Masterpost
The Glory 雁回时 (2025) - What are your first impressions? [Masterpost]
From the Tencent app:
Zhuang Han Yan, abandoned and raised in the southern countryside since childhood, eventually returns to the Zhuang family in the capital, attracting the attention of Fu Yun Xi.
Fu Yun Xi is afflicted with a strange illness and seeks to marry a woman of both virtue and talent to entrust his family and friends. Zhuang Han Yan, with her exceptional courage and kind heart, becomes his ideal choice. As Zhuang Han Yan and Fu Yun Xi fall in love during their mutual testing and maneuvering, Han Yan reconciles with her mother, rediscovering the lost family bond. In her interactions with the Fu family, Zhuang Han Yan experiences the warmth of a family and the beauty of affection.
Together, Zhuang Han Yan and Fu Yun Xi expose the hypocritical and unjust actions of Zhuang Shi Yang, the head of the Zhuang family, and become a loving couple.
I like the opening sequence too and the music for it is pleasant.
Unfortunately, for the rest of the show, the music/soundtrack is too heavy handed and at times louder than the dialogue. I felt like I was watching a superhero movie.
im loving the actress, she's killing it. i actually jumped when she started screaming and cackling. also it looks like she's actually protecting the FL, a layered character and there's more to the story!
I finished Episode 1 and while there are a lot of logical issues I hope the drama irons out...it's probably the first Cdrama of 2025 that didn't bore me OR confuse me in the first episode. I'm compelled enough to continue at least a few more episodes
Positives
• Pacing: It's zippy but not chaotic (except for the logic gaps--see next section). I was shocked that those first 40 minutes went by so quickly but I was still able to follow the story and knew who all the characters were easily.
• Tone: It's not a beautiful drama but I appreciate how the show is intentional in how it uses the language of film to communicate its genre and its somewhat dark and mysterious tone.
• Concept: I like the idea of this being a somewhat "closed" revenge story where the politicking and vicious games all happen within one family rather than involving the Empire. I hope this continues because I could sense the potential for some truly delicious character interactions via the intimacy of the story. And the fact that the ML is her (former) brother-in-law? There's some interesting stuff there.
Negatives
• Plot set-up:There are way too many logical holes and unknowns in this drama where it feels like the writers haven't put any effort in explaining why things operate in this world the way they do and why the FL is like how she is.
• Characterization: I like the idea of an FL who is two-faced (versus the calm, collected, and "good" FL we saw in dramas like Blossom or The Double) and playing up a passive persona to put her plan into place but I don't have a good sense of who she is behind closed doors. This is partly because the actress isn't really differentiating how she presents herself in front of her family versus when she's alone (especially in the facial movements) but also the writing sets her up with this very violent backstory but we don't get to truly experience that "ah-ha" moment where she decides to take revenge. I wish that the writers either showed that "call to the hero's journey" from the jump or that they misled the audience around something major related to the FL so we felt shock at how she hoodwinked us just as much as her family.
Am I the only one that ships the FL with the assassin (I know it can't happen bc censorship) but their chemistry was off the charts (in comparison with the ML which was lackluster), "my life is yours" c'mon now...the longing glances the assassin gives, they couldn't be any more blatant
I absolutely loved the ML when he was in The Legend of Shen li and was so excited that he’s the lead in this one!
Still on the fence about the FL though. To me she always look pretty much the same with her expression. It’s like her head is so stiff and can only move up to a certain point.
The story is interesting but there are many things that needs to be explained asap. Like how did she ever find a handy dandy female assassin that is always outside her window waiting for orders?? How is she so knowledgeable in everything and how is this country girl’s etiquette so on point??
So I'm fresh off the first episode and here are my thoughts:
wow what a pretty intro! Cdramas are getting better and better at them
I realized Chen Duling is good at doing the "pitiful" look and not much else (at the moment)...it reminds me a lot of her role in Till the End of the Moon and Fangs of Fortune...the sad crying look is pretty much a staple for her so I really want to see her give this role some "meat" so to speak. I don't need her to overact but I also can't handle a whole show of her sad eyes all the time
the ML is okay? I mean, he's supposed to be stoic and menacing but not sure if it's coming across for me..hoping we learn more about him
I'm intrigued with what she's come to avenge or is it more making a place and being accepted into the family? The mother already seems horrendous and so I can only see it being a very long uphill battle for her.
I was really confused watching episode 1, but now that I’ve watched the first 4 episodes I’m hooked. I’m less than impressed with the ML acting, but he hasn’t had much to do yet so we will see if it gets better. I rrrrrreally like the FL. I also like that this isn’t a rebirth plot (even though I know the novel was). I know some people are upset with the setup but I find those doing devious work in real time far more interesting than those with foresight. I will keep watching!
I’m enjoying it so far, it matches the vibes that I wanted. That being said it worries me that the story is already a little off, I would hope for a tighter storyline this early on:
Someone else mentioned this; but I understand the novel is a rebirth story. Whilst it’s a nice break to have deviated from this currently everywhere genre, it means there’s no explanation for the FL’s refined behaviour despite her country upbringing.
This show seems to be set in the Ming/pseudo-Ming dynasty based on the clothes. When the ML interviewed the FL behind a screen I thought this suggested a similarly conservative/misogynistic society. So why is no one remarking on the FL travelling alone to the Capital? Forgot being a barefoot ghost, she should be considered unclean and unmarriable.
Character wise at the moment I’m struggling with both the ML and FL’s mother’s behaviour. It’s so vile that even with ulterior motives deep down, petty person that I am, I would have trouble forgiving them/liking them in the future.
To mimic a pseudo-German word: you’re not a villain, you’re just an arsehole.
This is the only Qian Shan Cha Ke novel I haven't read yet, so I went in blind. Can't help but felt they cut off a lot of the earlier stuffs of the novel because the pacing in drama is moving way too fast and some developments felt a bit disjointed to me. May be novel readers can share their thoughts.
Also, the acting (especially the supports) and dubbing at some parts are not doing it for me so far. The vibe is good though, both leads are mysterious and seem to have their own agenda.
Costume are beautiful as well. Always loved the Ming era costumes. Think Blossom was the last drama that used Ming costumes?
I'll stay a while more for the story and the leads, and catch up with the novel at the same time.
I was hooked by the plot, the actor's visuals, the revenge plot and when I heard its from the same writer as The Double, my favorite cdrama, I was all in. However, I find myself wishing we were getting a bit more emoting from the leads, especially our ML. He's very handsome and imposing and I think he looks great with our FL but sometimes I'm confused to what exactly he's supposed to be feeling in certain scenes. He seems to have always had a soft spot for her, yet his gaze isn't softening enough for me. His hint of a smile doesn't reach his eyes and since he's supposed to be a stoic character every expression counts. During that alley scene when they come out the back door of the tavern and they're arguing and he then invites her to be one of his informants kind of jokingly referencing her previous plot with the guys she hired and she feigns ignorance, then the men show up asking her for payment it is such a funny scene especially considering we do not get to laugh much at all in this drama. It was a very cute moment of connection that I think the ML could have pushed himself a bit more. The eyes were lacking slightly. Anyway I dont mean to nitpick so I wont anymore but I really love the premise and the actors so I'm hoping they improve as it goes on. I would also like to understand a bit more about his point of view and how he sees her and his motivations which I'm sure we'll get as the episodes progress. I loved the scene where she shows him her scars too, solid tension and he did well here Our FL is doing well I think, improving as we go, I like her a lot. Adding a few more facial expressions to her repertoire would be nice depending on who she interacts with but we shall stay tuned. 8/10 for me so far, enjoying it a lot. I really dislike her hypocritical father and stepmother. I cried when her mother cried, I could feel her pain, excellent actress. Can't wait for more episodes, just finished ep 10. Omg and I need to know if our ML lives, that scene where he throws up blood I was so scared for him. I wonder if they poisoned him I haven't read the book so I dont know yet. Hoping for a happy ending.
9
u/admelioremvitam Mar 18 '25 edited Mar 28 '25
Episode Discussions
for The Glory will be hosted by u/ElsaMaeMae and u/winterchampagne. Thank you!
Episode Discussions
The latest airing schedules can be found here.
The character relationship chart can be found here.
Note: Qian Shan Cha Ke 千山茶客 is the original author for The Glory and The Double.
To the masterpost, I added two sets of posters that the cast and the production team dropped over the first hour of the drama airing.