.png)
Kumnum Neang Sear Fang Fy (2024) Review
The Double is a dark and brooding opera about revenge and regret. It’s the opera to end all operas in terms of high drama, hussies spinning, death-defying, and the shock and sweet satisfaction of revenge. To enjoy this best, don’t watch it too much, as the narrative is laced with logic and plot and fantastical scenes that are historically impossible. The male lead, Duke Xu, repeatedly breaks the fourth wall to urge us to just watch the play, a reminder that all the world’s a stage and we should suspend disbelief.
Xue Fangfei, the most elegant and cultured woman in the capital, is brutally betrayed and thrown into a shallow grave. She is rescued by Jiang Li, the chancellor’s daughter, who has been wrongly condemned and banished from her family to the assembly. Fangfei assumes Jiang Li’s identity and returns to the capital. Vow to clear both of their names and make their enemies pay. She is aided by the brave and powerful Duke Su, who helps her because she is interested in him and could prove useful to him along the way. The romance that develops between them unfolds at a delightful pace as each of them has a high-stakes agenda that could predictably come to blows.
Duke Su must be the ultimate “consolation” prize for every woman who despises him. This great example of masculinity is born tall, dark, handsome, powerful, and tough-minded, which is exactly what Xue Fangfei is. The icing on the cake is this sexy beast who holds his fans together more effectively than a sword and doesn’t come to grips with the evil in-laws. Wang Xingyue’s powerful portrayal of Duke Su is born from the humor that underlies his stern expression, his double-talk making the conversation about how his eyes devour Xue Fangfei almost seem inappropriate. Despite the compelling build-up and the compelling chemistry between the main leads, the final payoff to their slow-burn romance falls short of savagery and wickedness and offers only a few moments of pure bliss.
Even though I immediately shipped off to Duke Su and Xue Fangfei, I appreciated how Fangfei took the time to be angry, mourn her loss, and close the door so she could move on. To me, Wu Jinyan looks older than Wang Xingyue, but I think the casting makes sense. Xue Fangfei is a woman who has lost everything: her reputation, her lover, and her entire family. The shocking destruction would make anyone feel older, and Wu Jinyan’s sad expression in the first episode is simply amazing. The story doesn’t shy away from portraying her marriage as something deep and meaningful. And so they remain in perfect harmony as they play their haunting song. A song of deep loss, resentment, and sorrow. Wu Jinyan plays the role of the avenging angel perfectly, and I get an unholy pleasure from watching Shen Yurong suddenly realize that Xue Fangfei, who knows him better than he knows himself, is coming for him.
{year}=2024{episode}=40.END {type}=TV{completed}