[Mainland Chinese Drama 2017] General And I 孤芳不自赏

[fluffychim1013]

1 minute ago, faythe said:

They shold have made it into 63 eps atleast. The ending in the novel was really great. Since all heirs from all countries are dead, he united all four & made ino one big country. The new nation is under BPT name, which is really fitting to her legend. Who has BPT rules the world. 

Okay, I figured. Thank you! It wouldn't have killed their budget to give us some closure though, lol. 

[40somethingahjumma]

I've been staying away from the thread because work's been busy (as it always is) and I just couldn't have myself embroiled in any more debates while there's so much going on in RL. Plus I've been watching and thinking a lot about a couple of K dramas that I really like.

Well, the drama's finally come to an end. After 62 episodes of highs and lows, the General and I is done. So what do we make of the ending?

Overall I find the ending a non-event at best... at worse an anti-climax... and even confusing. In some ways it's only slightly better than Princess Weiyoung, in other ways it's worse. It's almost as if the writer or director... someone anyway... was sitting in the editing suite and thought to themselves... "Heck! It's Episode 62 and we have to give the leads their happy ending but we're still in the middle of the final campaign with HX. Good Lord, where did all that time go to?"

62 episodes to tell this story and they still couldn't get the ending right. Why not? I shake my head in disbelief. For such a show with so many people in it all we had were flashbacks and 5 minutes of CBJ's coronation and BPT investiture. Even if I didn't need to see them in action as sage rulers (and I don't) what in the world happened to all the other characters? What happened to YF and her family? ZJ and FL? The old Bai Lan general? MR? The people from these defeated nations? We even had women weeping and wailing over the prospect of losing their husbands and each other. But right at the end it's like they were suddenly unimportant to the entire story and to the OTP's success. 

So much time was spent setting up this final battle and trying to rally people to their cause. But I didn't have a problem with the final campaign which I thought was great. My point is if they were going to do that then they could have easily reduced the separation period in episode numbers. 

Are they trying to avoid a kind of triumphalism on the side of the good guys? It's hard to say but it does beg the question. I myself tend to think that it's about pushing the non-existent and uninteresting love triangle right to the bitter end so that we can have the cliched "love conquers all" ending. I've noticed people on YT complaining about CBJ being de-powered in his final fight with HX and then helplessly lying waiting for his doom before PT jumps in to save him like the good faithful wife that she is, paralleling the wifely sacrifice of YT. This is undoubtedly the silliness of this show wanting to give us some kind of cliche fairy tale ending when so much time was spent telling us how terrible war is. In the end, CBJ was not saved by his amazing  military prowess but by love. 

It is silly and jarring especially when so much effort was put into rallying such a diverse group of people fighting under CBJ and BPT's banner which suggested that they needed all the help they could get. It was a team effort but the team that was so instrumental in helping buy time just disappeared without closure. We're not talking about last minute help from the undead here (ie. Aragorn enlisting the help of the Dead Men of Dunharrow) but people who were actually integral to the storyline. The aftermath, the post-war clean up etc etc.

This is why I find the resolution confusing. For the most part, the show is a serious one and has serious things to say about war and love. But this ending, IMO trivializes it because it tried hurriedly to shoehorn a happily-ever-after that sees the OTP ascending to the throne before the ending credits. What happened to the reunification that everyone who's read the novel has been talking about? That sounded important to me. All of those things should have been at least one episode on its own.

This is the thing that always disappoints me about C-dramas (with some notable exceptions). They have all the money in the world, good source materials and generous amounts of episodes to work with and they pull these kinds of endings. Don't they know how important a conclusion is to a story? For the better part of two decades I have told students that in an essay the conclusion is just as important as the introduction and the body paragraphs. Even if one writes the best introductions, does great research and presents great arguments, if there's no conclusion or pathetically written one, it's a fail. The same with oral presentations. It's the last thing people remember about your presentation and it should be well thought out and executed.

 

[rileyelizabeth]

5 hours ago, tintin92 said:

I can see that you and i are the same  seriously weiyoung was based on killing and treason! The evil stop mother then lee chang le  it was a major laugh though cause we knew weiyoung will survive  

i wanted to watch glory of tang dynasty too but there is no sign of subs! Dramafever and viki both have other works in progress right now. The only series left is eternal love( ten miles of peach blossom ) guess we should go for it after all  

my poor heart  suffered too much in the last 3 months  specially after scarlet heart! I was in shock.

if you happen to find a good wuxia/historical cdrama please let me know! 

 

@tintin92  Yay!  Good to know we are the same.  See you on the Eternal Love thread if I ever get there.  I rarely finish watching dramas because I drop them very quickly if the leads or the story annoys me, but these are the historical dramas I did finish & rate as my favorite of the year that I watched them in:

2013 - Scarlet Heart (Bu Bu Jing Xin); 2014 - Sound of the Desert (Feng Zhong Qi Yuan); 2015 - Nirvana in Fire (Lang Ya Bang); 2016 - Flower in Prison (Korean drama); 2017 - General & I (still to early to call, but I'm betting on this one, haha!)

Let me know what your favorites are!  Anyone else who has come across dramas similar to the ones I like, please do recommend new ones!  =)

I see that most of us are unsatisfied with the last episode.  Ah, well, I've been upset the whole day, and the only scene I've been rewatching is He Xia & Pingting's final scene.  That was my most favorite part.  Fancy that.

I have a question: Why did He Xia push Pingting away as they fell?  Was it to save her or because he wanted Yaotian instead of her?  I've been wondering about that for the whole day too.  XD

[dancingbee]

@40somethingahjumma  Thank you so much. You have all our frustrations written out graciously.
Will this kind of production ever change for the better in C-dramas?  We can only hope...
Yet, I do enjoy the ride ( am still on Ep 49 with sub) and love watching the intelligence Bai Ping Ting and Chu Bei Jie show along with the warmth and sweetness of romance and love they beautifully present to us.
As of this minute, this drama is at the top of my list.
 

[40somethingahjumma]

Thanks @dancingbee. Despite my big rant about the ending, I really did like the series. I loved the epic romance and I readily bought into Wallace's and Angela's chemistry. Despite all the flack that she copped, I thought Angela did quite well as an elegant, intelligent woman who was inclined to keep her feelings to herself.

This show definitely had pacing issues. It could have been trimmed by 20 episodes and it wouldn't have hurt much. But the romance was certainly the strength of this show. When it was good, it was very good. 

[thunderman1]

No budget for ep 63.. the ending wrapped up too fast, nonetheless, at least it was happy.

[mimimi26]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3en-Fga3LpU&t=8s

Enjoy the last MV

I still have to read the last 2 pages of thread! LOL

[fluffychim1013]

9 hours ago, tintin92 said:

I love wuxia cdramas. If they are romantic i will go for it  

tomorrow with you is cute. Romantic though. Time traveling theme . Three episodes so far but the story is not lame. It will be happy ending i guess  i watched saimdang too but there is not much romance and right now I want something romantic  general and i was the first historical cdrama with passion and romance. Even weiyoung didn't have that much romance. 

What other wuxia/historical cdramas have you watched? 

How about taiwanese dramas ? Romantic ones? I haven't watch any tdramas so far  

 

I'll wait for more episodes to come out before starting Tomorrow with you. The waiting seriously kills me, haha. I'm super excited for the new drama with Park Hyung Sik and Ji Soo about a strong woman. 

Prince of Lan Ling is one of my favorite dramas and I highly recommend it! Have you seen Legend of Lu Zhen, aka Female Prime Minister? It came out a few years ago and the main couple had great chemistry. Plus the female lead is smart. Legend of the Condor Heroes is a classic, I think the 2008 version has english subs (starring Ariel Lin and Hu Ge). Sound of Desert is alright, I skipped around the episodes but I liked the male lead a lot. 

Taiwanese dramas are fun! They often use the same tropes seen in kdramas, ie overdramatic acting, rich/mean guy falls in love with a poor/dumb/nice girl. I watch mostly rom coms and I like that they are usually around 20 episodes. In Time With You and In a Good Way are really good and more realistic. Drunken to Love you, Down with Love, and Just You are kind of your typical idol dramas. 

It Started With a Kiss, Fated to Love You are supposedly pretty good, but I never watched them because I don't like dumbed down female characters. Autumn Concerto has great reviews but it's too melodramatic for me. I'll message you if I think of better ones. Give Taiwanese dramas a try, they are pretty good!

 

[ktn1122]

Just watched the last episode...why do i feel unfulfilled?  It was a happy ending but it didn't address all the other characters!  I wanted closure for everyone!  I guess they probably didn't have enough budget to give me the ending that is as wonderful as the book but I will take it.  At least the main characters have their happy ending....CBJ is #boyfriendGoals #husbandGoals....he is by far my favorite chinese drama hero!....and i have watched many many of them over the years!  He beats Lin Xiu in loving the main female lead by far!  Love CBJ to bits!  So sad to say good bye......

Thank you everyone for your wonderful discussions!  I really enjoyed this drama more than any others because of it.  The drama wasn't as wonderful as i expected but the great cast and acting won me over.  WC is by far one of my fav actors....he did a really wonderful job bringing CBJ to life in this drama.  Also AB as BPT...she has improved alot in this drama and i look forward to other dramas.

[Lynne]

Sooo don' t know what to say... Basically what @40somethingahjumma's post sum up everything i want to say....Lol..

I like the adaptation up to a point. But the best part of the drama is the chemistry between the leads.. AB and WC's chemistry rocks!!!! Ooohh all the stares.. and the witty talks... Seriously captivating to watch!!!!

The best episodes for me is on 01-28.

Well there's nothing left to say now... the book is very very good.. and this drama is also quite good despite the flaws and all. The romance and battle of wits really do makes up for the flaws... 

CBJ's devotion to BPT should never need to be questioned... ever and ever... 

Cheers to the happy family...

And adding the picture of Chang Xiao.. just because he is so cute,,,,

Btw I don't think it was ever explained in the end whether CBJ became only the king of Jin.. or king of an unified country right?

 

[juji]

Hello everyone 

i just finished to watch the end episode and I will miss them cuz i wait for new episodes every night 

juji

thailand

 

[Jackie1048]

Till we all meet again in another drama.

[mimimi26]

 

final episode Rank #1 national wide!!! 3 world 3 lives airs on two different station??  

[dancingbee]

I am still on Ep 51, not going to say goodbye for a while.
But just in case we don't meet in this thread later, please let me thank you all who have made this drama so much fun and a great learning with all the postings of your feedback, ideas, comments, pictures and vdos.
Love you all.

 

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[mimimi26]

yesterday online viewership

Angela would like everyone on liking Ping Ting, happy lantern festival!

Hehehe when you see your YOUTUBE comment on a Chinese article on Weibo lol

http://weibo.com/u/5976966341?refer_flag=1005055014_&is_hot=1

 

[Tang Soon]

Too bad they CGI the background, it is a distractions to me and I try to enjoy it as much as I could.

And isn't the suicide bomber from BPT squad is kinda 'face-palmed'... at least strapped on some explosives and jump towards the enemy rather putting straws all over the body, burns and fight the enemies.

[gluttonousrice]

Ending = Dissatisfied

Overall Drama = I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!!! I WILL REWATCH IT AGAIN!!!

Equation = Dissatisfied ending + I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT = A possible explicit intimate relationship between Bai Ping Ting and Chu Bei Jie fanfic.....

[crispachu]

I just started 10 miles of PT - getting sucked in. Maybe I'll see you guys on that thread

 

[The_Joker]

(credit to gif and pix owners)

Hello everyone,

I watched days ago the final episode and read all of your wonderful comments.  I do feel the production over stretched the separation time of OTP, HX's overzealous plotting, ending fighting scenes between the alliance armies and HX's troop as well as between HX and CBJ.  Personally, I don't mind the part that BPT saved CBJ but what I thought was off character was CBJ's closed his eyes and waited for HX's saber to stab him.  This scene totally off putting and diverted from the 61 episodes of CBJ's character and personality established.

The ending would be culmination of success, if the pinnacle during the coronation ceremony we see all the War Generals from Liang, Yan, Bailan and Chu Moran as well as Jin Grand Marshall again swear allegiance to the newly crowned Emperor and Empress of Ting Dynasty.  IMHO, I don't even know whether Ting Dynasty was established in the drama since based on the novel, it was the newly unified kingdom was made of four previous warring states that do not have any royal lines anymore. Btw, I would have preferred if the new kingdom were to be named as 平 (ping) since it would mean level, fair or equality which would reflect peaceful and harmony, the vision our OTP's dream nation.

Then snapshots of how the thriving the new kingdom is with each General now acts as viceroy to Emperor CBJ and having a new year celebration dinner at OTP's palace.  Yes, a lot of viewers were disappointed on the aborted Chu Mo Ran's love line, if we were to have another 2 episodes then we could follow through in the novel epilogue but within 1 episode it would look comical from aborted concubine plan then Chu Mo Ran followed the Princess of Weihao House.  At least, within the present timeline episode we could have a nice and warm sending-off of each side characters with a cohesive wrap-up ending.

Anyhoo, overall General and I is a wonderful drama, where I have enjoyed and loved both the CBJ's and BPT's characters as standalone and they've proven to be a dynamite as OTP.  Furthermore, even the side characters and their OTPs were equally engaging since each OTP showed different dimension as a couple and relationship.

Not to forget, I will miss popping in here and reading the comments, pictures, videos, news and links by you all as well.  Thank you all for such a wonderful journey and hope to meet you all in the next drama as well.

I will be re-watching General and I again since I'm quite in the drama slump phase at the moment and to appreciate the little bits and pieces I missed in my initial watch.

Au revoir

 

 

 

 

 

[valerierose]

I'm going to be re-watching this when I get a chance (and when subs come out) but I have to say, I'm sorely disappointed in the ending. While CBJ and BPT got the happy ending they deserved, it just felt so empty. The supporting cast deserve a better ending and by the end, everything had just seemed like it had ran out of steam. I can't help but feel cheated out of the ending that I had wanted If they had shaved off some of the concubine story line, we might have see more on the reunification process and the rise of the new nation.

Well, it was a nice ride when it lasted. It was nice to read all of your comments and articles  Onto the next drama!