A melodramatic twist to a historical drama that treats its women as smart beings –that’s the Chinese drama ‘The Double’ for you. It is everything you are looking for in a historical drama that treats its subjects (literally and figuratively) like real beings without compromising on the make-believe aspect of storytelling. There is enough intrigue, politics, and peppered romance to keep you invested.
‘The Double’ traces the story of Xue Fang Fei (Wu Jin Yan), the daughter of a magistrate, who assumes the identity of Jiang Li, the daughter of the Secretariat Director, after losing everything to politics. She receives help from Duke Xiao Heng (Wang Xiang Yue) in her pursuit of revenge for both her and the real Jiang Li, who suffered a painful death. Fang Fei’s journey in overcoming the numerous hurdles she faces in her fight against injustice is what makes the basic premise of ‘The Double’.
Watch the trailer here:
What perhaps is the best part about ‘The Double’ is the fact that Wang Xiang Yue does most of the heavy-lifting. The story remains true to her journey and does not deviate from its subject. Xiao Heng is a catalyst in the story and the writers do not underwrite Fang Fei’s character arc to paint a larger-than-life image of Heng.
The fact that the writers don’t belittle the intelligence of the audience and the people in the narrative is another bonus point for the show. Her identity always remains a subject of ambiguity for people around her, given that Fang Fei and Jiang Li are not identical twins, and it makes you root for her against all odds.
‘The Double’ also has interesting cinematography that highlights the beauty of the actors and the action sequences with a magnetic charm. If you are an avid watcher of Chinese dramas, the innovative and clean action choreography will not come as a surprise to you though.
Both Wu Jin Yan and Wang Xiang Yue are charismatic onscreen. They have a restrained chemistry together and complement each other’s strengths as actors. Their character arcs together and individually is fleshed enough for you to root for them. While it helps that their romantic relationship is left mostly to one’s imagination, the show might have benefitted from crisp writing about their relationship.
The right balance of drama and politics is the biggest strength of ‘The Double.’ However, the runtime is arguably long and could have easily been captured in a 30-episode series.
If you are looking for a well-fleshed-out historical drama that is emotionally stimulating, ‘The Double’ is for you. It is available on Netflix.
3.5 out of 5 stars
Source Agencies
