This is the best Chinese TV series I have ever watched. Having squared that away, let's get into the meat proper.
Acting: The acting performance across the board is well above average and almost every single person has pretty decent acting abilities. There were no sore thumbs sticking out. Allow me to highlight: watch for the acting performance of:
- Vivian Wu (Empress Dowager) : she was able to project a distinctly Empress Dowager presence when she opens her mouth. Her diction and intonation were simply astonishing. You can literally sense the raw power emanating from her when she spoke. Bravo!
- Xun Zhou (Ruyi herself): Xun is a versatile actress as is shown in the many films she has acted in. Her versatility is displayed here in the wide spectrum of emotions she was able to depict here. She was also able to capture my heart to side with her along the way. Highly gifted actress.
- Chun Li (Imperial Noble Consort Ling): Although her pronunciation style accentuated her femininity, the clarity of her speech is stellar. I can hear her speak again and again. She has an unusual ability to make her words fall, not just on my ears, but also onto my heart. Quite a stunning acting skill.
- Janine Chun-Ning Chang (Noble Consort Hailan): Although she played a supporting role, literally supporting Ruyi all the way to the end, her ability to depict the range of personality from the quiet type (speak when spoken to) in the beginning to violating the palatial decorum for the sake of loyalty to Ruyi, is quite a stunning unfolding of the growth in her character. I have to kowtow to such acting.
- Huan Qi (RongPei, Ruyi's personal palace assistant and confidant): That scene on the palace walk when she was noticed by Ruyi for the first time and was asked to join her palace is one of the best acted scenes in the whole series. Her acting was so well done that at the end of that scene, I wished I have such a confidant in real life.
- Jie Dong (XiaoXian Empress - the 1st Empress): Her ability act to depict the character's need to keep suppressing herself to the point of implosion was masterfully expressed throughout the length of her character in the series. One of the most memorable scenes was on her death bed in Episode 39 (I think). Her ability to express the feelings of dissatisfaction (with the Emperor), the shock (of which I'll not tell here), the confusion and the deep anguish and disappointment were top-shelf performance. It made me empathize with her. Her ability to exhibit the regal submissiveness, quiet personality and softness simply melts the heart when she spoke.
Costume Design: if you can tell how much effort is put into the costume design, something is wrong with your eyes. Colors are stunning and majestic. Very attractive, indeed.
Screenplay: some phrases are common but there are others that are more exotic and ancient; perhaps, pulled out from ancient writings. Dialogs are limited to the confines of regal conversations but still very well crafted as the twists and turns unfold. The screenplay supported the many tensions in the series very well.
Songs: Ah ... the songs ... I was totally in love with the songs and I had to buy the entire soundtrack. They are specularly composed and provides a nice platform to accompany the series; especially, the theme song for the first 2/3 of the series that used big drums to signify the weightiness and severity of the throne in the Forbidden City.
