Many, many problems with this drama.
1. The plot. Someone took a meat cleaver to this series. Some sections of it were illogical and unbelievable--others unintelligible. The editing was done without any skill or finesse. For example, at one point a certain character is poisoned and then miraculously recovers - no explanation given. Humorous scenes seemed to be interjected arbitrarily and most of them didn't work.
2. The acting. Dylan Wang's expressive face and eyes helped to smooth over some of the rough spots. The story called for his character to look morose and beaten down in scene after scene as he fought off one threat after another. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see enough of his playful, mischievous side. Note to directors: Please! Please! Let Dylan use his natural voice. I've heard him in interviews and, at least to non-Chinese speakers like me, he sounds just fine.
The female lead's performance was uneven. In some scenes she was convincing and effective as a spunky, rebellious, no-nonsense woman. At other times she just phoned it in and seemed to want to be any place but on the set filming this depressing drama. It helped that her character was supposed to be somewhat confusing and frustrating.
Peter Ho was fantastic as Emperor Murong Gaogong. The role called for him to go from sweet and simple-minded (in the beginning), to clever and dangerous (in the middle), to totally batsh*t crazy at the end-with occasional moments of lucidity and/or regret. He made the transitions look natural and easy.
Cao Chun'ang was a constant, reassuring presence, the kind of loyal friend that everyone would like to have.
