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Thoughts: Follow up to the Rise of Phoenixes
It's been a couple of days since I finished watching the Rise of Phoenixes. I wanted to write a follow up post about it before I move on to my next TV show.
In the day or so after I finished the show, I felt emotionally tired, and I think there's a reason for that. I'm going to make some comparisons between this show and Nirvana in Fire, another political thriller, to try to explain why I'm feeling what I'm feeling.
(1) Story focus
The story of Nirvana in Fire (NiF) was very focused. Mei Changsu and Xiao Jingyan wanted to have justice for those who'd been wronged in the past. After this story was achieved, the story was done.
On the other hand, the Rise of Phoenixes (TROP) had an incredibly sprawling story. Feng Zhiwei and Ning Yi went from the city capital to another region in th country, to two other countries before returning home, and then Feng Zhiwei retreated to the underground world as a symbol of the last dynasty.
Because the story was so much less focused in TROP, I really felt like we did a lot more. There were a lot of characters and several of them of them only related to one specific story line, whereas in NiF, most characters were directly related to the main story. So I think I felt more tired after TROP because it was several stories in one show.
(2) Topic of bonding
Related to the previous subject was the topic of bonding. In NiF, the audience was encouraged to feel sympathy for the main cause of gaining justice. Yes, Xiao Jingyan and Mei Changsu had a really strong bond, but it always came second to their cause. In fact, Mei Changsu didn't reveal his identity because Xiao Jingyan wouldn't be able to think logically and critically and that would ruin their plan. In NiF, I was content once the main mission was completed because that was what Mei Changsu wanted too.
On the other hand, TROP's main focuses were Feng Zhiwei and Ning Yi and their relationship with each other. Their causes weren't as important as their survivla and their devotion to each other. In fact, their causes changed several times throughout the story. As I mentioned in my review, I felt that Feng Zhiwei actually seemed a little aimless at times (as her goal was just to survive), and we saw Ning Yi lose sight of his goal of becoming sovereign for a short period of time.
It really felt like we went through hell and back together with Feng Zhiwei and Ning Yi. They learned so much about themselves, each other, and the world, and after the show was done, I still worried about them.
Not that I didn't worry about the characters in NiF after the show finished, but with the main mission completed, I felt that they were at peace and ready to move on.
(3) Last episodes
The last episodes of NiF felt extremely thrilling because Mei Changsu and Xiao Jingyan were close to their goal. We didn't have much to worry about in terms of a falling out for these two characters because actually, Mei Changsu was close to being revealed as Lin Shu and if anything, that would've endeared him even more to Xiao Jingyan. They had a relationship falling out but that was much earlier in the show.
On the other hand, the last episodes of TROP were extremely emotional. They focused on creating turmoil in the relationship between Ning Yi and Feng Zhiwei, and during those last few episodes, I was really worried that they would leave each other under mistaken circumstances.
In terms of the tones of the last episodes, TROP definitely had the more tiring one. I actually thought NiF's ending episodes were very exciting and not worrying at all.
(4) Characters departures
After Mei Changsu completed his task of achieving justice, he wanted to leave forever. He found an opportunity to kill himself off to resign from the court forever. However, Xiao Jingyan really wanted him to stay. After he died, Xiao Jingyan had his name tablet along with the other name tablets of the royal family, he named an army after his beloved cousin, and he raised Xiao Tingsheng as his own. Xiao Jingyan didn't want to forget Mei Changsu.
I can understand why some people would say that TROP felt like a dream after all that happened. This was because Feng Zhiwei herself did not want to be remembered. Helian Zheng died, so she no longer had any relations with Jinshi. She sent the rest of Huofengbang with Yan Huaishi to Minhai, to live the rest of their days in peace. As long as she was alive, there'd be hope for Dacheng to rise again, and Zhiwei couldn't live with the guilt that people would believe in her when she didn't even believe in her devotion to Dacheng. She could never completely erase hope, but killing herself could at least tone it down significantly. So Feng Zhiwei tried really hard to remove herself from the world.
Ning Yi always had a special relationship with love. He knew he was never going to have a traditional relationship and thus he had never expected to marry the woman he loved. Getting married to Feng Zhiwei was a bonus, something he'd never expected. That's not to say that he didn't care about Feng Zhiwei dying. When Feng Zhiwei was getting married to Helian Zheng, he told her that moving forward was not the same thing as letting go. And I think he believed in that even in Zhiwei's death. He was forced to let go of her, but he could still remember her in his heart, and would be the end of it. In addition, Ning Yi said that he couldn't join her yet, because he still had to do his job of ruling as a good sovereign. So I think he was ready to join her if only he didn't have his promise to keep.
Mei Changsu wanted to go honourably, in service of the emperor he had such high hopes for. So in terms of the way he went, I think he "died" the best way possible. While Mei Changsu wanted to erase himself, Jingyan would not let him. Jingyan was always a simple, straightforward guy who said what he felt, so it would make sense that he wouldn't supress his love for Lin Shu. He had his name tablet along other revered ancestors of the royal family, and Jingyan wasn't afraid to express his devotion and love through other means.
On the other hand, Zhiwei's end was a little out of desperation. She just didn't want grief anymore, not for others or for herself. Zhiwei wanted to erase herself, and Ning Yi let her, because he wanted her to have the agency to do so, and because he'd never expected a happy ending for himself anyway.
So I think I felt tired because Zhiwei's death was the end of a period of turmoil, whereas Lin Shu's end was a heroic one. In addition, Jingyan filled the Lin Shu-shaped hole in his heart by honouring him as much as possible, whereas Ning Yi moved forward. Because it was what Zhiwei wanted. If she died, there'd be no more hope for Dacheng to rise. If she died and didn't marry Ning Yi, then they wouldn't have to see themselves become a couple that hated each other as Ning Shizheng predicted. And Ning Yi himself was used to moving forward anyway, so he did just that. But the consolation is that he can move forward without letting go. So we can count on Ning Yi always thinking fondly of his memories of Feng Zhiwei.
(5) Episode count
TROP did get slightly draggy near the end, and episodes 50-70 were emotion heavy, rather than NiF where the final episodes were more plot-centric than anything.
So that is it!! I think TROP will always have a place in my heart because of how emotionally laborious/heavy it is, and I think that sets it apart from other court political dramas, even those that feature romance because of the top notch acting and chemistry between these two leads.
Now that I've written this, I feel more ready to move on :P
In the day or so after I finished the show, I felt emotionally tired, and I think there's a reason for that. I'm going to make some comparisons between this show and Nirvana in Fire, another political thriller, to try to explain why I'm feeling what I'm feeling.
(1) Story focus
The story of Nirvana in Fire (NiF) was very focused. Mei Changsu and Xiao Jingyan wanted to have justice for those who'd been wronged in the past. After this story was achieved, the story was done.
On the other hand, the Rise of Phoenixes (TROP) had an incredibly sprawling story. Feng Zhiwei and Ning Yi went from the city capital to another region in th country, to two other countries before returning home, and then Feng Zhiwei retreated to the underground world as a symbol of the last dynasty.
Because the story was so much less focused in TROP, I really felt like we did a lot more. There were a lot of characters and several of them of them only related to one specific story line, whereas in NiF, most characters were directly related to the main story. So I think I felt more tired after TROP because it was several stories in one show.
(2) Topic of bonding
Related to the previous subject was the topic of bonding. In NiF, the audience was encouraged to feel sympathy for the main cause of gaining justice. Yes, Xiao Jingyan and Mei Changsu had a really strong bond, but it always came second to their cause. In fact, Mei Changsu didn't reveal his identity because Xiao Jingyan wouldn't be able to think logically and critically and that would ruin their plan. In NiF, I was content once the main mission was completed because that was what Mei Changsu wanted too.
On the other hand, TROP's main focuses were Feng Zhiwei and Ning Yi and their relationship with each other. Their causes weren't as important as their survivla and their devotion to each other. In fact, their causes changed several times throughout the story. As I mentioned in my review, I felt that Feng Zhiwei actually seemed a little aimless at times (as her goal was just to survive), and we saw Ning Yi lose sight of his goal of becoming sovereign for a short period of time.
It really felt like we went through hell and back together with Feng Zhiwei and Ning Yi. They learned so much about themselves, each other, and the world, and after the show was done, I still worried about them.
Not that I didn't worry about the characters in NiF after the show finished, but with the main mission completed, I felt that they were at peace and ready to move on.
(3) Last episodes
The last episodes of NiF felt extremely thrilling because Mei Changsu and Xiao Jingyan were close to their goal. We didn't have much to worry about in terms of a falling out for these two characters because actually, Mei Changsu was close to being revealed as Lin Shu and if anything, that would've endeared him even more to Xiao Jingyan. They had a relationship falling out but that was much earlier in the show.
On the other hand, the last episodes of TROP were extremely emotional. They focused on creating turmoil in the relationship between Ning Yi and Feng Zhiwei, and during those last few episodes, I was really worried that they would leave each other under mistaken circumstances.
In terms of the tones of the last episodes, TROP definitely had the more tiring one. I actually thought NiF's ending episodes were very exciting and not worrying at all.
(4) Characters departures
After Mei Changsu completed his task of achieving justice, he wanted to leave forever. He found an opportunity to kill himself off to resign from the court forever. However, Xiao Jingyan really wanted him to stay. After he died, Xiao Jingyan had his name tablet along with the other name tablets of the royal family, he named an army after his beloved cousin, and he raised Xiao Tingsheng as his own. Xiao Jingyan didn't want to forget Mei Changsu.
I can understand why some people would say that TROP felt like a dream after all that happened. This was because Feng Zhiwei herself did not want to be remembered. Helian Zheng died, so she no longer had any relations with Jinshi. She sent the rest of Huofengbang with Yan Huaishi to Minhai, to live the rest of their days in peace. As long as she was alive, there'd be hope for Dacheng to rise again, and Zhiwei couldn't live with the guilt that people would believe in her when she didn't even believe in her devotion to Dacheng. She could never completely erase hope, but killing herself could at least tone it down significantly. So Feng Zhiwei tried really hard to remove herself from the world.
Ning Yi always had a special relationship with love. He knew he was never going to have a traditional relationship and thus he had never expected to marry the woman he loved. Getting married to Feng Zhiwei was a bonus, something he'd never expected. That's not to say that he didn't care about Feng Zhiwei dying. When Feng Zhiwei was getting married to Helian Zheng, he told her that moving forward was not the same thing as letting go. And I think he believed in that even in Zhiwei's death. He was forced to let go of her, but he could still remember her in his heart, and would be the end of it. In addition, Ning Yi said that he couldn't join her yet, because he still had to do his job of ruling as a good sovereign. So I think he was ready to join her if only he didn't have his promise to keep.
Mei Changsu wanted to go honourably, in service of the emperor he had such high hopes for. So in terms of the way he went, I think he "died" the best way possible. While Mei Changsu wanted to erase himself, Jingyan would not let him. Jingyan was always a simple, straightforward guy who said what he felt, so it would make sense that he wouldn't supress his love for Lin Shu. He had his name tablet along other revered ancestors of the royal family, and Jingyan wasn't afraid to express his devotion and love through other means.
On the other hand, Zhiwei's end was a little out of desperation. She just didn't want grief anymore, not for others or for herself. Zhiwei wanted to erase herself, and Ning Yi let her, because he wanted her to have the agency to do so, and because he'd never expected a happy ending for himself anyway.
So I think I felt tired because Zhiwei's death was the end of a period of turmoil, whereas Lin Shu's end was a heroic one. In addition, Jingyan filled the Lin Shu-shaped hole in his heart by honouring him as much as possible, whereas Ning Yi moved forward. Because it was what Zhiwei wanted. If she died, there'd be no more hope for Dacheng to rise. If she died and didn't marry Ning Yi, then they wouldn't have to see themselves become a couple that hated each other as Ning Shizheng predicted. And Ning Yi himself was used to moving forward anyway, so he did just that. But the consolation is that he can move forward without letting go. So we can count on Ning Yi always thinking fondly of his memories of Feng Zhiwei.
(5) Episode count
TROP did get slightly draggy near the end, and episodes 50-70 were emotion heavy, rather than NiF where the final episodes were more plot-centric than anything.
So that is it!! I think TROP will always have a place in my heart because of how emotionally laborious/heavy it is, and I think that sets it apart from other court political dramas, even those that feature romance because of the top notch acting and chemistry between these two leads.
Now that I've written this, I feel more ready to move on :P