The Autumn Ballad (2022) - Final Review

Final review/rating: The Autumn Ballad (2022) - A surprisingly realistic take on relationships and a refreshingly flawed heroine 

This is 7.5/10 stars ✮✮✮✮✮✮✮ from Pandafan🐼

Overall rating:         7.5 Stars Plot:                       7 Stars Acting/cast:            7 Stars Couple chemistry:   7 stars Music:                    7 Stars Re-watch value:      7 Stars Enjoyment factor:   8 Stars

The Autumn Ballad (2022) provides a refreshingly flawed heroine in Qiu Yan and an equally deliciously flawed anti-hero Liang Yi, as well as a surprisingly realistic take on the enemies-to-lovers trope.  

The novelty factor of this alone make the drama a compelling watch.  However, be aware that while The Autumn Ballad starts with a bang and a well woven plot, the writing in the last third loses much steam and coherency, and the ending falls rather flat.  

SPOILERS AHEADS

An interesting plot

For a spoiler-free synopsis, see mine 👉here. 

It makes for an interesting beginning when the drama begins with a wedding, but has the groom fall dead at the scene in a dramatic and bloody fashion.  

The erstwhile bride and heroine Qiu Yan (played by Qiao Xin) should, according to tradition, hasten to a nunnery and is being forced to do so by her new in-laws. But Qiu Yan understandably does not wish to bow down to such an unfair fate.  She escapes, and begins to investigate how her new groom meet his grisly end and in the process is repeatedly thwarted by the cold-faced duke Liang Yi (played by Xu Zheng Xi), who heads the Firewood Investigation Bureau. Mutual antagonism and the suggestion of mutual awareness sparks...

Liu Rui Lin as Qin Xuan

Joining the triangle is the gentle and kindhearted Qin Xuan (played by Liu Rui Lin)who falls in love with Qiu Yan, and to make an uncomfortable square, her little sister Qiu Min (played by Xu Yia Ting) has a deep and unrequited love for Qin Xuan... 

Also thrown into the mix are a number of interesting investigations, long hidden family secrets, and the Qiu family's fall from imperial grace, with a dash of palace political intrigue.   

Flawed leads with fantastic chemistry 

What really makes this drama stand out, is the flawed leads and their realistic slow burn attraction. 

Qiao Xin as Qiu Yan

Qiao Xin's Qiu Yan is a far cry from many of the typical goody-goody-two-shoes heroines that populate the Chinese historical drama scene.  She is clever but reckless, and also surprisingly ruthless. Above all, Qiu Yan is a survivor, who will bend the rules to tip the scales in her favour.  She is not above scheming to win the affections of Qin Xuan if it will mean an escape from drudgery.  This is understandable in the circumstances but sits uncomfortably both with the audience and with Qiu Yan herself who, despite her tough talk, is not entirely without conscience.  

To be honest, I think that Qiao Xin's portrayal of Qiu Yan is competent but not entirely convincing.  In different hands, Qiu Yan may have been a more compelling character to watch.  

Xu Zheng Xi as Liang Yi

As for Xu Zheng Xi's Liang Yi, this is the stand out performance of the drama for me.  Xu Zheng Xi is perfect as the ruthless, scheming anti-hero, and thank goodness they did not overdub his real voice in the drama!  His gravelly low voice is incredibly expressive and perfectly compliments his intense gaze and ironic half-smiles.    

Liang Yi is at first disgusted by what he sees as Qiu Yan's gold-digging schemes (after all, they involve his good friend Qin Xuan) and tries to thwart her at every turn. 

But genuine dislike morphs into a recognition that he is kindred spirits with the unconventional Qiu Yan, and to his consternation, he finds himself in love before he realises how it happened...  

A lack luster last third and ending

It is a pity that this drama loses steam and coherency in the last third.  

The OTP confess their mutual love after a harrowing near death encounter for Liang Yi - but rather inexplicably, almost straightaway, Qiu Yan decides that she must travel through life alone so that she can become a better writer. (No reason, surely, why she cannot travel and be with the love of her life, who is actually an enlightened man and fully supportive of her ventures)? 

Thereafter the overarching conspiracy also limps to a rather predictable close. 

Just as we ought to be heading for a happy-ever-after, the screenwriters decide that a rather lame final plot twist is needed: it turns out that Liang Yi's mother is the true killer of his father, and she commits suicide in remorse. Fearing that he will be brokenhearted from this, Qiu Yan decides to leave Liang Yi with a note saying that she killed his mother, purportedly to avenge her father.  Given his intelligence, surely this noble idiocy is completely transparent?  

Time skip to some years later, when Qiu Yan is at a bookstore and picks up a book with a familiar author pseudonym, with a child (not hers) in tow.  And Liang Yi sporting a different (and in my opinion unflattering hairstyle) rushes toward Qiu Yan... Both smile, so presumably all misunderstandings are cleared up.       

Final thoughts 

The Autumn Ballad (2022) starts with a bang and a well woven plot, but unfortunately the writing in the last third loses much steam and coherency.  

As for the ending, it's almost as if the director realised they did not have enough content to round out the final episode and stuck some unsatisfying noble idiocy in.  It is a happy ending of sorts, but rather lame, which is a pity. The Autumn Ballad (2022) started with so much promise that it really deserves a better last third and a fitting ending. 

That said, it is quite a good watch and a chance to watch Xu Zheng Xi's fantastically nuanced performance as Liang Yi.  Honestly, it should be a rule that he dubs his own voice in all his future dramas because that gravelly low voice of his is quite something! 

7.5/10 stars ✮✮✮✮✮✮✮