THE LEGEND OF HAO LAN (Hao Lan Zhuan) (2019) was a rollercoaster ride from start to finish, a powerful story of one woman's rise from the ashes to the Empress seat and beyond. First of all, even though the ending felt somewhat uncertain and unsatisfying, I truly loved this show, though it certainly had its shortcomings. It is a historical reimagining full of unpredictable twists and turns, fatalistic characters and a high tension plot. Be in mind, however, this drama is more political than it is romantic and at times this series builds false hopes in that department.
Many people compare this series to Story of Yanxi Palace, mainly because of the similar casting lineup and high quality. These stories should not be compared otherwise, as they are drastically different entities featuring completely different eras, storylines and motives.
Taking place in the Warring States era not long before the gradual unification of war-torn China, this series opens up to a grand political stage in which the rising conflicts between the Qin and Zhou states become increasingly heated. The political storyline is brimming with tension and packs a hard punch, though the pacing is occasionally hindered by some pointless strife and redundancy, as well as some far fetched scenarios.
The character of Hao Lan, as played by Wu Jinyan, was such a relatable, powerful, yet deeply flawed heroine. There is so much complexity there. Li Hao Lan is a deeply tortured character who overcomes many horrible obstacles in her path, growing in strength and cunning as she climbs the political ladder. It's hard not to immediately empathize with her from the beginning as she pledges never to be used and disrespected again. Her character is full of vulnerability and boldness.
It's often tragic what Hao Lan has to face and how it inevitably changes her, for both better and for worse. I love how this series showcases her strengths and weaknesses, and never tries to convince the viewer that she is a saint, as some dramas tend to do with their leads. Wu Jin Yan is really an amazing actress, whose versatility causes her to be so compelling in her roles. She is so believably witty, bold and has such an emotional range as an actress. Brilliant to watch.
Another exceptionally brilliant aspect was the highly (overly) ambitious character of the cunning merchant-businessman Lü Buwei, acted by Yuan Nie. Lü Buwei is a very amazing character with such an overbearing ruthless personality and intense political ambition, while at the same time very charming and pitiful. Yuan Nie is awing in this role where his character is so believably complicated and conflicted. He has an amazing stage presence as well, and that is easily seen in every physical gesture, confident declaration, temperamental outburst, passionate confession, and down to his subtle calculating expressions and mannerisms. He plays an unforgettable character here.
Lü Buwei is an unwavering force of nature in this series and his character story provides a strange mixture of tragic satisfaction to see him strive, achieve and suffer loss- a character whose strengths are also his weakness. Almost self defeating. I found myself constantly rooting for him despite his almost deplorable villainous tendencies. He is an excellent depiction of an antihero in my opinion and I found him insanely compelling and charismatic, and his lifelong entanglement with Hao Lan was endlessly mesmerizing.
The relationships (partners, friendships, romances) aspect of this series is often very tragic, toxic and twisted, with many one-sided loves, vengeful partners, back stabbing, misunderstandings, betrayals, losses etc. Hao Lan and her love choices are no different, sadly. Add to that there were quite a few characters (villains) that were driven by unrealistic motives and over the top emotions, far too many to name honestly, but thankfully some had last minute epiphanies or redemptive motives revealed. At times this show felt very bleak and stressful feeling. One thing I truly loved was the unshakable friendship between Li Hao Lan and Physician Yin Xiaochun. Beautiful. I also really liked the "three musketeers vibes" between Hao Lan, Lü Buwei and Yi Ren.
Although this is a pretty dark series, there was so much to love. With an amazing memorable cast, cracking character chemistry, tense storyline, political intrigue, beautiful music scores (opening credits included), great sets, locations, costumes, and artistic design. Overall, this was a very great series and had me hooked. There are many great underlying themes as well, such as women's equality, ambition, freedom etc. In some ways this is an ode of feminism as well. And even though I still feel ambiguous about the ending, it's given me so much to think about. Loved it.
