Love and Redemption (2020)

An unexpected wormhole- still haven’t found my way out

This is probably more like a reflection/after-thought from watching this drama, which I really needed to let out more than a proper review

HOW IT ALL STARTED:
Stumbled upon this series while aimlessly scrolling youtube after unsuccessfully trying to complete several C-dramas.

And turns out I’ve tried watching the first episode previously last year on youtube! I dropped for the shallow reason of: because I genuinely did not like how Ling Long looked. Zhang YuXi has a very exotic and elegant appearance but it was the dang hairstyle. Personally, it looked a bit off on her to me and that didn’t sit right with me. Plus, I didn’t know any of the casts, meaning there wasn’t exactly a reason that was making me stay on (also, fast-forwarding was my best friend at this point of time, so that’s on me for not trying to immerse into the story)

This time round, instead of dropping the drama, I decided to search online and look at some responses from other viewers on MDL. Which turns out, it was pretty well received, and hence I decided to give it another try. Also, helped that I used the fast-forward function more sparingly to understand the story better. (Hao Chen and the Five sect leaders don’t get this immunity though). And of course, good news, I actually got hooked after the first episode!

THE PROCESS:
The first day I got into the drama, I binged as much as I could. Story-telling wise, it was pretty fast paced and had many unexpected twist and turns. It really keeps you on your toes with what could happen next! I loved most of the interactions between Si Feng and Xuan Ji , which I would explain why only MOST and not ALL in a bit.

However, I got super exhausted mid-way through the drama from the side characters, and had to take more than a week break from the show. As mentioned by some, the Five sect leaders(+ that one nincompoop from the heavenly realm, y’all know who I’m referring to) were very much, a blood-spitting inducing bunch: While they were suppose to be the righteous and just groups of “heroes”, cultivating to become deities, they make some of the most questionable decisions. In fact, most of the misunderstandings and suffering our leads had to suffer were due to the decisions made by these group of narrow-minded elders.

It made me wonder if they were deliberately written by the writers/directors, to be this annoying to shed some light on how contradictory some people in real-life could be:
1. While being part of these upright sects/heavenly realm, they showed a great deal of prejudice and discrimination to others that are different from them, which in this case are the “demons”. It gives perspective and further enforces the idea that even in different groups (could be race/religion/country etc.) there would always be their fair share of “good”/“bad” apples. People should be valued as individuals, not generalised to be a certain type because they come from a certain group.
2. Being in position of power equates to “I’m right, you’re wrong”. The thing called PRIDE sure is worthy of some drama. One instance would be with Wu Tong and how the sects decided to deal with him. As much he was an unlikeable person and has questionable morales, SHIFU 101: let’s turn said bad disciple into a wanted criminal, problem solved, bad disciple gone. What happened to making efforts to better nurture and guide him? Also, even in situations where they knew that they could have been in the wrong, they are not willing to admit it and amend accordingly. The lack of accountability for the people under them and their own decisions are appalling, especially when they are in such respected positions
3. To end this rant: Questionable values from these people chosen as leaders. Each of the sect leaders are so set in their way-ward thinking. They are not open to opinions of others, especially of someone who they deemed to be of lower status, like a junior. They also have been shown to be very unforgiving despite the unique and different circumstances.

Now, going back to why I loved MOST but not ALL of Si Feng/Xuan Ji interactions. To be honest, I understand/relate to Xuan Ji’s decisions and actions much more than I could to Si Feng’s. While Si Feng did have to suffer a lot more, mostly physically as well, I resonated with Xuan Ji’s situations.
1. The idea of love in this drama was shown to be the willingness to do, regardless of whether it is considered to be worthwhile or not. Although, I felt that it also showed that sacrificing silently only causes yourself to be in pain, and that’s not what someone who loves you would want. In the name of protecting the love of his life, there were quite a few situations where Si Feng withheld knowledge from Xuan Ji, which became fuel for misunderstandings. The lack of communication, not lying, unintentionally causes her to have doubts in him. At the same time, Si Feng truly believed that withholding those information was to protect her, even if it means at the expense of himself. Again, this was to remind the viewers about Si Feng’s willingness to do anything for his love without considering if it’s worth it or not, not to highlight Xuan Ji’s lack of sufferings.
The amount he had to suffer through those 9 lives though really drives home the message of the willingness to give with no expectation of love in return. However, retrospectively, it makes me wonder what was it that made the difference in Si Feng’s 10th live. Xuan Ji’s missing senses? Or was it for once in this life, he actually wanted her not to just remember? But that he was, rightfully, a little more selfish for himself, yearning for her to reciprocate his love? What do you guys think?

2. While people claimed that Xuan Ji was naive and easily manipulated, I found her to be endearing. She always stood steadfast to her beliefs and values, even challenging the elders at times. With people that she truly trust (but are against Si Feng) there’s where it can get a bit messy. Despite how people “close” to her try to persuade her, she doesn’t falter in her trust for Si Feng, both when she did or didn’t have her sixth senses. In fact, in any given moment, Xuan Ji chooses to side with Si Feng. However, when his actions contradicts his intentions, it confuses her and that gives chance to the nay-sayers to put ideas in her head.
If Si Feng wasn’t in the picture, these people are the ones who have been with her the longest and usually have the “best” intentions in mind for her, although the intentions may be way way way off. Her initial lack of senses meant that she relied on these people to actually show her how to live. Even when it was regained, she needed to find herself again, and imagine how overwhelming it could be all of a sudden, to see and feel so many things. I really don’t blame her for being manipulated by the very people she trust, though she does jump on the bandwagon relatively swiftly at times. That’s why, I felt that I could somewhat comprehend her course of actions and still really like her character’s development.

3. Lastly, every moment that they are blissfully together was like being fed the sweetest candy coated with another inch thick of sugar. The amount of misunderstandings that they had to survive through to be together made each moment of theirs even sweeter and even more precious. The things happening to the pair was what’s keeping them apart, no push-and-pull, no one is playing hard to get here.
The amount of trials that the love-birds had to go through though was what made the story even more addictive. It makes you literally crave and wish for them to be able to have their own little happily ever after, pushing you to complete the series. The drama was kept at such a pace with just the barest amount of reward to bait us on this 59episodes race. The best part of it all is that when the two of them are together, there isn’t a care in the world. They are so bashfully in love and don’t shy away in expressing the affection they have for each other. Even if the realms were against them, even with all the hindrance from trusted people, even while they are told they’re not meant to be, even when they have doubts about the other person’s love for them; Si Feng and Xuan Ji are always true to themselves and their own feelings, wearing their hearts on their sleeves. Which makes me love them even more!

IN RETROSPECT:
Despite many frustrating characters and plot lines, the reason I rated this drama so high was because it was entertaining throughout its entire run. There’s never a dull or wasted moment, each incident keeps the story moving. Undeniably, the actors made a huge impact and all of them did a great job portraying their roles! The villainous ones made me hate them to the core, the love sick ones made me swoon when they received affection, the loyal ones made me commend their beliefs. Some characters though; didn’t feel consistent, lacked growth and were written very flippantly to fit the flow of the story, which was a bit disappointing. BUT I definitely turn a blind eye to that quite a bit of lacking with the much deserved happy ending of our leads. Special mentions of the true MVPs of this series: Ting Nu, Zi Hu and Teng She. They were my personal favourite side characters that consistently made positive impacts in the run of the series. LaR had a solid cast and a solid flow of story, giving you bits and pieces of revelation throughout, with suspense maintained till the very end.

More importantly, the fact that this show still lingers in my mind and on my youtube feed shows how much of an impact it made. I enjoy watching shows that provoke thoughts, allows inferences of what-could-be before revelations, and room for analysing the characters. As can be seen from my review, it left me feeling quite a bit of things as I invested my time and emotions in this series! The next time I decide to re-watch the series, I will be more keen to look out for hints and tidbits that foreshadows on what’s to happen next now that I know the whole flow.

All in all, the show started and ended with making me feel really happy with getting to know Si Feng and Xuan Ji!

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