should not be trusted with military power. Someone else is sent instead. Mo Xiuyao talks to the emperor about it, but he's happy with his decision.
Ye Li asks Mo Xiuyao if he's happy to stay home. He's worried that something seems off.
The Han brothers talk about how someone new will take over the city and they have to wait until then to run away. Su Zuidie waits for the brothers to come back and they don't, so she asks Prince Li where they are. Han Mingyue got travel passes so they can leave.
Fang Zhiyao can't figure out why he hasn't heard about Su Zuidie being executed. She has found the Han brothers and she betrays them. They fight a bunch of masked men and Su Zuidie, and Feng Zhiyao happens upon them.
Fang Zhiyao can fight now! He took a lot of hits but he killed Su Zuidie! Han Mingyue dies and tells his little brother to run. They bury the dead together. Han Mingxi tells Feng Zhiyao about Prince Li's plot.
Mo Xiuyao has sent A'Jin to check on Suixue Pass and he's also worried about Feng Zhiyao. Li Feibai, Ye Li, and her former steward have drinks together. Li Feibai wants to buy a house and settle down with his girlfriend. I don't understand where exactly he gets money, but moving on.
Prince Li's men are worried that Han Mingxi/Feng Zhiyao will report back to the capital. He figures they have enough of an army now to storm the capital.
The duke goes to visit Ye Li and says he begged her grandfather to seal the mountain. He feels guilty about what happened to them all.
A'Jin finds Feng Zhiyao. He reports the situation to Mo Xiuyao and then he goes to the emperor. Mo Xiuyao is going to lead the army against Mo Jingli. He goes home and Ye Li dyes his hair (nooooo).
Ep 37: Mo Xiuyao goes off to war. Prince Li's mansion, where Ye Ying is still living, is being attacked. Ye Li tells her sister to go and hide until this all blows over. She wants to go see Prince Li which... girl. I thought you had some growth.
Did you even sleep together once?
Mo Jingli hears that Ye Ying is settled near him. Mo Xiuyao has 30k troops against 80k, that sounds not good. So he wants to defend a pass and keep the rebels from making it to the capital. The rebels win the first battle. The emperor is freaked out by the defeat and his ministers suggest dividing the troops. This is really because they think Prince Ding will join the rebellion. The Empress Dowager returns. She talks about how orchids (the country) is being well cared for by the people she left in charge (him.)
The Duke goes to visit the Empress Dowager and asks if the tragedy there was really natural or man-made. The Empress Dowager pleads ignorance (I only sent troops a little!) The emperor is listening. Did the emperor really not realize that his mom couped to put him on the throne? I guess not.
Rumours are being spread that Prince Ding has defected or that he's suffering large defeats. This is causing panic. Ye Li asks Gu Zheng to investigate. The Empress Dowager invites Ye Li to the palace to "talk". She's actually just making Ye Li a hostage isn't she? This is what she did with the marquis's son too (where is he?) This is confirmed by Mo Xiuyao when he receives her letter
Yes there is a hidden message but he also just misses her keep up A-Jin!
I guess they're showing more what happens at home than the battles, but I'm kind of bored. It feels anti-climactic.
Ep 38: The Empress Dowager is attacked by a bird at night. Her and Ye Li talk about disaster relief. The Empress Dowager asks if Ye Li blames her for the plague at Lishan, Ye Li says she does in a round-about way.
Prince Li suffers a major defeat and is in hiding, trying to recoup his loses. Him and Ye Ying meet again. It is awkward
She starts telling him a childhood story about Ye Li, which is just sad. This is just pathetic.
Ye Li goes home. Her room is packed with royal rewards. Poor rich people who pleased the emperor, they need to find room for all the rewards!
Mo Xiuyao sends her a letter and says he kept some weird fruit for her to try (awww).
The emperor is having some Imposter Syndrome with the duke but I don't care. Yeah yeah, it's good that he's worried about being a good ruler etc. etc. Kill some people! Ye Ying and Prince Li are in a little town which is where his mother was from.
Are we pretending they are a couple now?
He has a whole sob story about his childhood. I only care about Ye Ying! Not this Emo Prince! Ye Ying why do you want to be with this guy who doesn't care about you at all? She suggests they live peacefully, but no, Emo Prince has gotta go to war. He leaves Ye Ying (good).
Lol, the emperor gave Ye Li 1000 bolts of silk. That is too many for one person. I hope they match her complexion. That must be more than someone would need in their entire life. Everything seems to be going well, but Prince Li is sneaking into the capital with his sneaky plots. Han Mingxi is back, he goes looking for Ye Li at the store. Emo Prince reaches PEAK EMO.
Ye Li, Wen Ran, and her son attend the lantern festival. Ye Li notices smoke.
Ep 39: The rebel troops are setting everything on fire. Han Mingxi faces the blue-eyed guy from way back at the beginning again.
Li Feibai joins on Han Mingxi's side. They get exploded. Prince Li is fighting his way into the palace dressed as a palace guard. This fight is wild because I'm having a very difficult time knowing who is on whose side, I think blue sleeves is rebels? Yes. I understand the tactic but help a viewer out!
Emperor: Mom, I am a big boy now (we never actually see him fight)
The duke has joined the battle? Can't he barely even walk? He's not even on a horse! Mo Xiuyao is back, but he can't enter the city yet.
It's a weird decision at this point to show people fighting who aren't the leads. Like they literally skipped all of Mo Xiuyao's battles so we can watch some old dying duke fight? Why? Baffles me. Okay good, Ye Li is here. Finally.
Their fight lasted 0.3 seconds
Why can I not have battle couples? Why are we already at the talking stage? FIGHT SOME MORE! They turn Prince Li into a porcupine. Good riddance. Ye Li imagines playing chess with her grandfather... that's it? Rebellion over?
Five month time skip. Ye Li in hanging out at home. The emperor knows what his mom did but hasn't acted (he shouldn't, it would threaten the legitimacy of his rule, not that I'm a royalty expert or anything). Mo Xiuyao is leading troops.
Wen Ran is dragging Ye Li everywhere so she won't feel lonely. Ye Li has headaches. Her sister-in-law is making friends, but Ye Li is solitary.
Ye Li runs off to see Mo Xiuyao. He correctly points out that it was very dangerous for her to come but at least we get to see the main couple. We hear from Ye Li that Han Mingxi is gone. I wanted him with Ye Ying!
These episodes would be fine in a slice of life sort of drama but I feel like there haven't been any stakes in ages. Like all the possible tension was deliberately skipped.
Ep 40: Mo Xiuyao nags Ye Li. Then we're back in the capital. Li Feibai has broken up with his girlfriend. Feng Zhiyao seems normal again. They are worried about Li Feibai but I'm not. I'm more worried about the fact that we never got to see a power battle couple scheme and take down their enemies together. What is even the point of them both being so cool if they aren't awesome together???
Why is Li Feibai being such a jerk to his girlfriend? Ah, he was injured from the explosion. I think he's going blind.
Ye Li is still in a funk. She fights Mo Xiuyao with flower sticks. She says he lost but it seems like he won? (honestly, I've been annoyed at the Mary Sue allegations for Ye Li, but if she is better at his one best skill than she is one. He is supposed to be very very good at it)
The Empress Dowager is dying and summons Ye Li. Ye Li admits to wanting to kill her, but couldn't find an opportunity. The Empress Dowager is like, "I did so many good things, aren't I better?" They have a debate over politics where honestly, Ye Li sounds kind of naive. Because this is true:
It's yet another anti-climax. Li Feibai's girlfriend finds him. Han Mingxi goes back to work at the store. Now the Empress Dowager is dying. She is all regretful on her deathbed. Ye Li looks towards a sunrise meaningfully.
The emperor does condemn the Empress Dowager after she dies, which I honestly still think is a bad move politically, but I guess it matters how much people liked her. Oh, they punished Dowager Consort Qin too, doesn't she have a super powerful father backing her? (rant) >!You see staying in power often demands morally grey alliances... whatever. This is clearly not that deep.!<
Lishan opens back up! Exciting. But um...
I guess she hallucinated again to finally let go of the past but... I don't know. That didn't really work for me. Maybe put that at the beginning of the episode instead of the very end? We never see Ye Li integrating with her knew life and she's not even happy around her husband. Her choosing him over ghosts right at the end... why can't we see her happy in her new life?
The end.
Overall, I liked the drama, but these last episodes were so underwhelming. I think they made the villains a little too sympathetic and there were no stakes after the Lishan mountain part (Ep 34). I really thought that we would get the mains working together for their final revenge or something, but no. It just felt so deflated. Huh. Too bad, I was very into it for so long.
Previous recaps: Ep 1-4, Ep 5/6, 7/8, 9/10, 11/12, 13/14, 15/16, 17/18, 19/20, 21/22, 23/24, 25/26, 27/28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34
Main characters:
Bai Lu as Ye Li
Cheng Lei as Mo Xiuyao/Prince Ding
Novel fan translation: Mo Li
Ep 35: There seems to have been a time jump. We're told during this episode that the mains have been married for a year now, it was six months when they divorced (attempted divorce).
The Empress Dowager leaves and the emperor, Mo Yanqi, sets about rewarding the remaining people from Lishan, including Ye Li. He makes Ye Li's steward an official, meaning she has to hire a new one. Mo Xiuyao gets a little jealous of a hot job candidate. Ye Li asks him why he doesn't get a job himself.
You are annoying me (affectionate)
Mo Xiuyao claims he's too busy fishing and making sure she gets better. The next day, she heads to her Third Uncle's shop. Ye Ying has been hanging out there and getting pulled into random schemes:
Ye Li tells Ye Ying that she should actually do her landlord job instead of trying random fraud and open a shop if she's bored. Aww, the sisters have reconciled.
Mo Xiuyao very proudly catches a fish bigger than the one sent to him. This is like, incredibly not hot to me because I hate fishing. It's literally the most boring thing on earth. Anyway, Ye Li comes home very late and Mo Xiuyao is annoyed. Ye Li has hired the hot new steward and Mo Xiuyao is jealous and I don't like this plotline.
He's so annoyed that he's not even having a bath anymore when Ye Li gets home, he's already dressed (we wuz robbed).
The emperor and his ministers are discussing the recent death of General Xiong (the man Prince Li had assassinated) in Suixue Pass. It turns out this is a city of theirs, bordering Cangbei (I wasn't sure). The ministers advise him to send a general from the capital to investigate and stabilize the situation. Mo Xiuyao is suggested as a candidate. (The timeline is confusing to me now, because that dude was just assassinated last episode... but maybe it takes a very long time for news to travel)
The little nephew freaks out and tells his mother that his uncle is going to war. Mo Xiuyao talks to Ye Li, but doesn't tell her right away. They go out to spy on her new steward instead.
Turns out he was meeting a woman for a tryst! Jealousy over I hope? It seems that Ye Li already knew this and planned it on purpose.
Look at how much he adores her
Wen Ran is worried about Mo Xiuyao going back to battle, so she gives Ye Li a... pregnancy coach servant? She throws out all Ye Li's makeup and starts controlling her diet and activities. Wen Ran also gives Mo Xiuyao some soup, which must be drugged based on him locking himself up. I think this is her plan for them to get pregnant so that Mo Xiuyao won't leave and get killed? But still, woman, mind your beeswax.
Previews! I am not emotionally prepared for Fang Zhiyao killing people!
I'll keep posting normal track release according to the Viki release schedule.
Previous recaps: Ep 1-4, Ep 5/6, 7/8, 9/10, 11/12, 13/14, 15/16, 17/18, 19/20, 21/22, 23/24, 25/26, 27/28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33
Main characters:
Bai Lu as Ye Li
Cheng Lei as Mo Xiuyao/Prince Ding
Novel fan translation: Mo Li
Ep 34: Ye Li buries everyone and then digs a grave for herself. She lies down in it and then it starts snowing. Her "grandfather" appears and leads her out, telling her not to come to the back mountain because of wild monkeys. Once she crosses the bridge, she sees everyone who died and goes back with them.
In the present, the sun comes up as Ye Li cries in front of her grandfather's grave.
Back in the border city, Suixue pass, the artist we saw last episode goes out at night to find... Emo Prince! (Mo Jingli) Han Mingxi is with his brother. He tells him that working in a shop is actually really great. He wants his brother to leave with him and go live a normal life, instead of working with Su Zuidie and Prince Li. The painter was making a map for Prince Li. He also finds out that Ye Li returned to Lishan, but doesn't know Mo Xiuyao followed her.
Angsty Qin Time!!!
It is right and good to play Angsty Qin in the snow while your men storm the mansion of a general (he trying to start a war again? one trick pony)
The inspector comes to Lishan and sees the gravesite. It looks like Ye Li finishes the last book and puts them away. A message is sent to the Empress Dowager which confirms that everyone died of illness. It was three years into Lishan being sieged and they had mostly run out of supplies, which meant they couldn't combat the illness. This is pretty logical, malnutrition would lower immunity.
The emperor's advisors seem to be suggesting he should use the news of Lishan dying to take power from his mother. He thinks the dowager will hand over power to him soon, but his advisors aren't so sanguine. The next day, some poor eunuch is obligated to read an anonymous poem condemning the Empress Dowager in court.
The emperor pretends to defend his mother from suggestions that she hand over power, but then basically sends her off to retirement. She's literally and metaphorically shaken
Ye Li explains that the last of her four dolls was for the Empress Dowager. She tells Mo Xiuyao she won't act rashly. He basically says, "Babe, I support your revenge plots." (I paraphrased heavily)
The Empress Dowager has a bad dream about how she betrayed everyone and now she's being betrayed. She was a student at Lishan and was resentful that she didn't have opportunities like a man. So she decided to change it...
We have a montage of her being the puppet master behind everything. (To be honest though, as a ruler in this era, she's not bad? People have done much much worse than her. She actually let as many people as she could live (Prince Li should not be alive). The land is peaceful. If she hadn't hurt the mains, would anyone care? It just feels a little bit like, "This woman rose above her place, let's put her back down". Anyway)
Tomorrow fast track drops!
Previous recaps: Ep 1-4, Ep 5/6, 7/8, 9/10, 11/12, 13/14, 15/16, 17/18, 19/20, 21/22, 23/24, 25/26, 27/28, 29, 30, 31, 32
Main characters:
Bai Lu as Ye Li
Cheng Lei as Mo Xiuyao/Prince Ding
Novel fan translation: Mo Li
Ep 33: Ye Li gets very drunk at the Ghost Party.
Mo Xiuyao sneaks out at night to investigate what is beyond the monkey bridge. He finds a mass grave with everyone whom Ye Li has "introduced" to him, and also an empty grave with her name on it.
The visuals in this episode were so good
When he gets back, Ye Li wakes up. Mo Xiuyao talks about how he used to fear death and being buried, but now he has her so he's not scared anymore.
Ye Li says she has to get up early to do stuff. Mo Xiuyao tells her he can do it all for her, so she can sleep in. The next day they do all her tasks together, and he fixes her bed and window. Then they watch the moon together.
Feng Zhiyao has reached a trading city near or in Cangbei. He runs into Han Mingxi and asks what happened to Su Zuidie. Han Mingxi is like, "Wellllll.... I donno."
The Cheif Eunuch comes back and reports to the Empress Dowager that everyone from Lishan ran away. The other advisor doesn't believe it. The emperor then comes in with his letter from Mo Xiuyao and reports that they all died of plague. The Empress Dowager sends an investigator to find out what really happened.
When the investigators come (I assume it's been a few days?), Mo Xiuyao asks them to give him two days. I'm not sure exactly why, but he asks Ye Li to watch the sunrise with him and then she stays up for quite a while because they go really early. Maybe he didn't want her memory to reset? He takes her to the monkey bridge and she freaks out and imagines the monkeys.
The way she's clutching his clothes!
Once she's at the graveyard, Ye Li starts remembering what happened and crying. A plague hit the mountain and they ran out of medicine. Ye Li tried to run down (a scene we saw earlier but without masks). They captured her back and locked her in the woodshed to preserve the reputation of Lishan.
Ye Li tried to send Qingshuang down the mountain to get help, but she collapsed and died. When Ye Li gets out, everyone is dead.
This pathogen has an extremely high mortality rate... science says this is possible! Pneumonic plague could do this. Ye Li is the only one left behind to bury all the dead and preserve the mountain's reputation.
The preview confirms that the last doll is the empress dowager! Finally our couple will work together to take down their enemies? Pretty please?
Threads round-up: What happens to "widowed" Ye Ying?
Emo Prince Li is still out there, scheming
Han Mingxi and his brother and the annoying girl who murders people
Feng Zhiyao and his grief hike
The Empress Dowager doll/the emperor takes power from his mom
Additional bath scene? (but no really look at the promos)
Previous recaps: Ep 1-4, Ep 5/6, 7/8, 9/10, 11/12, 13/14, 15/16, 17/18, 19/20, 21/22, 23/24, 25/26, 27/28, 29, 30, 31
Main characters:
Bai Lu as Ye Li
Cheng Lei as Mo Xiuyao/Prince Ding
Novel fan translation: Mo Li
Ep 32: I know the Chief Eunuch is mostly here for comic relief, but I want to punt him right off the mountain. Anyway... the eunuch wants to take a slower route with some amenities to the mountain, but Mo Xiuyao refuses. He is going to get his wife! The party goes up to the Lishan academy gate but no one answers, Mo Xiuyao pushes it open and confirms what we knew, it's totally empty and in decay.
This screencap is mostly for the grey hair... but also the horror
Mo Xiuyao runs around looking for Ye Li, much to the annoyance of the Chief Eunuch (punt!) He finds her in the book copying room (as we find out later). She looks so young this whole episode, in like a "I've been blocking out 8 whole years" way and it's killing me.
Her hair being down is a big difference
She asks why his hair has gone grey. He apologizes and embraces her, but it's really clear from her face that she doesn't know why he's apologizing. The eunuch asks Ye Li where all the people are, her brain takes a minute to process and then she says everyone is cultivating the rice field and they'll be back later. Ye Li points them towards the kitchen to eat. All the food is bad and there is dust on everything.
Mo Xiuyao goes back with Ye Li to her room. Her blanket is heavily patched and her bed is broken. She offers him an apple she picked. He apologizes, explains that he missed her so much her hair went grey, and asks her to come back with him. She seems very unconcerned about everything except his hair.
The party has now searched everywhere and there is no one else present. When Ye Li is told this, her brain malfunctions and she's in a daze.
The eunuch is angry at Ye Li for leading them to an empty field, but she's freaking out so Mo Xiuyao yells at him to shut up. Ye Li starts biting her arm and then passes out.
Those are the \"monkey\" bites
The eunuch party and A'Jin leave the mountain. Good riddance, except for A'Jin who was a hero for giving his boss alone time with his wife. Mo Xiuyao stays by Ye Li's bedside all night and then panics when she's gone in the morning. She was just out foraging.
We do have stress and hallucinations to thank for this hair
Ye Li remembers nothing from the previous day. She asks when he arrived and why his hair is grey. Mo Xiuyao watches her make soup. The kitchen is mostly covered in dust and only one set of dishes is clean. If you drank every time Mo Xiuyao looked horrified or cried during this episode, you'd probably be dead by the end... He says he was worried she was angry with him, but of course she doesn't know why she would be.
Ye Li goes to library where she has been continuing on with the task of writing books. The most horrible part for me was the way she checked for someone listening before talking smack. This is all totally real to her!
Mo Xiuyao finds a room where Ye Li practiced healing his leg injuries and made a wheelchair (she says his was better so she never tried to make him one). He tells her that he never treated her well as his wife (which isn't true, he was very nice to her after she healed him, but he's not thinking about that right now.)
Dude, you gave her a whole store (multiple stores?)
Then we have some time with Feng Zhiyao, which I didn't appreciate because it is Main Couple Angst Time. He has flashbacks and travels the same route him and the princess did way back when. He finds what is frankly a creepy statue to her and then imagines her alive again.
BACK TO THE MAINS!
Mo Xiuyao walks past monkey statues and about Ye Li's phobia. She introduces him to three whole tables of hallucination people. He plays along.
The entire episode was so heartbreaking. Mo Xiuyao was trying to keep it together and act like everything was normal, but he kept crying. Ye Li is completely disconnected from reality. Our only consolation is glorious grey hair (of possible doom)..
Also, even though Mo Xiuyao tried to be really nice to Ye Li after he found out her maid was a hallucination, she usually looked so normal. This whole episode is like after Ye Li's grandma died and she acted like nothing happened, which he also found worrying. I feel like there is something to the contrast, that Mo Xiuyao looked unwell (couldn't walk, depressed, and angry) and Ye Li looks normal or even very happy most of the time, except for the talking to herself. It's not until you see how poorly her behaviour matches her circumstances that it all makes sense.
The promos for tomorrow are... the yikes does not end.
