(may contain spoilers)
Douban rating: 7.1
Director: Zheng Xiaolong, Cao Yiwen
Starring: Xiao Zhan, Zhang Jingyi, Huang Jue, Zhou Qi, Wallace Chung
Douban Comments: “Pretty decent overall. The pacing is tight and doesn’t drag. But this kind of ‘good’ doesn’t hold up under closer scrutiny. The male lead’s strategies are almost always risky moves that rely heavily on plot armor. The logic completely falls apart when you zoom in on the details.
Take the burial escape and counterattack scene, for example, it hinges entirely on luck. If even one thing went wrong, everything would’ve collapsed. The same goes for how he takes down the various henchmen of the antagonists. There are too many variables, and way too much is left to chance and good fortune.
Some of the major truth reveals also feel underwhelming. Was it ever hard to guess that the Ghost Seal was with the emperor? Or that the male lead’s upright, rule-following father probably handed it over immediately? These three big-boss characters, aside from growing distant over the years, don’t seem to have done much real thinking.
Their internal conflict doesn’t feel convincing either. If hiding or destroying a little bronze fish was so easy, why bother splitting it three ways and keeping each other in check? That setup implies they feared mutual destruction, so there must have been better ways to outplay one another.”
“3.5 stars. This is my first time watching a drama starring Xiao Zhan. From a purely visual perspective, his appealing looks work fine, but there’s absolutely no chemistry between him and Zhang Jingyi. In fact, they give off more of a ‘sisters sharing a meal’ vibe than anything romantic. There’s just a lack of physical or emotional resonance when the onscreen romance doesn’t feel authentic.
Setting aside the lack of CP (couple pairing) chemistry, everything else about the show feels rather juvenile. Which is a shame, because the premise – political intrigue mixed with tomb raiding – could’ve been really compelling.”
“This can’t really be called a political intrigue drama; at most, it’s just a revenge story. It focuses only on family, not the nation. The current rating will probably drop a bit more and might eventually settle around 6.8.
The script isn’t strong enough, but the veteran actors help carry the show, and the younger actors, thankfully, don’t drag it down too much either.”
“This story is amazing. The plot, the pacing and the camera work are all top-notch. The actors did a fantastic job, bringing every scene to life. Even the minor characters who died without a name felt real and full of emotion.
The male lead is just an ordinary man with no special powers or martial arts. He relies only on his intelligence and determination, risking his life every step of the way. His journey of revenge is far from smooth; it’s filled with hardship and sacrifice.
The show also vividly portrays people from all walks of life, especially the powerful and the powerless. It makes you deeply feel the cruelty of feudal society, where ordinary people lived like drifting weeds, at the mercy of fate.”
