spicyeggroll
This review may contain spoilers
On a journey to revenge that ends in justice and love
The first 10 minutes were instantly gripping.
Did I think it was super dramatic, possibly illogical, and over-the-top? Yes.
Did I eat that up? Definitely.
Did I inwardly squeal when Duke Su's fan randomly flew into the scene to save the day? Hell yeah.
This is the first C-drama I got into after a break, and I didn't know historical dramas could balance everything so well. From the revenge to the political intrigue to the action to the romance and even comedic bits, this drama has a bit of everything that makes me love a good historical story. Also - I'm so happy about the ending and extra scenes that wrapped it up perfectly.
As a word of caution, The Double is best enjoyed when you suspend belief and stop overthinking details. The palace schemes ranged from gasp-out-loud plot twist to rolling-eyes cringe. I recommended this drama to my older brother who at first was skeptical, asking me "am I even the right demographic?" Four episodes later, despite him making fun of the overdramaticism and acting, he was HOOKED. I'm telling you, no one can ignore a good revenge counterattack plot.
PROS
❀ Three-dimensional characters that paired well with superb acting
Not sure if this is everywhere in dramaland, or if everyone's using eye drops these days, but the range of emotions from the cast was very palpable (ESPECIALLY the crying scenes lol). Xue FangFei was 'killed' by her husband in QingCheng Mountain and saved by a girl who was also wronged by her family, JiangLi. JiangLi ends up passing away, and XFF assumes her identity to return to the capital, getting revenge on the people who wronged both of them.
Throughout XFF's investigation, she uncovers an intricate web of schemes that involve both her and the Jiang family. I loved seeing her ex-husband Shen YuRong spiraling throughout the series, largely instigated by the unpredictable Eldest Princess, Wanning. Both their actors did an amazing job of portraying characters with inner conflicts (especially SYR) that dictated and justified their actions. They were evil no doubt, but the added backstories added several layers of depth that just topped off their characterizations. Other stand-out roles were the step-mother, the development of the father especially towards the end, and the academy team friendship that was steady throughout the drama.
❀ Smouldering romance that was just perfect to me, idk
First of all, shout out to the makeup artist because all the men (even random side characters) were *chef's kiss*. Best of the best is of course Duke Su, the deadly commander and emperor's right hand man who leaves a trail of fear in his wake. At first, he sees XFF as a useful 'pawn' in his plans and helps her out for his own benefit. Soon though he grows more and more impressed with XFF's quick wit and determination. Yes, Duke Su is OP and is there to save the day. But the show uses that plot armor sparingly, compared to other Cdramas that do it every other episode. I love how both leads have the same goal but are on different paths; because of that goal, they have a mutually beneficial relationship and develop feelings throughout the journey. Their relationship is built on respect and loyalty (not just to each other but to their family, sovereign, etc). I thought that the romantic development throughout the course of the drama was not too slow nor fast actually, since they get a good bit of 1:1 screen time in the midst of other story arcs. And the ending definitely delivered, for my fangirl heart <3
Side note: I like how there was minimal drama between the main leads, because they understand each other so well. There are some mild second leads on both sides romantically, but XFF and Duke Su's feelings never wavered.
Second side note: I usually side-eye dramas with main leads who have age gaps but I think the actors did a great job in closing that gap through their portrayals of the characters. Duke Su's character radiated maturity and strength, which paired well with XFF's cunningness and stubbornness to see things through. The chemistry was also F-I-R-E!
❀ Pretty tight script with good storytelling execution
Although I wouldn't mind more than one season/40 episodes for this story, I'm really happy with the script and dialogue that we got. Compared to other historical Cdramas I've watched, the ending was pretty conclusive and satisfying. Again, I feel like viewers who overthink things might not be as satisfied but I personally really enjoyed how cleanly everything was wrapped up (although there were some tragic events that happened to our non-leads :,)). Despite veering away from the book storyline (since in the book XFF ended up transmigrating into JL's body, which I understand doesn't pass censorship criteria for dramas), I think The Double shines on its own. The revenge/counterattacks were methodical and the different arcs were organized pretty well (ex: academy arc, Ye family arc, Huaixiang, etc), eventually culminating into the final climax. Characters from various arcs reappear as well, making everything come full circle. I don't have high expectations with Cdrama scripts because I'm used to them being messy - lots of back-and-forth between the leads, misunderstandings, random drama that doesn't serve a purpose to the story, etc - but The Double really impressed me with how well they used their screen time.
❀ Just an extra bullet point for how aesthetic everything/everyone was
Especially the dudes with their hair down LMAO.
CONS
✕ Kinda over-the-top at first (especially if you're not used to it)
I'm not going to lie, the dramatic zoom-ins in the beginning had me laughing out loud. Did the director learn this from Bollywood movies? Thankful to report that these zoom-ins decreased throughout the story. Expect similar over-the-top scenes to come.
My brother asked: do you think they're self aware with how cringe some of the scenes are? I said yes, considering one of XFF's lines were, "Duke Su, did you fly here?" when he wugongs his way into her courtyard. She asked what we were all thinking, lmao.
✕ Logic falls apart if you think too deeply
Just settle into this emotional rollercoaster of a drama for entertainment's sake.
✕ Misunderstanding level: 0/10
The main leads were steadfast from start to finish!! No freaking random break-ups towards the end either and annoying martyrdom scenes. It was truly a solid romance.
OVERALL
While this drama balances a lot of genres that make it addicting (action, romance, intrigue, revenge, comedy), there were moments where I was genuinely moved. At the heart of all the revenge schemes and planning is a prevailing sense of justice, and fixing wrongs into rights. That's why it's so easy to cheer for the main leads and support them throughout their journey. The actress for XFF ate and left no crumbs in her role as she climbed out of her own grave to seek justice for not only herself, but her family and the people around her. I think all 40 episodes were enjoyable and intentionally used, creating an ultimately satisfying revenge plot that I recommend Cdrama lovers to watch.
Did I think it was super dramatic, possibly illogical, and over-the-top? Yes.
Did I eat that up? Definitely.
Did I inwardly squeal when Duke Su's fan randomly flew into the scene to save the day? Hell yeah.
This is the first C-drama I got into after a break, and I didn't know historical dramas could balance everything so well. From the revenge to the political intrigue to the action to the romance and even comedic bits, this drama has a bit of everything that makes me love a good historical story. Also - I'm so happy about the ending and extra scenes that wrapped it up perfectly.
As a word of caution, The Double is best enjoyed when you suspend belief and stop overthinking details. The palace schemes ranged from gasp-out-loud plot twist to rolling-eyes cringe. I recommended this drama to my older brother who at first was skeptical, asking me "am I even the right demographic?" Four episodes later, despite him making fun of the overdramaticism and acting, he was HOOKED. I'm telling you, no one can ignore a good revenge counterattack plot.
PROS
❀ Three-dimensional characters that paired well with superb acting
Not sure if this is everywhere in dramaland, or if everyone's using eye drops these days, but the range of emotions from the cast was very palpable (ESPECIALLY the crying scenes lol). Xue FangFei was 'killed' by her husband in QingCheng Mountain and saved by a girl who was also wronged by her family, JiangLi. JiangLi ends up passing away, and XFF assumes her identity to return to the capital, getting revenge on the people who wronged both of them.
Throughout XFF's investigation, she uncovers an intricate web of schemes that involve both her and the Jiang family. I loved seeing her ex-husband Shen YuRong spiraling throughout the series, largely instigated by the unpredictable Eldest Princess, Wanning. Both their actors did an amazing job of portraying characters with inner conflicts (especially SYR) that dictated and justified their actions. They were evil no doubt, but the added backstories added several layers of depth that just topped off their characterizations. Other stand-out roles were the step-mother, the development of the father especially towards the end, and the academy team friendship that was steady throughout the drama.
❀ Smouldering romance that was just perfect to me, idk
First of all, shout out to the makeup artist because all the men (even random side characters) were *chef's kiss*. Best of the best is of course Duke Su, the deadly commander and emperor's right hand man who leaves a trail of fear in his wake. At first, he sees XFF as a useful 'pawn' in his plans and helps her out for his own benefit. Soon though he grows more and more impressed with XFF's quick wit and determination. Yes, Duke Su is OP and is there to save the day. But the show uses that plot armor sparingly, compared to other Cdramas that do it every other episode. I love how both leads have the same goal but are on different paths; because of that goal, they have a mutually beneficial relationship and develop feelings throughout the journey. Their relationship is built on respect and loyalty (not just to each other but to their family, sovereign, etc). I thought that the romantic development throughout the course of the drama was not too slow nor fast actually, since they get a good bit of 1:1 screen time in the midst of other story arcs. And the ending definitely delivered, for my fangirl heart <3
Side note: I like how there was minimal drama between the main leads, because they understand each other so well. There are some mild second leads on both sides romantically, but XFF and Duke Su's feelings never wavered.
Second side note: I usually side-eye dramas with main leads who have age gaps but I think the actors did a great job in closing that gap through their portrayals of the characters. Duke Su's character radiated maturity and strength, which paired well with XFF's cunningness and stubbornness to see things through. The chemistry was also F-I-R-E!
❀ Pretty tight script with good storytelling execution
Although I wouldn't mind more than one season/40 episodes for this story, I'm really happy with the script and dialogue that we got. Compared to other historical Cdramas I've watched, the ending was pretty conclusive and satisfying. Again, I feel like viewers who overthink things might not be as satisfied but I personally really enjoyed how cleanly everything was wrapped up (although there were some tragic events that happened to our non-leads :,)). Despite veering away from the book storyline (since in the book XFF ended up transmigrating into JL's body, which I understand doesn't pass censorship criteria for dramas), I think The Double shines on its own. The revenge/counterattacks were methodical and the different arcs were organized pretty well (ex: academy arc, Ye family arc, Huaixiang, etc), eventually culminating into the final climax. Characters from various arcs reappear as well, making everything come full circle. I don't have high expectations with Cdrama scripts because I'm used to them being messy - lots of back-and-forth between the leads, misunderstandings, random drama that doesn't serve a purpose to the story, etc - but The Double really impressed me with how well they used their screen time.
❀ Just an extra bullet point for how aesthetic everything/everyone was
Especially the dudes with their hair down LMAO.
CONS
✕ Kinda over-the-top at first (especially if you're not used to it)
I'm not going to lie, the dramatic zoom-ins in the beginning had me laughing out loud. Did the director learn this from Bollywood movies? Thankful to report that these zoom-ins decreased throughout the story. Expect similar over-the-top scenes to come.
My brother asked: do you think they're self aware with how cringe some of the scenes are? I said yes, considering one of XFF's lines were, "Duke Su, did you fly here?" when he wugongs his way into her courtyard. She asked what we were all thinking, lmao.
✕ Logic falls apart if you think too deeply
Just settle into this emotional rollercoaster of a drama for entertainment's sake.
✕ Misunderstanding level: 0/10
The main leads were steadfast from start to finish!! No freaking random break-ups towards the end either and annoying martyrdom scenes. It was truly a solid romance.
OVERALL
While this drama balances a lot of genres that make it addicting (action, romance, intrigue, revenge, comedy), there were moments where I was genuinely moved. At the heart of all the revenge schemes and planning is a prevailing sense of justice, and fixing wrongs into rights. That's why it's so easy to cheer for the main leads and support them throughout their journey. The actress for XFF ate and left no crumbs in her role as she climbed out of her own grave to seek justice for not only herself, but her family and the people around her. I think all 40 episodes were enjoyable and intentionally used, creating an ultimately satisfying revenge plot that I recommend Cdrama lovers to watch.
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