The Chinese drama The Prisoner of Beauty is one of the best long historical/political series I've ever watched, so I was surprised after finishing the last episode to see how polarizing it's been among fans (this is also why I don't read reviews of series and movies before I watch them.) Evidently the male lead is considered ugly, which is absolute crap. I thought he was quite handsome in an unconventional way. Also there are a lot of people saying this series is mediocre, which leads me to believe they didn't watch it.
The main story: to broker peace, old enemies arrange a marriage between Xiao Qiao (Song Zu Er), a beautiful and clever young woman, to Lord Wei Shao (Liu Yuning), the cold and apparently ruthless head of the Wei family. Xiao actually takes the place of her cousin (who has fallen in love with a stableman) and is quite resigned to a difficult relationship with her new spouse, as her family turned their backs on his, resulting in the murders of his grandfather, father and older brother. Shao wants to kill Xiao, not marry her, but very reluctantly agrees to go through with the wedding. This begins a complex and beautifully scripted saga of betrayal and trust, love and loyalty, and how two people who really should never be in the same room with each other are able to make peace, settle a poisonous old feud, and find a path forward into the future together.
The leads are quite convincing in their roles, and manage to bring out their characters' stories and progress their relationship in slow, logical fashion. These two do not fall in love overnight, and I appreciate that respect toward their backstory. Yet together the actors forge an unwilling alliance that ends up becoming the foundation for friendship, affection and finally love. There was only one point in the series that felt a bit forced into the script, and that is when they're just about to become lovers, suddenly all hell breaks loose and threatens everything they've painstakingly built. The timing was rather suspect, but I'll forgive it.
The plotting is intense and yet melodic; this is one of those "everything happens for a reason" series but it doesn't feel contrived at all. All of the characters are unforgettable and well-balanced, with stories that are intricate in their own way and wonderfully presented. Of particular note: Xuan Lu, who plays Lady Yu Lou, is one of the most beautifully crafted antagonists in Chinese drama; she handled being a faux fabled beauty who manipulates everyone, and manages to survive situations that would have destroyed any other woman. Her character's resolution was terrible and yet poetically apt. My favorite secondary character was chubby Qiao housemaid Xiao Tao (Li Xue Qin), who is down to earth, fun and has a charming little romance with Wei Liang (Wang Cheng Si), one of Shao's generals.
There was nothing I considered a problem with the production. The setting and political aspects are entirely invented, so don't expect any historical accuracy. There is a fair amount of violence, some of it a bit graphic during the battle scenes, but it's appropriate to the story and circumstances. I liked how some of the most shocking elements are implied rather than shown. Other than a few steamy kissing scenes between the leads the intimacy is pretty chaste, and everyone keeps their robes on. Women are portrayed as objectified property, pawns and unpaid servants to their relations, and treated like dirt accordingly by some characters, but that's nothing new. Some of the character resolutions are heart-breaking, and if you have any sort of heart at all you will cry when one favorite character dies.
I highly recommend The Prisoner of Beauty as being definitely worth the time it takes to watch all 36 episodes. Skip the reviews, though, because they're the trash. :)
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