“Unchained Love” is the ancient romantic political drama which stars Dylan Wang, Chen Yu Qi, Peter Ho, and Zeng Li, and aired on December 27, 2022.
The drama is based on the novel of the same name by You Si Jie, which tells the story of Xiao Duo, the leader of the powerful Zhao Ding Division, and Bu Yin Lou, a concubine of the previous emperor, who bravely defy fate and feudal rituals, and support each other through life and death to win their freedom.
In the eleventh year of the Long Hua period, Da Ye Dynasty (fictional), all the concubines who had no children had to be buried together with the deceased emperor. As a newcomer to the imperial palace, Bu Yin Lou faces the threat of death as soon as she appears.
Xiao Duo, the leader of the Zhao Ding Division, who is in charge of decides the list of concubines to be buried with. He noticed that Bu Yin Lou had saved herself in various ways from the beginning and thought she was actually quite intelligent. At the critical moment, Xiao Duo saved Bu Yin Lou.
Although Bu Yinlu has not even seen the emperor once since she entered the palace, Xiao Duo has also given her a consort position, then the two protagonists thus embarked on the road to mutual redemption.
The palace is more like the externalization of the resistance of both Xiao Duo and Bu Yin Lou to break the shackles and pursue freedom. Outside the palace city, the drama “Unchained Love”, presents viewers with a new world of ancient costume drama with a vast frontier.
Plot and characters highlight the dramatic
In terms of genre expression, “Unchained Love” chooses to cut through the temperament of an light comedy. In the serious and reserved palace, it is full of unconventional plots. When the naive and cute heroine meets the cold male lead, an interesting contrast becomes the highlight of the plot.
And when court battles and power plots no longer become the key to grab the audience's attention, the plot and characters that jump outside of the formula become the audience's expectation. It not only becomes the main performance of the comedy core of the drama, but also becomes the core driving force of the narrative of “Unchained Love” as a costume drama.
In contrast to the light comedy, “Unchained Love” tries to convey a sense of modernity. From the Warring States to the end of the Qing Dynasty, China's feudal society lasted for more than 2,000 years, and the imperial city and harem incidentally became the meta-narrative of ancient costume dramas.
As an adaptation of a palace novel, “Unchained Love” is inevitably detached from the environment of the imperial city and the harem. But power and palace struggle are not the core of this drama. In fact, whether it's a regime change or a vassal taking over the throne, “Unchained Love” hides a modern feel underneath the ancient costume drama – the setting is more like intrigue and love than imperial palace power.
In fact, it not only has a bright and light rhythm and a high-energy plot, but also has a very mature and clear dramatic outlook. For example, in the creation of dramatic tension, the two protagonists of the play, one valued by the new emperor, the other scorned by the new emperor, their path is full of twists and thorns, which constitute the main impetus for the advancement of the plot.
In the construction of character relationships, the drama also weaves a network of relationships with great traction – around the two main characters, there is even a symmetry of character relationships between the female characters such as Empress Rong An, Murong Wan Wan, and Tong Yun, and the male characters such as Murong Gao Gong, Yu Wen Liang Shi, and Cao Chun Ang, reflecting a superb mastery of characterization.
The successful portrayal of minor characters
The “Unchained Love” goes against the grain and portrays the female character Bu Yin Lou, who no longer settles down and takes the initiative to change her fate. Chen Yuqi performed this character's sobriety in the chaotic world, and behind her powerful persona, she has the ability to analyze everything.
In addition, the actor who plays Xiao Duo, Dylan Wang, also has a high degree of character interpretation for this character who can be civil and military, decisive in dealing with matters.
The plot arrangement of the marginal characters resisting oppression and fighting bravely not only shows the real survival plight of the small people under the change of history and dynasties, but also gives the story an explosive power, constituting an alternative expression in the costume drama. In fact, as the plot progresses, the audience would gradually understands that all the characters and actions of the two are struggling to move forward under the arrangement of fate.
Bu Yin Lou has lived a miserable life since she was a child, and later entered the palace in place of her sister, but she has never even seen the emperor. Bu Yin Lou was not originally forced to the extreme, her father was a high official in the court, but her mother, in order to make the family get a reward, even by offering bribes, to make Bu Yin Lou go to death smoothly. To sacrifice one person in exchange for the promotion of other officials in the family.
On the other hand, Xiao Duo's twin brother was killed by Yu Wen Liang Shi when he entered the palace for a livelihood. Although Xiao Duo had risked to try to assassinate, but ended up in failure, and finally had to take a risky move to infiltrate the palace in place of his brother, all the way to promotion, in order to have the opportunity to kill the Yu Wen Liang Shi to avenge his family.
Ahead is the ideal life, behind is the abyss. The artistic balance of “Unchained Love” is that beyond the superficial light comedy and sweet love, it presents the difficult situation of women in the feudal society and shows the social condition of the minor characters who lose their freedom in the midst of oppression. They are not willing to be victims and tools of the times, but they want to be true and free, to live for their hearts.
Deep understanding and expression of human nature
The profound understanding of human nature and the tender expression of fate give “Unchained Love” a glow that goes beyond the plot itself and shines through reality. The story of “Unchained Love” is related to the court, but it is not limited to it. The characters, each with their own lofty aspirations or ambitions, are trapped in the years.
Murong Gao Gong has been bullied since he was a child, initially he was brave for love, but eventually he also became more and more insane because of the power he held and the love he could not get. The Empress Rong An, with graceful, powerful, self-respecting identity of nobility, let her choose a path of power, rather than deliver her true hearts.
Each character in “Unchained Love” has a distinct character trait, which is expressed in the storyline as each character's stance and choices. This understanding and expression of human nature gives the whole story a deeper meaning and makes the episode itself respectful and logical for the audience.
“Unchained Love” recreates this group of unresigned and uncompromising characters. Their quest for freedom plays out in each heart-warming storys that leaves the audience longing for more.
Fate is like a stream, it does not give special favors to anyone, everyone has to find their own philosophy of survival in the pain and learn to make trade-offs. The profundity of “Unchained Love” is precisely that it reveals a sense of destiny born from the heart and the vitality of rising from the bottom.
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