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! :-)
no subject
Date: 2020-08-12 03:38 pm (UTC)I full-on clapped and squeaked as Wang Zhi progressively started to lose his cool and actually raise his voice. And his horror at being pawed at by an overjoyed Tang Fan was beautiful. Beautiful. (And Ding Rong is very badass, especially in his all-black sekrit agent gear).
Thank you for introducing me to this wonder!
no subject
Date: 2020-08-19 02:44 pm (UTC)his horror at being pawed at by an overjoyed Tang Fan was beautiful.
OMG, yes! I know!!! I love that entire scene. And incidentally, I personally believe Wang Zhi would not have minded being pawed by Tang Fan if the man hadn't evidently been kneading his face to check whether it was actually a face rather than, say, a rubber mask...
Learn some proper pawing skills, Tang Fan! Honestly.
I confess I have no memory of Ding Rong in his all-black gear, or indeed of him being badass, but I will have to keep an eye out for that on my (very slow) rewatch! And I would be interested on your take after having watched the last few eps...
(Personally, I was very impressed by the badass and moral bodyguard and his "Räuber Hotzenplotz" hat. *g* Please excuse the incomprehensible reference, it just cant be unseen...)
no subject
Date: 2020-08-19 05:30 pm (UTC)Wang Zhi needs to be pawed over quite a bit more. His hair all disarrayed, oh yes.
Ding Rong showed some impressive fighting skills when they were in the "Save the Abundant Waves" bit. Unlike Wang Zhi, whose fighting move is "hide behind others, pull out pistol" (which is pretty damn badass a move, in 1478!!)
THE LAST FEW EPS!!!!!!!!!!!
OK. My first thought is I am in fucking AWE of how EVERY loose end got tied together, even ones that had been long since lost and didn't seem all that loose. Like, right from Episode 1 loose ends! That big old multi-ethnic battle was incredible (so: Han Chinese, Oirat Mongolian, Japanese - any others?) and I loved Noble Consort Wan's all-woman brigade getting in there.
I also loved how every lucky event or reversal of fortune was actually EARNED by actions way back in previous episodes. Wang Zhi commits treason? Yep, we've actually been told all along that he's following Consort Wan's orders, and if she says "Drug and kidnap the emperor" he'll fucking do it. WANG ZHI DID THAT. And he did it in part because whily he reveres the emperor, I think he likes the MAN rather than the position. So when Princess Guan laid her "I've lost more than you" line on him, he definitely shifts from loyalty to the family to loyalty to at most two members of the family. (Fuck you, Guan! That was a hell of thing to say to someone mutilated as a child for their father's actions. He certainly didn't rush to stop her committing suicide, even though ordered to take her alive). The missing emperor needs a bolt hole - good job that Sui Zhou has a monk who owes him big time! And that the monk's sister is officially in the family's country estate and therefore can move around Beijing undetected in her mourning garb!
And the bad luck too: for ages it seemed like Dong'er's mistake wasn't going to bite them in the ass, until it did. And Ding Rong's betrayal - we SAW him tempted before and he stayed loyal, but Wang Zhi steadily treated him worse and worse. It didn't come out of nowhere.
I also loved any number of the other characters: Dr Pei and his horrific medical ethics, Tang Yu and his big sisterliness, Duo'erla and Wuyun - all fantastic. And the fact that Jackie Chan might have had to make it a bromance, but there are no actual love interests shoe-horned in for Sui Zhou and Tang Fan is incredible. (I did come across one review which moaned how obvious it was that Duo'erla and Sui Zhou's incipient fiancee were as love interests and just thought, hahaha, just you wait). I even loved the mini!monk, who surely would give even Genjo Sanzo a run for "Most Obnoxious Buddhist Child."
Phew.
And what I want NOW, given the very end of the last episode, is a crossover with the Korean drama Kingdom, if you know that ;-)