intyalote

thinking about adaptations and ‘changes I dislike’ vs ‘changes that are bad’ in the context of ep30 and the ending - I used to think that maybe I just wasn’t enough of a romantic for the ending but I’ve changed my mind. it’s just bad, even from a romance-centric viewpoint.

In ep 30, though I, as a HLY apologist, am… upset… at how prince jin is so boringly evil, the way the plotline is executed is good. zzs, his decision to accept capture, his confrontation with the prince, etc are given the time and weight they deserve, and for drama!zzs it’s an excellent culmination of his arc! it’s so narratively satisfying to see him go from the broken man in ep1 to facing down the prince at swordpoint. and then it gets resolved even more excellently when he gets rescued by 19 new disciples of the sect he misses, and wkx finally openly identifies as his shidi (which incidentally is another change that falls into the I-dislike-it-but-it-works category).

But the ending - by which I mean most of the wenzhou related plot in eps 32-36 - is not like that. it could have been good! part of drama!wkx’s arc is realizing that his actions have consequences - consequences like the person he loves DYING bc wkx didn’t trust him enough. but no. all we get is wkx showing up at the end, calling zzs a bastard (as if this is his fault - no apologies, barely any emotion at learning his lover is dying bc of him), and proceeding to lie to him AGAIN. after ep31 there is 0 growth for the central relationship of the drama - it just goes downhill. their relationship post-ep 6 is filled with zzs making the conscious choice not to hide. to show wkx his true face, accept him as a shidi, and wait for wkx to meet him there, but we never get to that point. we get close - ep31 wkx acknowledging him as a sect brother and “marrying” him is progress! but then the progress gets undone and more by the lies that follow, and we never actually see a wkx that fully reciprocates what zzs gives him.

it’s just so unsatisfying to see zzs tear himself apart, literally, and get absolutely nothing in return. his goal at the start of the drama is to be free and live for himself - and in ep30, though he is not physically free, he gets to do that! he makes decisions and they matter! but in 32-36 he doesn’t do anything for himself, or even, really, anything that matters. in the beginning of the drama, we see him trapped in a life he doesn’t want because he trusted someone who lied to him, and the ending is no different. it’s just depressing.

and then we get the silly little extra where they’re happy on their little mountain. if you want an ending that’s predicated on the idea that giving up the world for your soulmate is good, you’d better write a damn compelling romance. but because of all the lies in 32-36, by the time I watched the extra I was no longer convinced that wenzhou were, or should be, in love. the drama ended on the lowest possible point in their relationship and then expected us to believe they’d have a happily ever after? that’s just lazy. and I haven’t even gotten into the rushed bullshit with the ‘secret to a happy nation,’ or how the ending retroactively makes ye baiyi and long que’s arcs empty and pointless.

I guess TLDR adaptational changes are fine, but they need to be carried through in a way that makes sense for the adapted characters - the audience’s vested interest in their CP being happy and together doesn’t mean you don’t still have to make the romance and character arcs compelling.