June 2, 2024

The Double | Open Thread

The Double
A girl returns from the grave after her husband buried her alive.
Notable Actors/Actresses
Wu Jin YanXue Fang Fei / Jiang Li
Wang Xing YueXiao Heng
Producer
Chinese Title
墨雨雲間
NetworkYouku
Year2024
Episodes: 40

Jump to Remarks | Reviews | RecsComments


Cast


Wu Jin Yan:
Xue Fang Fei
Jiang Li
Wang Xing Yue:
Xiao Heng
Duke of Su
Chen Xin Hai:
Ye Shi Jie
(Jiang Li's cousin)
Liang Yong Qi:
Shen Yu Rong
(Ex-husband)
Li Meng:
Princess Wan Ning

Joe Chen:
Ji Shu Ran
(Jiang Li's stepmom)
Liu Xie Ning:
Jiang Ruo Yao
(Jiang Li's step-sis)
Yang Chao Yue:
Jiang Li

Zhang Yao:
Xue Zhao

He Feng Tian:
Jiang Jing Rui
(Jiang Li's cousin)
Zhao Jia Min:
Liu Xu
Chen Yu Xian:
Jiang Yu E







Romcom/Romance Checklist


How much of the plot is angst/romance?
0 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
The ML
Cold–Lukewarm–Warm / Timid / Falls in Love First / Noble Idiot / CEO / General /
The FL
Bold / Cute / Cool & Independent / Falls in Love First / Better than ML / Noble Idiot / 
Describe the Relationship (the tropes):
Bickering Start / Childhood Connection / Cohabitation / Contract Marriage or Fake Couple / Enemies to Lovers / Hidden Identity / School to Adulthood / Love Triangle / Married Couple (Real) / Secretly in Love (F/ML) / Star-Crossed Lovers / 
Relationship Progress (officially togetherfirst (official) kiss; breakup*):
Ep 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 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 / 40
# of CPs (including main CP):
0 / 1 / 
2 / 3
Ending:
Happy / Sad / Open Happy / Open Sad / Bad

Screencaps


[Ep1]
Xue Fang Fei can survive this, but Jiang Li can't survive a few beatings. lol.

I love hate wicked princess already. 

Is Wang Xing Yue giving off eunuch vibes to anyone else?

[Ep2]
ML falls in love first, and was it love at first sight? 
He might just have a thing for veils coming off.
He also knows her little name is A Li.
[Ep3]
[Ep4]
He Feng Tian found a new job, or maybe he's just part-timing for Wu Jin Yan? xD
[Ep5]
[Ep6]
[Ep7]
[Ep8]
[Ep9]

All these smiles for her!
Her: "This is the life I’m betting on.
Her: If anything happens to you, I will definitely pay you back with a life
Him: 殉情? 
Him: Pity. Cannot 殉情

*Note: 殉情 xùn qíng = to die together in the name of love / to sacrifice oneself for love. The thing is, Jiang Li never said she was paying back with her life LOL

😅 He gets a gag too:

[Ep10]
No talking and eating, Duke Xiao! :)

The new F4:
She walks like him now (;
This silly bro is getting funnier and funnier ^^"

This shooting competition!!

Show knows how to end an episode. 

[Ep11]
"Don't bite yourself, [bite me]."

Best qin performance ever. A stellar combination of music, visuals, and storytelling.

[Ep12]

[Ep13]
Phew 😗 His 🪭 boomerang. Every Wang Xing Yue scene is striking
They talk about 回頭路 (retreat / back up / a way out / road of return), which is trickier to translate because of both its meanings (figuratively = retreat; literally = road) are used. 

After she backs into him... 
XH: “It’s impossible for an (active) arrow to return. When you pulled the bow, weren’t you afraid?” 
XFF: "Weren’t you that road?" 
XH: "Is my road that easy to walk?"

XH: "To you, is the truth that important?"
XFF: "More than my life."

[Ep14]

Xiao Heng's favourite drama is always Xue Fang Fei

[Ep15]

[Ep16]
Just Xiao Heng smiling at Xue Fang Fei:
"Then you yell euphoniously"

[Ep17]
Her: Do you know you look good? 
Me: Girl, do you know what you’re doing to him?

[Ep18]
The closest thing to sex? xD Otherwise what were the points of these dripping wet scenes? The imagery of sex without sex.
Qiong Zhi!!!
[Ep19]
The flower is still on his head, lol.

The conversation when she pins the flower to his head: 

Xiao Heng: [Are you] steady now? My beautiful lady. 
Xue Fang Fei: Steadied. My 萬人嫌. 

She called him 萬人嫌 = a person disliked by thousands. That phrase is tweaked from the more common 萬人迷 = loved by thousands = heartthrob. 

Instead of asking about the flower being steady, it's more like he's asking her if her heart is settled on him now ;) Settled! 


Stripping to let her wear his "underwear" (1)

[Ep20]
They both ask if the other is hurt first.
Xue Fang Fei: My life is yours.

Xue Fang Fei gives her life to Xiao Heng again. This time, the meaning is different. The first time, she meant he could use her. This time, she's really giving her body and her heart. He has won her love. His reply shows high EQ too. (:

Xiao Heng knows what she means, and he understands her like her soulmate. He knows that her quest for the truth is greater than her life, and it's the same for him. Until they vindicate their family, it's not the time for romance.

[Ep21]

[Ep22]

[Ep23]
Xue Fang Fei asks Xiao Heng if he'd also drum for justice. She bets he would. He already did. You two are the same people.
Xue Fang Fei being hugged by Xiao Heng's cape feels warmer than being hugged by Shen Yu Rong
Shen Yu Rong said he would rather die in her hands. Oh, but camera pans down and she's actually in his hands.

[Ep24]

[Ep25]
Xue Fang Fei: "You're angry face is pretty handsome too."

[Ep26]
Ep4 (^) anyone? Xue Fang Fei will always be Xiao Heng's favourite drama.

[Ep27]

[Ep28]

[Ep29]

[Ep30]
There's cooties.
She's imitating him with that cape swipe, lol.

[Ep31]

[Ep32]
Emperor: She's your [wife], you protect.
[Ep33]
[Ep34]
What a tease!
[Ep35]

Princess! 😱

[Ep36]

[Ep37]
[Ep38]

[Ep39]

[Ep40]
Alas, it's a xianxia ending



Remarks



[Drama Info
  • Director Lv Hao Ji Ji's dramas: Go Princess Go and Oh My Princess
  • Director Bai Yun Mo usually works on Yu Zheng produced dramas like Scent of TimeRoyal FeastSong of Youth, Court Lady, etc.
  • Zodiac CP. They have a 12-year age gap (irl). 
  • Wang Xing Yue, the ML for all FLs with a vengeance. Ok fine, It’s only his 3rd "(FL-)rebirth" period drama in a row.
  • Ai Mi is always the loyal maid/sister to our FLs. 
Post-Drama:
  • Wang Xing Yue reaches new popularity peak. 
  • Wu Jing Yan is back to being popular (after an attitude controversy and several bad/bland dramas)

[Ending] Happy + Extra



Reviews



Five (5/5)


Four (4/5)


Three (3/5)


Reviewer: cynlynn
Date: June 2024
Hearts: 
Entertainment:        + 
Romantic Setup:     +++
Actual Romance:    Hmm.
Hateful Villain:        +++
Actual Revenge:     Hmm.
ML’s Face:              +++
FL’s Face:               Not bad


Luscious to look at. I highly enjoyed the entertainment value and the talent involved, but the two core elements of the show – revenge and romance – were not as gratifying as the initial setup. I just have to let these thoughts flow from my inner reservoir.
  • Romance is such a tease. Duke of Su and Xue Fang Fei are masters of tantalization, a ride or die CP, my ideal revenge-takers. What is there to complain about? I wanted the romance to be less posey and more genuine. Then once they get together, the romance ceases to peak. It isn’t my couple-being-together chronic disease this time. Here’s an example: it’s like being invited to a grand feast, devouring these tantalizing appetizers, then waiting for the entree, and then discovering my appetizers were the entree. (The extra episode doesn’t cut it. Sorry. It doesn’t add much value to their romance. It cheapens the original ending. It’s just not the scenes I want as my final memory.).
  • The premise promised an unrelenting revenge: our FL has nothing to lose and all the enemies in the world to fight. I felt reneged. The most intricate, thorough scheming went against a villain that was not the stepmom, not Shen Yu Rong, and not the Princess, but this mole-d magistrate. 
  • High casualties; low emotional impact. The director is highly misinformed that magnifying faces increases intensity. While every pixel of Wang Xing Yue’s face is exciting to watch, I found myself waiting for something more thrilling to happen. The deaths, as shocking and gruesome as they were, made my heart feel dead.
  • Shen Yu Rong and Princess. In the end, I was more drawn to their psychotic psyches than whether our main leads can defeat them, which honestly, isn’t a compliment for the overall show. Their exposure should have climaxed earlier for the leads to have time to actually scheme. 
  • This director does not know subtlety! Yes, there are well-framed shots, such as the high-low scenes between Shen Yu Rong and Princess. If you miss one, however, don’t worry—there are loads and loads more. Miss a reaction? No problem—we’ll zoom in on it. A lot of the “twists” in the plot were pretty obvious because of his cues – so many cues – very early in the drama. As long as he tones down just about everything single thing he does. 
Although the drama prioritizes visuals over story, its strengths – that includes Wang, Xing, and Yue – more than make up for its weaknesses. My superficial needs are quenched. This was dramatic and entertaining.  

P.S.  I love that every smile of Xiao Heng's is because of Xue Fang Fei.

Two (2/5)


One (1/5)



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