We have a new The Princess’s Gambit poster out today.
This time featuring Shen Zai Ye (played by Liu Xue Yi) as he fires an arrow at Jiang Tao Hua (Meng Zi Yi) after she is grabbed by the Beiyuan spy who was threatening to kill her.
On the far side of the poster, we see Jiang Tao Hua falling backwards into cherry blossom trees, instead of over the cliff she plummeted from in Episode 19.
Three more episodes and The Princess’s Gambit is a drop for me
Now, personally, my patience with this terribly-written drama is currently wearing thinner than rice paper as, according to people who have read the original Bai Lu Cheng Shuang novel, events have been changed so markedly throughout the Chinese drama, it might as well not have been based on the book at all.
And, sadly, changed for the worse they say, with what where quite unique events in the book being exchanged for tired trope after trope that make little sense to have appear in the series.
Yes. Apparently, screenwriter Su Ni (Wrong Carriage, Right Groom) would probably do better in a different career, as her only skill is regurgitating what others have written before her.
But with even poorer writing abilities.
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That’s why, after Episode 20 of The Princess’s Gambit dropped this morning, we are now left with an amnesia plot (because we have never seen that before, right?!) that didn’t appear in the novel, yet another in a never-ending list of misunderstandings between Shen Zai Ye and Jiang Tao Hua, and actor Liu Xue Yi not only carrying the entire plot, but every scene he appears in with Meng Zi Yi.
She, on the other hand, must be being paid for every time she puts on the same blank facial expression.
Enjoy The Princess’s Gambit arrow poster, it is a very pretty one.
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For me, though, I am giving the Chinese drama three more episodes and, if no improvement in either the script or Meng Zi Yi’s acting abilities appears by Episode 24, I will, unfortunately, be permanently “out”.
(Update: Yep, I did persevere longer than I thought I would, but ultimately ended up dropping the drama at Episode 30 as, even those last six episodes were more than I could bear).
But, if you detested The Princess’s Gambit as much as I did, I think this Douban commenter actually hated it even more. Go figure, eh?
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