Listen to Story A melodramatic twist to a historical drama that treats its women as smart beings –that’s the Chinese drama ‘The Double’ for you. It is everything you are looking for in a historical drama that treats its subjects (literally and figuratively) like real beings without compromising on the make-believe aspect of storytelling. There is enough intrigue, politics, and peppered romance to keep you invested.
‘The Double’ traces the story of Xue Fang Fei (Wu Jin Yan), the daughter of a magistrate, who assumes the identity of Jiang Li, the daughter of the Secretariat Director, after losing everything to politics. She receives help from Duke Xiao Heng (Wang Xiang Yue) in her pursuit of revenge for both her and the real Jiang Li, who suffered a painful death. Fang Fei's journey in overcoming the numerous hurdles she faces in her fight against injustice is what makes the basic premise of ‘The Double’.
Watch the trailer here: What perhaps is the best part about ‘The Double’ is the fact that Wang Xiang Yue does most of the heavy-lifting. The story remains true to her journey and does not deviate from its subject. Xiao Heng is a catalyst in the story and the writers do not underwrite Fang Fei’s character arc to paint a larger-than-life image of Heng.
The fact that the writers don't belittle the intelligence of the audience and the people in the narrative is another bonus point for the show. Her identity always remains a subject of ambiguity for people aro.