Pursuit of Jade

[Drunk Monk]

Tara said this is her current bar study escape show. It’s a period kung fu rom-com about an orphaned gal and her little sick sister. Fan Chengyu is a pig butcher who discovers a mysterious man buried for dead in the snow. She nurses him but he’s badly injured, a refugee and a hunk. She’s just trying to survive but there’s intrigue. I’m 2 eps deep and saw the first kung fu right, which was satisfactory.

Will watch more.

[Drunk Monk]

Tara got me to watch a few more episodes. I'm on 7 now and the second main character has been introduced. According to Tara, most of the main characters have yet to appear including the main villain. She thinks they don't come into play until around halfway through and there's 40 episodes. She says there's a major twist about halfway through that changes everything and that's when it gets really good. So far, it's lite entertainment, a star-crossed romance with a lot of secrets plus kung fu. The two leads have great chemistry and are very easy on the eyes. 

Since I've tuned into this, I've heard a lot of buzz about it. It's #6 for non-English shows on Netflix and I've seen some random influencers reference it.

[Drunk Monk]

E10 and the 2 star crossed lovers finally kiss, only to be interrupted by assassin swordsmen.

[Greg]

I hate it when that happens.

[Drunk Monk]

Right? 

Story of my life…

[Drunk Monk]

I’m halfway through e15 and there were 2 more interrupted kisses, one because of passing out drunk and another by the little sister. The ninja attack was funner. There was also a funny scene where the couple threw a bag over one of the annoying character’s head and kicked the crap out of him, which was a bit nefarious but he deserved it.

Tara says the big pivot episode is 18 when the war finally breaks out. Might try to get there before Denver.

[Drunk Monk]

Episode 17 was the uninterrupted kiss. Two kisses. But it was goodbye and it got complicated.

Episode 18 was a major pivot. The village is ravaged and all the secondary characters are killed, some cowardly and some heroically. But it’s a major culling. This is a shockingly sanguineous episode.

Just gonna leave it here until next week when I get back.

[Drunk Monk]

2 more eps in and it’s all about the remorse. E18 killed so many characters. Fan Changyu has to mourn them. Both of the kids are in jeopardy as hostages separately by different villains (why else have kids in the story?) The villains are super mean to the kids 

 I like the bandit queen and hope she’s getting set up for a duel with Fan.

[Drunk Monk]

I’m on e25 and the star crossed lovers continue to be star crossed and there are more such couples now, all with a backdrop of war. It has taken a more comic turn, more ridiculous near misses for those Star crossers. Hasn’t been much fighting recently tho. It’s been more talking about fighting, more strategic ploys discussed. Most of the good guys are reunited so I’m anticipating a big bloody blow out soon. Thr Yan Chang deception continues, mostly for romcom effect now. I’m ready for more fight scenes.

[Drunk Monk]

Finally Yan figures out her husband is the Marquis. Not that the war is in full swing, everything has stepped up and the intertwined story arcs are tightening into a firm knot. I’m on ep 30 now and very invested in it all now. Some fun fights, lots of battlefield stuff. And it still has its goofy romcom side amidst all the tribulations of war. Very entertaining but it’s been a long ride to get to where this is going. Nevertheless, I’ll see it through.

[Drunk Monk]

I’m on episode 37 of 40 and like any good Chinese epic (this is based on a novel) everything is coming together in the most dramatic fashion. The payout. I see why this show has been so popular. Characters die so there are stakes. There’s a lot of punishment in the way of bestings and whippings. That’s been all through the series but it really popped out with Yan Zheng submitting to 108 strokes before his ancestral altar by his scheming uncle. And Yan Zheng and Chengyu exchange vows before that altar, solidifying their union by filial piety rules. Somehow through all the brutality, the show still retains its sense of humor.