The Double (2024) Episodes 9-11

There’s certainly something special about a show when the time just flies by and before you know it, the outro music blares loudly in the background at the end of a cliffhanger. Most C dramas are a slog to get through even with speed adjustments of up to 2x but The Double has the viewer by the scruff of the neck and doesn’t let go. As I’ve said in the previous post, originality is not a feature or a selling point of this production. In fact it borrows heavily from other stories and unabashedly clings to popular tropes for its narrative pegs. It is absolutely derivative. That said, it does a good job borrowing or alluding to other works. Simplicity is its strength. Whatever it does, it does well. Like Queen of Tears, it is a well-made soap opera. And a good soap opera is crowd pleasing and addictive. Even when the show does a wacky manga moment during a supposedly serious moment-of-truth zither competition, one feels inclined to go along with it. It’s that triumphant moment when A’Li plays her heart out and plucks the strings till her fingers bleed. She has the equivalent of a Nodame Cantabile moment. Except it’s not Mozart or Chopin that makes an appearance but a bodhisattva battling a monster.

Certainly the direction can take a lot of the credit. The use of wide angle, high angle, dolly shots and of course extreme close-ups to provide insight into characters’ innermost thoughts. Wang Xingyue appears to be the chief beneficiary of the extreme close-ups as he showcases some expressive eye acting. On top of that there’s the use of colour here that is both striking and symbolic.

It is curious that not only to have the husband Shen Yurong portrayed more sympathetically in the screen adaptation but that both husband and wife have nightmares and waking dreams about each other. The bond between them which began in earnest has turned into a thread of hate and guilt. The emotional injury to A’Li presents itself as post-traumatic stress that spurs the revenge narrative. For the husband, the normally stoic facade crumbles at the thought or mention of her. He is riddled with guilt but what to do… he has made his bed. On some level he’s a pitiful character. It was a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. He’s now tethered to an unhinged woman who is a ticking time bomb. Furthermore she shows him very little respect. He’s treated as little more than a shiny new plaything with buttons she enjoys pushing. It wouldn’t surprise me if they both end up stabbing or throttling each other when all is said and done. Even in the calligraphy scene that’s usually palpable with intimacy sees Shen Yurong walking on eggshells around the domineering princess as she teases and taunts him to reveal himself. Compare that with a later scene archery scene between Xiao Heng and A’Li. A’Li’s discomfiture is evident as he teaches her to aim and shoot with confidence. He’s matter-of-fact during the brief bit of coaching but I doubt anyone would begrudge him a few “cheap tricks” to get closer to the woman who has caught his fancy. It’s early days yet but at least they know that they’re using each other although he seems far happier about being used.

The high born women depicted here are ruthless in the extreme. In the context it makes sense but their husbands whatever their faults don’t experience genuine affection either. Everything is calculated on the part of their wives whose first priority is their birth family rather than the one they married into. Here I refer most specifically to Minister Jiang and the emperor who are husbands of ambitious sisters. Stepmother says so later on to her tantrum-throwing progeny that love is the most useless thing in the world. The two women’s machinations post-competition shows where their hearts are. It’s about removing barriers to entry or success. Even the sisters sound more collaborators as they whisper conspiratorially to one another while they connive their next step. It’s a low trust environment that’s largely about protecting one’s self-interest and watching one’s back. Even their offspring are perceived as pawns or instruments of bringing glory to the family. Life for them is a constant battleground of being one or two steps ahead of the opposition.

That’s perhaps why in every C drama spotlights at least one official “competition” or more. A race against the proverbial hourglass acting as a metaphor for the larger narrative. The protagonists are locked in a war with many battles as long as their resolve to reach their goals remain steadfast. It isn’t just about talent, skill and/or connections although they help immensely. In the imperial “examinations” featured in Episodes 10 and 11, it is about mental perspicacity. No doubt it speaks to a larger reality. The winner that takes all is the one who can endure the mind games to the bitter finale. Jiang Ruoyao, the half-sister though born with all the advantages including a ruthlessly protective mother, lacks self-mastery. Perhaps having everything handed to you on a platter without having to fight for anything has its downside. It’s why children have to learn skills like buttoning up shirts and tying shoelaces on their own through trial and error. Problem-solving is more caught than taught. Suffering and trials can be immensely character building. For A’Li her near death experience informs her already great qin playing, taking it to even greater heights. Music done well has the ability to elicit deep emotions. The over-the-top visuals inspired by superhero shows is no doubt meant to make this point. Like the dialogue in this drama, her playing works on multiple levels — a reminder of all the agendas that’s transpired. Shen Yurong sheds tears and perspiration. Even the martinet academy head is involuntarily moved despite her relationship with stepmother. The biases show in the judgment due to external influences. Still we don’t doubt that A’Li will win (she has to for the story to progress) but in what fashion… is the question. The show even manages to make the giving of the final verdict a nail biter after the fashion of the Got Talent franchise.

On another level the imperial exam is the vehicle for A’Li to gain an audience with the emperor and force the mastermind behind Shen Yurong to make an appearance. For the Jiang stepmother and her minions it is yet another opportunity to rid themselves of the troublesome Jiang Li who in their eyes has jumped into the cauldron with both feet. It pays to be a dark horse and to be underestimated. But sooner or later the hand you’re playing with has to be revealed and your opponents won’t make the same mistake twice.

Episode 9 provides more insight into the enigma that is Xiao Heng. An explanation for his love of red apparel can be traced to his tragic childhood. His late father a general died in battle under suspicious circumstances and his mother followed suit in grief. Before she collapsed, she was dressed in red like a bride in readiness to meet her groom. The young Xiao Heng was likely raised by his grandfather and learnt to play the long game after a spell of mourning. The answers to his father’s untimely demise is not to be found immediately. Xiao Heng clearly has many abilities but his real superpower is patience. An old-fashion virtue. A lost art. It’s also the underlying message of the game of Go between cousin Jingrui and Shen Yurong’s sister. To make it look like one is losing at the beginning and letting one’s opponent think that they have the upperhand before launching a merciless counter-attack.

There’s little doubt in my mind that a reverse harem is in operation at this point. Shen Yurong, the husband is still in love with the wife he tried to murder. Ye Shijie, Jiang Li’s maternal cousin, is certainly interested. Then there’s the double-minded Zhou Yanbang who is betrothed to Jiang Ruoyan . He is impressed with what he sees and is trying to have a bet each way until the zither competition. After that he is well and truly smitten but won’t take no for an answer. Of course there’s Xiao Heng. What of him indeed? On the surface he says he’s grooming her to be his minion but he’s going above and beyond the call of obligation. It’s certain his interest in her is much more than that of a pragmatic official running errands for the big man himself. Perhaps he does see her as a kindred spirit. Someone who is also in search of justice … and won’t back down until she’s crawled over glass to get it.

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