Warm on a Cold Night (2023)

Se non amate particolar modo i drama fantasy, questo fa per voi. So quello che state per dirmi, ma fidatevi di una che non ne va matta: a parte qualche piccola scena, non v'è traccia di trasformazioni o cose super irrealistiche. La sensazione che mi ha lasciata addosso è di una enorme coperta calda in cui rifugiarmi dai mali del mondo, in cui potermi rinchiudermi per stare tra le braccia forti e calde di una storia che qualcosa di nuovo non l'ha da raccontare ma che ha saputo allievarmi il dolore del mondo. Questa è una di quelle storie con quel tipo di personaggi che fanno bene all'anima, magari pieni di pecche ma che sanno cullarti. Ecco, io penso che ogni tanto potrei tornare a farmi abbracciare.
Ripeto, non è granchè la storia e nemmeno chi la vive. Però ci sono dei momenti che mi hanno fatto bene all'anima.

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Fun, but a "pretzel" ending

I'm a critical because I have a background in production, so you may think some of my opinions are harsh. First, I want to comment on the actors. My criteria for good acting is, if I can suspend reality, immerse myself in the story, and emotionally connect with the character, the acting is good. If the audience doesn't relate to the characters, everything else is irrelevant, because the viewer won't care about what happens to them. I cared about these characters. It was especially fun watching the FL and ML bicker and banter as their relationship developed.

The plot had good doses of mystery and mayhem, romance and evil, comedy and tragedy. The production values were good; the sets were believable, decent camera work, the CGI wasn't obvious, the costumes were attractive, etc. I liked the music because it was well integrated into the scenes, and didn't distract from the action. The genre is Wuxia, which I watch because I love martial arts choreography. I particularly liked the small details that made the ML's "wolf" abilities more realistic, like how he could whisk around so fast he was almost invisible, how his ear twitched when he used his augmented hearing, and how he could transform. There was only one instance of seeing his full transformation, which was disappointing. His character arc was well-defined, however, because he went from stone-cold to warm and affectionate. The FL had less of an evolution, but was a good contrast to the ML.

Unfortunately, the last two episodes were disappointing. Great writers can write great endings; mediocre writers can't. I like it when the audience gets rewarded with a cathartic moment at the end; sometimes it's joy because it's a happy ending, or a sigh of sadness because it was tragic, or they have a flash of insight because, although the ending may not be what they wanted, it was appropriate. Instead of a climatic moment, I felt betrayed. The reveal of the villain in episode 35 used an old, worn out, plot device to supposedly create a surprise twist. But the plot had to be bent into a "pretzel" in order to make the twist work. Instead of the twist being a dramatic moment, it was laughable, probably because I'm not Alice in Wonderland who "believes as many as six impossible things before breakfast."
After the reveal, the writer tried to stuff too many emotional ups and downs into the last episode. Some of it was satisfying, and the "dénouement" was good. However, after I managed to stay immersed in the drama's fantasy world for 34 episodes, I couldn't sustain it during the last two episodes, and crash-landed back into reality with a giant thud.

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