EVER NIGHT 2

I have so many biases for this series. One, I really could not imagine the original actor being better that Dylan Wang as Ning Que. True enough, just one episode of season 2 already made me forget the face of the original Ning Que. This is not to say that Chen Fei Yu is less talented because he truly is a marvel but I could not downplay also Dylan's portrayal of the character, as some critics did.

I love the interplay of the Sage's disciples. Each one with their own strengths, talents and amazing powers but they blend together as one big family. Their concern and constant support to their youngest brother Ning Que bring such warmth to everyone watching. This is experiential branding at its finest. Just being in their company would make you want to be one of them and part of their wonderful family. Their love and care towards each other is silent but consistent.

Forgive me, but I could not reconcile the choice of Ning Que in marrying Sang Sang to my own values. He raised the latter from babyhood which means they are like siblings. So it's a kind of incestuous relationship that they have. It really gives me shivers when they show intimacy and when thinking of them as a couple. Maybe it would have made a little difference if Sang Sang has been taller and a bit mature looking. She looks childlike and that makes it more like she's the younger sister to Ning Que rather than a romantic partner.

Aside from Chen Feiyu, other actors in the original series were replaced and I mourn the loss of them. The new actor for the King is better but the queen seemed to have an air of innocence around her while the original one has both innocence and a dark side aura that gives justice to her Virgin Saint of the dark occult title. The Princess character also changed actors but I really think the first one was a better fit in both looks and acting.

I have to mention this though. There were several episodes in the second season when Ning Sue's character became so focused on Sang Sang and eventually his grief over Sang Sang and Sage's ascension that he became so useless and pathetic. The world became chaotic and so many people died in Tang and yet he was lost in his own world. The other twelve disciples of the Sage became all useless too. It felt so frustrating. The great King of Tang was not even buried properly. Maybe those were the moments that most viewers remember so they think the second season was a far cry from the first.

The last few episodes could not actually assuage the fans' hunger for closure on all sides. I cannot also understand the need to kill the drinker and the butcher- both of whom, while capable of killing Ning Que, can both be controlled by Haotian. Sang Sang/ Haitian will never kill Ning Que, being her natal object. They have a connection that cannot be servered by killing each other. The sacrifice of Chao Xiao Shu, seemed unnecessary for me.

Another necessary closure for me was the answer to what happens to Long Qing and the Tao-addict? And most of all, how come Sang Sang in the last episode seemed to have forgotten her goddess self again? So many questions left unanswered but maybe that is part of the charm of this story. It is giving us the chance to make our own happy endings for them, albeit only in imagination.