I’m still shocked that this show passed censorship—in a good way, I should stress. I’m almost speechless.

I should also stress that this is a heavy show and it’s hard to watch. The script plays fair with the audience, which means that nothing goes smoothly for the sake of convenience. Every single outcome is actively earned and every setback is established fairly too. We know the villains, we know the heroes, and they know each other. It’s part spy movie, part guzhuang, part Law & Order SVU, and part love story. The love was there. It didn’t change anything, but it was there.