Chasing Dramas

In episode 50+51, the Emperor tries to find the culprit who caused Wei Ying Luo's riding accident. All signs point to Noble Consort Chun. The Empress's father is accused of stealing disaster funds and sentenced to death. The Empress desperately tries make a case to commute his sentence. The Emperor, despite heavy protestation from the Empress Dowager, agrees to only sentence him to exile. Unfortunately, the Empress's father is found dead in his cell. The Empress, heartbroken, vows to get her vengeance and has her sights towards amassing more power for herself.

During the Lunar New Year, Knockout (狂飙) became the hottest airing Chinese drama. The adaptation of the sci-fi novel Three Body (三体) also aired. Zhang Ruo Yun 张若昀 will have his new drama Under the Microscope on February 10th and A League of Nobleman surprisingly aired with little fanfare. Listen to our latest podcast episode on the latest dramas airing and filming in the Chinese entertainment industry! 

Fu Heng desires to head off to war again which makes sense after his wife Er Qing sold his maid to a brothel, leading to her death. Ying Luo steps in to help convince the Emperor to let him go. Meanwhile, Ying Luo starts plotting how best for her foes to surface and the opportunity presents itself when the Emperor decides to give her riding lessons.

Hu Ge, of Royal Nirvana and Chinese Paladin fame, shocked the Chinese entertainment circle by announcing that he is now a father to a baby girl. It's been a joke for years that Hu Ge would just stay single so for him to announce he's married and has a child is quite a welcome surprise for pretty much all of Chinese media! We also touch on continued drama with Lunar New Year Box Office movies and also the return of Chinese celebrities abroad for fashion weeks!

The Emperor decided to give Ying Luo the cold shoulder after seeing her with Fu Heng together even though he saw she was set up. This meant that she was mistreated and neglected in the palace without her favor. But, Ying Luo being Ying Luo captured the opportunity to return to his line of sight when Noble Consort Chun asked her to embroider a buddha portrait for the Empress Dowager. Add on top of that Fu Heng's words to the Emperor and we see Ying Luo not only regain the Emperor's favor but also be promoted to the title of Consort. 

It's the Year of the Rabbit! Karen and Cathy discuss the highlights or lack thereof from this year's Spring Gala Performance. We also breakdown the fierce competition happening right now at the box office as film studios try to capture audience's attentions with offerings from legendary directors, respected actors, and pop idols.

With Fu Heng having returned victorious from war, old rumors resurface about his and Ying Luo's relationship which causes quite a headache for her as it destabilizes her position in the palace. After all, the Emperor himself knows all about the relationship between those two and has become quite jealous.

Karen provides her review of 月歌行 or Song of the Moon featuring Xu Lu and Zhang Bin Bin. It's a mediocre fantasy drama that has a poor story but stunning visuals. 

Wei Ying Luo incurs the ire of Imperial Concubine Jia and is punished for insubordination. Imperial Concubine Jia goes running to the Emperor and lies about Ying Luo's disobedience. The Emperor decides to ignore Wei Ying Luo. A few days later, he finds himself annoyed that she hasn't come to ask for favor. Wei Ying Luo quickly finds herself back in favor after the Emperor finds out the truth of her punishment. He surprises the Imperial Harem by promoting Wei Ying Luo to the rank of Imperial Concubine. Meanwhile, Fu Heng returns and is devastated to hear the news of her new status. 

This is an intro to the drama episode for the Tang Dynasty drama Weaving A Tale of Love 风起霓裳 starring Gulinazha and Timmy Xu. The drama follows the journey between Kudi Liu Li and Pei Xing Jian as the two navigate the palace machinations of Emperor Li Zhi's court. Cathy and Karen introduce the cast and characters, discuss the historical setting for the drama and some key historical counterparts. This won’t be a review of the drama, but rather an introduction to the history portrayed in the drama.

This podcast is sponsored by Jubao TV. This drama is available for free with English subtitles on Jubao TV and Plex.