Go Princess Go Episode 3-4 Recap

Episode 3

Zhang Peng Peng (Zhang Tian Ai) dons a man's attire and is shocked when the madame sees right through her disguise, poking fun at the common perception that people in the olden days cannot tell the difference between a man and a woman. Nevertheless, her silver taels are ticket enough to gain entry to the brothel and Zhang Peng Peng has the time of her life.

I was cracking up at the scene where Qi Sheng (Sheng Yi Lun) comes home with arms wide open. Looks like he's asking for a hug if you ask me so a like-minded Zhang Peng Peng assumes the same and decides to give him a man-to-man hug since it wouldn't be right to leave Qi Sheng hanging. 

Of course, a hug is too scandalous back in those days and she just committed the biggest social blunder. As it turns out, what Qi Sheng meant was that he needed a change of clothes.

Back in the palace, crown prince Qi Sheng plays nice to Zhang Peng Peng in front of the Queen going as far as to engage in a drinking showdown with the 9th Prince (Yu Meng Long). He belatedly admits to his mistress Jiang Yingyue that his actions weren't because of Zhang Peng Peng but rather an excuse to put 9th Prince in his place. 

Ugh men and their male ego but surely, a man must have sufficient confidence to pull off that ridiculous outfit while attempting to look cool, and those shorts.. wow. 

Zhang Peng Peng accidentally catches Qi Sheng and Jiang Yingyue's illicit affair in action when she runs into Yang Yan, 9th Prince's friend. As if watching a movie, the two hide behind the bushes silently cheering for the lovers until a careless Yang Yan gives away their location.

Episode 4

An indignant Qi Sheng punishes Zhang Peng Peng by putting her on a vegetarian diet and placing her under house arrest. Hungry and angry, Zhang Peng Peng lets out her frustrations on a helpless Yang Yan.

It is time for the married couple to pay a visit to Zhang Peng Peng's home so Qi Sheng comes to prep Peng Peng. As expected, she is completely clueless and unable to recognize her own parents' pictures so she finally comes clean with the truth. 

As far as time-travel dramas go, his reaction is the calmest one yet having observed for some time that Zhang Peng Peng really has changed. He half-believes in Zhang Peng Peng's time-travel story and decides to give her actual lessons before they visit her home.

For Go Princess Go recaps:
Episode 1-2
Episode 5-6

The Classic of Mountain and Seas (2016)

The Classic of Mountain and Seas 山海经之赤影传说 or Shan Hai Jing for short, is a 42-episode Chinese fantasy wuxia starring Zhang Han (Braveness of the Ming) and Gu Li Na Zha (Legend of Nine Tails Fox) and it is also rumored to be the drama that brought the real-life couple together.

The plot bears a striking resemblance to Korean drama Legend but the story will focus on two of the four spiritual objects instead. In hindsight, both likely took inspiration from Shan Hai Jing, a collection of Chinese ancient texts that has been preserved since the warring states period.

It tells the tale of two friends who are destined to become the heavenly maiden of opposing tribes since only they have the ability to awaken the Green Dragon and Red Phoenix.

Zhang Han 张翰 is listed as playing two characters Chi Yu and Xin Yue Hu respectively, though I can't be sure if they are twins or one man with two personas, which is not that far-fetched in fantasy wuxia series. 

Gu Li Na Zha 古力娜扎 as Su Mo will play the guardian of the Red Phoenix and Wu Lei, the adorable little bodyguard in Nirvana in Fire will be part of team Phoenix. 

For synopsis, cast and ratings, see 2016 c-drama listing. Eng subs on viki. 

Source: Bizhi, Duitang, StyleTV

Go Princess Go Episode 1-2 Recap

Does it count as cheating if I chose to recap Go Princess Go 太子妃升职记 mainly because it only has 35 episodes spanning 20 minutes each? It's a parody on period dramas and quite manageable since it's so short. After my half-baked attempt at recapping the 48-episode Hua Xu Yin, wish me luck.

Episode 1:

Zhang Peng is a notorious womanizer and on one fateful day, three of his ex-girlfriends crash a party to hunt him down. Amidst all the commotion, Zhang Peng accidentally pushes a woman into the pool and perhaps it's the adrenaline rush from wanting to run away but Zhang Peng hurriedly breaks free and dives headfirst to save the drowning woman. I was bracing for a heroic moment but no, the woman's knee jerk reaction deals a fatal blow to Zhang Peng and the scene goes black.

The world is still round but everything changed in an instance. Zhang Peng wakes up horrified, muttering to himself, "I didn't die?" In comes servant Lu Li and the imperial doctor and after a bit of digging, Zhang Peng finds out that not only did he time-travel but he also body-swapped into the body of a woman named Zhang Peng Peng (Zhang Tian Ai), the wife of the crown prince. 

Concluding that death is the solution to travel back into the future, Zhang Peng Peng tries to commit suicide albeit failing every single time, even after she asked and was given fake He Ding Hong, a poison often used in wuxia dramas. 

Despite being on the brink of exasperation, Zhang Peng Peng has a light bulb moment when she learns that whoever pushed the real crown princess into the water before the body-swap happened can be sentenced to death. She flees to the scene where where Zhao Wang and the Crown Prince (Sheng Yi Lun) are begging the Queen to release Jiang Yingyue, the woman accused of the crime and an indignant Crown Prince tells her to get lost.

Episode 2: 

As the Queen finally arrives, Zhang Peng Peng rushes to her side begging for her own execution. Her words translate to, "Queen, I orchestrated the whole thing. All the ji (schemes) such as 36 ji (a military strategy), Gong Xin Ji (a reference to popular Chinese palace drama), I planned it all! My heart is undoubtedly evil and I did everything to harm the Crown Prince." 

Seeing that the Queen was unconvinced, Zhang Peng Peng continues, "I'm no longer the kind, bright and cute Zhang Peng Peng. You just don't know but my heart is treacherous, I jumped willingly into the water, dragged the Crown Prince and even Jiang Yingyue down with me. Basically, everyone who almost died... it was me. Queen you have to order my death, Queen please." The dialogue is definitely funnier on screen but in a nutshell, Zhang Peng Peng fails again and is sent back to her quarters.

At this point, the dynamics among the royal family becomes clearer. Crown Prince hates the Crown Princess but is blatantly in love with Jiang Yingyue who is married to his 2nd brother Zhao Wang. There is also an ongoing rivalry between the Crown Prince (left) and his 9th brother (Yu Meng Long on the right) as seen by their silly competition of who's carriage moves faster. 

The two men face off in a stare down where the Crown Prince warns 9th Prince to stay out of his business especially since the 9th Prince was the man who saved Zhang Peng Peng from drowning. Resigned to her fate in the palace, Zhang Peng Peng decides to make the most of her stay by visiting a brothel. 

Continue to episode 3.

Song of Phoenix (2017)

Song of Phoenix 思美人 is an 81-episode Chinese historical epic starring Ma Ke (The Journey), Viann Zhang (Border Town Prodigal), Qiao Zhenyu (Hero's Dream) and Jackson Yi Yang Qian Xi (Legend of Chusen). 

It tells the story of Qu Yuan, a Chinese poet and government official known for his accomplishments during the Warring States Era. In the fictionalized dramatization, Qu Yuan falls in love with a slave girl named Mo Chou Nu. Theirs is a forbidden romance but complicated by palace politics and the affairs of the nation. Motivated by a love for his country, Qu Yuan embarks on a difficult endeavor to save his people.

This drama which was filmed early 2016 serves as Ma Ke's comeback to grand scale costume dramas ever since he shot to fame playing Sha Qian Mo in Journey of Flower. It's been more than a year-long wait for its release and it has finally been slated to broadcast following the finale of the hit political drama In the name of People. 

Release Date: April 28, 2017 Hunan TV and iQiYi (eng subs on viki)

Source: Duitang, Official Weibo