Trial vs. Trial - a Peach Blossom Rant...

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[@quippequest]

Welcome to another Peach Blossom deep-dive (well, as deep as we can be), whose trial is more entertaining to you?

[@yuki_eerhs4591]

" the guys are good too to use words as a form of communication" 🤣🤣 couldn't agree more there.

[@quippequest]

A traditional part of all C-dramas' relationships 😂

[@annalgenewade548]

After a lot of free loading, blank staring and pushing eachother into walls............🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 yup that sums up how a lot of cdrama couples fall in love👌👌👌👌

[@quippequest]

Exactly😂😂

[@jivvyjack7723]

I have also come to the conclusion that intelligent rational women and romantic love cannot ever go hand in hand.

[@dostagirl9551]

These two trials were brutal, but I guess that's sort of the point. At first, I thought for sure BQ's trial was the more challenging: love of your life rips your eyeballs out of their sockets and then says he's still going to marry you while all your high-powered in-laws hope for your death. However, LX's trial tugs at my heart more because it goes so deeply with the idea of identity with the love of her life wanting one version to die so he can regain the "original" LX. That speech she gives about how in that moment she is Lin Mo and she loves him...I swear there was an audible noise coming from my heart as it was breaking. Talk about a mind-twister. I mean, what makes us, us? Our memories? Our souls? Gave me flashbacks of Plato and Descartes. And yeah, BQ gets a bad-mother award for abandoning her baby twice (not counting the jump as I agree she was doing it for A-Li's own good): once when she deliberately wiped her memory after her trial and again when she abandoned him after his father's "death" - even as her cousin tells her he's still crying every night. Really dislike her character b/c of how she treats the kid.

[@quippequest]

Yes. Still not sure why Bai Qian does that to A-li🤔. Maybe she drinks the potion because she views the kid as part of the trial, and trials are meant to be moved on from? Anyway, she has no excuse for sleeping and neglecting A-li after Yehua's death😂

[@IDVIPiKONICteUme]

yeah. that's also one thing that I can't get about BQ character. When her niece was born, BQ did everything to see her. BQ is more affectionate to her niece than her own son😔

[@xxo8888]

@@IDVIPiKONICteUme omg, I forgot abt that! She almost got her brother killed

[@shreyashidey9590]

Yap! From the beginning I really don't like Bi Qin's attitude... she's too full of herself..1 she blamed her maid for "seducing" the her former fiance while she was the one who's putting too much air by continuously avoiding him... good that guy made the right choice... he also has his self respect. 2. She's Reckless! Everytime she encounter any problems being a drunken fool is only solution!! Ahhh!! And you are a 📢 GODDESS 🤷 I get that trial is meant to be forgotten but her trial is actually with a God who happened to be her fiance also... and her eyes are taken by a villain... and she thought of forgetting instead of getting revenge 🤣😂🤣😂(wow such kind GODDESS) while her father is so damn a hero how would fight the beast for his daughter... she happened to miss that out also! Drinking and sleeping is Only solution to every problem... and YOU ARE A GODDESS

[@almu100]

@quippequest We know that celestial gods are brought up without the mother love perhaps the kid is engaged with Masters and teachers with strict education like his father was and she is not allowed to be part of him every day but they are allowed to have sporadic visits. What I dont agree at all is the speech that Ye Hua's mother gives her about her son when he is death and Bai Quian is holding his death body, the mother said he gave you all and you gave him nothing thats totally bad that she got away with saying that in the movie. Bai Quian gave Ye Hua a lot!!! including a beautiful son. I wanted to tell her excuse me but its all the way around. Bai Quai gave Ye Hua a lot. Ye Hua starting loving her knowing he was not supposed to due to his status and family and destroyed her life as a mortal. Susu did not abandon A-li she knew that in the celestial world she had no chance of survival and gain happiness.

[@kflowers8276]

That's an interesting way to see it and I think I would agree. I assumed that the only thing that has to happen is suffering. The more you suffer, the stronger you'll be when you return to the heavens. It's never made since to me beyond that. Thanks for the new episode.

[@beatrizgarrido7651]

Now that you mention it... I assumed so too, just like Yehua's Granpa told Siming when Donhua went to his trial: "make sure that he has enough of misfortunes and sufering as a human".

[@quippequest]

Thanks! Yep, I'd thought so too until I looked at Donghua's trial. He suffers a lot, he also understands more things when he comes back (or at least he says he does😂), but his trial is still deemed a Fail because he fails to overcome the obstacle emotionally.

[@beatrizgarrido7651]

@@quippequest 🤣🤣🤣🤣 just to finish that sentence... "He fails to overcome the obstacule emotionally..." and twice 🤣... and if you count ChenYe, three times 🤣

[@quippequest]

@@beatrizgarrido7651 Oops, that too🤭 The poor guy :D

[@francinejoie7380]

I know it's late but I had observed that Bai Qian has some tendencies that are the same as Queen Victoria in terms of how she acted towards their children. Queen Victoria was quite cold to be exact. I believe I had encountered this in one of the documentaries about Queen Victoria's children. So here is why I thought they had similarities: One, as much as Queen Victoria "loved" (or so they called) her children, she was somewhat cold and kinda ruthless. She could not relate to her children, which results in a dysfunctional relationship. Maybe it is due to the fact that she did not take care of her children. They were handed to the nannies once they were born. It was also said that she find it hard to bond with them, even as infants, and she called them ugly and nasty at some point. But either way, she and her children, although was said to have a respectable relationship, they were distant. I know Bai Qian as Susu loved A-li with all her heart and was willing to let go of him for his own safety and in some point, his happiness and freedom, (due to the fact that he/ them cannot be safe if he has his mortal mother by his side). Also taking into consideration her worsened postpartum depression caused by Ye hua's repeated betrayal (I think that's one reason why she wanted to escape, hence desperately wanting to go back to where she came from and forget it all). But Bai Qian, as a stepmother (to which she thought) and as a mother to A-li, was in some cases, is just like Queen Victoria. Although not as ruthless and cold as her, Bai Qian was nonchalant towards A-li. She might care at some level, but all in all, she was distant. In some (almost all) scenes where she and A-li were on screen together, it was like she was annoyed that he was there ( I don't know if it's because of Yang mi's acting or what). She did not even have some senses when she made, let's say a 3-year-old drink a bottle of wine and thought of it as a joke. She was even angry at Ye hua for scolding her. I don't know if she's dimwitted but I felt like she's clueless. So clueless that she made no regard about the safety of a child. Let's just say she loved Ali. I mean I can see a few instances where she had plans with A-li in mind ( I don't remember but there was one), but even so, it is not a redeemable act to justify her motherhood. That means to say that she was, by no means capable of truly caring for the young chap. Just like Queen Victoria's relationship with her children, Bai Qian's relationship with A-li is bound to be respectful but distant (even though I see A-li as a persistent character) And lastly, There was one time when one of Queen Victoria’s daughters lost her child. The Princess sought comfort by writing to her mother in hopes that she would be understood. Instead of consolation, Queen Victoria directly dismissed her daughters’ grief by saying that the death of a child is nothing compared to losing your husband to death. This is what I then felt with Bai Qian, even without those cruel words, her action says it all. Abandoning A-li even though she knew he needed her. Dismissing the fact that A-li was much more affiliated with Ye Hua which raised him (A-li) together with the little fairy servant (which needs to be credited for her dedication, also kinda think that Ye hua and her should have ended with each other instead! This is a fantasy of mine because I can’t sometimes stand how clueless Bai Qian can be), she acts as if her grief was more important. Although I must say that she might be guilty of how she acted towards Ye hua before he died, but that doesn’t change the fact that since she knew A-li is her biological son, is it not the first thing she should do is to bond with her son and make up for the last 300 years that they were separated? Also, the fact that she should better herself to be a good mother to A-li? None of these were done by her. Instead, she got drank and slept for a couple of hundred years to drowned herself in complete misery. She was by no means a good mother. Even at some point, Queen Victoria, because of her loss, had obsessed herself with keeping her youngest daughter with her to the point that her youngest daughter almost did not marry, although it’s very sickening to compare as she had controlled her daughter. Nevertheless, In modern society, They are to be deemed as a heartless and selfish mother. Although 2 Queens were said to have ruled their kingdom successfully, it doesn’t change the fact that they have shortcomings. One of which, unfortunately, is the fact that they failed to emotionally be there for their children. (By the way, forgive me for my grammar, English is not my first language)

[@quippequest]

Hi there! Sorry for the late response. Love your assessment, and yes, I agree. Bai Qian's character is extremely inconsistent (in fact, the mortal trial is the only thing that's consistent about her; sadly, it's the most draggy part of the show) and her relationship with A-li is not well written at all. Even if she can't take care of A-li like a mother, she -- as an adult -- should have acted with some level of common sense and responsibility towards A-li, at least whenever she agrees to babysit him. Yang Mi's acting does play a role in making the character even more confusing. Of course, with Queen Victoria we can overlook this lack of bonding with her children because she was an actual queen who actually ruled. Whereas Bai Qian is never seen to do anything useful for her kingdom or for anyone at all except jumping into the bell because Moyuan told her to. Even that was a poorly executed plan and only worked due to luck. She's pretty clueless😂

[@francinejoie7380]

@@quippequest I thought so too! I have not seen Bai Qian doing stuff for her constituents or for her kingdom to be called a powerful and successful leader or Queen. Might be that the kingdom she inherited is already peaceful that she can only oversee little things. One thing is that back then, Bai Qian was known to be unruly and impulsive so it makes no sense that she can rule a kingdom, even as a High Goddes she was committing major mistakes and minor god's just let it off the hook. She did have improvements such as her Domineering aura fit for a monarch and the aloofness of a High Goddess, but for me, she did not change any of her traits from when She was still Si Yin.

[@quippequest]

@@francinejoie7380 True, her manners change somewhat, but her level of maturity is pretty much the same😂

[@francinejoie7380]

@@quippequest right 😂

[@philippatran2745]

I wish Lingxi’s trial in the mortal world was at the start of the drama and became the main story. Writer could then play around with all the mysteries like “why this man suddenly appears and protects the FL?” “Did they know each other before?” “What happened in their past life?” and so on. Because tbh, all the plots before and after Lingxi’s mortal life was so forgettable to me

[@becksfun]

Yeahhh glad to meet a fellow viewer who appreciate Lingxi's mortal life. I love Love & Destiny for that part too, it is soooo well acted it deserves a spin-off. Nini's sign language was so natural here we feel her pain and loneliness when she was mute and deaf.

[@quippequest]

Agreed, that would have made a more interesting story. Lingxi in the mortal realm feels more like her own person. Back in the heavens, she has very little life besides Jiuchen.

[@angelxxsin]

I adore Love and Destiny but I will concede that Bai Qian is a way stronger and more progressive character. In fact, TMOPB in general is a more progressive story. One of the most valid criticisms leveled at Love and Destiny is how "weak" Ling Xi is. I feel like it's a great love story but it definitely plays on some very traditional tropes which is fine if that's what you're looking for. For example, it plays on the older man - younger woman trope that TMOPB subverted so well. All in all, L&D is a hell of a production that IMHO deserved a lot more attention than it got though it did end up being nominated to an Emmy. Chang Chen and Nini's chemistry is strong enough to carry the entire drama.

[@quippequest]

Lingxi's lack of characterization really is a pity, the acting is so good and these two could have carried out more than the script allowed them to :D

[@maameesi473]

I was not expecting His Highness Ali Ababua here🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@quippequest]

😂😂

[@beatrizgarrido7651]

I agree Ni Ni is the one who makes us believe that her sacrifice is the greatest... thanks for her good acting ❤.... I know you are not into the Pillow Book anymore... but... I would love to include Donghua's trials to compare them... in a rant or just for the fun to make jokes about his human life (with the name that no one can remember XD).

[@quippequest]

I’m still working on Pillow Book, actually. It’s just been delayed due to the Shadow and Bone recaps. Yehua and Moyuan got made fun of too much, Donghua has to get his fair share too😂

[@tashaonly]

I can't decide which Dong Hua trial to make fun of--the Dong Hua sex trial with the beard in Three Miles or the Dong Hua Begging Sex/Drowning Dog trial in Pillow. They both deserved to be mock.

[@tashaonly]

Sheesh. The powerful men all communicate by kissing. The women just have to interpret each kiss' meaning! Rip my eyes out, then kiss me means "I have eyes for you." Rip my life pearl out and take away all meaning of my mortal life with you, then kiss me means "You mean everything to me."

[@Rebbie55]

After three years of TMPB you are still talking about it says all

[@quippequest]

Yes😂😂

[@rosieposiesnooor6891]

Me too, I have watched this movie last year but I am still inlove with it.

[@silviacarolina8456]

Yess....actually I just watched TMPB in 2021. I usually dont like long eps and fantasy drama. But finally I watched this one....i enjoyed it, not fast forwarding at all whole eps

[@maameesi473]

Unless it's canon, I think Bai Qian jumped to commit suicide. This is because she knew it was dangerous and contrary to her earlier actions, I doubt she is stupid enough to believe Sujin. She knew it was gonna be death if she jumped that's why she left her son. Because, Yehua can easily find her again in the mortal world so that won't be problem

[@quippequest]

She tells Yehua she’s going to jump to “return to the place she should be”, probably thinks that after some high degree burn she’ll get to be in the mortal realm again, and if she doesn’t then she has nothing to lose anyway? 😂

[@maameesi473]

@@quippequest Exactly! I feel like this was the scene where she managed to hurt him in all ways. Sujin was able to manipulate her because of Yehua so in a sense, jumping because Sujin told her it will take her home is a hard blow cos we know it's false and so does she! I think her maid told her it was dangerous at one time or so

[@PyanY]

Funny because Bai qian story is suppose to be a reverse telling of the usual "celstial maiden falling in love with mortals men" troupe. Instead of a celestial maiden we have a celestial man( yehua) who supposedly falls in love with the mortal women( bai qian) . but then again in the usual end to the classic tale is of the maiden who leaves the man and returns to back where she came from.

[@madam1madam121]

Love & Destiny was nominated for an EMMY This speaks volume. No other comments required. Not easy to be nominated - this drama have class.

[@Dryltd]

If you have no eyes they can't burn, right?

[@madam1madam121]

Do Not like the other similar love Drama staring Yang Mi or Deliraba. These actresses are beautiful But their acting skill is No good. Another fact is the story line. Love and Destiny have a better story line. Love the humour in the show Love the whole cast united front and the female director for all their hard work, sincere heart felt best foot put forward (Best effort) work . Love to see the behind scene. Now I know how they really put so much to make us fell into their plot. I was drown in the plot, cannot come out, keep chasing the episode. Day and night watching. Also hoping for a happy ending which did not disappoint us. Finally the family of 3 are united - happy ending. 3 cheers to the director for giving us a happy ending. 👍👍👍👏👏👏😄😁😊

[@quippequest]

I was drown in the plot too, but not in the way they intended.

[@trishachaudhuri3877]

I have to ask, at a few parts of the video, there's a definite audio drop when you're talking (sounds like you're talking through a funnel from underwater). What's going on with that?

[@v.958]

I sounds like she was using an audio filter called phaser to distinguish certain lines from her normal narrative voice.

[@trishachaudhuri3877]

@@v.958 I see.

[@quippequest]

Must be an editing error.

[@silviacondori1440]

To me, the dragging part was everything that came after Bai Qian's trial. The flirting and fooling around of a godess with experience and knowledge of the world didn't appeal to me that much as her human counterpart. 🙈

[@quippequest]

Yes, I believe the mortal arc is the most real struggle Bai Qian has ever had. The rest of drama just seems to belong to Yehua more :D

[@WhattheFiction]

You are brilliant!

[@xxo8888]

Hilarious recap

[@ourchemistryislikericecake9783]

Warning. Long rant ahead. No no no. Hard disagree on this video. Ling Xi is stronger when she comes out of the mortal realm because of her lived experiences. It's like normal life that you and I live. With age and challenges comes wisdom and growth. And that's what it was. And she faces several of the the kind of challenges that could completely break someone if they faced a single one. She faces them one after another. And overcomes. Yun Feng remarks that he hopes Ling Xi will make it through the trials implying it's not some automatic thing. It takes strength. Incredible strength. And even with the pain she still loves and trusts. That is tremendous strength. Remember that when Ling Xi comes back she has memories of her former life AND her life as Lin Mo. The deaths may seem like a deathless death because she woke up, but it is still a deep unfathomable pain and fear the moments leading to the death and a harrowing portal to go through. The feeling just doesn't go away because you find yourself awake. In the first arc, her father dies, and she finds herself in prison shortly after, confused and scared, and yet she hopes. Down in those depths, she gives up hearing, and yet she hopes. He draws a sword to kill her and she is crushed and yet in that moment she thinks that if she must die then it must be a death that brings him the least amount of pain. What love, what love. In the mortal realm, she lives a life where is often mocked, and alienated. She has only known one constant love. And then that one person who loves her, her rock, her father, tries to kill her. And yet, after that, she loves and trusts Jiu Chen. Are you kidding me? I was in awe of this character. And I wept with her. And just more on her character...people complain about the Ling Xi in the first act and call her stupid and childish. But to me, she was an absolute delight. She has that confident impulsiveness, the one that you have before you've known shattering pain and failure, because she is young. She comes across as "stupid" because her principles, not strategy, guide her decisions. But she wasn't stupid at all. She was maybe unwise sometimes but she wouldn't sit around when she couldn't be doing something. And she didn't take herself too seriously. And tbh, it was a breath of fresh air. Sometimes she's right and sometimes she's wrong, but overall, she seeks to understand. For example, when she rescues the Demon Lord's mount, that was a def a stupid thing to do. But when Jiu Chen explains it to her, that he's a mount who had done much evil, she gets it. And she learns. In fact, I didn't like the "more mature" Ling Xi in the last arc. She felt too different, too held back. As if she'd been lobotomised or just scarred into hiding a part of herself. I wanted to see more unbridled laughter and her letting her hair down and I wanted her to call Jiu Chen "Jiu Chen". Oh, I hated that they made the more mature version oh so coy. Like, babe, go get your man and proudly enjoy the sex.

[@quippequest]

Thanks for your thorough analysis, we love long rants here :D I understand your point that Lingxi is strong because she remains kind and hopeful through everything. But what ruins her "trial" and ultimately any potential her character has is Jiuchen's character and how it's written in relation to her. I don't think Lingxi's trial succeeds in featuring "with age and challenges comes wisdom and growth". Sure, that's what they want to get across, but it's not exactly what we get at the end of the trial. It's true that Lingxi is put through a lot of physical and emotional pain, but her pain and experiences mean nothing if her way of dealing with problems doesn't change afterwards. And that's the problem. It's great that Lingxi is hopeful and trusting after all the bad things she went through, but whom she chooses to trust and love matters. Imagine if Jiuchen doesn't have Zhang Zhen's face and looks like Peter Pettigrew instead, would we still be supporting Amo for "loving" and placing complete trust in this man who shows up at her door, lies about his identity, leaves her, and then asks her to die? That's why Lingxi's trial falls flat. The drama wants us to believe that she dies for this great epic love, but it really just looks like a pitiful end of an easily manipulated girl who can't see red flags when they're practically shoved at her face. (And I'm saying all of this without taking Ni Ni's acting into consideration. Because with Ni Ni's skills, it's a completely different story). It's easy to put your character through suffering and call that strength, but it's not easy to actually show how that earned "strength" is now a part of the character. Yes, Lingxi remembers all the suffering when she comes back from the trial, but that doesn't stop her from continuing to submit to every solution Jiuchen puts out for every single conflict. She is mad at Jiuchen for making decisions for her but that doesn't get explored in depth. Ni Ni is great is making us all believe her character has matured, but none of her action indicates maturity, wisdom or intelligence. Her interactions with other characters give the illusion that she has learnt things, but whenever it comes to Jiuchen, she is back to being that naïve girl who can't think for herself. Why? Because the drama doesn't want to give her this chance. Her resistance against Jiuchen's dominating nature is only surface-level, and her character ultimately tells us that as long as we go wherever Jiuchen leads, things will be awesome. I believe Lingxi in the last arc is more tolerable, simply because she has a little more agency, although she still has no mind of her own and does nothing more important than telling us how great Jiuchen is. All of this is not to say that Bai Qian from Ten Miles is any better; but at least at the end of Bai Qian's trial, she doesn't die because Yehua tells her to, she does it as an act of acknowledgement of her mistake, of letting go, and out of her own independent wish to make the best choice for herself and her son. And actually, this video is not about who is stronger after the trial, it's about whose trial makes more sense😄 Love your thoughts, even if we disagree.