Drama Rec: Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty
May. 26th, 2020 06:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rheasilviaSleuth of the Ming Dynasty is a historical detective/action drama that revolves around three very different government officials. Together (mostly), they investigate a series of crimes and mysteries, and happen upon a conspiracy that threatens to topple the empire.
Our three heroes meet when investigating the strange murder of a Marquis’ son – a case that is inexplicably connected to the disappearance of the Crown Prince’s best friend. They go on to bicker, eat lots of delicious food, build a lovely found family with an excellent batch of secondary characters, and try very hard (and with varying success) to stay on the emperor’s good side.
All three main characters are interesting and competent in their own way, and they complement each other well. The show is at its best when they all work together and spark off each other.
Tang Fan is a magistrate of the sixth rank, a brilliant and eccentric detective who sometimes lacks the pragmatism required to survive in the real world. He’s a foodie and glutton, and writes erotic novels to supplement his income. Sadly, we don’t find out much about his novels, but Wang Zhi claims to be a fan. ;-)
Sui Zhou is an officer in the imperial guard, a highly skilled martial arts expert who struggles with PTSD thanks to his time as a soldier. He’s driven, honorable and principled without being stupid, which is a far less common thing in dramas than it should be, IMO. He’s also an excellent cook.
Wang Zhi is the Commander of the Western Depot, an intelligence and enforcement agency that basically makes him the second most powerful man in the empire. Brilliant, ruthless, terrifyingly competent and a complete scene stealer. He starts out as something of a cypher, and appears more than a bit threatening; he then steadily becomes a more and more complex and awesome character as the series progresses. He’s a palace eunuch, and a master of court politics who constantly has to dodge the lethal intrigues of power-hungry and/or corrupt and scared officials.
Wang Zhi is the only main character based on a historical figure. The real Wang Zhi has gone down in history as one of the “four evil eunuchs” of imperial China (although it was actually a good deal more complicated than that epithet would suggest).
Sleuth is based on a m/m novel, like so many recent dramas, but in this case, I don’t think it’s worth watching for the book pairing. Tang Fan and Sui Zhou build a strong and interesting friendship in the series, but I don’t particularly ship them as a romantic couple; the chemistry just isn’t there for me. However. Add Wang Zhi to the mix and it’s a different story. This may be the first drama that gives me OT3 vibes.
Would I recommend it?
Absolutely! I must warn you that this drama does have a number of annoyance factors, including Tang Fan’s occasional over-the-top childishness (apparently intended to be funny?) and several very grating plot points. But even so, I find it entertaining, pretty, and a lot of fun – and it has Wang Zhi. ;-) It also does interesting and interestingly nuanced things with Chinese history, if that’s your kind of thing. So I would absolutely recommend you check it out.
Where can you find it?
The first four eps are subbed on YouTube. The entire series is available here, and also on Viki.
I found this drama thanks tomaggie33 and just want to say: thank you, it's lovely! :-)
Our three heroes meet when investigating the strange murder of a Marquis’ son – a case that is inexplicably connected to the disappearance of the Crown Prince’s best friend. They go on to bicker, eat lots of delicious food, build a lovely found family with an excellent batch of secondary characters, and try very hard (and with varying success) to stay on the emperor’s good side.
All three main characters are interesting and competent in their own way, and they complement each other well. The show is at its best when they all work together and spark off each other.
Tang Fan is a magistrate of the sixth rank, a brilliant and eccentric detective who sometimes lacks the pragmatism required to survive in the real world. He’s a foodie and glutton, and writes erotic novels to supplement his income. Sadly, we don’t find out much about his novels, but Wang Zhi claims to be a fan. ;-)
Sui Zhou is an officer in the imperial guard, a highly skilled martial arts expert who struggles with PTSD thanks to his time as a soldier. He’s driven, honorable and principled without being stupid, which is a far less common thing in dramas than it should be, IMO. He’s also an excellent cook.
Wang Zhi is the Commander of the Western Depot, an intelligence and enforcement agency that basically makes him the second most powerful man in the empire. Brilliant, ruthless, terrifyingly competent and a complete scene stealer. He starts out as something of a cypher, and appears more than a bit threatening; he then steadily becomes a more and more complex and awesome character as the series progresses. He’s a palace eunuch, and a master of court politics who constantly has to dodge the lethal intrigues of power-hungry and/or corrupt and scared officials.
Wang Zhi is the only main character based on a historical figure. The real Wang Zhi has gone down in history as one of the “four evil eunuchs” of imperial China (although it was actually a good deal more complicated than that epithet would suggest).
Sleuth is based on a m/m novel, like so many recent dramas, but in this case, I don’t think it’s worth watching for the book pairing. Tang Fan and Sui Zhou build a strong and interesting friendship in the series, but I don’t particularly ship them as a romantic couple; the chemistry just isn’t there for me. However. Add Wang Zhi to the mix and it’s a different story. This may be the first drama that gives me OT3 vibes.
Would I recommend it?
Absolutely! I must warn you that this drama does have a number of annoyance factors, including Tang Fan’s occasional over-the-top childishness (apparently intended to be funny?) and several very grating plot points. But even so, I find it entertaining, pretty, and a lot of fun – and it has Wang Zhi. ;-) It also does interesting and interestingly nuanced things with Chinese history, if that’s your kind of thing. So I would absolutely recommend you check it out.
Where can you find it?
The first four eps are subbed on YouTube. The entire series is available here, and also on Viki.
I found this drama thanks to
maggie33 and just want to say: thank you, it's lovely! :-)
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Date: 2020-05-26 07:28 pm (UTC)We certainly won't run out any time soon!
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Date: 2020-05-26 07:58 pm (UTC)